This document discusses using social media for Torah study, Jewish learning, and community building. It proposes the idea of "social sermons" where rabbis and educators engage online communities in discussion and reflection about religious texts before delivering sermons to draw from the online conversation. Examples are given of how social sermons can work, including publishing discussion questions on platforms like Facebook and Twitter and incorporating the responses into sermons. The benefits are said to include increasing accessibility and participation for those who cannot regularly attend in-person classes.

1. Using Social Media for Torah Study, Jewish
Learning and Community Building
Lisa Colton, Darim Online
Rabbi David Levy, Temple Shalom, NJ
1

2. What is SOCIAL?

3. #1 THIS IS AN ATTENTION ECONOMY

4. ACCESSIBILITY:
Convenience of
today’s online social LEARNING:
communication tools Text study, learning
and reflection
SOCIAL:
Relationships, dialogue,
community

5. What is a “Social Sermon”?
1.Opportunities to engage in LEARNING
and COMMUNITY BUILDING using
online tools
2.Weaving this content and these
relationships back into the FACE TO
FACE community in our local
communities
3.Inviting ACTIVE participation, rather
than passive attendance

6. Starting Assumptions
People: There are audiences who are
interested in Jewish learning, but unable or
unwilling to come to regular adult education
classes.

7. Questioning Assumptions
Objectives: Torah study and community
building don’t have to happen in the
building, at a set time, face to face.

8. Rethinking the Approach
Strategy: Getting more
people to participate in
education and community
more often doesn’t mean
“market it more”. Time to
rethink our design.

9. Choose the Right Tools
Technology: Choose a platform where your
target audiences already are, that will
enable you to have the conversations you
want, and where Rabbis & educators can be
comfortable.

10. Facebook
As a question,
invite sharing,
link to longer
format if/where
appropriate.

11. Blog: Rabbi Lisa Levenberg
http://shir-imagination.blogspot.com

12. Twitter &
Multi-Channel

13. Social Sermons
in Action
A Case Study from
Rabbi David C. Levy
Temple Shalom, Succasauna, NJ

14. Know Your Community
– Digital Citizens vs. Digital Immigrants
• Be ready to do tech support
• Watch for increase in followers and FB likes
• Don’t discount the lurkers

15. A special treat,
not a regular entrée
– People enjoy the engagement, but still want
to hear from the Rabbi
– Makes the service into an event.

16. Creating a Text Study
Social Sermon
– Determine the Social Media Vehicles that work
best for your congregation.
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Blogs
• Don’t forget Email!

17. Creating a Text Study
Social Sermon
• Publicize!
From: rabbilevy@tshalom.org
Take Part in The Sermon That You Help Write!
…Imagine a Friday evening sermon that’s the work of not only myself
as Rabbi, but you as well…. By the time I deliver my Shabbat remarks, I
hope to be drawing inspiration from, or even representing the
discussion of, many of our congregants and even friends of Temple
Shalom who are connected to us through Facebook!...

18. Publicize!

19. Creating a Social Sermon
• Carry on The Dialogue
– “The Earth is the Eternal’s and all that it holds, the world and its
inhabitants.” from Psalm 24:1
• RL responds: “In Psalm 24:1 the concept that
man does not “own the earth”…
• JW responds: “…“(I like) Rob’s idea that man
does not own the earth…

20. Creating a Social Sermon
– Produce and Publish
• Use input as your text/commentaries,
• Add your own insights and name names!
• Publish after Shabbat and publicize
“….Perhaps, our job is to listen, deeply for answers that will nurture us and return
balance to Earth.” Here, Adam offered us the understanding that perhaps in order
to truly fulfill the command “to till and to tend”, we must begin in quiet, truly listening
to God’s creation and attuning ourselves to God’s earth.

21. Someone May Be Watching
A newspaper article resulted from a reporter seeing
the Social Sermon on our Website & Facebook page.

22. “He dreamed a ladder was set on the ground, with
it’s top reaching to heaven, and angels of G-d were
going up and down. And the Eternal stood above it
and said, “… And here I am, with you.”
(Gensis 28:12-15)
The ladder is a bridge between heaven and earth, on
the surface for the angels, but perhaps for G-d and
Jacob too. How is social media like Jacob’s Ladder?
Tweet using #socialsermon

23. John Fitch’s Steam Engine

24. John Fitch’s Steam Engine

26. IT’S NOT ABOUT TECHNOLOGY