On Episode 2 of The Holy Sparks Podcast I get to interview my good friend and colleague Rabbi Joe Black. Rabbi Joe dives into his journey through his rabbinate. We talk songwriting, what it actually looks like to be a Senior Rabbi of a big shul ( 2000+ families) , the future of the Rabbinate, and Limmericks! Rabbi Joseph Black has served as Senior Rabbi of Temple Emanuel in Denver, CO since July, 2010 - previously serving as Rabbi of Congregation Albert in Albuquerque, New Mexico from 1996-2010. He served as Assistant and then Associate Rabbi at Temple Israel in Minneapolis, Minnesota from 1987-1996. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Education from Northwestern University in 1982 and his Master’s degree and Rabbinic Ordination from the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1987. In 2012 he received an honorary Doctorate of Divinity from HUC-JIR. Rabbi Black serves as a Chaplain in the Colorado House of Representatives and is Past President of the Rocky Mountain Rabbinical Council. An award-winning songwriter and nationally recognized musician, he has recorded 7 albums of original Jewish music and published two songbooks. He also is an accomplished writer and poet. Rabbi Black has published several poems and articles in leading national literary and academic journals. He has been honored by American Songwriter Magazine for his music. He is a frequent contributor to anthologies and collections of Jewish writing. He has recorded seven critically-acclaimed albums of original music, a songbook, and two videos. Two of his songs, Boker Tov and The Afikoman Mambo have been made into Children’s books and distributed by the PJ Library. His most recent book, There Once Was A Man From Canaan: The Five Books of Limerick, is a collection of Limericks based on each torah portion. This past September, he released two new Albums or original music: Praying With Our Feet – a collection of Jewish and spiritual songs, and Wire and Wood - his first foray into secular recording. He has performed his original music in many communities around the world and has received numerous honors for his performance and composition. As a musician, Rabbi Black is known for his guitar virtuosity, soaring voice and lyrics that are at the same time, funny, inspirational and thought-provoking. His music is an extension of his Rabbinate. Find him here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?...