An Invitation from Rabbi Olivier

Like many of you, I have traveled down many paths on my spiritual journey. Having had significant spiritual experiences as a kid being raised in France, I sought answers and guidance in my teens in a Jewish Orthodox community, moved to Israel at 18 and lived there for ten years. I went through a dark spiritual crisis in my mid-twenties which caused me to reject Judaism and, eventually, leave Israel and move to the US.

My spiritual search, here, brought me to the Buddhist path which I explored for several years. Yoga, Tai Chi, meditation practices in the Zen, Shambhala and Vipassana lineages became part of my life. When I met Bet Alef and learned that there was a Jewish path of meditation and a mystical lens of understanding just as rich and powerful as in Buddhism, I knew I had come home.

The rest, as they say, is history; but it is history in the making. The gift I received of the beautiful jewel that is this exploration of the Jewish mystical path here at Bet Alef, is the gift I want to keep on giving, keep on sharing with anyone who walks through our doors. That is why I love this work so much. I don’t know where you are on your spiritual journey, what questions you might have, but I’d love to meet with you in person and talk about it over coffee or tea. Drop me a line right now at rabbi.olivier@betalef.org. Tell me you are reading this online and you want to take me up on my offer. I look forward to it.