After a bit of a hiatus through the High Holy Days, I’m excited to bring you the next episode of my podcast! Episode 8 features Rabbi Amy Grossblatt Pessah, author of Parenting on a Prayer: Ancient Jewish Secrets for Raising Modern Children. This episode drops just in time for the publication of her new book The Wholeness of a Broken Heart: Pathways to Resilience and Renewal, which is scheduled for release on October 13.

Rabbi Amy shares about her path to the rabbinate, through Jewish education, synagogue leadership, and the study of spiritual direction - the art of attentive companionship that helps people refl ect on belief, doubt, meaning, and connection. Her upcoming book, The Wholeness of a Broken Heart, was shaped in part by the death of her son after a brain cancer diagnosis. The book focuses on grief, resilience, and renewal through seven pathways, which she delineates for us in this conversation. R’ Grossblatt Pessah also refl ects on doubt as part of faith, and about Jewish texts that challenge and inspire her. In discussing the centrality of music to her spiritual life, she recounts her experience of producing a series of chants for Mussar practice, one of which is featured in this episode.

I hope you’ll fi nd this conversation as inspiring as I have. You can visit R’ Amy’s website at asoulfuljourney.com