Not That Kind of Rabbi

Is it just me? What we call entertainment has, over the last thirty years, devolved into an often voyeuristic parade of extreme violence programming. Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, Highlander, even Seinfeld sport an a-morality that is the backdrop to a political and social reality that values the Psychopath and the vigilante more than the compassionate and the kind. Mafioso like John Gotti in the 90's became fashion plate mobsters. Today the heartless have grabbed power in our politics and in business. Patricia Pearson is an award winning journalist and author and she's my guest on this episode of Not That Kind Of Rabbi, this time to talk about the dark side of our cultural moment.

There's a book out right now that I think has a great deal of wisdom and asks the tough questions. It's called Zionism in Crisis-Jewish Power and Moral Responsibility After October 7th. In a time where the internal conversation about what it means to be Jewish, and where Israel sits in that question, has given us food for thought. Rabbi Zachary Truboff is the author, and my guest on this episode of Not That Kind of Rabbi.

What if the peak spiritual experience isn't the point? I talk with Rabbi Laura Duhan-Kaplan, Dean of the Aleph Ordination Program, about Jewish education, mystical practice, ecological spirituality, and the challenge of remaining in relationship across deep communal divides. We explore what it might mean to bring the mystical into ordinary life—and to build a Judaism that is both deeply rooted and open on all sides.

One of the defining features of what we call Jewish Renewal is the emergence of an Eastern inspired marriage of Buddhism and mystic Judaism. This has given rise to a new movement, Jewish meditation practices. Last week I got an email from Rabbi Jeff Roth. The founder and Director of the Awakened Heart Project asked who I was and why I sent him a Sabbath greeting. I honestly don't remember doing that, but hey, since I had him on a thread I asked him to join me on this edition of Not That Kind Of Rabbi. Here's our conversation.

Estelle Frankel is a practicing psychotherapist, author, spiritual director and seasoned teacher of Jewish mysticism and meditation. For over forty years she has been a thought leader and popular public speaker on the integration of depth psychology, Kabbalah and the world's great spiritual traditions. Estelle is the author of numerous essays and two popular books: Sacred Therapy: Jewish Spiritual Teachings on Emotional Healing & Inner Wholeness and The Wisdom of Not Knowing: Discovering a Life of Wonder by Embracing Uncertainty. Info about Estelle's teaching schedule and other offerings can be found at www.estellefrankel.com

Yisroel Bernath was 15 years old living in Chicago and doing what lots of kids in the windy city were doing back then, playing basketball. He and his kippah wearing friends were having a pretty good time. Then everything changed. There were threats, a gun was drawn, shots were fired as he fled. Justice was served but could Yisroel ever forgive the perpetrators? On this episode of Not That Kind of Rabbi we join Rabbi Bernath to talk about his book, The Forgiveness Experiment.

Not so long ago in Spokane Washington, otherwise known as the heart of the inland empire, there was a little boy named Josh, later to become Yoshi. His friends went to Hebrew school, he didn't. His friends learned how to write doo doo in Hebrew, he didn't. But he wanted to so he went to Hebrew school. Well now, living in Cleveland, he has moved far beyond the days of doo doo. Now he leads a movement that aligns the spirit with the body. Embodied Judaism, gets us out of our heads and into our hearts. The Mitsui Collective and the Mitsui Method are his life's work at this moment. Let's check in with Yoshi Silverstein.

In his latest book , Diary of a Low-Born Cleric, We travel with him through the ebb and flow of his new'ish life as an Anglican Priest. Born to a Jewish father and Christian mother Michael has gone from an adamant right of centre Catholic to a progressive Anglican minister. It's been quite a ride.

On this episode of NTKR I spend some earthy time with Tiferet Nashman. She's the Executive Director of something called Shoresh. It's the centre for Jewish environmental programs. As easy as it is to keep our spiritual life contained in four walls and only visited occasionally, what would happen if we knocked those walls down and connected instead with the heaven that is all around us? Let's find out.

Sometimes it's better to stop talking and even better, to stop arguing our strongly held views. Better to pick up a crayon or a paintbrush and with no agenda just splash about in the wading pool of abstract images. That's one thing that Jewish artist, facilitator and filmmaker Jay Ginsherman is doing. This week on Not That Kind of Rabbi we get out of our heads and into our creative souls. Have a listen.

Paige Lowenstein was on the path to becoming a Rabbi in the traditional way. The well respected Reform seminary. Two years in she had a psychedelic experience on psilocybin mushrooms. That changed everything. She packed up and moved to the majestic redwood forests of northern California and finished her Rabbinic studies with Jewish Renewal's Aleph Ordination Program. Question is, now that your mind has been blown, what's next?

When Rabbi Natan Margalit looks at a dead tree on the ground he probably doesn't see what we see. He sees a divine spark of the creator. Everything, you see, is infused with that cosmic power. Reb Natan has a book out called the Pearl and the Flame. We had a great talk on this week's episode of NTKR. Have a listen.

There is, shall we say, a lot of turbulence in the Jewish world right now. Sometimes that turbulence becomes toxic and conversations are polarizing. One person who wants to change all that is the Executive Director of a progressive Jewish thought leadership and lobby group called Jspace. Her name is Maytal Kowalski and she joins me from Vancouver on Not That Kind of Rabbi.

Sometimes we see what our parents do and think that it would be a great idea to follow in their footsteps. Especially when they both chose the same profession. In this episode of Not That Kind of Rabbi I speak with a next generation Rabbi who did his best to resist the siren call of spiritual leadership. Didn't work. He's a Rabbi, but not that kind of Rabbi. Arik Labowitz is,and has been for a while, the Rabbi at Canada's largest Renewal Synagogue, Or Shalom.

When Amichai Lau-Lavie realized he was gay, he knew he had to make a choice: hide his identity to abide by his Orthodox upbringing, or be true to himself. It wasn't an easy call for a man whose ancestors had been rabbis for generations—including his uncle and cousin, who both served as the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel. Ultimately, Lau-Lavie decided to split the difference. As an out gay man, he became an Jewish leader, drag performer and rabbi, founding Lab/Shul—a "God-optional" experimental community for Jewish gathering—in New York City. Now, he's also the star of a documentary about his controversial career, Sabbath Queen , which is currently touring the American film festival circuit. If anyone is "not that kind of rabbi," it's Amichai Lau-Lavie—and he joins Ralph Benmergui this week on Not That Kind of Rabbi , a show about spirituality and personal journeys.

On the latest episode of Not That Kind of Rabbi, Ralph talks to Rabbi, Zen practitioner and spiritual rascal Rabbi Rami Shapiro. Shapiro is the author of 36 books, his latest being Zen Mind--Jewish Mind. The Rabbi believes that everything is God. There is no outside or inside of the divine . The Divine is in everything , we just have to be available to experience it.

Devon Spier has long COVID. The artist, poet and spiritual guide has spent days bedridden, feeling ill and angry at God. But that forced pause gave her time to reflect on her life, art and beliefs, and she began to realize more emphatically how God, for her, exists in liminal spaces—in the wilderness, in small moments of peace and beauty between devastation and pain. These thoughts led her to create a new exhibit that blends art, design, poetry and spirituality. "18 Plus One" is on display at the Gerrard Art Space in Toronto from Oct 2 - 9, ahead of a fuller exhibit at the JCC Ann Arbor in Michigan from December 2024 to February 2025. Spier joins Ralph Benmergui—who is, like Spier, also not a rabbi but kind of vaguely close to one—on Not That Kind of Rabbi for a fulsome conversation about artistic expression, humanistic empathy and the meaning of God.

More Jewish couples are deciding to skip a ritual That has been a part of Jewish life for four thousand years. the Brit Milah. The circumcision of a male Jewish child at eight days old. Circumcision today has a scientific and a religious aspect. We'll explore those in this edition. of Not That Kind of Rabbi with my guest, a pediatric surgeon (retired) and a Mohel, Someone who performs circumcisions.

On this episode of Not That Kind of Rabbi, Ralph Benmergui speaks with neohasid.org founder and author of the book, Kabbalah and Ecology, Rabbi David Seidenberg, on how we can restore the spiritual bond with an earth based Judaism.

Rabbi Zelig Golden likes to describe Judaism as a religion of deep roots, interconnectivity, compassion and feminine divinity, reminding the world that Adam came from the adamah . It's this philosophy that inspired Wilderness Torah, an organization based in California that promotes "healing, belonging and resilience," in an attempt to reshape how Jews feel about their culture—and the planet. But this is not eco-Judaism, or pantheism, or humanism. To better understand the philosophy, Rabbi Golden sits down with Ralph Benmergui for a deep conversation about earthly exile, Mother Nature and the panentheism inherent to his worldview.