In-Person and Online: Yom Kippur – A Day of Silence and Reflection
with Jon Aaron and Elaine Retholtz
Saturday, October 12th, 2024 | 10:00am – 7:00pm ET
In-Person Location: New York Insight at 115 West 29th Street, 12th Floor
Yom Kippur is the Jewish Day of Atonement, a day when, as a community, Jews are asked to reflect on their actions of the past year and to ask for atonement for any actions that were unskillful.
For over 20 years, New York Insight (NYI) has supported this day with a day of silence and reflection. This year, we are pleased to continue the annual Yom Kippur tradition with a hybrid (in-person and online). All are welcome to participate. While we acknowledge the tradition of “shul hopping” (attending different services throughout the day), we kindly ask that you register for this event, regardless of the time you plan to stay.
The day will include meditations focused on right action, the difference between guilt and remorse, the laws of karma, forgiveness, and lovingkindness. There will also be opportunities for mindful discussion on various aspects of the Buddhist perspective on atonement.
All are welcome to join us in this exploration, which will conclude with a symbolic break-fast.
This daylong retreat is offered on a dana (donation) basis. Your generosity is greatly appreciated—please donate as much as you are able.
CLICK HERE to download the Outline of the Day
CLICK HERE to download the Handout Booklet
CLICK HERE to download the Chant sheet
In-Person Registration:
Please register below. If you are able, registering at the “Supporter” level enables others to attend at the “Subsidized” level. Thank you for your generosity! (Please note that the registration price includes a base level of teacher support, and you will have the opportunity to donate more after the program.)
If you are registering via a mobile device such as a phone or tablet, you can scroll right and left and up and down within the below form if it is partially obscured or cut off.
CLICK HERE to open the registration form in a new browser window.
Online Registration:
If you are registering via a mobile device such as a phone or tablet, you can scroll right and left and up and down within the below form if it is partially obscured or cut off.
CLICK HERE to open the registration form in a new browser window.
Volunteering
All of our programs rely on volunteers to support our teachers and staff with various tasks and responsibilities. Volunteering allows you to participate in our programs at no cost. To inquire about volunteering opportunities, please fill out our inquiry form, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Teacher(s)
Jon Aaron
Jon Aaron is a Dharma and mindfulness teacher based in New York and Chicago. Since 2006, he has taught at the New York Insight Meditation Center, offering Dharma and MBSR classes. He regularly leads retreats around the U.S. He is primarily grounded in the Theravāda tradition, alongside non-dual and Mahayana approaches. His teaching emphasizes integrating Dharma and mindfulness into daily life to foster clarity in addressing personal and social challenges. His teachers include Matthew Flickstein and, more recently, Kittisaro and Thanissara through their Dharmapala program. Jon also studied contemplative care at the Zen Center for Contemplative Care and completed the Integrated Study and Practice program at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies. He is a certified MBSR teacher and teacher trainer and a Somatic Experience Practitioner®. In response to the pandemic, he and his partner, Upayadhi, launched the Space2Meditate community, offering daily meditation since March 2020. Additionally, he co-hosts the podcast Diggin’ the Dharma with scholar Doug Smith, now in its third season. JonAaron.net
Elaine Retholtz
Elaine Retholtz has been studying and practicing the Dharma since 1988. In addition to teaching Dharma at New York Insight, she is a certified Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction teacher and has a deep interest in helping students integrate mindfulness practice into daily life. Elaine is committed to deepening her own understanding of issues of diversity and the way racial conditioning in the United States affects all of us — both as individuals and in relationship to the institutions we are a part of, including New York Insight. She’s been involved in New York Insight’s diversity efforts for many years, serving on the diversity committee, and working with others to create spaces – for diverse groups of practitioners as well as for white practitioners meeting separately – to explore these issues within a Dharma frame.