Kiddush Levana (Bless the Moon)
The goal of this group is to support men and masc-identifying individuals at Chochmat HaLev and the East Bay Jewish community, broadly defined, in being sources of blessing in their families and communities through mutual support and the Kiddush Levana ritual.
Kiddush Levana is an exuberant, festive, and ancient prayer service in which (traditionally) men bless the waxing moon. Our program, led by Noah Phillips, also weaves in the Four Archetypes of the Mature Masculine, as developed by depth psychology writers Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette, and the Kabbalistic concept of the Four Worlds.
A lot of great information about the Kiddush Levana ritual can be found here.
This intergenerational group is open to anyone over Bar Mitzvah age and anyone who is either male or masc-identifying. We meet in Berkeley at Chochmat HaLev one Sunday evening a month, as the moon is waxing.
Dates and times:
We ask that folks commit to the whole series; drop-ins aren’t available.
We meet on Sundays at 6:30pm or sundown, whichever is later, for about two hours.
Our currently scheduled sessions are:
- November 30
- December 28
- January 25
- February 22
- March 29
- April 26
- May 24
Price for the Full Series: Members – $36; Non-Members – $72
Format: Every session consists of the Kiddush Levana ritual (~20 minutes), a bonfire, a short teaching (~15 minutes) and then noshing with lightly structured check-ins and discussion for the rest of the time. The tone is mutual, grounded, supportive, and deep.
Noah Phillips is a Bay Area therapist, artist and emerging Jewish educator and lay leader facilitator who enjoys helping people connect with Jewish practice in approachable, down-to-earth ways. He leads Kiddush Levana at Chochmat and is developing new offerings at the intersection of learning, community, and creative Jewish life. Inquiries can be sent to noah@noahphillips.net. More information about Noah at noahphillips.net.
