Meet Melinda Bernstein | Freelance Rabbi

We had the good fortune of connecting with Melinda Bernstein and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Melinda, how do you define success?
When my experience is orientated towards the good, I feel this defines success. For me, the road to success means I must keep taking courageous steps, no matter how hard it seems. My challenges enable me to naturally develop sensitivity, which is a good quality for my field. It ‘s also very rewarding and beautiful to live in the realm of being that is orientated with an open heart and towards the good.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve found it quite natural for me to stand in the center of pleasure and pain. Sharing my thoughts on the meaning of this has led people to me. It’s truly an honor and a blessing to meet people where they’re at and perform lifecycle ceremonies. I also find reward in keeping the presence of my ancestors as well as the heritage of the land I walk on alive and do so with simple yet effective prayers and visualizations. Doing this has been a great healing and has greatly enhanced my professional world.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
A walk on the beach or sitting under an umbrella with a cold drink and good conversation being mesmerized by the power and beauty of the mother ocean would be perfect. If and when there’s a yacht available, there are numerous remote islands off the coast to be witnessed. I’ve always been curious to go to the only known underwater burial ground in South Florida, the Neptune Memorial Reef.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would give a shout out to Rabbi Leah Novick, whom I met in 2011, shortly before I moved to California. I had received my rabbinical ordination in 2009 and was in great need of a female rabbi role model! Rabbi Léah Novick is a spiritual teacher whose teaching and research has been focused on the Divine Feminine, referred to as “Shekhinah” in Judaism.

Website: https://melindabernstein.com
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RabbiMelinda
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Image Credits
Victoria Johnansson
JCM Photography