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Rabbi Chaya Gusfield

Rabbi Chaya Gusfield, Jewish Renewal, rabbi, spiritual director, chaplain

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Torahscope

Chaya holding a Torah

I have developed a unique approach to studying Torah that I call Torahscope. We begin with each participant’s birth portion. This means that each participant explores the Torah portion that was being read in synagogue the week they were born. Each person asks deeply personal questions about their portion, finding the gems to guide their life. This approach has been highly successful helping the most skeptical grasp the power of Torah study.

I am also available for other forms of Torah study. I believe that we need to ask the questions, “how can this text guide me, our communities, or the world?”

Contact me if you’re interested in joining my next Torahscope class, or learning more about it.

This is the Hebrew letter Chet which can look like a gate and also is the letter associated with the number 8. It is also the first letter of my name, Chaya (alive/life), and is the first letter of the word Chochmah which means wisdom. You will notice that it is made up of two letter zayins. This was made by Barbara Carpenter-Baggett from Beth Chaim Congregation in Danville as part of the Aleph Bet exhibit. This quilt often lays on the Torah when she is open in between readings.

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Chaya’s Torahscope class was the first time I really dove into engaging Torah and spent time with parts that had always felt difficult. I came away from the class with a new lens on how to read and relate to Torah, including parts that are difficult and/or problematic, and it was wonderful sharing that experience with others in my class.
R. Chaya consistently offers an insight, an invitation, a new heart-opening prompt that allows me to follow my path with more clarity, poetry and focus than when I am left on my own to discover my truths. The sign of a good leader is how easy they make it seem. R. Chaya's guidance is gentle and delicate. I love to study with her.
Chaya offers a sweet spot of a helpful amount of structure and the heart opening freedom to engage in torah study. I loved exploring my birth parasha and having the opportunity to share what I discovered with others. I also loved to hear about what was salient for others in our group as they delved into their own portion. We got to deepen our connections with each other as we deepened our relationship with the texts.
The Torahscope class was my introduction to reading the Torah.   Chaya’s teaching and the class provided a meaningful, and at the same time a supportive, introduction to studying Torah by reading our portion and relating it to our life.  The class was comfortable and supportive and I appreciated it both as a first step to a deeper understanding of Judaism and encouragement to further learning.
R. Chaya helps me intersect with Torah text in many different ways intellectually, spiritually, and emotionally. She works with learners from whatever their starting point is with gentle guiding and creative prompts. She is open to all levels of discussion and interpretation of the text. R. Chaya has helped me to dig deeper and explore more which enriches the whole process and adds depth and breadth to the experience in a supported environment. I love to join a “Chaya study group” and study with her and other seekers who all bring enlivened perspectives.

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