I can write about what Rabbi Marcia means to me as my spiritual leader and friend, but what I choose to focus on is how Marcia has influenced me as a teacher. Years ago as a member of P’nai Or New York, I would jump at every opportunity to hear Rabbi Marcia teach on her infrequent trips to New York City. When I came to Philadelphia ten years ago to be a full time student in the Jewish Renewal Life Center program, I had the opportunity to study with Marcia on a weekly basis. When the program was over, I continued to attend the classes that met weekly in Marcia’s parlor on Horrter Street.
The memories are sweet ones, as my knowledge of my Jewish roots expanded and Jewish concepts took on new and expanded meaning that resonated with my sensibilities and value system. I love the way Marcia can tease apart an idea, bring in material from multiple sources, and then weave the whole back in a way that brings deeper understanding. I had studied with Hindu teachers, Native American teachers, Buddhist teachers, Sufi teachers… Marcia has shown me that whatever I had been seeking is here in the religion of my birth, not denying but incorporating the wisdom of other faith traditions. I feel blessed to have been exposed to this weaver of wisdom
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