Rabbi David Wolpe, named The Most Influential Rabbi in America by Newsweek and one of the 50 Most Influential Jews in the World by The Jerusalem Post, and twice named one of the 500 Most Influential People in Los Angeles Business Journal, is the Max Webb Senior Rabbi of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, CA. Rabbi Wolpe previously taught at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in NY, the American Jewish University in Los Angeles, Hunter College, and UCLA. A weekly columnist for The New York Jewish Week and weekly Torah columnist for The Jerusalem Post, Rabbi Wolpe published and profiled in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Time, Newsweek, The Atlantic and many more. He has been featured on The Today Show, Face the Nation, ABC This Morning, and CBS This Morning. In addition, Rabbi Wolpe has appeared prominently in series on PBS, A&E, History Channel, and Discovery Channel, and has engaged in widely watched public debates with Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Steven Pinker and many others about religion and its place in the world. Rabbi Wolpe, who has spoken in seminars, public and scholarly forums and scholar in residence appearances hundreds of times all over the world from Israel to India, is the author of eight books, including the national bestseller Making Loss Matter: Creating Meaning in Difficult Times (Riverhead). His new book is titled David, the Divided Heart (Yale U Press). It was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Awards, and has been optioned for a movie by Warner Bros.
Gems:
- Most of the things we say in a long compass can be said more briefly and will hold people’s attention more fully.
- Speak in about G-d in the language that your students will understand.
- G-d is not invisible, G-d is intangible.
- Teaching is like being a quarterback, teach a little beyond where they are, so that they have room to grow into the concepts.
- In order to convey Jewish concepts authentically, we must speak in our language.
- Education is learning that which changes us both inside and outside.
- Use history to give us perspective on current events.
- Learn with someone else who is honest with you.
- Learning involves being pushed and pushing yourself.
- While reading books, write inside them.
- Books are to be absorbed, to live with and understood.
- We all have something to teach.
- Give life lessons from the Torah.
- Start from where people are.
- Make it evident to students how much our tradition has to teach them about their lives?
- Effective Jewish leadership helps cultivate Jews.
- The more we teach Torah the better it will be.
- Think about your blessings.
- Be grateful for the life we’ve been given.
- You have to love other Jews.
Find home on Facebook or Twitter- @RabbiWolpe.
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