Havurah Shalom

Forgiveness heals our own hearts and offers healing to others. Our Jewish tradition is rich in stories, laws and teachings about reconciliation and forgiveness. Led by Karen Mitzner, this series of three workshops will examine highlights from our tradition for inspiration and guidance. We will weave these teachings with insights from psychologists and our own wisdom and experience to deepen our practice of reconciliation and forgiveness.

Sessions will address the following questions: What is forgiveness? What is reconciliation? Why forgive? What makes forgiveness often so hard? In order to forgive, what is most important?

As a group, we will discuss how to cultivate compassion toward ourselves and toward others. Robert Karen’s idea of “emotional monotheism” in forgiveness work will be explored. We’ll also examine what makes a good apology and tease apart the work of forgiving ourselves, as well as other people. The importance of reparations will be discussed, as well as other topics the group may raise.

We will also examine contemporary stories of forgiveness work, like Simon Wiesenthal’s The Sunflower, that convey this topic’s complexity. As we work, we’ll use some meditative forgiveness practices to assist us.

This class will take place on Havurah’s High Holidays website. Register for free when it opens on Aug. 4!