Different forms of mysticism in Jewish history
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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: How do we know when to work and when to rest? I learned about spiralinear time from Kohenet Sara Esther Richards who wrote her Masters Thesis, Spiralinear Time: Religious Calendar Formation, Momentum, and Change within a Dynamic Time Structure, on the topic. We learn about the shmitta in Exodus 23:10-11 Here is a photo of us at the beginning of our first shmitta year; this was taken in Kyoto, Japan in January 2009. The Jonathan Sacks quote, “Shabbat is the day we stand still and let all our blessings catch up with us.” comes from his book, Radical Then, Radical Now. The words to Lecha Dodi by Shlomo Alkabetz can be found here. “Shamor” (keep/guard) and “zachor” (remember) are in verse 2. The 39 melachot can be found in the Mishnah (Shabbat 7:2). If you want to find out whose land you're on, https://native-land.ca/ is an excellent resource. You can find out how the moon is cycling in your particular location 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.
In this episode, Dr. Baron sits down with Rabbi Daniel Fellman, Senior Rabbi of Temple Sinai in Pittsburgh, to discuss his deeply personal experience with loss and fertility challenges. Recorded live in Pittsburgh, this raw and honest conversation explores the unique intersection of communal religious leadership and private grief. Rabbi Fellman shares the story of his and his wife Melissa's fertility journey, navigating a polycystic ovarian syndrome diagnosis, and the heartbreaking loss of one of their fraternal twins at 22 weeks. He describes the painful medical and halakhic choices they faced, the profound "black hole" in Jewish law regarding early infant loss, and how they ultimately managed to save their surviving son, Zach, through an emergency cervical cerclage. The conversation explores the heavy burden of compartmentalizing personal trauma while serving a congregation through their own seasons of grief and joy. Rabbi Fellman opens up about his private moments of wrestling and "rebelling" against God, his family's subsequent experiences with a second trimester miscarriage and raising a child with special needs, and how these collective scars have shaped his life. If you are trying to understand how to hold faith alongside profound loss, or navigating the complicated emotions of pregnancy after loss, this episode is for you. About Rabbi Fellman: Rabbi Daniel J. Fellman, a native of Omaha, Nebraska, serves as the Senior Rabbi of Temple Sinai. Before joining Temple Sinai in 2021, Rabbi Fellman served as Rabbi at Temple Concord in Syracuse, New York, for 12 years and as Assistant and Associate Rabbi at Ashe Emeth Memorial Temple in New Brunswick, New Jersey, for four years. Rabbi Fellman earned his Master's Degree in Hebrew Letters in 2004 and was ordained by the Hebrew Union College—Jewish Institute of Religion in 2005. His thesis, "An American Friendship: Harry Truman, Eddie Jacobson and the Establishment of the State of Israel," explored the extraordinary friendship of two Americans and the role that relationship played in America's early support for Israel. Rabbi Fellman is a 1996 graduate of Colorado College, where he earned his BA in Political Science and earned the Abel Greg and Lucy Finney Award for religious leadership on campus. In addition to his congregational duties, Rabbi Fellman was named one of the "40 under 40" in Syracuse, served as the chair of the Roundtable of Faith Leaders, and received the Interfaith Leadership Award for his work building civil society. Rabbi Fellman was a Clal Rabbis Without Borders Fellow and is currently a fellow with the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. Rabbi Fellman served as the Jewish Chaplain at Syracuse University for two years, and spent three years as an adjunct instructor at the State University of New York at Cortland where he taught Jewish studies. He resuscitated the Syracuse Board of Rabbis and was an active presence in Jewish community building. He is an Eagle Scout, and was a founder of the Hillel at Colorado College. Rabbi Fellman and his wife Melissa are the parents of three children—Zachary, Jacob, and Elizabeth Connect with Rabbi Daniel Fellman : Email Website Instagram Connect with us: Website Instagram - send us a message YouTube Facebook TikTok LinkedIn
Rest to Return, 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 is my sacred purpose? You can find more info about Tzedek Lab here. Settled back into his room, my dad was a bit frail…but he could still kiss us and us that he loved us! The list of 39 melachot can be found here. Olam haBah is often translated as “the world to come” and is used in reference to the afterlife. In this context, I'm using it to describe “the world as it could be” which includes dignity, equity, and liberation. The idea that each person is a letter in the Torah is rooted in Megaleh Amukot (Va'etchanan 186:1). I learned about the concept of “ratzon” from my teacher, colleague, and friend David Jaffe, Founder and Executive Director of Kirva. Rabbi Tarfon's quote comes from Pirkei Avot 2:16. One source for Rabbi Simcha Bunim's teaching is Tales of The Hasidim Later Masters by Martin Buber. The Mary Oliver line comes from her poem, entitled “The Summer Day”. 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?'"” The practice in this episode was inspired by a practice that I learned from Rabbi David Jaffe, Founder of Kirva, and it is one that I've enjoyed practicing with each Cohort of “Dismantling Racism from the Inside Out” that I have the privilege of co-facilitating for People of Colour, alongside Yehudah Webster. The next cohort begins in Fall 2026 and you can find more info here. 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 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.
The meditation featured in this episode originally took place during the IJS Daily Online Meditation Sit on June 10th, 2026. To join these FREE daily meditations live, sign up here. Visit jewishspirituality.org to learn more about the Institute for Jewish Spirituality.
Rest to Return, 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 begin by gathering around a single question: What do we need in order to sustain our sacred purpose? I received Kohenet smicha from The Kohenet Hebrew Priestess Institute in July 2017. The chorus of voices affirming that I am a Kohenet was recorded during the ceremony. The Torah reference about ceasing from work comes from Breishit 2:2. My understanding of Jewish people as “people of the book, body, and earth” has been informed by a number of sources and teachers; notable among them is Rav Kohenet Taya Mâ. Though I have come to understand that many somatic therapists and practitioners have written about the way that trauma can cause people to dissociate from their bodies, I learned it from a variety of sources and forums, none of which credited a source. The Kabbalistic concept of the Four Worlds is outlined in greater depth here. Octavia Raheem is an embodied practitioner and author who you can learn more about here. Asher Yatzar by Dan Nichols Helen Marie is a psychotherapist who you can learn more about here. The story of Reb Zusha is paraphrased from Martin Buber's Tales of the Hasidim. I learned the concept of makom kavuah (our fixed place) from Rabbi David Jaffe, Founder of Kirva, during a session about the Mussar concept of anavah (being right-sized). 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 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.
Im 18. Jahrhundert erschütterte eine radikale Bewegung die jüdische Welt Osteuropas: der Frankismus. Angeführt von Jakob Frank, einem selbsternannten Messias, vermischte die Sekte Kabbala, christliche Mystik und bewusste Übertretung religiöser Gesetze zu einer explosiven Ideologie. Massenkonversionen zum Katholizismus, geheime Rituale und politische Intrigen folgten. Wir erzählen die Geschichte einer Bewegung, die zwischen den Welten operierte und bis heute Rätsel aufgibt.#kabbala #geschichte #allezeitderwelt #frankismus #geschichtspodcast❤️ Patreon: patreon.com/allezeitderweltOder Youtube-Kanalmitglied werden und exklusive Vorteile erhalten: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8d09rKkWS5MkIdAuzUpkmA/joinKapitel0:00 Intro: Jakob Frank und der Bote aus Warschau1:49 Willkommen zu Kabbala Folge 47:02 Sabbatianer, Pogrome und messianische Spannung8:07 Jacob Franks Herkunft und frühe Jahre27:08 Die Ritualmordbeschuldigung31:23 Massentaufe und Konversion zum Katholizismus36:01 Frank im Kloster Jasna Gora40:21 Franks Lehre wird aufgeschrieben52:16 Eva Frank und die Schwarze Madonna55:35 Entlassung und Neuanfang in Offenbach1:01:03 Tod Franks und das Erbe der Bewegung1:05:12 Frank als politischer Stratege1:08:17 Frankismus und die jüdische Moderne1:10:19 Abschlussgespräch und Ausblick1:13:45 Frankismus in modernen Verschwörungstheorien1:16:15 OutroQUELLENVERZEICHNISGarb, Jonathan: A History of Kabbalah: From the Early Modern Period to the Present Day. Cambridge University Press, 2020. [Hauptquelle für theologische und historische Einordnung]Doktór, Jan: „Frankism: The History of Jacob Frank or of the Frankists.“ In: A History of Kabbalah, hg. v. Jonathan Garb, Cambridge UP, 2020. [Hauptquelle für historiografische Revision]Maciejko, Paweł: The Mixed Multitude: Jacob Frank and the Frankist Movement 1755–1816. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2011. [Standardmonografie]Maciejko, Paweł: Sabbatian Heresy: Writings on Mysticism, Messianism and the Origins of European Modernity. Brandeis University Press, 2017.Scholem, Gershom: The Messianic Idea in Judaism and Other Essays on Jewish Spirituality. Schocken, 1971.Elior, Rachel: Jacob Frank's Book of the Words of the Lord: Mystical Automythography, Religious Nihilism and the Messianic Vision of Freedom. Peeters, Leuven 2019.Levine, Hillel: „Frankism as Worldly Messianism.“ In: Gershom Scholem's “Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism”, 50 Years After. Hg. v. Joseph Dan u. Peter Schäfer. Tübingen: Mohr, 1993, S. 283–300.
The meditation featured in this episode originally took place during the IJS Daily Online Meditation Sit on May 27th, 2026. To join these FREE daily meditations live, sign up here. Visit jewishspirituality.org to learn more about the Institute for Jewish Spirituality.
The meditation featured in this episode originally took place during the IJS Daily Online Meditation Sit on May 5th, 2026. To join these FREE daily meditations live, sign up here. Visit jewishspirituality.org to learn more about the Institute for Jewish Spirituality.
The meditation featured in this episode originally took place during the IJS Daily Online Meditation Sit on April 17, 2026. To join these FREE daily meditations live, sign up here. Visit jewishspirituality.org to learn more about the Institute for Jewish Spirituality.
The meditation featured in this episode originally took place during the IJS Daily Online Meditation Sit on March 25, 2026. To join these FREE daily meditations live, sign up here. Visit jewishspirituality.org to learn more about the Institute for Jewish Spirituality.
The meditation featured in this episode originally took place during the IJS Daily Online Meditation Sit on March 12, 2026. To join these FREE daily meditations live, sign up here. Visit jewishspirituality.org to learn more about the Institute for Jewish Spirituality.
My bi-weekly shmooze to the yungeleit in the Orlando Kollel
The meditation featured in this episode originally took place during the IJS Daily Online Meditation Sit on January 26, 2026. To join these FREE daily meditations live, sign up here. Visit jewishspirituality.org to learn more about the Institute for Jewish Spirituality.
The meditation featured in this episode originally took place during the IJS Daily Online Meditation Sit on January 6, 2026. To join these FREE daily meditations live, sign up here. Visit jewishspirituality.org to learn more about the Institute for Jewish Spirituality.
The meditation featured in this episode originally took place during the IJS Daily Online Meditation Sit on December 23, 2025. To join these FREE daily meditations live, sign up here. Visit jewishspirituality.org to learn more about the Institute for Jewish Spirituality.
The meditation featured in this episode originally took place during the IJS Daily Online Meditation Sit on December 18, 2025. To join these FREE daily meditations live, sign up here. Visit jewishspirituality.org to learn more about the Institute for Jewish Spirituality.
The meditation featured in this episode originally took place during the IJS Daily Online Meditation Sit on December 08, 2025. To join these FREE daily meditations live, sign up here. Visit jewishspirituality.org to learn more about the Institute for Jewish Spirituality.
The meditation featured in this episode originally took place during the IJS Daily Online Meditation Sit on December 03, 2025. To join these FREE daily meditations live, sign up here. Visit jewishspirituality.org to learn more about the Institute for Jewish Spirituality.
The meditation featured in this episode originally took place during the IJS Daily Online Meditation Sit on November 24, 2025. To join these FREE daily meditations live, sign up here. Visit jewishspirituality.org to learn more about the Institute for Jewish Spirituality.
The meditation featured in this episode originally took place during the IJS Daily Online Meditation Sit on October 9, 2025. To join these FREE daily meditations live, sign up here. Visit jewishspirituality.org to learn more about the Institute for Jewish Spirituality.
The meditation featured in this episode originally took place during the IJS Daily Online Meditation Sit on September 29, 2025. To join these FREE daily meditations live, sign up here. Visit jewishspirituality.org to learn more about the Institute for Jewish Spirituality.
The meditation featured in this episode originally took place during the IJS Daily Online Meditation Sit on September 19, 2025. To join these FREE daily meditations live, sign up here. Visit jewishspirituality.org to learn more about the Institute for Jewish Spirituality.
The meditation featured in this episode originally took place during the IJS Daily Online Meditation Sit on September 15, 2025. To join these FREE daily meditations live, sign up here. Visit jewishspirituality.org to learn more about the Institute for Jewish Spirituality.
The meditation featured in this episode originally took place during the IJS Daily Online Meditation Sit on September 11th, 2025. To join these FREE daily meditations live, sign up here. Visit jewishspirituality.org to learn more about the Institute for Jewish Spirituality.
The meditation featured in this episode originally took place during the IJS Daily Online Meditation Sit on September 5th, 2025. To join these FREE daily meditations live, sign up here. Visit jewishspirituality.org to learn more about the Institute for Jewish Spirituality.
The meditation featured in this episode originally took place during the IJS Daily Online Meditation Sit on September 2, 2025. To join these FREE daily meditations live, sign up here. Visit jewishspirituality.org to learn more about the Institute for Jewish Spirituality.