On this week’s episode of the Seekers of Meaning TV Show and Podcast, Rabbi Address engages with Rabbis Laura Geller and Beth Lieberman about their book, Moments That Matter, which explores the transitions of midlife and beyond.
They discuss the definition of elderhood, the importance of rituals in navigating life’s changes, and the concept of “Renewment” as a positive alternative to retirement.
The conversation also addresses the loneliness crisis among older adults and emphasizes the significance of relationships and community. The episode concludes with reflections on embracing life’s finitude and finding spiritual meaning in the aging process.
About the book
Moments That Matter: Marking Transitions in Midlife and Beyond offers a fresh perspective on life’s later chapters, transforming them into opportunities for personal growth, meaning, and renewal. With warmth and wisdom, Rabbi Laura Geller and Rabbi Beth Lieberman explore the unique challenges and joys of midlife and beyond, from launching children to launching oneself anew, navigating retirement, downsizing and moving, facing illness and caregiving, and embracing love at any age. The chapters weave Jewish wisdom with practical rituals, interspersed with personal stories and ways to adapt each ceremony for a communal setting. Moments That Matter empowers readers to embrace these milestones with creativity and intention, offering tools to craft personalized and deeply moving rituals that honor the complexity of this rich stage of life.
More information at CCAR Press website.
More information at Amazon.com.
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About the Guests
Rabbi Laura Geller
Rabbi Laura Geller, Rabbi Emerita of Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills, was the third woman in the Reform Movement to become a rabbi and the first to be called from a national search to become the Senior Rabbi of a major metropolitan synagogue.
Named one of Newsweek’s 50 Most Influential Rabbis in America, and by PBS’ Next Avenue as a 2017 Influencer in Aging, she was a cofounder of ChaiVillageLA and is the chair of the Synagogue Village Network. She served on the Corporation of Brown University from where she graduated in 1971, and on the board of the Jewish Women’s Archive.
Currently she is on the board of CoGenerate.org (formerly Encore.org) and the ActiveAgingNetwork.org (formerly B3:the Jewish Boomer Platform.)
She was featured in the PBS documentary “Jewish Americans”, is the author of numerous articles in books and journals, and she was on the editorial board of The Torah: A Women’s Commentary.
Her book, Getting Good at Getting Older, co-authored with her husband Richard Siegel (z’l), was named a National Jewish Book Award Finalist in the category of Contemporary Jewish Life and Practice. Her new book is called Moments That Matter:Marking Transitions in Midlife and Beyond (CCARPress, 2025).
She is the mother of Joshua and Elana Goldstein, the stepmother of Andy and Ruth Siegel, the grateful mother in law of Janelle Goldstein, Zach Rausnitz, and Will Swanson and the very proud Savta of Avery, Levi, Phoebe, Alice and Nell.
Rabbi Beth Lieberman
Rabbi Beth Lieberman serves on the faculty of Hebrew Union College, Jack H. Skirball Campus, Los Angeles. She was involved with the development of IJS’s Wise Aging program, served as manager of the Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills Next Stage Initiative, and was co-founder of Or Ami Village in Calabasas, California.
The post Embracing Elderhood: Insights from ‘Moments That Matter’ – Rabbis Laura Geller and Beth Lieberman – Seekers of Meaning 12/19/2025 appeared first on Jewish Sacred Aging.