THE NONDUAL AND NONBINARY IN THE PSALMS
with Rabbi Shir Meira Feit — Tuesdays 12-1:15 pm ET / 9-10:15 am PT, July 8, 15, 22
The relationship between the Divine and the Psalmist(s) has been described as Direct and Reflected light. But when we sing a line like "for with you is the source of life," for example, are we singing to God or is Goddexx singing to us? Come queer the text and explore the (un)godly grammar of prayer and psalms. We will experiment and share practices for using nonbinary Hebrew in personal and collective settings including Brachot (blessings) and familiar prayers (Modet Ani, Shalom Aleichemain, etc). Each session will involve song, silence, subtle movement, and sharing experiences, and there may be some creative prompts as well.
The class will be taught via Zoom and can also be accessed via phone. All sessions will be recorded; you can take the class even if the time block does not work for you. For financial assistance or scholarship opportunities, please contact liviah@beitkohenet.org.
Cost: $100 + $25 non-refundable registration fee
Rabbi Shir Meira Feit
Rabbi Shir Meira Feit is a musician, composer, ritual facilitator, and spiritual director. Shir has released several solo and collaborative albums of Jewish mystical music and has facilitated countless circles of communal ritual prayer and song, helping people of all backgrounds connect with their inner wisdom and joy.
Shir worked as a serial spiritual entrepreneur for over twenty years. They co-founded the Kol Zimrah independent minyan; was the Creative and Music Director for Romemu, New York City’s largest Renewal synagogue; served as Director of Engagement at ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal; and founded the Kol Hai: Hudson Valley Jewish Renewal spiritual community in New Paltz, New York. Today, Shir offers their teachings as an independent educator and musician and as a spiritual director, helping others to grow and flourish at the dynamic edge of spiritual emergence.
Shir received rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and the ALEPH Ordination Program and is a former Wexner Graduate Fellow. Shir is also a member of the Zen Peacemakers and served as council facilitator and clergy for five years’ Bearing Witness Retreats in Auschwitz-Birkenau.
In the last several years, Shir’s work and life have been heavily influenced by the spiritual practice of parenting, interpersonal neurobiology, somatic psychology, neuroqueer theory, artificial intelligence, and the wisdom of plant medicines. Shir lives with their partner and three children in the ancestral lands of the Esopus band of the Lenape Peoples, today known as New York’s Hudson Valley.