Dear friend,

The Institute for Jewish Spirituality is delighted to share the offerings below, to help you prepare for the upcoming holidays of Yom Kippur and Sukkot. We've included written, audio and visual kavanot by IJS faculty, reflections upon holiday themes and practices.


Blessings for a meaningful holiday season,
Michal Fox Smart
Chief Program Officer
Institute for Jewish Spirituality
Rabbi Sam Feinsmith invites us to Pause. Breathe. And unite with the spacious Source within and all around. You can continue using this meditation after Yom Kippur and adapt it to your preference and style.

Rabbi Marc Margolius leads a 30 minute guided meditation for Yom Kippur on the spiritual practice of surrender, releasing harsh judgments of self and others. This meditation is suitable for Kol Nidrei, or any aspect of Yom Kippur.

Rabbi Jonathan Slater offers a 30 minute meditation practice for the High Holy Days on confronting our mortality to live more fully. With each inhalation we are born again into life, and with each exhalation we experience a small death. Knowing that intimately opens the possibility of feeling our feelings more fully without being overwhelmed by them, and to meet all others with greater compassion and generosity.

Rabbi Myriam Klotz offers a brief video introduction to the symbolism of the Sukkah and to the holiday of Sukkot. Why do we stand in a deliberately fragile and temporary structure in order to experience a holiday of joy?

Through poetry, IJS Chief Program Officer, Michal Fox Smart, invites us to formulate a personal intention for the ritual practice of waving the lulav. In this difficult year, how can the rituals of Sukkot help us open to love and joy?
IJS is here for you during these unprecedented times. If you're able, a donation will help us continue to share resources like these with our community.
About the Institute for Jewish Spirituality
Since 1999, IJS has been a leader in teaching traditional and contemporary Jewish spiritual practices that cultivate mindfulness so that each of us might act with enriched wisdom, clarity, and compassion. These practices, grounded in Jewish values and thought, enable participants to develop important skills while strengthening leadership capacities, deepening their inner lives, and connecting more meaningfully with others, Judaism, and the sacred. As a non-profit organization, IJS is able to provide programming and resources to the community thanks to the generosity of our donors.