IJS Programs
Fall 2022
Online Courses
Text Study / Begins Oct 14
Torah Study for the Soul: The Hasidic Classic, Degel Machaneh
Efrayim (Banner of Ephraim’s Camp), with Rabbi Sam Feinsmith
Written for experienced students of Torah, this weekly text study explores an Hasidic classic by Rabbi Moshe Chayim Efrayim of Sudilkov (1748-1800) — in which he posits that divine revelation is available for each of us if we pay attention to and cultivate our inner lives. Our thoughts and feelings are echoes of Sinai, our bodies are vehicles for encountering the divine, and our consciousness is a wellspring of living Torah that can be tapped if we turn inward, bear witness, and listen deeply. (This text study first appeared in 2017–18/5778)
The Silent Center of Things, with Yael Shy
This weekly text study, designed for all learners, will explore some of Torah’s everyday wisdom, exploring how each week’s parsha touches themes of struggle, awakening, loneliness, connection, community, joy, and love. Drawing from practitioners and scholars including Dr. Avivah Zornberg, Rabbi Sheila Peltz Weinberg, Zoketsu Norman Fischer, Martin Buber, and others, as well as wisdom from mindfulness, poetry, psychology, and popular culture, you will delve deeply into the text, finding direct application to everyday life. Suggested mindfulness and meditation practices will support your daily practice. (This text study first appeared in 2014–15/5775)
NEW
Yesod: Foundations for Deepening Jewish Mindfulness Meditation / January – October 2023
A brand-new program from the Institute for Jewish Spirituality and Or HaLev Jewish Spirituality & Meditation. Do you have an established meditation practice that you are ready to explore more deeply? In this 10-month online program, you will work closely with Rabbis Sam Feinsmith, James Jacobson-Maisels, and Dorothy Richman, along with a cohort of other committed students, to gain an in-depth understanding and practice of Jewish mindfulness meditation. Yesod, or “foundation”, is the first year of a three-year program, Gates of Awareness: Jewish Mindfulness Meditation: Deepening Practice & Teacher Training, designed to support participants in deepening personal practice and developing their capacities and skills as teachers of Jewish mindfulness meditation.
FREE OFFERING
Daily Online Meditation Intensives
Monday – Friday, 12:30 – 1:15 PM ET and on-demand anytime on the IJS YouTube channel
Daily Online Meditation
Mondays – Fridays / 12:30 – 1:00 PM ET
Join one of our expert teachers as they lead a live daily guided meditation, sharing 30 minutes of Jewish mindfulness with people from around the world. Open to all, no experience needed.
By registering for our daily online meditations, you will receive Zoom links for these intensives
Flight, Fight, and Freeze: Responding to Difficult Emotions
Dec 12 – 16 | Rabbi Ari Lev Fornari
The Torah portions describing the journeys of Jacob can be understood as a journey inward in which we explore different responses to conflict and discomfort. This week’s intensive will explore meditation as a way to increase our awareness so we can respond with greater grace to the conflicts in our own lives.
FREE OFFERING
Other Resources
Online Jewish Yoga Studio
Mondays 11:00 – 11:45 AM ET
Mindful body practices help us find shelter right where we are, in our bodies in this very moment. Yoga teacher and IJS faculty member Cantor Lizzie Shammash guides you in an all-levels yoga and movement session informed by Jewish spiritual teachings and designed to relieve stress as we increase awareness of breath and grounding through our bodies. Open to all, no experience needed.
FREE OFFERING
Other Resources
Online Jewish Yoga Studio
Mondays 11:00 – 11:45 AM ET
Mindful body practices help us find shelter right where we are, in our bodies in this very moment. Yoga teacher and IJS faculty member Cantor Lizzie Shammash guides you in an all-levels yoga and movement session informed by Jewish spiritual teachings and designed to relieve stress as we increase awareness of breath and grounding through our bodies. Open to all, no experience needed.
