ConsciousTorah is a process to teach and share Torah. The Torah is a guidebook for Jewish souls showing how they can access the divine and bring kodesh/holiness into the world. Judaism is an ancient family tradition; and in order to understand this ancient tradition, we need to both experience, and study the tradition. While there are many venues for study, there are very few venues for experiencing what we have learned/are learning. We fill this gap with teachings, classes, and workshops using the ConsciousTorah method..
Classes, workshops, and teachings are non-denominational, and open and welcoming to all. We knock down the barriers between the various streams of Judaism, and build bridges of love and respect between all Jews.
Please help us in this work of providing ways of experiencing Torah by coming to classes and workshops, and/or providing donations. We accept donations via PayPal or checks made out to Geoffrey Cohen, or cash.
Bios:
Shmuel Shalom Cohen
My name is Shmuel Shalom Cohen. I was born in the San Francisco bay area and lived there for 35 years. I received my BA at UC Berkeley in computer science and worked in Silicon Valley for 20 years. In the early 1990s I studied a Celtic shamanic tradition called the 3rd Road directly from its creator Franchesca De Grandis. From this training, I learned a lot about energy work and ritual, and that tradition also encouraged me to work in the tradition of my ancestors: what we call the Jewish tradition. I started to read the bible in English (Soncino edition).
In the mid 1990s I moved up to Eugene Oregon and started to learn with Rabbi Hanan Sills. I also met Rabbi Gershon Winkler who suggested I immerse myself in the “unique marinade of yeshiva life,” which I did when I moved to Jerusalem, Israel in January of 2001 and started learning at Yeshiva Ohr Samayach. I lived 9 years in Jerusalem, and I also spent tiime learning at Yeshiva Darche Noam and Yeshiva Simchat Shlomo. I also learned directly with Rabbi Gedalya Fleer, Avraham Sutton, and Sarah Yehudit Shnieder, among many other fine teachers and rabbis.
Now, I have returned to Eugene, Oregon with the desire to share what I have learned to any Jew who has a desire to discover some of the joy and beauty that exists in our ancient tradition. My teaching style is experiential, though I also believe in study of our holy texts. My hope is that my fellow Jews will become excited about their (and my 🙂 tradition and want to learn more about it, and grow in their “Yiddishkeit.”
May we all become rabbis to each other!