A new six-session course by the 
Rohr Jewish Learning Institute 

THE JEWISH ART
OF PRAYER
AND SPIRITUAL
EXPERIENCE

Whether you’re seeking relief from stress; you’re hoping for focus, clarity, and connection to a raw and vulnerable place deep within you; or you just want to start each day from a positive, humble, and grateful frame of mind, this course is for you.

Jewish wisdom teaches profound techniques to give wings to our emotions and words to our yearnings, allowing us to make contact and communicate with something larger than ourselves and feel comfort and shelter within a reality that’s more whole, more intense, more real, and more beautiful.

 

COURSE OVERVIEW

 

  LESSON 1  

Awakening Our Deepest Selves

Prayer is not a ritual; it is a contemplative tool that helps us balance urgent or bodily matters with what's meaningful and important. It tunes us in to our deepest beliefs and feeling, giving them expression in our immediate lives.

 

  LESSON 2  

The Kabbalah of Prayer

What's the secret behind prayer's mystical power? How does it affect the flow of cosmic energy? Can it alter the Divine will? Learn how to engage in this endeavor more effectively, and how to regard your most important wishes as part of your relationship with the Creator.

 

  LESSON 3  

Discovering Nature's Wonderland

Guided meditations in prayer transport us from a place of natural indifference to an awestruck, vivid awareness with heartfelt marveling at the rich spiritual meaning in our surroundings.

 

  LESSON 4  

Toward Transcendence

Moving from the manifest to the transcendent, our meditative journey brings us to realize how, in the grand scheme, we are but negligible dots. Yet, despite our tininess, we serve as agents in a mission of infinite import.

 

  LESSON 5 

Total Surrender

At the pinnacle of inspiration and intimacy with the Creator, what comes next? More inspiration? No. Letting go. When the ego loses its sense of identity and is absorbed in its greater purpose, it is, paradoxically, best suited to appeal for its needs. 

 

  LESSON 6  

The Power of the Community

Is there a way to bring the exhilarating passion of a secluded hilltop meditation into a synagogue, when praying with a group and prayer book? We explore practical tips for synchronizing a heartfelt spiritual journey with a communal synagogue experience.