Tu B’Shvat in the Redwoods

To celebrate Tu B’Shvat, Wilderness Torah leads a hike to a sacred redwood grove in the East Bay hills.  We gather to create an experiential Tu B’Shvat seder, modeled after the mystics of Tsfat, designed to connect us directly to the forest and the elements to celebrate the awakening of the trees.

Passover in the Desert

Passover in the Desert is a five-day gathering in the California desert wilderness to celebrate freedom and awakening.  We create a rustic tribal village where we camp, eat, pray, and learn together to immerse ourselves in the Exodus experience.  Divided into small tribes, we co-create the physical village, the spirit of community, learning opportunities, and meaningful Shabbat and Passover ritual.  Wilderness Torah’s tribal Passover Seder creates the crescendo of this gathering.  Set around a roaring fire, each tribe creatively contributes an element of the Passover Seder, bringing the Passover story to life in a fun, sacred, and inclusive manner.

Shavuot on the Mountain

We celebrate Shavuot by gathering together on the Bay Area’s sacred Mount Tamalpais for an all-night Tikkun Leil Shavuot.  Through traditional study sessions, experiential workshops, and music-making, we immerse ourselves in the essence of the harvest of the first fruits (bikkurim) and the revelation of receiving of the Torah.  This gathering is punctuated by a midnight Revelation Ritual to open ourselves to personal revelation, and culminates with a sunrise prayer service (Shacharit) on the mountain.  To celebrate the bikkurim, we enjoy local, organic food prepared fresh in camp.

Sukkot on the Farm

Sukkot on the Farm is a four-day gathering on an organic farm, where we camp, eat, and pray next to the fields to immerse ourselves in the essence of this harvest holiday.  In our community built sukkah, we observe Shabbat and Sukkot ritual; eat gourmet food freshly harvested from the fields; explore the connections between Jewish spirituality, nature awareness and food issues of today; and gather around the campfire for song and celebration.  This is a family friendly event, complete with a kids’ sukkah and youth programming.