RECLAIM AND RENEW GOD CONSCIOUSNESS

Our tradition refers to Passover as “the time of our freedom,” commemorating when God liberated the Hebrews from Egyptian slavery and exile, and brought them as free people to our homeland, the Land of Israel. The goal of this recorded course is to prepare all of us to sit at the Passover Seder and to truly celebrate deep inner liberation and freedom. The Baal Shem Tov explains that spiritually, being in exile is when there is an absence of awareness and knowledge of God. Rav Kook teaches that what is characteristic of a person whose spirit is full of freedom is their awareness of and fidelity to their inner being, their Divine soul. The Piaseczner Rebbe addresses the most unfortunate state of spiritual exile and then how to go about redeeming oneself from this state. He teaches what it means to spiritually “clean house” and then to make the decision to begin cultivating inner freedom. This course explores teachings from the Piaseczner Rebbe’s innovative and radical work Chovat HaTalmidim (Students' Obligation) revealing the hidden potential of the soul. This was the only book of the rebbe actually published (1932) and disseminated publicly in his lifetime. In it, the rebbe guides us in developing a continuous awareness of the Divine and Her love for all of creation. The Piaseczner was a mystic, pioneering educator and a highly evolved spiritual guide and innovator. He addresses the situation of his fellow Jews with open-heartedness, humility and authenticity. The rebbe's compassionate, progressive and profoundly holistic teachings discuss the spiritual nature of our body, mind and heart, and how we awaken to the Divine presence within us. How does it work? The course consists of eight recorded online sessions, of approximately 1.25 hours. Participants can watch and listen to the recordings at your own leisure. Each class includes two essential components: 1) A close text-based study of the Piaseczner’s teachings on Jewish spiritual growth. 2) A guided meditative practice focusing on the particular theme studied in that class and how that nurtures and cultivates the spirit of inner redemption, liberation and freedom. ​ Testimonials "Yiscah brings warmth and approachability to her teachings—along with a clear connection with the Divine and with the sacred spiritual texts that she shares. Whether one is a novice or more familiar with Jewish spirituality, you will find yourself welcome in the space she holds for everyone. One of my favorite impressions learning with Yiscah is how she approaches learning Torah as if one is recalling a dream from the night before, thus opening the door to a “lived“ experience amidst a text that can seem so distant from our own lives. As such, bring an open heart to her learning opportunities, and Yiscah will do her best to help you become inspired." - Jordan Walker "How amazing that over zoom Yiscah has been able to create a safe, intimate space for sharing our interior lives inspired by the Piaseczner Rebbe. Her modus operandi is very much aligned with the Piaseczner’s teachings - encouraging us to open ourselves intellectually, emotionally and spiritually to Torah. Very often Yiscah expands the Piaseczner’s text with apt examples from her own personal experiences; encouraging us to do so as well. I have learned from Yiscah that speed in DAVENING without KAVANA may not serve our soul or spiritual longing to connect more deeply with the Divine. I have given myself permission through her gentle and sage guidance to focus on select phrases and big ideas that speak to me. Each class is enlivened with deep emotional and intellectual learning along with some historical context. Yiscah has a listening heart and an open mind for all of our queries. We are inspired by Yiscah and the Piaseczner Rebbe to make Torah our own, to expand ourselves, to interpret text with our own ideas and experiences and feel Torah in our everyday lives. Yiscah’s mantra (now mine as well) is to see yourself in the text and the text in you." - Renee Wohl "Yesterday was the final class given by Yiscah. It was a bittersweet experience. Bitter because it ended and sweet because aside from signaling a new beginning, I walked away with knowledge of who Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapiro, the Piaseczner Rebbe was, and his amazing teachings. I have come across his name before, but I had no idea of how important and revolutionary his thinking and beliefs were - teachings that can rival the most current eclectic disciplines. In addition, listening to Yiscah’s vast knowledge and delivery of the lectures, kept me looking forward to the weekly classes. Lastly, I liked and appreciate a lot, the time Yiscah allotted to questions and comments. Not many lecturers give their students such time and space. I am so glad I listened to her on Erev Shavuot because if not, I would have never learned about Yiscah and her courses." - Jenny Katz