On June 13th, CCM will celebrate the graduation of three classes (va’adim) who finished the complete Kibbush and Tikkun curriculum in 2021. All those in attendance will welcome these twenty Mussar graduates in a first-ever Zoom ceremony from 5-7 pm.
The idea for a community-wide graduation arose from the ceremony held last summer to mark the graduation of the va’ad of Linda Kriger z”l. Beulah Trey, Mashgiach Ruchani of CCM (Director of Curriculum and Practice) noted the important community-building function of the event. “In the event honoring Linda’s students, we welcomed new people with a Ner Tamid into the wider circle of Mussar practitioners using a Ner Tamid as their guide.” She went on to share her hope that this will become a regular feature of CCM graduations, in addition to the private graduations held by each class.
The madrichim of each graduating va’ad––Carol Daniels, Herb Levine and Sonia Voynow––will present their graduates to the community. Each class will have two representatives speak, one to offer a Dvar Torah and one to offer a snapshot of the unique character of their va’ad. To introduce the program, Rosh Yeshivah, Rabbi Ira Stone, will offer a teaching on how Limmud Torah and Divrei Torah can reflect the point of view of CCM’s theology, which seeks to probe the Torah’s deep metaphors as guides to our conduct.
CCM chairperson, Nancy Axelrod, expressed her hope that “all previous CCM graduates will come lend their support to this ceremony to make it a true community-wide event. This is a way that we can share in the joy of the graduates and their teachers.”