Jacob J. Staub, Ph.D., was ordained at RRC in 1977 and has been on the faculty since 1983 (including 15 years as academic dean). Today, he serves as chair of the Department of Medieval Jewish Civilization, professor of Jewish philosophy and spirituality and director of the Jewish Spiritual Direction Program, which he was instrumental in developing. Spiritual direction is a contemplative practice that helps individuals discern God's presence in their lives. While the program is voluntary, 75 percent of the College's students participate each year.
Staub's own spiritual quest led him to complete certification in mindfulness leadership training with Sylvia Boorstein, a widely respected teacher of mindfulness meditation. He teaches meditation and spirituality at RRC and has taught Jewish spiritual direction across North America, including at the Institute for Jewish Spirituality.
"It is a great source of pride that we at RRC were the first to develop a program in Jewish spiritual direction and to offer it to people training for the rabbinate," he says. "The history of the Jewish people includes a great variety of contexts and forms in which our ancestors sanctified their lives and heightened their awareness of God's presence in the every day. Jewish spiritual direction works so well in a Reconstructionist context because it encourages diverse approaches to the discernment of the divine."
Interfaith dialogue continues to be another strong interest for Staub. He maintains that perspectives from other religions bring important insights to his own thinking as a rabbi and instructor. "Interfaith interaction really is illuminating on all sides, especially when it's done among like-minded people in good faith."
For example, he attended a conference at the Ministry Development Council, a national network that provides resources for clergy and other church workers. The conference focused on the complex task of how seminaries should evaluate spirituality and fitness for the ministry. He is convinced that spiritual growth can happen only in a confidential environment and that the role of seminaries such as RRC is to nurture spirituality in confidential settings, not to measure it.
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