The Kehillah RVA Podcast
Where community becomes conversation, and Judaism comes alive.
This podcast is your front door to Kehillah—Richmond, Virginia’s independent, progressive Jewish community. Through stories, spiritual insights, and moments of real connection, you’ll get to know what makes Kehillah different: we’re not just a synagogue—we’re the Jewish home you always wanted.
Hosted by Rabbi Patrick Beaulier, each episode features reflections on Jewish wisdom, creative contributions from Kehillah members, and updates on how this radically welcoming community is inspiring people spiritually, intellectually, and socially.
🌐 Website: kehillahrva.org
📲 Instagram: instagram.com/kehillahrva
📘 Facebook: facebook.com/kehillahrva
💛 Support the community: kehillahrva.org/donate
The Kehillah RVA Podcast
False Nostalgia — Why We Sometimes Want to Go Back
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Why do people return to unhealthy relationships, destructive habits, or situations they worked so hard to escape? And why does Rabbi Patrick watch Halloween commercials from 1988?
In this episode of the Kehillah Podcast, Rabbi Patrick explores the phenomenon of false nostalgia through the lens of the Torah's wilderness narratives.
Topics include:
- Why the Israelites repeatedly wanted to return to Egypt
- The difference between healthy remembrance and false nostalgia
- How addiction, unhealthy relationships, and family systems can keep us stuck in resisting positive change, and wishing we could go back to unhealthy times in our life
- And what to do when we find ourselves daydreaming about the past, when we need to move into a brighter future.
Also -- real transformation rarely happens alone. The path forward is often found not in returning to what was, but in finding people who can help us build what comes next. Kehillah is there for you, exactly for that.
Learn more about Kehillah: https://kehillahrva.org
Support the podcast and our community: https://kehillahrva.org/donate
Got questions? Send us a text and we'll read it on the show
🕯️ Learn more about Kehillah: kehillahrva.org
💛 Support Kehillah: kehillahrva.org/donate
📲 Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/kehillahrva
📘 Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/kehillahrva
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