Elul: Time to Return and Renew
Elul
Elul, the month before Rosh Hashanah, is traditionally a time of introspection and taking stock of where we have missed the mark. Known in Hebrew as cheshbon hanefesh, an accounting of the soul, our tradition invites us to return from these reflections with an open heart so that we may begin the year as our best, most essential self – a more connected friend, a generous partner, a kinder neighbor, an engaged member of our sacred community. In this way, we can truly transform our world from the inside out.
As a prelude to Elul we will have a meditation daylong retreat, and for the month we will be offering movement, art-making, chanting, advanced study and a primer for RH and YK – a complete CHL playlist!
Prelude: Daylong Meditation Retreat
Sunday, August 25 • 9:30 am - 4:30 pm
Adam Moskowitz & Daniella Salzman
We invite you to gather in a beautiful, communal setting as we care for our bodies, minds and hearts within the sacred container of retreat. Join us to slow down, meditate, and create a collective field of awareness to rediscover the gratitude, joy, and peace that the practice of presence offers us.
Whatever is true for you – whatever is happening in your life and inner world – we invite you to come as you are. No meditation experience is necessary. Through guided meditation, silence, gentle movement, teachings, journaling and group reflection, we will rest our minds, restore our bodies, and revive the deep wisdom of our hearts together.
Where: Chochmat HaLev, 2215 Prince Street, Berkeley, CA 94705
More info & registration »
Painting One’s Mandala as a Path to Wholeness
Sunday, September 8 • 10 am - 12:30 pm
Jim Fishman
$25 per person to cover supplies and costs
Adults and teens welcome
The month of Elul is the auspicious time to search in our hearts and prepare for the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Through the medium of art in forming a person’s own Mandala, one can easefully enter the realm of the heart, to envision the direction of the soul’s forward journey in the coming year.
Mandala is Sanskrit for “Circle,” and as a symbol, it contains seemingly “opposite” archetypal energies that can be integrated via a Circular whole through art, including our past, present, and future selves, the light and shadow. A 2.5 hour time will be devoted to learning about the symbol of the Mandala, forming a Kavanah, a brief meditation and an hour to paint together. Participants will have the chance to show their Mandalas and – if they wish—to share about each’s experience and hear how their painting resonates with others.
Jim Fishman is a member of the Chochmat HaLev Art Committee and is an avid self-trained watercolor artist.
More info & registration »
Everything You Want to Know to Prepare for High Holy Days
September 12 and 19 • 7 - 9 pm
Amanda Nube & Jeffrey Kessler
2-class series: First will focus on Rosh Hashanah with Kohenet Amanda Nube; Second will focus on Yom Kippur with Spiritual Teacher Jeffrey Kessler
Free for members; $18-36 donation for non-members
Can attend one or both.
You are new to Chochmat Halev and curious about High Holiday services. Or you’re a long-time member wishing to deepen your knowledge of the liturgy, rituals and symbolic significance of this holy time. Learn how to blow the shofar, find out the true meaning of Kol Nidre, and so much more! These two interactive workshops, led by Kohenet Amanda Nube & Spiritual Leader Jeffrey Kessler, were created to prepare you for the depth and splendor of Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur at Chochmat Halev.
Amanda Nube:
As a Jewish ceremonialist and educator, Amanda Nube is passionate about sharing her love of earth based Judaism, music, and embodied spirituality. Amanda completed her studies with The Kohenet Institute in 2018, and went on to receive a Masters of Jewish Studies, with a concentration on Creativity in Jewish Communal Life, at the Academy for Jewish Religion LA.
Jeffrey Kessler:
Jeffrey is immediate past President of the Chochmat Board of Directors, and has been a spiritual seeker all his life. Coming from an interfaith background, his exploration of various spiritual traditions and psycho-physical systems has always been with an eye to ‘what is the common’ to all. As a life-long seeker of truth, he understands that the process of teaching effectively requires intentional exploration of what is still unknown in the landscape of the self. Jeffrey is a longtime practitioner and teacher of meditation, Tai-Chi, Chi Gung, and Mussar. His gentle presence is a foundational bedrock at Chochmat.
More info & registration »
Ecology, ritual, and the endless work of seeking God as the heart of Elul
Sunday, September 15 • 7 - 8:30 pm
Ariel Evan Mayse
Free for members; $18-36 donation for non-members
Through experiential practice, advanced teaching and group study, Ariel Evan Mayse will guide us into our shared ecology, ritual and spiritual seeking as what lies at the heart of Elul.
Ariel Evan Mayse is an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Stanford University, the rabbi-in-residence at Atiq: Jewish Maker Institute, and senior scholar-in-residence at the Institute of Jewish Spirituality and Society. Previously he served as the Director of Jewish Studies and Visiting Assistant Professor of Modern Jewish Thought at Hebrew College in Newton, Massachusetts, and a research fellow at the Frankel Institute for Advanced Judaic Studies of the University of Michigan. Mayse holds a Ph.D. in Jewish Studies from Harvard University and rabbinic ordination from Beit Midrash Har’el in Israel. He is the author of Laws of the Spirit: Ritual, Mysticism, and the Commandments in Early Hasidism (2024), and Speaking Infinities: God and Language in the Teachings of Rabbi Dov Ber of Mezritsh (2020).
More info & registration »
Sunday, September 22 • 10 am - 12 pm
Eliana Light
Free for members; $18-36 donation for non-members
All are welcome; No dance or prayer experience necessary 🙂
Part ecstatic dance, part morning rave, part Jewish liturgical journey, rise&shine is a guided dance party to start the day with love and joy. We’ll move through our prayers, focusing on the themes of connection, yearning, and returning for the month of Elul.
Eliana Light believes in the power of t’fillah (Jewish prayer + liturgy) to change our lives, communities and world. She is a sought-after t’fillah leader, consultant, musician, and artist-in-residence, and is the founder and co-host of the Light Lab Podcast. She began hosting rise&shine silent disco morning dance parties at Duke Gardens in 2022. Eliana received her MA in Jewish Education from JTS in 2016 and lives in Durham, NC.
Receiving Selichot
Saturday, September 28 • 7 - 8:30 pm
Lior Tsarfaty & Julie Batz
Free for members; $18-36 donation for non-members
Nourish yourself and prepare your heart for the High Holy Days during this unique event with high holidays music from Lior Tsarfaty, Julie Batz, and other special guest musicians.
Not a service nor a performance, this is an opportunity to simply receive. Attendees will be invited to lay down, close their eyes, and listen to the music during this immersive experience.
We are excited to be offering this event with Julie Batz, Spiritual Leader Emeritus of Chochmat HaLev!
More info & registration »
Mondays • 7 – 8:30 pm • August 29, September 5, 12, 19
Please join Chochmat HaLev’s Monday Night Meditation Group for a special Elul kick-off to the Days of Awe, and a year of Jewish Contemplative Practice. As the month of Elul invites us into an encounter with Teshuvah (Returning/Forgiveness), we will cycle through four levels of soul to foster reconnection and renewal in all the worlds we’re touching. more info »
Wednesdays • 8:15 – 9 am • August 30, September 7,14, 21, 28
The month of Elul provides the opportunity to prepare our hearts for the coming year in an intentional way. The tradition is rich in teshuvah (return) teachings — teachings that challenge and guide us in returning to our best and truest selves. more info »
