Doubt (Part II)

Uncertainty about faith can be anxiety provoking and even cause people to leave religion altogether. But that’s not the way it works in all traditions. In fact, some are exactly the opposite.

 In the second of a special two-part series exploring the promise and perils of doubt in faith, we talk with Rabbi Angela Buchdahl about how debate and questioning are central to the Jewish faith—both as methods for seeking truth and living a spiritual life. We also explore the guardrails that Jewish ritual and wisdom offer for channeling doubt productively to foster growth on a personal level and in the Jewish tradition itself.

Rabbi Angela Buchdahl is the Senior Rabbi of Central Synagogue in New York City. She is the author of Heart of a Stranger: An Unlikely Rabbi’s Story of Faith, Identity, and Belonging.