JEWISH HOME LA

Hundreds of Attendees at Shalom Bayis Lectures in Pico-Robertson and the Valley

A crowd of over 250 women were treated to an outstanding lecture on the topic of intimacy on Monday, July 16^th, at Congregation Adas Torah. The following night, over 200 men assembled to receive another great lecture, targeting husbands, on the same topic. This followed similar lectures by the speakers in the Valley.

The events were arranged and sponsored by Dr. David Stoll, a local dermatologist. Dr. Stoll initiated the series of shalom bayis lectures three months ago to benefit the entire community. The initial pair of lectures drew hundreds of participants, propelling Dr. Stoll to put together another similar event.

This time, the topic was intimacy, a subject that is often glossed over in the Orthodox Jewish community. Dr. Stoll felt that it was time to address the topic in a modest but forceful way, both to provide guidance and to answer lingering questions. He sought out two of the top speakers on the subject—Rochel Goldbaum of Denver, Colorado, and Rabbi Moshe Kesselman, Rabbi of Congregation Shaarei Tefila of Los Angeles.

Mrs. Goldbaum—who is a marriage counselor, kallah teacher and international lecturer—started off with a lecture Sunday night, July 15th in the Valley at a private home. Not only was the audience mesmerized by the talk, but the question and answer period extended for hours after the formal lecture ended. Mrs. Goldbaum followed up the next evening at Adas Torah to a packed auditorium with a similar response.

In addition to being a synagogue rabbi, Rabbi Kesselman is a renowned chosson teacher for soon-to-be-married men. At his lectures, he enumerated seven points that a man must institute to create a solid marriage as the basis for establishing an intimate relationship with his wife.

Together, Mrs. Goldbaum and Rabbi Kesselman provided much needed information for the married community at large. The audience ranged from newlyweds to people married over 40 years! There was something to be learned for everyone. Dr. Stoll was encouraged by the great showing and plans to put together future events within the theme of shalom bayis. “We really saw the entire Orthodox Jewish community come together with this topic. It underscores the need for further hadrachah (guidance) on a variety of topics within the shalom bayis genre,” he stated.