Welcome to the online home of Rabbi Rachel Barenblat!

I serve Congregation Beth Israel as their rabbi. I'm also an ordained mashpi'ah (spiritual director), a writer, a blogger, and a mama.

In January of 2011 came the official launch of my first full-length collection of poems, 70 faces, a collection of poems arising out of conversation with Torah. Learn more on the "creative writing" tab in the left-hand sidebar, or at the publisher's website where you can preview the book, hear the first few poems aloud, and hopefully buy a copy! In December of 2011, "The Akedah Cycle," a cycle of poems in 70 faces, was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.

I've been creating bespoke (custom-designed) rituals for lifecycle events -- babynamings, bar/bat mitzvah celebration, weddings, and funerals -- since 2000. You can find some information about those rituals here on this website. Here, also, is information about my non-ritual writing work, both freelance and creative.

Most people come here looking for my Passover haggadah. In 2011 I released version 7.1, which can be found here: Velveteen Rabbi's Haggadah for Pesach [pdf]. In 2012, I've released version 7.2, which is both abridged (48 pages instead of 82) and expanded (couldn't resist adding a few new items and making a few improvements); designed for congregational use but perfectly suitable for home use too. It's here: Velveteen Rabbi's Haggadah for Pesach (CBI Edition) [pdf].

If you're looking for my sermon from the second day of Rosh Hashanah 5771 (2010), it's here: The Akedah Cycle: a sermon in poetry. If you want my sermon from the first day of Rosh Hashanah 5772 (2011), it's here: Spiritual Lessons of the Arab Spring. (In general, you can find all of my sermons in the sermons category on my blog.)

The lefthand sidebar contains links to information about me. If you're interested in learning more about the art of Jewish ritualcraft, or about the possibility of my writing a holiday or lifecycle ceremony for you, you'll want the top five items. The next four focus on my non-ritual-related writing work. And if you'd like to begin a conversation, you can reach me through that bottom link.

Please be aware that for now, this website is fairly static, and changes infrequently. My blog, Velveteen Rabbi, is updated often, so if you're looking for new material, that's the place to look.

Stop in and stay a while. Thanks for visiting!