Podcasts about Jewish Renewal

Episode 95.  What comes to mind when you hear the term mysticism? Perhaps you imagine a yogi sitting cross legged in meditation, or people sitting in a circle chanting. Several religions have mystical practices, Sufism in Islam, and Zen Buddhism, for instance. Whatever the particulars, they generally share a desire to become one with the Divine and valueing of spiritual rather than intellectual understanding. Today, my guest, Lex Rofeberg, has joined me to talk about Jewish mysticism, its history, core books, challenging concepts and risks to followers. As a rabbi ordained in the Jewish Renewal movement, he is both a practitioner and critic of Jewish mysticism. Lex is co-host of the Judaism Unbound podcast and the Un-Yeshiva – a link is in the show notes. He is also an active proponent of learning from other faith traditions. In this, he shares my philosophy that learning about other paths is beneficial and does not pose a risk to your beliefs or practice. Bio:  Lex Rofeberg (he/him) serves as senior Jewish educator for Judaism Unbound, a digital-first Jewish organization. He co-hosts and produces its weekly podcast, facilitates many of its digital rituals and events, and oversees the UnYeshiva: a digital center for Jewish learning and unlearning. He graduated from Brown University with a degree in Judaic Studies, and was ordained as a rabbi by ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal. A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Lex lived for two years in Jackson, Mississippi -- working for the Institute of Southern Jewish Life -- and he currently lives in Providence, Rhode Island with his wife.Highlights: Embracing Jewish pop culture. Pantheism, panentheism and monotheism.Embodied worship and pantheism. Oneness and separation of the sacred and the profane.Hasidism, neo-Hasidism, and Chabad.The Zohar and Kabbalah. Reckoning with harm in by charismatic leaders.Social Media links for Lex: Website – JudaismUnbound.comBluesky – @lexaphus.bsky.socialReferences:Living Our Beliefs – Yusef Hayes episode on SufismLiving Our Beliefs – David Green on the Tanya and ChabadTranscript on BuzzsproutSocial Media links for Méli:Website – the Talking with God ProjectMeli's emailLinkedIn – Meli SolomonFacebook – Meli SolomonFollow the podcast!The Living Our Beliefs podcast is part of the Talking with God Project.

Rabbi Tirzah Firestone is a fellow student of Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, an author and psychotherapist focusing on intergenerational trauma, and one of the senior rabbis of the Jewish Renewal movement. Tirzah is the author of Wounds into Wisdom: Healing Intergenerational Jewish Trauma, The Receiving: Reclaiming Jewish Women's Wisdom, and the newly republished With Roots in Heaven: One Woman's Passionate Journey into the Heart of Her Faith.In this episode, we talk about the evolution of Tirzah's work on intergenerational trauma, pros and cons of the popularization of the concept of 'trauma,' Tirzah's recent teaching trip to Berlin amidst the rise of Neo-Fascist politics, Jewish & Israeli reactions to the events of Oct. 7th as an unhealthy trauma response, the conflation of Jewish identity with Jewish nationalism, the search for authority in the opinions of Reb Zalman (Tirzah and Netanel's teacher), Reb Zalman's desire to pray across dividing lines and include God in worldly decisions and problems, the 'seeds' we inherit from our ancestors and which we choose to water, the potentially transformative impact of psychologically based ancestral healing, and the image of the two cherubs atop the Holy of Holies as a metaphor for masculine/feminine balance.You can learn more about Tirzah and her work on her website.Charis FoundationGolden Turtle SoundSupport the show

Rabbi Zvika Krieger is the Spiritual Leader of Chochmat HaLev, a progressive spiritual community in Berkeley, CA for embodied prayer and mindfulness, heart-centered connections, and mystical wisdom. He is co-founder of Shevet: Jewish Mindfulness Collective and has served in board and leadership positions for Sukkat Shalom/Milk+Honey camp at Burning Man, Jewish Studio Project, DC Minyan, and other organizations dedicated to nourishing the mind, body, and soul. ​ He has a BA from Yale University and studied at Yeshivat Shaarei Mevaseret Zion and the American University in Cairo. He is a certified Shadow Work facilitator and Design Thinking facilitator, and trained as an ecstatic dance DJ by Embodied Sound. He is ordained as a rabbi in the Hasidic and Jewish Renewal lineages. Originally from Los Angeles, Zvika loves to surf, dance, backpack, rock climb, and sing karaoke occasionally on-key. It's not often you meet someone and spend 6 days in silent meditation and prayer with them. This is how I met Rabbi Zvika, you will enjoy his buoyant presence, deep learning, and wild journey from the Orthodox Chood of La to Yale, Burning Man, Tech, and the Rabbinate Enjoy! Here are a couple ways to learn more about Rabbi Zvika and Chochmat Halev where he works https://www.zvikakrieger.com/ https://chochmat.org/ to help keep the podcast going please make a tax deductible donation to Holy Sparks DONATIONS http://igfn.us/form/haHSSQ thank you for subscribing #podcast #rabbi #burningman #facebook #Meta #losangeles #jewish #video #meditation #mindfulness #renewal #Hasidism

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!Length of the article: 5 pagesLength of the audio: 17 minutes 25 secondsSynopsis: This is the audio version of the 5-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 8/1/24 entitled: Four Insights from a Jewish Renewal Rabbi. I can't say I've ever written an article prompted by someone from a non-Orthodox Jewish movement, but once I heard this podcast, I had to share my thoughts. -----The Torah Content for the remainder of July has been sponsored by the Lichters in honor of Jonny Schneeweiss, just "for being Jonny."-----If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider contributing to my Patreon at www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss. Alternatively, if you would like to make a direct contribution to the "Rabbi Schneeweiss Torah Content Fund," my Venmo is @Matt-Schneeweiss, and my Zelle and PayPal are mattschneeweiss at gmail. Even a small contribution goes a long way to covering the costs of my podcasts, and will provide me with the financial freedom to produce even more Torah content for you.If you would like to sponsor a day's or a week's worth of content, or if you are interested in enlisting my services as a teacher or tutor, you can reach me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thank you to my listeners for listening, thank you to my readers for reading, and thank you to my supporters for supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.-----Substack: rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/Patreon: patreon.com/rabbischneeweissYouTube Channel: youtube.com/rabbischneeweissInstagram: instagram.com/rabbischneeweiss/"The Stoic Jew" Podcast: thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com"Machshavah Lab" Podcast: machshavahlab.buzzsprout.com"The Mishlei Podcast": mishlei.buzzsprout.com"Rambam Bekius" Podcast: rambambekius.buzzsprout.com"The Tefilah Podcast": tefilah.buzzsprout.comOld Blog: kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/WhatsApp Content Hub (where I post all my content and announce my public classes): https://chat.whatsapp.com/GEB1EPIAarsELfHWuI2k0HAmazon Wishlist: amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/Y72CSP86S24W?ref_=wl_sharel

In this week's episode, David and Modya speak with Rebecca Schliser, a core faculty member at the Institute for Jewish Spirituality and rabbinical student at Aleph, The Alliance for Jewish Renewal. They explore the middah of silence through the stories in parsha Balak and see how a donkey may be more in tune with the Divine than a human by employing silence as a contemplative tool. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In this week's episode, David and Modya speak with Rebecca Schliser, a core faculty member at the Institute for Jewish Spirituality and rabbinical student at Aleph, The Alliance for Jewish Renewal. They explore the middah of silence through the stories in parsha Balak and see how a donkey may be more in tune with the Divine than a human by employing silence as a contemplative tool. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The role of spiritual intelligence in effective leadership.Bio:Yosi Amram, PhD, is a distinguished psychologist, an executive coach catering to CEOs, entrepreneurs, and other influential leaders, and a pioneering researcher in the field of spiritual intelligence. Holding an MBA from Harvard University and a PhD from Sofia University in Clinical Transpersonal Psychology, Dr. Amram is committed to enabling individuals to unlock their potential through spiritual intelligence. This profound connection to the core of one's existence – their spirit, where inspiration and deepest interconnectedness reside – enriches their overall functioning, improves their effectiveness, and enhances their well-being. He is the author of Spiritually Intelligent Leadership: How to Inspire by Being Inspired.Links:Website: https://yosiamram.net/Quotes:“I think great leaders can also drop back and lead from behind, which is more of a facilitative role of leadership. You can think about it perhaps in terms of the yin and yang of leadership.”Episode Highlights:In this interview, Yosi Amram tells us how a leave of absence from his company was a blessing in disguise. The board of Yosi's company gave him a break because they felt he needed it. Initially, Yosi felt shame for being let go from his company, but later, it provided him an opportunity to find his identity and passion in psychology. Childhood Incidents:When Yosi was four years old, he learned from older boys that flicking someone's legs while they're running or walking could make them trip and fall. One day, he experimented on a boy in front of him. The boy tripped, scraped his knees, and started bleeding and crying. The teacher started yelling, asking who did it, but Yosi never came forward. This experience taught him the importance of not causing pain, suffering, harm, or violence to others. At age nine, Yosi went to a movie theatre without his parents and was molested by a stranger. This incident made him feel like there was something wrong with him, like he was damaged goods. He repressed his feelings about this experience and only addressed them in therapy when he was 40. Influential Groups:Yosi comes from Middle Eastern, Iraqi, and Jewish backgrounds. Middle Eastern Iraqi culture is emotionally expressive, warm, and highly hospitable. In contrast, Jewish culture emphasizes Socratic methods of debate for truth's sake and taking responsibility seriously.Cultural Influences:As Yosi grew older, his interest in spirituality deepened. He joined various spiritual communities, including Jewish Renewal, Buddhist communities, and a particular path called the Diamond Approach, which emphasizes inquiry and a love for truth. All these communities highlighted the importance of service.Cultural Epiphanies:When Yosi moved to the US, he experienced culture shock; people valued personal space and privacy, which was not the case in Tel Aviv or the Middle East in general. He grew up in a one-bedroom house with his grandparents and parents.What Brings Out the Best in Yosi? Yosi believes in directness and honesty. He values relationships where people are honest, open, and direct, built on a foundation of kindness and positive regard. He also appreciates regular mutual feedback to keep relationships clear and clean.Soapbox Moment:Yosi encourages everyone interested in becoming more empowered and inspired leaders to check out his book, Spiritually Intelligent Leadership: How to Inspire by Being Inspired.Support the show

About Our GuestReb Cantor Lisa Levine is a well known cantor, composer, author, chaplain, poet and recording artist who builds bridges between faith communities.Lisa earned a BA from University of California Irvine and received her Ordination from HUC-JIR DFSSM. Lisa is the author of Yoga Shalom a popular Jewish Yoga book as well as the prayer voice of “Hebrew In Harmony” curriculum published by Behrman House Books. Her catalogue of 10 CD's and 6 songbooks of healing and worship music is widely published and featured in many compilations. Her album “Bridge To Peace” is dedicated to chaplaincy and healing. Her album “Jospel Jam” is a mix of Jewish and Gospel original music which unites people of all faiths and beliefs. “We Are All Candles" is on the album “In the Light” and “Rock of Ages” appears on the album “Keeping the Spirit.” Lisa's most recent album is “This Holy Place.”Lisa received Ordination as Rabbinic Pastor through Aleph Alliance for Jewish Renewal in 2018. She serves as a JSSA (Jewish Social Services) Chaplain and Chaplain of Riderwood Jewish Community in Silver Spring, MD. Lisa is a Registered Yoga Teacher and teaches yoga embodiment as well as music and chaplaincy in conferences and zoom rooms around the country. Her book Heart of Light: Poems of Longing, Loss and Life has recently been published and is available on Amazon.com. She is currently the Artist-In-Residence at Temple Rodeph Torah in Marlboro, NJ and freelances around the country.Here is Lisa's video of “We Are All Candles,” referenced in interview. About our host:Rabbi Edward Bernstein, PBCC, is the producer and host of NeshamaCast. He serves as Chaplain at Boca Raton Regional Hospital of Baptist Health South Florida. He is a member of the Board of Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains. Prior to his chaplain career, he served as a pulpit rabbi in congregations in New Rochelle, NY; Beachwood, OH; and Boynton Beach, FL. He is also the host and producer of My Teacher Podcast: A Celebration of the People Who Shape Our Lives. Here is Ed's interview with Jewish song leader and educator Rick Recht, who is mentioned in this interview.

Join Tomer Persico for a comprehensive survey of Jewish mysticism, past and present, from the Bible, through Hechalot and Merkava, Maimonides, Abulafia, Kabbalah, Sabbateanism and Hasidism. Asking, is there such a thing as “Jewish meditation”? What might it be? And how might we go about doing it? Dr. Tomer Persico is a Research Fellow of the Shalom Hartman Institute. He was the Koret Visiting Assistant Professor of Jewish and Israel Studies at U.C. Berkeley, where he was also a Senior Research Scholar in the Center for Middle Eastern Studies. Dr. Persico is a social activist advocating for freedom of religion in Israel. A leading thinker about secularization, Jewish Renewal and forms of contemporary spirituality, Persico writes the most popular blog in Hebrew on these subjects and has published articles in the Washington Post and Haaretz (English) as well as numerous other Israeli newspapers and periodicals. He is a Research Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, and formerly taught in the department of Comparative Religion at Tel Aviv University. Dr. Persico is also the author of The Jewish Meditative Tradition (Hebrew , Tel Aviv University Press, 2016), a critically acclaimed book about the cultural history of Jewish meditation. His second book, about the way the idea of the Image of God influenced modern Western civilization, will be published this summer by Yedioth books. Source: https://www.hartman.org.il/person/tomer-persico/ Find Tomer online Twitter: https://twitter.com/tomerpersico Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tomer.persico/ Blog: https://tomerpersico.com/ Think better. Do better. Hartman scholars bring you the big Jewish ideas we need for this moment. Study with them in free virtual classes or watch the videos at shalomhartman.org/ideasfortoday 00:00 Excerpt 00:39 Introducing Tomer 02:28 Overview of Jewish Meditation 06:13 Core themes of Jewish Meditation 08:16 History: Bible 14:06 Defining terms 19:59 Hechalot and Merkava 29:58 What's going on here? 40:23 Maimonides and Abulafia 47:41 Kabbalah 59:04 Sabbateanism 01:01:41 Hasidism 1:17:54 How to – Practical 1:23:45 How'd you get into this? 1:26:53 Closing Join us: https://discord.gg/EQtjK2FWsm https://facebook.com/seekersofunity https://instagram.com/seekersofunity https://www.twitter.com/seekersofu Thank you to our beloved Patrons: Jackie, Andrew, Josh, Glenn, Zv, George, Ivana, Keenan, Gab, John, Victoria, Casey, Joseph, Brad, Benjamin, Arin, jXaviErre, Margo, Gale, Eny, Kim, Michael, Kirk, Ron, Seth, Daniel, Raphael, Daniel, Jason, Sergio, Leila, Wael, Simona, Francis, Etty, Stephen, Arash, William, Michael, Matija, Timony, Vilijami, Stoney, El techo, Stephen, Ross, Ahmed, Alexander, Diceman, Hannah, Julian, Leo, Sim, Sultan, John, Joshua, Igor, Chezi, Jorge, Andrew, Alexandra, Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre. Join them in supporting us: patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seekers paypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU

DAYS OF AWE is a song written by Rob Tobias and released on his BY THE RIVER album. The album is a song cycle of "Jewish Renewal" songs that relate to Jewish holidays. Renewal if a form of Judaism where the liturgy is updated to reflect present day beliefs and attitudes about the religion. The song and album are available for download at the bandcamp.com link below. Click on the BY THE RIVER album. COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS can be sent to rob@robtobias.com. HOME PAGE: https://robtobias.com BANDCAMP: https://robtobias.bandcamp.com/ TRAIN OF THOUGHT podcast: https://soundcloud.com/robtobias ROB TOBIAS VIDEOS: https://www.youtube.com/robtobiasvideos

Join us as we delve into the depths of Jewish mysticism and the revitalization of spirituality with Professor Arthur Green. With a wealth of knowledge and expertise in Hasidism and Neo-hasidism, Professor Green shares his profound insights and personal journey. From his formative years studying under renowned scholars to his role as a leading figure in the Jewish Renewal and Neo-Hasidism movements, Green offers an exploration of the intricate teachings and transformative power of Jewish mysticism. Discover the wisdom and contemporary relevance of Judaism through the lens of one of its pre-eminent scholars, Professor Arthur Green.   00:00 Excerpt 00:12 Art's Teachers 10:55 JTS and Abraham Joshua Heschel 16:21 Opening a window to Judaism 22:52 Too many Books? 25:30 Honestly and Complexity 31:41 Why Judaism? 36:34 The Baal Shem, A Radical Jew 40:31 Inner, Psychedelic journey of Judaism 44:29 Psychedelic Judaism 52:08 An Ongoing Struggle 54:20 A Neo-Legacy 58:49 NeoHasidism for the Non-Jew 1:03:48 Closing blessing     Join us: https://discord.gg/EQtjK2FWsm https://facebook.com/seekersofunity https://instagram.com/seekersofunity https://www.twitter.com/seekersofu https://www.seekersofunity.com   Support us: patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seekers paypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU

Today we explore the life and teachings of one of THE most amazing teachers of our days...Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (a.k.a. Reb Zalman)! Reb Zalman broke all the molds and barriers, during his time. He was such an interfaith inspiration! He met great teachers like the Dalai Lama, Thomas Merton, and SO many others. Learning from each of these great teachers and sharing that knowledge and wisdom with any and all interested! He was one of the first to be religiously inclusive. He was also the founder of the Alliance for Jewish Renewal, which is still going strong today! Links to article/interview and all things mentioned...Portraits in Faith Video of Portraits in Faith interview with Reb Zalman Extensive video of Reb Zalman talking about his life and surviving the holocaust The Gates of Prayer video series (HIGHLY recommend) More information for the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Oblates of Perpetual Light⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If this show has helped you please consider making an offering.  Offerings are a great way to help support and improve the show! Join our family on Patreon where you will receive all kinds of goodies for your monthly offering! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/faithandmorepodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Check out our website!!  This is an incredibly easy way to access the show, show notes, listen to the show, request prayers, and contact me!  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://faithandmorepodcast.wixsite.com/my-site⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Our YouTube channel: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Faith and More Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Contact me at... ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠faithandmorepodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ #rebzalman #sufi #awakening #faithandmorepodcast #prayer #creator #thomasmerton #dalailama #inclusive #interfaith #hollocaust #soul #truth #spiritualwork #beginagain #spirituallife #soulsmission #mission #lighthouse #mirror #one #allareone #wakeup #truereality #quantum #unconditionallove #transdenominational #quantumreality #quantumlife #soul #spirit #purpose #mission --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/faith-and-more/message

AVINU MALKEINU is a song written by Rob Tobias and released on his SPARKS album. The album is a song cycle of "Jewish Renewal" songs that relate to Jewish holidays. Renewal if a form of Judaism where the liturgy is updated to reflect present day beliefs and attitudes about the religion. The song and album are available for download at the bandcamp.com link below. COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS can be sent to rob@robtobias.com. HOME PAGE: https://robtobias.com BANDCAMP: https://robtobias.bandcamp.com/ TRAIN OF THOUGHT podcast: https://soundcloud.com/robtobias ROB TOBIAS VIDEOS: https://www.youtube.com/robtobiasvideos

Jna Shelomith (she/her) grew up sporadically homeless in a family that spoke six different languages, with Jewish roots in Morocco and Russia. A writer at the intersection of Arabic (created to share sacred stories) and Riot Grrrl (created for punk rock feminist expression), she works with Mizna, an Arab/Muslim arts-journal. For pay, Jna focuses on community engagement and systems change addressing complex challenges impacting communities on Dakota Land/Twin Cities, Minnesota. Singing with groups and smashing white-supremacy -patriarchy are her happy places. Follow her @jnagillis. ASL version available at: https://youtu.be/3nanQ0o7vd4. Join our Patreon: www.patreon.com/dreamingtheworldtocome Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-PzunkdbVA4yrhBChIXY8od06z8POB4t The Indwelling Dreams of Olam haBa planner is on bargain basement sale for $5. Purchase at www.dreamingtheworldtocome.com while supplies last! This podcast episode was edited by Kim Wayman and Nomy Lamm. SHOW NOTES: Eicha/Lamentations: https://www.sefaria.org/Lamentations Lamentations for the destruction of Palestine: https://tinyurl.com/NakbaLamentations5783 Seven weeks of consolation: https://velveteenrabbi.blogs.com/blog/seven-weeks-of-consolation/ Beshert: meant-to-be Interview: Mizna: https://mizna.org/ Tikkun olam: Healing and Repairing the World Mimouna: A traditional Maghrebi Jewish celebration dinner, originating in Morocco, that takes place the day after Pesach.  Jewcy: A network of young leftist Jews that held gatherings in the early 2000's. Rabbi Arthur Waskow: An author, activist and rabbi associated with the Jewish Renewal movement. Riot Grrrl: A grassroots network and support system for feminists in the punk scene that began in the early nineties. Nigun: Wordless melody This Way to Olam haBa http://sacredsea.org More about Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut: https://grist.org/fix/opinion/lummi-nation-southern-resident-killer-whale-salish-sea-return/ https://sacredsea.org/skalichelhtenaut/ https://vimeo.com/446827572 https://whalesanctuaryproject.org/ Song:  “The World is Alive,” by Nomy Lamm for Tu B'Av (originally written as a crush song to a tree)

Recounting just some the magic that happened for me last week at the Kallah conference for Jewish Renewal. Am I worthy? Worth the listen!

Rabbi Gershuny explores the meaning and power of the Priestly Blessing. Rabbi Sarah Bracha Gershuny is a writer, ritualist, musician, healer and teacher. Originally from the UK, she currently lives in Boulder, Colorado, where from 2014-2020 she was the rabbi of Nevei Kodesh, a Jewish Renewal congregation. Rabbi Gershuny has received two ordinations: one as a Rabbi from Boston's transdenominational Hebrew College Rabbinical School; the other as a Kohenet from the Kohenet Hebrew Priestess Institute, a contemporary wisdom school devoted to female expressions of Jewish leadership. She is on a mission to transform human consciousness through direct spiritual transmission and fierce joy. She writes and teaches regularly for MyJewishLearning.com.

Diane Elliot was born in Chicago and grew up in the north suburbs. Trained in dance from an early age, she received extensive training in dance and theatre at New Trier High School in Winnetka and in 1971 graduated summa cum laude, phi beta kappa from the University of Michigan, with a major in American Arts. For the next 25 years, Diane enjoyed a varied career in dance and theatre, studying with Alwin Nikolais and Murry Louis, Nancy Meehan and Finis Jung in New York City; performing and touring from 1972-77 with New York-based Phyllis Lamhut Dance Company; and producing her own work in New York in such venues as The Dance Gallery, the Theatre of Riverside Church, and Dance Theatre Workshop, as well as across the country.  From 1979-82 she taught at the Centre National de Danse Contemporaine in Angers, France, and performed with La Manivelle throughout Alsace. In 1981 Diane relocated to Minneapolis, where she taught at the University of Minnesota as a guest artist and then joined MICA (the Minnesota Independent Choreographer's Alliance, later the Minnesota DanceAlliance). For a number of years, she edited MICA's newsletter and worked in the office. During her time in New York and Minnesota, Diane created over 30 dances, including commissions for the Ft. Wayne Dance Collective, The Yard, Dance Caravan, the Carolina Dancers, Zenon Dance Company, the New Dance Ensemble, and the Jerome Foundation, as well serving as choreographer for several productions at the Illusion Theatre and the Guthrie Lab production of Cymbeline. Her work was recognized with grants from the McKnight Foundation, the Minnesota State Arts Board Grants, Artslink, and the Jerome Foundation. Beginning in 1983, Diane trained in the somatic modality Body-Mind Centering® with its founder, Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, and for some 30 years maintained a private practice in somatic therapy and taught in the School for Body-Mind Centering's training programs. In 1990 she co-founded the Women's PerformanceProject, which explored the healing potential of movement-based performance in a series of five evening-length performances, including Bloodroot and Labyrinth. In 1998 Diane relocated to California and in 2000 matriculated at the Academy for Jewish Religion, California, in Los Angeles. Ordained as a rabbi in 2006, Diane has served communities in the Bay Area. As a Program Director for the ALEPH Alliance for Jewish Renewal, she created and directed the Embodying Spirit, En-spiriting Body training, a residential retreat program in embodied Jewish spiritual leadership. She currently teaches independently; serves as a spiritual director; is on the faculty of Taproot, a spiritual training program for Jewish activists, artists, and, and changemakers; and is a founding member and on the advisory council of the Embodied Jewish Wisdom Network. Diane is the author of three books of poetry, most recently The Voice isMovement (Hakodesh Press, 2020). You can learn more about her work atwww.whollypresent.org.

This week Colleen and Robyn welcome Rev. Theresa “Rivka” Gevurtz Rev. Theresa “Rivka” Gevurtz is an interfaith minister, chaplain, and spiritual director, as well as reiki master. She now serves as a member of the core faculty at The Chaplaincy Institute, overseeing the Sacred Justice Ministry curriculum thread.  Rivka's particular area of focus includes addressing the ways religious wounding impacts not only the queer and BIPOC communities, but those who identify as spiritual but not religious.  Her ministry is influenced by the social justice commitment of her Jewish Renewal tradition, faith-based advocacy for the LGBTQ community & the environment, as well as by contemplative and mystical traditions and Reiki energy healing.  She has been a public speaker on LGBTQ and environmental issues, spearheading community action initiatives as well as advocating to legislative bodies.  Rivka has led Shabbat in The Woods retreats; service-learning collaborations; taught and coordinated at national and local conferences; and served as an adult & child educator in congregational religious education programs.  She has written in a variety of print media on the intersection of faith and justice.  In addition to her role at The Chaplaincy Institute, she provides spiritual direction and related spiritual services in private practice at Shelter For The Spirit. Website:  https://shelterforthespirit.com/ Email:  rivka@shelterforthespirit.com Instram:   https://www.instagram.com/revrivka/ Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Shelter-For-The-Spirit-374027753320069 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@shelterforthespirit   *DISCLAIMER* This episode is not a substitute for seeking professional medical care but is offered for relaxation and stress reduction which support the body's natural healing capabilities. Reiki is a complement to and never a replacement for professional medical care. Colleen and Robyn are not licensed professional health care providers and urge you to always seek out the appropriate physical and mental help professional health care providers may offer. Results vary by individual. Colleen and Robyn can be reached at: ReikiLifestyle.com Contact Colleen: colleen@reikilifestyle.com Facebook: @reikilifestyle Instagram: @colleenbenelli Contact Robyn: robyn@reikilifestyle.com Facebook/Instagram: @robynbenellireiki

I wish you, your loved ones, and those without loved ones at this time, health, safety, peace, and joy. At this time of reflection, here's my 2014 conversation with SARA DAVIDSON about her book, THE DECEMBER PROJECT. Sara met every Friday for the last year of his life with 89-year-old Rabbi Zalman Shachter-Shalomi, founder of the Jewish Renewal movement. What did they talk about? In his words, "When you can feel in your cells that you're coming to the end of your tour of duty, what is the spiritual work of this time, and how do we prepare for the mystery?"

Guest Info/Bio:This week we speak with the incredible Rabbi Arthur Green PhD. Rabbi Green is one of the preeminent authorities on Jewish thought and spirituality. He was the founding dean and is currently rector of the Rabbinical School and Irving Burdnick Professor of Jewish Philosophy and Religion at Hebrew College. He is Professor Emeritus at Brandeis University, where he occupied the distinguished Philip W. Lown Professorship of Jewish Thought. He is both a historian of Jewish religion and a theologian; his work seeks to form a bridge between these two distinct fields of endeavor. Educated at Brandeis University and the Jewish Theology Seminary of America, where he received rabbinic ordination, Dr. Green studied with such important teachers as Alexander Altmann, Nahum N. Glatzer, and Abraham Joshua Heschel, of blessed memory. He has taught Jewish mysticism, Hasidism, and theology to several generations of students at the University of Pennsylvania, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (where he served as both Dean and President), Brandeis, and now at Hebrew College. He has taught and lectured widely throughout the Jewish community of North America as well as in Israel, where he visits frequently. He was the founder of Havurat Shalom in Somerville, Massachusetts in 1968 and remains a leading independent figure in the Jewish Renewal movement.(Selected) Published Works: Radical Judaism: Rethinking God and Tradition; Ehyeh: A Kabblah for Tomorrow; See My Face: A Jewish Mystical Theology; & Judaism's Ten Best Ideas: A Brief Guide for Seekers.Guest Website/Social Media:http://artgreen26.comhttps://soundcloud.com/rabbiartgreenTheme Music by: Forrest Clay “This Water I am Treading & You Must Go” found on the brand new EP, Recover.You can find Forrest Clay's music on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, or anywhere good music is found!This episode of the Deconstructionists Podcast was edited, mixed, and produced by John Williamson Stay on top of all of the latest at www.thedeconstructionists.com Go there to check out our blog, snag a t-shirt, or follow us on social mediaJoin our Patreon family here: www.patreon.com/deconstructionists Website by Ryan BattlesAll photos by Jared HevronLogos designed by Joseph Ernst & Stephen PfluigT-shirt designs by Joseph Ernst, Chad Flannigan, Colin Rigsby, and Jason Turner. This episode is brought to you by Dwell. Dwell lets you listen to scripture the way that fits you. It's an app that reads the bible for you! Go to www.dwellapp.io/deconstruct for 10% off your annual subscription or 30% dwell for life!Starting your own podcast? Try Riverside! https://riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_1&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=john-williamsonOur Sponsors:* Check out Factor 75 and use my code deconstruct50 for a great deal: https://www.factor75.com/Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-deconstructionists/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Madison Avenue, Wally's Gas Station, and a Box of Cereal with Rabbi Wayne Dosick, Ph. D., D. D. Transforming our world through Radical Loving and Awesome HolinessRABBI DR. WAYNE DOSICK, Ph.D., D.D. is the founder and spiritual guide of The Elijah Minyan — bringing Spiritual Judaism and Jewish Renewal to San Diego. Rabbi Dosick is a dynamic, inspiring, and loving educator, writer, spiritual guide and healer, who teaches and counsels about faith and spirit, ethical values, life tansformations, and evolving human consciousness. He is well-known for quality scholarship and sacred spirit, his reading of traditional texts for their sense of prophetic social justice, his abiding commitment to utmost dignity and decency for every human being, and his lifetime of guiding people to a deep, personal, intimate relationship with the Divine. He has been described as a “rational intellect with the soul of a mystic,” and he has been called “one of the most gifted teachers of our generation, who understands the mindset, needs, and yearnings of people, and responds to this intellectual and inner searching in peerless fashion. ”Recently, he has been called, “a spiritual master of our time.” More about Rabbi Wayne Dosick at https://elijahminyan.com/rabbi-wayne Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rabbi Léah Novick, an elder of the Jewish Renewal movement, shares practices of connecting with ancestors of inspiration, and her work to keep alive the teachings of 19 century Italian poet Rachel Luzzatto Morpurgo, 12th century tsadeket Dulcie of Worms, Maccabean Queen Shlom Tzion and 16th century Kurdish Rabbah Asenath Barazani. Reb Léah speaks of her journeys with these women, of reclaiming relationship with Shekhinah and reflects on ways her earlier decades of activism inform her journey today.

Rabbi Marc Labowitz, the leader of Temple Adath Or, South Florida Center for Jewish Renewal and a composer of over 30 original Jewish songs and melodies, joins Mark to discuss being the son of two Rabbis, the impact negative speech had on King David, and how the power of words impacts our communities today.  Here is the link to the verse on Sefaria.com: https://www.sefaria.org/Psalms.34.13?lang=bi

CEO Jakir Manela continues to speak with leaders from across the environmental movement at the intersection of Jewish tradition and modern life. In this episode, he spoke with Rabbi Zelig Golden, the Executive Director of Wilderness Torah on a series called Shmita Slowdown. Rabbi Zelig received rabbinic ordination from ALEPH, Alliance for Jewish Renewal and was previously ordained Maggid by Rabbi Zalman Schacter-Shalomi ztz”l. He holds a Masters in Jewish Studies from the Graduate Theological Union. He previously worked as an environmental lawyer protecting food and farms and has long guided groups into the wilderness. This episode was first broadcast on the Shmita Slowdown Series. You can view this and future episodes of this series on Wilderness Torah YouTube channel and learn more about it on the Shmita Slowdown Series webpage.

Now, perhaps more than ever before in our lifetimes, humanity seems to be seeking answers to some of our biggest questions.  What and where is God?  How do spirituality and religion impact the uniqueness of humanity?  What is the nature of reality? Will everything be ok? Fresh off the boat from Berkeley, CA, Dr. Tomer Persico takes us on a fascinating journey throughout the human landscape of the Jewish and Western worlds to help uncover the evolution of our shared spiritual, religious, and humanistic existence. Together with Tomer, this remarkable episode of the show explores topics ranging from Bay Area-based communities of experimental Jewish Renewal, the evolution of Jewish and Universal spirituality, human understanding of God, the nature of existence and the quest to connect to the beyond, Jewish meditation, New Age thought, the breakdown and evolution of Israeli Jewish identity, the profound impact that Jewish belief that all people are created in the image of God has had on defining the modern west, an interesting and otherworldly thought experiment explaining why religion exists, and beyond. Dr. Tomer Persico is a research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute. For the last three years, he served as the Koret Visiting Assistant Professor at the Helen Diller Institute for Jewish Law and Israel Studies at UC Berkeley and a senior research scholar at the UC Berkeley Center for Middle Eastern Studies. Persico's fields of study are contemporary spirituality, Jewish modern identity, Jewish renewal, and forms of secularization and religiosity in Israel. His first book, The Jewish Meditative Tradition (Hebrew), was published by Tel Aviv University Press, and his second book, In God's Image: the Making of the Modern West (Hebrew), examined the way the idea of the image of God influenced modern western civilization, was published in May 2021 by Yedioth books. Links: Books by Dr. Tomer Persico: https://www.ybook.co.il/book/7900/%d7%90%d7%93%d7%9d-%d7%91%d7%a6%d7%9c%d7%9d-%d7%90%d7%9c%d7%95%d7%94%d7%99%d7%9d (In God's Image: The Making of the Modern West) (Hebrew) http://www.taupress.co.il/product/%D7%9E%D7%93%D7%99%D7%98%D7%A6%D7%99%D7%94-%D7%99%D7%94%D7%95%D7%93%D7%99%D7%AA/ (The Jewish Meditative Tradition) (Hebrew) Dr. Tomer Persico at the https://www.hartman.org.il/person/tomer-persico/ (Shalom Hartman Institute) Dr. Tomer Persico's blog, https://tomerpersico.com/ (לולאת האל) (Hebrew) Dr. Tomer Persico's https://tomerpersicoenglish.wordpress.com/ (blog) in English Dr. Tomer Persico's https://www.facebook.com/tomer.persico (Facebook) & https://twitter.com/tomerpersico?lang=en (Twitter) pages Jewish R&D - Bay-area Jewish communities and congregations: https://www.thekitchensf.org/ (The Kitchen) – led by Rabbi Noa Kushner https://www.urbanadamah.org/ (Urban Adamah) http://www.aquarianminyan.org/ (Aquarian Minyan) http://www.beyttikkun.org/ (Beyt Tikkun): The Synagogue of Spiritual Transformation and Social Healing http://www.chochmat.org/ (Chochmat Halev) Congregation http://www.be-sf.org/ (B'nai Emunah) http://www.missionminyan.org/ (Mission Minyan) http://www.kenesethalev.org/ (Keneset HaLev) – Community of the Heart Philosophers and writers mentioned on the show: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immanuel_Kant (Immanuel Kant) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_David_Thoreau (Henry David Thoreau) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Waldo_Emerson (Ralph Waldo Emerson) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexis_de_Tocqueville (Alexis de Tocqueville) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_von_D%C3%A4niken (Erich von Daniken) – https://www.amazon.com/Chariots-Gods-Erich-Von-Daniken/dp/0425074811 (Chariots of the Gods) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Taylor_(philosopher) (Charles Taylor) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Watts (Alan Watts) Book Recommendations: On modern Judaism –...

Train of Thought is a podcast hosted by Rob Tobias focusing on culture, music, interviews and society. This show features an interview with Jewish Renewal Rabbi Jack Gabriel who lives in Boulder, CO. It's a free flowing conversation on Life, Jewish Renewal, Joy, Baseball, Basketball, a prayer for healing and includes both Rob and Jack sharing songs. Train of Thought airs on KEPW.org, 97.3 FM at 3:30 on Saturday and 6:30pm on Mondays. Comments and Suggestions may be sent to rob@robtobias.com You can check out more of Jack Gabriel on youtube at: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=RABBI+JACK+GABRIEL

(38:48) The Angel Meditation begins   Dr. Orna Triguboff has dedicated her life to promote spirituality and wellbeing. She has a Ph.D. from the University of Sydney, Australia, specializing in Kabbalah. Her dissertation was about the Kabbalah of Rabbi Isaac Luria of 16th Century Tsfat, Galilee. She has been a Hatha Yoga teacher for 20 years and received rabbinic ordination from Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalom and the Aleph Alliance for Jewish Renewal. Orna is the founder and spiritual director of Neshama Life, an organization that promotes Kabbalah learning and Jewish mysticism. She leads a 10-day Kabbalah tour of Israel every two years and the next one is in October 2022. Orna offers online Jewish meditation and Kabbalah text study classes. orna@neshamalife.org https://www.facebook.com/neshamalife www.neshamalife.org  

Cantor Lisa Levine is a nationally renowned composer, recording artist, author, poet, and worship leader. She was ordained with a Master's Degree in Sacred Music from Hebrew Union College in 1989. Cantor Levine has served congregations around the country as a full time Reform cantor for 30 years and as a guest artist and artist in residence. She received her Doctorate in Sacred Music after 25 years of service to the Jewish people in 2014. She was ordained as a rabbinic pastor from Aleph Alliance for Jewish Renewal in 2018. She serves as a JSSA (Jewish Social Services) Chaplain and Chaplain of Riderwood Jewish Community in Silver Spring, MD. She is a certified Yoga Teacher and is currently offering Yoga Shalom classes via zoom! Lisa is the creator and author of Yoga Shalom, a unique book/CD/DVD prayer embodiment practice and a featured artist in Hebrew in Harmony with Behrman House Books. She is the author of the book, Heart of Light. Poems of Longing, Loss, and Life. In our interview, we discuss her experience of the focus and movement of yoga and incorporating it into prayer and worship, as well as song and chanting. She speaks of the embodiment of prayer and the spiritual concepts of opening the heart, the chakras, the sefirot, and pranayama. “Chant is a musical dristi” Lisa also shares about the power of music and to use it for healing. She also speaks about how the yamas and niyamas tie into mussar and how the mat and prayer are mirrors for us and compares it to our own private mishkan. Please feel free to reach her at CantorLisaLevine@yahoo.com Please find her on the web at https://cantorlisalevine.com/ Please feel free to reach The Jewish Yogi at thejewishyogi@gmail.com and @thejewishyogi on instagram. Please feel free to follow, comment, and share. #thejewishyogi #jewishyoga #jewishyogagirl #modahjerwishyoga #Lisalevine #yogaandjudaism #chanting #yoga #Yogashalom #musicalhealing Enjoy and Shalom

Parshat Shelach - Geoffrey Stern with Rabbi Adam Mintz, visit with Rav Abraham Isaac Kook, Rabbi Yitz Greenberg and listen to a live recording or Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach.  We explore what the story of the Biblical Scouts teaches us about whining, Jewish Power, Jewish Nationalism, Zionism, Jewish Renewal, love and respect for authority? So gird your loins and take a deep breath as we Get Guts. Sefaria Source Sheet: www.sefaria.org/sheets/327812 Transcript: Geoffrey Welcome, everybody, to Madlik, our weekly disruptive Torah, four o'clock Eastern Time on clubhouse and later published as a podcast. If you do listen to this as a podcast and you want to like us or give us some stars, that would be well appreciated. Today, we are going to discuss, the following narrative.  Picture the Jewish people in the desert coming out of Egypt. They're getting close to the border with the promised land, literally the land that was promised to them. And they sent out 12 either spies or scouts to scout the land. And there's one scout from each tribe and they're instructed to go to the country (Numbers, Chapter 13 and 14) to determine whether it's strong or weak, few or many.  Are the people that dwell in there, good or bad are the towns they live in open or fortified. Is the soil rich or poor? Is it wooded or not? Really a total fact-finding mission.  And the story recounts how they get there. And it's harvest festival and they harvest some grapes that have become almost iconic in terms of how large they were. And then they lodge their report "and ten of them say, we came to the land you sent to us. It does indeed flow with milk and honey. And this is its food." And they showed them the grapes. However, and here's the however, the people who inhabit the country are powerful and the cities are fortified and very large. Moreover, we saw anakites (giants) and they go on as they're talking. The other two was Joshua and a guy named Caleb, and he hushed the people before Moses and he said, let's just go up. We shall gain possession of it. So Joshua and Caleb were enthusiastic about going ahead to the Promised Land. But they continued speaking and they said we cannot attack that people for it is stronger than we. It is one that devours its settlers, Eretz ochelwet yoshveha... a land that literally eats its inhabitants and then they go back and they say the final punch line and it says, and we looked like grasshoppers to ourselves and so we must have looked to them. And ultimately the story ends with obviously God being extremely upset. Here is a people that he took the trouble of redeeming from slavery to freedom, and it ultimately is mired in a slavery; exile mentality. And can't make the switch. And they want to go back to Egypt. They would rather be taken care of and be slaves. And this story ends with God saying, let me get rid of them all, right, now and Moses, I will take you and Joshua and Caleb and the believers into the land. And Moses convinces him not to do that and God forgives them. And the language that he uses to forgive them is the penultimate forgiveness verses of the Torah that we use on Yom Kippur. And ultimately, that whole generation is to die out and a new generation is to come into the land. So I'm going to stop right here and ask you, Rabbi Adam and anyone else who wants to participate, what is the takeaway from this story at even the most superficial level? Adam There is so much. Thank you, Geoffrey, for the for the introduction and for just kind of the background of the story, You know, at least one piece of the take away is that you need to trust. You need to trust in God and you need to trust in ourselves that the mistake that the people, the Jews made the desert was you know, there were a lot of different ways to understand the report of the spies, but they chose the way that it was the most scary, the most intimidating. They didn't trust in themselves. They didn't trust in God. And that's what got them in trouble. So I think the first lesson is a lesson about trust. Geoffrey  And faith and confidence Adam Trust and faith I'm putting together correct That's my first take away Geoffrey But of course, to move you forward, there is that kind of telling comment where they said they didn't say we'd looked like grasshoppers to them. They said we looked like grasshoppers to ourselves, and we must have looked like grasshoppers to them, too. What is that add? Adam That means that if you're insecure, then, you know, that's your downfall. If you think that your grasshoppers, then other people can pick that up in a minute. And they saw themselves as being weak. And the minute they saw themselves as being weak, they were weak and they'll be able to take advantage of them. Geoffrey So it's really as much about faith in God as it is about faith in oneself.  Self-esteem. Adam Right. And I'm a big believer that this story is not only about faith in God, it's about faith in oneself. Geoffrey So to raise the bar a little bit, the midrash seems to have the consensus that this took place on a very perspicuous day in the Jewish calendar. It took place on Tisha B'Av and it's recounted Tisha B'av, as you probably all know, is the day the greatest calamity in the history of the Jewish people occurred.  When the temple was destroyed.  According to tradition, both temples were destroyed on the same day. And the midrash and the Mishnah gives a long list of other calamities that either foreshadowed or followed afterwards. But this took place on Tisha B'aV.  And the Midrash says that when the people cried after hearing the report from the scouts, the Midrash says it was a Bechi Shel Chinam... It was an unjustified crying... a whining if you will. And because they cried, the Jewish people in the desert cried for no good reason. They would be destined to cry for good reason for the rest of the generations. And those of you who know Jewish tradition about Tisha B'av, cannot fail to hear in the bechi Shel Chinam...  this crying for no reason, an echo of the traditional reason that the temple was destroyed. And that was because of sinat chinam.... of hatred that was unjustified .... person to person. So what do you make of this counterpoint between these two various reasons for the beginning of all the calamities of the Jewish people beginning at that moment and both using this unjustified emotion? Adam  Let's take that midrash, that Midrash that you quote, Geoffrey, that you cried for no reason. Great phrase... you whine because you whine, I'm going to give you a reason to really cry. What does that mean? What that means is that we need to take a certain amount of responsibility. And if we're going to whine, God is going to give us a reason to whine. We can't whine, we need to be strong, and we need to have courage. We need to have faith in ourselves and in God. And if we can't do that, then God is going to punish us. He's going to give us a reason to cry. I think that's such a strong idea. Geoffrey And then all that is true. But I want to set it up as a counterpoint to "sinat Chinam". to blaming the destruction of the temple on the sins of the Jews. And what I'd love to do is to paint a picture that was inspired to me by Rav Abraham Yitzhak Kook, the first chief rabbi of the State of Israel, who actually took this midrash of baseless crying. And remember, this is an ultra-orthodox rabbi who breaks with the rest of the ultra-orthodox who believe that it is not up to man, it is not up to us to fabricate of faith and to take our land and to take the initiative. And he says, no, absolutely not that it is it is ours and it is our responsibility not to be small, but to be great. And this baseless whining, if you will, was the core of not only the narrative that we're reading about this Shabbat in this parsha, but is the core of the narrative of exile, of diminution, of oppression of the Jewish people through the ages. And I think if you add on to that context, part of that context is that the Jewish tradition for 2000 years of exile said that the Jewish people were exiled because they did something wrong. And this was something that was begun by the Jews, themselves in the prophets, Jeremiah and others, but clearly something that was literally embraced by the non-Jews who said if you are stateless, you must be deserving of this punishment. And so, in a sense, this baseless whining, this baseless diminution of yourself, I think is a counterpoint. And I don't want to focus less on the sin of hatred one against another and more on the fact of it's a sin that's keeping us away and that somehow or other we have to do something, maybe go to synagogue and pray, as opposed to taking our future into our hands and doing what Joshua and Caleb said, which is let's get up and go and take this land. Do you see that counterpoint Rabbi? Adam [That's a very interesting counterpoint. And I think that that's really the lesson of the whole scary counterpoint is the lesson. Right? Geoffrey I think so. I think so. It's one also of sadness and joy and so Rav Kook, when he describes this, he describes it in the context of we should be rejoicing on Tisha B'av, because one day Tisha B'av is going to be the happiest day. And that day will happen when we take our fate into our own hands. Adam I want to know what that means, taking fate into our own hands. What does that mean to you? Geoffrey So I'd like to move forward to answer that question to another theologian who's actually still alive, named Yitz Greenberg. And Yitz Greenberg talks about the Third Era of Judaism. And he actually describes that before the Holocaust, we lived in a world where we were waiting for divine redemption, and we were trying to make ourselves purer so that we would deserve divine redemption. And he says after the Holocaust, many people would want to talk about the "hester Panim", the fact that God's divine presence was hidden. And he says that's the wrong syntax. He talks about after the Holocaust we now have to talk about "was man missing" and that man now has to take into his or her own hands their future. That's his takeaway from the absence of God, which is the positive flip side of that, which is the ultimate responsibility for the presence of man. Adam What do you make of that? Let me turn it back to you, Geoffrey. What do you think about Yitz Greenberg's comment? Geoffrey Well, I agree with him very much. And when I kind of felt it in my gut because I truly believe that the renaissance of the Jewish people and the revival of the state of Israel is not simply like the meraglim, the scouts, a story, an episode. I think it is the essence of the culmination of Jewish history. And so I try to make sense of it in terms of the arc of Jewish history. And actually, Greenberg talks in terms of what happened after the Holocaust, in terms of the UN and human rights and national movements and all that. He makes the context even larger. But it really does speak to me and it speaks to me in a sense that is core to who I am as a proud Jew. So it really does resonate. Adam It's a great I think it's a fantastic argument by Itz Greenberg. And maybe what makes it the most powerful is it is kind of surprising you wouldn't have expected it. Geoffrey In terms of who Yitz Greenberg is as an Orthodox Jew, Adam correct, Geoffrey I mean, I think in a sense what we're talking about is not something that we're kind of creating out of nothing. The truth is that Ralph Kook and especially but also Yitz Greenberg coming out of an ultra-orthodox background, saw it. They saw the real tension between the Judaism of the galut... of the exile and a new Judaism born after the ashes, so to speak, and the revival of the Jewish nationalist dream. It lived itself out, in other words. And I also came from a very ultra-orthodox background. And these are things that you study, and you learn.  They're very much alive. This this sense of you talk about trust. It's a different type of trust and faith. It's a faith that God will take care of us. God will provide the answer. And it's ultimately one that I think I really do. I feel like I have to reject. And it's not almost a nostalgic old faith as opposed to a new one.  it's a new faith that has an emphasis and an imperative to it. Adam Yeah. That that idea of a new thing I think is very, very powerful. And that's really what Yitz Greenberg is talking about, is that we have to create for ourselves a new faith and that new faith is a faith that requires a tremendous amount of strength and courage. Can you imagine creating a new a new faith? Well, something that's so counter to everything that we were bought up with in our very orthodox backgrounds, isn't it? Geoffrey Well, I mean, you know, we listen to whether it's the song of the parting of the sea where we say lo b'bekochi, that it is not with our power, not with our might, that we will survive, but only through God. And Greenberg has an amazing quote that is a variation on something I believe Santayana said, and its "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. But absolute powerlessness corrupts the most". And I think what he was saying here is the powerlessness .... the lack of willingness to accept one's own fate, to accept power, to be a victim, to be a martyr, to play that role is really antithetical to the world and the renewal of Judaism and the state of Israel that we see. And I think it comes up in our discussions today, and I'm not preaching to anyone. I'm preaching to myself here. You know, as we see the discussion about Israel, especially in the last month, rive up and we feel, do we have to stand up for it or do we have to? What is the right balance between empathizing with the poor people in Gaza and the Palestinians and their national dream and ours? And I think that part of what this message told me this week as I studied it and as I read it, is you can care for other people, but you first have to care for yourself. You have to be in touch and understand your national dream before you can embrace someone else's national dream. You have to respect yourself. You can't be a grasshopper or a cockroach. That was the message I took away. And literally I was on the fence in terms of...  Let this pass and do we really need to to stick up for ourselves and and make a scene and the take away from this parsha is that, you know, if not us, who then? Adam Do you think that we all have to share the same dream? Geoffrey No, no, absolutely not, and I think, if I hear you correctly, you know, would we ever want to totally lose the message of a Jeremiah who says if bad things happen to you, you need to be introspective and you need to look to see what you can do better with your life, both morally, ethically and spiritually? I hope we never lose that. But certainly when it goes to the extreme, when  bad things happen to good people, it must be good people's fault. And we have to check on Mezuzahs. I think it is is a sickness. And I do believe we have to be comfortable in saying, damn it, we deserve a full life, too, and we deserve to live out our national and lifelong [national aspiration]. I was at a wedding earlier this week and I couldn't but stop to listen to all the words about one day we will be dancing in the streets of Jerusalem and the broken glass over Jerusalem. And I said to myself, we've been doing this for two thousand years. This is not a political statement. This is who we are. We are those scouts. We are that generation outside of the promised land. And we've got to fight for it.  We'll be respected. I think this was one of the messages of the Zionists, and it's only partially borne out... We'll be respected when we respect ourselves and when we stand on our own two feet and when we have our own army and we have our own language. Adam Yeah, I mean, that was you know, that was the lesson of the state of Israel that we have to believe in ourselves if we're going to have our own state. If we don't believe in ourselves, then we don't have a chance. It's not that people have to believe in us. We have to believe in ourselves. I mean, that's really nice, Geoffrey because what you're really in this week of the elections and everything, in Israel and they make a government. And what you're really saying is that it's not about people believing in us. It's about us believing in ourselves. Geoffrey And then I think it's like they always say, "Ve'ahavta l"rayacha Kwemocha" , love your neighbor as yourself. I really do believe that we can we are better when we respect ourselves. And it's trite, but I think it's true. I'd like to go on to another thought leader who is not normally considered a thought leader. He's thought of more as the Singing Rabbi. His name is Shlomo Carlebach. And a few years ago, I came across a recording of him talking about just this parsha. So I'm going to try something new on Madlik Clubhouse. And since it is an audio only platform, I'm going to try to play Shlomo Carlebach...  I'm going to invite him, so to speak, on to clubhouse. And I think you'll all be as excited as I am to see the personal direction that he takes this into, because we've been talking a lot about nationalism and movements and he goes in a different direction that I think relates more to Jewish renewal. So let's see if I can get this to work. Speaker Shlomo Carlebach  I just want to give you a little vitamin pill and strength, everybody talking about the Meraglim so much and I'm sure it sunk into you. Anybody who comes back from Israel and tells anything bad about Israel, tell them, my dear brother, the spies destroyed Israel and they didn't lie it's true. Moshe Rabenu says to Yehoshua (Joshua) "God should give you strength not to listen to them. Now, listen to this. Who are the miraglim? The miraglim were the biggest Rebbes of the world 10 big Rebbes. Just imagine yourself, little schmendrick, like you and I. We're going on a mission ... 10 big rabbis. And Yeshua was mamash a pupil of Moshe Rabbenu. The most humble person in the world. Right. All the rabbis sit there, and they say, listen, I want you to know they tell each other it's a bad scene to go to Israel, forget it "A land that eats it's people" don't go there. Do you know, according to the Torah, the majority decides? The Torah! You ask a yid, Torah... right? I want you to know, friends, thousands of Jews would have stayed alive if they would have not listened to a lot of rabbis. I know a Yid in Williamsburg. He lived somewhere, had a wife and 12 children, 1937. He asked a Rebbe: "Should I go to Israel?" He says: "God forbid, Israel is not frum" . He would have had his wife and 12 children. You know why Yehusha is the one to conquer Israel? Because Moshe Rabbenu gave them strength not to listen to anybody. Have enough guts! if the Ribono shel olam shines something into me, that's it. I want you to know there is prophecy .. Eretz Yisrael is deeper than prophecy. Prophecy means I know what's happening. What will happen tomorrow. I know which gilgil (re-incarnation) I am in. It's all cute. It's not what I need to know? The greatest light of Eretz Yisrael is to have enough guts to listen to the deepest depths of my heart, the deepest, deepest depts of my heart. My friends, I bless you and me. If you and I want to conquer Israel, want to make our way to the Holy Land, make our way into Yiddishkite, let's have the guts not to listen to anybody. I want you to know something else. The saddest thing in the world is... I want you to know everybody when they get married, they built their Eretz Yisrael. The Huppah is their Jerusalem. I want you to know, you know, the walking to the Huppah, it's like Avraham Avenu, is walking in Eretz Yisrael. The standing under the Huppah is like Yerushalyim, As it says: Omdos Hayu Ragalenu Yerusalim..." I bless you, friends. Whenever you find your soulmate, please don't ask anybody. Conquer your Eretz Yisrael! Just listen to the inside of the inside. Listen to the great rabbi ... the Mraglim... you know what they said they felt like cockroaches and mamash a giant. Right? I thought you're the greatest rabbi in the world. You afraid? Yeah. To the truth. Jacob teitz, this is my Rebbe? I don't want a Rebbe who's afraid. I don't a Rebbe who's afraid of anything in the world. I need a rebbe who's not afraid. And you know something in exile. It's a cute Rebbe'la. He's afraid of this one. Afraid of this one .. in Exile you can make it. You can even make to receive manna from heaven. Eretz Yisrael, No! Friends, I Bless you to have guts. inside. Inside, inside, inside. When you find your soul mate, just do it. Friends, I tell you something. If you would have asked all the Rebbes. Should we make a little ruach here, a little get-together. They would have asked how big is the mechitza, where do you get the meat. And who is Gedalia, who is Noami? Who is Meyer? Forget me, I'm treif anyway. Hash V'shalom... you're not permitted to do it! and the meantime, Baruch HaShem, Gedalia had the privilege of bringing together 100's of thousands of people. OK friends, Good Shabbos Good Yontov and I bless you to make it to Eretz Yisrael this summer. Don't ask questions, just go Good Shabbos Good Yom tov. Geoffrey Yeah. So had you heard that before? Adam That was amazing. Geoffrey Thank you. I was I was blown away. And by the way, it's edited. He also talks about women learning Torah and he says, are we going to ask a rebbe if we can study Torah? Women can study Torah. It really bridges the divide to the personal, personal, spiritual growth, and it bridges the divide to renewal of Judaism. And I was just blown away by it. So I. I just today came from a funeral of a Holocaust survivor. And her name is Esther Pederseil, and she was ninety-five and she had guts. And if we're talking about guts, I think that we have to definitely reference people like her who are survivors, they're not victims, they're survivors. And when her children spoke, they talked about her love of fashion and style, and they said that was her. That was her not.... Not her revenge, but her way of living. She wanted to live her life to the fullest and as much as she could she, showed that she was in the camp of Joshua and Caleb. And I just think that the lesson is really universal at the end of the day, it's a lesson for us personally. It's a lesson for every people who want to renew their future and get to their promised land. But it's certainly a lesson for us. And I think we should never whine, and we should only choose to conquer what we can conquer and to think highly of ourselves Adam And to listen only to ourselves, not to listen to others. What a powerful idea. Geoffrey Yeah, I, I when he kept on saying over and over again, I don't need a rebbe who's afraid, I mean  it was very powerful. And he touched thousands, tens of thousands of people with his music but also with the message of renewal and renewal Judaism. And as you said before, what our promised land is, is open to interpretation. But I think the message that one has to grab that and to actively aspire and engage. That is a universal truth. Adam Couldn't agree more. That was beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing that. Geoffrey OK, well, Shabbat shalom, everybody. Adam  Shabbat Shalom everybody. Looking forward to next week.    

We are in the 7th, and final week of our Omer series featuring spiritual entrepreneurs, people who are bringing the wisdom of their own lived experience into their professional lives and carving new paths, making unique and much needed impact in the world. This week we dive into Malchut, Kingdom, Kingship.In this extended episode, Rabbi Lizzi speaks with Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg, the hosts of Judaism Unbound, a renowned and wildly popular podcast in the Jewish podcast universe that analyzes the most pressing and fascinating issues for 21st century American Jews and Judaism. About Dan LibensonDan is the founder and president of the Institute for the Next Jewish Future. He’s been the Executive Director of the University of Chicago Hillel and the Director of New Initiatives at Harvard Hillel. He is a 2009 AVI CHAI Fellow (sort of the Jewish McArthur Fellowship) and has also received the Richard M. Joel Exemplar of Excellence award, Hillel International's highest professional honor. In 2010, he was named a Jewish Chicagoan of the Year by Chicago Jewish News- may its memory be a blessing. He is a Harvard alum, a lawyer, a writer, and a translator of The Orchard, a book by renowned Israeli novelist Yochi Brandes and the translation editor of The Secret Book of Kings by the same author.About Lex RofebergLex serves as Strategic Initiatives Coordinator of the Institute for the Next Jewish Future. He is a graduate of Brown University and a writer featured in in JTA, MyJewishLearning, Jewish Currents, Sh'ma Journal, New Voices, among others. He completed a two-year Education Fellowship at the Institute of Southern Jewish Life and joined the Judaism Unbound team in 2015. He has a certificate in Interfaith Family Jewish Engagement from Hebrew College and is ordained as a rabbi by Alliance for Jewish Renewal. Lex is an educator and an activist in Jewish movements for justice, which have included IfNotNow and Never Again Action. Be sure to subscribe, rate the show and leave a review. As always, we want to hear from you.And to stay connected, follow Mishkan Chicago on Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about us here!About Mishkan ChicagoMishkan is a spiritual community in Chicago reclaiming Judaism’s inspiration and transformative essence. Not bound by a particular location, we create radically inclusive spaces for Jewish spiritual practice and community, engaging, educating, and empowering people across the spectrum of identity, background, age, and belief.

A conversation on overcoming obstacles and finding renewal in Judaism. Enjoy the conversation. Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Listen on Stitcher Follow David Suissa on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

Rabbi Michael Lerner – Revolutionary LoveAired Wednesday, January 6, 2021 at 5:00 PM PST / 8:00 PM ESTIn the spring of 2020, with the spread of the pandemic, the challenges it presented, the egregious acts of racism and racial violence and a failure of leadership to address these challenges, I shared on this program and in my community that it was a time for acts of radical kindness, radical compassion and radical love. We begin 2021 with the recognition that these acts continue to call to us and that our very survival is contingent on caring for one another, our environment, and our world. How may we find a path to this and in doing so open the hearts and minds of all peoples to this reality. My guest this week on Destination Unlimited, Rabbi Michael Lerner, has made this path much of his life’s work. Rabbi Lerner is an American political activist, the editor of “Tikkun”, a progressive Jewish interfaith magazine based in Berkeley, California, and the Rabbi of Beyt Tikkun Synagogue in Berkeley. Rabbi Lerner’s legacy of political activism was launched in 1964 when he attended UC Berkeley. He walked past students sitting in protest, listened to their speeches, and joined their efforts quickly becoming a leader in the student movement. The failures of the social change movements of the 60s and 70s inspired him to study psychology to gain a deeper understanding of the psychodynamics of American society. Intellectual wisdom and curiosity as well as spiritual depth have always been the foundation of his work and efforts, giving rise to many articles, books, and ultimately, Tikkun magazine. His best-selling books include The Left Hand of God, Spirit Matters and Jewish Renewal. You can find out more about him at the websites Tikkun.org and http://beyttikkun.org/. He joins me this week to share his path, his work and his new book, Revolutionary Love: A Political Manifesto To Heal and Transform the World.Visit the Destination Unlimited show page https://omtimes.com/iom/shows/destination-unlimited/Connect with Victor Fuhrman at http://victorthevoice.com/#MichaelLerner #RevolutionaryLove #VictorFuhrman #DestinationUnlimited

In a new COVID-19 world Nigel Savage, President and CEO of Hazon speaks with Jewish leaders from around the world on what this changing landscape means for Jewish communities near and far. Originally recorded on May 10th, we tune into this episode featuring Rabbis Arthur Waskow and Phyllis Berman in conversation with Nigel Savage. Rabbis Waskow and Berman are most well known for their political activism, writings and their support and leadership in the Jewish renewal movement. Rabbi Waskow co-founded ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal and Rabbi Berman has lead retreats at Hazon’s own Isabella Freedman retreat center.

Jewish mystical traditions offer the adept a rich array of practices and paradigms supporting personal and communal healing and renewal. These include text, sacred time, sensory experience, meditation, imagination, play, and teshuvah—an annual and ongoing process of realigning the self with the cosmos. Join TNS host Irwin Keller in conversation with scholar and mystic, Rabbi Elliot Ginsburg, as they discuss Judaism’s esoteric side and what it might offer all of us in broken times. Rabbi Elliot Ginsburg, PhD Reb Elliott is Associate Professor of Jewish Thought and Mysticism at the University of Michigan, and rabbi of the Pardes Hannah minyan in Ann Arbor. He received his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania, and taught at Oberlin College, before coming to Michigan. He has received an NEH Fellowship and a Kellogg Foundation grant supporting his scholarship. Reb Elliot has written two books on the kabbalistic celebration of Shabbat and is currently working on a scholarly study of Jewish mystical prayer and meditation, and a multi-tiered study of Judaism as spiritual practice. Reb Elliot received his rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi in 1998, and is senior faculty in the rabbinic ordination program of the Aleph Alliance for Jewish Renewal.

It's August 22, 2020 and my guest Rabbi Amy shares deep wisdom about feeling gratitude, noticing beauty in the world around her and in her home with her teenage children and shares rituals that help her feel grounded and resilient on a daily basis. Amy Grossblatt Pessah is a rabbi, author, spiritual director and mom. Serving various communities and demographics across the country, Amy has been a Jewish educator for over twenty-five years, with a specialization in Jewish Family Education. She received her masters degree in Jewish education from HUC-JIR and her ordination from Aleph: Alliance for Jewish Renewal. She lives in Florida with her husband, Aryeh and together they are the proud parents of three young adults. Amy's recently released book is Parenting on a Prayer: Ancient Jewish Secrets for Raising Modern Children. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/5questionspodcast/message

This week, we’re coming to you live from Denver’s JCC Mizel Arts and Culture Center as part of the 12th annual Neustadt Jewish Arts, Authors, Movies, and Music Festival. Our Jewish guest is Sue Salinger, director of the Denver region of Hazon, the environmental organization working to strengthen Jewish life and contribute to a more environmentally sustainable world. She tells us what Jewish tradition teaches us about farming and sustainability, what makes Denver’s Jewish community unique, and why Judaism calls us to act against climate change. Our Gentile of the week is Michael Johnston, a teacher and politician who served as the Colorado State Senator from the 33rd district from 2009 to 2017, and is currently a candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2020. He tells us about the culture shock of leaving Vail, CO to attend Yale University, explains how his work as a teacher got him interested in politics, and weighs in on the 2020 Democratic primary. And finally, a musical tribute on the eve of Leonard Cohen’s third yahrzeit from Eve Ilsen, a storyteller, singer, and psychotherapist. She was ordained as a rabbinic pastor of the Aleph Alliance for Jewish Renewal, by her late husband, Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi. Let us know what you think of the show: email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at 914-570-4869. Come see us on tour! Dec. 19 – St. Louis: Book talk with Stephanie and Liel Jan. 8, 2020 – Westport, Connecticut: Book talk with Mark and Liel Jan. 10, 2020 — Fountain Valley, CA: Book talk with Stephanie Feb. 6, 2020 – Scotch Plains, New Jersey: Book talk with Stephanie & Liel Feb. 9, 2020 – Wyomissing, Pennsylvania: Book talk with Mark and Liel Feb. 26, 2020 – Naples, Florida: Book talk with Stephanie and Mark March 12, 2020 – Boca Raton, Florida: Book talk with Stephanie and Liel Copies of The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia will be sold and signed at each event. Like the book? Leave us a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram and join our Facebook group. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies here. Sponsors: Sony Pictures Classics presents The Song of Names, a new film from Francois Girard starring Tim Roth and Clive Owen, and featuring a score by two-time Academy Award winner Howard Shore. When a Jewish music prodigy disappears, a childhood friend starts an obsessive search that spans over two continents and a half century. The Song of Names opens in New York and Los Angeles on December 25th and comes to a theatre near you this January. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bria Gray joins Gabe in conversation for our latest episode of Kol He'Chalutz. This time we're talking about Jewish renewal and how we can take ownership over our Jewish expression

Bria Gray shares her insights into what it means to live a full Jewish life full of creativity and meaning

 It is not often that I have a conversation with someone who has suffered multiple losses and has found the courage and the means to use it a way to help others who are going trough their own struggles. Anne Brener is the author of “Mourning and Mitzvah: A Guided Journal for Walking the Mourner’s Path Through Grief to Healing” first published in 1993 and now revised and expanded and published as a 25th Anniversary Edition from Turner Publishing. An ordained rabbi, psychotherapist and spiritual guide who serves on the board of the Aleph (AH-lef) Alliance for Jewish Renewal, Rabbi Brener takes the hand of modern mourners to gently guide them through the mourning process. With MOURNING & MITZVAH, she offers real solutions for healing. While still in her early twenties, losses included the suicide of her mother, followed three months later, by the death of her 19-year-old sister in a car accident, her only sibling. What began with the personal journal of her own struggle for healing, became a bestselling book, which weaves her own journey and those of many whom she has nurtured into the template provided by ancient Jewish wisdom. She is a speaker and writer, whose book has helped thousands heal. “MOURNING & MITZVAH” is available here: https://amzn.to/2tC7zlQ For more grief related resources, please visit: http://www.dealingwithmygrief.com/grief-resources/ Subscribe to this podcast by using one of the following: Click here to subscribe via Apple Podcasts Click here to subscribe on Android Click here to subscribe via RSS Click here to subscribe on Spotify Contact me using any of following: email - darwyn@dealingwithmygrief.com twitter - http://www.twitter.com/dealwithgrief web - http://www.dealingwithmygrief.com voice message - http://www.dealingwithmygrief.com/voicemail Facebook - https://facebook.com/groups/dealingwithmygrief Instagram - https://instagram.com/dealingwithmygrief   Music provided by Oren Levine (oren@ohljazz.com)

Rabbi Green discusses Neo-Hasidism, Kabbalah, the Zohar and the search for a contemporary Judaism. Dr. Arthur Green was the founding dean and is currently rector of the Rabbinical School and Irving Brudnick Professor of Jewish Philosophy and Religion at Hebrew College. He is Professor Emeritus at Brandeis University, where he occupied the distinguished Philip W. Lown Professorship of Jewish Thought. He is both a historian of Jewish religion and a theologian; his work seeks to form a bridge between these two distinct fields of endeavor. Educated at Brandeis University and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, where he received rabbinic ordination, Dr. Green studied with such important teachers as Alexander Altmann, Nahum N. Glatzer, and Abraham Joshua Heschel, of blessed memory. He has taught Jewish mysticism, Hasidism, and theology to several generations of students at the University of Pennsylvania, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (where he served as both Dean and President), Brandeis, and now at Hebrew College. He has taught and lectured widely throughout the Jewish community of North America as well as in Israel, where he visits frequently. He was the founder of Havurat Shalom in Somerville, Massachusetts in 1968 and remains a leading independent figure in the Jewish Renewal movement.

In honor of July 4th, we're celebrating the diversity of American Jewish life—which, as we've learned, goes well beyond eating bagels on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Up first, we get a crash course in the history of Jews in the South from Stuart Rockoff, who created the Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities, a rich online resource from the Institute of Southern Jewish Life. Next, Sammy Potter tells us about driving an hour to synagogue from his home in Yarmouth, ME, and why he wants to return to Maine after college. Yemile Bucay then describes her Mexican Syrian family's move from Mexico City to San Antonio, TX, and how she ended up raising her family in Great Neck, NY. Rabbi Tirzah Firestone follows to tell us about the Jewish Renewal movement in Boulder, CO. Finally, from Tulsa, OK, a vibrant Jewish community in the American heartland, we speak with Rabbi Marc Fitzerman and his children, Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Nina Fitzerman-Blue, about the unique landscape of Jewish life on the Arkansas River. Plus we hear from a couple listeners! Our donation drive is live! We have fun prizes for all levels of giving, including a special Camp Unorthodox T-shirt, an Unorthodox enamel pin, an 'Unorthodox Approved' laptop sticker, and more. And this year are hosts are upping the stakes with a contest: When you give, include a note with the name of your favorite host. The host who gets the least love will have to face a very creative and amusing penalty on air. Visit tabletmag.com/donate to be part of the fun. Is it OK to say ‘JAP’? That’s the subject of our next live show, June 18 at the JCC Manhattan. Jill Kargman of Odd Mom Out and Broadway legend Tovah Feldshuh will join us to screen a short film we made about the persistence of the Jewish American Princess stereotype. We’ll follow with a lively discussion, audience questions, and much more. Get your tickets now! We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at Unorthodox@tabletmag.com or leave a message at our listener line: 914-570-4869. We may share your note on the air. If you like us, please consider leaving a review in iTunes. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook group to chat with the hosts and see what happens behind-the-scenes! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Show your love for Unorthodox with our new T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies. Get yours at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this first episode of the Psychedelic Cultures Podcast, we hear from Jade Netanya Ullmann, who is a development officer and connector at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. We learn about the range of initiatives MAPS is working on in addition to legalizing MDMA for therapy. We also hear some of Jade's personal experiences and what brings her to be advocating for support of legalization and access to psychedelic medicines for healing. You can learn more about MAPS on their website, https://www.maps.org/. Links to projects and resources: -- In the interview, Jade mentions a video series to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the first LSD experiences by sharing a story about why LSD is important to you. You can watch and share your own story here: https://www.tribute.co/lsd/ -- Zendo, the harm reduction offering for festivals, has their home on the web here: https://www.zendoproject.org/ -- And last but not least, The Manual of Psychedelic Support is a practical guide to setting up and running compassionate care services for people having difficult drug experiences at music festivals and similar events. You'll find a full description of my intention for this podcast here: http://www.imaginationhealer.com/podcast/psychedelic-cultures Thank you for listening, and please let me know if there's a topic or guest you'd like me to feature on this show. imaginationhealer.com Bio: Jade Netanya Ullmann is a seasoned fundraiser, philanthropist, activist, and community organizer. She is the former executive director of Romemu, a progressive Jewish spiritual community in New York City. Jade is an ambassador for the Social Venture Network, a nonprofit network of business leaders committed to justice and sustainability, as well as a member of the Threshold Foundation, which is dedicated to mobilizing financial resources to change the world. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Romemu, as well as ALEPH: The Alliance for Jewish Renewal, and on the Advisory Board of Bernie Glassman’s Zen Peacemaker Order. She received her B.A. in contemplative psychology from Naropa University, where she was the campus organizer of Students for a Free Tibet. She began working with MAPS in early 2015 to expand the organization’s community visibility, and has since joined the staff as Development Officer and Connector. Jade is enthusiastic about inspiring others to recognize and support the visionary research and healing work of MAPS. She lives in New York City, where she was born and raised. Credits: Audio Production and Editing: Cooper Howland and Magenta Song lyrics in opening track are from the liner notes for Woven Songs of the Amazon. The CD of it I was gifted said the proceeds go to the Shipibo people. I'm not sure a more direct link to send you to (if you do please let me know), but I'm linking to the Amazon page because of the commentary and irony. Opening and closing track by "mu fa or", the duo of Wobbly and Magenta.

This is a recording of an evening service (Ma'ariv) recorded live at the recent conference of Ohalah: the Association of Rabbis, Cantors, and Rabbinic Pastors for Jewish Renewal. The recording has been edited to take out extraneous noises, and to remove the five-minutes of silence during the Amidah. Feel free to pause the recording and offer your own prayers if you are davening (praying) along at home. Rabbi Ilan lead the service, accompanied by rabbinic student Brett Tancer on guitar, Hazzan Shulamit Wise Fairman on drums, Rabbi Oren Steinitz on piano on the last melody, and probably around 80 Rabbis, Cantors, Rabbinic Pastors and others. Many thanks to Brett, Shulamit, and Oren for lending a hand. The opening and closing melody is a composition of Rabbi Ilan's called Recovery Niggun. The Shema melody comes from the Leader Minyan in Jerusalem The V'ahavta melody was composed by Yoel Sykes of Nava Tehila. The original melody can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmsNMf1jsD0 Please also visit the Nava Tehila website at: www.navatehila.org for additional ways to connect with and support this special community. The Adonai Eloheichem Emet melody was composed by Rabbi Ilan during Ohalah. The Mi Chamocha melody melody was composed by Rabbi Ilan during a weeklong retreat with Rabbi Shefa Gold. Rabbi Ilan highly recommends studying with Shefa. Please visit www.rabbishefagold.com for ways to do so. The Oseh Shalom melody was composed by Hazzan Daniel Kempin. More of Hazzan Daniel's music can be found here: http://www.daniel-kempin.de/english/indexframeaudio.htm The melody for V'neemar/end of Aleinu is Reb Dovid Zeller's melody for Let There Be Peace. More info about Reb Dovid, may his memory be for a blessing, can be found here: https://www.davidzeller.org/home/index.php Rabbi Ilan has his wonderful book on his bookshelf. You'll enjoy it as well.   May we all be blessed to find ways to nourish our souls praying in holy community. You are welcome to use any of Rabbi Ilan's melodies in your own communities. Please let him know if you do! Kindly leave a 5-star rating and review of the Torah of Life podcast in lieu of payment for the melodies. Sheet music for Mi Chamocha is available by contacting Rabbi Ilan at rabbiilan@torahoflife.com Feel free to be in touch with any questions, comments, musings, melodies of your own, invitations to collaborate, or just to say hi.   Thanks for listening to the Torah of Life podcast, your home for transformational wisdom from a Jewish lens. Please give us a 5-star rating and review on iTunes or your favorite podcast platform. Thanks for listening. We'll be back with the next episode before you know it. Many blessings, Rabbi Ilan                      

When do we feel nourished by prayer and when do we leave in frustration, thinking its hopeless or we'll never get it right? Can prayer be an uplifting experience for us? How do we balance the traditional words with sharing the prayers of our hearts? Here some wisdom from the Ba'al Shem Tov, Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer, about how we can connect more deeply in prayer. This podcast is an introduction to the next podcast, which is a recording of an evening prayer service (Ma'ariv) which took place at the recent Ohalah conference for Jewish Renewal clergy. Rabbi Ilan was asked to create a service - listen in as he shares what he tried to do, and lessons for adding more to our own prayer lives. Thanks for listening to the Torah of Life podcast, your home for transformational wisdom from a Jewish lens. If you like what you've heard, please give us a 5-star rating and review on iTunes or your favorite podcast platform. Thanks for listening. We'll be back with the next episode before you know it!

Dan and Lex are joined by Barbara Thiede, who is both a Teaching Professor of Religious Studies at UNC-Charlotte and an ordained rabbi who serves as a leader in the Jewish Renewal movement. In their conversation, Thiede questions the myth that rabbis "saved Judaism" in the aftermath of the Second Temple's destruction and pushes us to consider and elevate narratives of Judaism that do not revolve around rabbinic texts and teachings. If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep things going with a one-time or tax-deductible donation. Support Judaism Unbound by clicking here. To access full shownotes for this episode, click here!

Is there a wound that cannot be healed? Why is there such a high percent of adopted kids in recovery? How does an adoptive parent navigate the loss that a child feels but cannot put into words?Your host Aaron Huey and Aaron Schneider worked together and alongside children who have experienced what is known as the “Primal Wound” and discuss effective treatment and support for families who adopt.Aaron Schneider is a former massage therapist and is currently a body-centered psychotherapist located in Baltimore. Trauma has always been a passion of his and has extensive training in PTSD and trauma therapy. He is currently pursuing a certification in Hakomi Mindfulnes-Centered Somatic Psychotherapy. Ever the spiritual seeker, he was ordained as a minister by Reb Zalman Schachter Shalomi, the founder of the Jewish Renewal movement. In his current practice, he focuses on empowering his clients by helping them realize that emotional pain is not something to cure, but a healthy message from the body asking for powerful change. Aaron has a passion for working with Orthodox Jews who wrestle with their religious identity, families and children with adoption issues, developmental and shock trauma, depression, anxiety and OCD. In his spare time, Aaron loves running, farming, spirituality, healthy eating, and self-empowerment exercises. He is proud to come from three generations of adoption: his aunt, his two sisters and his two children are all adopted. 

Guest Info/Bio: This week we speak with the incredible Rabbi Arthur Green PhD. Rabbi Green is one of the preeminent authorities on Jewish thought and spirituality. He was the founding dean and is currently rector of the Rabbinical School and Irving Burdnick Professor of Jewish Philosophy and Religion at Hebrew College. He is Professor Emeritus at Brandeis University, where he occupied the distinguished Philip W. Lown Professorship of Jewish Thought. He is both a historian of Jewish religion and a theologian; his work seeks to form a bridge between these two distinct fields of endeavor. Educated at Brandeis University and the Jewish Theology Seminary of America, where he received rabbinic ordination, Dr. Green studied with such important teachers as Alexander Altmann, Nahum N. Glatzer, and Abraham Joshua Heschel, of blessed memory. He has taught Jewish mysticism, Hasidism, and theology to several generations of students at the University of Pennsylvania, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (where he served as both Dean and President), Brandeis, and now at Hebrew College. He has taught and lectured widely throughout the Jewish community of North America as well as in Israel, where he visits frequently. He was the founder of Havurat Shalom in Somerville, Massachusetts in 1968 and remains a leading independent figure in the Jewish Renewal movement. (Selected) Published Works: Radical Judaism: Rethinking God and Tradition; Ehyeh: A Kabblah for Tomorrow; See My Face: A Jewish Mystical Theology; & Judaism’s Ten Best Ideas: A Brief Guide for Seekers. Guest Website/Social Media: http://artgreen26.com https://soundcloud.com/rabbiartgreen Special guest music on this episode provided by: Wild Earth Facebook: @wildearthmusic Twitter: @wildearthmusic Instagram: @wildearthmusic https://wildearth.bandcamp.com/ Enjoy the songs? The songs featured on this episode were: “Of Peace, Amen, Gardens, & Be Still” from the brand new album “Holy Fools.” Wild Earth’s music is available on iTunes, Spotify, and anywhere good music is sold! The Deconstructionist’s Podcast is mixed and edited by Nicholas Rowe at National Audio Preservation Society: A full service recording studio and creative habitat, located in Heath, Ohio. Find them on Facebook and Twitter or visit their website for more information. www.nationalaudiopreservationsociety.weebly.com www.facebook.com/nationalaudiopreservationsociety Twitter: @napsrecording Donation: If you’re digging what we’re doing here consider making a small donation. Maintaining a podcast isn’t cheap and every dollar donated helps us to keep this thing going. Money donated goes to helping to purchase research materials, maintenance of the website, storage of episodes, etc. Click the link below to donate: https://squareup.com/store/thedeconstructionists Brand new T-Shirts now available! An original design by Joseph Ernst (@joernst1 on Instagram), this limited edition uni-sex t-shirt is soft and durable poly/cotton in charcoal grey with white screen printed graphic. Grab one to support your favorite podcast and remember when you embraced the beauty of your deconstruction. https://squareup.com/store/thedeconstructionists Find us on social media! www.thedeconstructionists.com Twitter: @deconstructcast Facebook: deconstructionistsanonymous Instagram: deconstructionistspodcast Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-deconstructionists/donations Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Join us as we share audio from Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh’s talk “From Palestine to New Mexico: Human Rights and Environmental Justice”, at Nahalot Shalom, which is a spiritual and cultural center for Jewish Renewal in the Southwest. Dr. Qumsiyeh is a Palestinian scientist, author, expert in conflict resolution, a professor at Bethlehem University and is the Director of the Palestine Museum of Natural History.

Dr. Simon Parizhsky, a Jewish literature scholar and program director at Moscow's Eshkolot Center, busts a few myths about the "Dark Ages" of the Soviet Union and the "enlightenment" of the post-Communist era.  This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

On this edition of the Jewish Sacred Aging Podcast, Rabbi Address chats with Rabbi Richard Simon, rabbi at Temple Har Zion in Mt. Holly, NJ. Temple Har Zion describes itself as honoring "Conservative tradition with a Jewish Renewal twist, supporting congregants in davennen (prayer), study, and building community."    

Dan and Lex close out a series of episodes entitled "Emergent Judaism," which featured Rachel Barenblat and David Markus (of ALEPH: The Alliance for Jewish Renewal), Noa Kushner and Yoav Schlesinger (of The Kitchen), and Sarah Lefton (of BimBam). We discuss what it means to look at Judaism through a "modular" lens, such that various elements of Judaism are "unbundled" from the whole. If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation. Support Judaism Unbound by clicking here. To access full shownotes for this episode, click here!

Rabbis Rachel Barenblat ("The Velveteen Rabbi") and David Markus, co-chairs of the board of ALEPH: The Alliance for Jewish Renewal, join us for the first episode of a four-episode series entitled "Emergent Innovation." Along with co-hosts Dan Libenson and Lex Rofes, they look back at the history of Jewish Renewal, look forward towards its future, and discuss its animating philosophies and their application beyond the movement itself. If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation. Support Judaism Unbound by clicking here. To access full shownotes for this episode, click here!

About Rabbi Lerner and Cat Zavis... Rabbi Michael Lerner, author of The Left Hand of God: Taking Our Country Back from the Religious Right (Harper San Francisco, 2006), is rabbi of the Bay Area congregation Beyt Tikkun and editor of Tikkun magazine: a bimonthly Jewish and interfaith critique of politics, culture, and society. Tikkun is one of the most respected intellectual/cultural magazines in the Jewish world, but also one of the most controversial because of its stand in favor of the rights of Palestinians, on the one hand, which locates him in the minds of many as the leader and most prominent spokesperson in the United States of Jewish supporters of the Israeli peace movement, and on the other hand, because of his stand critiquing the anti-religious and anti-spiritual biases of the secular Left, insisting that they need to address the spiritual hunger of Americans as equally important to their material needs. He is the co-author with Cornel West of a book entitled Jews and Blacks: Let the Healing Begin, and several other books, including Healing Israel/Palestine. He is also the author of another ten books including The Politics of Meaning, Healing Israel/Palestine, The Socialism of Fools: Anti-Semitism on the Left, Spirit Matters and Jewish Renewal. Cat J. Zavis is the Executive Director of the Network for Spiritual Progressives as well as a collaborative divorce attorney, mediator, coach, and conflict resolution and Empathic Communication trainer. She has been practicing Empathic Communication, mediation, and collaborative law for seven years. She conducts workshops and trainings in Empathic Communication for parents, collaborative professionals, mediators, teachers, students, political activists and spiritual centers. In 2009, her business was awarded a Peace Builder Award for her contribution to building peace in her community. Her combination of personal experience and professional expertise give Cat a unique perspective and ability to help people in conflict navigate their differences, whether personal or political.

Mark Silver is an entrepreneur, business coach, Sufi Master, and has a great sense of humour - such a great combination! He helps his clients "witness the love that's present in business that's hard to see." In this episode we touch on pretty much everything - Judaism, spiritual disconnect with parents, agnosticism, mystical experiences, Islam, Sufism, the Reclaiming tradition, Wicca, neo-paganism, Jewish Renewal...my goodness, it's a good one, folks. Find out more about Mark, the Heart of Business and his programs here. He also has a great list of resources about Sufism on his site, too.

Originally Aired: 03/16/14 We all deal day to day with a lot of questions and a lot of fears – around work, money, health, politcs, relationships. And at some point, we will all deal with the final fears and the final questions – fear of death and questions about what it means and what if anything comes after. At his request, today’s guest, SARA DAVIDSON met every Friday for two years with 89-year-old RABBI ZALMAN SHACHTER-SHALOMI, the iconic founder of the Jewish Renewal movment, to discuss what he calls THE DECEMBER PROJECT. “When you can feel in your cells that you’re coming to the end of your tour of duty,” in tHe rabbi’s words, “what is the spiritual work of this time, how do we prepare for the mystery?” Davidson, who describes herself as having a seeker’s heart and a skeptic’s mind, feared death would be a complete annihilation, while Reb Zalman felt certain that “something continues.” He didn’t want to convince her of anything, but to loosen her mind.” Through their talks, he wanted to help people “not freak out about dying,” and enable them to have a more heightened and grateful life. www.saradavidson.com - See more at: http://aworldthatjustmightwork.com/2014/03/free-forum-qa-sara-davidson-author-of-december-project-extraordinary-rabbi-skeptical-seeker-take-aim-at-greatest-mystery/#sthash.f2a9nEZZ.dpuf

Aired: 03/16/14 We all deal day to day with a lot of questions and a lot of fears - around work, money, health, politcs, relationships. And at some point, we will all deal with the final fears and the final questions - fear of death and questions about what it means and what if anything comes after. At his request, today's guest, SARA DAVIDSON met every Friday for two years with 89-year-old RABBI ZALMAN SHACHTER-SHALOMI, the iconic founder of the Jewish Renewal movment, to discuss what he calls THE DECEMBER PROJECT. "When you can feel in your cells that you're coming to the end of your tour of duty," in tHe rabbi's words, "what is the spiritual work of this time, how do we prepare for the mystery?" Davidson, who describes herself as having a seeker's heart and a skeptic's mind, feared death would be a complete annihilation, while Reb Zalman felt certain that "something continues." He didn't want to convince her of anything, but to loosen her mind." Through their talks, he wanted to help people "not freak out about dying," and enable them to have a more heightened and grateful life.

A conversation with Rabbi Arthur Waskow about Jewish Renewal, the Environment, Social Activism and much more. Since 1969, Waskow has taken a leadership role in the Jewish Renewal movement. In 1971, he helped found the Fabrangen Havurah in Washington, DC. The Torah discussions at Fabrangen inspired Waskow's book Godwrestling (NY: Schocken, 1978). He founded The Shalom Center in 1983 and serves as its director. In its inception the Shalom Center primarily confronted the threat of nuclear war from a Jewish perspective, emphasizing the story of Noah and the imperative to save the world from "a flood of fire". As the Cold War abated, the Shalom Center turned its focus toward ecology and human rights issues. From 2002 to 2008, it pursued shared action among Jews, Christians, and Muslims; opposition to attacks on American Muslim life and opposition to the US War in Iraq. From 2005 on, it has especially focused on the dangers of "global scorching" and the climate crisis. Waskow's best-known books include Godwrestling (1978), Seasons of Our Joy (1982), Down-to-Earth Judaism: Food, Money, Sex, and the Rest of Life (1995), Down-to-Earth Judaism, andGodwrestling — Round 2: Ancient Wisdom, Future Paths (1996). With Sr. Joan Chittister, OSB, and Murshid Saadi Shakur Chisti, he co-authored The Tent of Abraham (2006). With Rabbi Phyllis Berman he has co-authored "Tales of Tikkun: New Jewish Stories to Heal the Wounded World"; "A Time for Every Purpose Under Heaven: The Jewish Life-Spiral as a Spiritual Journey"; and "Freedom Journeys: Tales of Exodus and Wilderness Across Millenia." He was the managing co-editor of Trees, Earth, and Torah: A Tu B'Shvat Anthology, and he edited Torah of the Earth: 4,000 Years of Jewish Thought on Ecology(2 vols, Jewish Lights).

Konstanty Gebert, scholar in residence at the Taube Center for the Renewal of Jewish Life in Poland, is a journalist, former Solidarity dissident, a Jewish activist, and one of Poland’s notable war correspondents of the Balkan War, Gebert was a leading organizer of the “Jewish Flying University” and founding publisher in 1997 of Midrasz, a Polish-Jewish monthly magazine. He continues to publish a weekly political column in Gazeta Wyborcza. In a recent visit to SF, Gebert spoke about the upswing in Poland’s Jewish community since the fall of the Soviet empire

Marcia Prager is Rabbi at Philadelphia's P'nai Or community, an affiliate of ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal. Marcia is a teacher, a singer and a dynamic source of spiritual guidances vibrantly rooted in the Jewish faith.

Jack Kessler has many musical faces. He has decades of experience as a Cantor with Aleph, Alliance for Jewish Renewal. He's also the director and lead force behind Atzilut Concerts for Peace, a Jewish-Arab ensemble, and Klingon Klezmer, a Klezmer-Fusion band beyond belief.

Michael Lerner, a rabbi in the Aleph Alliance for Jewish Renewal, has been an outspoken advocate for rejecting what he considers to be ethnocentric interpretations of the Torah. Lerner's publications promote religious pluralism and liberal approaches to political problems. He has worked to build bridges with Muslim leaders around such issues as attacks against immigrant communities in the U.S. Series: "Burke Lectureship on Religion and Society" [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Show ID: 12028]

Michael Lerner, a rabbi in the Aleph Alliance for Jewish Renewal, has been an outspoken advocate for rejecting what he considers to be ethnocentric interpretations of the Torah. Lerner's publications promote religious pluralism and liberal approaches to political problems. He has worked to build bridges with Muslim leaders around such issues as attacks against immigrant communities in the U.S. Series: "Burke Lectureship on Religion and Society" [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Show ID: 12028]

Michael Lerner, a rabbi in the Aleph Alliance for Jewish Renewal, has been an outspoken advocate for rejecting what he considers to be ethnocentric interpretations of the Torah. Lerner's publications promote religious pluralism and liberal approaches to political problems. He has worked to build bridges with Muslim leaders around such issues as attacks against immigrant communities in the U.S. Series: "Burke Lectureship on Religion and Society" [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Show ID: 12028]