February, 2010:

REGISTRATION IS OPEN!

May 7th – May 9th, 2010

REGISTER BY APRIL 16TH AND PAY ONLY $131

Email, zvilove@gmail.com TODAY.

Have you ever wondered how you can bring more relaxation, joy, and personal fulfillment into your life? Without having to be Zen, Buddhist, or a Yogi! Meditation and awareness practices are for Jews too and can support an authentic Jewish practice. Zvi  will be facilitating a full Shabbat experience at Pearlstone Retreat Center near Baltimore, MD. You will learn valuable practices for your well-being and spiritual toolbox that will allow you to decrease stress, enhance body-heart-mind flexibility, and live more authentically.   There will be instruction in Jewish inspired meditation and Yoga, contemplative prayer services and delicious Kosher Shabbat meals, individual psycho-spiritual counseling and exploration of other research- informed awareness practices. The weekend will be held in social silence to allow retreatents to enter into a deep inner space of personal awareness. (If you just thought, “I could never do that,” then this Shabbat is especially for you.)

Is this for me?: This retreat program is geared towards Jewish and Jewish-interested people from 20 – 40 years old. It is for graduate students, Hill staffers, coffee house bloggers, social justice activists and free floaters, etc …

About the Tefilah Services (Prayer): The prayer services at this retreat will follow the elemental flow of traditional services, though the liturgy will not be fully traditional nor completely read. Each service will be crafted to add to the experience of the weekend — a deepening inward for greater personal awareness. Thus,the services will include ample silence, chanting, verbal kavvanot (intentions), and verse contemplation. It will be intended that an individual can pray the full liturgy to themselves as they sit in the room with the whole minyan. The Torah service will follow the Renewal style of 3 Aliyot where whoever would like can come up for a group blessing. If you have specific questions about the services please email: zvilove@gmail.com .

Program Cost: The entire weekend costs $231 per participant. This includes 2-nights lodging in dormitory style type rooms, 5 delicious kosher meals, a complete weekend workshop series including meditation, contemplative services, and Yoga instruction, and an individual psycho-spiritual session with Dr. Zvi Bellin.

Registration Information and Location: Please email zvilove@gmail.com to receive your registration form. The retreat will be held just outside of Baltimore, MD at the Pearlstone Retreat Center (www.pearlstonecenter.org) 5425 Mount Gilead Rd, Reisterstown, MD 21136-4110.

(410) 429-4400

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE:

FRIDAY, MAY 7^TH

Arrival and Check In (Snacks available) – 3 – 4:30pm

Meditation Instruction – 4:30 – 5:30pm

Prepare for Shabbat – 5:30 – 6:30pm (Individual Sessions)

Candle lighting and the Logistics of Silence – 6:30 – 7pm

Kabbalat Shabbat and Ma’ariv – 7 – 8pm

Shabbat Dinner – 8 – 9:15pm

Stories, Chanting, and D’var Torah – 9:30pm – 10:30pm (Lailah Tov)

SATURDAY, MAY 8^TH

Early Morning Sit – 7 – 8am

Gentle Yoga – 8 – 9am

MediTEAtion (Light breakfast served) – 9 – 9:30am (Individual Sessions)

Contemplative Shacharit and Torah Service – 9:30 – 12pm

Shabbat Lunch – 12 – 1pm

Afternoon Practice – 1 – 4pm (Sitting Meditation, Movement Meditation, Q and A period)

Shabbas Shluff (Snacks available) – 4 – 5:30pm (Individual Sessions)

Shabbat Mincha Practice – 5:30 – 6pm

Third Meal/Dinner – 6 – 7pm

Evening Pracitce – 7 – 9pm (Sitting Meditation, Dynamic Breath Meditation)

Ma’ariv and Havdalah – 9 – 9:30pm

Night Program – 9:30pm (Yoga practice and Special Topic Talk: Cultivating Personal Meaning in Jewish Living)

SUNDAY, MAY 9^TH

Early Morning Sit – 6 – 7am

Flow Yoga – 7 – 8:15am

Breakfast – 8:15 – 9am (Individual Sessions)

Contemplative Shacharit – 9 – 10:30am

Transitioning back to the “Real World” – 10:30 – 11am

SAFE TRAVELS AND MANY BLESSINGS!

FACILITATOR BIO:

Dr. Zvi Bellin holds a Ph.D. in Pastoral Counseling and is a licensed therapist in Maryland and DC. Zvi directs intimate retreats for the  Jewish community that are both spiritually uplifting and intellectually stimulating.  His teaching style follows the tradition of blending Torah study with contemplative Jewish practice. Zvi has studied extensively with teachers spanning various Jewish denominations, including, Rabbi David Zeller, Miriam Ribner, Rabbi Zvi Miller, and Rabbi Jeff Roth.

Please contact zvilove@gmail.com with any questions or concerns.

This program is gratefully being endorsed by The Awakened Heart Project, Nehirim: GLBT Jewish Culture and Spirituality, and the Moishe House.

Spring/Summer 2010 Semester

Engage in an intimate community experience that fosters personal growth on your life path. Encounter sacred Hebrew texts with depth and reflection to learn about yourself, your world, and your relationship with the Divine. The tele-midrash will meet via conference call twice a month to review and discuss a pre-determined text. In addition to the full community call, participants will be paired into spirit buddies to learn together via specified guiding questions that relate to the texts. Participants will also be offered a one-on-one session with the tele-midrash facilitator to help tailor the program to their individual needs.

Who can register?

This study group is open to GLBTQ people who are interested in Judaism as a spiritual path. This group is limited to only 10 participants.

How to register?

Interested participants should contact zvilove@gmail.com in order to receive a short registration form. Registration forms are due on FEBRUARY 21, 2010.

Program Costs

The complete tele-midrash program cost is based on a sliding scale fee between $150 – $250 per participant. This cost includes participation in 10 tele-midrash community calls over a 5-month period and a 1-hour private phone session with the tele-midrash facilitator. Additional individual sessions can be scheduled at a rate of $50 per hour.

Program Dates (subject to change)

Calls will be held bimonthly on Wednesdays from 8 – 9:30pm beginning on March 10^th. Subsequent dates are: 3/24, 4/7, 4/21, 5/5, 5/26, 6/9, 6/23, 7/7, and 7/14. Please ensure availability prior to registration.

Tele-Midrash Facilitator Bio

Dr. Zvi Bellin holds a Ph.D. in Pastoral Counseling and is a licensed therapist in Maryland and DC. Through his work with Nehirim: GLBT Jewish Culture and Spirituality, Zvi has directed intimate retreats for the GLBTQ Jewish community that are both spiritually uplifting and intellectually stimulating.  His teaching style follows the tradition of blending Torah study with contemplative Jewish practice. Zvi has studied extensively with teachers spanning various Jewish denominations, including, Rabbi David Zeller, Miriam Ribner, Rabbi Zvi Miller, and Rabbi Jeff Roth.

Personal Endorsement

“Dr. Zvi Bellin teaches an inspiring Torah that is a unique blend of traditional text study, contemplative practice, and humanistic psychology.  He is a caring, engaging, down-to-earth teacher who brings light and life to Jewish hearts and souls.” – Rabbi Jacob Staub, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College