Regretfully the audio from this recording was messed up. We chose to publish it anyway, because this interview is just too fun. If you'd like to help us, we could really use someone who likes audio and video production. Volunteer by emailing rabbi@rabbipatrick.com -- free tickets to events for your help!

Meet the Rabbi's Kid!

Javon is Rabbi Patrick and Rebbetzin Stefanie's son, who joined the family at age sixteen. He talks about what it's like to be adopted into a rabbinical family (no big deal), his favorite Jewish holiday (because who doesn't like pretending to be Pharaoh?) and how new people at Kehillah can find themselves and building friendships. Javon talks about his work for a variety of nonprofit organizations across the US, his upcoming work at Camp Dream, and his goals for the future (trade school > law school).

You can meet Javon at Kehillah events in Midlothian. Find something you'd like to go to here: https://kehillahrva.org/calendar/

You can also check out Rabbi & Son, the podcast with Javon and Rabbi Patrick (not affiliated with this podcast).

Got questions? Send us a text and we'll read it on the show

Support the show

🕯️ Learn more about Kehillah: kehillahrva.org
💛 Support Kehillah: kehillahrva.org/donate
📲 Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/kehillahrva
📘 Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/kehillahrva
🔁 Share this episode with a friend and help build something sacred together.

Take a journey through the inner world of your soul and the outer world of the earth. Welcome to Tu Bishvat -- an obscure holiday made living through kabbalistic teaching.

In this episode, Rabbi Patrick guides you through one (of many) approaches to Tu Bishvat, and asks important questions about how the skills we have learned to survive may not be the skills we need to thrive. And yes, there is fruit and nuts, too.

We end on the question of the earth and Judaism: what if instead of synagogue, nature is your sanctuary? Rebbe Nachman agrees and offers you a special prayer.

Join us for our Church Hill's first Tu Bishvat Seder: https://kehillahrva.org/tu-bishvat-seder-at-kavaclub/

Big thanks to Second Arrow for the space: https://kehillahrva.org/our-locations-jewish-life-in-richmond-va/

Got questions? Send us a text and we'll read it on the show

Support the show

🕯️ Learn more about Kehillah: kehillahrva.org
💛 Support Kehillah: kehillahrva.org/donate
📲 Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/kehillahrva
📘 Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/kehillahrva
🔁 Share this episode with a friend and help build something sacred together.

From Ashton’s experiences working with children with special needs and navigating higher education, to Nick’s path through mechanics, military service, and spiritual reflection, explore with our Kehillah friends in this podcast takeover how their backgrounds, passions, and personalities shape the way they approach life.

Along the way, they reflect on leadership, responsibility, and integrity—asking how confidence and humility coexist, how trust is built, and how personal growth happens through challenges. The conversation is honest, relatable, and sprinkled with humor, giving listeners a window into who Ashton and Nick are, what drives them, and how their experiences inform their values today.

Also in this podcast:

• The Rabbi Makes You Dinner & Breakfast! Join us for some Shabbat events in Midlothian
• Shabbat at Pam's in Three Chopt/Henrico. Coolest house ever!
• Do you wish this podcast was video? Do you have content ideas? People we need to interview? Let us know AND support the podcast

And drumroll please ...

We're excited to announce our new CHURCH HILL community, based out of Second Arrow. Think coffee shop meets healing space meets physical therapy and yoga. We're THRILLED about the opportunity to be here. Big thanks to Dr. Leah Johnson and her team for granting us this incredible venue for worship, learning and friendship.

Our first event is Tu Bishvat Seder, an earth-based, mystical Jewish experience you don't want to miss.

• Take a spiritual journey as we connect our inner journey with our outer world
• Enjoy a plant based dinner (mostly gluten free, too)
• Wine pairings (with non-alcoholic options courtesy of Point 5) served throughout
• A Kehillah Tu Bishvat Seder Haggadah to take home and so much more

RSVP at KehillahRVA.org -- and enjoy our first event at Second Arrow.

Got questions? Send us a text and we'll read it on the show

Support the show

🕯️ Learn more about Kehillah: kehillahrva.org
💛 Support Kehillah: kehillahrva.org/donate
📲 Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/kehillahrva
📘 Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/kehillahrva
🔁 Share this episode with a friend and help build something sacred together.

Are you tired of being forced to "pick a side"? In a world that feels increasingly polarized—Red vs. Blue, Us vs. Them—we often feel trapped in a binary that doesn’t actually fit our reality. In this episode of the Kehillah RVA podcast, we explore the life-changing power of believing that when two things are true at once, a third way is needed.

🧵 The "Third Way" of Thinking

Drawing on the wisdom of Jewish legends and Carl Jung, we dive into why the "tension" between two opposites isn't something to avoid—it’s actually the birthplace of something new. Jung called it the "transcendent function." We call it liberation.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Global & The Personal: How we navigate the complex narratives of Israel, Venezuela, and even our personal family life by accepting two competing realities are true at the same time
• The Love Paradox: Can someone love you deeply and still not love you the "right" way? Processing the complexity of our most formative relationships, rabbi gets super personal on this one
• Breaking the Binary: Why choosing between "Mexican or Chinese food" might actually mean you should order Indian
• Escaping Tribalism: instead of choosing a side, confront what you are really trying to accomplish, and suddenly you'll notice it's OK for people to disagree with one another (and you)

💡 Key Quote:

Listen now and learn how to stop arguing and start living in the "Third Way."

It's the rabbi's birthday! Rabbi Patrick turned 43. Care to give $43 to support Kehillah? You know what to do: https://kehillahrva.org/donate/

Upcoming Events

• Shabbat Dinner and Service at the Rabbi’s: Friday, January 23
• Shabbat Dinner at Pam's (Henrico/Three Chopt): Friday, January 30
• Shabbat MorningTorah Study at the Rabbi's: Saturday, January 31

RSVP: https://kehillahrva.org/calendar/

#KehillahRVA #Kehillah #TwoThingsCanBeTrue #CarlJung #Mindfulness #Tribalism #LetThem #PodcastLife #RichmondVA #RVA #JewishRVA

Got questions? Send us a text and we'll read it on the show

Support the show

🕯️ Learn more about Kehillah: kehillahrva.org
💛 Support Kehillah: kehillahrva.org/donate
📲 Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/kehillahrva
📘 Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/kehillahrva
🔁 Share this episode with a friend and help build something sacred together.

In this podcast, we challenge both the Americanized “Hanukkah as Jewish Christmas” approach and the backlash against it...Because Hanukkah’s story is far more complicated than either side admits.

Hanukkah is ultimately a blend of civil war memory, Temple rededication, rabbinic theology, and ancient seasonal tradition. That mix is what makes it meaningful.

So while we respect concerns about “Christmas-ifying” Hanukkah, we also accept that living in America means cultural blending. As long as we keep the story and rituals alive, we say: enjoy the aesthetics, light the menorah, and Hanukkah Sameach.

Got questions? Send us a text and we'll read it on the show

Support the show

🕯️ Learn more about Kehillah: kehillahrva.org
💛 Support Kehillah: kehillahrva.org/donate
📲 Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/kehillahrva
📘 Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/kehillahrva
🔁 Share this episode with a friend and help build something sacred together.

If Seinfeld was a show about nothing, then this episode is a podcast about nothing.

That's because in this episode of the Kehillah RVA podcast, we get to listen in on a an unedited conversation between Rabbi Elisha Paul, Head of School at RTA - Richmond Hebrew Day School and Rabbi Patrick Beaulier from Kehillah.

The conversation goes into every kind of topic -- from demographic shifts in Israel to the Jewish landscape in Richmond, what it means to be religiously observant (or not), the challenges that come with building community that's all over the map and more.

This isn't an interview. It's friendship. And it's fun.

If you enjoyed this episode, we hope you'll get to know Rudlin and consider giving a donation to support their work.

Big thanks to Rabbi Paul, Rivka Skaist and everyone at RTA for making this episode possible.

Note that this was filmed on location, so there are some unfortunate audio issues. We hope that this further drives home the authenticity and sincerity of this podcast. If you'd like to see us improve the production value of the Kehillah RVA podcast, we won't say no to new equipment -- so drop us a donation and we'll get to work on getting some discounted gear during the holiday shopping season.

Got questions? Send us a text and we'll read it on the show

Support the show

🕯️ Learn more about Kehillah: kehillahrva.org
💛 Support Kehillah: kehillahrva.org/donate
📲 Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/kehillahrva
📘 Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/kehillahrva
🔁 Share this episode with a friend and help build something sacred together.

Want some dad advice from Rabbi Patrick on dating Jewish in Richmond, VA? Well...you're getting it!

In this episode, Rabbi Patrick takes the collective observations of Kehillah's singles and offers up spiritual wisdom around places having energies, about Jewish matchmaking, love, companionship, and finding a sense of home where you are and who you are with.

Upcoming Events:

• Latke Making with Brittney: Tuesday, December 9
• Shabbat Dinner & Service: Friday, December 12
• Shabbat Morning Torah Study: Saturday, December 13
• Hanukkah at Art Factory: Saturday, December 20

RSVP: https://kehillahrva.org/calendar/

FREE TICKETS: https://kehillahrva.org/kehillah-cares/

Got questions? Send us a text and we'll read it on the show

Support the show

🕯️ Learn more about Kehillah: kehillahrva.org
💛 Support Kehillah: kehillahrva.org/donate
📲 Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/kehillahrva
📘 Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/kehillahrva
🔁 Share this episode with a friend and help build something sacred together.

Get to know Kehillah member Shawn Harris as we discuss the life of a creative person, her big moves from the west back to Richmond, the power of imagination, storytelling and world building.

Learn more about her project Bizarro Torah: https://bizarrotorah.wordpress.com/

This is part of a series of interviews with Kehillah members including Lori Levy and her parents, Arianna Rose, and Rebbetzin Stefanie. Want to be interviewed? Send us fan mail.

Got questions? Send us a text and we'll read it on the show

Support the show

🕯️ Learn more about Kehillah: kehillahrva.org
💛 Support Kehillah: kehillahrva.org/donate
📲 Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/kehillahrva
📘 Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/kehillahrva
🔁 Share this episode with a friend and help build something sacred together.