Rabbi Rami Shapiro (read his new book Holy Rascal!) truly is a holy rascal and an absolute joy to interact with on this show.  He is both funny and profound, using humor to open our hearts to higher wisdom.  We spoke both broadly about universal truths as well as on the deeply personal level (aging and how one might cope with this.)

I would strongly recommend his lovely new book as a great portal of insight and wisdom.

In his own words…

“I was born of a human mother on April 26,1951. My mother was born of a mother from the same species some twenty–one years earlier. My mother’s mother has a similar origin, and this goes back awhile until we get to my great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great grand mother who was an ape. She too came from a mother, and, as best I can tell, it is mothers all the way back to the original Virgin Birth: the Big Bang some 13.8 billion years ago.

“A late bloomer, I didn’t do much for most of these 13.8 billion years, but in the last four decades I managed to earn rabbinic ordination from the Hebrew Union College– Jewish Institute of Religion, and a PH.D. in religion from Union Graduate School; to serve as a chaplain with the USAF for 3 years; to lead Temple Beth Or in Miami, FL for 20; to teach religious studies at Middle Tennessee State University for 10; and to publish over thirty books on religion and spirituality. I currently guide the One River Foundation, write the Roadside Assistance for the Spiritual Traveler column for Spirituality & Health magazine, host the magazine’s weekly radio show, Essential Conversations with Rabbi Rami, play with my grandson, Jack, and take my golden doodle, Murphy, for walks.”