Every year Kol Nefesh Masorti Synagogue offers a unique ten day spiritual retreat during the Ten Days of Repentance between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Each year we take a particular theme and explore it in depth every evening of the ten days.

This enables us to arrive at Yom Kippur having done the inner work that is necessary for us to be able put our utmost into that great day of reckoning. This year our theme will be “Today the world is born – Judaism’s relationship with the Natural World”. The Yamim Nora’im are the most universalist of Judaism’s major holy days. They do not celebrate events from the Jewish national narrative but rather reflect our take on the human significance of the world’s birthday.

This is an appropriate time to explore sources that deal with Judaism’s relationship with the physical environment. Does the universal Jewish narrative have something to offer to contemporary environmental
thinking? Might elements of the Jewish narrative be at least partially responsible for our current crisis?

All sessions are stand alone and require no background knowledge but obviously those participants who manage to attend all of the sessions will gain a more complete understanding of the complex worldview
painted by the tradition.
 
Sessions will include:

• The creation narratives I – our complex picture of humanity’s role in the world.
• The Creation narratives II - Joseph Soloveitchik’s view on humanity’s split nature
• Is the natural world still discernable? Maintaining a relationship with dwindling untainted nature.
• Tikkun HaOlam and the prohibition on wanton destruction. A model for environmental action?
• Shabbat and Shmittah – developing our awareness of not being masters of the world.

For more information about the Kol Nefesh Masorti Ten Day Spiritual Retreat, or to register for any or all of the sessions, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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Egalitarian Masorti Synagogue in Edgware. We have regular services on Shabbat and Haggim, and occasional evening services on erev Shabbat or erev Hag. Kol Nefesh services can be followed from any traditional Ashkenazi prayer book. We have a range of siddurim including Singers, Birnbaum and Silverman and the new Siddur Eit Ratzon. We leyn the whole sedra (Torah reading) each week. The main difference between the service at Kol Nefesh and a standard orthodox service is that both men and women have the opportunity, should they want to and have the skill, to perform any of the functions within the service, without restriction. We are always pleased to welcome visitors for Shabbat and Festivals.

The atmosphere is warm, friendly, relaxed and informal. There is no dress code, no reserved seats and we are free to sit anywhere - on our own, with family or friends. It's our individual choice.

For locations, more details and to register for courses at Kol Nefesh.
Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 0790 0672163