Deepening Shabbat Prayer Practice Group

What is this course?

The great thinker and writer known as Ahad Ha'am famously said, “More than the Jewish People have kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept the Jews.” There are (at least) four dimensions to how Shabbat has "kept", and still "keeps" us, which feature prominently in our beautiful and powerful Shabbat prayers, and which offer us much-needed support in this challenging moment. 1) She provides us with a sanctuary in time, for spiritual sustenance and renewal 2) She helps us survive as a distinct community with our own identity 3) She allows us to cultivate our vision and hope for a better future for our world 4) She symbolizes and nourishes the unity of our people. You're warmly invited to join Rabbi Daniel Silverstein and our global community as we explore the special prayers of Shabbat as invitations into deep and transformative spiritual work. Together, we will experience each Shabbat prayer as a means of healing and building connection with ourselves, others and the Divine. In each session we will learn about, discuss and meditate on approximately three prayers from the Shabbat liturgy, building a deep personal connection with each one. There will also be time for sharing and reflection. Our meditative practices and exercises include visualizations, body scans, mindful movement, spiritual writing and drawing, and chanting. All texts are provided with clear line-by-line 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 levels. (The course is an experiential journey through the prayers which are unique to Shabbat. The prayers of the weekday services have been covered in previous courses which are available in recorded form. Please see the "Recorded Courses" page of the website for details.) HOW DOES IT WORK? The course consists of eight live online sessions, of 1.5 hours. Each class is recorded as well and is sent out to all registrants following each class, so participants can watch and listen to the recordings at their own leisure. DATES AND TIMES Thursdays, 14 NOV – 2 JAN at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern / 6pm UK / 8pm Israel and the relevant hours in your time zones, for 90 minutes each time. The cost of the course is $180. Please contact R' Daniel if you would like to request subsidized registration.