Skip to content
The Wisdom Daily
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Submissions
  • Our Topics
    • Weekly Parsha
    • Spirituality & Faith
    • Relationships & Family
    • News & Politics
    • Business & Education
    • Grief & Coping
    • Daily Life
    • Inspiring People
    • Book Club
  • Authors

Rabbi Pamela Jay GottfriedRabbi Pamela Jay Gottfried

Pamela Jay Gottfried (she/her) serves as the rabbi of Congregation Beth Tikvah in Marlton, NJ. Since her rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1993, Gottfried has taught in churches, colleges, community centers, mosques, retreat centers, schools, summer camps, and synagogues. She is a member of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association (RRA) and the Interim Ministry Network (IMN). Gottfried previously served in congregations and schools in Metro Atlanta, as an interim rabbi at Temple Kol Emeth; the second rabbi at Congregation Beth Haverim; the Dean of Jewish Studies and a Scholar-in-Residence at The Weber School; and for many summers she taught both ceramics and Judaics at Camp Ramah Darom. As an artist, she incorporates creative expression and message-driven art in her teaching of teens and adults. A strong proponent of pluralism and innovation, Gottfried is a board member of Bayit, a collaborative community that creates tools and resources for how people are doing Jewish now. An alumna of Clal's Rabbis Without Borders and LEAP fellowships, she is trained to help people access Jewish wisdom and culture to enrich their lives.

Returning to Myself

September 2, 2026 by Rabbi Pamela Jay Gottfried

Still, I permitted my rational self to overrule my fear of failure as I recalled the wise advice of Eleanor Roosevelt: “We must do the things we think we cannot do.”

Categories Compassion and Empathy

Eldest Daughter Syndrome 

July 28, 2026 by Rabbi Pamela Jay Gottfried

I told her she’s an amazing daughter, and I confessed to her all the ways I believe I have failed my mother.

Categories Compassion and Empathy, Inspiring Story

Your Final Itinerary is Confirmed

June 18, 2026 by Rabbi Pamela Jay Gottfried

Planning a vacation when your parent is dying presents a host of challenges I hadn’t anticipated.

Categories Compassion and Empathy

Finding Friends-in-Faith

June 1, 2026 by Rabbi Pamela Jay Gottfried

My heart fills with hope, a hope that I’d find a path back to who I was, or a path forward to who I was becoming.

Categories Belonging, Inspiring Story, Who am I

Practicing Equanimity

April 29, 2026 by Rabbi Pamela Jay Gottfried

I’ve come to believe that the practice of composing spiritual poetry in specific forms can itself be a spiritual practice of cultivating equanimity.

Categories Soul Writings

Learning from the Pain of the Narrow Places

March 24, 2026 by Rabbi Pamela Jay Gottfried

April 1st, 2024: the day my mind rebelled against my body stubbornly insisting that I was fine, when, in fact, I was an April Fool.

Categories Compassion and Empathy, Daily Life

Failing at the Fifth Commandment

February 26, 2026 by Rabbi Pamela Jay Gottfried

The guilt over having abandoned Mom in a memory care facility is unbearable.

Categories Compassion and Empathy Tags Dementia, Memory

Writing My Grief

January 8, 2026 by Rabbi Pamela Jay Gottfried

I endeavor to become the container for the anxiety, fear, and grief of my community members, while I test the limits of my own endurance.

Categories Compassion and Empathy Tags aneurysm, Grief

Doing the Work, Together

October 9, 2025 by Rabbi Pamela Jay Gottfried

We can remind one another: It’s not any one person’s duty to complete the work and no one person can do all of the work.

Categories This Week In Wisdom, Who am I Tags New Year, Rosh Hashanah

Joy Arrives With the Dawn

August 11, 2025August 11, 2025 by Rabbi Pamela Jay Gottfried

I sit on the couch facing the sliding glass doors to savor the sights and sounds of God’s creatures who share my small patch of Eden.

Categories Bring The Sacred Down To Earth, Inspiring Story, Soul Hack, Soul Writings, Spirituality & Faith Tags Joy
Older posts
Page1 Page2 Next →

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

Get the latest wisdom and inspiration sent directly to you!


Find Us On

  • Facebook

Site Information

View Full Site

Terms and Conditions

Search the Wisdom Daily

Copyright 2026 ©The Wisdom Daily, a division of Clal.