Elul
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 daylong meditation retreat, and for the month we will offer a special course on prayer, sacred song and embodied spiritual practices – as well as a unique music experience to nourish yourself and prepare your heart for the High Holy Days.
Prelude: Daylong Meditation Retreat
Sunday, August 24 • 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 peace that the practice of presence offers us.
Whatever is true for you – with what is happening in your life and in the world – we invite you to come as you are. Everyone is welcome.
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.
Daniella Salzman and Adam Moskowitz are grateful to co-lead this retreat, with inspiration from many teachers, wisdom paths and communities.
Where: Chochmat HaLev, 2215 Prince Street, Berkeley, CA 94705
When: Sunday, August 24, 2025, from 9:30 am – 4:30 pm
Who: All are welcome.
Cost: $54 scholarship | $72 sustainable | $90 supportive
More info & registration »
Walking the Sacred Path: Approaches to Prayer, Song and Embodied Practice for Spiritual Renewal and the High Holy Days
Three Sundays: August 31, September 7 & 14 • 6 - 7:30 pm
Rabbi Ariel Evan Mayse
Free for members; $18-36 donation for non-members
As the month of Elul invites us into reflection and return, this three-part series offers a meaningful pathway to prepare our hearts, bodies, and spirits for the transformative journey of the High Holy Days.
Led by renowned teacher and scholar Ariel Evan Mayse, this immersive course explores how prayer, sacred song and embodied spiritual practices can open the gates of renewal and deepen our experience of teshuvah (inner return). Drawing from Hasidic teachings—including selections from Ariel’s forthcoming book on the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the 18th century Jewish mystical revivalist movement—we will encounter timeless wisdom that speaks directly to the soul’s longing for connection, healing, and wholeness.
More info & registration »
Receiving Selichot
Saturday, September 20 • 7 - 8:30 pm
Lior Tsarfaty, Julie Batz, & Daniela Gesundheit
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 Daniela Gesundheit.
This soulful reimagining of the traditional “selichot” (songs of forgiveness) ritual is not a service nor a performance, this is an opportunity to simply receive. Attendees will be invited to lie 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 »
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.
Elul Monday Night Meditation
Mondays • 7 – 8:30 pm • August 25, September 1, 8, 15
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 & registration »
Elul Wednesday Morning Meditation of Presence
Wednesdays • 8:15 – 9 am • August 27, September 3,10, 17
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 & registration »
