The Kavanah Council is thrilled to welcome Rabbi Lawrence Hoffman, Ph.D. as our visiting scholar for the 6th Annual Kavanah Retreat on January 19 and 20. Rabbi Hoffman is a ground-breaking scholar in Jewish Spirituality. For almost forty years, he has enriched others with his passion for the spiritual renewal of North American Judaism. He taught classes in liturgy, ritual, spirituality theology and synagogue leadership from 1973 to 2019 at HUC-JIR/New York and was Rabbi Pomerantz’ thesis advisor.
Rabbi Hoffman has written or edited over forty books and received two National Jewish Book Awards. The first was for My People’s Prayer Book (Jewish Lights Publishing), and the second was for co-authoring Sacred Strategies: Transforming Synagogues from Functional to Visionary
(Alban Institute). He has also written both popular and scholarly articles that have been published in eight languages and currently writes a blog entitled Life and a Little Liturgy. Read blog here.
He co-founded “Synagogue 2000,” a national trans-denomination project envisioning synagogues as a “moral and spiritual center” for the 21st Century. Through Synagogue 2000 and its successor Synagogue 3000 he sought to engage the next generation through a relational approach featuring strong communities centered around transformed synagogues.
Rabbi Hoffman is the latest in a line of distinguished guests who have joined us for this yearly event. Our past scholars have included Rabbis Amichai Lau-Lavie, Naomi Levy, Josh Feigelson and writer Sarah Hurwitz. The Retreat gives both Temple Beth Sholom members and the general public the opportunity to pray with and to learn from luminaries in the field of Jewish spirituality. Join us for this rare opportunity to learn from a master and be part of our unique and enriching TBS spiritual community.
Marte Singerman, leader
FRIDAY
6:00 pm
Shabbat Services: D’var Torah: Why Spirituality? And Why Now?
7:15 pm
Enhanced Pot Luck Shabbat – reservations required
8:00 pm
Coffee, dessert and conversation with Rabbi Hoffman: Authentic Jewish Spirituality – Even for Skeptics Who Think There Isn’t Any
SATURDAY
9:30 am
Torah Study: An Adult’s Approach to Community Prayer; Why We Do It; and What We Can Expect from It
10:30 am Minyan Service with Rabbi Hoffman: A Deep-Dive Into Adon Olam; If It’s Not Yet Your Favorite Prayer, Perhaps It Will Be.
12:00 pm Complimentary Lunch
1:00 pm Breathwork & Sound Healing with Cantor Juval Porat and Friends
2:15 pm God in Our Lives: A Conversational Dialogue
3:15 pm Soul Snack
3:30 pm The Spiritual Revolution and the Anxious Search for Meaning
4:30 pm Closing Ceremony