Perhaps the author Paul Auster said it the most succinctly: “It occurred to me that the inner and the outer could not be separated except by doing great damage to the truth.”
One of the most radical intuitions that can emerge from contemplative spiritual practice is how profoundly everything is interconnected. There are so many ways we can talk about this experience. Jewish mystical texts discuss how waking up in the lower worlds causes waking up in the upper worlds. The sephirot map Divine qualities out there onto the human body right here. Nachman of Breslov piles metaphor upon metaphor (bechinot) in his teachings to show how seemingly unrelated things are surprisingly aspects of each other. Art Green and others help move vertical symbols into horizontal ones, encouraging us to connect the inside and the outside as one whole, all of which can be an abode for Divine light.
This is particularly important during times like ours. We are seeing clearly what we glimpse in our practice: namely, that the inner life is not actually separate from our outer lives. The conditions and conditioning of our hearts and minds shape our relationships and contribute to shaping our societies. And the opposite is also true. What happens on a national and international scale is not separate from us; we feel their influence in our relationships and in our souls. There is one thing happening on all the levels.
Wherever you are on the political spectrum, we might agree that these are remarkable times. We at the Institute would like to suggest that now more than ever is the time for the wisdom and insights born of spiritual practice.
To support you in your practice, we offer this page of resources–updated monthly. We hope you will find it helpful in cultivating a grounded and resilient inner life that helps you to wisely and lovingly in ways that are most aligned with your core values.
- R. Nachman of Breslov on Disagreement and Creation (Likkutei Mohoran, 64:4)
- Connecting Inner and Outer Worlds: Torah, Mindfulness, and Social Justice
(Webinar with Rabbi Rachel Goldenberg) - Shmirat HaLashon: Meditation on Mindful Speech (Rabbi Sheila Peltz Weinberg)
- Mindful Activism in Action (Essay by Rabbi Rachel Goldenberg)
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Mindful Tochacha (Webinar with Rabbi Amy Eilberg)
- The Origins of the Mournful Omer: Unchanneled Anger (Rabbi Lisa Goldstein)
- Parashat Matot-Masei: The Breath and Breadth of Anger (Text Study with Rabbi Pamela Wax)
- Warrior and Star Flow for Anger (Yoga Practice with Rabbi Myriam Klotz)
- Letting Anger Go: on Chesed/Lovingkindness (Meditation with Rabbi Sheila Peltz Weinberg)
- Mindful Moral Outrage (Webinar with Rabbi Josh Lesser)
- God’s Love is Our Refuge (Tallit Practice with Rabbi Nancy Flam)
- Chesed Meditation (Guided Meditation with Rabbi Jordan Bendat-Appell)
- Kindness/Chesed: Jewish Food for Thought (Educational Video by Hanan Harchol)
- Mishna Peah 1:1 (Study Text for Chesed prepared by Rabbi David Jaffe for the Tikkun Middot Project Curriculum)
- The Centrality of Love in the Pursuit of Social Justice (Webinar with Rabbi Sheila Peltz Weinberg)
- Truth as a Spiritual Practice (Webinar with Rabbi David Jaffe)
- Escaping Egypt and Cultivating Emet (Middot Practice with Rabbi Marc Margolius)
- Be Your Awakened Heart (a poem for recognizing your true self, by Rabbi Sheila Peltz Weinberg)
- Cedar and Reed: Different Types of Strength (Talmud Study with Rabbi Jordan Bendat-Appell)
- Cedar and Reed: Holding a Pose of Patience (20 minute guided meditation with Rabbi Jordan Bendat-Appell)
- Meditation on Savlanut: Patience and Forbearance (Embodied practice with Rabbi Sheila Peltz Weinberg)
- Savlanut Focus Chant (recorded by Cantor Richard Cohn)
- Kavvanot for Shabbat (Guided meditations for Candle Lighting and Sitting Practice on Shabbat by Rabbi Sheila Peltz Weinberg)
- Shabbat: a Shelter from the Storm (Text Study with Rabbi Jonathan Slater)
- Chants for Shabbat (composed by Rabbi Miriam Margles)
- Shabbat as a Mindfulness Practice (collection of texts for study, compiled by Rabbi Jordan Bendat-Appell)
- How We Make for Safety (Guidelines for Creating Safe Spaces in Groups and on Retreat, by the Institute for Jewish Spirituality)
- A Moment of Mindfulness is a Moment of Compassion — Either Way, a Blessing (Kavvanah and poem by Sheila Peltz Weinberg)
- Cultivating Resilience as Mindful Social Activism Practice (webinar with Rabbi Francine Green Roston)
- Waters of Repose: Restorative Yoga for Stressful Times (Guided Yoga Practice with Rabbi Myriam Klotz, download or stream)
- Birchot HaShachar in Movement (Embodied Practice for checking in and being with your body, by Rabbi Sheila Peltz Weinberg)
- The Spiritual Life Begins in Gratitude and Culminates in Compassion (text study by Rabbi Shai Held)
- Building Empathy: Questions for Guiding Study and Growth (Rabbi Nancy Flam)
- Disagreeing with Empathy and Compassion: Mindful Tochacha (webinar with Rabbi Amy Eilberg)
- Ahavah Rabbah (interpretive poem by Rabbi Sheila Peltz Weinberg)
- Communicating with Awareness (guided reflection by Tara Brach)
- Cultivating Equanimity (meditation on equanimity by Rabbi Nancy Flam)
- Equanimity Text Study: Psalm 16:8 (study by Rabbi Jonathan Slater)
- Guided Practice for Hishtavut (Yoga Practice with Rabbi Myriam Klotz, download or stream)
- Focus Phrases for Equanimity
- Focus Chant for Equanimity (composed and recorded by Cantor Richard Cohn, download or stream)
- Joy as Resistance (brief essay by Rabbi Lisa Goldstein)
- The Roots of Joy (text study based on Rabbi Nachman, written by Rabbi Lisa Goldstein)
- Meditation for Igniting Joy
- Four Worlds Practice (journaling prompts and awareness practice by Julie Emden)
- Blessings for Joyous Experiences (opportunities for daily prayer practice)
- The Courage to Be Resilient (guided meditation by Rabbi Jordan Bendat-Appell)
- To What are We Faithful? (text study with Rabbi Jonathan Slater)
- Cultivating Ometz lev / Heart-strength (tikkun middot practices by Rabbi Marc Margolius)
- Gevurah: Embodied Practice for Standing Strong (guided yoga flow with Rabbi Myriam Klotz)
- Guided Practice for Humility (15-minute audio meditation with Rabbi Jonathan Slater)
- Panim Yafot on Humility (text study by Rabbis Nancy Flam and Jonathan Slater)
- Cultivating Anavah/Humility (tikkun middot practices by Rabbi David Jaffe)
- Meditation for Balancing Kavod and Avodah (meditative poem by Rabbi Sheila Peltz Weinberg)
- Act Kindly, Demand Justice (brief essay by Rabbi Lisa Goldstein)
- “Equitable Justice”: Uniting Shekhinah and the Holy One (text study by Rabbi Jonathan Slater)
- Yes, I am Mindful of Their Pain: Compassionate Social Justice Work (guided meditation by Rabbi Sam Feinsmith)
- Mindfulness and Social Justice (brief essay by Josh Weisman, JMMTT alum)
- Transformation, One Observation at a Time (teaching on social justice work with guided questions for discussion and reflection by Amanda Silver, JMMTT alumna and IJS board member)
- Mindfulness & Middot Practices for Zerizut/Zeal (middot work by Rabbi Marc Margolius)
- Meditation on Alacrity (reading and text study by Rabbi Jonathan Slater)
- Focus Chant for Zerizut (chant by Cantor Richard Cohn)
- Niggun: A Practice for Zeal (practice by Rabbi Nancy Flam)
- Honoring Our Teachers (brief essay by Rabbi Lisa Goldstein)
- On Being: Podcast on Wisdom (podcast ft. Frances Kipping)
- Wiser (poem by Rabbi Nancy Flam)
- Wisdom on Wisdom (webinar with Dr. Linda Thal)
- Chochmah Meditation (guided meditation with Rabbi Jordan Bendat-Appell)
- Hitlamdut: Don’t Know (guided meditation with Rabbi Jordan Bendat-Appell)
- Hitlamdut: Integrated Study (text and reflection questions with Rabbis David Jaffe and Lisa Goldstein)
- Hitlamdut from a Mindfulness Perspective (brief essay by Rabbi Sheila Peltz Weinberg)
- Cultivating Non-Judgmental Awareness of the Truth of this Moment (meditative study by Rabbi Marc Margolius)
- Resting as Spiritual Practice (brief essay by Rabbi Lisa Goldstein)
- Embodied Practice for Menucha (guided practice with Rabbi Myriam Klotz)
- The Ba’al Shem Tov on Rest (text practice with Rabbi Jonathan Slater
- The Practice of Rest (guided meditation & text practice with Rabbi Jordan Bendat-Appell)
- Mindful Hashkiveinu (written practice with Rabbi Faith Joy Dantowitz)
- Closing the Distance (text study on kavannah/intention by Rabbi Marc Margolius)
- Who Do I Want to Be? (brief essay by Rabbi Lisa Goldstein)
- Psalm 27: an Interpretive Translation (with Rabbi Sheila Peltz Weinberg)
- Guided Practice for Intention (guided audio meditation with Rabbi Jordan Bendat-Appell)
- Getting Stuck in Jewish Spirituality (article by Rabbi Aryeh Ben David, courtesy of Ayekah: Center for Soulful Education)
- Rachel’s Legacy of Connection (tribute to Rabbi Rachel Cowan by Rabbi Lisa Goldstein)
- Tefillah (prayer) = Davenen = Connection! (text study by Rabbi Jonathan Slater
- Meditation on Connection (practice with Rabbi Sam Feinsmith)
- Connector of Heaven and Earth (text practice with discussion/reflection questions by Rabbi Nancy Flam, written in memory of Rabbi Rachel Cowan)
- Connected to Everything by Ahavah/Love (middot practice with Rabbi Marc Margolius)
- The Middah of Zerizut (middot practice with Rabbi Marc Margolius)
- The Threefold Path of Action (meditative essay with Rabbi Lisa Goldstein)
- Mindful Jewish Leadership (webinar with Or Mars, Vice President of the Wexner Foundation and alumnus of the Jewish Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training Program)
- Showing Up for Our Fellow Beings, and Ourselves (adapted text study and practice by Rabbi Rachel Goldenberg)
- Mindful Action: the Result of Our Practice (guided video teaching with Rabbi Jordan Bendat-Appell)
- Loved, Clear, Courageous (brief essay by Rabbi Lisa Goldstein)
- The God of What Is (text study by Rabbi Jonathan Slater)
- Embodied Practice for Gevurah (yoga practice with Rabbi Myriam Klotz)
- Azut D’Kedushah: Practicing Mindful “Holy Boldness” (middot practice with Rabbi Marc Margolius)
- Sitting at the Root of the Tree of Life (sitting practice by Rabbi Nancy Flam)
- Knowing Our Roots (meditative essay by Rabbi Marc Margolius)
- Rooting Ourselves in Spiritual Lineage (guided meditation with Rabbi Sam Feinsmith)
- What is Your Attitude? (meditative poem by Rabbi Sheila Peltz Weinberg)
- A New Tree Will Grow (text study with Rabbi Jonathan Slater)
- Where It All Begins (an exploration of IJS Values by Rabbi Lisa Goldstein)
- Rededicating Ourselves to Practice: 20 Years of IJS (kavannah and journaling practice by IJS staff)
- Humility, Honesty, Reserve (text study with Rabbi Nancy Flam)
- Rededication: Returning Again to What Is (guided meditation with Rabbi Jonathan Slater)
- A Simple Walk in the Woods (explorative essay by Barbara Stock)
- Our Spiritual Legs (embodied practice by Shelly Nelson-Shore)
- Two Pockets: Netzach & Hod (guided teaching and practice by Rabbi Sam Feinsmith)
- A Year of Learning (reflective meditation by Rabbi Lisa Goldstein)
- The Paradox of Netzach & Hod (teaching and guided meditation by Rabbi Jonathan Slater)
- More and Enough (text study by Rabbi Marc Margolius)
- I am Not My Thoughts: the Mind as an Inn (guided meditation by Rabbi Sam Feinsmith)
- Noticing Thoughts: Breaking the Habits of the Mind (text study by Shelly Nelson-Shore)
- Unruly Thoughts (brief teaching by Rabbi Lisa Goldstein)
- Big Mind, Big Sky: Non-Identification (teaching and guided meditation by Rabbi Nancy Flam)
