Moshav HaAm

Center for the Maggidic Arts

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

NY Offerings

Thanks to Rachel Ravitz, of Brooklyn Chevre for posting this through her listserve. This month's offerings are titled "Jews for Joy"-- fitting for Tu B'Shvat! Blessings to you Rachel, todah rabah!!



Who is that rising like the morning star, clear as the moon, bright as the blazing sun...." (Song of Songs 6:10)

I. ARTISTS UNDER THE TENTS OF SHEM:
Saturday Night Jam @ the Chabad Loft in Flatiron
"Where Tito Puente meets Augustus Pablo in a Babylonian exile yearning for redemption...."Marlon Sobel, percussionist for the world-famous Hassidic reggae performer, Matisyahu, will lead an evening of "Jamming and Jazz." The music of his band "Shem's Disciples" embraces deep rooted Afro-Hebraic, American jazz with hip-hop, dub reggae and Carribean implications. Featuring acoustic upright bass, mandolin, melodica, marimba, and percussion. Refreshments will be served.
Marlon Sobol is a composer, multi-instrumentalist and music therapist. He has performed with folk icon Richie Havens, conga legend Candido Camero, and is currently Matisyahu’s percussionist.
Saturday, February 18th 9 pm $10
Location: The Chabad Loft 182 Fifth Avenue, 2nd Floor (bet. 22nd & 23rd St in Manhattan)
For more info contact: 212.627.3270.

II. LUSCIOUS FRUITS FROM THE TREE OF LIFE:
An Evening of Jewish Song & Story
"How wonderful and how sweet is my Beloved, above all pleasures!" Join us for a spiritually delicious evening of song and storytelling. Rachel Ravitz and Mattisyahu Brown will sing to us from the fragrant and ecstatic Song of Songs. Maggid Yitzhak Buxbaum and master storyteller Carole Foreman will delight us with holy tales which make us feel fortunate to be alive.
Yitzhak Buxbaum specializes in mysticism and hasidic tales. He has s’micha (ordination) as a maggid (inspirational speaker/storyteller) from Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach and teaches and tells stories at synagogues and Jewish institutions throughout the U.S. and Canada. He is the author of ten books on Jewish spirituality, including The Light and Fire of the Baal Shem Tov, Jewish Spiritual Practices, Jewish Tales of Mystic Joy and Jewish Tales of Holy Women.
Carole Forman studied the art of storytelling with her husband, master storyteller Maggid Yitzhak Buxbaum, who happily claims his student has exceeded him in a number of areas. A professional actress and cabaret singer, she now brings holy stories to entertain and elevate adults and children.
Rachel Ravitz & Mattisyahu Brown have been harmonizing together for 14 years. They receive spiritual inspiration from Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach and the chasidic tradition, and are currently students of the Iyyun Institute, a center for Jewish mysticism in Brownstone Brooklyn. Their songs—both the traditional ones and the original compositions—are designed to awaken the Divine spark within the human heart.
Monday, February 20 7 pm $15
Location: SUFI BOOKS 227 West Broadway (between Franklin & White St. in Tribeca) in Manhattan
For more information contact: rachra@ix.netcom.com or 347.245.0606.
By Subway: 1 or 9 to Franklin St. or A, C or E to Canal St.

III. WRITING AS A FORM OF PRAYER
Thursday March 2nd-April 6th 6 sessions 8-9:30 pm $110
Location: 92nd Street Y 92nd & Lexington Avenue, Manhattan
To register contact: 212.415.5500

Louise Temple is a writer, editor, teacher, and poet who brings together Torah wisdom, spirituality and creative writing. She serves on the faculty of the International Women's Writing Guild, teaches at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan, and has a private practice. An honors graduate from Bristol University, England, she is a former editor of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach's magazine, "Connections," and is currently preparing a book, Soul Language: Writing as a Form of Prayer, as well as a manuscript of her poetry. A CD of her meditations, Connecting Creativity to the Creator, is available.
For more information contact: loutemple@optonline.net

IV. YOUR SOUL HAS SECRETS TO TELL YOU: Day of Kabbalah @ the JCC
Sunday, March 5th 9:30-5:30 pm $50 (advance) $60 (at door)
Location: The JCC in Manhattan 334 Amsterdam Avenue at 76th Street
To Register: www.carlebachshul.org * info@carlebachshul.org * JCC: 646.505.5708
SEE SCHEDULE ONLINE!

Topics & Presenters:
Kabbalistic Meditation to Transform Your Life: Learn the spiritual lexicon that can jumpstart the power of your imagination.
Rabbi Naftali Citron is the spiritual leader of the Carlebach Shul. He has been teaching kabbalah, chassidus and meditation for over 10 years. He served previously as Rabbi of the Highland Lakes Shul in Florida and The Jewish Learning Center in Santa Cruz, California.

Kabbalah of Soul Mates: If souls are destined to be together, why is it so hard to find a shidduch? Is it possible to have more than one soulmate? Can you block your own vision from recognizing your soulmate? Learn practical steps to find a bashert!
Rabbi Simon Jacobson was responsible for publishing the talks of Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, for fourteen years. A widely traveled and prolific public speaker, he is the founder of the Meaningful Life Center and author of several books including Toward a Meaningful Life.

Mind Over Matter: Learn about the role of mind/body interplay through the teachings of Kabbalah.
Doctor Raphael Kellman is a holistic healer whose work is firmly founded in traditional medicine as well as in spiritual awareness. He graduated from Albert Einstein College of Medicine and completed his post-graduate training at outstanding hospitals. He founded the Kellman Center for Progressive Medicine in Manhattan. He is the author of several books including Matrix Healing: Discover Your Greatest Health Potential through the Power of Kabbalah.

Kabbalah of Desire and Determination: Will and pleasure are the strongest internal forces within a person, powering the individual and the world at large. Learn how to harness them towards fulfilling your cosmic destiny.
Rav Avraham Brandwein is one of the most respected authorities on Kabbalah today. He may be the only surviving individual who learned kabbalah directly from Rav Yehuda Ashlag, his uncle, the author of the"Sulam," and one of the most profound Kabbalists of the 20th century.

The Power of the Feminine: Kabbalah predicts that the feminine principle will lead the new order to heal our troubled world. What is the power of the feminine that is forecasted in kabbalah? How will the Divine feminine on high and on this Earth be restored to the proper and optimal balance with the masculine?
Melinda (Mindy) Ribner, L.C.S.W., is a kabbalistic meditation teacher and a psycho-spiritual therapist and healer for over 20 years. She is the founder and director of BeitMiriam. A close disciple of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, she received s'micha from him to teach Torah, meditation, and prayer.

The Ego in Spirituality
Rabbi Laibl Wolf has been a spiritual mentor and a teacher of mystical Judaism for 32 years. His original system of "Behavioral Kabbalah," called MindYoga, transmutes the ancient mystical teachings into a pathway of personal fulfillment. He is attuned to the similarities between Eastern spirituality and the kabbalah and has met with many leaders of other spiritual traditions. He is founding lecturer in Jewish Mysticism and Spirituality at Melbourne University as well as a lawyer and educational psychologist specializing in teenage rebellion. He founded the Human Development Institute in Australia, where he lives, and is author of Practical Kabbalah.

Kabbalah from Moses to Madonna
Rabbi Dr. Yakov Travis received rabbinic ordination from the chief rabbinate of Jerusalem and a Ph.D. in Jewish Thought from Brandeis University, specializing in kabbalah. He taught in Jerusalem for many years, served as spiritual leader of McGill University's Hillel, and was visiting professor at the University of Massachusetts. He is author of The Foundation of Kabbalah: Rabbi Ezra of Geronand the forthcoming The Emergence of Jewish Mysticism and The Mystical Meaning of the Mitzvot and Kabbalah: From Moses to Madonna.

V. PURIM CELEBRATION: With Rabbi DovBer Pinson & Friends
Join in a night of lively music, entertainment, wisdom, great food and Purim fun. Bring an instrument (if you play), a friend or two (if you wish), and most importantly--bring yourself . . .IN COSTUME (if you dare)!
Monday, March 13 7:30 pm Cobble Hill, Brooklyn
For more information & exact location contact the Iyyun Institute: 718.393.8506. See www.iyyun.com.

Rabbi DovBer Pinson is a world-renowned scholar, author, thinker and teacher who teaches worldwide. He founded and heads the Iyyun Institute which includes weekly classes, holiday gatherings, women's circles and a new yeshiva for men and women, making available the deeper teachings of Judaism to the broadest audience possible. His books include Reincarnation and Judaism: The Journey of the Soul; Inner Rhythms: The Kabbalah of Music; Meditation and Judaism: Exploring the Jewish Meditative Paths; and Toward the Infinite: The Way of Kabbalistic Meditation.

VI. WELLSPRINGS: CD by Simcha Kanter
"Simcha Kanter and his trio bring the mystical tradition of Chassidic niggunim into a whole new light. The rich musical tradition of the Chabad Lubavitch chassidim is highlighted through this trio's acoustic groove, a perfect marriage of rich tradition with modern style. A unique blend of acoustic guitar, electric bass, african percussion, and a great horn section combine with Simcha's vocals for a refreshing sound, breathing new
life into old melodies. Featuring guest Yehoshua Sussman on viola, "Wellsprings" breaks new ground in a genre all its' own." (From CD Baby notes)

Buy it: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/simcha

["Wellsprings" is] "A smart, hip set of neo-chasidic acoustic rock. Kanter and Co. sound like "REM Unplugged and Frum," with that band's patented drive and snap. Definitely worth checking out."
--George Robinson, The Jewish Week (Feb 2, 2005)

"Kanter's band helps convince us that these tunes are so alive that they can survive the unlikely transformation into some kind of post-jazz, post-indi-rock form. David Epstein's top-notch drumming is the real clincher, serving up jazzy shuffle rhythms with interesting accents, especially on "Harninu Goyim" and "Vayancheim Lovetach."
- The Jerusalem Post (Feb 2, 2005)

"The effort is an appealing mix of light jazz and fervent folk-rock... Blessed with a strong voice and musical talents - Kanter plays guitar, bass, sax, and keyboard - he adds melodic and rhythmic joy [to the music]... A pair of stirring nigunim rounds out this satisfying collection."
--Ed Silverman, The New Jersey Jewish News (Feb 2, 2005)

"Kanter, who sings and plays a wide range of instruments (acoustic guitar, saxophone, keyboard, percussion and bass guitar) is accompanied quite masterfully by Yehoshua Sussman on viola and David Epstein on drums. Together, they infuse the recording with a modern sound."
--Cynthia Ramsay, The Jewish Western Bulletin (Feb 2, 2005)

Simcha Kanter's "Wellsprings" (IgraRama), (is) a collection of traditional Hasidic songs and nigunim, or wordless melodies, put down in rootsy, catchy, contemporary folk-rock arrangements featuring bass, guitar and drums, with occasional snatches of saxophone, trumpet and viola dancing with Kanter's insinuating, spiritual vocals.
--Seth Rogovoy, The Forward (Dec 31, 2004)

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Tu B'shvat Wisdom From Neshama Carlebach:
"This month we celebrate Tu B'shvat, the Birthday of the Trees. There is so much to say about this beautiful time of year, but ...above all else, it is a time of re-birth and newness for all of us. Even when the trees have no leaves or flowers blooming on them, and it seems that they are sleeping, we learn that now is the time that they are being nourished from the deepest place in the earth. It may seem that there is nothing to celebrate, but the real growth that is happening is internal. There is a rebirth happening from a place so deep inside the tree, my father said it is a secret between the tree and G-d. In this day and age where we all focus so much on how things look from the outside, to ourselves and to others, this Holiday reminds us to look within and focus on what is truly important. Sometimes the greatest gifts are those that are not as obvious to everyone around us...."