Saturday
Only two more weeks until Yom Kippur … are you mentally and emotionally prepared? Tackling the weighty topics of repentance and forgiveness can seem like a mighty task, but with the entertaining inspiration of “The Gates Are Closing” you can start thinking and discussing those issues long before the holy day arrives. The staged reading of the play by Merle Feld will be directed by Temple Emanuel congregant and seasoned professional director Deborah LaVine. Set in a synagogue on Yom Kippur, the play illuminates the struggles of 10 characters of various ages, backgrounds and professions with issues of identity, betrayal and forgiveness.
8 p.m. Selichot Service at 10 p.m. Free. Temple Emanuel, 8844 Burton Way, Beverly Hills. (310) 288-3742.
Sunday
To Life! To Life! L’Chaim! The joyous, dancing-rabbi-filled, celebrity-guest-infused, mitzvah-inspiring Chabad “To Life” Telethon is taking over Channel 9 for six hours of giving today, from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Actor and comedian Elon Gold will host the mega celebration and will be joined by stand-up comedian Mark Schiff, broadcaster Larry King, actor Jon Voight, singer/actress Mare Winningham, radio personality Dennis Prager and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
Last year’s live broadcast raised more than $6 million for Chabad’s educational and nonsectarian social services, which include summer camps, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, crisis intervention, senior programs and humanitarian services. Tune in to life, tune in to giving, tune in to the telethon (and don’t forget to grab your check book before you settle into the couch)!
4-10 p.m. Channel 9. ” target=”_blank”>http://www.thesunmagazine.org.
Tuesday
 and his suspecting young niece (Teresa Wright) as the film’s heroine. The Skirball Cultural Center must be particularly pleased to be screening this film as part of its Classic Films series, as “Shadow of a Doubt” was produced by Jack H. Skirball, in whose memory the center was founded. </p>
<p><i>1:30 p.m. Free. Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 440-4500. <a href=)
” target=”_blank”>http://www.skirball.org.
Wednesday
 838-3685. </i></p>
<p>
<b>Thursday</b></p>
<p>Toy figurines don’t normally strike people as sexy, horrifying or spiritual. But in the capable hands of photographer David Levinthal, these miniature playthings embody complex subjects of obsession in American culture. “Passion” is a provocative photography exhibit that juxtaposes two of Levinthal’s latest and most controversial bodies of work: a series of photos depicting the story of Jesus, and a selection of prints capturing voluptuous nude figurines engaged in sensual play. You’ll never look at Barbie the same way …</p>
<p><i>Gallery hours are Tue.-Sat., 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Exhibit runs through Oct. 20. Stephen Cohen Gallery, 7358 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles. (323) 937-5525. <a href=)
” target=”_blank”>http://www.stephencohengallery.com.
Friday
The Geffen Playhouse calls Wendy Wasserstein’s final play, “Third,” “the jewel in their season’s crown.” The acclaimed playwright, who died unexpectedly of cancer at the age of 55, wrote poignant plays with strong intellectual heroines and relevant political discourses. Before the lights of Broadway were dimmed in her honor, Wasserstein completed “Third,” a dramatic piece about a modern, politically correct female professor who reveals her own prejudices when she accuses a “red state” jock student of plagiarizing his brilliant paper on King Lear. Starring Christine Lahti, this West Coast premiere promises to be a real highlight of the Geffen’s repertoire.
Tue.-Sun., through Oct. 28. $40-$115. Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood. (310) 208-5454.
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