Wilderness Torah

🌟Strengthening Our Village: Wilderness Torah's Evolution🌟

Devoted to creating a culture of initiation, Wilderness Torah embarked on its own rite of passage this year.

As we prepare for the reflective season of Elul and a new Jewish year, a clear path ahead is coming into focus.

With excitement for the path ahead, we announce the following strategic updates:

✨ Strengthening Our Village
We're aiming to merge with a mission-aligned partner to stabilize, expand, and deepen our community impact.

🌱 Scaling Youth Programs
Our award-winning programs—B’hootz, B’naiture, Shomrim, and Neshama Quest—are gearing up for expansion beyond the Bay Area!

🌿 Emergent Holiday Festivals
We are exploring new, regenerative ways to build community through our holiday festivals.

🤝 Leadership Transitions
Itamar Cohn and Rabbi Zelig Golden are shifting in their leadership roles and titles, while we bid farewell to Robbie Friedman.

📄 Read the full report here: wildernesstorah.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/WT-Rite-of-Passage-Aug-2024.pdf

Stay tuned for more updates. Together, we'll keep our community strong!

🌿 DIY Feather Pens & Oak Ink Workshop 🍂

Calling all families with youth entering grades 6-7 this fall! 🎒

📅 When: Wednesday, September 4, 2024 | 4-5:30 PM
📍 Where: A beautiful park in Berkeley (Exact location shared upon registration)

Join Wilderness Torah Youth Programs Manager, Alex Voynow, for an outdoor adventure in creativity! ✨ Together, we’ll craft feather quills and make ink from nature’s bounty. 🌳🖋️

This workshop welcomes:

> Current B’naiture families
> Those curious about the B’naiture program
> Families with middle schoolers who are looking for fun, community, and a little DIY magic made from the local Bay ecology

Come connect with nature, meet new friends, and experience the joy of creating something special together. We can’t wait to see you there! 🌟



REGISTER HERE: https://wildernesstorah.org/programs/youth-and-family-programs/bnaiture/

In case you missed our newsletter today...

Because we extended the age of our Neshama Quest for young adults to age 35, we also extended the deadline for you to register!

If you are interested, please either fill out this interest form:
https://wildernesstorah.org/programs/adult-neshama-quest/interest-form/

-OR-

directly register on our website:
https://events.blackthorn.io/en/d0borB6/neshama-quest-for-young-adults-ages-18-28-5a4gPK1CfYH/overview

DEADLINE is THIS FRIDAY!

Make the adventure of your lifetime this summer! Backpack through the gorgeous Sierra mountains with incredible guides and an amazing group of like-minded people.

🌟 Exciting Announcement! 🌟

For the High Holidays this year, we are thrilled to partner with Chochmat HaLev in Berkeley, California! Join community, either in-person or virtually via Zoom.

🗓 Rosh Hashanah

Erev Rosh Hashanah: Wednesday, October 2 | 7:00 pm
Rosh Hashanah: Thursday, October 3 | 10:00 am

🗓 Rosh Hashanah Second Day

Contemplative Service: Friday, October 4 | 10:00 am
Picnic & Tashlich Ritual: Friday, October 4 | Time TBD

🗓 Erev Yom Kippur

Friday, October 11 | 6:30 pm

🗓 Yom Kippur Day

Yom Kippur Contemplative Service: Saturday, October 12 | 10:00 am
Torah and Musaf Service: Saturday, October 12 | 12:30 pm
Yizkor: Saturday, October 12 | 5:00 pm
Neilah: Saturday, October 12 | 6:30 pm

✨ Learn more✨ wildernesstorah.org/programs/bay-area-high-holidays

🌿✨ Have you ever heard of Ben HaMetzarim?

Translated as "between the narrows," it takes place during the three-week period beginning with the fast of the 17th of Tammuz, when the temple walls were first breached, and ending with Tisha B'Av, the day we commemorate the historical destruction of the temple.

The medicine of grief is the essence of Ben HaMetzarim. It is a period when we dwell with the many calamities of Jewish history and embrace the grief necessary to fully live today.

Ben HaMetzarim is also rooted in the ecological phenomenon of the dry season, characterized by deep dryness and the heat of summer. In ancient times, we mourned the death of the living vegetation.

🌿✨ Join our next online class to uncover how we can learn from our ancestors and commemorate this auspicious time of austerity and grief in the Hebrew calendar.

📅 Ben HaMetzarim Class
🗓️ Tuesday, July 16, 2024 | 4:00–5:30 pm PT
💰 Sliding scale: $18+
wildernesstorah.org/jewish-virtual-programs/jewish-holiday-programs/

🌟 Meet Your Guides for Neshama Quest: Teen Edition! 🌟
🗓️ Tuesday, July 30 – Monday, August 5, 2024

🌲 Meet Sam Balka: 🌲
Sam (he/they) is a seasoned wilderness guide and rites of passage mentor, having spent thousands of hours in the backcountry working in the worlds of wilderness therapy, youth mentorship, ritual leadership, and socio-emotional connection. Sam originates from the neighborhood creek beds and small historic towns of Eastern Pennsylvania, and moved to Chicago to study theatre and global health, where he spent many semesters getting to know the cultures and land of countries across the world. They moved to rural Utah to create a new commitment to the wildness in their soul 🌿, and began working as a field guide for an adult wilderness therapy program 🏞️. Here, Sam felt the call to rites of passage work, drawn in once again by the edge it presented, constantly in awe by the clarity in a muddled world that this work ultimately offered 🌄. Since then he has been in pursuit of ways to bring ceremony to our everyday lives 🔥, as well as working as a guide of rites of passage ceremonies for the clients at his programs and members of his own community 🌟.

🌳 Meet Lila: 🌳
Lila (she/they) is a community organizer, artist, and folk herbalist currently living in a treehouse 🌲 situated within Coast Miwok, Kashaya, and Pomo land in Forestville, CA. Before serving as Wilderness Torah’s Community Programs Director, Lila immersed in the worlds of climate justice 🌎, regenerative agriculture 🌱, cooperative development 🤝, rural economics 🏡, and spiritual ecology 🌿, creating opportunities for people to connect to each other, the land, and the spirits of justice and ancestral healing ✨. Bridging her passions and callings, she is now pursuing her masters at the Harvard School of Divinity 📚 focusing on spiritual leadership and ecology. Lila spent their teenage summers in kayaks 🛶, on cliff faces 🧗‍♀️, and under the weight of a heavy pack for weeks at a time 🎒, and intimately understands the importance of creating meaningful wilderness experiences for teens 🌍. She is now excited to weave her skills in Jewish ritual leadership ✡️ and environmental stewardship 🌳 with her passion for supporting teens’ soul development and kinship with the natural world 🌱.

Join these amazing guides for an unforgettable adventure! 🗻🗻
Learn More & Register Here: wildernesstorah.org/teen_neshama

🌟 Meet Your Guides for Neshama Quest: Young Adult Edition! 🌟
🗓️ Tuesday, July 30 – Monday, August 5, 2024 🗓️

🌲 Meet Alex Voynow: 🌲
Alex (he/him) is Wilderness Torah’s Youth Programs Manager and has been a vital part of the Wilderness Torah community since 2017. He has been a mentor for the B’Naiture, Shomrim, and B’hootz programs, and has trained and guided long-term backpacking trips with Rite of Passage Journeys in Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. Alex has been a JOFEE Fellow and program manager at the Jewish Farm School, wilderness director at Eden Village West summer camp, and outdoor education fellow at the Teva education center, as well as being a trained Wilderness First Responder. Besides creating beautiful, earthen Jewish worlds for our future generations, Alex loves to cook 🍳, free dive 🌊, and revel in the beauty of coastal California’s human and beyond-human ecosystems 🌅.

🎨 Meet Meli Sobin: 🎨
Meli is an artist, children’s book illustrator, arts educator, and aspiring art therapist pursuing a MA in counseling psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. As a guide at Northwestern University, Meli led groups of incoming freshmen on 8-day wilderness backpacking trips as part of their freshman orientation. She learned to support students’ transition to college and to empower them to overcome challenges and develop confidence prior to entering a new life stage. Meli facilitates art workshops with individuals to help them overcome their inner critic and connect with their authentic creativity ✨, and is excited to bring her expertise in arts mentorship to the participants of this trip. Additionally, Meli has been an avid participant in adult rites of passage work, and brings her passion for inner transformation to the folks she works with 🌀.

Join these amazing guides for an unforgettable adventure! 🗻🗻
Learn More & Register Here: wildernesstorah.org/neshama

✨ Join Us for Upcoming Events This Week & Next! ✨

📜 Online Shavuot Study with Rabbi Zelig Golden
Tomorrow! Tuesday, June 4, 2024 | 4:00–5:30 pm PT
🔗Register Here: wildernesstorah.org/jewish-virtual-programs/jewish-holiday-programs/

🌄 Neshama Quest Info Session: Young Adult & Teen Trips 🌄
Thursday, June 6 | 5:00–6:00 pm
Curious about our summer backpacking trips for teens and young adults? Join our online info session to meet your Neshama Quest mentors and learn more about the program.
🔗RSVP HERE: bit.ly/InfoSessionNQ

🕯️ Kabbalat Shabbat with Chochmat HaLev 🕯️
Friday, June 7, 2024
Experience embodied prayer, soulful singing, ecstatic dancing, and guided meditation in our intergenerational community.
🔗Register: bit.ly/KabShabCHLWT

👥 Shomrim Teen Leadership Info Session 👥
Tuesday, June 11 | 5:00–6:00 pm
Interested in our yearlong leadership program for teens? Join our online info session to meet your mentors and get all your questions answered.
🔗RSVP HERE: bit.ly/infosessionshomrim

🌙 NIGHT/LIGHT: A Tikkun Leil Shavuot 🌙
Tuesday, June 11 - Wednesday, June 12, 2024 | 7:30 pm – 5:30 am
In partnership with Chochmat HaLev, we bring you the mystical tradition of Tikkun Leil Shavuot. Stay up late into the night with us to seek out the Divine voice.
🔗Learn More & Register: bit.ly/ShavuotCHL

🌟 Sunday Fun Day: Get Ready for Shavuot! 🌟
For families with youth ages 0-7🌿🎉

🗓 Date: Sunday, June 2, 2024
⏰ Time: 3:30–5:00 pm
📍 Location: Chochmat HaLev, Berkeley, CA

Join us for an afternoon of music, snacks, and crafting at this beautiful indoor/outdoor event! Celebrate Shavuot with:

🎶 Live music by members of Octopretzel
🍪 Delicious snacks
🎨 Fun crafting activities

We’ll sing songs about Shavuot, nature, and connection. This is a fantastic opportunity to meet other local families with little ones and enjoy a lovely afternoon together.

Organized by Wilderness Torah, Chochmat HaLev, PJ Library, and Urban Adamah.

📢 Registration: $18/family
https://wildernesstorah.org/programs/youth-and-family-programs/nevatim/

Don't miss out on this fun-filled event! 🌿🎉

Unravel the mystical traditions of Lag Ba'Omer with us, Tuesday night!

This special Jewish holiday has a rich tapestry of meaning - from ancient agricultural roots to the mystical fire of Shimon Bar Yochai.

Join our online LAG BA'OMER class!

🔥 Dive into the multi-layered history
🔥 ͺLearn about the profound Zohar text
🔥 Explore symbolic rituals like bonfires and bow and arrows
🔥 Reflect on the meaning of this holiday and how it relates to your personal journey

📅 Date: Tuesday, May 21, 2024
🕓 Time: 4:00–5:30 pm PT
💲 Sliding Scale: Starting at $18

LEARN MORE & REGISTER: wildernesstorah.org/cycles

Don't miss this opportunity to deepen your understanding and connect with the timeless traditions of Lag Ba'Omer.

📚✨ Learn with Wilderness Torah Online! ✨📚

🔥 Lag Ba’Omer Class 🔥
🗓️ Tuesday, May 21, 2024 | ⏰ 4:00–5:30 pm PT

What do bonfires, bows and arrows, agricultural angst, the plague, and mystical holy fire have in common? Discover the 33rd day of the Counting of the Omer – Lag Ba’Omer. Dive into ancient traditions and uncover their significance!

🔗 LEARN MORE & REGISTER: wildernesstorah.org/cycles

🌾 Shavuot Class 🌾
🗓️ Tuesday, June 4, 2024 | ⏰ 4:00–5:30 pm PT

Explore the intertwining themes of honoring first fruits, receiving Torah, and coming-of-age in the wilderness. Prepare for a journey of revelation and celebrate the ultimate rite of passage for the Jewish people.

🔗 LEARN MORE & REGISTER:
wildernesstorah.org/cycles

🌿🌲 This weekend is the culminating camping trip for the current B'nairure cohort!

B’naiture is our award-winning, two-year experiential program for youth entering 6th or 7th grade. B’naiture supports the transition from childhood to adolescence through mentorship, deep nature connection and Jewish wisdom.

B’naiture is centered on our culminating challenge: a one-night fire tending solo that marks the entrance into adolescence. In their second year, the youth spend time preparing for their solo fires, by practicing fire skills and readying themselves emotionally and spiritually for what lies ahead.

This weekend is the final weekend together, during which the community of elders, mentors and alumni send them off to tend a sacred fire through the night. The whole community will welcome them back in a celebratory ceremony with their families.

Blessings on this amazing cohort of young leaders as they complete this rite of passage experience.

🌿✨ Join us for an unforgettable journey of self-discovery and connection in the heart of the Trinity Alps! 🌲🌄

📅 Adult Neshama Quest
🗓️ Wednesday, June 19 – Monday, June 24, 2024

Take a break from the chaos of everyday life and immerse yourself in the beauty of nature as we delve deep into Judaism, community, and personal growth.

🌟 What to Expect:

- Hike ~6 miles to where we will base camp
- Learn ancestral skills
- Participate in guided councils
- prepare for and spend one night solo under the stars
- Embody Earth-based Jewish rituals
- Celebrate transformation in a supportive culture
- Embrace Shabbat with song, dance, and renewal

We have a few spots left! Reserve yours today to embark on this transformative journey.

🔗 wildernesstorah.org/neshama

🌿 About the Trinity Alps🏔️
Discover the stunning wilderness of California's second-largest wilderness area, featuring majestic granite peaks, meadows bursting with wildflowers, and pristine alpine lakes.

🌲Embarking on a Solo Journey:
Experience a powerful overnight solo journey, guided by ritual. Reflect, heal, and connect with spirit and nature in a way that feels right for you.

Solo journeys have been a cornerstone of Judaism, offering inspiration, healing, and clarity throughout history. Join us as we tap into this ancient tradition and explore life's big questions under the vast, starlit sky.

A wilderness solo can:
- Mark life passages
- Support one’s healing
- Help one connect to spirit and nature
- Clarify one’s purpose and life’s big questions

Does this sound like something you need? Learn more and register today
🌿 wildernesstorah.org/neshama

If you have questions, please do not hesitate to comment or message us.

✨

Have you heard about our year-round virtual class series?

🕎 MEDICINE OF THE JEWISH HOLIDAYS 🌀

There are so many PERKS you receive when you join!

🗓️For example, every FIRST TUESDAY of the month, there is a BONUS LUNCH-n-LEARN with Rabbi Zelig.

Our next lunch-n-learn is TOMORROW, Tuesday May 7!

➡️If you have been on the fence about joining this series, NOW would be a good time to do it! You get a full year of access from the day you register.

ADDITIONAL PERKS if you join the year-round series:
📚 Access to past class recordings to go at your own pace
🤝 Connection with a like-minded community
💰 Enjoy 20% savings (compared to register for each separate class)
++ an extra 10% discount on all other Down to Earth School of Jewish Wisdom courses!

Enroll Today: wildernesstorah.org/cycles



❓If you have questions about this course, please feel free to comment or message us! ❓

Chodesh Tov Nisan - happy new month of Nisan!

Nisan is called Chodesh Ha’Aviv, ‘the month of spring.’ At this time, winter rains give way to the explosion of green and rainbow colors from the earth. The scent of spring awakens us to renewal; the emergence of life all around us evokes what is newly awakening within us too.

Explore what is awakening within you in our upcoming Passover class, next week!

On the full moon of Nisan, we begin the Passover Festival replete with the miracles of redemption and freedom. In the mythical tale, we face down Pharaoh’s enslavement, and we cross from the narrows into the boundless wilderness to begin again, free and reborn.

This month of Nisan offers hope and potential for rebirth - healing from the wounds of our past and having a new opportunity for living life.

The new moon of Nisan asks us, “from what narrowness in your life are you ready to be born?”

Let's reflect together.

What might your freedom dance look like this year?

Join us online next week to explore these questions with Jewish texts, earth-based practices, and small group sharing.

Passover (A 2-part class)
Tuesday, April 16 & Friday, April 19 | 4–5:30 pm PT
Sliding Scale: $18–$108

Recordings of the class will be provided for those who can't attend live.

Grab your spot today!

wildernesstorah.org/passover
or find the link in our bio! ☝🏽

✨Welcome to the month of Nissan, the beginning of the Jewish calendar!

Now is a great time to consider joining our year-round learning series with Rabbi Zelig, where you’ll unlock the profound insights of the Hebrew calendar and dive into the rich tapestry of Jewish tradition through the holidays!

🌙Guided by the moon's cycles and the rhythm of the seasons, our calendar serves as a timeless roadmap for spiritual growth and communal connection.✨🌙

Next Class in the series: Passover (2-part class)
📆 Tuesday, April 16 & Friday April 19, 2024 | 4:00–5:30 pm PT

You are welcome to join just the Passover class, or any of the one-off holiday classes, but we strongly recommend joining for the full year to get the transformational medicine of the full cycle!

BONUSES if you join the year-round series:
🌟 Exclusive monthly Lunch & Learn sessions with Rabbi Zelig
📚 Access to past class recordings to go at your own pace.
🤝 Connection with a like-minded community
💰 Enjoy 20% savings (compared to register for each separate class)
++ an extra 10% discount on all other Down to Earth School of Jewish Wisdom courses!

Enroll Today 💫LINK IN BIO.
widlernesstorah.org/cycles

Have you registered yet? Starting tomorrow, Thursday, April 4...

🔥✨ Dive into the Mysteries of Judaism & the Four Elements! ✨🌿

Embark on a journey of discovery with Rabbi Zelig Golden in our upcoming 4-Part Series, where we explore the profound connection between Judaism and the elemental forces shaping our world. 🌎✡️

📅 Thursdays, April 4, 11, 18 & May 2, 2024
🕓 4-5:30 pm PT

Earth, air, fire, and water – these elemental essences form the very fabric of our existence. Join us as we uncover ancient treasures from Jewish tradition, delving into texts like the Torah, Mishnah, Talmud, and Kabbalistic writings. 📜💫

This course isn't just about learning; it's about deepening your relationship with the elements and understanding their role in Creation and within yourself. All levels of learning and language proficiency are welcome! 📚🌟

🌿 Week 1: We are Earthlings
🌬️ Week 2: The Breath of Life
🔥 Week 3: Fire Portal to Divine
💧 Week 4: Water is Life

Ready to embark on this transformative journey? Register now and let the elements guide you to deeper insights and connections:

REGISTER NOW: https://wildernesstorah.org/jewish-virtual-programs/ #4-elements - - or -
👆🏽find the link in our Instagram bio.

🕯️✨ Join us for Kabbalat Shabbat this Friday at Chochmat HaLev! 🕯️✨

Center your heart, clear your mind, and join us for a special musical service led by Zvika Krieger, Rabbi Paige Lincenberg, AdirChai Haberman-Browns, Lauren Arrow, and special guests. 🎻🎵

Our Shabbat gatherings are a celebration filled with music, song, dance, prayer, and earth-based wisdom teachings. We believe in the power of egalitarianism and strive to create a space where everyone feels welcome and included. 🎶🙏

Whether you're a seasoned Shabbat celebrator or brand new to the experience, all levels of familiarity with Jewish tradition are embraced with open arms. 🌈✨

Can't make it in person? No problem! Our Shabbats with Chochmat HaLev can also be joined virtually on Zoom.

And if you're feeling generous, donations are always appreciated to help us continue spreading the warmth and joy of Shabbat. 🌟💕

Bring the whole family! Childcare is also included, but please let us know when you register.

Friday, April 5, 2024

6:00 pm: Shabbat Service
7:30 pm: Oneg + Potluck Dinner
8:00 pm: Heartspace

We can't wait to share this beautiful experience with you! See you there!

🌟 REGISTER HERE 🌟
https://chochmat.shulcloud.com/form/kabshab-2024/4/5.html
or, check the link in our bio