RENCONTRE

Justin Goldstein

After having every intention of never working as a rabbi, I served in pulpits for around a decade in Bangor, ME and Asheville, NC before leaving the rabbinate and becoming a full-time farmer. I also had privilege to support Sefaria building relationships with Jewish educators and educational institutions.

Currently a freelance educator and rabbi, I bring years of experience invested in learning and teaching ancestral Jewish agricultural and economic wisdom, Jewish mysticism, Musar (ethical wisdom), Midrash (interpretive folklore), and Talmud (legal dispute and debate). In addition to classic genres of Jewish literature, I also have a deep knowledge of history and archaeology of the land of Israel and its inhabitants over the last 1.5 million years.

While ordained by the Conservative movement, I embrace a secular Jewish life inspired by all expressions of Jewish wisdom. If pushed to define labels and terms, I might describe myself as a mystical, earth-based, secular Jewish spiritual practitioner of practical ancestral wisdom. Jewish culture, in all of its expressions, provides deep insights and pathways to express our individual values in a complex world and learn adaptability for a future while simultaneously committing to continuity and lineage.