Jewish spirituality leader visiting Pittsburgh for weekend of learning
Rabbi Joshua Feigelson looks to Darth Vader, Jewish texts and Alexis de Tocqueville as guides
Looking for insight into spirituality?
Set your eyes on Darth Vader — yes, the iconic Star Wars villain — Rabbi Joshua Feigelson told the Chronicle.
“He can actually teach us about mindfulness practice and about the importance of the ability to let go,” Feigelson said by phone from Skokie, Illinois.
Darth Vader demonstrates how to process his fear “and not be consumed by it,” the Midwesterner continued. “It’s actually a pretty deep lesson.”
Feigelson is president and CEO of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. Founded in 1999, IJS promotes Jewish spiritual practices through reliance on Jewish wisdom. The organization offers multiple free digital resources, including daily meditation and an online Jewish yoga studio. Along with nearly 25,000 people who receive regular emails from IJS, numerous individuals benefit from the organization’s retreats and other in-person activities, Feigelson said.
From Aug. 2-4, Pittsburghers can enjoy IJS pedagogy and Feigelson’s teachings. In partnership with Temple Sinai, Rodef Shalom Congregation is welcoming Feigelson for a weekend of learning.
Friday evening, at Temple Sinai’s Mostly Musical Evening Service, Feigelson will address “What I Learned from Darth Vader About Mindfulness and Democracy.”
The sermon, he said, will reference Alexis de Tocqueville’s “Democracy in America” and focus on “habits of the heart” for living and governing together.
On Saturday evening, at Rodef Shalom, sponsored by the Tiferet Project, Feigelson will speak about the need to speak. His talk, “How Can We Be Silent,” will employ Talmudic, Hasidic and Jewish philosophical texts while acknowledging the atrocities of Oct. 7 to understand silence as a tool for promoting greater speech.
Finally, on Sunday morning at Rodef Shalom, Feigelson will speak about mindful responses to antisemitism. His talk, “The Anti-Antisemite Club: Staying Sane and Responding Mindfully to Hate,” will demonstrate how Jewish mindfulness practices can facilitate wiser responses.
Whether it’s rising antisemitism, Oct. 7 and the ongoing war, or the upcoming U.S. presidential election, there are various reasons for feeling increased unease, Feigelson said. He hopes the weekend will deliver “some useful tools for managing the tension and anxiety that I think we’re all feeling.”
Temple Sinai’s Cantor David Reinwald said that Feigelson’s visit couldn’t come at a better time.
“We are looking forward to this special opportunity to bring together multiple communities for moments of learning and mindfulness. Rabbi Feigelson’s perspectives on how to live and cope in a world that presents challenges to us individually and to the Jewish community as a whole are both timely and essential to our understanding and livelihood,” Reinwald said.
Feigelson has been at IJS since 2022. Before joining the institute, he received ordination from Yeshivat Chovevei Torah and served as the Hillel Rabbi at Northwestern University. He earned a doctorate in religious studies at Northwestern and also served as dean of students at the University of Chicago Divinity School.
For decades, Feigelson, 48, has used his posts to promote Jewish wisdom and spirituality.
Society craves such teaching, with 70% of U.S. adults describing themselves as spiritual in some way, according to Pew Research Center.
The gift of Judaism, Feigelson said, should be more easily accessible.
“I’m a huge believer in the idea that Judaism has to contribute to our flourishing as human beings. It’s not something that we do out of guilt or just out of a sense of responsibility,” he said. “We have this amazing gift in our tradition that can really help us respond to life’s biggest challenges. I hope that people get some practical tools and a taste and a desire to go further with that.” PJC
Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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