Our Annual Meditation Retreat\n<\/p>\n
My husband and I started the year with our annual meditation retreat at our temple. Hard to believe it\u2019s been a full decade of guided introspection.\n<\/p>\n
Guidance from Rabbi K\u2019vod Weider.<\/p>\n
\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/rabbi-Kvod-Weider-300x480.jpg\")
\n\t\tRabbi K\u2019vod Weider<\/p>\n
Having Rabbi K\u2019vod Weider lead us feels like having a guru or spiritual teacher in our midst. He has served as the rabbi at Temple Beth El of South Orange County since 2011 and has taught meditation and Jewish spirituality since 1997. A lifelong meditator, he brings a depth of insight that enriches the experience, and weaving Jewish understanding into meditation is, for me, the cherry on top. I\u2019ve meditated for many years, but the Jewish perspectives are still new to me\u2014and I love learning them.\n<\/p>\n
The Comfort of Community Meditation\n<\/p>\n
Meditating in community is very different from my daily practice. Even though meditation is an inner experience, being surrounded by others\u2014especially in today\u2019s contentious climate\u2014felt deeply comforting.\n<\/p>\n
Celebrating Seventy\n<\/p>\n
January also brought another milestone: my 70th birthday. I\u2019ve been celebrating with friends and family, grateful to still be \u201cabove ground.\u201d Reaching this age is still a shock, even though I pass a mirror every day\u2014though my eyesight helps soften the blow. As we age, more people around us take their final journey, sometimes younger than we are. Some accept this more gracefully; I\u2019m not quite there yet. Hillel\u2019s reminder echoes loudly: If not now, when? Time to get serious about that bucket list before I kick my bucket.\n<\/p>\n
The Atmosphere of the Weekend\n<\/p>\n
Before diving into the sessions themselves, the weekend\u2019s atmosphere stood out most: love, presence, acceptance, and Peace. It showed up in our interactions, our silence, and our learning.\n<\/p>\n
A Story of Shared Humanity\n<\/p>\n
Rabbi K\u2019vod shared a story that captured this spirit, and it made me wonder how many rabbis would choose it \u2014\u2014 or imams if the protagonist were Jewish. Below is a recap of the story\u2019s essence, along with a link for those who prefer to read the original.\n<\/p>\n
Wandering Around an Albuquerque Airport Terminal \u2013by\u00a0Naomi Shihab Nye, posted Apr 26, 2007<\/a>\n<\/p>\n Rabbi K\u2019vod shared a story by Naomi Shihab Nye that felt perfectly aligned with the retreat\u2019s themes of presence and compassion and reflected a world that I hope to work toward in 2026.\n<\/p>\n Nye describes being at an airport when a call went out for anyone who spoke Arabic. She found an elderly Palestinian woman collapsed in fear, believing her delayed flight had been cancelled and that she would miss urgent medical treatment. Nye comforted her with the few Arabic phrases she knew, explaining that the flight was merely behind schedule and the woman immediately softened. They called her son, then her other sons, and even Nye\u2019s father \u2014 discovering mutual friends and shared history.\n<\/p>\n As the delay stretched on, the woman opened a bag of homemade mamool cookies and offered them to every woman at the gate. No one refused. Soon, the entire waiting area \u2014 people from different backgrounds, ages, and places \u2014 was smiling, dusted with powdered sugar like an impromptu community.\n<\/p>\n Nye looked around and felt a surge of hope. For a brief moment, everyone at Gate 4\u2011A lived in what she called \u201cthe shared world,\u201d where fear dissolved into connection, and strangers cared for one another.\n<\/p>\n Reflections on Peace and Shared Humanity\n<\/p>\n Amen. My heart was full. As you know, I\u2019ve spent the last decade devoted to Peace work, and this retreat felt especially soothing. When we went around the circle to share the weekend\u2019s impact, I found myself unexpectedly emotional.\n<\/p>\n An Interfaith Couple Who Embodied Peace\n<\/p>\n As I reflected on the weekend, one couple in particular embodied everything I strive for in my Peace work. Dr. B, a long-time member of our temple, is a chiropractor. His partner of seven years, Dr. AM, holds a PhD in Nursing and works at a Stem Cell Clinical Center specializing in regenerative medicine \u2014 in short, they both work in fields focused on healing and helping others thrive.\n<\/p>\n Jewish\u2013Muslim Love as a Model for the World\n<\/p>\n Dr. B has attended our retreats before, but this was the first time his partner, Dr. AM, joined him. Why mention them? Because Dr. B is Jewish and Dr. AM is Muslim \u2014 and seeing their loving, respectful relationship brought tears to my eyes. They represented the world I wish we all lived in.\n<\/p>\n Interfaith Courage and Community\n<\/p>\n Although Dr. AM had attended other temple events, this was her first meditation retreat with us. And it made me think: How many Muslims would feel comfortable spending a weekend with a group of Jews? How many Jewish communities would feel equally at ease welcoming a Muslim guest? How many imams would invite a Jew to their own sacred gatherings? Imagine a world where these questions didn\u2019t even arise. I later learned that others from different faiths were present as well, adding to the richness of the experience.\n<\/p>\n The Gift of New People\n<\/p>\n Not everyone knew each other, but many did \u2014 and having new faces in the group felt like another gift from the Universe. I love the adventure of meeting new people; not everyone feels comfortable in unfamiliar settings, but I thrive on learning about people, their stories, and what matters to them.\n<\/p>\n PEACE with Penny<\/a> and the Work Ahead\n<\/p>\n Perhaps that\u2019s why hosting PEACE with Penny<\/a> brings me so much joy. Interviewing Peace organizations comprised of Israelis and Palestinians reminds me what\u2019s possible when people choose connection over conflict. I\u2019ve been doing several pre\u2011interviews and hope to make PEACE with Penny<\/a> an even bigger focus this year. Balancing that with writing for the Times of Israel Blogs<\/a> and having a personal life is still a work in progress. And of course, turning seventy \u2014 and celebrating all month long \u2014 has added its own delightful chaos.\n<\/p>\n Shared Roots and Interfaith Wisdom\n<\/p>\n After the retreat, I asked Dr. AM more about her background. She shared that she was born in Iran and grew up attending many different religious services. Her parents never taught that one faith was superior to another. She even learned to meditate using the Quran \u2014 something I found eye\u2011opening.\n<\/p>\n Similarities Between Islam and Judaism\n<\/p>\n She pointed out the many similarities between Islam and Judaism: religious Muslims pray five times a day, religious Jews three; Muslims pray toward Mecca, Jews toward Jerusalem; some worship in mosques, others in synagogues. In my Peace work, these parallels always stand out. Too often, the divide comes from never having met the \u201cother\u201d in a safe, humanizing space. During dialogue sessions, people are frequently shocked by how much they share \u2014 and sometimes feel betrayed by what they were taught growing up. It\u2019s easy to fear an enemy you\u2019ve only heard described in hostile terms. But it\u2019s reassuring to see how quickly understanding can grow when people meet with mutual respect.\n<\/p>\n Shabbat Services and the Power of Familiar Prayer\n<\/p>\n Because the retreat falls during Shabbat, we attend Friday night and Saturday morning services. Even in silence, the familiar prayers and melodies felt comforting, and the sense of recognition always brings a smile to my face.\n<\/p>\n The Meaning and Music of a Niggun\n<\/p>\n A niggun here and there offered gentle vocal relief. A niggun is a wordless melody sung during prayer, and in Hasidic tradition, it\u2019s believed to lift the soul and draw a person closer to God. Although most of us at the retreat were Conservative or Reform, Rabbi K\u2019vod weaves many spiritual traditions into our gatherings \u2014 including Hasidic melodies and even practices with Eastern roots, some of which were explored by Charles Chaim Lev during the weekend.\n<\/p>\n Rabbis often compose their own niggunim, each carrying a unique spiritual \u201csignature.\u201d Singing a rebbe\u2019s melody is traditionally a way to connect with his inner intention. I asked Rabbi K\u2019vod whether any of the niggunim we sang were his, and he told me that the niggun used during the Amidah on Saturday morning was one he composed.\n<\/p>\n The Amidah and the Intention Behind Rabbi K\u2019vod\u2019s Niggun\n<\/p>\n During the Amidah, we\u2019re encouraged to step away from the fixed text and silently speak the prayers of our own hearts. It made perfect sense that Rabbi K\u2019vod composed a niggun specifically for this moment. Each niggun carries an intention, and when I asked about his, he said it reflects the idea that true rest comes through God. To me, it felt like another reminder of Shabbat\u2019s wisdom \u2014 that rest is sacred for all of us, Jewish or not. And perhaps a gentle wink about my own tendency to try to fit too much into a 24\u2011hour day. Amen.\n<\/p>\n The History and Centrality of the Amidah\n<\/p>\n Historically, the Amidah took shape between 70 and 220 CE<\/a>, after the destruction of the Second Temple, when prayer replaced sacrificial worship. It is considered the central spiritual prayer of Jewish services and is recited standing, facing Jerusalem, as if speaking directly to the Divine.\n<\/p>\n On Being Called \u201cColonizers\u201d\n<\/p>\n Moments like this make me shake my head at the rhetoric that labels Jews as \u201ccolonizers\u201d of Israel. How many thousands of years does a people have to live somewhere before it\u2019s considered home?\n<\/p>\n Our Teachers: Rabbi K\u2019vod and Charles Chaim Lev\n<\/p>\n Both Rabbi K\u2019vod and his friend Charles Chaim Lev guided our time together.\n<\/p>\n Dr. Charles Chaim Lev and Chinese Medicine<\/p>\n \t Dr. Charles Chaim Lev has practiced Chinese medicine since 1993. He has provided acupuncture and Chinese medicine services at OHSU Family Medicine since 2008 and has spent the last decade teaching and supervising at the National University of Natural Medicine. Chaim integrates his deep knowledge of Chinese medicine into both his professional work and his spiritual life.\n<\/p>\n A Simple, Powerful Practice: Tapping for Emotional Reset\n<\/p>\n One of the most meaningful practices he shared was a short, active prayer you can do anywhere when you need a quick emotional reset \u2014 one of those \u201cWTF?\u201d moments we all have. It draws from EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques), a mind\u2011body method that uses tapping on acupuncture\u2011related points while focusing on an emotional issue. Many describe it as a blend of psychology, acupressure, and mindfulness.\n<\/p>\n How the Tapping Practice Works\n<\/p>\n I included a video before this blog post that shows him demonstrating the technique. You begin with a few deep breaths, then tap your fingers on your body \u2014 often near the heart, though some people prefer the side of the hand or other comfortable spots. In his playful way, he encouraged us to \u201cact like a monkey,\u201d tapping on the chest like King Kong, on the top of the head, or even at the \u201cthird eye\u201d between the eyebrows. Sometimes he taps vigorously, other times slowly and gently, depending on his mood and intention.\n<\/p>\n The Three Statements of the Practice\n<\/p>\n As you tap, you say three things. First: \u201cEven though\u2026\u201d and you fill in the blank. Even though I yelled at my toddler who face\u2011planted into the cake I foolishly left within reach\u2026 Even though my boss promoted his girlfriend into the job I applied for\u2026 Even though I yelled at my toddler and then ate the rest of the cake myself\u2026 keep tapping.\n<\/p>\n Self\u2011Love and Forgiveness\n<\/p>\n Next, you say, \u201cI still love myself.\u201d It\u2019s a moment of forgiveness and affirmation. If we\u2019ve done something we\u2019re not proud of, we can forgive ourselves first and make amends later. We all make mistakes. And for the record, I don\u2019t have toddlers in the house anymore \u2014 and not that I\u2019d know anything about overeating \u2014 but let\u2019s just say I\u2019m not giving up my Orangetheory Fitness membership anytime soon. Keep tapping.\n<\/p>\n Setting an Intention for Next Time\n<\/p>\n Finally, you set an intention for next time: I know that I can act better, look for another job, or bake a cake in a flavor I won\u2019t be tempted to devour. Keep tapping.\n<\/p>\n The Map of the Four Worlds\n<\/p>\n Another session explored the Map of the Four Worlds \u2014 a framework developed centuries ago in Jewish mysticism to describe how divine energy flows from the Infinite into creation.\n<\/p>\n We traveled through the Four Worlds: Assiyah (Body), Yetzirah (Emotions and Energy), Beriyah (Mind\/Thought), and Atzilut (Spirit or Presence). This all\u2011encompassing framework guided our learning as we explored each world through teachings, meditation, Torah, and traditional Shabbat prayers \u2014 moving from the physical to the increasingly ethereal. Each world carried its own emphasis and meditative phrase.\n<\/p>\n During the Shabbat services, we enjoyed many of the traditional services with attention also paid to meditating using the Four Worlds as a guide.\n<\/p>\n Assiyah: The World of the Body\n<\/p>\n In Assiyah, the focus was on the body. We were encouraged to notice our breathing \u2014 the inhale, the exhale \u2014 but also the miracle of how the body breathes: the sensation in the nose, chest, and belly; the grounding of feet on the floor; the support of the chair beneath us. Breathing in security, breathing out anxiety. Even writing this now relaxes me.\n<\/p>\n Breathing With the Divine\n<\/p>\n We\u2019ve long been taught that God is not only beyond us but within us. Chaim invited us to imagine that as we breathe in, we receive what God is breathing into us, and as we breathe out, we release blessings back into the world. As I practiced, I thought of all the goodness I hoped to draw in \u2014 and all the blessings I wished to send out. Lord knows we need them, given the many tragedies unfolding around us.<\/p>\n \t Seeing the Divine in the Human Form\n<\/p>\n Chaim illustrated this beautifully with a figure of the human body overlaid with the Hebrew name of God, written vertically. It was a powerful visual reminder that the Divine lives within us. I didn\u2019t have a close\u2011up photo of his model, so I created my own male and female versions below.\n<\/p>\n \u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u00a0\n<\/p>\n Yetzirah (Emotions and Energy)\n<\/p>\n There was a peaceful, relaxing energy throughout the retreat. It felt healing to step out of our fast\u2011paced lives and give ourselves permission to simply be.\n<\/p>\n Beriyah (Mind\/Thought)\n<\/p>\n During Beriyah, several traditional prayers were recited. The Shema always captures our attention \u2014 a timeless call to the people of Israel to honor the One God. Covering our eyes helps us stay present and focused. We observed our thoughts within ourselves, within our community, and across the wider world. Knowing that Jews everywhere were celebrating Shabbat at the same time felt deeply comforting.\n<\/p>\n Atzilut (Spirit\/Presence )\n<\/p>\n Atzilut is the world of Spirit and Presence. I loved the reminder that we are human beings, not human doings. The weekend felt like a celebration of being comfortable in our own skin \u2014 very \u201cI\u2019m OK, You\u2019re OK.\u201d\n<\/p>\n We reflected on ancestors (real or imagined), the forces of nature, birth and death, beauty, silence, gratitude, and what we hope to offer the world. The paradox of the \u201csound of silence\u201d became its own spiritual practice \u2014 a true adventure in staying present.\n<\/p>\n And of course, Shabbat Shalom: Shalom meaning\u2026Peace, Wholeness, Completeness, and Restoration. Don\u2019t you feel better already?\n<\/p>\n Musical Instruments\n<\/p>\n Once again, a variety of unique musical instruments added beautiful layers to our prayers and meditation sessions.\n<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Charles-Chaim-Lev-photo-300x480.jpeg\")
\n\t\tCharles Chaim Lev<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Chaim-Lev-with-overlaid-Hebrew-God-model-400x250.jpg\")
\n\t\tCharles Chaim Lev<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/FINAL-FEMALE-BODY-WITH-GODS-NAME-VERTICAL-MEDITATION-RETREAT-2026.png\")
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