The Queen’s Table: An Evening of Mystical Delight
You are invited to a Saturday evening of ecstasy and enchantment at Chochmat HaLev’s modern take on the Hassidic tisch. Join us as we reimagine the rituals of the Jewish mystics by gathering around a long candlelit table, sacred teachers illuminating ancient wisdom, wordless nigun melodies, libations and delicacies late into the night.
We have the rare opportunity to be guided on this journey by two of the world’s leading scholars and teachers of Jewish mysticism: Dr. Melila Hellner Eshed visiting us from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, together with Dr. Daniel Matt, author of the nine-volume annotated work The Zohar: Pritzker Edition, the core text of Jewish mysticism. Participate in lively conversation facilitated by Chochmat HaLev Spiritual Leader Rabbi Zvika Krieger and sacred chanting led by Musical Director Lior Tsarfaty and Chazzan Daniela Gesundheit as we embrace the full moon of the Hebrew month of Shevat, a portal for rebirth and infinite potential.
The moments just after Shabbat ends shimmer with a rare spiritual radiance. This time is a doorway between worlds — a liminal space between sacred and profane, between body and soul. As described by Rabbi Tamar Frankiel, it is “a threshold where one can still taste the supernal realms.” To imbibe this rare spiritual energy, the Jewish sages teach to “escort the Shabbat Queen (Melaveh Malkah) as one escorts a departing sovereign” with song, drink, and sacred wisdom .
We will also take part in a mystical Havdallah fire ritual, calling forth the primordial light of the first day of creation that was hidden from human view, only revealed to us on Saturday nights. According to the great Jewish mystic Rabbi Moshe Cordovero, this ritual “draws forth the radiance of the soul, illuminating its path.” As described by our honored guest Dr. Melila Hellner Eshed, it is “a choreography of light — the Divine ascending, the lower worlds reawakening, and the human being standing between them, holding the flame.”
An additional opportunity exists for you at 6pm: an intimate Shabbat meal and conversation with Dr. Melila Hellner Eshed and Dr. Daniel Matt. Claim your space at a special dinner and teaching, among this year’s Lamed Vavniks, 36 hidden righteous individuals believed to exist in every generation, whose goodness and actions sustain the world. Their actions, even the seemingly small ones, are thought to be essential in maintaining the balance and well-being of the world, A Lamed Vav does not know they play such an important role; they just do, so come be a part of this intimate dinner before ascending to the Queen’s Table.
Tickets:
Tisch Experience: $180
Intimate Shabbat Dinner + Tisch Experience: $360
Proceeds from this event will support Chochmat HaLev’s offerings of embodied prayer and mindfulness, heart-centered connection, and mystical experiences throughout the year. Tickets are transferable but non-refundable.
Dr. Melila Hellner-Eshed is a teacher of Jewish spirituality and one of the world’s leading authorities on Jewish mysticism and the Zohar. She has been a professor in the Department of Jewish Studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem for over two decades. She is a Research Fellow of the Kogod Research Center at Shalom Hartman Institute and serves on the faculty of the Institute of Jewish Spirituality. Her publications include A River Flows from Eden: The Language of Mystical Experience in the Zohar; Seekers of the Face: From the Secrets of the Idra Rabba in the Zohar; and On the Path of the Tree of Life. She is active in Sulha, a reconciliation project that brings together Israelis and Palestinians.
Dr. Daniel Matt is a teacher of Jewish spirituality and one of the world’s leading authorities on Kabbalah. He recently completed an 18-year project of translating and annotating the Zohar, the masterpiece of Kabbalah, which received a National Jewish Book Award as “a monumental contribution to the history of Jewish thought.” His other books include The Essential Kabbalah; God and the Big Bang: Discovering Harmony between Science and Spirituality; and Becoming Elijah: Prophet of Transformation. For twenty years he served as professor at the Center for Jewish Studies of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. He has also taught at Stanford and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Rabbi Zvika Krieger is the Spiritual Leader of Chochmat HaLev in Berkeley, CA. He is co-founder of Shevet: Jewish Mindfulness Collective and has served in board and leadership positions for Milk+Honey camp at Burning Man, Jewish Studio Project, DC Minyan, and other organizations dedicated to nourishing the mind, body, and soul. Zvika previously served as Facebook/Meta’s first-ever Director of Responsible Innovation, co-founder of the World Economic Forum’s Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the US Department of State’s first-ever “Ambassador to Silicon Valley,” and Middle East Correspondent for Newsweek.
Lior Tsarfaty is the Musical Director of Chochmat HaLev. He is an internationally touring musician and recording artist, uniquely weaving music and various healing modalities to create transformative experiences for his audiences and clients. His debut album “Lior Tsarfaty & The Prayer Songs Project,” brought together Israeli, Moroccan, Indian, Canadian, and American musicians in perfect harmony. His second album, “I Am You,” is a collaboration between 35 Israeli and Palestinian musicians. His most recent album, “In My Ancestors’ Arms” is a tribute to his Jewish heritage. Lior is the founder of Village Song, a school and movement that brings the power of music to Alzheimer communities. His groundbreaking work is featured in the film “There Is A Place.”
Daniela Gesundheit is a vocalist, composer, poet, and chazzan interested in long-surviving musical traditions that explore and foster group identity. She has collaborated with acoustic biologist Katy Payne on choir performances featuring humpback whale-style songs and with the Institute for Art and Olfaction in Los Angeles. She was a featured vocalist alongside Brian Eno on Owen Pallett’s In Conflict and on astronaut Chris Hadfield’s Songs From a Tin Can, the first record recorded in space. As Snowblink, Gesundheit has released three albums of non-denominational devotional pop music. She is also a member of the band Hydra. For 15 years she was chazzan for Shir Libeynu, Toronto’s first queer-inclusive synagogue. She also officiates lifecycle rituals throughout the U.S. and Canada. Her latest album, Alphabet of Wrongdoing, a collection of Jewish prayers and blessings encircling themes of reckoning and forgiveness. Gesundheit received a BA in music and poetry from Wesleyan University and studied cantorial music with Julie Batz, a former Chochmat HaLev spiritual leader. She lives in Los Angeles and Toronto with her husband and fraternal twin toddlers.
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.
CONTACT
Please reach out to queenstable@chochmat.org with any questions, comments, or concerns.
