Welcome to Rabbi Lynnda Targan’s Website!
Read Rabbi Targan’s new book, Funny, You Don’t Look Like a Rabbi: A Memoir of Unorthodox Transformation
At the age of fifty, Lynnda Targan was an accomplished public relations professional, journalist and happily married mother of two. But deep down, she felt called to a different path. The child of secular, divorced parents, she had grown up in the nurturing enclave of her grandparents’ close-knit, Orthodox Jewish community, but drifted away from the rituals of her faith. Now, as an adult, she found herself being drawn back to Judaism–and rediscovering the beauty and resonance of its history, its remarkable texts and teachings, and its powerful code for living in the modern world.
Targan’s memoir tells the story of her surprising transformation from successful working mom to spiritual seeker and Jewish scholar, and chronicles her quest to reinvent herself in midlife to become a rabbi, a choice that for generations was open only to men. Initially met with skepticism, Targan persevered, becoming an ordained rabbi in 2003. Now a beloved leader in her community, Targan shows that it is never too late to find your true calling and step into your power — no matter what your age!
Visit Rabbi Targan’s new Facebook page.
Welcome to my world
where the old meets the new
and the mundane
becomes miraculous…
“You turned my lament into dancing.”
(Psalm 30)
Combining my years of experience as a writer, public relations professional, and communications expert with skills that I have garnered as a rabbi at mid-life, my goal is to assist people in finding their distinct missions and purpose in the world. Helping people imagine the life they want to create, and educating people who seek spiritual growth to develop the skills needed to achieve that vision is part of my aspiration toward tikkun olam, repairing the broken world.
The Pomegranate
“Let us go early to the vineyards…and if the pomegranates are in bloom-there I will give you my love.”
(Song of Songs)
The beautiful plump scarlet pomegranate with its rich green leaves and petaled crown top near the stem has been held sacred throughout the ages by many of the world’s major religions. Judaism views it as a symbol of sensuality, fertility and abundance, and it is mentioned in the Bible as one of the seven species in the land of Israel. (Deuteronomy 8.8) Pomegranate trees are prevalent in Israeli gardens, and ripen in time for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and the fruit also serve as decorations for the holiday of Sukkot. As we peel away the skin of a pomegranate, called rimmon in Hebrew, which is the same word used to designate the top of Torah scrolls, it is believed that each fruit contains 613 sweet seeds, equal to the number of mitzvot or commandments in the Torah. Revered also throughout the centuries for its medicinal properties, the pomegranate is a contemporary symbol for health and healing, and for the power and potential of love.
Rabbi Targan interviewed on JewishSacredAging.com’s “Seekers of Meaning” TV Show and Podcast.
Rabbi Targan is the guest on this week’s episode of the Seekers of Meaning Podcast, the podcast of JewishSacredAging.com.
Rabbi Targan chats with Jewish Sacred Aging founder Rabbi Richard Address. You can watch the video here.