RABBI SHEFA GOLD, INSPIRATIONAL SPEAKER, MUSICIAN AND LEADER IN JEWISH SPIRITUALITY
Rabbi Shefa Gold is a leader in Aleph: Alliance for Jewish Renewal and received her ordination both from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and from Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi. She is the director of C-DEEP: The Center for Devotional, Energy and Ecstatic Practice in Jemez Springs, New Mexico and around the world.
Shefa composes and performs spiritual music, has produced ten albums, and her liturgies have been published in several new prayer books. She teaches workshops and retreats on the theory and art of Chanting, Devotional Healing, Spiritual Community Building, Meditation, and trains Chant Leaders in Kol Zimra, a two year program for rabbis, cantors and lay leaders.
She is also on the faculty of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. Shefa combines her grounding in Judaism with a background in Buddhist, Christian, Islamic, and Native American spiritual traditions to make her uniquely qualified as a spiritual bridge celebrating the shared path of devotion. She is the author of "Torah Journeys: The Inner Path to the Promised Land" released in 2006 and "In The Fever of Love: An Illumination of the Song of Songs" released in 2008.
SHEFA GOLD, TRANSFORMATIONAL AUTHOR
THE MAGIC OF HEBREW CHANTING
Shefa Gold's latest book is The Magic of Hebrew Chant: Healing the Spirit, Transforming the Mind, Deepening Love (For People of All Faiths, All Backgrounds) Paperback
On one occasion, she recalls, "I was practicing chant with a group and a very old man was there. Tears were running down his cheeks. He told me that he remembered the Rebbe doing this in Europe before World War II. That's when I realized that Hebrew chant is not a new practice; I'm simply revitalizing it."
IN THE FEVER OF LOVE
Can we connect to God through love? Can we connect to love through God?
Those are the questions that underlie Rabbi Shefa Gold's book, In the Fever of Love: An Illumination of the Song of Songs.
Rabbi Gold is a leader of the Jewish Renewal movement and composer of six albums of Jewish liturgical music. Her new book is an intimate erotic elaboration of the Song of Songs in which she speaks directly and passionately to God, The Beloved.
TORAH JOURNEYS:: The Inner Path to the Promised Land by Rabbi Shefa Gold (Oct 30, 2006)
Rabbi Shefa Gold's new book, Torah Journeys, is a trip. It's not a trip through the scenic byways of northern New Mexico, or along Route 66. It is a journey along an ancient and venerable Jewish pathway of spiritual and personal discovery.
What makes it so special is that it takes the difficult and often obscure, and makes it accessible, and in so doing opens our hearts, and speaks to our yearning soul.
Our tradition teaches us that it is our responsibility to study Torah daily, and prescribes a portion of Torah for every week of the calendar year. For many contemporary Jews, observing that Mitzvah can be challenging, partly because some portions are dense and difficult to understand, and partly because many of us have limited Hebrew skills, or lack the scholarly skills needed to reach into these ancient texts and decode their meaning.
SHEFA GOLD, INSPIRATIONAL KOL ZIMRA SEMINAR LEADER
Shefa Gold leads Kol Zimra: Chant Leader's Professional Development. It is a Two-Year Training Program led by Rabbi Shefa Gold & Rachmiel O'Regan Assisted by: Judith Dack, Yaffa Schnitzer, Prahaladan Mandelkorn & Ariel Lippman
"This song is directly inspired by Isaiah, particularly the words of Haftorah Ekev. It is dedicated to the students of Kol Zimra ( my leadership training program) who are my daily inspiration." - Rabbi Shefa Gold
"At Kol Zimra, we build a Mishkan for spiritual work. The sacred phrase becomes the tool of that building project. By using that tool, we are gradually initiated into an intimate relationship with text. The sacred text becomes our modality for... healing, community-building, deep inner exploration, the doorway into meditative states, cultivating midot, connection with the ancestors, with God and with our deepest truth." - Shefa Gold
KOL ZIMRA FACULTY INCLUDE
Rabbi Shefa Gold is a leader in ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal and received her ordination both from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and from Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi. She is the director of C-DEEP: The Center for Devotional, Energy and Ecstatic Practice in Jemez Springs, New Mexico and around the world. Shefa composes and performs spiritual music, has produced ten albums, and her liturgies have been published in several new prayerbooks. She teaches workshops and retreats on the theory and art of Chanting, Devotional Healing, Spiritual Community Building, Meditation, and trains Chant Leaders in Kol Zimra, a two year program for rabbis, cantors and lay leaders. She is also on the faculty of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. Shefa combines her grounding in Judaism with a background in Buddhist, Christian, Islamic, and Native American spiritual traditions to make her uniquely qualified as a spiritual bridge celebrating the shared path of devotion. She is the author of three books Torah Journeys: The Inner Path to the Promised Land, In The Fever of Love: An Illimination of the Song of Songs and The Magic of Hebrew Chant (Along with its companion: The Big Book of Musical Notations and Incantations).
Rachmiel O'Regan, MA., Co-Director of C-DEEP: Center for Devotional, Energy and Ecstatic Practice. Shefa's husband, Rachmiel, has been a workshop and ritual leader, musician, chi qong teacher and holistic health practitioner for more than 30 years and a master's level counselor for over 25 years.
Judith Dack has been chanting with Reb Shefa since 1998 and joined the Kol Zimra faculty in 2008. Judith creates community art programs with the theme of soul discovery using the transformative power of art making in combination with chanting and writing. She welcomes each Kol Zimra participant to the experience of retreat with enthusiasm and joy. She is a graduate of the first cohorts of the Kol Zimra Chant Leaders Training and DLTI (Davvenen Leadership Training Institute) and has accompanied Reb Shefa on spiritual pilgrimage to Peru and Ecuador/Galapagos. Judith is active in the Jewish Renewal movement through her service on the Aleph Board and the IF/ECCJS Advisory Board. She was best known as the yoga teacher for many summers and Shavuot at Elat Chayyim's Jewish Spiritual Retreat Center. Judith is a Designer and Artist residing in both Chevy Chase, MD and Woodstock, NY. She is the mother of two grown daughters.
Yaffah Schnitzer has been chanting/studying with Reb Shefa since 1998 and joined the Kol Zimra faculty in 2008. She is a graduate of the first cohort of the Kol Zimra Chant Leaders Training and for many years, has convened a monthly Shabbat Chant Circle at Bethesda Jewish Congregation in Bethesda, MD. She teaches Israeli and sacred dance and has created KZance, a choreographed dance program that complements the Kol Zimra Chant Leadership training. She holds a Master's Degree in counseling, and is also a passionate Jewish spiritual seeker, wellness coach and advocate, and is the drummer in the BJC Simcha b'Shabbat Band. Yaffah resides in Reston, VA with her husband, Rabbi Sunny Schnitzer. They have four grown daughters.
Ariel Lippman graduated from Kol Zimra 2, as well as R. Nadya Gross' Secrets My Grandmother Told Me Kabbalah Wisdom School. She leads chant circles, shabbat and holiday services, workshops, and retreats in the Charlottesville and DC areas with Prahaladan Mandelkorn. She has been trained in Reiki and Jewish Energy Healing, as well as Women in Power ShadowWork. As a Senior Research Scientist at Child Trends, a non-profit in Bethesda, MD, she specializes in child well-being indicators, and has published books, chapters, and articles on flourishing and spirituality among youth. She has a 26 year-old son.
Prahaladan (Pip) Mandelkorn, former Navy Seal Team Platoon Commander, Time Magazine Correspondent and Sen. Robert Kennedy speech-writer, lived and studied with Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shelomi and collaborated with him on the book Fragments of a Future Scroll; studied and trained with Sri Swami Satchidiananda, serving as Director of Programs at Yogaville and Director of Integral Yoga Teacher Training; collaborated with him on the books To Know Your Self and The Living Gita; friend and student of Rabbi Shefa Gold since 1997 and graduate of her Kol Zimra 1 Training. Currently giving talks on the Bhagavad Gita, and with Ariel Lippman co-leads Yoga Wisdom and Kabbalah workshops, Shabbat services, Sacred Chant Circles, Passover Seders and Yom Kippur programs; now offering financial services in Charlottesville, VA and currently working on the Torah Gita, a book of Torah selections with commentary for modern-day seekers.
C-DEEP
Center for Devotional, Energy and Ecstatic Practice (C-DEEP) with Rabbi Shefa Gold & Rachmiel O'Regan, MA. C-DEEP serves:
• Those who would build a deep and abiding Center of Awareness through Meditation and Jewish Contemplative practice.
• Those on a Devotional path who have a commitment to live from the heart and do the work required to grow in love each day. • Those who understand what it means to perceive the world as Energy and want to become energy-workers. • Those who want to explore Ecstatic states in order to expand their perceptive and creative potential.
• And those who have a commitment to Practice on a daily, and hopefully moment to moment, basis.
COMMENTS FROM PARTICIPANTS:
"A profound melding of meditation, chant, movement and ritual in a sweet, supportive environment. I took home a clearer mind, a soul refreshed, and a deeper spiritual practice." ~ Diane
"Shefa and Rachmiel's C-DEEP retreat was life transforming for me. Not only did I experience the presence of the God-Force in new and powerful ways, I took away specific techniques and practices that have continued to deepen that relationship." ~ Yafa "Shefa's dedication to impeccability in practice, playfulness and contagious spirit of love and service combined with the beauty of the Center created an experience that still resonates in my heart a year later." ~ Carol
"The Ecstatic Meditation retreat in New Mexico enabled me to open up to a spiritual space that has greatly enhanced my life. A year later the C-DEEP experience still reminds me to live in the present every day with love and compassion. " ~ Bruce
RABBI ZALMAN SCHACHTER-SHALOMI: "Rabbi Shefa knows how to contact the deep patterns of soul growth. She does that in the dimensions of sound, meditation, movement, and transformation for people. Her Center for Devotional, Energy & Ecstatic Practice (C-DEEP) will serve those who are tired of doing only the beginner's work."
UPCOMING PROJECTS
In the forth coming book, Music, The Carrier of Intention in 49 Jewish Prayers, fifty Jewish musicians, singers, cantors, and artists share their insights on Jewish prayers, passages from the Hebrew bible, and the intentions of their hearts as they connect with their communities, the world around them and something greater than themselves. Shefa Gold, who has been studying and working with the power of intention for over 25 years writes the introduction to this diverse and ground breaking book.
Music, The Carrier of Intention in 49 Jewish Prayers, is edited by Elizabeth Goldstein, Gonzaga professor and rabbi along with Kimberly Burnham, PhD, The Nerve Whisperer and recent convert to Judaism and Ann White, publisher and creator of the Creating Calm Network Publishing Group and Radio Network.
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