a conversation with

Reb Judith Goleman and Basha Hirschfeld

Even though equanimity is a word that comes from the Buddhist tradition, it is woven into the fabric of Jewish traditions as well. Shabbat for instance is a day devoted to restoring one's equanimity.  The Sh’ma points to the oneness of all things. How can this view help us navigate these troubled times?

Join Reb Judith Goleman and Basha Hirschfeld in another deep dive into the similarities and differences between the Buddhist and the Jewish approaches to equanimity.

Rabbinic Pastor Judith Goleman, MFT, is a chaplain and also has a private practice in individual and couple counseling. As teenager she fell in love with the joyous tales of the Hasidic Rabbis of the 18th century, who saw God as the deep nature of everything in Creation (including us in our true potential). As an adult she encountered this spirit in the Jewish Renewal movement, and was ordained as a Rabbinic Pastor in this spiritual approach. It also informs her psychotherapy practice.

Barbara (Basha) Hirschfeld has been a student of Buddhism for over 25 years, and of Judaism all her life. She is one of a few lucky students of Ani Pema Chodron and through her of the Shambhala lineage, as first taught by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. She teaches meditation in the North Bay at various venues and owns and runs a retreat space in west Sonoma County called “Open Sky Retreat Space.” Her favorite thing is to bring together the two wisdom traditions, and to explore how her Buddhist training can inform her Jewish faith.