As the High Holidays approach, many of us feel something very different from inspiration. We feel pressure. Guilt. Anxiety. A sense that we are supposed to become better, fix ourselves, make resolutions, face judgment, and somehow arrive spiritually prepared.
But what if the dread itself is based on a misunderstanding of what these days are asking from us?
In this special class, Rabbi DovBer Pinson will explore the deeper Kabbalistic meaning of yirah—a word often translated as fear, but which can also mean awe, openness, and the experience of standing before something larger than ourselves.
Rather than viewing Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur as days of spiritual pressure and self-criticism, we will explore them as an invitation to return: to move beyond the stories, habits, and identities that have accumulated over the year and reconnect with something more essential within us.
What does it really mean to be judged on Rosh Hashanah? What is teshuvah if it is not simply repentance or guilt? Can regret exist without shame? And how can the very feelings of fear and uncertainty that arise during this season become doorways into greater presence, intimacy, and possibility?
From Dread to Awe is an invitation to experience the High Holidays differently—not as a demand to become someone else, but as an opportunity to rediscover who we are beneath everything that has gotten in the way.
A journey from fear to awe.
Who's holding space
Meet your guide.
Rav Dovber Pinson
World Renowned Kabbalist
At the table
What we'll serve.
Salad
Ceasar Salad
Pastrami Sandwiche
Pastrami SandwichPastrami and brisket on a club loaded with Russian dressing and coleslaw.
Middle Eastern Platter
Middle Eastern PlatterFALAFEL BALLS, HUMMUSH, BABAGONOSH, ISRAELI SALAD, TAHINA & PITA
Save your seat.
Seats are intentionally limited so the circle stays intimate.