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Welcome to AJS
We're excited to share a new opportunity to connect with our faculty:
When you register for a course that has already taken place, you are now entitled to a free one-on-one meeting with the course teacher.
Our current courses are listed below.
To try any of our courses for free, or to stay updated on our online courses and events, please enter your email:
CURRENT COURSES
This is the second instalment in a course that empowers us to engage experientially with foundational contemplative practices from the Jewish tradition, from text to practice.
The meditations studied and practiced in this course focus on how the body is considered as a vessel (a keli) not only for a life of holiness (kedusha) but also for spiritual experiences.
The aim of learning various Jewish Meditation practices involving the body is threefold: first, to invite us to expand our understanding of what Jewish spirituality and meditation is; second, to relate to our bodies not as separate but as an integral part of our spiritual lives; and third, to be able to integrate these practices into our daily lives.
R' Abraham Isaac HaKohen Kook, sometimes referred to as the Rav, was the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of pre-state Israel. He is revered as a scholar, thinker, legal authority, kabbalist, poet, and a modern day prophet.
He writes, "On the holy night of the festival, we are full of redemption, full of a higher freedom. Our freedom liberates our spirit...Our redemption is universal - the redemption of all worlds."
In this online course with Yiscah Smith, we will explore, through Rav Kook’s commentaries on the Passover Haggadah, the spiritual practice of cultivating mindfulness to our innermost selves, which will then birth the consciousness of remaining faithful to that sense of deeper being.
The teachings of R' Kalonymous Kalman Shapira (1889-1943), also known as the Piaseczna Rebbe, and the Aish Kodesh (Holy Fire), have brought much needed soul nourishment to Jews around the world for decades, and are currently becoming increasingly popular.
As we encounter heightened uncertainty and insecurity, his voice resonates ever more deeply with us.
In his work Aish Kodesh, the Piaseczna addresses the situation of his fellow Jews with humility, authenticity and faith. Unafraid to encounter human suffering in all of its rawness, the Rebbe offers profound teachings and meditations on spiritually moving through times of profound despair and uncertainty. His teachings hold enduring relevance for us today.
TESTIMONIALS
"The courses offered through Applied Jewish Spirituality not only provide a window into the vast world of Chasidic and mystical teachings, but translate the esoteric into practices that can be integrated into ones daily spiritual life. The source sheets for every class are a remarkable resource full of deep and powerful Torah to make the teachings accessible to learners of all backgrounds."
- Rabbi Adam Gindea
"In so many ways the AJS course I followed redefined 'learning' for me. This is because of the unique way our course leader synthesised rigorous scholarship with practical spiritual practice. Through his personal skills he also created a sense of a community amongst us all - no mean feat for online learning! I ended the course feeling transformed and inspired." - Jyll Bradley
"Not only does AJS provide access to an incredibly vast and rich well of Jewish material, but the faculty are really all masters at distilling and effectively transmitting information that ordinarily would remain hidden and inaccessible to curious beginning students. That said, faculty at AJS enthusiastically welcome and cater to the beginners mind who might otherwise feel too intimidated, or perhaps a bit too shy wandering into a traditional beit midrash of learned scholars and other big-time ball players. One really does get the sense that there is a larger learning taking place that the course as a single entity - material, teachers, and students all - participates in. And the importance of this really can’t be understated because its the facilitation of that mutual transmission of mind, body, and spirit that underlies and upholds the integrity of the great worldly wisdom traditions. I don’t know if I would have a Jewish practice if it weren’t for AJS."
- Gabe Gould
GET IN TOUCH
Appreciation for use of images:
Aleph and Hebrew Calligraphy by Michel d'Anastasio
Tree of Life image by David Friedman from Kosmic Kabbalah
Tanya (Alter Rebbe) and Rav Kook images by Sheva Chaya from Safed Glass
Ram and calendar images by Federico Parolo from Deuteronomy Press
Prayer photo (Shemoneh Esrei) by Mazhar Zandsalimi
Hands photo from https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/people