This week I got to join the podcast for a conversation on leading tours to Israel, an experience of travel, study, and pilgrimage. Far from just seeing sights, however, our journeys are about a real engagement with the life and experiences of the people, both then, in Biblical times, and today. It’s Complicated, Tools In Our Toolbox, and No Changing Teams, this week on A Rabbi & A Pastor Walked In.

In this episode, Rabbi Ari and Pastor Danielle discuss a variety of meanings found in the images and symbols of the the snake, nakedness, and of Adam and Eve eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. And for one brief segment, in this particular podcast, listener discretion is advised. Snake Skins, Ari Territory, and Women with Hammers this week on A Rabbi & A Pastor Walked In

Gender has been a core perennial mystery of humanity since the very beginning. Making sense of male and female is not only complicated, but it is emotional as well. In this episode, Rabbi Ari and Pastor Danielle bring to light the vision of the Genesis narrative of man and woman as both the fullness of humanity. Patriarchal Sheep, Lusty Fire, and Warrior Language, this week on A Rabbi and A Pastor Walked In.

Genesis chapter 2 is a second creation narrative, one that for some makes interpretation complicated when comparing it to chapter 1. For Rabbi Ari & Pastor Danielle, however, this simply makes things more interesting. In this episode they discuss the nature of this text, the garden, and the intricate descriptions of humanity. Inclinations, Shabbat Cereal, and No Bellybuttons, this week on A Rabbi & A Pastor Walked In.

The creation of humanity is one of the most beautiful and mysterious elements of the Genesis narrative. It includes plural nouns with singular verbs, gender, and the elements of earth and breath. In this episode Rabbi Ari and Pastor Danielle reflect on what it means for that creature, ADAM (אדם), to be made in the image and likeness of God. Lame Pictures of Jesus, Akiva in a Bath House, and XY Chromosomes, this week on A Rabbi & A Pastor Walked In.

Friends, this episode launches a new season of diving into the Bible and looking deeply into the dynamics of the text. It has been said that you can’t study a text without a rabbi. Well, in the next several episodes, you get a bonus, you get a rabbi, and a pastor as they begin in the book of Genesis. Hanging From The Ceiling, 747 paperweights, and Ezekiel as a Valley Girl, this week on A Rabbi & A Pastor Walked In.

I’m not sure there is anything more challenging to human existence than the reality of death. In this episode, Pastor Danielle and Rabbi Ari discuss their experiences, both personal and professional, and what lessons we could draw from the diverse ways we react and respond to people dying. Crying, Bad Sermons at Funerals, and Trusting a Trustworthy God, this week on A Rabbi and A Pastor Walked In.

This month commemorates the 500th anniversary of the Christian Reformation, the famous split between Catholics and Protestants over a variety of theological issues, one of them, being “grace.” It is on this backdrop that Pastor Danielle and Rabbi Ari discuss the differing views that Christians and Jews have and share the beauty of finding grace in everything. 95 theses, Gym Memberships, and Last Minute Forgiveness, this week on A Rabbi and A Pastor Walked In.

So, what is a commandment? What does it mean to behave in accordance with one's faith identity? In this episode, Rabbi Ari and Pastor Danielle discuss the concept and practice of "mitzvah," the doing of good deeds in this world, which is of course rich with depths of meaning beyond just mere religious practice. Dancing Chairs, Being Fruitful and Multiplying, and Meeting Jesus, this week on A Rabbi and A Pastor Walked In.

So, how do you hear God? Or how does God speak? Understanding our experience with God requires deeper thinking and reflection about both the apparent presence and the apparent absence of God. In this podcast, Rabbi Ari and Pastor Danielle discuss their insights on the phenomenon which is the experience of God. ESP, Thin Silence, and God’s Footsteps, this week on A Rabbi And A Pastor Walked In.