The Young Israel of East Brunswick (YIEB) will host Rivka Segal on Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 7:30 p.m. for women and girls only. The timely topic, “Journey Through Elul and Tishrei: Maximizing the Unique Avodah of Each Day,” will bring Tehillim alive as the new year approaches.

Claire Kagel, coordinator for women’s learning, noted that YIEB’s Women’s Institute for Spiritual Enlightenment (WISE) runs monthly Rosh Chodesh programs as well as summer Shabbat shiurim.This year’s theme of Tehillim brought Segal, whose specialty is Tehillim, to their attention. Bea Rosenbaum had heard Segal speak and thought she would be a great fit for the program. Rosenbaum reached out and found that fortunately Segal was available.

“I heard about Mrs. Segal from her brother-in-law, Nachum Segal [of JM in the AM fame]. As a long-time member of the Monday night Women’s Tehillim Group, I was delighted to receive two of Mrs. Segal’s books. I watched some of her videos and was struck by how captivating her presentation was and how knowledgeable she was. Her speaking is so vibrant and it is clear how invested she is in the material.”

While many people have been saying Tehillim daily, especially after Oct. 7, they don’t always know the reasoning of why, when certain chapters are said or the deeper sense of the words. Kagel and co-coordinator Aviva Wasser, YIEB rebbetzin emeritus and founder of WISE, are delighted to present Segl.

A sampling of her work is available at www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp9P5o-Lgb4. In the video she presented a “Personal Message to Parents of IDF Soldiers,” from which everyone can gain strength and meaning. In the program, she discussed how the many songs written by King David to guide his own life’s journey contain the tools Jewish people need to succeed on their own. Segal expertly showed how these millennia-old writings are relevant today.

Segal’s website describes Tehillim as “the most powerful self-development book ever written, encompassing every human experience: deep sadness and intense joy; battles with physical and spiritual adversaries and parades of triumph; paralyzing fear and enveloping security; consuming self-doubt and uplifting confidence; and demeaning rejection and overflowing gratitude.” Segal shares the means and models the way toward using these 150 models/songs to grow and connect to every situation. When the Jewish people “understand how to live Tehillim, how to make the songs of Tehillim our songs, the results are transformative,” she said.

Kagel noted that people not familiar with the community may not realize that YIEB has had a “vibrant learning community for women for more than 20 years through the Sisterhood’s WISE initiative as well as from other scheduled classes and Israel advocacy.” Many of the sessions benefit from local talent such as Rivky Ross, head of school at Yeshivat Netivot Montessori; Rebetzin Rivka Jaffe of Edison; or Torah Links of Middlesex County staff. This extraordinary session with Segal is an excellent way to prepare for the High Holidays and the preparation time presented in the month of Elul prior.

Segal is a leader in adult Jewish education who has taught Torah to women and girls of all ages for more than 30 years. Before making aliyah from Baltimore, she taught in Bais Yaakov High School and Maalot Baltimore and was the director of the Rebbetzen Frieda K. Hirmes Women’s Institute of Torah. After moving to Israel in 2005, she founded the L’Ayla Women’s Initiative in Jerusalem. She is a sought-after speaker, known for her creativity and ability to excite and engage audiences of all ages. For the past 15 years, she has made Tehillim come alive for thousands of people. She is currently in the process of completing a five-volume series entitled “Living Tehillim.” To date, three volumes have been published. To find out more about the “Living Tehillim” initiative, visit her website at www.livingtehillim.com.

Sponsored by the Wasser Jewish Learning Institute and the YIEB Sisterhood, the event is not to be missed. Suggested donation for non-Sisterhood members is $18. For more information and directions, visit www.yieb.org or email [email protected].