Ya'akov Litman

Ya'akov Litman is a Humanistic Jewish and interfaith rabbi, meditation teacher and nonduality facilitator. A native Floridian, he has worked in many fields over his life, including as a medic, firefighter, law enforcement officer, private investigator, bail bondsman and in a Medical Examiner's Office.

His spiritual path began with ordination in the Christian tradition in 1986. He pursued Holy Orders in the Independent Sacramental Movement (Independent Catholic) and was ordained deacon in 1993 and priest in 1996. He then became a seeker across religious traditions, accepting several non-dogmatic, theologically liberal ordinations and joining several Eastern religions, a period that culminated in a Jukai ceremony in the Buddhist tradition. Judaism had always stayed in the forefront of his mind because of his family background, and in 2010 he resigned the priesthood, converted to Judaism and had his adult Bar Mitzvah. In 2011 he received smikhah as an Interfaith Rabbi, with a special mission to unaffiliated and disgruntled Jews. He found his home in Polydox Judaism, which he sees best expressed in the Humanistic Jewish movement, and he identifies as a humanist and nondualist. His current smikhah is with the Church of Spiritual Humanism.

In 2016 he became a Certified Meditation Instructor and Nondual Facilitator, teaching Transformation Meditation, and trained with the Life Coach Training Institute. He is the author of "How to be a great 'emotional' spouse," "This is it or Spiritual Pointers for LIFE to LIFE from LIFE," and "What is Enlightenment." In 2024 he became a certified Death Doula (End-of-Life Coach). His Insight Timer page also lists him as a Usui Ryoho Reiki Grandmaster and a shamanic practitioner.

He officiates weddings, life events and interfaith ceremonies, and aims to meet people, secular and religious, wherever they are in life. Diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 1994, he is interested in nonduality, spirituality, disabilities and holistic healing. As he puts it, "Happiness begins, when our stories end."