As the New Year and the High Holidays begin to come into view, who are we hoping to become?
What are the changes we hope to manifest in our own lives and in our world?
Join Rabbi Daniel Silverstein and the AJS community for this opportunity to progress and deepen our processes of Teshuvah - returning to our best possible selves, and our Divine root.
In this recorded course, we will learn heart-opening texts on the inner work of Teshuvah, and then engage in meditative practices based on these texts, including writing exercises and guided visualizations.
The texts we will study will be drawn from the writings of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, the great twentieth century mystic and poet. In particular, we will benefit from several powerful passages from Orot HaTeshuvah (Lights of Return), which is widely regarded as a masterpiece.
All texts are provided with clear translations, and no prior knowledge or experience with the subject matter is necessary. This course is open to novices and advanced learners of all backgrounds and orientations.
Map of the seven sessions:
1) Orienting toward our highest, most authentic self
2) Working with will or desire (Ratson)
3) Working with challenging parts of ourselves
4) The daily work of yearning for and becoming our highest self
5) Rosh Hashanah - national, human and planetary Teshuvah
6) Yom Kippur - forgiving ourselves and others
7) Sukkot - the joy of embodying Teshuvah
How does it work?
The course consists of seven recorded online sessions, of approximately 1.25 hours.
Each session consists of text study, guided meditative exercises, and time for reflection and sharing.
Each participant will receive a printable source sheet in the original Hebrew with English translation.
Testimonials
“This course has changed and deepened all my future Teshuvah processes forever!
Thanks Rabbi Daniel for opening the door to Rav Kook’s universal Orot HaTeshuvah (Lights of Return).
Rabbi Daniel is definitely one of the most engaging Jewish teachers I met so far. He excels in the combination between focused text based learning and its practical application. His learning style ensures that attention rarely drifts away.”
- Gil Bar-Shoshan
"Rabbi Daniel's knowledge and engaging teaching style has been transformative in deepening my spiritual practice in a subject dearest to my heart. He's truly fulfilling the mitzvah of Talmud Torah."
- Carmella Michals
"Learning with Rav Daniel is a wonderful experience. In his classes he brings an extraordinary range of texts from our tradition and makes them meaningful for our lives today. His deep personal integrity, wisdom and spirituality constantly inspire me to walk the Jewish spiritual path and help me with my own awakening and development."
- Rabbi Danny Newman, Founder & Director, HaMakom