Shabbat Meditation with Cantor Phil Baron and Sheldon Sands

Saturday, August 23, 2025 • 29 Av 5785

10:00 AM - 11:30 AMSanctuary

We invite you join our very special guest, Cantor Phil Baron, joined by our

very special Sheldon Sands, for a unique, deeply experiential Shabbat morning service. Cantor Baron invites us to pause together in front of just a few of the masterpieces of Shabbat prayer and experience them with depth and kavanah, through meditation and music, with awe and love.

Cantor Phil Baron is the director of Ancient Tempo, an on-going project to study and embody the sacred teachings of the Chassidic masters, with an emphasis on meditation, prayer, music and mindful living. He also created the Efshar spiritual center at Valley Beth Shalom in Encino California where he has served as Cantor for 20 years. Phil is part of the clergy cohort of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality and has developed programs to explore Jewish mysticism. Phil is also the founder of the Helfman Institute, a group of composers dedicated to creating new synagogue music, which includes our own beloved accompanist Sheldon Sands.

Cantor Baron’s influences and “inspirers” include Zalman Shechter Shalomi, Arthur Green, Norman Fischer, and Abraham Joshua Heschel. In addition to his passion for Jewish mysticism, Phil is also the founder of the Helfman Institute, a group of composers dedicated to creating new synagogue music, and which includes our own beloved accompanist Sheldon Sands. The group has now written over 70 pieces, including a full oratorio based on the life of King David and a musical tribute to the life and work of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel.

This Shabbat morning service will be bookended by a musical Kabbalat Shabbat Service also led by Cantor Phil and accompanied by Sheldon Sands on Friday, August 22 at 6:30 pm AND our highly coveted Elul Retreat with Rabbi Emerita Dr. Tirzah Firestone on Sunday, August 24, at 6:30 pm. You don’t want to miss this incredible weekend!