Kallah Links

Kallah 2023 Shabbat

Shabbat at Kallah is like no other. Starting with our pre-Shabbat preparation on Friday afternoon, connecting as a community in the round in a full-group Kabbalat Shabbat, davvening in new ways on Shabbat morning, experiencing a variety of workshops in the afternoon, celebrating with a get-up-and-dance concert, and culminating with HavdalahShabbat at Kallah is truly unforgettable.

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Shabbat Afternoon Workshops

We have a fantastic lineup of workshops on Shabbat afternoon. Each workshop is 2.5 hours, except where noted otherwise. You can only select ONE Shabbat afternoon workshop, but unlike weekday programming, you do not have to select your Shabbat afternoon workshop in advance.

Take a look at the lineup, get to know the leaders, and think about which workshop may be most well-suited to you!

PM601: Pirkei Imahot: Tune Into the Sayings of the Mothers

Caren Borowsky and Elissa Yaffe Cohen

Join Caren Borowsky and Elissa Yaffe Cohen for a deep dive into the wisdom of our Ancestral Mothers; a guided, intergenerational conversation bringing insight and blessing. Caren is Healer and Family Constellation facilitator, and Elissa is a Ba’alat HaLevushim, Mistress of the Garments.

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PM602: Seder of Love

Marilyn Bronstein

Come celebrate LOVE by attending the Seder of Love on Shabbat afternoon. It’s a mitzvah! Tu B’Av, the Jewish holiday of Love, is a sadly under-observed holiday. Transform your future T B’Av experiences by creating new rituals around this holiday. Loosely following Marilyn Bronstein’s Haggadah of Love, we will share in creative rituals, food, drink, and stories about love. All who wish to invite more love into their life (or express gratitude for what they have!) are invited to attend.

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PM603: A Taste of Hashpa’ah (90 min)

Reb Sarah Cohen

Hashpa’ah (Being in the Divine Flow or consciousness of God’s Presence) is the traditional term for the relationship with a Jewish spiritual director/companion or mashpia who offers guidance and support on matters of faith and practice, and on a personal relationship with the Divine or Source and Purpose of Life Itself. In this Shabbat afternoon workshop, we’ll gather together for a glimpse into group spiritual direction. We’ll process our week we just experienced, as well as prepare for transitioning from Kallah and back into our everyday lives.

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PM604: In Search of Wholeness: Loving Ourselves Even With Our Imperfections

Rabbi Ilan Glazer

What does it mean to love ourselves? The Torah teaches us to be whole-hearted with God, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Many of us are ashamed of our imperfections and spend much of our lives hating ourselves for them, and trying to either run away or drown them out with addictions and other distractions. If we are meant to be wholehearted with God and our fellow travelers, it would be helpful to know how to be wholehearted with ourselves. How do we do that?

This workshop is an invitation to swim in the sea of texts, rituals, music, and other Jewish wisdom around the idea of loving ourselves. Can we carry our brokenness in such a way that we don’t drown in it? Can we free ourselves from the wounds of our past and invite a new story into our lives? Can we find and welcome in the love we’ve been yearning for?

Together, we will understand some of the patterns which keep us stuck, and we’ll examine – and create – new Torah for self-love and acceptance. Healing our hearts is possible.

Disclaimers: All texts will be provided in Hebrew and English. No experience loving yourself needed to attend. Caution: Taking this workshop may result in increased inner peace.

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PM605: Swords Into Plowshares (90 min)

Rabbi Yitzhak Husbands-Hankin

Reach back in time to uplift the words and vision of the Prophet Isaiah, who spoke of a time when the world will achieve peace. We will reach forward with a vision of how to fulfill this ancient prophecy: in practical and achievable incremental steps of transformation of a global economy based on militarism—to a global economy based on collective peacebuilding.

This program is moving forward under the auspices of a UNESCO chair and will also be presented at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago this summer.

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PM606: Namutumba, Uganda: The Story of a Faithful Jewish Community Embracing Change and Holiness (90 min)

Rabbinic Pastor/Cantor Lisa Levine, Samantha Mandeles, and Laura Mandeles

Come and hear the stories, see the photos, and experience the joys and sorrows of the amazing and resilient Jewish community in Namutumba, Uganda from those who have seen and shared their journey. From famine, to disease, to hunger and COVID-19, as well as all of the great strides made to improve their lives—meet the leaders who are taking up the call to support this mission of holiness and dreams for the future.

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PM607: Myth, Magic, and Meaning: Experience the Shechinah Oracle

Rabbi Geela Rayzel Raphael

Shechinah—one of the names for the Divine Feminine in Jewish wisdom tradition—can be interpreted as one of the symbols of the G-dess. Rabbi Geela Rayzel Raphael has researched and carefuly crafted a deck of Shechinah Oracle Cards based on ancient teachings in the Bible, Talmud, Midrash, and Zohar—books that contain the basis for Jewish mysticism.

Used similarly to a Tarot deck of divination, the images on the cards are a tool to unlock the inner world of the psyche and make the wisdom of our ancestors available to us. Through story, song, and meditation, the legends of Shechinah—the Feminine Divine—will be revealed for your path. We will invite the angels of Shechinah to be with us as we open to the mysteries of Her guidance. Come and greet the Queen Shechinah Shabbat!

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PM608: A Mystical Reunion in Manitoba: Reb Zalman & Rev. Howard Thurman

Rabbi Or Rose

Join us as we travel back in time to March 1963! Rabbi Zalman Schachter (not yet Shalomi) invites his African American, Protestant, rebbe—Rev. Howard Thurman—to Winnipeg to speak to the local academic community. But what happens between these official gatherings is fascinating!

The two men—a most unlikely master-disciple duo—have a day of mystical adventures, including a visit to a local Trappist (Catholic) monastery for prayer and a private meeting with a senior monk. Thankfully, Rev. Thurman and Reb Zalman—both master storytellers—wrote down details of their Manitoba reunion (they first met at Boston University in 1955) in various published and unpublished documents.

As we read this modern mystical tale, we will reflect—through conversation, song, and silence—on the pioneering legacies of these boundary-crossing virtuosos, and how we can further their intersectional efforts in our own time and place.

Shabbat is a time for envisioning new realities. What might we see with the help of these blessed masters? Where will we take it next after havdalah?

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