About

The Seer of Lublin, Yaakov Yitzchak (1745-1815), as a child used to wander in the woods. At first his father let him wander, but over time he became concerned. The woods were not safe in his mind. There were wild animals, poisonous plants, stinging insects, bandits, steep ravines, and dangerous cliffs. He decided to discuss the matter with his child. One day he took him aside and said, “You know, I have noticed that each day you walk into the woods. I wonder, why do you go there?” To his surprise, the boy said to is father, “ I go there to find G!D.” “That is a very good thing,” the father replied gently.“ I am glad you are searching for G!D. But, my child, don’t you know that G!D is the same everywhere?” “Yes,” the boy answered, “but I’m not.”

Rabbi Greg

Prior to entering Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 2010, Rabbi Greg spent a year in Southeast Asia, where he lived in a Buddhist monastery and studied Tai Chi with a Daoist master. While preparing for the rabbinate, Rabbi Greg also became a TorahTrek-certified Jewish Wilderness Guide and attended outdoor retreats at Tom Brown, Jr.’s Tracker School. Rabbi Greg has a passion for learning from, and showing others how to learn from, all that nature has to teach. In his outings, he weaves together teachings from all his experiences, with a particular focus on Jewish wisdom and finding our sense of awe. Rabbi Greg currently resides in Cambridge, MA and has served as the rabbi at Temple Emmanuel of Wakefield since 2016.