מָה־אָהַבְתִּי תוֹרָתֶךָ
How I love your Torah (Ps. 119:97)
For four decades, Rabbi Roly Matalon has helped nurture a deep and expansive love of Torah at BJ—affirming learning as a spiritual practice that shapes how we live, pray, and show up in the world.
In celebration of Roly’s 40 years of service, we are excited to present a seven-week learning series featuring beloved teachers, colleagues, and friends who have walked alongside him on the path of Torah. Together, they offer teachings that reflect the depth, curiosity, and spiritual seriousness that have animated Roly’s rabbinate and shaped Torah learning at BJ.
This week, we will welcome Rabbis Irwin Kula and Michael Paley to teach a session titled, Derekh Hakavod: Rabbi Matalon’s Way Toward Dignity.
Irwin Kula, a 7th-generation rabbi, is a disruptive spiritual innovator. A rogue thinker, author of the award-winning book, Yearnings: Embracing the Sacred Messiness of Life and creator of the film Time for a New God, he is President Emeritus of Clal-The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership. Irwin works at the intersection of religion, innovation, and the science of human flourishing. A popular commentator in both new and traditional media he is co-founder with Craig Hatkoff and the late Professor Clay Christensen of The Disruptor Foundation whose mission is to advance disruptive innovation theory and its application in societal critical domains.
Rabbi Michael Paley is a senior scholar for the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) in Budapest, Hungary. He is the founding Director of the Tarbut Fellowship, a lay leadership program for the Jewish communities of Central and Eastern Europe. He was the Scholar in Residence of the UJA-Federation of New York. For many years, Rabbi Paley served as the University chaplain at Columbia University. He was the founding director of the Bronfman Youth Fellowship. Rabbi Paley was among the first to be ordained by Rabbi Zalman Schachter Shalomi.
Rabbi Paley is married to Anny Dobrejcer and a grandfather of four. He is a devotee of the Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots and this has made him nearly unbearable to be around.
Across the series, distinguished teachers and friends of Roly – including Rabbi Arthur Green, Rabbi Marcelo Bronstein, Rabbi Jan Uhrbach, Dr. Nathaniel Berman, Rabbi Joy Levitt, and Rabbi Michael Strassfeld – offer Torah in celebration of Roly’s 40 years of service and the vibrant culture of learning he has helped cultivate at BJ.
The series culminates on Tikkun Leil Shavuot, when our community gathers for a night of learning dedicated to Roly’s 40 years of service, featuring Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller, followed by learning with the BJ rabbis and rabbinic fellows.
