This is part four of a five-part podcast miniseries by The CJN, called Won’t You Be My Rabbi? To hear all five right now, visit thecjn.ca/be-my-rabbi.

On her journey to better understanding her religion, comedian Laura Leibow has spoken to many rabbis who’ve talked about making traditions fit in modern times. Reform, Conservative, and modern Orthodox clergy will all reference this.

But few take that concept as far as Reconstructionist Jews, whose denomination was born in the first half of the 20th century. Reconstructionism was deliberately designed to match modern thought and lifestyles, throwing out classic concepts like an anthropomorhic God and strict guidelines on interfaith marriages or patrilineal descent.

To explain all this to Laura is Rabbi Boris Dolin, the head rabbi at Congregation Dorshei Emet in Hampstead, Que.