Rabbi Knopf's Blog

I wanted to use this inaugural blog post to let you know about a unique opportunity we are offering at Temple Beth-El on Saturday, December 3:

We will be hosting the legendary Kirtan Rabbi (http://kirtanrabbi.com/) for an extraordinary evening of mystical chanting. The Kirtan Rabbi fuses Jewish tradition and Eastern practice to take people of all backgrounds and faiths on a powerful spiritual journey. 

The Kirtan Rabbi chants in Hebrew, but you don’t need to understand Hebrew — or even be Jewish — to be inspired by the swirling, mystical music and soothing spiritual atmosphere he creates. 

In fact, we are joining with The Chrysalis Institute and The Integral Yoga Center to bring The Kirtan Rabbi to Richmond precisely as an opportunity to bring our diverse community together, which I suspect you will agree we all need now more than ever.

I'm sure many of us will read the above and feel a bit skeptical. I know. Trust me, I was, too, before I first chanted with The Kirtan Rabbi. But that first encounter totally transformed me - my understanding of Judaism, my appreciation for Eastern traditions, my connection to God, my experience of prayer, everything. I am confident that you will find it meaningful, too. 

If you want to get a feel for what The Kirtan Rabbi is all about before Saturday night, he'll be with us all Shabbat. Please join us for services on Friday evening and/or Saturday morning. He'll be sharing words of Torah and some meditations at both.

I hope you will consider joining us, and I encourage you to invite friends and family. This will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that is truly not to be missed, and it is open to the entire community. It will be spiritually moving, educationally meaningful, healing and inspiring in these anxious times.

The Saturday evening concert begins at 7:30pm. Admission is a suggested donation of $18/person. You can pay at the door or register here in advance: https://www.bethelrichmond.org/event/concert.html#

You can also learn more about the event on Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/events/159548514510461/

Let me know if you have any questions. I hope to see you on December 3!