Beit Midrash: Generating New Knowledge Through Shared Exploration

At the Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life, our core mission is to generate new knowledge and understanding of Jewish cultures with and for our academic and public communities. This commitment to discovery and community is central to our new monthly program series: the Beit Midrash Study Sessions, inspired by our exhibition, Flowing through Time and Tradition.

The name itself is a call to intellectual action. Beit Midrash is Hebrew for “House of Inquiry [Study].” By convening these community learning sessions at the Magnes, we are bringing this traditional concept into the museum setting, creating a space dedicated to shared exploration, reflection, and pressing questions.

The Beit Midrash program grew organically as we saw how museum visitors have been interacting with the exhibition and gallery space. According to Magnes Associate Curator Achinoam Aldouby, the simple act of gathering is powerful. “Museums connect us to the past and the present, to lived experience, and to one another.”

Aldouby highlights the central role of conversation in the gallery: “Walking in the gallery, between the mythical and the historical, questions arise that echo into the current and local moment. At the center of the gallery, there is a large table. This table invites visitors to sit, ask questions, learn, and reflect. Since the exhibition opened, it has been a joy to walk through the gallery and see people gathering around this table—meeting, conversing, and discovering together. We want more of that”.

The exhibition, Flowing through Time and Tradition, explores the theme of water through the Magnes Collection’s holdings, tracing how this essential element flows through and shapes Jewish lives by enacting belief, sustaining life and communities, providing the means for spiritual cleansing, and mapping identities. The goal of each Beit Midrash session is to build on this foundation, connecting Jewish tradition to current events, local issues, and the Magnes community. Programmatic topics weave Jewish wisdom with contemporary reality, touching on issues such as water rights, rising sea levels, and creative forces in times of destruction.

“Museums connect us to the past and the present, to lived experience, and to one another. The Beit Midrash series creates a space where we can explore questions together, with context, through conversation and reflection.” — Achinoam Aldouby, Magnes Associate Curator

Beit Midrash attendees can fully immerse themselves in the themes of the exhibition at a free gallery tour prior to each study session. These focused, 30-minute tours at 1:00 pm allow participants to explore the art and objects on view, establishing visual and historical context before diving into deeper textual study.

Each monthly experience—starting with the gallery tour and flowing into the Beit Midrash session—is intentionally collaborative, guided by Aldouby and a variety of guest teachers who bring diverse expertise. The study sessions extend learning beyond traditional lectures. As Aldouby explains, “The Beit Midrash creates a space where we can explore questions together, with context, through conversation and reflection.”

Learning methods include collaborative text study, conversation with experts, and creative engagement such as folk dance, visual arts, film, and poetry.

The upcoming sessions illustrate this commitment to multi-modal discovery:

September 21, 2025 | Reflection and Transformation | Qi-Gong with Nicole Stone

October 12, 2025 | Chaos and Creation | Visual art with Adina Polen

November 9, 2025 | Under the Water: Asking for Rain in a Time of Floods and Sea Level Rise | Hebrew folk dance with Claire Sherman and discussion with Dr. Joel Gerwein

December 7, 2025 | Thirst | Film screening with Alan Snitow and Deborah Kaufman

February 1, 2026 | The First Water is the Body: Tracing Streams | Poetry with Dan Alter

February 22, 2026 | Waters of Transformation | Visual art and discussion with Rabbi Rory Katz and Karen Friedman

April 19, 2026 | Women, Water, and Care

May 3, 2026 | Jewish Arts & Bookfest 

No prior knowledge of Jewish text study or art is required. All are welcome to attend as a monthly practice or just once.

The Gallery Tours and Beit Midrash Study Sessions are free to attend with a suggested donation of $5 for each tour and $20 for each study session. Registration is requested.

We invite you to join us in creating a new rhythm for learning, building community and making the Magnes a true meeting point. Come, sit, and pour forth new perspectives as we generate knowledge together.