February 2008 ALEPH News Service

Ruach HaAretz Summer Retreat Awaits You!

Here's how to make your summer vacation uniquely meaningful. Imagine spending a week at a Jewish spiritual retreat in beautiful, Central Oregon. There's something for the entire family at this destination resort. Deepen your Jewish connection in a host of courses and workshops, while enjoying hiking, swimming, yoga, meditation and golf. Imagine all of this in a full service resort where you can stay in a comfortable hotel room or condo. You can have it all at this summer's Ruach Ha'Aretz Retreat held June 30th-July 6th at the Eagle Crest Resort in Redmond, Oregon.

When you come to Ruach Ha'Aretz, you can enjoy your summer's holiday with all the amenities, where we have created an experience that is as nourishing for the body as it is for the soul. You can engage in deep learning with world renowned Jewish spiritual teachers who can ignite your soul through dynamic courses covering issues in kabbalah, relationships, Spiritual Eldering, exploring nature, movement and song. Choose from daily offerings of meditation, dance, yoga and davenen (meaningful prayer).

See our website for a complete list of courses: www.ruachhaaretz.com

While you are enjoying your classes, your children will have their own remarkable experience in the Ruach Ha'Aretz Program for Children and Teens; led by experienced Jewish educators. It's an exciting, joyful and nurturing Jewish experience filled with music, play, sports, crafts and learning. Children and teens at Ruach Ha'Aretz enjoy a balance of their own activities, and opportunities to be fully integrated into the greater Ruach Community during mealtimes, recreation time, evening programs and Shabbat.

To add to this fantastic retreat, Eagle Crest Resort, www.eagle-crest.com has numerous facilities available including 3 sports centers and 3 golf courses, not to mention comfortable accommodations. You asked for it- we've got it; deep Jewish spiritual learning, a beautiful resort and delicious kosher vegetarian meals.

Join us in this beautiful location for a fabulous week of learning and experiencing our connection to the earth, our Jewish roots and the divine. For more information and registration see our website www.ruachhaaretz.com . Questions can be directed through email to info@ruachhaaretz.com or voicemail at 415-339-8677.

Vibrant Jewish Renewal in the heart of Europe

Hazan Jalda Rebling

A new OHEL, a tent, stands in Berlin, the city that was at the heart of the German infrastructure to erase Jewish life in Europe 66 years ago.

Is this a miracle?

Many of those who survived the Shoa turned away from the God of their ancestors. But obviously Ha Shem did not leave them. Today a second and third generation of Jews are looking for their roots. Many live with broken family stories. Others are unable to follow the strict rules of traditional Jewish communities because they are living in non-traditional families. Some of them are disappointed in the Jewish establishment and don't feel that they can connect to it or be served by it.

Ohel Hachidusch, The New Tent, stands ready to serve all of these souls, yearning to return.

At first, people came to ALEPH ordained Cantor Jalda Rebling to ask for help, counseling or teaching. From these initial contacts a community developed. Made up of four generations of seekers, they had many questions: "How can we create a meaningful and joyful Jewish life for ourselves? How can we create a modern Jewish future for our kids?

The beginning of an answer to these questions was framed by ALEPH ordained Rabbi Elisa Klapheck for the opening of the first Ohel Hachidusch Congress in Berlin in May 2007. She wrote, "I would not be actively involved if I didn't have a vision of what Jewish life in Germany, or even in Europe in general, could become. This includes a new vision of a religious and political culture for us to strive for. Instead of constant bickering and power struggles, whether left- or right-wing, pro or con, conservative or progressive, orthodox or reform, friend or foe, a kind of thinking that is geared towards looking for what is holy/kadosh that lies therein and transfers to secular spheres of life. A form of Judaism that is not only beautiful, established, and traditional, but also an active and renewing force in our lives, in the lives of our Jewish communities as well as in the societies in which we live."

The Berlin group meets twice a month for spiritual singing, story telling and experience sharing. Once a month it has a Kabbalat Shabbat service. It comes together for Havdalah and Rosh Chodesh. If somebody buys or rents a new house it holds a Chanukat Habayit, to dedicate the home and hang the mezuzah. The group also meets for Chanukah and Purim, Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot. Cantor Rebling serves from a place of deep traditional knowledge, creativity and joy. The community is teaching its children, taking care of each other and its cooking is already famous. It hopes to find a Torah soon so that it can offer Shabbat and High Holy Day services with a Torah service.

In addition to the flowering of Jewish Renewal in Berlin, in the past two years a European network from Italy to Norway, from Sweden to Amsterdam has emerged. The next Ohel Hachidusch congresses are scheduled for August 2008 in Lund (Sweden) and May 2009 in Cologne (Germany). Visit www.Ohel-hachidusch.org for more information and to see its home made Sukkah.

Spring and Summer Elat Chayyim Schedule Highlights ALEPH Teachers and Programs

Preparation for Pesach: The Purification of the Heart
April 11 - 13, 2008
Rabbi Shefa Gold

Each year as we embark upon Pesach's journey from slavery into freedom, we are apt to get so caught up in the details of cleaning, searching the house for chametz, cooking and preparing for guests, that we ignore the internal preparation for the purification of our hearts.

Participants in this workshop will use the modalities of text study, chant, meditation, imagery and inner journeying to explore the landscape of the heart and search for the hidden chametz — those soured places within us that can lead to the leavening or inflation of the ego. We'll use the Song of Songs and a 13th century text by the grandson of Maimonidies to map our journeys toward freedom.

Judaism of the 21st Century: Paradigms and Practices for the Global Age
June 16 - 19, 2008
Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (By Video-Conference), Rabbi Arthur Green, Rabbi Tirzah Firestone and Rabbi Shaya Isenberg

Co-sponsored by Oraita: Institute for Continuing Rabbinic Education of Hebrew College and PANIM: The Institute for Jewish Leadership and Values
For Rabbis and Rabbinical Students

This program will allow rabbis and rabbinical students to grapple with some of the awesome challenges and opportunities we face as we enter the 21st century. Our ever-expanding global community, the new vistas and potential dangers of modern technologies, and the previously silenced voices of women, other cultures and the earth itself, are demanding original paradigms and innovative theologies. What will be the kabbalah and the halakhah of the 21st century? A faculty of world-renowned teachers and visionaries will offer their wisdom and guidance as we re-read our textual sources to empower us to create a Judaism of the 21st Century.

Faculty will work with both Oraita and PANIM tracks in classes, beit midrash text study and discussions. Each day will include dedicated time for Oraita and PANIM students to meet separately and reflect on the plenary sessions as they relate to their own lives and careers. Rabbis will have the opportunity to share their experiences and to work with colleagues and faculty on specific applications for the rabbinate, while rabbinical students will meet as a group with PANIM faculty to integrate their learning with themes covered in previous PANIM retreats. The rabbinic track includes continued learning with these outstanding teachers as well as with each other for eight additional weeks through online video and audio presentations, hevruta study and discussions.

Acceptance to the Rabbinic Track is via application only, which is available at www.hebrewcollege.edu/oraita and at www.isabellafreedman.org

There will be significant scholarship funding available for this retreat provided by the Lasko Foundation.

The Joys (and Oys) of Sage-ing
June 19 - 22, 2008
Rabbi Shaya Isenberg and Bahira Sugarman with a special teleconference appearance by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi
Co-sponsored by the ALEPH Sage-ing Project

Learn to turn life's difficult lessons into blessings. The Aleph Sage-ing Process — developed out of Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi's paradigm-shifting vision for growing older — is a deeply ecumenical process that benefits people of all ages. Participants will gain experience with the transformations of consciousness that are the fruits of spiritual eldering, passing through a gateway from "age-ing" to "sage-ing." Rather than back into old-age with fear and avoidance, learn how to harvest the wisdom of life experiences to enrich the present moment, face mortality and repair relationships, and develop a regenerative spirit that will help you take an active leadership role in society.

Course credit for ALEPH smicha students may be available for this class. This workshop may serve as a prerequisite course for the Sage-ing Mentorship certification program and the Guild's Leadership certification programs.

Open Our Hearts To You: A Women's Silent Mindfulness Retreat
June 26 - 29, 2008
Rabbi Sheila Weinberg and Rabbi Rachel Cowan
Co-sponsored by the Institute for Jewish Spirituality (IJS)

You are invited to a silent gathering of Jewish women using the tools of deep silence, the cultivation of attention through mindfulness, teachings from the Torah, and the practices of chanting and yoga. Participants will form a community-of-support as we journey into the truth of the present moment, allowing us to open our hearts more deeply toward ourselves, toward spirit in our lives and toward our unique path of service and healing. Discover what connects us to each other as well as to the profound stories of our people. All women are welcome regardless of experience with meditation.

Chanting For a Vision
August 4 - 7, 2008
Rabbi Shefa Gold

This is the week of Shabbat Chazon — the Sabbath of Vision. Each year, during the week that precedes Tisha B'Av — the holy day that commemorates the destruction of the Temple — we are invited to enter the truth of our vision, the strength of which will see us through times of destruction and the beauty of which will plant in us the seeds of renewal. In this workshop, we will study the visions of Isaiah and seek our own visions to give us the courage and inspiration to face difficult challenges, opening us to a deeper Joy.

The Visionary's Shabbat
August 7 - 10, 2008
Rabbi Shefa Gold

Honoring, sharing and refining our own visions through meditation, chant and celebration, we will open to the power of Tisha B'Av — the holy day that both mourns the destruction of the Temple and marks the birth of Messianic consciousness. In the rarified air of Shabbat Chazon, this course will explore the question: How can our greatest hope be birthed from the moment of our most tragic devastation?

From the Roots Above: An Introduction to Meta-Judaism
August 14 - 17, 2008 Rabbi Moshe Aharon (Miles Krassen) and Hazzan Richard Kaplan

The powerful mystical text Sefer Kol Demamah Dakah (Ultra Subtle Sound Current) offers a new revelation of Divine Light that enables its receivers to perceive a non-dual understanding of Torah that has never before been revealed. Reb Moshe Aharon will lead us in a contemplative inquiry into the understanding of this "Meta-Judaism," while Hazzan Richard Kaplan will help us move beyond a purely intellectual experience through the devequt niggun, a contemplative musical meditation without words. In this class, we will learn to pray two of these exquisite musical masterpieces and study the traditional mystical teachings that underpin and support their expression.

Co-sponsored by ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal:

Teachers and Friends, Lovers and Adversaries:
The Holiness of Relationship in Jewish Mystical Teachings
August 18 - 21, 2008 Rabbi Elliot Ginsburg

Jewish traditions have developed a rich vocabulary for encountering the divine while simultaneously realizing the inter-connectedness of all life. This course will explore the world of relation in four dimensions, beginning with rabbinic and hasidic teachings on friendship as a spiritual practice; moving to sources on the role of Teacher or Mentor in one's spiritual growth; exploring the vocabulary of loving intimacy developed in the Song of Songs; and concluding with the challenge of discovering the face of the divine in all human beings — even adversaries. Study will be anchored in text drawn particularly from rabbinic, kabbalistic and hasidic sources, and in spiritual practices that you can "take home."

Days are Coming: Meta-Judaism and A Deep Exploration of the Messianic Age
August 18 - 21, 2008 Rabbi Moshe Aharon (Miles Krassen) and Hazzan Richard Kaplan

Our sages are in general agreement that no one would really want to live during the period of extreme suffering and destruction that our Prophets predicted would precede the Messianic Age. Many of the current signs of social and environmental crisis suggest that we are rapidly approaching those final days. What is the real meaning of the days "that are coming," and how can a deeper understanding of this phenomenon inform our goals and choices? Participants will be guided through an exploration into what "Meta Judaism" says about how the messianic age can inform our spiritual practices and the awareness we need to meet today's global challenges.

Parenting: A Spiritual Practice
August 18 - 21, 2008 Rabbis Victor and Nadya Gross

Children come into this world bearing wisdom gained in lifetimes lived before and the memory of God's breathing life into them once again. Their greatest gift to us is the reminder to open our eyes to the unlimited potential and purity of the universe; our greatest gift to them is to overcome our controlling need to shape them in our image. The spiritual practice of parenting seeks to create a safe, loving and supportive environment where these young beings can grow in conscious partnership with their Divine intention. When we learn to parent in this way, our homes are defined by Love, Authenticity and Meaning. Learn this practice, sourced in our rabbinic and mystical tradition, and find new joy and purpose in your relationships with your children.

For more information on all of the courses visit www.isabellafreedman.org