Listening for the Spirit of God in Our Pursuit of Justice: Spirituality and Justice in the Jewish Tradition

Judaism is an action-focused tradition. From the commandments given at Sinai and the shouts of Israel’s ancient prophets to the teachings of contemporary women and men of prophetic vision and witness, Judaism calls upon people to end poverty, oppression, and all forms of injustice. But what is the relationship between spirituality and justice in Jewish tradition? In this lecture, Rabbi Rachel Timoner will explore the meaning of God as spirit, ways of discerning God’s spirit in and around us, spiritual practices that help us nurture the gifts of God’s spirit in our lives, and how all of this relates to the covenantal call for creating a better world. Rabbi Rachel Timoner is associate rabbi at Leo Baeck Temple in Los Angeles, where her focus is on social justice, spiritual life, and lifelong learning, and she is the author of Breath of Life: God as Spirit in Judaism, published by Paraclete Press. She was born and grew up in Miami, Florida, earned a B.A. degree from Yale University, and was ordained by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, where she was a Wexner Graduate Fellow and received numerous awards, including one for excellence in biblical studies and another for scholarly writing. Before entering rabbinical school, she worked for thirteen years with social justice non-profit organizations, was named by the San Francisco Examiner and KQED (PBS) as an “Unsung Hero” for working to break the isolation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered youth, and empowering young people to feel proud of who they are. She was also a Next Generation Leadership Fellow of The Rockefeller Foundation, and received the Do Something National BRICK Award for Community Leadership. To make an accessibility request, call Disability Resources at (651) 962-631