Preparing Our Hearts
for Yom Kippur
A Virtual Silent Meditation Retreat by Or HaLev & HaMakom
With Rav James, Rabbi Dorothy Richman & Shira bramowitz
Wednesday, September 16 - Thursday, September 17, 2026
Is your heart ready for the big reset of Yom Kippur?
"Open for me the Gates."
- Psalm 118
During Yom Kippur, the gates of Tzedek and Teshuvah (righteousness and return) are open. In order to enter them and receive the full spiritual benefits of these powerful threshold moments, we - our tender and courageous hearts - need to be open too.
Join Or HaLev & HaMakom for this two day, virtual silent meditation retreat to prepare your heart for Yom Kippur and return to your true nature as loving connection.
The Days of Awe are a potent wellspring of ancestral and emergent renewal. When we engage with this time consciously, the possibilities are endless. Amidst the storm of uncertainty and fear that continues around us, this retreat will offer you tools, space, and guidance for allowing this sacred period in the Jewish calendar to reveal what has been covered over: the ease, peace, clarity and love which are sometimes forgotten but always nearby.
During this retreat, you will engage in concrete practices of:
Finding safety, centeredness, gentleness and ease
Deep forgiveness
Loving soul-searching and transformation of harmful patterns
Returning to your true self
Cultivating abiding and liberating joy
“I discovered that I could open my heart even more on Yom Kippur, be vulnerable and yet steadfast and grounded.”
- Adele
This retreat will include
Silence
Using the vehicle of silence and mindfulness, we will pause to reflect, rebalance and access our deep wisdom.
Guided Meditation
Daily instruction in meditation guides both beginners & advanced practitioners into the sacred space of the retreat process. There will be designated instructions for more experienced practitioners.
Teachings
Daily teachings related to Yom Kippur, times for Q&A, small groups with the teachers.
Chanting and prayer
The retreat includes daily periods of chanting and prayer.
Join this retreat in multiple ways
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Full Experience
Come for the full experience, joining us for an immersion into silence and deep seamless practice.
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Dropping In
Weave the different aspects of retreat into your life, dropping into silence, teachings, and shared practice and then returning to your engagement with other aspects of your life as appropriate.
Meet Your Teachers
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Rabbi Dr. James Jacobson-Maisels
Rav James leads and directs the vision of Or HaLev. Ordained by Rav Daniel Landes, with a doctorate in Jewish Studies from the University of Chicago, he has been studying and teaching meditation and Jewish spirituality for over twenty five years. He was the founding Rosh Yeshiva of Romemu Yeshiva and has taught and innovated programs in Jewish thought, mysticism, spiritual practices and meditation at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, Haifa University, Institute for Jewish Spirituality, Yeshivat Hadar and in a variety of settings around the world. In 2023 he embarked on "Yesod" - an in-depth Jewish Mindfulness teacher training program in partnership with the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. This program introduces participants to a systematic approach to Jewish mindfulness and produces a new generation of Jewish meditation teachers. He strives to integrate his study with his practice, and to help teach and live Judaism as a spiritual discipline.
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Rabbi Dorothy Richman
Dorothy serves as Rabbi of Makor Or: Jewish Meditation and Rabbi Emerita of Congregation Beth Sholom in San Francisco. In addition to her work with Or HaLev, Dorothy teaches on the faculty of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality’s Clergy Leadership Program. She is a soulful leader of traditional and creative ritual, and released an album of original music called Something of Mine, available on Bandcamp.
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Shira Abramowitz
Shira teaches on Or HaLev retreats and stewards Or HaLev's Brooklyn Hub, a local community for Jewish mindfulness and meditation. Having completed teacher training programs with Or HaLev and the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, her work focuses on collective learning and how groups connect. Shira holds a master's degree from Harvard in Mind, Brain, and Education, and applies social neuroscience to design programs that deepen our capacity for compassion and complexity.
Participants Say…
“I felt supported. I felt everyone's presence even though I couldn't join the whole time. I never thought this was possible through a computer to be honest.”
- Andrew L.
“The opportunity to practice in our own spaces, encountering our daily trials and tribulations, was incredibly powerful."
- Lori S.
“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.
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. We strive to make this retreat 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 enables this retreat to happen and helps support Or Halev's activities and grow our community.
Retreat prices reflect the direct operating costs of running this retreat. They do not include any compensation for our teachers. At the end of the retreat, you will be invited to donate, to make an offering of the heart, to support the teachers.
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 on retreat and your financial needs, and we will do our best to make the retreat accessible to you. Financial aid is limited.
Supporter
Enables a scholarship for those who cannot afford the retreat.
Standard
Covers the actual cost
of the retreat.
Scholarship Rate
A subsidized rate
of the retreat.
Sample Schedule*
*This two day retreat is being offered on Zoom from September 16th-17th. The teachers will be in California and Israel, so we are creating the schedule to be fully accessible to participants in time zones across the world.
The final schedule will be shared with everyone registered as the retreat approaches. It may differ slightly from this sample, but not substantially.
Our goal is to make retreat a safe and supportive environment for all who attend.
Please click here to find out more.
If you would like to discuss your mental health with us, or have concerns about whether this retreat is appropriate for you, please email us at zacn@orhalev.org and we will put you in touch with the lead teacher of the retreat to discuss your concerns.
We Are Here
Any questions? Please email Zac Newman, at zacn@orhalev.org
