March 22, 2007

New Mexico's Congregation Has Soaring Heart

Albuquerque New Mexico's Congregation Nahalat Shalom presents Rabbi David Zaslow and Rabbi Shefa Gold in "Soaring Souls/New Mexico's Congregation A Weekend of Prayer and Song."

Albuquerque, New Mexico. From Friday evening, April 6th through Saturday evening, April 7th Congregation Nahalat Shalom in Albuquerque New Mexico will present Rabbi David Zaslow and Rabbi Shefa Gold in a weekend of prayer and song. The event will open on Friday evening, April 6th with a Kabbalat Shabbat service. On Saturday, April 7th there are 3 events: A Shabbat Service starting at 10AM, a study session at 2PM and at 7PM there will be Havdallah and a family concert with music, poetry and storytelling. All events are free and open to everyone and will take place at Congregation Nahalat Shalom, which is located at 3606 Rio Grande Blvd. NW in Albuquerque. The event is to preview and to give people a taste of the upcoming ALEPH Kallah which will take place in Albuquerque from July 2nd -8th http://www.aleph.org/kallah.html The Kallah is a biennial gathering, drawing Jews from around the world for a week of engaging classes, prayer, music and celebration. Rabbi David Zaslow was ordained by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi in 1995. He is currently the spiritual leader of Havurah Shir Hadash in Ashland, Oregon. He is the author of many books of poetry including his most recent collection "Thou Shalt Wander Forty Years." In addition, he is the editor of the prayerbook called "Ivdu et Hashem b'Simcha" which was adopted by Congregation Nahalat Shalom last year.

Rabbi Shefa Gold is a leader in Aleph: the Alliance for Jewish Renewal and received her ordination both from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and from Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi. She is the director of C-DEEP, The Center for Devotional, Energy and Ecstatic Practice in Jemez Springs, New Mexico. Shefa composes and performs spiritual music, has produced ten albums, and her liturgies have been published in several new prayerbooks. She teaches workshops and retreats on the theory and art of Chanting, Devotional Healing, Spiritual Community Building, Meditation, and trains Chant Leaders in Kol Zimra, a two year program for rabbis, cantors and lay leaders. She is also on the faculty of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. Shefa combines her grounding in Judaism with a background in Buddhist, Christian, Islamic, and Native American spiritual traditions to make her uniquely qualified as a spiritual bridge celebrating the shared path of devotion. She is the author of Torah Journeys: The Inner Path to the Promised Land, published by Ben Yehuda Press.

Here are brief descriptions of the events:

Friday Evening: "The Song of Songs: Exploring the Landscape of Love" -

"The whole Torah is Holy," says Rabbi Akiva, "but The Song of Songs is the Holy of Holies." Furthermore he said that "Had the Torah not been given, we could live our lives by the Song of Songs." What would it mean to place this erotic, sensual, sexually explicit and most beautiful poem at the center of our tradition? What would it mean to live our lives by the Song of Songs? These are the questions that Jewish mystics have wrestled with for thousands of years. In this Kabbalat Shabbat service, we will enter into the landscape of this Sacred Song through the practices of chant, meditation, and the contemplation of our path as Lovers.

Saturday Morning: "Davvenology: Soaring Within the Divine" - The word "davvenen" is a Yiddish word for prayer that derives from the word "divine." Davvenology is simply the "knowledge of prayer." Rabbi David will use the morning service to demonstrate a series of prayer techniques that can make our synagogue experiences more profound and meaningful. As the editor of the prayerbook used at Nahalat Shalom, Rabbi David will take us on a four-world journey through the stages of prayer that correspond to the body, heart, mind, and soul.

Afternoon - After lunch Rabbi Shefa and Rabbi David will lead a workshop together where they will share techniques for developing personal spiritual practices based on the prayerbook and kabbalah.

Saturday evening: "Jew-Bilation" - family concert and Havdallah. Rabbi Shefa and Rabbi David are known throughout the country for their joyous and inspiring concerts. The evening will be filled with songs, stories, teachings, and poetry.

Contact:
Rabbi Deborah Brin
Congregation Nahalat Shalom
3606 Rio Grande Blvd. NW
Albuquerque, NM 87107
(505)343-8227
rabbi@nahalatshalom.org
www.nahalatshalom.org
Posted by jmwc at March 22, 2007 11:32 PM