The player is loading ...
Dec. 22, 2023
Spirituality
Stan chats with Rabbi Matt Goldberg about spirituality.
Rabbi Goldberg graduated from Hebrew College and ordained in 2023. Originally from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Matt received a B.A. in English with a Minor in American History from Dalhousie University. After high school he lived in Israel on the USCJ’s Nativ gap year program, where he first met his wife Elana.
During rabbinical school he held internships at synagogues in Boston and Toronto, and was part of the 12th cohort of the iCenter’s Masters Concentration in Israel Education. Upon his graduation, Matt was awarded Hebrew College’s Cantor Rick Boyar Prize for Excellence in Hazzanut. His musical career began much earlier: from childhood piano lessons, to playing trumpet in his university stage band, he now writes original nigunim (wordless melodies) that are used in communities around the country. While in school, Matt completed a unit of CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) at Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, IL, where he worked as a chaplain, visiting with patients and their families.
Matt is passionate about making Jewish ritual accessible, and Jewish community welcoming. He has brought that passion to synagogues across North America as a bnei mitzvah tutor, youth group advisor, teacher, and prayer leader. Having spent a year commuting to and from Boston to finish school, Matt is thrilled to be in Minnesota full-time, and is excited to bring his leadership, teaching, and enthusiasm to Beth El as the Assistant Rabbi.
Listen along as Rabbi Goldberg shares his experiences and thoughts on spirituality.
Join the conversation at healthchatterpodcast.com
Brought to you in support of Hue-MAN, who is Creating Healthy Communities through Innovative Partnerships.
More about their work can be found at http://huemanpartnership.org/
Research
Spirituality Dictionary definition: the quality of being concerned with the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things
Religion Dictionary definition: the belief in and worship of a superhuman power or powers, especially a God or gods (Organized Entity)
Spirituality in healthcare
- A third of Americans say they are "spiritual" but not religious, according to a poll released by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Chicago
- The definitions of spirituality are multifactorial, including religious heritage, culture, generation, and nationality
- Studies associate spirituality with increased quality of life
- Spirituality is generally related to diminished numbers of substance use, suicidal attempts and depression prevalence, less hospitalization, better coping with disease, better treatment adherence, and lower mortality rates
- Many hospitals have chaplains and multi-faith chapels - becoming new norm
Barriers
- Lack of clear definition of spirituality
- Lack of training by health professionals
- Lack of clear defined concepts
- Power differentials between institutions, physicians, and the sick
- Patient and clinician values can sometimes intersect in a way that leads to conflict and moral distress - (i.e abortion, contraceptives, religion, etc)
References
https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/influences-religion-and-spirituality-medicine/2018-07
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.756080/full
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1305900/
Join the Email List
Listen On
