Life Cycle Event Officiant and Teacher: "EMT to the Jewish World"

During our PRS ordination last December, Rabbi Patrick Beaulier articulated something very important to our cohort of rabbis about to receive our smicha at The Pluralistic Rabbinic Seminary. Since 75% or more of self-identifying Jews in America do NOT belong to a congregation, almost certainly the majority of Jews in America do not have an active ongoing relationship with a rabbi. "We're like the EMTs of the Jewish world!"

My perspective is that officiating at life cycle events is an essential aspect of my rabbinic identity. No matter how observant someone is, births, deaths, marriages, divorces, illnesses, recoveries, religious/spiritual awakenings are just going to be part of life and Judaism imbues these events with importance and meaning. There are two kinds of life cycle situations that I think my overall rabbinic approach aligns well with.

The first is where the participants, the family is eager to have the life cycle be a fulcrum for growing in their Jewish understanding and practice. In such circumstances, my approach is to have weekly or bi-weekly learning sessions either before (a wedding e.g.) or after (a funeral e.g.) so that the seeds for more regular Jewish practice are sown through the family's life cycle moment.

The second is where the family or couple truly has no rabbinic options. While I would always love to build long-term meaningful Jewish relationships, I also believe it is both a mitzvah and my rabbinic obligation to officiate in such circumstances.

A word about fees. If the family has reasonable financial wherewithal, I simply ask that you make a donation to any Jewish philanthropy that is meaningful to you in an amount that reflects the meaning my officiating at the event had for you. If the family does NOT have reasonable financial wherewithal, then no fee will be required. My reward will be simply knowing that I facilitated a Jewish life cycle event which might not have otherwise happened.