Mindful Winter Holidays

Hanukkah and Tu B'Shvat

December 2, 2026 and January 20, 2027

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Rabbi Jordan Bendat-Appell and Rebecca Schisler

Wednesdays 7:30-8:45 PM ET 

Hanukkah – December 2 with Rabbi Jordan Bendat-Appell

Tu B’Shvat – January 20 with Rebecca Schisler

At A Glance

Enhance your holiday experience through a Jewish mindfulness lens. In this new, rolling series of workshops on the Jewish holidays, we will learn about the traditional and contemporary rituals and practices associated with Hanukkah and Tu B’Shvat. Accessible to all backgrounds with no Hebrew required, this course will help you transform traditional practices into accessible tools for spiritual growth, self-reflection, and presence.

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Sessions Overview

“There is a season for everything…” (Eccl. 3:1)

Jewish tradition affirms that our system of holidays is an opportunity for spiritual growth and cultivation. In this new, rolling series of workshops on the Jewish holidays, we will learn about the traditional and contemporary rituals and practices associated with each holiday, and ways to invest each ritual with mindfulness and meaning.

Hanukkah

When we find ourselves in a dark room, don’t try to chase out the darkness with a broom – light a candle.
–From the Baal Shem Tov 

Hanukkah meets the darkness with light, a time of lighting candles and expressing gratitude and praise. When we kindle these sacred lights, what are the inner sparks of illumination that we can bring forth in ourselves? What are the spiritual qualities of this holiday that go deeper than the traditional fried foods and gift giving, and how can we cultivate more meaning from this annual celebration of miracles? 

In this session, we will inspire you to bring greater meaning and mindful presence into your Hanukkah experience, including a deeper spiritual practice for candle lighting. Join us to bring more light in the darkest time of the year.

This course can help participants:

  • Deepen your understanding of how the practices of Hanukkah, especially candle lighting, can be experienced as a Jewish mindfulness practice.
  • Open up inner meanings and connections within the holiday by studying relevant Jewish spiritual teachings
  • Shine a light on experiences of wonder and gratitude in our lives through the prism of Hannukah

Tu B’Shvat

Speak with the earth, and it will instruct you. It will become a Torah for you. (Siach la’aretz v’torekha.)
 – Job 12:8

Tu B’Shvat practice has evolved greatly over time from its initial agricultural setting, and was reinvigorated by the Kabbalists of Safed in the 16th century. As the sap begins to rise in midwinter, tradition reminds us that the natural world is our teacher and encourages us to celebrate the new year of the trees. 

Our sages identified this time as an opportunity of renewal and reflection on our connection to the earth and life around us. Honoring nature with the symbolic Tu B’shvat seder can spiritually elevate us, but what else can we do to connect more deeply with this time in our lives? 

Through mindful eating and earth-based practice, we will talk about ways to bring more meaning to Tu B’shvat and ask ourselves: what roots us, and what are we ready to grow? Join us as we introduce more mindfulness into this holiday and explore a potent experience that speaks to the realities of our time. 

Participants will learn:

  • A mindful eating practice inspired by the kabbalistic Tu B’Shvat seder that you can use any time of year
  • Guidelines and ideas for creating your own simple Tu B’Shvat seder or ritual at home
  • Earth-based practices for deepening your connection to the natural world through the seasons

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FAQ

How much Hebrew do I need to know to fully participate?

None! This is a course for everyone, and all of our course sheets and resources include translation and discussion. You don’t need to know any Hebrew to participate.

Will this class be recorded?

Yes, all our classes are recorded, however we highly encourage you to join for the live session. The recordings will be sent following each live session.

Save Your Spot!

Here’s what participants have said about our Mindful Holidays program:

The content was very accessible and I really enjoyed the teaching styles of both instructors. They provided just the right amount of historical context with modern realities and relevance to our world today.  –Mindful Fall Holidays participant, Oct 2026

The fall holidays have always been favorites of mine. With this course, I have a new appreciation for each one, the days in between, and the rich structure of this time that Judaism provides.  –Mindful Fall Holidays participant, Oct 2026

I appreciated the exploration of deeper meanings for the holidays and the emphasis on mindfulness. –Mindful Fall Holidays participant, Oct 2026

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IJS is pleased to offer this course at two tuition levels.
Participants can register for our fall and spring mindful holidays at a discounted rate!
 We encourage you to pay at the highest level you can, which will enable more students to participate.

Abundance Level

$72

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Basic Level

$36

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Mindful Holidays Bundle

$105

Sign up for the fall and spring mindful holidays at a discounted price!
This bundle includes: Hanukkah, Tu B’shvat, Purim, Pesach, and Shavuot.
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Meet Your Instructors:

Rabbi Jordan Bendat-Appell

Rabbi Jordan Bendat-Appell is Senior Core Faculty at the Institute for Jewish Spirituality (IJS), where he teaches Jewish mindfulness and text and directs cohort and retreat programs. Jordan began working for IJS as rabbinical student intern in 2005, and was on staff from 2011-2017, as a teacher of Jewish Mindfulness, leading retreats, and as Director of the Jewish Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training. Jordan also taught meditation to rabbis and cantors through IJS’ Clergy Leadership Program.

Currently at IJS, Jordan focuses on teaching Jewish mindfulness and text, planning and directing retreats, and leading the development of a new training program for advanced teachers of Jewish mindfulness.Jordan will also continue to share his expertise through online courses and on retreats, fostering mindful engagement with Jewish wisdom and tradition.

Rebecca Schisler

Rebecca is a meditation teacher, artist, and Jewish educator. A devoted contemplative practitioner, she has led groups and taught classes and retreats with Or HaLev, Wilderness Torah, Pardes, Stanford School of Medicine, Urban Adamah, Hamakom, and the Awakened Heart Project. She was previously the Director of Student Health & Well-being at Stanford University’s Hillel, and co-authored the Mahloket Matters Schools Curriculum with the Pardes Center for Jewish Educators. A student rabbi at ALEPH, Rebecca is passionate about integrating ancestral wisdom traditions with innovative approaches to personal and collective healing and liberation. She teaches Jewish spirituality as an embodied, holistic, and accessible path, with relevant and timely wisdom for all. Rebecca currently lives in the California Bay Area, where she maintains a lively studio art practice as the artist-in-residence at the JCC East Bay, loves to host Jewish gatherings of all kinds, and tries to lose herself among her neighboring redwood trees as much as possible.
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