The Aquarian Minyan Yeshiva
CURRENT & UPCOMING CLASSES*
*All classes are offered virtually via Zoom, unless stated otherwise. Class times listed are for Pacific Standard Time
NEW FOR SPRING 2025!
Everyday Holiness: A Fresh Approach to Kabbalah, Meditation, and Ecstatic Prayer with Rabbi T’mimah Ickovits
Wednesdays 12pm Pacific Time
March 12, 19, 26, and April 2, 9
To Register Click HERE
*There is a suggested minimum donation of $72 for all five sessions of this class. Recordings will be provided to all who register. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Join Rabbi T’mimah in a practical and in-depth overview of kabbalistic practice for the everyday, presented in a new Key for our challenging times. Deepen your prayer practice through a fresh exploration of the traditional Eitz Chaim (Tree of Life), the Sh’ma prayer, the Ruach haKodesh (the Holy Spirit or Spirit of Holiness) and the Kedushah (Holiness Prayer). Follow in the footsteps of Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and learn to explore “davenology” for our time using tools that Rabbi T’mimah herself uses, incorporating more recent academic work in kabbalistic meditation and prayer. Rabbi T'mimah will lead you through the experiential journey of the interiority of the ecstatic that is Penimiyut. Each session will conclude with a guided meditation by Rabbi T'mimah.
About Rabbi T'mimah Ickovits
Rabbi T’mimah Ickovits, BSE, is a ritual leader, spiritual companion, and translation artist. She is the founding rabbi and spiritual leader of Holistic Jew, a center for devotion and study in Santa Monica, CA. With her expertise in compiling and translating siddurim and mystical texts, Rabbi T’mimah makes the profound beauty and depth of ancestral teachings accessible to a broad audience. Former and current students appreciate her virtuosity in explaining difficult mystical texts and making esoteric practices surprisingly accessible. She can be reached at:
RabbiTmimah@holisticjew.org
Outer Flame, Inner Light: Timeless Jewish Visualization Techniques for Meditation with Steven Siegel
Tuesdays 12 noon Pacific Time/ 3pm Eastern
March 25, April 1,8, 15, 22, and 29
To Register Click HERE
*There is a suggested minimum donation $72-$125 and above (generosity level). Recordings will be provided to all who register. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Join veteran meditation teacher Steven Siegel as he unpacks several traditional types of visualizations and meditative techniques culled from Chassidic Masters and Kabbalists through the centuries. Over five weeks develop your visualization skills through the following techniques accompanied by a sixth week incorporating a powerful breathing technique.
Week 1 The use of an external object as a visual focal point: Candle flame meditation based on Zohar (13th Cent.) and Tikkunei Zohar (14th Cent.)
Week 2 Contemplation of a holy verse: Several traditional Shiviti practices that arose from various sources based on Psalm 16
Week 3 Visualization based on embodiment of a particular spiritual trait Tzadik visualization, based on Rebbe Maharash (4th Chabad Rebbe 19th Cent.)
Week 4 The use of the imagination to visualize a higher reality: Light of Shekhinah practice from Rabbi Elazar Azikri of Sefat (1533-1600)
Week 5 The Development of deeper awareness and presence: R. Chayim Vital’s (1542-1620) and the Komarno Rebbe’s (1770-1818) technique for Rising above Physicality
Final Week. A breathing technique for devekut based on the teachings of the Ba'al Shem Tov, the Maggid and Rabbi Schneur Zalman (the Alter Rebbe)
In each class we will look at texts from Kabbalistic and/or Chassidic sources, examine the sometimes hidden, sometimes obvious, meditation or visualization they describe, and then experience the practice or practices.
About Steven Siegel
Steve Siegel has been a student and teacher of Jewish and Himalayan meditation and Kabbalah for more than 45 years. He has been blessed with the opportunity to study with many of the outstanding teachers of our times including Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi z"l HaRav Avraham Brandwein z"l Dr. Daniel Matt, Rav Avraham Sutton, Rabbi DovBer Pinson, Rabbi David Cooper z"l Sri Swami Rama z"l and Swami Veda Bharati z"l On the instructions of Swami Veda, he created the group “Prayag: A Center for Meditation and Spiritual Growth ” in 2012 to teach meditation in the tradition of the Himalayan yogis and Jewish Kabbalists and to explore their points of commonality. Steven can be reached at:
Creating Our Own Midrash of the Exodus and Liberation with Rabbi Elizheva Hurvich
Thursdays 12pm Pacific Time/ 3pm Eastern
March 27, April 3, April 10 and April 17
To Register Click HERE
*There is a suggested minimum donation of $60 for all four sessions of this class. Recordings will be provided to all who register. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
"In every generation, each person should see themselves as if they had been liberated from Egypt"
Join Rabbi Elizheva Hurvich in this four part class on Midrash. In every generation we have celebrated our liberation and its current implications and read the Biblical and post-Biblical readings of this essential and foundational narrative of the Creation of the Jewish people. In this class we will explore classical and contemporary midrash (stories, close readings, interpretations, folklore) on leaving Egypt and traveling through the desert, and we will also create our own Midrash. Each class will include time for meditation, reading, and writing. Bring a pen or workpad and get ready to let your imagination flow. You are welcome to bring original work or work in progress.
About Rabbi Elizheva Hurvich
Rabbi Elizheva Hurvich, recently ordained by ALEPH, the Alliance for Jewish Renewal has been a Jewish educator for many years - a true mistress of pedagogy, using holistic methodologies that allow students to personally confront, re-read, and integrate the Biblical story through one’s own spiritual/ aesthetic lens. She has recently served as a spiritual leader and teacher at Chochmat haLev and been a visiting Rabbinic presence at the Aquarian Minyan for several years. In 2022 Elizheva taught a very well received course on the Book of Esther.
Psalms of the Omer: A Journey from Liberation to Revelation with Rabbi Dr. Brielle Rassler
Wednesdays 12pm Pacific /3 pm Eastern
April 16/23/30 and May 7/14/21/28
To Register Click HERE
*There is a suggested minimum donation $72 - $125 and above (generosity level) for all seven sessions of this class. Recordings will be provided to all who register. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
The seven week period from Passover to Shavuot invites us into a treasure trove of potential for spiritual insight and growth through a daily spiritual practice known as the counting of the Omer. Join Rabbi Dr. Brielle Paige Rassler, award winning author of Psalms: A Millennial’s Interpretation, on a soulful journey through this process, guided by the wisdom and sacred healing power of the Psalms. Each week, Rabbi Brielle will uncover new ways of connecting with these sacred texts and spiritual practices, as we journey together from the liberation of Passover to the revelation of Shavuot. No prior experience with the Omer or the Psalms is necessary to benefit from this spiritual journey. Just bring your open heart, curious mind, and together we’ll discover where the Divine will take us from there.
About Rabbi Dr. Brielle Rassler
Rabbi Dr. Brielle Paige Rassler is a licensed psychologist, spiritual director, author, and artist. She maintains a private practice and serves as Lead Chaplain of Integrative Wellness at Penn Medicine Princeton Health. In addition to her emerging translation series, Rabbi Brielle has authored a reference guide to the Talmud, a manual for religiously integrated treatment of Jewish women with eating disorders, and has released two albums of original liturgical music. Her Psalms translations have been featured in multiple publications and her full translation, “Psalms: A Millennial’s Poetic Interpretation” was selected as a Gold Award winner of the 2023 Nautilus Book Awards.