(This is an article written for my weekly San Diego Reader column on spirituality and places of worship.)
“If someone at our synagogue becomes religious, don’t blame me. I just teach the Torah,” said Rabbi Baruch Lederman of Kehillas Torah. “I am passionate about helping people see the beauty of the Torah. I want to help raise them to a higher level of understanding and increase their acts of kindness to others. This is what life is all about. It’s about a relationship with your creator.” I asked Lederman about his relationship with God. “I pray and talk to God all the time. Life is one giant conversation with God. I love, revere, and fear God. It is very similar to how a child thinks about their parents.”
Fred Wolf, a member of the synagogue, said Lederman helped change his life. “In recent years, I’ve gone through a lot of trials. I went through a divorce with two children and a parent dying. It made me think about what is important in life.” Wolf said this process led him back to his Jewish roots. “I was struggling with the divorce. I entered a period of darkness and depression. Rabbi Lederman helped me out during this time. He was warm and open-minded. He doesn’t lecture people; he enjoys teaching people and letting them make their decisions for themselves. He doesn’t care where you came from; it’s where you are going. He is the most unorthodox orthodox rabbi I know,” said Wolf
Full Article: Kehillas Torah