Rabbi Matt Goldberg

I was living in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on the east coast of Canada, where there wasn't a... There's certainly a Jewish community, but not, you know, it's no... whatever. But kosher food isn't so readily available, etc. I had the opportunity a few times to facilitate and make accessible Jewish practice and Jewish learning and Jewish observance.

I was living in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on the east coast of Canada, where there wasn't a... There's certainly a Jewish community, but not, you know, it's no... whatever. But kosher food isn't so readily available, etc. I had the opportunity a few times to facilitate and make accessible Jewish practice and Jewish learning and Jewish observance.

And so I think that that's where that was in my last couple of years where I realized, ah, I want the opportunity to make Jewish practice welcoming and accessible to make, to make, you know, again, religious observance, something that people can, can do. And that's when I, that's when I found that's my, that's the short.

And so I think that that's where that was in my last couple of years where I realized, ah, I want the opportunity to make Jewish practice welcoming and accessible to make, to make, you know, again, religious observance, something that people can, can do. And that's when I, that's when I found that's my, that's the short.

Ooh, big question.

Ooh, big question.

You know, I'm going to sound like a broken record because my answers are going to be the same couple things that I've kept coming back to. The first is... excuse me, the first is, you know, that spirituality or divinity or community or comfort or meaning, whatever, is found between me and you.

You know, I'm going to sound like a broken record because my answers are going to be the same couple things that I've kept coming back to. The first is... excuse me, the first is, you know, that spirituality or divinity or community or comfort or meaning, whatever, is found between me and you.

And so when we get together, whether that's one-on-one or in bigger groups or bigger and breathe or pray or sing or run or whatever it might be, we can I don't know what the word, regulate, chill out, be productive, remember what's really important. And that's true also when these huge, terrible things are going on in our world. This is all the more so I'm focusing in my work on

And so when we get together, whether that's one-on-one or in bigger groups or bigger and breathe or pray or sing or run or whatever it might be, we can I don't know what the word, regulate, chill out, be productive, remember what's really important. And that's true also when these huge, terrible things are going on in our world. This is all the more so I'm focusing in my work on

uh meeting with people trying to make myself available I've been setting up at coffee shops and restaurants all around Minneapolis trying to make sure that our community knows that I'm available to talk to process um to be a pastoral pastoral presence for people because again when we get stressed out or anxious about what's going on and we isolate ourselves it only gets worse yeah um Yeah.

uh meeting with people trying to make myself available I've been setting up at coffee shops and restaurants all around Minneapolis trying to make sure that our community knows that I'm available to talk to process um to be a pastoral pastoral presence for people because again when we get stressed out or anxious about what's going on and we isolate ourselves it only gets worse yeah um Yeah.

So I think that's, you know, it starts here. Everything that's going on in the world, what we can affect, what I can affect is how I meet each person in front of me. I'm trying to do that by reminding them that they're not alone and that we can, you know, have hopefully meaningful conversations or meaningful moments one-on-one.

So I think that's, you know, it starts here. Everything that's going on in the world, what we can affect, what I can affect is how I meet each person in front of me. I'm trying to do that by reminding them that they're not alone and that we can, you know, have hopefully meaningful conversations or meaningful moments one-on-one.

Mm hmm. spirituality can be connected that way. Right. I think so. And that's why, again, it's so important. Religion is just one, uh, as we heard from Aaron, thank you for, for bringing into this conversation. Religion is one way to provide that, that

Mm hmm. spirituality can be connected that way. Right. I think so. And that's why, again, it's so important. Religion is just one, uh, as we heard from Aaron, thank you for, for bringing into this conversation. Religion is one way to provide that, that

space that that safety of of being able to be vulnerable and say you know this is how this affected me or this is you know this is why this was or wasn't meaningful or how I'm feeling in this moment but but community is really the most important religion offers one way to find the community but there are there are many many others you know based on things we have in common are

space that that safety of of being able to be vulnerable and say you know this is how this affected me or this is you know this is why this was or wasn't meaningful or how I'm feeling in this moment but but community is really the most important religion offers one way to find the community but there are there are many many others you know based on things we have in common are

shared interests or values. And I think that's really the most important is to find that space where we can be vulnerable, where we can be seen and heard and where we can offer that same respect to other people.

shared interests or values. And I think that's really the most important is to find that space where we can be vulnerable, where we can be seen and heard and where we can offer that same respect to other people.