Name: Monday Night Meditation
Start: 2023-09-04
End: 2023-09-04

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Monday Night Meditation

Monday Night Meditation
7:00 pm

Mondays – 7 – 8:00pm
by donation
On Zoom AND In person in the CHL Sanctuary
Check out our Timeline of Jewish Meditation »
SCHEDULE
1st Mondays – Jen Roitman
2nd Mondays – Zvi Bellin
3rd Mondays – Daniella Salzman
4th Mondays – Jeffrey Kessler
5th Mondays – Jeffrey Kessler
DESCRIPTION
Want to see God (or at least It’s shadow)? Lower your blood pressure? Manage your spiritual confusion? Connect with a deeper Jewish consciousness? Learn about Judaism’s esoteric side? Get a whiff of enlightenment?
Just as healthy foods nourish our body, Jewish meditation nourishes our soul. It has been around for centuries and includes forms such as chanting, visualization, silence, and movement. It can revitalize and transform Judaism from the blasé familiar into a profound and constantly renewing spiritual practice.
As one of the first modern Jewish institutions to teach these forms when we opened our doors in 1995, we invite you to join us in a journey that is both personal and communal, a claiming and reclaiming of ancient pathways that open and deepen our capacity to live in connection.
Some of the teachers are skilled in Classical Jewish styles of meditation, while others are practitioners of other forms but have integrated Jewish wisdom, liturgy, and concepts into their teaching. All provide an interesting, engaging and meaningful experience.
For beginners and experienced meditators alike. No previous meditation or Jewish experience required. By donation.
DONATION INFO
$18 suggested donation. Our meditation program is supported entirely by donations. Each contribution, small and large, allows us to keep bringing you meaningful offerings.
• Donate online chochmat.org/give
• Venmo @Chochmat
• Paypal shalom@chochmat.org
ZOOM INFO
If you are new to Zoom, join early and follow the prompts to download the free software.
Join with video: https://zoom.us/j/848045873?pwd=bHpOZEpwTGJkbDNRLzNoVjNoZ01vZz09
Join by phone: 1-669-900-6833, or 1-346-248-7799, or 1-253-215-8782
Meeting ID: 848-045-873
Passcode: 847352
BIOS
Jen Roitman
Jen experienced the power of chanting and meditation at a contemplative Rosh Hashanah service led by Rabbi Jonathan Omer-man and has been practicing Jewish and Vipassana meditation for more than 18 years. She is a graduate of Rabbi Shefa Gold’s Kol Zimra Chant Leader Training, and The Sati Center Buddhist Chaplaincy Program.
For Jen, the combination of chant and silence is particularly powerful. In her experience chanting helps the meditation go deeper, and she loves how when we do this in community, it helps us to open our hearts, connect with each other and access those more transformational places.
Zvi Bellin
Originally from Brooklyn, Zvi moved out to the Bay Area about 10 years ago. Professionally, he teaches counseling and has a private psychotherapy practice. Spiritually, he draws from Judaism and Vipassana traditions, with a humble twist from Thich Nhat Hanh. He is drawn to storytelling and connection in diverse communities. Zvi has led therapeutically-oriented mindfulness training and retreats and loves engaging with texts to connect ancient practice to contemporary life. Let’s practice together and make meaningful moments.
Daniella Salzman
Daniella Salzman is deeply committed to revelation and revolution. Having trained as a dance expressive arts therapist, meditation and mindfulness teacher, and community organizer, she is inspired by leaders who dedicate their lives to transforming both our inner and outer worlds towards a lasting and integrated peace.
Jeffrey Kessler
A graduate of Chochmat HaLev’s first Jewish Meditation Teacher Training Program, Jeffrey Kessler has studied many spiritual traditions. With degrees in philosophy, mathematics, and spiritual psychology, Jeffrey has spent his life exploring the many creative disciplines of staying open in order to connect with the Nameless One. He sees Meditation and Mussar practice as key to the renewal of Jewish spirituality.

, …
5
6
Meditation of Presence

Meditation of Presence
8:15 am

with Jeffrey Kessler
Wednesdays | 8:15 – 9am
By Donation | On Zoom

Check out our Timeline of Jewish Meditation »

Torah is our technology for encountering the Divine Presence. Silence provides a necessary space for that encounter. According to Jewish tradition, the Presence dwells continually within and around us, but we must learn deep listening to receive its generative wisdom. Shemah – in a word that sounds like an exhalation of breath, we are directed to listen in order to understand the Divine Oneness. We are to open to this Oneness with all of our heart, our soul, our strength. We must listen to our bodies, our emotions, our thoughts, all that is deep within us.

Join us as we sit together in silence, after a brief teaching on meditation practice in connection either with the weekly Torah portion or where we find ourselves in the Jewish sacred calendar.

About Jeffrey Kessler
A graduate of Chochmat HaLev’s first Jewish Meditation Teacher Training Program, Jeffrey has studied many spiritual traditions. With degrees in philosophy, mathematics and spiritual psychology, Jeffrey has spent his life exploring the many creative disciplines of staying open in order to connect with the Nameless One. He sees Meditation and Mussar practice as key to the renewal of Jewish spirituality.

DONATION INFO
$18 suggested donation. Every contribution, large or small, allows us to keep bringing you meditation, services, and much more.
• Donate online chochmat.org/give
• Venmo @Chochmat
• Paypal shalom@chochmat.org

ZOOM INFO
Join with video https://zoom.us/j/520703203?pwd=RnJNRittSkZNcnkxNm03WGxvcFgyQT09

Join by phone 1-669-900-6833, 1-346-248-7799, 1-253-215-8782
Meeting ID: 520 703 203
Passcode: 062729

, …
7
8 European Bluegrass Concert – Red Wine! European Bluegrass Concert – Red Wine! 7:00 pm
9
Torah Study

Torah Study
9:30 am

Kohenet-Led Shabbat Morning Service

Kohenet-Led Shabbat Morning Service
10:30 am

Saturday, 10:30am
In-person and on Zoom
Meeting ID 878 1040 4956
Passcode 972073
Join Chochmat HaLev for a Kohenet led Shabbat morning service. Together we will open the gates of prayer, create sacred space, chant from torah, and share ancestral wisdom led by the feminine pathways of priestess and artisan. All are welcome in this open tent of intergenerational community. Led by Amanda Nube, Sarah Tziporah Moser, Sarah Elise Rund, and Maura Pellettieri.
Event will start promptly at 10:30 am — please arrive 15 minutes early to check in.
If you’re planning to attend in-person, please register in advance.
If you’re planning to attend via Zoom, the link is here: https://zoom.us/j/87810404956
(Our Zoom capacity is limited to 100 attendees; be sure to log on early!)

Pre-registration is now closed

You are still welcome to attend and register at the door!

Click here to volunteer!

No childcare available on Saturday mornings. Email shalom@chochmat.org to join our Families WhatsApp group.

After services

Enjoy a delicious kiddush and schmooze with our community.

Kohenet Amanda Nube is a Jewish educator, yogini, and mama. Amanda received her Masters of Jewish Studies this past year and was a graduate of The Kohenet Institute in 2018. As a Jewish ceremonialist and educator, she is passionate about sharing her love of Judaism, Hebrew, music, and embodied spirituality.

Kohenet Sarah Tziporah is a rising rabbi and mother based in the Santa Cruz mountains. She practices earth-based Judaism and nature-centered life, enjoys connecting with the seasons, baking, crafting, and gardening. She serves as student rabbi for Temple Beth El in Aptos, CA where she officiates life cycle events and occasionally leads services.

Sarah Elise (they & she) is a rising Kohenet and Ba’alat Negina, holder of song. It is their goal to dive into Judaism with an explicitly Queer, earth-based, sacred feminine and non-binary mindset. Besides singing, Sarah Elise takes joy in dance, food, soil, fibers, and clay.

Maura Pellettieri (she/they) is a Kohenet, tending both sacred and secular communities through her songs, words, and creative practice. Leaning on Hebrew wisdom, she leverages her art practice to create conversations about relational health and intimacy among humans, Earth, and the more-than-human realms.

COVID Protocols

Our new policy effective May 19th, 2023 is as follows:

Chochmat HaLev, in consultation with our medical advisor and based on community survey results, will discontinue masking requirements for attendance at events. Masks, although not required, are recommended. We understand people will need to make their own decisions about exposure and risk based on their own personal preferences, and health status.

Chochmat HaLev will provide passive ventilation (e.g., open windows and doors under the supervision of security-trained personnel) and other equipment as available.

Chochmat HaLev will include specific guidelines for those attending in person events on our website and in announcements regarding events.
Chochmat HaLev will provide seating adjacent to a window in an end-of-the-row seat to individuals upon request.

DO NOT attend an event at CHL:

if you are experiencing any potential symptoms of COVID-19 or other illness
if you have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 10 days and have not had a negative antigen test on Day 6 or later
if you have had a known exposure to COVID-19 in the past 3-5 days
if a household member has tested positive in the last 10 days and has not had a negative test on Day 6 or later

DONATION INFO
Our Shabbat services are supported by donation. Each donation, small and large, allows us to continue with this offering.
• Donate online chochmat.org/give
• Venmo @chochmat
• Paypal shalom@chochmat.org

ZOOM INFO
Join with video https://zoom.us/j/87810404956

Meeting ID 878 1040 4956
Passcode 972073

Join by phone 1-669-900-6833, 1-346-248-7799, 1-253-215-8782
Meeting ID 878 1040 4956
Passcode 972073
Notice: Our Zoom recordings are for archival purposes only, and therefore are not available to the public.

PHOTOGRAPHY RELEASE
By attending this event, you consent that recordings or photos of you may be used by Chochmat HaLev. If you have any questions, please contact shalom@chochmat.org.

, …

10
Honoring the Life of a Mystic: The Teachings of Rabbi Jonathan Omer-Man, A Contemplative Day of Learning

Honoring the Life of a Mystic: The Teachings of Rabbi Jonathan Omer-Man, A Contemplative Day of Learning
10:00 am – 4:00 pm

We will gather to honor the teachings we have received from our beloved Rabbi Jonathan Omer-Man. His students, and his treasured partner, Nan Fink Gefen, will share the texts and lessons that have most deeply influenced their lives. There will be time for discussion in chevruta (study partners) and ample contemplative space for silence and melody.

Bring your personal vegetarian lunch to eat in the garden from 12:15 – 1:10 pm.

We would love for you to join us for the whole day, but feel free to come for part of the day.

Schedule:
9:50 Find seats
10:00 Welcome by Chochmat HaLev
10:02 R’SaraLeya Schley – introduction to the day
10:05 R’Burt Jacobson’s eulogy of Jonathan – read by R’Diane Elliot
10:15 Nan Gefen – teaching and meditation
10:45 R’Margie Jacobs – teaching and meditation
11:15 Lyle Poncher – teaching and meditation
11:45 Jeffrey Kessler – teaching – and introduction to mindful eating

12:15-1:10 Lunch – You are invited to bring your own vegetarian lunch and beverages into the silent contemplative space (outside under pergola) or quiet intentional conversation (indoors and designated outside tables).

1:15 R’SaraLeya Schley – re-gather, introduce afternoon schedule
1:20 R’Dorothy Richman – teaching, meditation
1:50 R’Anne Brener – read eulogy from funeral and teaching
2:20 R’SaraLeya Schley , teaching, contemplative hevruta
2:50-3:15 Nan Gefen – concluding words and meditation

Date: Sunday, September 10
The sessions will be live streamed over Zoom.

Registration

UPDATE: Registration is now ONLY for those joining via Zoom. If you’d like to join in-person, you are welcome to register at the door.

Free for members. Suggested donation: $18 – $72. Please register in advance.

Organizer: Rabbi SaraLeya Schley

Rabbi SaraLeya Schley, rabbi emerita of Chochmat HaLev, was ordained in 2005 at the ALEPH Ordination Program, for whom she currently teaches the Integral Halakha Responsa Workshop. She is a senior rabbinic fellow of the Hartman Institute and continues to teach in various Renewal communities, including Chochmat HaLev, Wilderness Torah and Torah of Awakening.

Nan Fink Gefen was born and raised in a small town near San Francisco. After beginning college in California, she married, moved east and had three children. After earning a Ph.D. from Ohio State University she had a private psychotherapy practice in Ohio.

In the mid-1980s she returned to Berkeley, Calif. There she converted to Judaism, wrote a book about the experience, Stranger in the Midst: A Memoir of Spiritual Discovery, and co-founded Tikkun magazine. After leaving Tikkun she taught classes about Jewish meditation and spiritual practice. That led her to help establish Chochmat HaLev.

Over the next 12 years she mentored students and led workshops. From this experience she wrote Discovering Jewish Meditation. She’s also published short fiction and another non-fiction book, It Never Ends: Mothering Middle-aged Daughters, as well as a novel, Clear Lake.In 2007 she became the founding editor and publisher of Persimmon Tree: An Online Magazine of the Arts by Women Over Sixty, associated with Mills College. With her late husband, Jonathan Omer-Man, she raised a blended family of seven children, which now also includes 10 grandchildren.

[ Edited from her website: https://www.nangefen.com/biography/ ]

Jonathan Omer-Man, a rabbi and pioneer in Jewish meditation who died this year at age 89, was born Derek Orlans in Portsmouth, UK, in 1934. He spent years working on a kibbutz in Israel before his legs were paralyzed by polio. After moving to Jerusalem he found various jobs as an electrician, teacher and in the publishing industry, before he was captivated by the study of Jewish mysticism in his mid-30s.

Omer-Man received a private rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, founder of the Jewish Renewal movement. In 1981, he moved to Los Angeles, where the Los Angeles Hillel council invited him to set up an outreach program for “religiously alienated Jews” — specifically those interested in faiths like Hinduism and Buddhism

In 1990, Omer-Man was part of a delegation of Jews, including rabbis of various denominations, who went to Dharamshala, India for a famous interfaith dialogue with the Dalai Lama, exiled leader of Tibetan Buddhism. That gathering is described in Rodger Kamenetz’s best-selling book, “The Jew in the Lotus.”

Omer-Man also founded Metivta, an egalitarian, nondenominational Jewish community in Los Angeles emphasizing study of Jewish texts and meditation. He rooted his lessons and techniques in Jewish mystical traditions, including the Kabbalah and the teachings of Hasidic masters.

In 1999, Omer-Man helped found the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, which develops and teaches Jewish spiritual practices including meditation, yoga, Torah study, song and niggunim (wordless melodies). He also wrote essays, short fiction and verse, and taught and lectured widely.

[ Edited from an obituary published by the JTA ]

, …
11
Monday Night Meditation

Monday Night Meditation
7:00 pm

Mondays – 7 – 8:00pm
by donation
On Zoom AND In person in the CHL Sanctuary
Check out our Timeline of Jewish Meditation »
SCHEDULE
1st Mondays – Jen Roitman
2nd Mondays – Zvi Bellin
3rd Mondays – Daniella Salzman
4th Mondays – Jeffrey Kessler
5th Mondays – Jeffrey Kessler
DESCRIPTION
Want to see God (or at least It’s shadow)? Lower your blood pressure? Manage your spiritual confusion? Connect with a deeper Jewish consciousness? Learn about Judaism’s esoteric side? Get a whiff of enlightenment?
Just as healthy foods nourish our body, Jewish meditation nourishes our soul. It has been around for centuries and includes forms such as chanting, visualization, silence, and movement. It can revitalize and transform Judaism from the blasé familiar into a profound and constantly renewing spiritual practice.
As one of the first modern Jewish institutions to teach these forms when we opened our doors in 1995, we invite you to join us in a journey that is both personal and communal, a claiming and reclaiming of ancient pathways that open and deepen our capacity to live in connection.
Some of the teachers are skilled in Classical Jewish styles of meditation, while others are practitioners of other forms but have integrated Jewish wisdom, liturgy, and concepts into their teaching. All provide an interesting, engaging and meaningful experience.
For beginners and experienced meditators alike. No previous meditation or Jewish experience required. By donation.
DONATION INFO
$18 suggested donation. Our meditation program is supported entirely by donations. Each contribution, small and large, allows us to keep bringing you meaningful offerings.
• Donate online chochmat.org/give
• Venmo @Chochmat
• Paypal shalom@chochmat.org
ZOOM INFO
If you are new to Zoom, join early and follow the prompts to download the free software.
Join with video: https://zoom.us/j/848045873?pwd=bHpOZEpwTGJkbDNRLzNoVjNoZ01vZz09
Join by phone: 1-669-900-6833, or 1-346-248-7799, or 1-253-215-8782
Meeting ID: 848-045-873
Passcode: 847352
BIOS
Jen Roitman
Jen experienced the power of chanting and meditation at a contemplative Rosh Hashanah service led by Rabbi Jonathan Omer-man and has been practicing Jewish and Vipassana meditation for more than 18 years. She is a graduate of Rabbi Shefa Gold’s Kol Zimra Chant Leader Training, and The Sati Center Buddhist Chaplaincy Program.
For Jen, the combination of chant and silence is particularly powerful. In her experience chanting helps the meditation go deeper, and she loves how when we do this in community, it helps us to open our hearts, connect with each other and access those more transformational places.
Zvi Bellin
Originally from Brooklyn, Zvi moved out to the Bay Area about 10 years ago. Professionally, he teaches counseling and has a private psychotherapy practice. Spiritually, he draws from Judaism and Vipassana traditions, with a humble twist from Thich Nhat Hanh. He is drawn to storytelling and connection in diverse communities. Zvi has led therapeutically-oriented mindfulness training and retreats and loves engaging with texts to connect ancient practice to contemporary life. Let’s practice together and make meaningful moments.
Daniella Salzman
Daniella Salzman is deeply committed to revelation and revolution. Having trained as a dance expressive arts therapist, meditation and mindfulness teacher, and community organizer, she is inspired by leaders who dedicate their lives to transforming both our inner and outer worlds towards a lasting and integrated peace.
Jeffrey Kessler
A graduate of Chochmat HaLev’s first Jewish Meditation Teacher Training Program, Jeffrey Kessler has studied many spiritual traditions. With degrees in philosophy, mathematics, and spiritual psychology, Jeffrey has spent his life exploring the many creative disciplines of staying open in order to connect with the Nameless One. He sees Meditation and Mussar practice as key to the renewal of Jewish spirituality.

, …
12
13
Meditation of Presence

Meditation of Presence
8:15 am

with Jeffrey Kessler
Wednesdays | 8:15 – 9am
By Donation | On Zoom

Check out our Timeline of Jewish Meditation »

Torah is our technology for encountering the Divine Presence. Silence provides a necessary space for that encounter. According to Jewish tradition, the Presence dwells continually within and around us, but we must learn deep listening to receive its generative wisdom. Shemah – in a word that sounds like an exhalation of breath, we are directed to listen in order to understand the Divine Oneness. We are to open to this Oneness with all of our heart, our soul, our strength. We must listen to our bodies, our emotions, our thoughts, all that is deep within us.

Join us as we sit together in silence, after a brief teaching on meditation practice in connection either with the weekly Torah portion or where we find ourselves in the Jewish sacred calendar.

About Jeffrey Kessler
A graduate of Chochmat HaLev’s first Jewish Meditation Teacher Training Program, Jeffrey has studied many spiritual traditions. With degrees in philosophy, mathematics and spiritual psychology, Jeffrey has spent his life exploring the many creative disciplines of staying open in order to connect with the Nameless One. He sees Meditation and Mussar practice as key to the renewal of Jewish spirituality.

DONATION INFO
$18 suggested donation. Every contribution, large or small, allows us to keep bringing you meditation, services, and much more.
• Donate online chochmat.org/give
• Venmo @Chochmat
• Paypal shalom@chochmat.org

ZOOM INFO
Join with video https://zoom.us/j/520703203?pwd=RnJNRittSkZNcnkxNm03WGxvcFgyQT09

Join by phone 1-669-900-6833, 1-346-248-7799, 1-253-215-8782
Meeting ID: 520 703 203
Passcode: 062729

, …
14
Let’s Talk Prophets

Let’s Talk Prophets
7:00 pm

No meeting on 9/14!

Read aloud and discuss Kings 1, Chapters 21-22 and Kings 1, Chapters 1-2. Our reading concludes Eliah’s story. We will meet via Zoom.

All donations appreciated!

7pm on Zoom »
Meeting ID: 895 6011 5951
Passcode: 573038

“Never again did there arise in Israel a prophet like Moses.” Our Torah Scroll ends with the death of Moses and the People of Israel poised to enter the Promised Land. What a classic cliffhanger!

But the story of the Jewish people continues and the book of Nevi’im, or Prophets: For those of you who love a good story, maybe even hero and anti-hero themes, you are in luck. Our readings chronicle the story of the Israelites in the promised land and the challenges they face. It is truly amazing that the Divine One has put up with all this!

Come explore these fascinating texts with us on every 2^nd Thursday of the month at 7pm.

The text can be found on Sefaria

Never again did there arise in Israel a prophet like Moses….

Deut. 34:1″

, …
15
Erev Rosh Hashanah

Erev Rosh Hashanah
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Friday, September 15 • 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Service Leaders: Zvika Krieger| Lior Tsarfaty | Rabbi Zelig Golden and other special guests
Cantorial Soloist: Daniela Gesundheit
Musicians: Lauren Arrow | Michaelle Goerlitz | Shira Kammen | Doni Benedictson | Eliyahu Sills

Ta’Anu et Nafshotechem — Your Soul Is Calling, Will You Answer?

This service, the first gate of renewal, invites us to celebrate the creation of the world and all its possibilities. It is the first step in our spiritual journey. As individuals in community, we center ourselves in the mystery of continuous creation. Our celebration strengthens us so that we are ready to explore the larger questions of purpose and honest self-evaluation.

In partnership with Wilderness Torah

Multi Access Locations
All Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services will be live at First Presbyterian Church in Berkeley, CA and livestreamed via Zoom

Tickets

High Holy Days 5784

ROSH HASHANAH
Friday, September 15 | Erev Rosh Hashanah »
Saturday, September 16 | Rosh Hashanah – Day 1 »

YOM KIPPUR
Sunday, September 24 | Erev Yom Kippur »
Monday, September 25 | Yom Kippur Day »
Monday, September 25 | Torah and Musaf »
Monday, September 25 | Yizkor & Neilah »

, …
16
Rosh Hashanah Day

Rosh Hashanah Day
10:00 am – 1:30 pm

Saturday, September 16 • 10:00 am – 1:30 pm

Service Leaders: Zvika Krieger | Lior Tsarfaty | Rabbi Zelig Golden and other special guests
Cantorial Soloist: Daniela Gesundheit
Musicians: Lauren Arrow | Michaelle Goerlitz | Shira Kammen | Doni Benedictson | Eliyahu Sills

Return to the Heart of it All: We open to receive boundless love

In partnership with Wilderness Torah

Multi Access Locations
All Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services will be live at First Presbyterian Church in Berkeley, CA and livestreamed via Zoom

Tickets

High Holy Days 5784

ROSH HASHANAH
Friday, September 15 | Erev Rosh Hashanah »
Saturday, September 16 | Rosh Hashanah – Day 1 »

YOM KIPPUR
Sunday, September 24 | Erev Yom Kippur »
Monday, September 25 | Yom Kippur Day »
Monday, September 25 | Torah and Musaf »
Monday, September 25 | Yizkor & Neilah »

, …

Rosh Hashanah Picnic and Tashlich Ritual

Rosh Hashanah Picnic and Tashlich Ritual
1:30 pm

The community is invited to gather together for a joyous kiddush lunch picnic at the farm after Rosh Hashanah morning services conclude. All are welcome on the farm beginning at 1:30 pm.
• People are asked to come packed with their own picnic lunch.
• Wilderness Torah will provide wine, challah, and apples & honey for everyone to bless and to enjoy together.
• At 3:30 pm, we will invite people to circle up and join Wilderness Torah leadership in a sweet and contemplative Tashlich ritual.
You must register to attend this event.

Registration

Donations requested

High Holy Days 5784

ROSH HASHANAH
Friday, September 15 | Erev Rosh Hashanah »
Saturday, September 16 | Rosh Hashanah – Day 1 »

YOM KIPPUR
Sunday, September 24 | Erev Yom Kippur »
Monday, September 25 | Yom Kippur Day »
Monday, September 25 | Torah and Musaf »
Monday, September 25 | Yizkor & Neilah »

, …

Havdalah – Simanim Ceremony

Havdalah – Simanim Ceremony
7:30 pm

Saturday, September 16 • 7:30 pm
Chochmat HaLev Courtyard
In partnership with Wilderness Torah

Gather with us on Rosh Hashanah eve for a gorgeous ritual seder and Havdalah ceremony rooted in Sephardi and Misrachi tradition.

Through mystical prayer, kabbalastic teachings, sacred foods, and live oud performances, we will welcome the new year through the ancient order (the literal meaning of the word “seder”) of setting prayers and intentions to bring goodness into this next cycle of time. All of your senses will be engaged and delighted.

Come with a bottle of wine, a cushion to lounge on, and a heart ready to receive blessings for this sacred moment of renewal.

Families are welcome to join, however, there is no childcare or family programming for this event. Tickets at $18-54 sliding scale. Please note: This seder provides tastes of ritual foods and does not provide a full dinner.

More Information and Registration

High Holy Days 5784

ROSH HASHANAH
Friday, September 15 | Erev Rosh Hashanah »
Saturday, September 16 | Rosh Hashanah – Day 1 »

YOM KIPPUR
Sunday, September 24 | Erev Yom Kippur »
Monday, September 25 | Yom Kippur Day »
Monday, September 25 | Torah and Musaf »
Monday, September 25 | Yizkor & Neilah »

, …

17
18
Monday Night Meditation

Monday Night Meditation
7:00 pm

Mondays – 7 – 8:00pm
by donation
On Zoom AND In person in the CHL Sanctuary
Check out our Timeline of Jewish Meditation »
SCHEDULE
1st Mondays – Jen Roitman
2nd Mondays – Zvi Bellin
3rd Mondays – Daniella Salzman
4th Mondays – Jeffrey Kessler
5th Mondays – Jeffrey Kessler
DESCRIPTION
Want to see God (or at least It’s shadow)? Lower your blood pressure? Manage your spiritual confusion? Connect with a deeper Jewish consciousness? Learn about Judaism’s esoteric side? Get a whiff of enlightenment?
Just as healthy foods nourish our body, Jewish meditation nourishes our soul. It has been around for centuries and includes forms such as chanting, visualization, silence, and movement. It can revitalize and transform Judaism from the blasé familiar into a profound and constantly renewing spiritual practice.
As one of the first modern Jewish institutions to teach these forms when we opened our doors in 1995, we invite you to join us in a journey that is both personal and communal, a claiming and reclaiming of ancient pathways that open and deepen our capacity to live in connection.
Some of the teachers are skilled in Classical Jewish styles of meditation, while others are practitioners of other forms but have integrated Jewish wisdom, liturgy, and concepts into their teaching. All provide an interesting, engaging and meaningful experience.
For beginners and experienced meditators alike. No previous meditation or Jewish experience required. By donation.
DONATION INFO
$18 suggested donation. Our meditation program is supported entirely by donations. Each contribution, small and large, allows us to keep bringing you meaningful offerings.
• Donate online chochmat.org/give
• Venmo @Chochmat
• Paypal shalom@chochmat.org
ZOOM INFO
If you are new to Zoom, join early and follow the prompts to download the free software.
Join with video: https://zoom.us/j/848045873?pwd=bHpOZEpwTGJkbDNRLzNoVjNoZ01vZz09
Join by phone: 1-669-900-6833, or 1-346-248-7799, or 1-253-215-8782
Meeting ID: 848-045-873
Passcode: 847352
BIOS
Jen Roitman
Jen experienced the power of chanting and meditation at a contemplative Rosh Hashanah service led by Rabbi Jonathan Omer-man and has been practicing Jewish and Vipassana meditation for more than 18 years. She is a graduate of Rabbi Shefa Gold’s Kol Zimra Chant Leader Training, and The Sati Center Buddhist Chaplaincy Program.
For Jen, the combination of chant and silence is particularly powerful. In her experience chanting helps the meditation go deeper, and she loves how when we do this in community, it helps us to open our hearts, connect with each other and access those more transformational places.
Zvi Bellin
Originally from Brooklyn, Zvi moved out to the Bay Area about 10 years ago. Professionally, he teaches counseling and has a private psychotherapy practice. Spiritually, he draws from Judaism and Vipassana traditions, with a humble twist from Thich Nhat Hanh. He is drawn to storytelling and connection in diverse communities. Zvi has led therapeutically-oriented mindfulness training and retreats and loves engaging with texts to connect ancient practice to contemporary life. Let’s practice together and make meaningful moments.
Daniella Salzman
Daniella Salzman is deeply committed to revelation and revolution. Having trained as a dance expressive arts therapist, meditation and mindfulness teacher, and community organizer, she is inspired by leaders who dedicate their lives to transforming both our inner and outer worlds towards a lasting and integrated peace.
Jeffrey Kessler
A graduate of Chochmat HaLev’s first Jewish Meditation Teacher Training Program, Jeffrey Kessler has studied many spiritual traditions. With degrees in philosophy, mathematics, and spiritual psychology, Jeffrey has spent his life exploring the many creative disciplines of staying open in order to connect with the Nameless One. He sees Meditation and Mussar practice as key to the renewal of Jewish spirituality.

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Meditation of Presence

Meditation of Presence
8:15 am

with Jeffrey Kessler
Wednesdays | 8:15 – 9am
By Donation | On Zoom

Check out our Timeline of Jewish Meditation »

Torah is our technology for encountering the Divine Presence. Silence provides a necessary space for that encounter. According to Jewish tradition, the Presence dwells continually within and around us, but we must learn deep listening to receive its generative wisdom. Shemah – in a word that sounds like an exhalation of breath, we are directed to listen in order to understand the Divine Oneness. We are to open to this Oneness with all of our heart, our soul, our strength. We must listen to our bodies, our emotions, our thoughts, all that is deep within us.

Join us as we sit together in silence, after a brief teaching on meditation practice in connection either with the weekly Torah portion or where we find ourselves in the Jewish sacred calendar.

About Jeffrey Kessler
A graduate of Chochmat HaLev’s first Jewish Meditation Teacher Training Program, Jeffrey has studied many spiritual traditions. With degrees in philosophy, mathematics and spiritual psychology, Jeffrey has spent his life exploring the many creative disciplines of staying open in order to connect with the Nameless One. He sees Meditation and Mussar practice as key to the renewal of Jewish spirituality.

DONATION INFO
$18 suggested donation. Every contribution, large or small, allows us to keep bringing you meditation, services, and much more.
• Donate online chochmat.org/give
• Venmo @Chochmat
• Paypal shalom@chochmat.org

ZOOM INFO
Join with video https://zoom.us/j/520703203?pwd=RnJNRittSkZNcnkxNm03WGxvcFgyQT09

Join by phone 1-669-900-6833, 1-346-248-7799, 1-253-215-8782
Meeting ID: 520 703 203
Passcode: 062729

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23 Torah Study Torah Study 9:30 am

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Erev Yom Kippur

Erev Yom Kippur
6:30 pm – 9:00 pm

Sunday, September 24 • 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm

Service Leaders: Zvika Krieger| Lior Tsarfaty
Cantorial Soloist: Daniela Gesundheit
Musicians: Lauren Arrow | Shira Kammen | Michaelle Goerlitz | Doni Benedictson

The turn inward begins with Kol Nidre, a gentle shift into the forgiveness/Selichot prayers and deep offerings for all that has been lost. The final benediction is silence.

Forgiveness flows from humility;
the cracking open of our hardened shells

Multi Access Locations
All Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services will be live at First Presbyterian Church in Berkeley, CA and livestreamed via Zoom. Recordings will not be available after services. Sorry, no photography or video allowed.

Advance in-person tickets are now SOLD OUT. Walk-ups welcome as space permits.

Zoom-Only Tickets

High Holy Days 5783

ROSH HASHANAH
Friday, September 15 | Erev Rosh Hashanah »
Saturday, September 16 | Rosh Hashanah – Day 1 »

YOM KIPPUR
Sunday, September 24 | Erev Yom Kippur »
Monday, September 25 | Yom Kippur Day »
Monday, September 25 | Torah and Musaf »
Monday, September 25 | Yizkor & Neilah »

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Yom Kippur Day

Yom Kippur Day
10:00 am – 12:30 pm

Yom Kippur Day Torah and Musaf Service

Yom Kippur Day Torah and Musaf Service
12:30 pm – 2:30 pm

Yom Kippur Day Workshops

Yom Kippur Day Workshops
3:00 pm

Monday, September 25 • 3 pm

We have 3 workshops to choose from on Yom Kippur
Meditation: The Gift of Returning
You’ve done the soul searching, you’ve asked for forgiveness, you’ve released old vows and are preparing new ones – Even in the midst of prayer, process and progress, return to the eternal presence you already always are.
Daniella Salzman has trained as a dance expressive arts therapist, meditation and mindfulness teacher, and community organizer. For over a decade, she has been a part of Chochmat HaLev’s leadership behind the scenes as well as on the bimah, and currently teaches in the Monday night meditation program and offers quarterly retreats. She founded Grow Awake, a community of practice that is ideologically inclusive and is dedicated to transforming our inner and outer worlds towards a lasting and integrated peace.
Call and Response – the Poetic Gates Are Open
We will use our liturgy, sacred texts and spiritual poetry, all forms of mystical, metaphorical messaging, as prompts for your creative response. Share the poetry of your soul within our sacred community. Readers, writers, listeners all welcome. Leah Shelleda and Lisa Strongin will facilitate a safe and generative container for all who choose to participate.
Leah Shelleda is an educator, facilitator, ritualist and published poet who can be found in her garden, kitchen or with her grandkids when she isn’t creating events and spiritual poetry workshops.
Lisa Strongin is a lover of Torah and Liturgy and a published poet who returns to the Bay Area and her writing after many decades of advocating for the rights of indigents caught up in our dysfunctional justice system.
Art as Midrash
On Yom Kippur, during the exquisite hours of inner reflection before the closing of the gates, choosing what to bring forward to the new year and what to leave behind can be challenging. This Art as Midrash workshop invites you to quietly unravel and express some of your personal High Holiday prayers and reflections — through making an art work, writing, or simply by sitting in silent meditation. If you feel called to make something, a variety of art and craft supplies are available. If writing, paper and pens are here. For those who wish to share their experience verbally, we will offer a forum during the workshop’s final 15 minutes.
Chochmat Art Committee members: Nadine Rosenthal and friends
The workshops are free for all those attending our Yom Kippur services.

Tickets

High Holy Days 5784

ROSH HASHANAH
Friday, September 15 | Erev Rosh Hashanah »
Saturday, September 16 | Rosh Hashanah – Day 1 »

YOM KIPPUR
Sunday, September 24 | Erev Yom Kippur »
Monday, September 25 | Yom Kippur Day »
Monday, September 25 | Torah and Musaf »
Monday, September 25 | Yizkor & Neilah »

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Yom Kippur Day Yizkor

Yom Kippur Day Yizkor
5:00 pm – 6:15 pm

Monday, September 25 • 5 pm – 6:15 pm

Service Leader: Lior Tsarfaty

The personal gate of honoring the memory of those who have died. Our tradition wisely gives us the opportunity to express our sorrow in community through liturgy, chant, and reflection. We welcome this tribute to our loved ones and affirmation of the power and poignancy of remembering.

Our hearts are open and vulnerable:
Through compassion we can heal and be healed

Multi Access Locations
All Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services will be live at First Presbyterian Church in Berkeley, CA and livestreamed via Zoom. Recordings will not be available after services. Sorry, no photography or video allowed.

Advance in-person tickets are now SOLD OUT. Walk-ups welcome as space permits.

Zoom-Only Tickets

High Holy Days 5784

ROSH HASHANAH
Friday, September 15 | Erev Rosh Hashanah »
Saturday, September 16 | Rosh Hashanah – Day 1 »

YOM KIPPUR
Sunday, September 24 | Erev Yom Kippur »
Monday, September 25 | Yom Kippur Day »
Monday, September 25 | Torah and Musaf »
Monday, September 25 | Yizkor & Neilah »

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Yom Kippur Day Neilah

Yom Kippur Day Neilah
6:15 pm – 7:45 pm

Monday, September 25 • 6:15 pm – 7:45 pm

Service Leaders: Zvika Krieger| Lior Tsarfaty
Cantorial Soloist: Daniela Gesundheit
Musicians: Lauren Arrow | Shira Kammen | Michaelle Goerlitz | Doni Benedictson

The gates are closing. Have we done the necessary work of teshuvah? Our final prayers and reflections together will build to an exuberant “Yes!” Together, we can meet the challenges and opportunities of this New Year!

The Neilah Service is followed by Havdallah and a modest break-fast in the Courtyard.

Our hearts are open and vulnerable:
Through compassion we can heal and be healed

Multi Access Locations
All Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services will be live at First Presbyterian Church in Berkeley, CA and livestreamed via Zoom. Recordings will not be available after services. Sorry, no photography or video allowed.

Advance in-person tickets are now SOLD OUT. Walk-ups welcome as space permits.

Zoom-Only Tickets

High Holy Days 5784

ROSH HASHANAH
Friday, September 15 | Erev Rosh Hashanah »
Saturday, September 16 | Rosh Hashanah – Day 1 »

YOM KIPPUR
Sunday, September 24 | Erev Yom Kippur »
Monday, September 25 | Yom Kippur Day »
Monday, September 25 | Torah and Musaf »
Monday, September 25 | Yizkor & Neilah »

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Monday Night Meditation

Monday Night Meditation
7:00 pm

Mondays – 7 – 8:00pm
by donation
On Zoom AND In person in the CHL Sanctuary
Check out our Timeline of Jewish Meditation »
SCHEDULE
1st Mondays – Jen Roitman
2nd Mondays – Zvi Bellin
3rd Mondays – Daniella Salzman
4th Mondays – Jeffrey Kessler
5th Mondays – Jeffrey Kessler
DESCRIPTION
Want to see God (or at least It’s shadow)? Lower your blood pressure? Manage your spiritual confusion? Connect with a deeper Jewish consciousness? Learn about Judaism’s esoteric side? Get a whiff of enlightenment?
Just as healthy foods nourish our body, Jewish meditation nourishes our soul. It has been around for centuries and includes forms such as chanting, visualization, silence, and movement. It can revitalize and transform Judaism from the blasé familiar into a profound and constantly renewing spiritual practice.
As one of the first modern Jewish institutions to teach these forms when we opened our doors in 1995, we invite you to join us in a journey that is both personal and communal, a claiming and reclaiming of ancient pathways that open and deepen our capacity to live in connection.
Some of the teachers are skilled in Classical Jewish styles of meditation, while others are practitioners of other forms but have integrated Jewish wisdom, liturgy, and concepts into their teaching. All provide an interesting, engaging and meaningful experience.
For beginners and experienced meditators alike. No previous meditation or Jewish experience required. By donation.
DONATION INFO
$18 suggested donation. Our meditation program is supported entirely by donations. Each contribution, small and large, allows us to keep bringing you meaningful offerings.
• Donate online chochmat.org/give
• Venmo @Chochmat
• Paypal shalom@chochmat.org
ZOOM INFO
If you are new to Zoom, join early and follow the prompts to download the free software.
Join with video: https://zoom.us/j/848045873?pwd=bHpOZEpwTGJkbDNRLzNoVjNoZ01vZz09
Join by phone: 1-669-900-6833, or 1-346-248-7799, or 1-253-215-8782
Meeting ID: 848-045-873
Passcode: 847352
BIOS
Jen Roitman
Jen experienced the power of chanting and meditation at a contemplative Rosh Hashanah service led by Rabbi Jonathan Omer-man and has been practicing Jewish and Vipassana meditation for more than 18 years. She is a graduate of Rabbi Shefa Gold’s Kol Zimra Chant Leader Training, and The Sati Center Buddhist Chaplaincy Program.
For Jen, the combination of chant and silence is particularly powerful. In her experience chanting helps the meditation go deeper, and she loves how when we do this in community, it helps us to open our hearts, connect with each other and access those more transformational places.
Zvi Bellin
Originally from Brooklyn, Zvi moved out to the Bay Area about 10 years ago. Professionally, he teaches counseling and has a private psychotherapy practice. Spiritually, he draws from Judaism and Vipassana traditions, with a humble twist from Thich Nhat Hanh. He is drawn to storytelling and connection in diverse communities. Zvi has led therapeutically-oriented mindfulness training and retreats and loves engaging with texts to connect ancient practice to contemporary life. Let’s practice together and make meaningful moments.
Daniella Salzman
Daniella Salzman is deeply committed to revelation and revolution. Having trained as a dance expressive arts therapist, meditation and mindfulness teacher, and community organizer, she is inspired by leaders who dedicate their lives to transforming both our inner and outer worlds towards a lasting and integrated peace.
Jeffrey Kessler
A graduate of Chochmat HaLev’s first Jewish Meditation Teacher Training Program, Jeffrey Kessler has studied many spiritual traditions. With degrees in philosophy, mathematics, and spiritual psychology, Jeffrey has spent his life exploring the many creative disciplines of staying open in order to connect with the Nameless One. He sees Meditation and Mussar practice as key to the renewal of Jewish spirituality.

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Meditation of Presence

Meditation of Presence
8:15 am

with Jeffrey Kessler
Wednesdays | 8:15 – 9am
By Donation | On Zoom

Check out our Timeline of Jewish Meditation »

Torah is our technology for encountering the Divine Presence. Silence provides a necessary space for that encounter. According to Jewish tradition, the Presence dwells continually within and around us, but we must learn deep listening to receive its generative wisdom. Shemah – in a word that sounds like an exhalation of breath, we are directed to listen in order to understand the Divine Oneness. We are to open to this Oneness with all of our heart, our soul, our strength. We must listen to our bodies, our emotions, our thoughts, all that is deep within us.

Join us as we sit together in silence, after a brief teaching on meditation practice in connection either with the weekly Torah portion or where we find ourselves in the Jewish sacred calendar.

About Jeffrey Kessler
A graduate of Chochmat HaLev’s first Jewish Meditation Teacher Training Program, Jeffrey has studied many spiritual traditions. With degrees in philosophy, mathematics and spiritual psychology, Jeffrey has spent his life exploring the many creative disciplines of staying open in order to connect with the Nameless One. He sees Meditation and Mussar practice as key to the renewal of Jewish spirituality.

DONATION INFO
$18 suggested donation. Every contribution, large or small, allows us to keep bringing you meditation, services, and much more.
• Donate online chochmat.org/give
• Venmo @Chochmat
• Paypal shalom@chochmat.org

ZOOM INFO
Join with video https://zoom.us/j/520703203?pwd=RnJNRittSkZNcnkxNm03WGxvcFgyQT09

Join by phone 1-669-900-6833, 1-346-248-7799, 1-253-215-8782
Meeting ID: 520 703 203
Passcode: 062729

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Torah Study

Torah Study
9:30 am

KABBALAH/ HAVDALAH

KABBALAH/ HAVDALAH
7:30 pm

Saturday, September 30th, 7:30 pm (in-person only).
Chochmat HaLev is teaming up with LABA BAY: A Laboratory for Jewish Culture to present KABBALAH / HAVDALAH, a drop-in Kabbalah course taught in LABA’s open-to-all-the-possibilities teaching style held at Chochmat HaLev. LABA Bay faculty and GTU professor Sam Shonkoff will be leading the innovative study session, which will be followed by a group-led Havdalah ceremony.

This event will take place in the Sukkah, and the Sukkah will be designed by LABA advisor and visual artist Anne Germanacos.

Attendees are free to get up, move their bodies, and grab a cup of tea or wine during the evening. Feel free to contribute to the beverage or food offerings by bringing something.**

This will be an ongoing offering for the year, taking place every other month. No experience required.

Suggested donation (sliding scale): $18/$25/$36

Click here for tickets!

Sam Shonkoff is Taube Family Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley and a faculty member at LABA BAY. His scholarship focuses on Jewish spirituality, particularly in German-Jewish, Hasidic, and neo-Hasidic realms. He is co-editor (with Ariel Mayse) of Hasidism: Writings on Devotion, Community, and Life in the Modern World and the editor of Martin Buber: His Intellectual and Scholarly Legacy.

LABA uses classic Jewish texts to inspire the creation of art, culture, conversation, and community. By presenting Judaism’s rich literary and intellectual tradition in a free and creative setting, these fertile stories and ideas spark new thought and creative work. The output from our laboratory hubs push the boundaries of what Jewish culture can be and what Jewish texts can teach.

**Note – this is a kosher-style kitchen. Please do not bring pork, shellfish, or other non-kosher foods into the facility. We prefer meals to be dairy/fish based. If you are planning on serving chicken or beef, or if you have any questions about what is appropriate to serve, please contact us.

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