Directory

01/12/2009

The Elat Chayyim Center for Jewish Spirituality

This class is an opportunity for rabbis, chaplains, psychotherapists, educators and others whose guidance is sought to glimpse this discipline and develop professional skills. Program facilitators and participants examine the insights of Judaism and other traditions into spiritual guidance and explore the relationship between psychology and spirituality, contemplation and social conscience. Spiritual Direction offers a unique opportunity to explore our relationship with the Holy, the mystery we call God. Spiritual directors companion others as they reflect on their spiritual journeys and expand their awareness of the sacred dimensions that underlie the ordinary and the extraordinary events of life. Through reflection, practice and response, directors support people to cultivate their inner lives and deepen their connection with others, with creation and with the Source of Life. What is a Jewish Spiritual Director? A Jewish Spiritual Director recognizes the spiritual hunger of contemporary Jews. Throughout Jewish history, mentors such as the mashpia, chaver or mashgiach, provided spiritual guidance for their settings and eras. Drawing on our heritage to create a contemporary model of spiritual companionship, a Jewish Spiritual Director helps people to connect experiences of the holy to Jewish vocabulary and tradition, explore Jewish pathways that sustain the inner life, panimiyut, and inspire participation in kehillah, spiritual community.