The High Holidays are a potent time for personal growth, but oftentimes it takes work and preparation to truly reap their benefits. This course, led by Rabbi Ami Silver, is designed to help you enter deeply into these holidays, to explore the unique meaning and practices embedded in these days, and to access their transformative potential.
The five classes combine in-depth textual study together with guided practices and exercises to help integrate these teachings into our own experience.
Here are descriptions of the topics this course will cover:
1. Rosh Hashana - A Day of Love
Rosh Hashana is not mentioned in the Biblical text - at least not in the way that we’re familiar with it. In this session, we’ll explore a range of primary texts about Rosh Hashana, from the Bible through the Talmud and Midrash, in order to uncover what this day is really about. This will offer us a new framework for relating to this day, and experiencing it with a greater sense of connection and possibility.
2. “God, Open My Lips” Prayer as Path of Teshuva
Traditionally, the majority of the High Holiday experience is spent engaged in prayer. This can be filled with moments of inspiration and elation, and can also feel overwhelming or hard to connect with. In this session, we’ll use a fundamental prayer text to explore an embodied approach to prayer that relates to the High Holidays in particular, and offers a powerful framework for stepping into prayer.
3. Hearing the Voice of the Shofar
The Shofar plays a central role in the holiday of Rosh Hashana. It is rich with symbolism and associations. Based on a Chassidic teaching from Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman of Piaseczna (1889–1943), we will develop a particular orientation towards Shofar that ties to the core of our relationship with the Divine, and guides us towards an inner, embodied experience of this practice.
4. Yom Kippur - Transcending Shame
Yom Kippur is oftentimes considered the most sacred day of the year. It is a day of atonement and internal cleansing. One of the central practices of this day is confessing our sins and misdeeds. This session will focus on a teaching from the Chassidic master Rebbe Nachman of Breslov (1772-1810) that offers a paradigm for using this practice to transcend our sense of shame and smallness, and bring more of ourselves into presence.
5. Sukkot - Tasting Joy, Tasting Life
The holiday of Sukkot comes a mere four days after Yom Kippur, and it is in a sense the culmination of the High Holiday period. Rather than being a time of somber reflection, Sukkot is called “zman simchateinu - the time of our greatest joy.” This session will explore the joyful nature of Sukkot through a number of Rabbinic texts, that guide us toward an enlivening and liberating experience of this holiday.
This course will provide you with a deeper understanding of the opportunities for growth during this period, and a practical framework for pursuing inner transformation. All texts will be presented in Hebrew and English, with clear line-by-line translations; no prior knowledge or experience with the subject matter is necessary.
How does it work?
The course includes five 1-hour recorded classes, which can be watched or listened to at your convenience.
Each session includes:
1) A recorded class, in which R' Ami leads a 75 minutes study and meditation session. Sessions include a close reading of Jewish texts in their original, clearly translated and explained, together with relevant background information and discussion.
These sessions can be watched at your convenience.
2) A printable handout of relevant sources, provided in full translation.
3) A guided practice, informed by the study session and offered with clear instructions by R' Ami.
Registrants gain lifetime access to all of the course materials.
Click here for detailed Course Overview
Testimonials
"I have been learning from Rabbi Ami Silver for the past five years. He has a unique gift in teaching his students, with a special kindness and down to earth method of explaining to everyone who learns Torah with him, a deeper sense of its relevance in our lives, and that it is deeply rooted inside of us."
- Carter Wise
"I have been privileged to be a student of R. Ami... R. Ami’s insights into Tshuva resonated deeply with me and allowed me to come into this period of time in a new way. I was able to explore deeply who I was in the context of a loving God who wants me to live as fully as possible in this life. Being a part of R. Ami’s learning community during this time allowed me to come into one of the most profound relationships with myself, my community and Hashem during the High Holidays. I felt truly that I had come into a new beginning. I highly recommend learning with R. Ami."
- Anne Seham
"Rabbi Ami is the kind of teacher who can make you forget you're in a "class." Nothing feels formal or formulaic; rather Ami shares his incredible depth of knowledge with a care and gentleness that feels like you're engaged in an in-depth conversation, soul to soul. He creates a space that is built of acceptance, curiosity, and devotion to the Jewish spiritual path. After learning with him for over a year in various contexts, I can honestly say that if he's teaching it, no matter what it is, it's worthwhile to sign up because it is sure to fill you with inspiration and meaning."
- Ariel Hendelman