Spiritual Humanistic Judaism combines a human-centred philosophy with the spirituality of Jewish life: shaping time, cultivating presence, and making meaning together. It is non-theistic — in that it does not appeal to a supernatural power — yet it is fully spiritual, valuing awe, gratitude, courage, love, grief, and joy as real dimensions of human experience deserving of our attention.

Prayer (Tefillah)

Tefilla is not prayer in the petitionary sense. It transcends the idea of personal communication with a deity and instead offers a multidirectional, communal practice of reflection, aspiration, and connection. The Hebrew root lehitpalel is reflexive, suggesting not a plea to the divine but an act of internal alignment — a dynamic form of self-examination and communal expression.

Whereas “prayer” in English often implies hierarchy — a plea from the human to the divine — Tefilla as a Spiritual Humanistic Jewish practice is fundamentally horizontal. It draws us inward and outward simultaneously: inward toward our values, and outward toward community and shared responsibility. As Mordecai Kaplan wrote, “we must mean what we say when we pray.”

A berachá (“blessing”) doesn’t confer power from on high; it names the good and strengthens our commitment to it. We say things like “Blessed is the light in life” to train attention on what is life-giving and to cultivate gratitude. Tefilla is also communal art: through shared melodies, Hebrew texts, and intentional ritual, we build and sustain our people. When we sing together, we are not merely reciting — we are creating community.

Sacred Time

Shabbat and the festivals are “temples in time,” set apart for rest, renewal, and ethical clarity. We cross their threshold with breath, silence, poetry, and song. The goal isn’t to escape the world; it’s to return to it more awake and more accountable. Spiritual Humanistic Judaism treats the Jewish calendar, rhythm, and beauty as tools for the inner life and for community repair.

Ritual

We keep beloved forms — Hebrew, melodies, candles, wine, bread, tallit — as aesthetic, ethical, and communal practices. Candle-lighting is a sensory pause that welcomes Shabbat’s gentleness. Kiddush anchors joy in gratitude. Donning a tallit is a meditation on clothing ourselves in ḥesed (lovingkindness) and ḥemlá (compassion). Each ritual is transparent about its meaning and purpose.

Community

Spiritual Humanism places the “holy” between people. We sit in circles, share readings, sing together, and value silent contemplation as well as rigorous discussion. Leadership is facilitation, not hierarchy, cultivating a culture where every voice matters — no one prays for us; rather, we pray with one another. The community’s courage, care, and accountability are the “answer” to our prayers.

Language & Music

We honour Jewish language and music for their beauty and memory, whilst speaking plainly about what we mean. Traditional texts are reframed to align with our contemporary beliefs and values — we keep the poetry, the metaphor, and the elevated tone, and release statements we no longer hold to be true. In this way, Hebrew remains a living vessel for the liturgical articulation of our spirituality.

Ethics

The measure of our worship is the weekday. If the liturgy lifts our spirits but leaves our neighbour hungry or our world burning, it has failed. Spiritual Humanistic Judaism ties gratitude to generosity, awe to responsibility, and rest to resistance against exploitation — at home, at work, and in the public square.

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What this gives us is a path that preserves beauty without supernaturalism, devotion without dogma, and tradition without pretence. It invites us to breathe, to bless, to sing, to argue, to grieve, to celebrate — and then to act. In short: Spiritual Humanistic Judaism is the art of shaping sacred time and honest language so that our lives, together, tilt toward wisdom, compassion, and joy.

Watch & Listen

A recorded service — Shabbat Toledot: watch on YouTube →

Our full liturgy, Tefilotenu: Prayerbook of Spiritual Humanistic Judaism — a non-theistic Shabbat siddur in Hebrew with facing transliteration and English — is used in our community. Learn more and get the siddur →