Rabbi Lauren Tuchman (she/her), Program Director and Founder, Disability Wisdom As Soul Care, Kirva: Jewish Spirituality and Action for Social Change
Applying Jewish spiritual practice to daily life through working with the Middah (Soul Trait) of Kavod (Honor) — Text-based learning, individual spiritual practice, and journaling
Rabbi Nachman of Breslov taught that, on a spiritual level, Moses built the Mishkan (Tabernacle) by finding the good points of each member of Bnai Yisrael (the Children of Israel). Seeing what is unique in ourselves and others is a practice of Kavod (Honor, Dignity and Respect) and helps us build sacred relationships and organizations. As Jewish communal professionals and volunteers, we have the opportunity to put into practice Jewish wisdom like seeing Kavod into our daily work. In this session, participants will learn about Kirva’s unique, integrated vision for weaving together the spiritual lineages of Mussar (applied Jewish ethics) and Chasidut (applied Jewish mysticism) into building healthy relationships, organizations and communities. Anchoring our practice by learning about and working with the Mussar Middah (Soul Trait) of Kavod, we will first offer an introduction to Mussar as a movement and spiritual lineage. We will then move into text study done in small groups, emphasizing not just the content but personal application. Time will also be devoted for individual spiritual practice and journaling exercises. Finally, we will close by providing broader, immediate application of Kavod to how we continue showing up at the JPro25 conference. How might every interaction we have with another be a manifestation of our practice of Kavod?
