“A Rabbi and a dozen Jews hop onto a bar… and start pedaling…”
It’s not the start to the weirdest clergy joke you’ve heard lately. Instead it’s a fun new way of taking Torah study out of the temple and onto the streets.
At 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 28, I experienced a new Jewish spin on a Twin Cities trend. Rabbi Adam Spilker from Mount Zion Temple with Noazim, the Mount Zion 20s and 30s group, hosted the first “Parashah Pedal Pub.” It isn’t often that you get the opportunity to drink beer, listen to Israeli music and discuss Torah with a Rabbi and a dozen Jews, while pedaling a bar on wheels through city streets.
This was certainly the first time I’ve attended a clergy-led Torah study that included rules about public urination, falling off the bar stool or getting honked at. I think the pedal pub driver was pleased to share the evening with our group, rather than yet another drunken bachelor party. It rained earlier in the day, but thankfully stopped an hour before the event—fitting, since we discussed Parashah Noach (Noah and the Great Flood). Reading and discussing the text brought new insights to a story we thought we knew.
There are two “Parashah Pedal Pub” events scheduled in the future. It is a great way to turn an ordinary evening of drinking into an evening of Jewish learning, exercise, socializing AND beer drinking. Rabbi Adam Spilker has found a unique way to turn Torah study into a fun social event, appealing to people of multiple generations, who share two things in common: an interest in Jewish learning, and a love of social events that include adult beverages.
The only remaining Parashah Pedal Pub of the season is October 26. They will resume in spring, with events on April 26 and May 17. The events are open to anyone interested, regardless of affiliation. RSVP with advance payment is required, due to a limited number of seats on the pub. Reservations can be made here. More information on this events and others can be found at Noazim’s Facebook page.
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