"There's No Such Thing as a Mistake": Improvisational Judaism with Rabbi Aaron Potek

Aaron Potek is one of the only rabbis whose job is actually *being a rabbi* (shul, holidays, weddings, funerals, etc) who I still talk to on a regular basis. At least part of the reason for this is his deep investment in comedy. Aaron started doing standup in high school and then got into improv, which he still performs. We talk about how the mindset of improv has shaped his spiritual worldview and how it impacts his role as a communal rabbi. He get into how he thinks the "there's no such thing as a mistake" mindset that essentially makes improv possible actually lies at the core of the Jewish value system--your judgmental friends, relatives, and former Hebrew School teachers notwithstanding!