Program Description:
Participate in a 3,500-year-old Jewish tradition that teaches us how to share our legacy with future generations. Ethical Wills are for every age and stage of life and can be a powerful exercise in self-reflection of our values, beliefs, and world views. Join us for this experiential writing workshop to explore examples, unpack this Jewish tradition, and create some raw material for our own needs.
This is part of a 2-part writing workshop series with Shomer Collective. Put it on Paper focuses on both the external and internal experiences of mortality; ethical wills (this program) prompt us to consider the ends of our own lives, while grief writing is a space to engage with the deaths of others whom we have known and loved. All are welcome to either or both sessions.
Recording:
Resources:
Jewish Ethical Wills (Tzava’ot) - My Jewish Learning
The Ethical Will, an Ancient Concept, Is Revamped for the Tech Age - New York Times
So That Your Values Live On: Ethical Wills & How to Prepare Them, Jack Riemer
The Forever Letter, Elana Zaiman
For You When I Am Gone: A Journal: A Step-By-Step Guide to Writing Your Ethical Will, Steve Leder
Hebrew Ethical Wills - Jewish Publication Society
Everything I Know: Basic Life Rules from a Jewish Mother, Sharon Strassfeld
Presenter:
Dr. Lesley Simpson is a former Canadian journalist who worked as a staff reporter for Canadian daily newspapers and CBC radio. She recently defended her PhD dissertation about Jewish ethical wills. Lesley creates customized writing workshops for people drafting their own ethical wills or wisdom letters.
Lesley is now collecting Jewish letters from around the world for a substack newsletter called "L'chaim The Jewish Letters Project."