Judaism Unbound

Welcome to Shabbat Unbound, the world's longest Friday night Sabbath service, stretching over eight episodes. Instead of rushing through all the Friday night Shabbat prayers in one sitting, like we might in a classical synagogue environment, we're taking our time diving deep into one prayer each episode through song study and sacred conversation. It's the most original and traditional way to engage in the transition into Shabbat, taking each prayer as its own world with its own Torah to teach us. Miriam Terlinchamp, Lex Rofeberg and an incredible group of musicians invite you to discover what happens when Shabbat slows down. The third episode focuses on Ana B'Koach.

[1] Interested in learning more about Ana B’Koach? Lex compiled this incredible list of resources including multiple translations, tunes and essays.  

[2] Jacob’s Ladder has an incredible repertoire of Jewish music. Check out their newest album, HaMakom/The Place here.

[3] Here’s a picture of Lex’s ring. Want your own? Us too. Here are a few options by artisans. 

[4] Lex mentions the role of the 42 names of of God, you can read the original text in the Talmud (Kiddushin 71a:13) that introduces this concept. 

[5] Richard Levy z”l, Rabbi, poet, teacher, and modern liturgist, published an exceptional translation of psalms, Songs Ascending, an incredible compilation for any poetic, creative, or lover of ancient poetry. 

[6] Want to watch the music video of our version of Ana Bakoach? Great you can find it here.

Rest to Return is a podcast for a restless world. Kohenet Keshira haLev Fife is your host. This series is rooted in Shabbat, an ancient Jewish practice that teaches us how to belong to time. Here, rest is a sacred rhythm woven into who we are. We continue by gathering around a single question: Who do we become when we rest?

1. Lecha Dodi is the song that ends Kabbalat Shabbat (the service that helps us transition into Shabbat) before we move into the Ma’ariv prayer service. 


2. The idea that Creator finished creation on the seventh day comes from Genesis 2:2.


3. Tranquility, satisfaction, calm, and quiet being created on the seventh day comes from Genesis Rabbah 10:9.


4. The idea of creating change that’s “slow, deep, and irreversible” comes from artist and activist Ricardo Levins Morales.


5. I learned the mussar practice of clarifying our ratzon by asking “what do I want? What do I really want?” from Rabbi David Jaffe of Kirva. You can learn more in Chapter 1 of his book, Changing the World from the Inside Out: A Jewish Approach to Personal and Social Change.


6. This quote has been misattributed to Courtney Carver. It is instead referenced by Carver in her book, Gentle: Rest More, Stress Less and Live the Life You Actually You Want. The quotation itself comes from Psychologist Nicola Jane Hobbs who teaches, “Instead of asking, 'Have I worked hard enough to deserve rest?' ask, 'Have I rested enough to do my most loving, meaningful work?'”

Enjoy the live version of Lay it Down, Let it Go here.

Check out the Rest to Return webpage for photos, info about the Rest to Return retreat, and more!

This episode is brought to you by the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. Rest to Return exists because we believe slowing down is a spiritual act. IJS believes that too. For over two decades, IJS has been helping people go deeper, through Jewish mindfulness meditation, contemplative prayer, sacred text study, and embodied practice. Their offerings range from online courses and silent retreats to immersive cohort programs for seekers of all experience levels, clergy, and spiritual leaders who are ready to live and lead from a more grounded place. Kohenet Keshira haLev Fife is part of IJS’s core faculty, and the wisdom you'll hear in this series is very much in that spirit. If this podcast is stirring something in you, IJS is a place to go further. Explore their programs, and more ways to learn and practice with Keshira, at jewishspirituality.org, including:

• View the latest offerings from IJS in our program catalog


• Join Keshira and others on retreat this August: Returning Anew


• Learn more about Keshira's latest class at IJS on Mindful Speech as a Spiritual Practice


• Learn more about Shevet, IJS's community for younger adults (20s-30s)


• IJS has several online free practices with Keshira and our other faculty including our live Daily Sit, our weekly Shevet Sit for younger adults (under 40), and monthly Affinity Sits for Jews of Color, LGBTQ+, and individuals with disabilities. Click here for more information.


• Join our mailing list to be notified about our upcoming fall courses, including Keshira's Earth, Moon, Mindfulness year-long class.

Tisha B'Av (the 9th of Av) is an annual observance on the Jewish calendar, often understood as the saddest day of the year. It commemorates many different destructions and catastrophes throughout Jewish history, including (but not limited to) the destruction of the first and second temple in Jerusalem, thousands of years ago. Lex Rofeberg and Rena Yehuda Newman are joined by Andy Kahn, a rabbi and executive director of the American Council for Judaism, and Dania Rajendra, a community organizer and writer who is currently serving as interim director of the In Our Name Fund, to explore the history and contemporary practice of this holiday. This episode is the second in a two-part mini-series exploring the past, present, and future of the 9th of Av.

Eight incredible students from the UnYeshiva's certificate program in Unbound Judaism will be graduating, on August 2nd! Mark your calendars, so that you can be there to celebrate their amazing achievement. You can register to attend via this link!

Access full shownotes for this episode via this link. If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation -- support Judaism Unbound by clicking here!

Rest to Return is a podcast for a restless world. Kohenet Keshira haLev Fife is your host. This series is rooted in Shabbat, an ancient Jewish practice that teaches us how to belong to time. Here, rest is a sacred rhythm woven into who we are. We continue by gathering around a single question: What makes time sacred?

1. The concept that each of us is created b’tzelem Elohim, in the Divine Image, comes from Genesis 1:27.


2. The first person who I heard crystalise the idea that we need to reach REM sleep in order to dream was Rev Dr Tony Lim, during a gathering of Spiritual Innovators at the Fetzer Institute.


3. The idea that dreaming is one-sixtieth of prophecy comes from Berakhot 57b.


4. The concept of the Jubilee can be found in Leviticus 25:8-16.


5. I first learned about Soli-lunar time from Seasons of our Joy: A Modern Guide to the Jewish Holidays by Reb Arthur Waskow z”l.


6. Geoffrey Chaucer was a writer and poet who lived in the 1300s; he was best known for having written The Canterbury Tales.


7. I learned “Who Make the Future?” at Let My People Sing; the song is by Abigail Bengson of the Bengsons.

Enjoy the live version of Lay it Down, Let it Go here.

Check out the Rest to Return webpage for photos, info about the Rest to Return retreat, and more!

This episode is brought to you by the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. Rest to Return exists because we believe slowing down is a spiritual act. IJS believes that too. For over two decades, IJS has been helping people go deeper, through Jewish mindfulness meditation, contemplative prayer, sacred text study, and embodied practice. Their offerings range from online courses and silent retreats to immersive cohort programs for seekers of all experience levels, clergy, and spiritual leaders who are ready to live and lead from a more grounded place. Kohenet Keshira haLev Fife is part of IJS’s core faculty, and the wisdom you'll hear in this series is very much in that spirit. If this podcast is stirring something in you, IJS is a place to go further. Explore their programs, and more ways to learn and practice with Keshira, at jewishspirituality.org, including:

• View the latest offerings from IJS in our program catalog


• Join Keshira and others on retreat this August: Returning Anew


• Learn more about Shevet, IJS's community for younger adults (20s-30s)


• IJS has several online free practices with Keshira and our other faculty including our live Daily Sit, our weekly Shevet Sit for younger adults (under 40), and monthly Affinity Sits for Jews of Color, LGBTQ+, and individuals with disabilities. Click here for more information.


• Join our mailing list to be notified about our upcoming fall courses, including Keshira's Earth, Moon, Mindfulness year-long class.

Lex Rofeberg and Rena Yehuda Newman discuss the history, shadow-sides, and positive possibilities for observing the Jewish holiday of Tisha B’av (the 9th of Av) — understood by many to be the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. What is Tisha B'Av? How has it been observed -- and, often, not-observed -- in American-Jewish communities? How can it help us consider the flow of the Jewish calendar as a whole? This episode is a first in a two-part mini-series exploring the past, present, and future of the 9th of Av.

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Eight incredible students from the UnYeshiva's certificate program in Unbound Judaism will be graduating, on August 2nd! Mark your calendars, so that you can be there to celebrate their amazing achievement. You can register to attend via this link!

Access full shownotes for this episode via this link. If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation -- support Judaism Unbound by clicking here!