There is so much to explore about the month of Nisan -- designated as "first of the months" in Torah, it's the Biblical new year. It is also the month where we celebrate Pesach and where we are invited to explore the perennially resonant themes of bondage and liberation. Nisan represents the beginning of spring, and with it, emergence and birth in many forms. The tribe of the month is Yehudah, the stone is Emerald. The name Nisan relates to nes, miracle -- ניסן / נס.

In the words of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, "“Freedom is not only to be free from something, but to be free for something.”

Let's turn towards this month with awareness and presence, so that we can engage with it as the portal it's meant to be. As always, this class will be a mix of practice and study. We'll chant to begin and end, and in between, we'll dive into a rich source sheet together. All are welcome, no prior experience required.

As always, the class will be a mix of study and practice (chanting and guided meditation).

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Rabbi Ariel Hendelman received smicha through the Aleph Ordination Program and is proud to be in the paradigm-shifting lineage of Reb Zalman Shachter-Shalomi. She loves gathering in chant and meditation circles, and teaches Torah through a mythological, mystical and mindful lens both online and in person. Ariel is the Spiritual Leader of B'nai Or Boston.

When Ariel was young and asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, she responded, "a builder and a fixer, or a Rabbi." While growing up is still happening, she has found that answering the call to become a Rabbi is also the call to build and repair.

Ariel's written words appear in Ayin Press, Double Blind Magazine, and most recently, on her Substack. She is in the process of writing her first book, Shmonah, a tale of Jewish mythology about Cain and Abel's sister on her rite of passage journey back to Eden.

In 2015, Ariel co-founded Shabbat Shelach, an LGBTQ+ community, hosting monthly Shabbat meals in Jerusalem and the largest post-Pride-March Shabbat ever, with speakers such as Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie. She now calls MA home.

Ariel’s debut album, Prayers for Fire & Water can be found wherever you get your music. Her new EP, Magic All Around, will be released on Rosh Chodesh Adar. In her free time, Ariel loves singing around the bonfire and learning about owls.

Contact the host of Kabbalah of the Months: Judaism's Ancient Moon Wisdom - Nisan Edition!