Neshama Quest for Adults

Registration is Now Open

Wednesday, August 6 โ€“ Sunday, August 10, 2025

A multi-night, nature retreat in the California Wilderness
For adults of all ages (18+)

What you’ll experience

  • Deep Nature Connection: With five days away from the business of life, youโ€™ll be guided by our mentors to ground your nervous system, greet the spirit that animates the natural world, and reach deeper in connection with your soul.
  • Inclusive Jewish community: Connect with like-minded Jewish folks from all orientations toward Judaism. We draw upon Jewish wisdom traditions that help ground our experience and bring our attention toward the awe-inspiring world we live in.
  • Shabbat in the wilderness: This is a chance to truly rest and enjoy. We will take the Shabbat as a time to restore our bodies, minds, and spirits. We will light the candles, enjoy meals together, and find time to be together and have time in quietude.
  • Solo-challenges: You will be given the opportunity to head out alone into the wild for โ€˜Hitbodedutโ€™ – an extended solo experience with the land. Guidance from mentors will prepare you. The edge is real, and it is at this edge where real insight and wisdom emerge! Read more about a wilderness solo in ourย FAQ.

Watch this video to hear about what to expect from previous Neshama Quest participants.

Registration is Now Open

Regular Fee: $1,290
Refer-a-friend: $1,140 ($150 refund for each friend who registers. They must state your name on their reg. form).

REGISTER NOW

Limited scholarships are available. Please contact registrar@wildernesstorah.org if you are in need of a scholarship or payment plan. For questions about refunds please read our Cancellation Policy.

Daily Itinerary

Neshama Quest for Adults (Ages 18+)

Wednesday, August 6 โ€“ Sunday, August 10, 2025

  • Day 1: Drive to the campsite, set up tents, orient to the group, the land, and the program.
  • Days 2: ย Explore the beauty of the area, begin the arc of nature connection and council.ย 
  • Day 3: Spend the day preparing for your solo-journey. Celebrate Kabbalat Shabbat with music in the wilderness and set out for your solo-journey
  • Day 4: Solo time/timeless Shabbat in wilderness, supported by your experienced guides. End the day in community, marking the end of Shabbat with Havdalah.
  • Day 5: Spend the day integrating your weekend in community with other participants and your guides, reflect and rest. Pack up camp, and head home to share stories with loved ones

Meet Your Guides

Rabbi
SaraLeya
Schley

Daniel Schindelman Schoen

FAQ

A:ย No, it is not. This year, we decided to do a Neshama Quest for adults of all ages that could be more accessible.ย If you are a young adult from age 18-25, you can join our backpacking Neshama Quest for Young Adults.

A: This program is open to adults of all ages and identities. You do not have to be Jewish to attend. Wilderness Torah creates a pluralistic community for participants across the spectrum of religious observance.ย 

Jews, people with other faiths and backgrounds, interfaith couples and families, those who identify as LGBTQIA+, People of Color, and anyone who wants to participate are welcome to join in building village together.ย 

We do not tolerate any forms of bigotry or discrimination. We invite you to come with an open mind, a willing heart, and the permission to openly share your needs. We are committed to continuously working to dismantle our own biases towards perpetuating systems of oppression. We encourage your feedback on how we can continue to be more inclusive to all.ย 

Wilderness Torah focuses on the earth-based aspects of Jewish tradition, and creates community that supports participants in cultivating meaningful, personal relationships with Judaism.

ย We support the observance of Jewish law, such as Shabbat and kashrut (Jewish dietary laws), and provide our diverse community with many options for religious observance.

A: Solo journeys into the desert are at the core of Judaism. Our ancestors received much inspiration alone in the desert, connecting directly to the Source. There, alone, we can begin to recover our ancient wildness and heal aspects of our ancestral lineage.

A wilderness solo can mark life passages, support oneโ€™s healing, help one connect to spirit and nature, and help clarify oneโ€™s purpose and lifeโ€™s big questions.

Participants are invited to embark on a solo-journey that feels most needed for them. We will provide options for different levels of comfortability: could be anything from approximately 2 hours to 12 hours. For more information on this email info@wildernesstorah.org

A: Not at all. This journey is designed to be accessible to most fitness and skill levels. We will be hiking short-to-moderate distances on some of the days, based on the overall ability level of the group.

A. You will be out in the wilderness, so come prepared with everything you need.

Daytime weather can be hot and dry; evening weather can be cold and moist; it could rain. Bring warm layers, and clothes that protect you from the sun.

Here is a copy of the Packing List.

A: Wilderness Torah is a drug and alcohol-free environment. Our primary goals are to build connections among ourselves, community, earth, and Spirit. We sometimes provide a modest amount of wine for ritual purposes.

A: We will be staying in a primitive campground. You can expect pit toilets, picnic tables, filtered water and lots of access to nature. We will be sleeping in tents or under the stars. There will be a short walk along an improved trail to get to the campground, we can assist in moving personal gear from the car to the site.

A. Yes, but itโ€™s likely that there will not be running water in the bathroom.

Here is our cancellation Policy:

  • 8 weeks or more before the event:ย You can receive aย full refund minus a $100 non-refundable deposit.
  • 4-8 weeks before the event:ย You can receive 50% of fees minus $100 non-refundable deposit if no one is on the waiting list. If someone is on the waiting list and can take your spot, you will receive an 80% refund, minus $100 non-refundable deposit
  • 4 weeks and under:ย No refunds available.

* Under exceptional circumstances, we will consider offering credit for a future Wilderness Torah program.

A: There will be drinking water available at the campsite. Please bring your own drinking vessel.

A: Wilderness Torah will provide all food and drinks for the duration of the trip. If you want something extra special with you, feel free to bring extra treats if desired such as: nuts, trail mix, dried fruit, jerky, energy bars/granola bars, crackers, hard cheese (that will stay good unrefrigerated).

Staff and participants will share in the responsibilities of cooking group meals together. Individuals will clean their personal dishes. There will be no group dishwashing buckets, etc.

A:ย Whenever possible , Wilderness Torah prioritizes purchasing and preparing food that is kosher, local, organic, seasonal, humane, and socially just. Wilderness Torah prioritizes sourcing fresh, unprocessed foods, and when choosing processed or packaged foods, aims to purchase certified kosher foods. Wilderness Torah may at times prioritize certain values, such as local or organic, over kosher-certified. When such a choice is warranted, a kosher option will be available upon request. Example: We purchased local, homemade, organic bagels that were not kosher but we had kosher bread choices available. We aim to include people from a wide spectrum of Jewish observance, please reach out with questions or requests and we will do our best to accommodate you.