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Events and Classes
Registration is open for our 2026 B’nai Or Community Retreat
We’re so looking forward to gathering for a nourishing weekend of prayer, learning, music, nature, and connection. This retreat is a chance to slow down, be together, and deepen our shared spiritual life in a beautiful setting.
Registration includes tiered pricing options and installment plans. Friends and B’nai Or–adjacent folks are warmly welcome.
Please click on the registration form to register, and see the flyer below for retreat highlights and details.
B’nai Or Community Retreat
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Buried Treasure: Torah As Sacred Mythology returns on October 28th!
The class will be taught by B'nai Or Boston's Rabbi and Aleph Ordination Program's Erev Rav, Ariel Hendelman. We will continue to look at Torah through the lenses of mythology, mindfulness and dreamwork, with a focus on diving into the wild and wonderous world of Midrash.
In the words of Rabbi Lawrence Kushner from his book, The River of Light: "Midrash is the writing that sprouts up in the spaces between the consecrated words of scripture. Somewhere between commentary and fantasy...To fill in the spaces in between the words, is this not the task of all who would become whole? Health, like real understanding of Scripture, will occur at a time when the spaces are filled in. When the beginning of the story is meaningfully and honestly joined with the end. Midrash...does not seek to change the text. Rather, by joining its fragments together in a new and more coherent pattern of meaning, it seeks to set it free of old, paralyzing stereotypes."
Midrash is our subversive mythology. It speaks from the silence of the parchment that surrounds the black ink of the written words. Our lives are midrash. We carry the stories of our ancestors and we are rewriting them all the time, each moment. Please join us for a mix of study and practice. We'll open each session with an original chant from Ariel, and each session will also include some time for creative writing and/or guided meditation.
No prior experience necessary. Just an open heart and mind.
Dates:
10/28, 11/11, 11/25, 12/9, 12/23, 1/20, 2/3, 2/17, 3/17, 3/31, 4/14, 4/28, 5/12, 5/26
Time: 7:00–8:00 PM (via Zoom)
Cost: Suggested donation of $18 per session. This is a pay-what-you-can model—no one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Registration is REQUIRED for ZOOM link. Sign up HERE
The Buried Treasure series is co-sponsored by
ALEPH Alliance for Jewish Renewal.
Buried Treasure: Torah as Sacred Mythology
Please join us for a sensory-filled, melody-rich ritual of Havdalah followed by a festive meal and learning on Purim.
According to the Chassidic teacher, the Mei Hashiloach, “True separation is for the sake of deeper connection.” Havdalah literally means “distinction.” It is the ritual that accompanies us over the threshold from Shabbat into the new week, and which promises us deeper connection with our own longing, with the glimpse of wholeness Shabbat gives us, and with the lingering light that illuminates the week to come.
This will not be your typical Havdalah!
We’ll also enjoy a festive meal together with more niggunim (melodies) - called a Melavah Malkah, where we escort the Shechinah (the Shabbos Queen) out and hope She will linger with us a little longer.
We’ll learn some Purim Torah together too!
Doors open at 6:30. Ritual begins at 7.
Havdalah & Melavah Malkah
Starting this November, join us for a brand-new Lunch and Learn series following our Shabbat morning gatherings!
Led by Rabbi Ariel, these informal learning sessions will explore a range of fascinating topics — including the power of saying “Amen”, dream magic in our mystical tradition, the role of Oneg (pleasure) in spiritual practice, the 39 melachot of Shabbat, and more.
Bring your curiosity (and your lunch!) as we dive into teachings that nourish both mind and soul.
“Lunch and Learn”
Series with Ariel Hendelman
