Kirva - Inside Out Wisdom and Action

Website

Kirva - Inside Out Wisdom and Action The world needs changing—and you’re the person to do it! Join a community of people cultivating our inner resources, guided by Jewish wisdom and ethics.

10/15/2026

With the midterms just weeks away, we’re excited to share this practice video with Fight Like a Mensch and Dismantling Racism from the Inside Out facilitator, Jessika Hepburn. Earlier this year, Jessika co-facilitated a Twin Cities Fight Like a Mensch cohort, supporting participants in drawing on Jewish spiritual wisdom to sustain their work for a multiracial democracy. In this video, she guides us in cultivating Yirah/Awe and Ometz Lev/ Courage. When we pause to take in the wonder of the world, we can feel both awe at what is before us and a deep sense of responsibility. That feeling can move us to step outside our comfort zones and act with Ometz Lev/Courage, even when it’s hard. Try this practice every day until the midterms, and pay attention to what grows.

The practice:
Choose something from nature, such as a leaf, flower, stone, tree, or insect.

Spend five minutes observing its shape, texture, color, and other details. As you observe, reflect on the Yirah/Awe of the Creator. Notice the object’s complexity and beauty, and allow a sense of wonder at the One who brought it into being. When your mind wanders, gently return to the object and to awe.

Action: Drawing on your Yirah/Awe, choose a way to engage in your prodemocracy efforts that will push you a little outside of your comfort zone, calling on Ometz Lev/Courage. To make this a daily practice, what can you do related to that action each day?

10/02/2026

Content warning: SA and Cornell 7

The news coming out of Cornell is horrifying. For Kirva Executive Director Rabbi David Jaffe, and Cornell alumnus, this violence echoes an incident that happened during his time as a student, 40 years ago.

In this video, Rabbi David shares his reflections, offers an invitation to consider where we are situated in the Balance of Care framework, inspired by Valarie Kaur, and his own balance of care work in light of this ongoing systemic violence. His words, “I believe you,” are an act of care: a way of witnessing and affirming the experiences of those who have been harmed.

As we take in this news, we invite you to consider how we can extend care to the many people in our lives who are survivors of SA. How do you need care right now? Or, how can you offer care? How can you shift from a bystander to an up stander when harm is happening?

May this and all violence and harm end. And may we all know dignity, peace, and safety.

Looking to return to a regular Mussar practice that supports your efforts for justice, or experience Kirva’s approach to...
10/01/2026

Looking to return to a regular Mussar practice that supports your efforts for justice, or experience Kirva’s approach to Mussar for the first time?

Join our next Mussar & Justice Practice Cohort, Kirva’s ongoing practice community, which brings the Jewish spiritual traditions of Mussar (applied Jewish ethics) and Chassidut (applied Jewish mysticism) into conversation with the work of social justice. Together, we’ll explore middot (soul traits) like savlanut/patience and simcha/joy, and spiritual practices that can help us grow personally, navigate the challenges we encounter in our justice work and day-to-day lives, and live out our values more fully in the world. This cohort will be led by Kirva’s Lead Organizer, Dan Gelbtuch, and Kirva Teacher, Rabbi Koach Baruch Frazier. This six-session cohort begins October 9th at 1:30 PM ET. Register at the link in our bio!

Whether you’ve practiced with this Kirva cohort before or are completely new to Mussar, this cohort offers a supportive community for developing a regular spiritual practice grounded in community and our commitments to justice. We hope you’ll join us!

Image Description: Graphic with text that reads, “Mussar & Justice Practice Cohort with Kirva. Six Sessions led by Dan Gelbtuch and Rabbi Koach Baruch Frazier. Online - Zoom. Starting Friday, October 9th, 1:30-3:00 PM ET.” The graphic also shows a photo of Dan and a photo of Rabbi Koach.

Deepen your toolbox for fighting against authoritarianism by being part of Fight Like a Mensch, Kirva’s peer-led Jewish ...
09/30/2026

Deepen your toolbox for fighting against authoritarianism by being part of Fight Like a Mensch, Kirva’s peer-led Jewish learning and practice community. This program brings Jewish spiritual wisdom to our efforts to build a multiracial democracy. New cohorts will launch across the country in January, with facilitator trainings beginning in November and December.

Whether you’re interested in participating in a cohort, becoming a facilitator, or bringing Fight Like a Mensch to your community, come to our info session next week to explore the different ways to take part and get your questions answered. Join us on Zoom next week,
Thursday, October 8th, at 7:30-8:30 PM ET / 6:30-7:30 PM CT / 5:30-6:30 PM MT / 4:30-5:30 PM PT
Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/b36XdhyEQt24RuubNP8P1A #/registration

Image description: Graphic with text that reads, “Fight Like a Mensch Info Session - Kirva’s newest Jewish learning and practice program, supporting our efforts to fight authoritarianism and build a multiracial democracy. Online - Zoom, Thursday, October 8th, 7:30-8:30 PM ET.” The graphic shows a photo of a pile of Fight Like a Mensch buttons.

09/25/2026

This week, it was announced that Disability Wisdom as Soul Care co-creator and teacher, Rabbi Lauren Tuchman, is one of 10 recipients of The Covenant Foundation’s Pomegranate Prize. Rabbi Lauren shares her reflections on this recognition, and what it means for the growth of Disability Wisdom as Soul Care, our program that creates vibrant learning communities for people with disability and chronic illness, led by people with disabilities. We are excited to grow this program over three years by training leaders with disabilities to facilitate Jewish learning experiences that integrate disability Torah, community building, and spiritual growth.

Honor Rabbi Lauren by making a donation to support the growth of Disability Wisdom as Soul Care here: https://kirva.kindful.com/?campaign=1435840

🎉 Mazal tov to Rabbi Lauren Tuchman, who has received The Covenant Foundation’s 2026 Pomegranate Prize!The Pomegranate P...
09/24/2026

🎉 Mazal tov to Rabbi Lauren Tuchman, who has received The Covenant Foundation’s 2026 Pomegranate Prize!

The Pomegranate Prize recognizes emerging leaders who are shaping the field of Jewish education, and Rabbi Lauren is one of ten Jewish educators selected to receive the Prize this year.

We are so fortunate to have Rabbi Lauren’s Torah, wisdom, and leadership enriching our communities. At Kirva, we have had the tremendous gift of learning from and collaborating with her as she co-creates, teaches, and grows Disability Wisdom as Soul Care (DWASC), bringing people with disabilities and chronic illness together for Jewish spiritual learning and practice, community, and work toward disability justice.

To celebrate this incredible recognition, we’re raising $5,000 to support the continued growth of Disability Wisdom as Soul Care.

This fall, we launched the next phase of DWASC, bringing together 30 participants to deepen their Jewish spiritual learning and practice with Rabbi Lauren and Kohenet Dr. Harriette Wimms. Many of these participants will have the opportunity to train as DWASC facilitators next year, growing the leadership of Jews with disabilities and bringing this learning into communities across the country.

Celebrate Rabbi Lauren by making a gift to Disability Wisdom as Soul Care at the link in our bio. ❤️

Kol hakavod, Rabbi Lauren! We are so grateful for all you bring to Kirva and to the Jewish community.

Image Description: Graphic with text that reads, “Celebrating Rabbi Lauren Tuchman 2026 Pomegranate Prize Recipient - The Covenant Foundation”. The graphic shows a photo of Rabbi Lauren smiling, along with a red outline illustration of both a pomegranate cut in half and a whole pomegranate.

What does it mean to choose life?For Rebbe Nachman, Rosh Hashanah was a time of Hitchadshut—rebirth and renewal, when we...
09/10/2026

What does it mean to choose life?

For Rebbe Nachman, Rosh Hashanah was a time of Hitchadshut—rebirth and renewal, when we can begin again and turn toward what is possible. He called Rosh Hashanah “my main thing” and urged his followers to be with him for the holiday.

Like most years, Rabbi David Jaffe is in Uman, Ukraine to join the 215th Rosh Hashana gathering at Rebbe Nachman’s gravesite. The gravesite is a place of great yearning and prayer, especially on Rosh Hashana.

As we approach Rosh Hashana, we decide what book we want to be written into this coming year. What kind of life do we want to live in the coming year? The Torah is clear. Hashem wants us to choose life.

What might it mean to take that choice seriously? Not only as an individual, but in how we live with one another, what we give our attention to, and how we work toward a world where life can flourish?

The practice in this post offers one way to sit with that question during Rosh Hashanah and the Ten Days of Awe. Try it yourself, and see what opens up.

And read Rabbi David’s full reflection—including more of his teachings on Rebbe Nachman and Rosh Hashanah—at the link in our bio.

L’shana tova u’metuka. 🌱

Image Description: A graphic with text on top of a photo of the sun rising over the ocean. Text reads, “A Rosh Hashana Practice - We invite you to try this practice over the holiday and during the 10 days of Teshuva leading up to Yom Kippur: Reflect on, or bring into prayer, this statement and question, “I choose life”—what does that mean for you? You can ask HaShem, the universe, ancestors, and more for help choosing life. Each day you can apply this statement/question to different parts of your life. Record what emerges and make more prayers from that. You can say these words out loud for a minute or two as a form of prayer.”

The High Holidays are approaching quickly. Have you made space for reflection? For thinking about who you want to become...
09/04/2026

The High Holidays are approaching quickly. Have you made space for reflection? For thinking about who you want to become in the year ahead, and what practices can help you get there?

Our annual Teshuvah Workshop for 5787 begins this Tuesday, offering two evenings to step out of the rush of this season and give real time and attention to the spiritual work of teshuvah. Register at the link in our bio, or at bit.ly/teshuvah5787

Led by Rabbi David Jaffe, we’ll look back on the year with honesty and compassion, notice what is asking for our attention, and discern how we want to grow in the year ahead. We’ll have some time for individual reflection, learning, and practice, ultimately developing a spiritual action plan for 5787 that can support you and your efforts for justice throughout the year. We hope to see you there!

Image One: Graphic with text that reads, “Attending the Teshuva Workshop profoundly changed my experience of the High Holidays… Instead of squeezing all my reflection into 10 days, at the end having some vague sense of my path for the coming year, I had time, support, and also tools to reflect on my year and am going forward into the new year with a written spiritual action plan. I know what I intend to do, and, most importantly, why I intend to do it!”

Image Two: Promotional graphic for Teshuvah Workshop with text that reads, “Teshuvah Workshop 5787 with Rabbi David Jaffe. Two-part online workshop: September 8th &16th 7-9PM ET / 4-6 PM PT. Reconnect. reflect. return. A Teshuvah journey with Kirva. STARTING TUESDAY”

Thousands of starlings take flight together, turning and shifting in an enormous, breathtaking swarm. No single bird is ...
08/28/2026

Thousands of starlings take flight together, turning and shifting in an enormous, breathtaking swarm. No single bird is directing the movement. The flock moves collectively—responding to one another, adjusting, and moving as part of something larger than itself.

We need that kind of collective movement now.

Defeating authoritarianism will take broad coalitions: people with different experiences, perspectives, relationships, and tactics, finding ways to move together toward a shared vision of justice and belonging.

Jewish ancestral wisdom has much to teach us about cultivating the relationships, trust, and communities that make that kind of collective movement possible.

Join us this Monday, August 31, 7–8:30 PM ET for Fight Like a Mensch: Becoming the People This Moment Requires, a free online gathering from Kirva and A More Perfect Union.

We’ll draw on Mussar (applied Jewish ethics) and Chassidut (applied Jewish mysticism) to explore practices for strengthening relationships across difference—and building the collective capacity we need for coalition work.

Come learn how we can move together.

Register at the link in bio, or at bit.ly/flm-webinar

Image Description: Graphic with text on top of a photo of tens of thousands of starlings ascending into the sky above trees and plains. Text on top of the image reads, “FIGHT LIKE A MENSCH: Becoming the People This Moment Requires, August 31st 7-8:30 PM ET on Zoom. A Webinar on Jewish Spiritual Practice for the Midterms and Beyond. Both Kirva and A More Perfect Union logos are on the graphic. JOIN US MONDAY! bit.ly/flm-webinar”

Photo by James Wainscoat on Unsplash

Last week, we gathered for our 2026 Ovdim alumni retreat, bringing together alumni from each of our first three cohorts ...
08/27/2026

Last week, we gathered for our 2026 Ovdim alumni retreat, bringing together alumni from each of our first three cohorts for our annual time of learning, practice, and reconnection.

Ovdim is Kirva’s 18-month leadership cohort for experienced Jewish social justice leaders, supporting participants in deepening their Jewish spiritual practice alongside their work for justice. Each year, Ovdim alumni come back together to continue that practice and learn from one another.

At the beautiful Hallowood Retreat Center in Dickerson, Maryland, we were joined by leaders from American Jewish World Service, Avodah, the Jewish Social Justice Roundtable, and National Council of Jewish Women, and were led by Rabbi David Jaffe and Rabbi Lauren Tuchman.

With the High Holidays approaching, we worked with Rebbe Nachman’s Good Points as a practice of teshuvah, shared stories of return, and made space for individual and group practice. It was an opportunity to reflect on what we want to carry forward, what we want to return to, and how we want to enter the year ahead.

It was a deeply special time of learning, reflection, and reconnection. We’re excited to share a few photos from our time together.

Address

Miami Beach, FL
33109, 33139, 33140, 33141.

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Kirva - Inside Out Wisdom and Action posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category