Nishmat Hayyim (Breath of Life) is the TBZ Jewish meditation project that is home to a core of Jewish meditators from diverse Jewish and meditation backgrounds. We are a resource for Jewish contemplative practices in the Boston area and throughout New England. Teachings and practices draw on the richness of Jewish texts, some Buddhist texts, and meditation instructions/techniques. Through weekly meditation sessions, contemplative Shabbats, Shabbat afternoon meditation sits, and day long retreats with renowned meditation teachers, Nishmat Hayyim offers opportunities for practice within a Jewish context, and highlights how this practice affects our humanity and our daily lives.
The Modern Hebrew words for “pay attention” mean literally “to place the heart.” In meditation, we turn our heart again and again to whatever is arising in the present moment, intentionally practicing compassion toward ourselves and opening to experience, to being alive in the present, to being non-judgmental, and to graciously embracing what is being revealed moment to moment.
Friday AM Meditation Mindfulness Practice Group
Reb Moshe and experienced TBZ meditation teachers lead weekly meditation sessions on Friday mornings. Participants receive the support needed to develop and sustain an individual practice as well as to integrate meditation into other parts of their Judaism and daily life.
Our Friday morning sessions (9:30 am – 11:00 am) include an opening chant, a 40-minute silent sit followed by a teaching from Jewish, Buddhist, and other mindfulness texts, and then a time for question/answers/reflections and/or discussion about the teaching or our practice. Sessions are led by Reb Moshe, Bobbi Isberg, Sheila Katz, and Reggie Silberberg as well as others in this practice group.
If you would like to begin a meditation practice, receive support for an ongoing practice, or root your mindfulness practice in a group setting, then please join us! All levels of meditators – beginners, who want support for starting, or experienced seeking to deepen a regular practice – are welcome!
Contemplative Shabbat
Our special Contemplative Shabbats at TBZ are not to be missed as we share the full beauty of Shabbat in prayer, study, meditation, chant, yoga, kiddush lunch, and good fellowship.
Day Long Meditation Retreats and Special Events
Special events with guest teachers offer a wide variety of Jewish teachings and practices: from the Sfirot to Chassidut, from contemplative prayer and chanting to meditation in everyday life. All programs are open and accessible to people from all backgrounds, secular to observant.
Over the past years we have hosted many renowned meditation teachers for either day long retreats nearby or special classes. We have been blessed with such teachers as Sylvia Boorstein, Zoketsu Norman Fischer, Rabbi Shefa Gold, Rabbi Alan Lew (z”l), Rabbi Jeff Roth, Rabbi Meir Sendor, and Rabbi Sheila Peltz Weinberg. We look forward to continuing this tradition with new day long workshops and special programs soon.
We hope that you will join us at future events.
If you have questions or would like to receive notifications about upcoming events, we would love to hear from you, nishmathayyim@tbzbrookline.org
Learn about Reb Moshe’s Metta Practice here.