On June 14th and 15th, close to 20 IJC members gathered for a Shabbaton retreat at the Old Abbey in Kortenberg, a former Benedictine Abbey of nuns dating back to the 13th century and now a centre for community building and spirituality with multiple options generated by the excellent restaurant and bar. We paused for a drink on the sun-drenched terrace as we welcomed each other, checked in to our rooms (basic, but clean and comfortable) and found our way to the chapel which became our Beit Tefilla / House of Prayer and Beit Midrash / House of Study for the duration of the retreat.
We were delighted to welcome Uri Aiskovich into our midst (see photo above with member Julie Benmosche), who led us in prayer, study, and meditation. Originally from Argentina, Uri is a fifth-year rabbinical student at Abraham Geiger College in Potsdam. His contribution to the retreat was deeply appreciated by all. The retreat started in our Beit Tefilla with Erev Shabbat services, traditional yet alternative, with new music and old, followed by kiddush and a delicious meal in the adjacent Ridderzaal (see photo below) with its seriously medieval vibe. A social evening followed in the bar and terrace (sheltering from the rain under huge umbrellas) and we trickled off to bed around 11pm looking forward to following day’s programme.
Breakfast was followed by a creative Shacharit service, led once again by Uri, and included a fascinating Torah study exploring parashat Naso and the figure of the Nasir who retreats from everyday life and activity for a year to make atonement for a life of excess. We concluded that ‘retreating’ for well-defined periods (even for just a weekend) can be reinvigorating and valuable, but that returning refreshed to everyday life and engaging with the world and each other was the primary goal.
The programme for the day included meditations based on Jewish mindfulness (led by Chantal) and the Hassidic hitbodedut tradition (led by myself and Uri). Mostly associated with Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, the hitbodedut tradition invites us to seek solitude in nature or wherever we find ourselves, and to enter into an unscripted conversation – out loud where possible, internal if necessary – with the divine, however we define it.
We concluded the weekend with coffee and a final exchange, and headed off on our separate ways, back to life, family, friends and work.
The Oude Abdij was an ideal location for us – the concierge even remembered previous IJC visits by our Hebrew School children and parents – and we look forward to holding our 2025 retreat there.
Rabbi Brian
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