Sokol Hebrew High School
Spiritualizing Judaism
Mark Stadler
Spring 5768


This class will move beyond the realm of prayer book and organized religion to seek a more personal sense of spirituality and connection with Judaism. We will utilize methods that are steeped in tradition, such as classic text study as well as alternate approaches to seeking G-d.

The class will begin with the ancient, mystical study of letters and words. The form, content, meaning and numerology associated with each letter of the aleph bet will be examined. Each student will research the meaning of his/her own name in English and in Hebrew, learn the aleph bet poses and do the gematria [numerology] for their Hebrew name.
We will then focus on the spiritual side of connections between the individual, the community and the world and the effect of both personal and communal actions that result in spiritual repair of the world. Finally we will explore various methods to enhance spirituality: breathing exercise, meditation, visualization, body movement, chants, music, song, dance and creative prayer.

Resources used in this class include the following books: Aleph Bet Yoga by Steven A. Rapp, Torah Yoga by Diane Bloomfield, The Book of Letters by Lawrence Kushner, The 72 Names of God by Yehudah Berg, Be Still and Get Going by Alan Lew, the Sim Shalom prayer book, and excerpts from Tanakh and Jewish philosophers. Music used in this class includes, but is not limited to, instrumental and vocal pieces by Shlomo Carlebach, Ofra Haza, Itzhak Perlman, Debbie Friedman, David Broza, Nini Achinoam, and various cantillation pieces.

Students need to be open to the physicality of this class such as the breathing exercises, yoga poses, chants, niggunim and dance steps. Regular student attendance and active participation are important for creating meaningful connections to the various aspects of spirituality that we will be exploring. By the end of the term, I expect that students will achieve an expanded notion of Judaism.

Within everyday activities we will discover hidden sparks of the sacred. To learn more about our studies from your children ask them to share examples of the gematria or to demonstrate breathing exercises and aleph bet yoga postures learned in class.