REVIEWS FROM PARTICIPANTS

Raphaella Frielich,  participant in Jewish Food Choice Series with Jeff Spitzer, Outer Beauty & Inner Values with Rabbi Weiner, & Healing  Service with Rabbi Leslie Gordon I have attended a few Tiferet Center sessions and have been impressed with each one! At Jeff Spitzer’s interactive study session, we discussed our beliefs on environmentalism and laws of kashrut. He got us to think about our food choices in new ways and I’ve been more mindful of the food I eat, thinking about where it comes from and the impact I am having on the environment as a result of my choices. The class made me feel even more strongly about having joined the local CSA at Moosehill. Rabbi Weiner’s class on the colors of nature and their relevance to our Jewish values was fascinating. Colors can have many different meanings and this session put a different spin on how we might think of them. The healing prayer service with Rabbi Gordon was comforting and beautiful. I’ve always enjoyed the services she leads, and this one was no exception. and I am looking forward to the next healing service with Rabbi Gordon on March 27th. We are blessed to have the Tiferet Center right here in Sharon, providing us with such an array of study and prayer opportunities.

Participant in Rabbi Weiner’s Healthy Life Style & Outer Beauty & Inner Values series:  I have attended several of Yitzi Weiner’s insightful classes and the biggest take away I have from them is a change in my perspective about life.  They have opened me up to the understanding that it is not about “scheduling” being Jewish in my life, but that living a Jewish life means that it permeates the fabric of my life in every thought, feeling and action.  It’s a complete mindset shift that has served as a guiding light for me. This kind of thinking…or rather, living, is transformative.  It is not about having a nice class experience from 8-9:15 on a Sunday night.  Yitzi Weiner has helped unlock the key to understanding refinining one’s character, which ultimately helps impact and perfect the world around us.  It’s not just about what happens in the class…it’s much more about what you do with what happens after the class. When I put my daughter to bed the other night, she said “I’m going to ask you what you learned in class tonite, the same way you ask me everyday what I learned.”  I told her that we are commanded to learn one new thing every day.  So Yitzi shares with me, I share with her and so it goes….and from his guiding light, we’re on our way to making the world a better place. 

Rachel Melemed, participant in Jewish meditation and memoir series: The Tiferet Center has given me a place to support my own spiritual search and development within my Jewish community. I took meditation classes with Rabbi Sendor and Rabbi Seth Castleman. Because of their support and guidance I am successful at keeping a daily meditation practice with Jewish roots.  Rabbi Ullman teaches Jewish texts in An accessible way. He makes the texts come alive. Nina Schneider’s class in memoir writing helped me to put my words to paper and write my spiritual journey for the first time. I found myself inspired to write my memoirs for my children.

Arnold Freedman, participant in Jewish meditation with Rabbi Sendor and Cultivating Sacred Community with Rabbi Allan Ulman: I have participated in several classes offered  through the Tiferet program, including meditation classes that I found to be a wonderful experience. The program is a wonderful spiritual and insightful addition to the typical educational offerings we have available to us at Temple Israel and beyond. I look forward to seeing the Tiferet Center flourish in Sharon.

Bryan Cetlin, participant in meditation series with Seth Castleman and Rabbi Sendor, text study with Rabbi Ullman, and Rabbi Weiner’s series on Healthy Life Styles: Feel Great From the Inside Out.  I really like studying with Seth Castleman.  He is a top notch meditation teacher.  He rekindles the practice of meditation we seem to lose in everyday life.  Rabbi Sendor’s Kabbalistic aura and candle gazing meditations add a completely different experience.  His honest and grounded approach to God and his study of original texts related to meditation and Jewish mysticism are profound. Rabbi Ullman always brings up an interesting discussion and has a deep interpretation, explaining the mystery of the language of the Torah, in a way that brings it to the relevance of our day to day life. Rabbi Weiner is a very likable, hard working, and engaging teacher who presents impressive detail and research on his very interesting topics.

Laura Doniger, Participant in Memoir: Jewish Life Stories & Jewish Meditation Participating in Nina Schneider’s Memoir Workshop Series was both rewarding and emotionally healing.  Writing about one’s past, while it can bring painful memories back to the surface, can also be therapeutic.  The members of the group were all supportive of each other through the process, and Nina was exceptional at guiding us along the way.  Her writing expertise is unquestionable and we were fortunate to have her share it with us in the Tiferet program.  Rabbi Meir Sendor’s meditation class was truly amazing!  I have participated in many different forms of meditation but aura gazing was a first.  His knowledge and spiritual awareness were inspiring!  Thank you to all who make these programs possible šŸ™‚

I have had the honor of participating in Lois Freedman’s workshop, “Taking Care of Ourselves While We Take Care of Others”.  Grieving the loss of my beloved father while caring for the needs of my fit, but aging and mournful mother, has been a very difficult transition for me. Lois’ insight, wisdom, warmth and intelligence and her very well developed facilitation skills  continue to serve as a guiding light at this difficult time.  I have taken very seriously her suggestion that cleaning out the clutter in our lives is a path to coping better emotionally with overwhelming situations.  How much better my home office now looks and how much freer I feel to deal with what is really important at this time!  I am anxious to partake in more meaningful programs in the coming months.

From Ageing to Sageing is an inspiring and worthwhile class.  It’s truly a gift you give yourself.  The teacher,  Rabbi Raphaela Greenstein , gently and sensitively guides participants  on a personal journey through  life’s ages and stages.  In our fast-paced, secular world, we rarely have opportunities to reflect on a life review within a Jewish context.  The spiritual rewards are precious!  I thank the Tiferet Center of Temple Isarel for this fine offering.

Tiferet Committee Members and Presenters: Nina Schneider, Marjie Bernard, Shoshanna Cetlin & Lois Freedman

created at: 2011-03-18

 


 

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