B’nai Nefesh

Alternative B’nai Mitzvah for adults who are seeking to infuse their Judaism with depth and imagination.

Earth-based • Ancestrally rooted • Creatively inspired

Are you feeling called to put Soul at the center of your Jewish journey?

Do you want to create a Jewish path that feels authentic and liberatory?

Have you been looking for the right circle of learning to take your next step?

B’nai Nefesh (“Children of Soul”) offers an alternative to the classical B’nai Mitzvah (“Children of Commandments”).

Centered on the experience of Soul, this program offers adults an opportunity to design, prepare for and enact a significant Jewish ritual passage grounded in:

  • Torah as Mythic Mirror:

    • Studying ancient text as a gateway into revealing and harmonizing our interior landscapes.

  • Holding on to & Letting go of Jewish Identity:

    • Inviting wisdom and creativity into how we hold our Jewish identity and relate to the world around us.

  • Cartography of Shabbat:

    • Learning to embody the practice and consciousness of Shabbat as a map for living in wholeness.

  • Hebraic Imaginations:

    • Accessing sparks of vision shared by G-d wrestlers and boundary crosses, prophets and poets.

 

Course Outline

  • Wilderness Retreats

    B’nai Nefesh begins with a 5-day campout in the wild mountains of California.

    The program concludes with another 5-day wilderness retreat, more info below.

  • Online Study

    Our class meets 2x/month online for 2 hr classes. Classes focus on Shabbat, Torah, Identity, and Imagination. The experience of Soul is a consistent thread we come back to again and again.

  • Guest Teachers

    Innovative, provocative, seasoned, lineage holders - we invite guest teachers, Rabbis and otherwise, to inspire our learning and nurture our study.

  • Chevrutah

    The Talmud teaches us to K'neh l'cha chaver / Get yourself a friend (Pirkei Avot 1:6). By investing in relationships of radical honesty and genuine compassion, we can take our study much deeper.

  • Arts, Soul Work, and Torah

    At home practices and invitations to support an enriching and rigerous experience.

  • Culminating Threshold

    Each B’nai Nefesh participant commits to leading a Shabbat service as a marking ritual after the completion of the program.

    There are no specific requirements for this ritual - only that it rises from Shabbat and reflects the person’s unique soulful path.