Virtual & In-Person Retreats

Or HaLev offers retreats throughout the year - from one day to seven days. No matter the length, retreat enables us to recenter, regain presence, and reclaim our true selves.

View Upcoming Retreats

Testimonials

“The ability to quiet my nervous system, to be a witness to silence, and to better see myself in relation to the Divine are such gifts. The retreat was spiritual in this profound way. I gained strength and perspective, clarity and vision for myself. I also loved the morning chanting, teachings, and yoga. These deeply connected the experience to my love of Judaism.”

- Naomi I

“The retreat was magnificent…I did some very hard work and emerged uplifted, inspired and with important insights about myself. I now have a greater commitment to frequent practice, exposure to new teachers and an easier outlook on life. I am very grateful for all of this.”

- Joseph T

“It's incredible how a retreat can be so accessible to meditation beginners from such a wide range of Jewish backgrounds AND continue to have such power in my life as someone who has attended six times, and continues to grow from this retreat year after year.”

- Rachel R

“I discovered on retreat that by simply paying attention to my body and the world within me, I can cultivate this great sense of inner joy and peace.”

- Aaron S

“What a relief - to be without having to do! There is this quiet, inner space that I had not been privy to before, and from which a more expansive me can observe thoughts as they arise and not become entangled in them. Then I’m able to notice emotions rising and falling away too. Sometimes, I can also notice where those emotions are felt in my body. It’s as if I’ve woken up inside my self, with love and compassion as my tools.”

- Devorah H

The Gift of Retreat

Or HaLev teacher Mira Neshama explains why going on retreat is so vital to ourselves, our practice, and those closest to us.

The Retreat Experience

Why go on retreat?

Retreat is a chance to step out of the business of daily life, with the constant technological distractions and stimuli, and enter into an inner space which grows increasingly quiet and still. Far from being selfish, going on retreat is a gift you give yourself, those close to you, and the entire world.

Retreat enables you to check in with yourself, and connect to the spacious loving awareness that is always available. The structure of retreat provides a depth of connection and awareness that is not possible in other contexts.

The mind is always producing thoughts and feelings. The goal of meditation is not to stop thinking, but rather to increase awareness, and to lessen the tendency to be pulled to and fro by thoughts and feelings like waves in the sea. Through practice we find a stability, vastness and stillness. You are not just the wave - you are the whole ocean.

The gratitude, compassion, belonging, vibrancy, joy and presence found on retreat is then taken back out into the world with you.

In short, retreats wake us up.

What is the power of a silent meditation retreat?

Excerpt from a moderated panel about the film Seven Days in Silence by Jonathan Perlman.
The film captures Perlman's personal journey on a 7-day Or HaLev Jewish silent meditation retreat.

What to expect?

Or HaLev offers a wide variety of retreats, ranging from half-day to week-long, online and in-person. Every retreat includes:

Sitting and walking meditations with guided instructions
Mindful eating practice
Chanting
Rich Jewish teachings.

Many of OHL’s retreats are timed with a particular holiday; enabling you to step more fully into the energy and wisdom of the Jewish calendar and all it has to offer. Our retreats are not only for seasoned meditators - they are for everyone. Our teachers are there to guide, lend support, and answer any questions that arise.

Testimonials from the documentary "My Seven Days in Silence" by Jonathan Perlman.