Rabbi Nahum Ward-Lev of Santa Fe, a scholar-in-residence at Temple Beth Shalom, has made religious education his career.

"As a rabbi, crossing borders has been essential to what I do," Ward-Lev said. Since 1993, when Ward-Lev and his family moved to Santa Fe, he has reached across boundaries to embrace and educate members and leaders of other faiths. This is exemplified in his co-founding of the Jewish and Christian Dialogue in Santa Fe.

It is because of his work crossing cultural and religious borders that inspired Ward-Lev to apply to be part of a program called Rabbis Without Borders. He was recently selected as one of 22 rabbis nationwide to be part of the new initiative at the Center for Learning and Leadership in New York.

A rich mix

Rabbis Without Borders is in its first year. According to a news release from the Rabbi Rebecca Sirbu, the program's director, the program was designed to "help rabbis make Jewish wisdom accessible to the wider American public."

Ward-Lev described the program as bringing "together 22 cutting-edge rabbis who are really each doing very creative work in her or his own way. This rich mix is going to bring forth a lot of new ideas."

The rabbis who were chosen have met once in New York and are in contact by e-mail and over the Internet, Ward-Lev said. The rabbis come from across all denominations, Ward-Lev said, from reform to orthodox.

"It's bringing together rabbis who have found themselves, each in their own way, on the frontiers of Jewish thought and action," Ward-Lev said.

Ward-Lev noted that the root of today's problems — from the economy to health care — is a spiritual crisis, because people question the meaning of life and what gives their lives value.

"These are really profound questions we need to find fresh answers for people," Ward-Lev said. "Religious teachers and spiritual teachers need to play significant roles in inspiring and providing answers."

The rabbis will meet five more times this year and work with scholars and experts from various fields in search of solutions.

Ward-Lev said the program is still getting off the ground, so he doesn't quite yet know what his plan of action will be in the local community.

"The intention is to bring the fruits of Jewish wisdom to the larger community," Ward-Lev said. "I don't yet know what form that will take."

Learning the lessons

Ward-Lev said that people can enrich their lives by learning about different faith traditions.

"Every ancient wisdom tradition has profound teachings to bring forth," Ward-Lev said. "I have learned a tremendous amount from Christianity and from Buddhism, personally, so I think there is great value in all of us sharing our treasures and sharing our deep wisdom."

Ward-Lev said there are many examples of how Jewish wisdom and traditions can help people — he cited the keeping of the Sabbath.

"I think that Sabbath keeping is a profound spiritual experience that brings great treasure to the individual, family and community," Ward-Lev said. "The gift of making Sabbath a full day of rest and celebrating gifts of life and God's abundance, is a wonderful gift."

Also, Ward-Lev said, Judaism is Earth-based religion, tied to the sun, moon and cycle of the season. "We need to learn to live in a way on this Earth where we can all get along and that will be more sustainable."

Choosing the path

Before Ward-Lev studied to become a rabbi, he was a high-school teacher in California. Working with students, Ward-Lev said he noticed a difference between those who were part of a religious community and those who weren't — differences in self-esteem, discipline, family life and ethical moorings.

"I was struck by the affect that being brought up within a religious culture had on the lives of young people, and I realized that I had taken my own Jewish upbringing in some ways for granted," he said. "I saw more clearly the gift that my Jewish upbringing had given to me."

So he went to Hebrew Union College to become a Jewish educator. When he was done with that program, he entered the rabbinic program at the same institution.

Since he moved to Santa Fe to become the rabbi at Temple Beth Shalom in 1993, he has been heavily involved in the community. He has taught scripture at Ghost Ranch, forged relationships with Christians through the Jewish and Christian Dialogue and has trained physicians in spirituality and medicine at Northern New Mexico Family Practice Residency Program. He also founded the Beit Midrash (House of Exploration), which is a learning group that studies Jewish texts.

He is honored to be selected a fellow for Rabbis Without Borders, he said.

"I felt very privileged and honored to be selected," Ward-Lev said. He said when he was first selected, he looked up the other 21 rabbis chosen. "I was just delighted to find the diversity and the richness of the group."

Contact Ana Maria Trujillo at 986-3084 or atrujillo@sfnewmexican.com.