What happens when a spiritual leader's own faith is shattered by unimaginable loss? And how does community become the thread that holds us together when everything falls apart?

Meet Rabbi Nicole Guzik: Co-Senior Rabbi of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, the first woman to hold that role in the congregation's 100+ year history, licensed therapist, mother of three, and my dear friend. In this deeply personal conversation, Rabbi Guzik opens up about the role of faith in building resilience and shares the story of losing her close friend in her twenties—a loss that tested everything she believed about God.

In this episode:

• Why faith becomes the anchor for some and a struggle for others
• The difference between transactional faith and unconditional love
• How to find your way back to faith after feeling abandoned by God
• The story of Abraham and the stars—your pain is real, but there is more to your story than you can imagine
• Rabbi Guzik's journey from small-town synagogue kid to co-senior Rabbi and therapist
• Losing her friend, Hannah, to a drunk driver during Rabbinical school
• Coming together as a community to heal
• How shared pain creates bonds that hold us like family
• Why loneliness has become a plague in our post-COVID world
• The role of community in healing and rebuilding faith
• Coffee addiction, baking as meditation, and 90210 binges
• Why being open and vulnerable is essential to finding strength

This conversation is about more than faith. It's about the messy, beautiful journey of finding your way back to hope when life breaks your heart.

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References:

• Follow Rabbi Guzik on Instagram @rabbiguzik
• https://www.instagram.com/rabbiguzik/
• Follow Sinai Temple on Instagram @sinaitemple: https://www.instagram.com/sinaitemplela/
• Learn more about Sinai Temple Mental Health Center at https://www.sinaitemple.org/
• Connect with Rita @journeywithritaorg and @ritanaffasdesign
• Visit www.journeywithrita.org for more episodes and resources