Tikkun ha'Nefesh: Repairing Your Soul through Process & Practice
Open to those who identify as Jewish and also to those whose hearts are drawn to Judaism.
A Shabbaton (plural: Shabbatonim) is a Jewish weekend retreat or educational gathering that extends over Shabbat, usually starting Friday afternoon and lasting until Saturday night or Sunday. It is designed to maximize community, spiritual inspiration, Torah study, and enjoyment, often focusing on singing, meals, and social activities.
A weekend Shabbaton retreat in Woodstock, NY, for Jewish adults seeking to bridge the sacred with the mundane. Throughout the weekend, participants will engage in Jewish ritual such as Kabbalat Shabbat, Havdalah, niggun circles, prayer circles, middot learning, and practicing Hitbodedut in the woods on the 26-acre property.
The facilitators and assistants are all seasoned space holders and mental health professionals who will engage participants in sharing circles to identify barriers to connection with Judaism, including but not limited to: religious trauma, intergenerational trauma, mental health disorders, antisemitism, Israel, assimilation, and intermarriage. Participants will come away from this weekend with a renewed understanding of their blocks in connection and a new pathway forward for integrating Judaism back into their everyday life.
Main activities and topics:
Jewish Values learning session - with practice and goal setting , Chesed - lovingkindness, no lashon harah - zero gossip, giving people the benefit of the doubt, visting the sick, giving to charity, comforting the mourning. and many more!
Prayer workshop: creating your own personal prayer, finding connection through prayer - meditation : Shema, Amidah. Jewish Meditation. Psalm 121. Songs, morning playlists, dance as prayer, singing as prayer, redefining prayer.
Hebrew letter art: Connecting with ancient letters, power symbols, understanding Jewish Mantra - abracadabra. Hebrew as a portal.
Grief : Yizkor candles, fire ceremony, honoring our immediate ancestors, intergenerational trauma, honoring tribal routes, identification of pain patterns, breaking energetic bounds.
Tikkun : understanding our purpose, our calling, listening to the slight whispers - Remez , sod. Finding the hints, seeing the scavenger hunt.
Religious "trauma": what were we taught, what were the attitudes and beliefs around this, how was it presented, where did we find connection?
God vs. Nature vs. Universe vs. Self: honoring the great mystery and allowing permutations and interpretations. Breaking rigidity.
Day of silence - channeling - artistic expression, drawing, dancing, scarves, rest, nature walks, sound healing.
Schedule (Subject to changes):
FRIDAY
Opening circle - what's your Jewish curiosity? What's your Jewish joy? What's your Jewish grief? Write down intentions and bring to the altar.
Kabbalat Shabbat - cleansing ritual for each person. Put down the work energy of the week.
Candles- space/time continuum Heschel
Calling in angels
Meditation on menucha - rest.
Sound bath to enter restful state
Dynamic vs static energy in our bodies
SATURDAY
Noble Silence - Hitbodedut in the forest / silent forest walk.
Morning breakout - what's in a name? What's your Hebrew name? It's meaning. What is the energy of your Soul print?
Create your name plate.
Lunch - prayers for food, washing hands,
Personal prayer workshop. Connection to prayer teaching. Conversation on God. What are we praying to? Self v source v nature v breath v existence....
Free time
Sauna forest tipi water stream reading
Dinner
Ancestral discussion. Family trauma. Immigration stories. Mother's side/father's side exercise. Speaking directly to ancestors. With gratitude or grief. Who made Judaism inaccessible? Who made Judaism joyful? What pain patterns are being passed down in your family? What role can you take to break the chain? Find your intention and bring it to the fire. Alchemize it.
Havdalah. Fire ceremony. Kumsitz. Dance. Joy. Music.
SUNDAY
Ve’ahavta le’rayachah camochah - love your neighbor as you love yourself
What's your tikkun? Bring your intentions back. Your name. Your joy. Your grief. What are you here to do? What is your soul crying out for you to bring into the world?
Closing circle
About Facilitators:
Aly Cohen is an Integrative Psychotherapist in New York City and the Hudson Valley. Guided by her own journey within Spirituality and Judaism, Aly has become a fervent student of all things Jewishly Spiritual. She now offers guidance to others who are seeking to bridge their spiritual practices with their ancestral lineage in Judaism. Aly is one of the Community Leaders for a Hudson Valley Grass-roots Jewish organization called the Village Shtiebl and devotes her time outside of work to building community, creating Jewish learning opportunities and enjoying time in nature spent with family and friends.
Stefanie Frank is a dynamic and multifaceted individual known for her diverse contributions to the field of healing arts and community building. She is the founder and director of ESKFF Nest, a healing arts refuge and retreat center located in the serene surroundings of Woodstock, NY. As a visionary retreat leader, Stefanie is committed to creating transformative experiences that cater to the spiritual and holistic well-being of individuals.
Costs:
We are doing our best to offer programming that is accessible.
Our sliding scale is guided by the “Green Bottle” approach, inviting you to reflect on your current financial capacity—whether your resources feel abundant, balanced, or limited—and choose a contribution that is both honest for you and supportive of the wider community, helping keep these offerings accessible to all.
The sliding scale offers three ways to contribute: a community rate for those with limited financial resources, a supporters rate for those who can comfortably meet their needs, and a sustainers rate for those with greater financial abundance who wish to help sustain the space and make it accessible for others.
Take a look at our Green Bottle Comparison to help you identify yourself on the scale.