The High Holiday season is a period dedicated to repairing what is broken in ourselves, our relationships and in the wider world. Jewish tradition teaches that this is a time when unique powers are available to us to do this sort of repair work, yet we are told little about the actual mechanics of this process.
How do we make atonement?
How do we earn and extend forgiveness?
How do we break free of the habits that constrain us?
Turning Toward Teshuvah: A High Holiday Journey of Transformation, a course from My Jewish Learning, aims to help you make the most of this unique period of the calendar. Over the course of eight lessons, this class will guide you in understanding the particular spiritual power of this time of year and how to tap into that power to effect lasting change in your life.
Inspired by the work of the late Rabbi Alan Lew, this course begins just prior to Tisha B’Av, the summertime fast day that this year begins the evening of Aug. 12. This is the day that Jewish tradition honors as the anniversary of the destruction of both ancient Temples, and it is an appropriate time to closely examine the destructive patterns in our lives and what steps we might need to take to disrupt them.
Subsequent lessons will guide you through the points on the calendar that serve as waystations in our journey of transformation: the start of the introspective month of Elul, Rosh Hashanah, the Ten Days of Repentance, and finally Yom Kippur.
All backgrounds are welcome. No prior knowledge of Jewish practice is required.
The Course officially begins with teachings for Tisha B'Av but you are welcome to sign up any time during this High Holiday season.
What to expect from this course:
- Discover ancient Jewish insights to deepen your understanding of the transformative potential of this season.
- Engage in a range of practices designed to operationalize those insights.
- Explore Jewish texts and teachings that will deepen your experience of the High Holidays.
About the instructor:
Rabbi Sarah Bracha Gershuny is a writer, ritualist, musician, healer and teacher. She holds rabbinic ordination from Hebrew College and was ordained as a kohenet by the Kohenet Hebrew Priestess Institute, a contemporary wisdom school devoted to female expressions of Jewish leadership. Originally from the United Kingdom, she currently resides in Boulder, Colorado.
What’s included in the course:
- Eight video lessons to guide you through this season of renewal and repair.
- Two live Zoom session with the instructor where you can ask questions and connect with other course participants.
- Detailed explanations of Jewish spiritual practices designed to make the course material a part of your life.
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Downloadable source sheets so you can delve deeper into the material at your own pace.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Do I need to read Hebrew to participate? No. All course content is available in English.
What time will the videos be streamed? This course is designed as an accompaniment to the period of the Jewish calendar that begins on Tisha B’Av and concludes roughly ten weeks later on the holiday of Sukkot. Each lesson is pegged to a particular point on the calendar and course participants are strongly encouraged to focus on the specific material and practices relevant to that time. However, all the course material will be made available at once, so participants who wish will be able to move through the material at whatever pace they wish.
Are non-Jews allowed to sign up? Absolutely. This course is open to all.
Got more questions? Email us at [email protected]
