Starts October 14, 2022 and Continues for a Full Year
The study and interpretation of Jewish texts is one of Judaism’s oldest and richest forms of spiritual practice. At IJS, we approach text study holistically – both as an intellectual experience of the mind and as an opportunity for experiential, heart-centered, practice-based spiritual growth and development.
This year, we bring back two popular text study streams – one by Rabbi Sam Feinsmith and the other by Yael Shy. Both streams provide rich material for spiritual study and can help you find meaning, expand your awareness, and deepen your spiritual life and practice.
Whether you are new to the study of the Jewish textual tradition or you’ve been studying and practicing for many years, we invite you to join this community of learners in order to bring the light of Torah into your life and the world.
TRACK 1: For Seasoned Learners
with Rabbi Sam Feinsmith
Written for experienced students of Torah, this weekly text study explores a Hasidic classic by Rabbi Moshe Chayim Efrayim of Sudilkov (1748-1800), grandson of the Ba’al Shem Tov, in which he posits that divine revelation is available for each of us if we pay attention to and cultivate our inner lives. Our thoughts and feelings are echoes of Sinai, our bodies are vehicles for encountering the divine, and our consciousness is a wellspring of living Torah that can be tapped if we turn inward, bear witness, and listen deeply. (This text study first appeared in 2017-2018 / 5778.)
In this text stream, every week you will receive:
- The text of the week in Hebrew
- An annotated English translation
- A mindfulness-based commentary on the text
- Reflection questions
- Avodah, or suggestions for spiritual practice
- Access to an archive of all the texts and materials from previous weeks’ teachings
In addition, Rabbi Feinsmith will hold a Siyyum, or concluding celebration, at the conclusion of each book of the Torah. These will be held on the following dates in 2023: January 5, March 16, May 11, July 13, and October 5 from 1:30-2:30 PM ET
$349
IJS is pleased to offer this course at three tuition levels.
We encourage you to pay at the highest level you can,
which will enable more students to participate.
Please use the corresponding coupon code when registering.
To pay the full course tuition of $349, use no coupon code.
For a reduced tuition of $249, use code: IJS_249
For a reduced tuition of $99, use code: IJS_99
TRACK 2: For All Learners
with Yael Shy
This weekly text study, designed for all learners, will explore some of Torah’s everyday wisdom, exploring how each week’s parsha touches themes of struggle, awakening, loneliness, connection, community, joy, and love. Drawing from practitioners and scholars including Dr. Avivah Zornberg, Rabbi Sheila Peltz Weinberg, Zoketsu Norman Fischer, Martin Buber, and others, as well as wisdom from mindfulness, poetry, psychology, and popular culture, you will delve deeply into the text, finding direct application to everyday life. Suggested mindfulness and meditation practices will support your daily practice. (This text study first appeared in 2014-2015 / 5775.)
In this text stream, every week you will receive:
- Text of the week
- Reflection questions
- Related spiritual practice
- Access to an archive of all the texts and materials from previous weeks’ teachings
In addition, Yael Shy will lead online monthly live sessions to discuss the text study in community. These meetings will be held on: October 27, November 10, December 8, January 12, February 9, March 9, April 20, May 18, and June 8 from 2:30-3:45 PM ET.
Course Tuition
$349
IJS is pleased to offer this course at three tuition levels.
We encourage you to pay at the highest level you can,
which will enable more students to participate.
Please use the corresponding coupon code when registering.
To pay the full course tuition of $349, use no coupon code.
For a reduced tuition of $249, use code: IJS_249
For a reduced tuition of $99, use code: IJS_99
Rabbi Sam Feinsmith is Senior Core Faculty at the Institute for Jewish Spirituality and directs the Clergy Leadership Program and teaches on the faculty of this and other programs. Previously, he taught Judaic Studies at Chicagoland Jewish High School, Illinois, and the Heschel School in NY, where he did cutting-edge work on teen spirituality and mindfulness. He holds rabbinic ordination from YCT Rabbinical School and an MA in Talmud from JTS. He is a co-founder and meditation teacher at Orot: Center for New Jewish Learning, and has served as a consultant on a number of innovative prayer and minyan-related projects. He served as a Kol Tzedek Fellow for American Jewish World Service, and volunteered in Cambodia with their Volunteer Corps. He lives in Evanston, IL with his wife Sarah-Bess and their daughter Elanit.
Yael Shy is the CEO of Mindfulness Consulting, LLC, where she teaches and consults on mindfulness for universities, corporations, and private clients around the world. She is the author of the award-winning book, What Now? Meditation for Your Twenties and Beyond (Parallax, 2017), and the founder of Mindful NYU, the largest campus-based mindfulness initiative in the US. Yael is a graduate of the IJS Jewish Mindfulness Teacher Training Certification and has over a decade of teaching and consulting experience and 20 years of meditation practice experience. She is adjunct faculty at the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, Or HaLev, as well as at New York University. She has been featured on Good Morning America, CBS, Fox 5 News, and in Time Magazine and the Harvard Business Review.
TRACK 1: For Seasoned Learners
with Rabbi Sam Feinsmith
Written for experienced students of Torah, this weekly text study explores a Hasidic classic by Rabbi Moshe Chayim Efrayim of Sudilkov (1748-1800), grandson of the Ba’al Shem Tov, in which he posits that divine revelation is available for each of us if we pay attention to and cultivate our inner lives. Our thoughts and feelings are echoes of Sinai, our bodies are vehicles for encountering the divine, and our consciousness is a wellspring of living Torah that can be tapped if we turn inward, bear witness, and listen deeply. (This text study first appeared in 2017-2018 / 5778.)
In this text stream, every week you will receive:
- The text of the week in Hebrew
- An annotated English translation
- A mindfulness-based commentary on the text
- Reflection questions
- Avodah, or suggestions for spiritual practice
- Access to an archive of all the texts and materials from previous weeks’ teachings
In addition, Rabbi Feinsmith will hold a Siyyum, or concluding celebration, at the conclusion of each book of the Torah. These will be held on the following dates in 2023: January 5, March 16, May 11, July 13, and October 5 from 1:30-2:30 PM ET
$349
IJS is pleased to offer this course at three tuition levels.
We encourage you to pay at the highest level you can,
which will enable more students to participate.
Please use the corresponding coupon code when registering.
To pay the full course tuition of $349, use no coupon code.
For a reduced tuition of $249, use code: IJS_249
For a reduced tuition of $99, use code: IJS_99
Rabbi Sam Feinsmith is Senior Core Faculty at the Institute for Jewish Spirituality and directs the Clergy Leadership Program and teaches on the faculty of this and other programs. Previously, he taught Judaic Studies at Chicagoland Jewish High School, Illinois, and the Heschel School in NY, where he did cutting-edge work on teen spirituality and mindfulness. He holds rabbinic ordination from YCT Rabbinical School and an MA in Talmud from JTS. He is a co-founder and meditation teacher at Orot: Center for New Jewish Learning, and has served as a consultant on a number of innovative prayer and minyan-related projects. He served as a Kol Tzedek Fellow for American Jewish World Service, and volunteered in Cambodia with their Volunteer Corps. He lives in Evanston, IL with his wife Sarah-Bess and their daughter Elanit.
TRACK 2: For All Learners
with Yael Shy
This weekly text study, designed for all learners, will explore some of Torah’s everyday wisdom, exploring how each week’s parsha touches themes of struggle, awakening, loneliness, connection, community, joy, and love. Drawing from practitioners and scholars including Dr. Avivah Zornberg, Rabbi Sheila Peltz Weinberg, Zoketsu Norman Fischer, Martin Buber, and others, as well as wisdom from mindfulness, poetry, psychology, and popular culture, you will delve deeply into the text, finding direct application to everyday life. Suggested mindfulness and meditation practices will support your daily practice. (This text study first appeared in 2014-2015 / 5775.)
In this text stream, every week you will receive:
- Text of the Week
- Reflection Questions
- Related Spiritual Practice
- Access to an archive of all the texts and materials from previous weeks’ teachings
In addition, Yael Shy will lead online monthly live sessions to discuss the text study in community. These meetings will be held on: October 27, November 10, December 8, January 12, February 9, March 9, April 20, May 18, and June 8 from 2:30-3:45 PM ET.
Course Tuition
$349
IJS is pleased to offer this course at three tuition levels.
We encourage you to pay at the highest level you can,
which will enable more students to participate.
Please use the corresponding coupon code when registering.
To pay the full course tuition of $349, use no coupon code.
For a reduced tuition of $249, use code: IJS_249
For a reduced tuition of $99, use code: IJS_99
Yael Shy is the CEO of Mindfulness Consulting, LLC, where she teaches and consults on mindfulness for universities, corporations, and private clients around the world. She is the author of the award-winning book, What Now? Meditation for Your Twenties and Beyond (Parallax, 2017), and the founder of Mindful NYU, the largest campus-based mindfulness initiative in the US. Yael is a graduate of the IJS Jewish Mindfulness Teacher Training Certification and has over a decade of teaching and consulting experience and 20 years of meditation practice experience. She is adjunct faculty at the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, Or HaLev, as well as at New York University. She has been featured on Good Morning America, CBS, Fox 5 News, and in Time Magazine and the Harvard Business Review.
