K’riat HaKodesh (Reading the Holy) is a method of contemplating on Torah designed by Rabbi Leila Gal Berner, Phd. This method is based on a medieval Christian modality called lectio divina in which a group of spiritual seekers listen to the same text several times to derive personal and communal meaning and to feel closer to God. The Jewish method does the same, seeking to bring personal meaning to the learner as they navigate the journeys of life. It combines listening to brief teachings on the parsha with silent meditative time focused around personal questions.
Rabbi Leila Gal Berner has a Ph.D. in medieval Jewish Studies from UCLA and was ordained in 1989 by the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and also in 2009 by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi z”l. She has taught at Swarthmore and Reed Colleges, Emory, George Washington and American Universities. She is on the faculty of ALEPH: the Alliance for Jewish Renewal where she teaches biblical and medieval history and midrash. She lives in Frederick MD with her wife Franna Ruddell and is the joyful savta of three amazing granddaughters, Olivia, Lucy and Aliya.
You can view the first session here: