Liberty In the Land for All Her Inhabitants

Justice, Ecology, Sustainability and Human Rights

August 6-12

From an Earth Covenant perspective, ethics and sustainability are inseparable. The Torah teaches that justice towards each other is what leads to "increasing our days on the earth." The bottom line for justice is not just how we treat each other, but ecological sustainability: how we treat the land. With social justice so high on the Jewish agenda, where is ecology? Where is sustainability?

This class will explore how human rights and ethics are grounded in the Torah's concept of the land's rights and look at ways to bring this integration to our work and to our Jewish communities. Our sources will also include Kabbalah, the Baal Shem Tov, Rebbe Nachman, and the Izhbitzer, as well as Aldo Leopold's The Land Ethic and wisdom from the deep ecology and social ecology traditions.

Teacher

Rabbi David Seidenberg teaches throughout North America on Kabbalah, Chassidut, Talmud, Bible, and ecology. David is the creator of NeoHasid.org and the stop-the-flood project on global warming, as well as an activist. His work is published in numerous volumes, including Trees, Earth and Torah and The Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature. David holds a doctorate in Kabbalah and ecology from Jewish Theological Seminary, and smikhah from both JTS and R. Zalman Schachter-Shalomi.

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Registration Information

Adult Fees

The program fee for this class is $100. Fees are per person, and do not include the cost of tenting or commuting (this is the only option available for this retreat).

Room and board includes housing, meals, Shabbat services, evening activities, hot tub, yoga, meditation, and full use of our facility. All rooms are air-conditioned in the summer and heated in the winter. Adults fees apply to ages 15 and higher.

Limited financial aid is available.

Arrival and Departure

Please arrive between 2pm and 5pm on the day your retreat begins. Retreats end with brunch at 11:30am on the last day of the retreat.

Cancellation Policy

• Receive a full refund minus a $75 processing fee for cancellations more than 30 days prior to retreat.
• If you cancel between 30 days and one day in advance, a non-refundable credit (less a $75 processing fee) will be held for one year from the date of issue. This credit is non-transferable.
• No credit or refund is available if you cancel less than 24 hours in advance or on the workshop’s arrival day, if you do not attend a retreat, or if you leave a retreat early for any reason.

The Elat Chayyim Center for Jewish Spirituality reserves the right to cancel any program at any time. In this event, you will be given a complete refund.

For transportation: A full refund of transportation fees is available if you cancel at least three days (72 hours) in advance. No refund is available if less than three days notice is given. For more information on getting here, please visit our Travel & Transportation page.

Register now!

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