July 17-23 Classes @ EC

JULY 17-23

Opening the Prayerbook with Chant and Song

AM Classes

Cantor Robert Esformes

Cantor Robert Esformes

Though our synagogue experience may have acquainted us with only a limited number of exotic melodies and modes, there are many opportunities in the prayerbook for ecstatic song and beautiful interludes. In our class we will explore rich and rare settings of old davenning standards, drawn from both contemporary and historic sources. We will also try our voices at improvisation either in a freeform spirit of creation or within specific prayer modes. Considering what the act of holy music making is about, part of our class will focus on the preparation of self and soul in establishing and grounding our deep intention. We will examine the brief passages we will be chanting for their inner significance and power.

JULY 17-23
[AM] Opening the Prayerbook with Chant and Song Cantor Robert Esformes

JULY 17-23

Interactive Meditation: Continuity Practice at the Speed of Life

Carol Fox Prescott

Carol Fox Prescott

Sitting meditation as performed by spiritual seekers from every mystical tradition is a doorway to awareness, self-knowledge and the art of living in each moment. This course will explore Interactive Meditation, a technique that can bring these skills into your everyday life. We will access the breath, the ability to center oneself, deep listening and communication skills, and opening energy channels. We will work on developing the ability to transform performance anxiety into creative energy. For the last twenty five years, actors have worked with Interactive Meditation in order to remain open and focused on the present, allowing their bodies fluidity and at the same time holding firm to character and text. This technique is readily available to anyone who wants to bring these desirable qualities into their life and work.

JULY 17-23
[AM] Interactive Meditation: Continuity Practice at the Speed of Life Carol Fox Prescott

JULY 17-23

The Future of Kabbalah and Midrash

Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi

Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi

What inspirations and teachings from Midrash and Kabbalah can we take into the future? These Jewish inner traditions have been studied, interpreted and applied for generations. Yet there is a need to take a new look for this and future generations. Reb Zalman will lead an advanced group of students in a critical examination of these traditions using experiential methods, ancient texts, and the wisdom of the participants. We will explore which parts can be translated for continued use and what may need to be left behind? We will also delve into what aspects of the inner tradition must be created anew, by women and men, to give them the lasting power to inspire and transform us.

JULY 17-23
[AM] The Future of Kabbalah and Midrash Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi

JULY 17-23

Hasidic Mysticism and Psychology: A Model for Spiritual Development

PM Classes

Rabbi Mordechai Gafni

The Rebbe of Ishpitz is perhaps the most revolutionary of the Hasidic masters. His radicalism in understanding the world comes from a place of deep connection to the divine energy of the Cosmos. Who was the spiritual guide from Ishpitz? Why did all the classical Jewish printing presses refuse to publish his work? Why are his writings so relevant to our personal and communal spiritual development? In this intensive seminar we will study at least twenty-five major texts drawn from the Rebbe's writings. Each day we will examine one dimension of the Ishpitzer's Torah, topics such as holy audacity, psychotherapy of the spirit and sacred autobiography, delving deeply into this radical theology and source of renewal.

JULY 17-23
[PM] Hasidic Mysticism and Psychology: A Model for Spiritual Development Rabbi Mordechai Gafni

JULY 17-23

As If We Were Dreaming...

Eve Ilsen

Our dreams form a bridge between our inner and outer worlds. They exist in a realm where time and space is not linear, providing access to states of non-ordinary reality where wonders occur. The more comfortably we traverse that bridge, the more the riches of our dream life can infuse our daily experience. The Talmud remarks that an unexamined dream is like an unread letter. In this workshop we will experiment with ways to unfold our dreams with the respect and delicacy they deserve. We will explore the place Dream occupies in our lives--from cataloguing the rough edges of the day to prophecy, from nightmares to high comedy-through narration, drawing, movement, the practice of Waking Dream and more. Expect to work and play and to be surprised! Participants, please begin recording your dreams in an unlined journal used only for this purpose for at least three weeks before the class starts. Bring this journal, a sketchpad, and favorite drawing materials and wear comfortable clothing, for who knows where our dreams will lead us.

JULY 17-23
[PM] As If We Were Dreaming... Eve Ilsen

JULY 17-23

The Holiness of Light: Finding the Sacred in the Material of Everyday

Vanessa Ochs

Spirituality is found not just in thoughts, deeds, relationships, rituals and holy books. It is also found in the material world, in the objects we use and the landscapes we create. Anyone who had ever lost a precious photo or necklace from a grandparent; anyone who has ever had to give up a family home or a childhood room knows this: a thing is not just a thing and a place is not just a place. In Jewish language, we will study how the material world creates, generates, reflects and sustains the sacred. We will deconstruct the sacred space of Elat Chayyim and connect to the layers of kedushah (sacredness) that are held inside objects we bring with us. Participants are encouraged to bring an object that they experience as a sacred Jewish object and a photograph of some shrine or assemblage of objects in their home or workplace that has spiritual meaning.

JULY 17-23
[PM] The Holiness of Light: Finding the Sacred in the Material of Everyday Vanessa Ochs

JULY 17-23

Make Yourself a Heart of Many Rooms: Conflict From a Jewish Perspective

Rabbi Daniel Siegel

The rabbis teach: Since the House of Shammai is declared unclean and the House of Hillel clean, this one prohibits and that one permits, how, then, can I learn Torah?...All the words have been given by a single Shepherd...So make yourself a heart of many rooms and bring into it the words of the House of Shammai and the words of the House of Hillel. (Tosefta, Sotah 7:12). How do contradictory opinions emerge from one Shepherd? What is the true nature of conflict and its resolution from a Jewish perspective? What are the implications of this perspective for our own lives and practice? In this class, we will spend about half the time studying primary rabbinic and Hasidic sources on the themes of these and these are the words of the living God (both for those who forbid and those who permit) and controversy for the sake of heaven. The other half will be devoted to learning and practicing communication and conflict resolution skills.

JULY 17-23
[PM] Make Yourself a Heart of Many Rooms: Conflict From a Jewish Perspective Rabbi Daniel Siegel

Siegel