Visiting Rabbi

"No one is a prophet in their own hometown," goes the old Hebrew adage.  In my pulpit years I happily invited colleagues to teach and lead, even on topics which I could tackle -- both to expose the congregation to a range of different approaches and styles and voices, and also to enable others to bring their 'outside authority' to the topics at hand.  I can be that for your congregation or community, too.  Consider:

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          *   Shabbatonim or Retreats, from full weekend to Saturday only, for all ages and stages

          *   Zoom teachings -- a one-off, or a three-part series, monthly Torah conversations, or more

          *   "Coverage" -- being on call for folks, along with teaching and service-leading, for a stretch

          *   Rabbi in Residence -- an adjunct role, from periodic to properly part-time 

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The following pedagogical (or for adults, andragogical) reflections is specifically about the Shabbaton or Retreat model, but the approach outlined here applies just as well to any appearance, on any time frame.  As stated earlier, my whole rabbinate is about building connections -- with Torah's timelessness, and in turn with today's truths; among people, in community, and even among peoples; between each person and their inner spirit, their agency, their ability and motivation to make a difference; and ultimately with Ultimacy, with the Divine, however that might resonate with and show up for each of us.  A weekend with me will touch meaningfully on all these areas, while leaving participants wanting more.

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My educational style:  Thanks to many decades in the pulpit and much experience as an eco-Jewish educator-organizer-activist, I've had the chance to hone quite a few group and teaching skills.  Among the most relevant: 

       How to read the room, and frequently yield to it, such that the learning is ever fresh and ever tailored to the learners themselves.

       How to introduce concepts fairly pithily, then facilitate rich conversation around them.

       How to teach text, but not only text, interspersing it with music and humor and poetry and images, and often outdoor explorations and activities (and sometimes juggling). 

       How to address people with different levels of Hebrew/Judaic knowledge simultaneously, referencing classical texts and traditional ideas while translating and briefly explaining.

       How to keep the texts relevant to today, by offering bits of scientific background, and pointing to contemporary political-social applications. 

       How to balance the intellectual with the spiritual, ensuring affective/emotional connections as well as deeper understanding -- and likewise, to balance the universal with the particular, and the traditional with the modern-feminist-edgy-progressive, at the same time.

       How to err on the side of upbeat energy, to reconnect participants to the childlike wonder they never fully left behind, while forthrightly addressing the issues and challenges of our time, and yet leaving learners hopeful.

        How to equip participants with knowledge, resources, tips, and confidence in going forth, and bringing these Torah insights to life.