Falling Apart with an Open Heart:
Pain, Loss and the Healing Wisdom of Tisha b’Av
A 3-Part Virtual Series & Mini-Retreat for Tisha b'Av
With Zac Newman
Starting July 6, 2026 // On Zoom
Sessions on Mondays, July 6, 13 & 20, 2026
At 9:00-10:30am Pacific // 12:00-1:30pm Eastern // 5:00-6:30pm UK // 7:00-8:30pm Israel
A Live Mini-Retreat on Tisha B'Av - Thursday, July 23, 2026
At 7-11am PT // 10am-2pm ET // 3-7pm UK // 5-9pm Israel
On Zoom
*Sessions will be recorded for those who cannot make the live sessions
What is the blessing of falling apart?
Why does our tradition give it so much time and prominence at this point in our annual cycle, and throughout the year too?
Join us to explore the healing opportunities that lie within the period of Tisha B'Av.
Falling apart is an unavoidable part of life. In everyday ways and in monumental ways we are hit with shock, breakdown, pain and loss. These are often overwhelming and sometimes incredibly challenging. The body and mind are disrupted profoundly. Our rhythms and visions get broken.
Oftentimes, unconsciously or consciously we recoil or withdraw from anything that looks like this. We fear that if we allow ourselves to fall apart there will be no coming back. We think that if we go there, all is truly lost, and so we must withdraw, resist, deny, distract, busy ourselves or pretend.
When it is not obstructed, compassion emerges as a natural response to the intrinsic uncertainty, difficulty and discontinuity of human life. Compassion feels and honors the reality of pain. And after repeated acknowledgement and care there comes the steadiness and space for finding what’s soulful in falling apart. We can begin to open to the wisdom of our calendar which every year brings us into the Bein HaMetzarim, the 3 weeks of mourning leading up to Tisha b’Av, our day of greatest collective sadness. We are supported to remember our pain and move into a structured process of loss.
Perhaps at times you have some intuition of the relief of falling apart, the freedom of it, a kind of call to fall, release or give up. It can be enormously healing and life-giving to learn that we needn’t fight these natural rhythms, that there are ways of falling apart which we can learn and come to trust, so that we can find peace even in the falling, even before we land anywhere.
In this way, we learn to meet pain and loss with a faithful and open heart.
In this course, through teaching, text study, discussion and a range of specifically developed guided meditations, you will learn concrete skills and practices for:
Accessing steadiness and stability when things fall apart
Allowing your emotions to flow and connect rather than freeze or whirr
Holding and honouring the great diversity of the heartscape, from anger, fear, grief and sadness to rapture, healing, playfulness and love
Finding and resting in a space of boundless freedom, and bringing its blessing back home
We will then gather on Tisha b’Av itself for a virtual mini-retreat, weaving together our shared learning and being together in the sadness.
Who is this for?
This series is open to all, from beginner to advanced meditators, and welcomes all kinds of relationships with Jewish spirituality and life - whether you’re curious, deeply aligned, or intensely grappling. The series is designed to provide a welcoming space to connect with others on a shared path of exploration and growth, and will offer encouragement and support for your meditative journey within a Jewish spiritual framework.
What to expect and how you’ll be supported
Sessions will be 90 minutes each. Recordings will also be sent out weekly to allow for self-paced learning and participation. In addition to the weekly sessions, participants will also have the option to join a WhatsApp group to receive ongoing support in our practice together in between sessions.
Meet Your Teacher
Zac Newman
Zac has been practicing mindfulness since 2008 and teaching practice since 2013. He trained to teach mindfulness through the Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice at Bangor University.
Zac's responsibilities at Or HaLev include teaching, supervising our curriculum, mentoring other teachers and directing our English online program.
Prior to his role at Or HaLev, he was the Community Director of HaMakom, the UK-based Jewish meditation organisation.
Zac is a long-standing student of religious studies and psychotherapy. He is a rabbinical student in the ALEPH Ordination Program, and he is continually interested in how we can realize the wisdom of our tradition and the goodness of our lives.
“I found Zac to be a wonderful teacher and loved how he was able to respond to each person with so much presence and thoughtfulness. The texts that he brought into class really supported the teachings. I enjoyed how each class built upon one another, but could also stand alone.” - Rivka
Choose your rate
At Or HaLev, we believe in the spirit of generosity as an essential part of practice. We also acknowledge that financial abilities differ for everyone and we strive to make this class accessible to those who wish to participate, regardless of ability to pay.
Please consider paying at the highest rate that you are able to. Your generosity will help in supporting Or HaLev's activities and in growing our community.
Supporter
Enables a scholarship for those who cannot afford the course.
Standard
Covers the actual cost
of the course.
Scholarship
A subsidized rate
of the course.
We want to make this series accessible to anyone who wishes to join it. If the scholarship rate is financially unfeasible for you, please write to zacn@orhalev.org, with a brief explanation of why you’d like to join us and your financial needs, and we will do our best to make the series accessible to you.
Mini-retreat Schedule*:
*This schedule may evolve as the course unfolds
We Are Here
Any questions? Please email Or HaLev Program Director, Zac Newman, at zacn@orhalev.org
