Growth: Learning & Torah with Nefesh
Educational and spiritual growth offerings in Los Angeles or virtually from anywhere
Adult Learning
Torah, t’filah, mussar, collective singing, and spiritual growth practices for adults
Makom
Robust and creative Jewish and Hebrew learning for kids from TK-B’nai Mitzvah.
Mussar | מוּסַר
Nefesh is a Middot driven community.
Mussar is Jewish wisdom perspective and a discipline of transformative spiritual practices. We center the deepest values of the Jewish tradition – the MIDDOT – as the grounding framework for our learning and practice.
Upcoming offerings:
At the beginning of the new year, on Rosh Hashanah day we gather as a community after services to talk about focusing on a middot in the new year. Stay tuned for more info about Nefesh High Holy Days.
Adult Education | לִמּוּד
Grow and learn with Nefesh. Adult learning classes on Mussar, Torah, and prayer with Rabbi Susan Goldberg and guest teachers. Group singing for all experience levels. Classes both in person in Los Angeles and online wherever you are.
Current Offerings:
- Lai Lai: Learn and L’Chaim with Rabbi Aaron – Every first and third Friday of the month @ 6:30 before our Erev Shabbat service. Come say the kiddush, toast with friends, and do a little bit of prayer learning before our 7pm service. On hiatus for the summer.
- Parshat Study with Rabbi Aaron – every Thursday, 12-1:15pm in person at location TBD. Sign up here.
- Singing with Sally – 1st Sundays, 10:45am-12pm in person in Eagle Rock. Starting again in Nov. 2025. Sign up here.
- Nefesh Torah Learning with Guest Rabbis – First session Sunday, November 17th with special guest Rabbi Mel Gottlieb. Sign up here.
- Intro to Judaism with Rabbi Aaron – Beginning in November 2024. Class is currently full. To enquire about the 5786 cohort, please email melissa@nefeshla.org
Makom – Jewish Learning for Kids | מְקוֹם
Robust content, creative expression, and practical tools for building Jewish life for TK-B’nai Mitzvah.
The word makom means “place”, and we are developing an understanding that every place can be a Jewish place. Using art, storytelling, text study, discussion, service learning, music, and movement – we offer a full bodied experience of Jewish education!
Weekend classes focus on:
- Blessings/T’filah: to learn, unpack, and appreciate prayer
- Middot: our soul traits, which we apply to real life situations
- Torah: examining and questioning the story behind the story; learning to interpret themes
- Hebrew: learning to read Hebrew, studying the Aleph-Bet, and building vocabulary for Jewish prayer, middot, and Torah.
- Jews around the World: learning about our diverse, global Jewish experiences, indentities, and practices
B’nai Mitzvah | בְּנֵי מִצְוָה
The Nefesh B’nai Mitzvah program embraces our inner lives and spiritual growth; care, responsibility and knowledge of others; and the repair of the world. We believe that becoming a B’nai Mitzvah at any age is an individual moment and a collective moment all at once. It is about your story and the story of our people.
If you are interested in exploring having a B’nai Mitzvah with Nefesh, please contact us and our Interim Makom Director, Rabbi Yechiel Hoffman, will be in touch with you.
