Hi, I’m Jesse Paikin. I’m an educator, designer, facilitator, and rabbi. I teach internationally, with a focus on Jewish Spirituality, Talmud, and experiential education. My strategic and consulting work involves curricular design, staff training & culture, and branding & communications strategy.
Right now, you can find me on the short-form explainer podcast, Shoot!, which I created and produced. It answers one big Jewish question each episode, with the untold stories behind the questions. My writing and work have also been featured in Maclean’s, Fast Company, Jewschool, Sh’ma, My Jewish Learning, and Times of Israel.

Want to work together?
Let’s talk! I’m available for teaching engagements, design projects, curricular development, and consulting in staff training & culture


Episode #5: Why is Judaism Called Judaism? – Shoot!
From my blog…

What I’ve Learned from my Anxiety & Staying Awake until 2:30 am
The game goes like this: since I know that every night, mostly without fail, I will wake up – somewhere between 3:30 and 4:00 am in a cold sweat of anxiety and generalized fear fuelled by whatever chemical imbalance or chromosomal abnormality or inherited trauma of which I am the beneficiary – if I can make it to 2:00 am or so, I might be able to head off the exasperating jolt of awaking, and stay blissfully unconscious until the morning. The alternative means opening my eyes, bathed in the red light of my clock-radio and the irrational fear of both everything and nothing in particular.
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May You Always Be Surprised
We know that each and every human being on the face of the earth is ultimately the same. We know this.
We are fashioned in the image of our Creator, in the tzelem Elohim, as our tradition teaches. And that therefore we are infinitely valuable.
There is no way to assess the value of a human soul. You are worth more than any number you could possibly conceive of.
I am not looking for a kumbaya message to share in a troubling time…
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Can We Really Be Comforted Right Now?
What does it mean to be turning to words of comfort right now? To say nachamu, nachamu? To be honest – I don’t know if I buy it. While life locally is slowly returning, that is not the whole story. We may be entering a period of consolation, but for many, it’s still the bein hameitzarim – the dire straits.
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