Neshama Quest for Young Adults
Neshama Quest is a backpacking journey through the California wilderness. You will be safely led through a transformational experience by our well-trained Jewish wilderness guides.
Neshama Quest Program Philosophy
Neshama is one of the words for soul in Hebrew, related to the word nesheema meaning breath. Quest is from the Latin quarere meaning to ask or to seek.
As we strap on our backpacks and head into the California backcountry, we are leaving behind the screens and traffic lights.
We are going into a quiet space, to pray, deepen relationships, embody the Sabbath, jump for joy in the wilds, and seek the breath of soul.
Wisdom traditions from across the world tell stories of communities and individuals finding deep, inner truth in the wilderness. Jewish tradition has plenty of examples: Moses encountering the burning bush, Abraham and Sarah finding their truth at the teacher tree, and the Israelites receiving revelation in the wilderness of Mount Sinai.
When we go beyond the boundaries of the rules and norms that make up our day-to-day experience of life we often encounter something mysterious and transformational.
Neshama Quest carries the ancient practice of going beyond the walls through backcountry skills, council, Jewish ritual and wisdom, nature-connection routines, joyous community, and solo-journey. We hope you’ll join us for this transformational journey.
Hear From Previous Neshama Quest Participants
Daily Itinerary
This program is designed for young adults (18-35) who desire a more challenging wilderness experience. You will hike 3-10 miles a day to a new area most days.
- Day 1: Drive to the trailhead and get ready for our adventure.
- Day 2: Hike into the wilderness, learn new skills, swim, explore, and make new friends.
- Day 3: Travel further and higher to our next campsite, swim some more, and prepare for the peak attempt.
- Day 4: Climb a mountain peak. Experience “Solo” time. Enjoy Kabbalat Shabbat in the wilderness!
- Day 5: Shabbat in the wilderness! Music, more swimming, exploring and games – rest, rejuvenation and wonder.
- Day 6: Pack up camp and start heading back, but not before we make it to another gorgeous wilderness campsite.
- Day 7: Pack up camp, hike out, and head home to share stories with friends and family.
Meet Your Guides
Sam Balka
About Sam
Sam (he/they) is a seasoned wilderness guide and rites of passage mentor, having spent thousands of hours in the backcountry working in the worlds of wilderness therapy, youth mentorship, ritual leadership, and socio-emotional connection. Sam originates from the neighborhood creek beds and small historic towns of Eastern Pennsylvania, and moved to Chicago to study theatre and global health, where he spent many semesters getting to know the cultures and land of countries across the world. They moved to rural Utah to create a new commitment to the wildness in their soul, and began working as a field guide for an adult wilderness therapy program. Here, Sam felt the call to rites of passage work, drawn in once again by the edge it presented, constantly in awe by the clarity in a muddled world that this work ultimately offered. Since then he has been in pursuit of ways to bring ceremony to our everyday lives, as well as working as a guide of rites of passage ceremonies for the clients at his programs and members of his own community.
Meli Sobin
About Meli
Meli is an artist, children’s book illustrator, arts educator, and aspiring art therapist pursuing a MA in counseling psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. As a guide at Northwestern University, Meli led groups of incoming freshmen on 8-day wilderness backpacking trips as a part of their freshmen orientation. She learned to support students’ transition to college and to empower students to overcome challenges and develop confidence prior to entering a new life stage. Meli facilitates art workshops with individuals to help them overcome their inner critic and connect with their authentic creativity, and is excited to bring her expertise in arts mentorship to the participants of this trip. Additionally, Meli has been an avid participant in adult rites of passage work, and brings her passion for inner transformation to the folks she works with.
FAQ
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.
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.
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.
Wilderness Torah focuses on the earth-based aspects of Jewish tradition, and creates community that supports participants in cultivating meaningful, personal relationships with Judaism.
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 one’s healing, help one connect to spirit and nature, and help clarify one’s purpose and life’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: You will hiking 3-10 miles per day, establishing a new camp most nights. You must feel comfortable carrying your own backpack and exerting yourself physically at altitude.
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. There will be no public restrooms or outhouses while backpacking. Instructions for preparing your kit to go to the bathroom in the wilderness will be provided in your welcome email after you complete your registration.
Here is our cancellation Policy:
- 8 weeks or more before the event: You can receive a full refund minus a $100 non-refundable deposit.
- 4-8 weeks before the event: 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: No refunds available.
* Under exceptional circumstances, we will consider offering credit for a future Wilderness Torah program.
A: You should bring 2-3 liters of drinking water for the start of the trailhead. For the remainder of our water needs, we will filter water for drinking and using filtered or boiled water for cooking in the backcountry. Communal dispensers will not be available, you must 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.
All food served by Wilderness Torah is kosher, except for a few small exceptions. In making its food choices, Wilderness Torah prepares food according to the highest ethical standards, including 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, we will share such decisions openly, and a kosher option will be available. Example: We purchased local, homemade, organic bagels that were not kosher but we had kosher bread choices available.
Previous Neshama Quest Photos
