Shavuot – Preparing for Direct Revelation of Divine Presence

with Rabbi Jeff Roth, Ruth Jacobson, Rick Chess, Rebecca Schisler at Prama Institute near Asheville, NC

A Seven-Night Jewish Meditation Retreat

June 3rd to 11th, 2019

Join us for a seven-night Jewish meditation retreat near Asheville, NC. There are many benefits to an extended period of retreat practice, which makes this opportunity a unique one in the Jewish World. This year has the added benefit of preparing oneself for Divine revelation which is the theme of Shavuot. One way to understand the revelation at Sinai is that it is not particularly focused with content, but rather is a revelation of Divine Presence that is in each person and all of existence. Our practice will focus on the direct experience of Divine Presence. It is this direct experience that fosters a reordering of one’s life to prioritize cultivating wisdom, opening the heart of compassion, and acting with kindness towards all beings.

Participants will enhance their skills in a range of meditative techniques. These include concentration techniques, contemplative prayer chants, mindfulness meditation, the path of blessing, yoga, walking and eating meditation and practices that cultivate joy. The last two days will be a celebration of Shavuot, continuing at first in silence but finishing with all participants sharing the revelations of the week’s practice.

This retreat is designed to show experientially how a regular Jewish meditation practice can help cultivate awareness in all aspects of daily life. The program will present a model for using contemplative practice to reminds us of the possibility of bringing our awareness to a meeting of the Divine Presence in every moment.

Structure of the Retreat

The retreat is conducted in social silence which means refraining from conversation with other participants at all times. There will be group times for questions and answers. Rabbi Roth will provide instructions for all practices as well as present relevant didactic material. The silence of these retreats allows for a settling of the mind as well as an in depth look at ones experience of life in each moment. In meeting the present moment, the opportunity to meet the Divine Presence manifests.

Registration Information

Fees for the retreat cover room and board only. The teachings are offered freely. We will welcome donations to support the teacher and the administrative costs of this website and the Awakened Heart Project. We hope you will support this model of charging only the actual costs to participants, as this allows us to offer these retreats regardless of ability to pay the full cost.

Financial support is available through The Awakened Heart Project.
Contact Jeff@awakenedheartproject.org with requests for aid. For questions about registration or for additional information contact brian@awakenedheartproject.org.

Room and Board Costs

Costs for room and board for the six nights are:

Tent or Commuter — $590

Quad Occupancy — $790

Double Occupancy – Main Building — $990

~~Single Occupancy – Main Building — $1350~~ (Sold Out – Wait List Only)

Double Occupancy (private bath) – Wellness Center (a short mile from the main building) — $1090

~~Single Occupancy with private bath at the Wellness Center — $1490~~ (Sold Out – Wait List Only)

Doubles and singles are very limited!

To register, please click on the "Register Now" button above and make a partial payment. One half of the total is recommended amount to pay to reserve your spot in the retreat. The balance will be due later. Financial support is available through The Awakened Heart Project.

Faculty Biographies

Rabbi Jeff Roth is the founder and Director of The Awakened Heart Project for Contemplative Judaism. He was the co-founder of Elat Chayyim where he served as Executive Director and Spiritual Director for 13 years. He is the co-leader of the Jewish Mindfulness Teacher Training program and has facilitated of over 190 Jewish meditation retreats. He is the author of, Jewish Meditation Practices for Everyday Life and Me, Myself and God from Jewish lights Publishing.

Ruth Jacobson, Ph.D. is a psychotherapist, Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy practitioner, and yoga teacher in private practice. Her personal and professional focus has been on bringing loving presence to everyday life. In particular, Ruth work includes relating to the body as teacher, and learning to live with an open heart. She draws from a variety of spiritual and psychological sources, while finding her spiritual home in Judaism.

Rick Chess is the co-founder (with Ruth Jacobson) of the Asheville Jewish Meditation Group. He directs the Center for Jewish Studies at UNC Asheville. He is a professor of literature and creative writing at UNC Asheville. He writes regularly for “Good Letters,” the blog of Image: A Journal of Art, Faith, and Mystery. He has published three books of poetry, and his work has appeared in many places, including Best Spiritual Writing 2005. He was part of the first cohort of the Jewish Mindfulness Teacher Training Program, and he is now going JMTT a second time with the third cohort

Rebecca Schisler is a mindfulness instructor, Jewish educator and artist working at the intersections of creativity, spirituality and healing, and grounded in principles of somatic studies, depth psychology and years of meditation study and practice in the US abroad. She currently teaches mindfulness to youth in California public schools with Mindful Life Project and guides Jewish adolescents through nature based rites of passage with Wilderness Torah.