ColLive: When Rivka Goldstein discovered she was to become a mother for the first time at age 40, she began writing a letter to her unborn child, a manual to guide him for life. She teamed up with author, lecturer and educator Rabbi Manis Friedman to complete the book which has become a bestseller.

“I wanted to leave my son a Life Manual – a kind of reference book to guide him from the beginning of his life till the end and everything in between from dating, marriage, parenting, and even, G-d forbid, tragedy,” says Mrs. Goldstein. It wasn’t long before her intended letter turned into a manuscript for a book.

A graduate of Harvard, Rivka Goldstein turned to the venerated Rabbi Manis Friedman to complete her manuscript. “I wanted to incorporate age-old Torah wisdom that’s true and time-tested in modern vernacular and that’s where Rabbi Friedman’s brilliance lies. There’s no need to reinvent the wheels.“

A native of Singapore, Rivka Goldstein was born into a Buddhist family that practiced Taoism and ancestral worship while attending Christian schools among Muslims, Hindus and Eurasians in a multi-cultural and religious state. “My own lifelong search for meaning and purpose brought me to Harvard but it was not until Judaism that I found my true home. Today, I live a proud, happy and fulfilling Orthodox Jewish life! Hahaha! Boruch Hashem!” she said.

Mrs. Goldstein is a Life and Relationship Therapist and Coach, “I often remind my clients and myself that if we, the women of this generation, have been endowed with the honor and the responsibility of leading an entire nation out of golus, it must mean then that we are capable! Hashem does not give us a task without the tools! And so when we’re challenged, we can be sure that we can and we will triumph! And where are we most challenged? Where it hurts the most – in our marriage and children. This is where the dark side tries the hardest to get us. This is where our salvation lies. So we must never give up. Not now when we are so close to our redemption. Both personal and collective.”

A good tool, she said, is to “Faith it till you make it” – we don’t become happy when things are good. Things become good when we are happy. “Being happy or light is hard for me. I am by nature a little heavy and down probably due to a tumultuous and difficult upbringing that was very confusing. So I have to make a daily effort to pick myself up and to be joyful. My secret is Chassidus.” she confessed.

Mrs. Goldstein teaches at the Chaya Aydel Seminary in Florida where she lives. “I used to tell Hashem that He made a mistake by giving me one child when I have the capacity for 20. Today, I say todah Hashem for these precious girls I call my students. And they come in a pack of 20 every year!” They all address her as “Doda Rivka” or aunt Rivka. “That’s my alter-ego,” she laughs. “It’s a constant reminder that my purpose and mission in life is not about me, but what G-d needs from me,” she says.

Rivka Goldstein told us finding Judaism late in life has its pros and cons. “I used to wish that I’d been born frum or at the very least received a frum education from birth. It would have saved me lots of unnecessary bumps in life. Maybe that’s why I cannot get enough Torah; I listen and learn around the clock, especially those from Rabbi Manis Friedman. The result of which is this anthropology you are holding in your hands.”

“We are very excited to offer this new book,” said Rabbi Zalman Friedman, director of Its Good to Know publishing. “When we realized that this book has become not just a guide for Mrs. Goldstein’s son but a generation of seekers looking for real answers to life, we’re empowered to take this next step to bring Chassidus to more hearts and minds.”

“We recently received a bulk order from a woman celebrating her 40th birthday as a give away and we thought what a special and meaningful gift this book makes for all occasions from bar/bas mitzvah to anniversaries and any holidays like Chanukah. It is an easy read as it is written in a conversational tone with contents relevant to all people and ages, regardless of gender, persuasion or religious background.”

Creating a Life that Matters is now available in hard and soft cover at your local Judaica store.

Bulk orders may be made here: https://itsgoodtoknow.org/product/creating-a-life-that-matters/

The book is available on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Creating-Life-that-Matters-Meaning/dp/0986277053/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=creating+a+life&qid=1633456307&sr=8-7

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From ColLive: Rivka Goldstein, born into a Buddhist family, educated in Christian schools and is now a frum Jewish woman, was the guest on the podcast "From the Inside Out" hosted by Rivkah Krinsky and Eda Schottenstein.

What’s the difference between living and existing? How do we find purpose and direction when we feel lost? What is the relationship between love and intimacy? Why does happiness seem so elusive?

Born into a Buddhist family, Rivka Goldstein attended Christian schools with exposure to multicultural environments.

She was later granted a full scholarship at Harvard University, where she graduated with a master’s degree in theological studies. After spending decades deeply immersed in theological studies and searching for answers to her questions about G-d and spirituality, Rivka finally found “home”.

Goldstein, authored “Creating a Life that Matters” with the renowned teacher Rabbi Manis Friedman, shares her fascinating and inspiring story of finding her path to Judaism and the deeply impactful lessons she learned along the way.

Website: www.askdodarivka.com
Book:
https://www.amazon.com/Creating-Life-that-Matters-Meaning/dp/0986277053

Read the original article here!