The Living Jewishly Podcast: Recent Episodes
Living Jewishly
“Since I've acknowledged PTSD and what's going on, and accepted the facts, and stopped seeing it as a sign of weakness, I've made some progress.”
— Wilson Taguinod
Facing our challenges is the first step to healing, according to guest Wilson Taguinod. On this episode of What’s In Your Toolbox: An Honest Discussion on Mental Health, host Bobby Koven has a deep conversation with Wilson about his challenges with PTSD and depression, as a veteran of the Vietnam war and a person who lives with cancer.
Wilson has developed several coping tools to manage his mental health struggles, including fly fishing, reading, woodworking and puzzles. But he also relies on his family, specifically his wife, who helps him to reframe and put into perspective, the thought processes that lead him towards depression. Wilson has developed intuitive strategies to notice negative thoughts, and reset, and has begun learning how to manage anger based on cause and effect.
Tune in to learn what Wilson’s advice is for anyone who is struggling with mental health, and learn how he developed his coping strategies so that you can apply his learnings to your own experience.
This episode discusses:
✔ PTSD as a war veteran
✔ Strategies to reframe negative thoughts
✔ The power of acknowledging the thing that is challenging you, to work towards recovery
Highlights:
00:01 Intro
02:34 Meet Wilson Taguinod
04:28 Wilson’s experience with PTSD
10:40 Fly fishing as a tool to manage mental health
16:22 How Wilson managed his anger
18:11 Obtaining a university degree despite mental health challenges
22:02 How Wilson’s tools have helped him
25:45 Wilson’s Amazing Support Team
27:58 Wilson’s advice
29:13 Wrap up
Links:
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
Tu B'Shvat is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the renewal of trees in a yearly cycle. Elliott notes, the timing of the holiday on the Jewish calendar is weird, falling out in the middle of winter. If we really wanted to get into the spirit of the day, we'd send everyone out into the middle of nature, "into the wild," to experience the trees. Rabbi Yossi points out that the winter is also a cool time to think about trees, because it is when the sap starts to run. The trees are starting to come alive, on the inside, where the sap is starting to build. Really, this is symbolic of the inner growth that takes place inside of us as human beings. Yossi adds that maple syrup is an ancient food but you have to get rid of the excess foam, which is a great metaphor for what people have to do - to keep the sweet parts of ourselves and get rid of the excess. As Yossi says, "whatever your winter looks like" you have to learn to go through the dark nights and come out on the other side.
Elliott also notes that educationally, Tu B'shvat should teach us to "throw out the playbook." Jewish schools could plan a trip, throw away the books for a day, and take students out into nature to experience renewal and the miracle of creation. The holiday of the trees shows us that religious education can be found as much in nature as in textbooks. Yossi says there should be "Outward Bound" program for Tu B'shvat. This holiday represents the environmental ethic of the ancient rabbis and their view of the ecosystem, exemplified in the discussion of rain in the second paragraph of the Shema prayer. God gives human stewardship over the earth and it is up to us to make sure we treat that as a sacred trust. In an age of climate change, this is a powerful message.Shout out to the late great Neil Peart of Rush and his wonderful song "The Trees!"
This episode discusses:
- The importance of Tu B’Shvat
- How to use this time of year to cultivate renewal in oneself
- The history of Tu B’Shvat
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Links:
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“We age with success when we are in connection with others, it's relational.”
— Sue Lantz
On today’s episode of What’s In Your Toolbox: An Honest Discussion On Mental Health, host Bobby Koven has a conversation with Sue Lantz, a boomer who is hoping to live a long and healthy life, and founder of Collaborative Aging. Sue is passionate about sharing her healthcare, housing, and caregiving expertise in a way that helps her peers – along with the people who will be supporting them – to envision and fulfill their best possible aging transitions and experiences.
Sue discovered early in her career that designing systems and tools for various populations requires an immense amount of collaboration - not just from individuals but from organizations as well. She took this wide breadth of experience with collaborations to develop Collaborative Aging, a platform that offers educational and consulting services to help individuals, families, and communities, to prepare the way for healthy, empowered aging and balanced caregiving.
Tune in to hear how Sue’s journey with elder care crossed over with various mental health experiences, and for some inspiration to plan your future as you age, collaboratively.
This episode discusses:
✔ Forming teams of care providers to age on your own terms
✔ The effects of aging on our mental health
✔ The importance of planning for care and support as we age
Highlights:
00:01 Welcome
02:29 Meet Sue Lantz
05:10 Collaborative Aging
09:17 How Sue’s path led her here
14:02 Sue’s career journey
23:01 What’s in Sue’s toolbox
26:01 Sue’s journey with mindfulness
27:40 Aging and mindfulness
29:01 Sue’s Amazing Support Team
31:10 Sue’s advice for collaborating with aging parents
34:40 Next episode teaser
Links:
www.collaborativeaging.com
https://optionsopen.org
https://instagram.com/optionsopenguide
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains content around self-harm and suicide and brief mention of sexual violence against children.
“They tried to ‘fix’ my stigmas to make me like everyone else, rather than leveraging my gifts. I said, ‘screw that, I'm gonna manage my gifts.’ And I started developing my gifts and ignoring the stigma.”
— Tim Nelson
In this episode of What’s In Your Toolbox: An Honest Discussion on Mental Health, Bobby Koven interviews Tim Nelson about his mental health journey. This conversation is raw and authentic, and at times may be triggering to some listeners. We have noted the timestamps for the triggering content.
Tim Nelson is an expert problem solver, but he wasn’t always able to use his dyslexia and dyscalculia to his advantage. Tim was diagnosed in his early twenties, but through the lens of stigma. And his late diagnosis prevented him from integrating into the mainstream school system.
But as a creative problem solver, Tim chose to see his diagnoses as little annoyances rather than burdens, and followed the path of his dyslexia as a gift.
In his youth, Tim developed seven skills that helped him navigate his childhood through learning disabilities and other mental health challenges. The skills are creativity, coaching projects, running programs, improving people, knowing oneself, understanding interactions and defining standard work. Developing these consistent skills was key in overcoming the challenges of dyslexia and dyscalculia, and the consistency has paid off, putting Tim in charge of some of the largest projects in the world.
Tim has also put his RECOVER system into practice to recuperate from life events that had a massive impact on him. RECOVER is an acronym; R is receive help, E is exhibit compliance, C is care, O is outline a schedule, V is venture out, E is establish purpose, and R is reach for the stars.
This episode discusses:
✔ How dyslexia and dyscalculia impact learning and education and self-esteem
✔ The seven skills Tim developed to overcome dyslexia and dyscalculia challenges
✔ Tim’s RECOVER acronym
Highlights:
00:01 Intro
02:53 Meet Tim Nelson
09:10 Tim’s Gifts
11:33 Growing up
12:48 Tim’s seven skills
15:08 Diagnosing dyslexia and dyscalculia
20:55 Leveraging gifts
22:57 Bipolar diagnosis and mania
23:52 TRIGGER WARNING: Self-harm and suicide
26:42 Tim’s RECOVER acronym
28:30 TRIGGER WARNING: Sexual violence towards children
30:59 Tim’s Amazing Support Team
33:28 TRIGGER WARNING: Suicide
35:18 Tim’s advice to others
About Guest:
Tim Nelson is an expert problem solving coach, change agent, global diversity and inclusion ambassador and author and inventor.
Links:
Connect with Tim:
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-nelson-0270526
Website https://onefivefifty.com/
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“Anger can be illogical and it can cause a lot of harm. But it also can be righteous and it can be rectifying something that’s wrong.”
— Ganga Devi
What is the role of anger in our lives? And what can we learn from our sense of it?
This episode of Living Jewishly is an instalment of Scared Time, a podcast devoted to the healing art of the Hebrew calendar.
As we bid goodbye to Chanukah, we enter Tevet, the tenth month of the calendar. This is a time of cold and darkness, but one that evokes a fiery emotion. Its 10th day commemorates the onset of the siege of Jerusalem — no wonder that Tevet is associated with the sense of anger.
Tevet is also connected to the story of Purim, as it is in the month of Tevet that Esther was taken to the King Achashverosh's palace to be chosen as Queen.
Most of us are only aware of anger when we feel it or when others feel it toward us, but in these heightened states we are unable to reflect on and understand the wisdom and potential carried within it.
Tevet offers us the rare opportunity to examine anger from a place of peace.
Through drawing on Kabbalistic themes and psychological tools, we may work intentionally with anger and see it with new eyes. This episode explores anger’s purpose — how it can point us to unmet needs and fuel us to make necessary changes in our lives, relationships, and social systems.
“That is what Tevet gives us to work with. It’s understanding: what is anger? What does it mean to play with the fire of anger?”
— Bluth
This episode discusses:
- How anger can be used as a tool to create positive and necessary change
- Comparisons between ecological fire and the fire of anger, and how each plays a role in stripping away what no longer serves
- How to differentiate between the needs and the strategies connected with our anger
Highlights:
01:30 Welcome to Tevet
02:58 Purim & The Book of Esther
03:53 Chanukah & Purim
06:39 Tevet & anger
08:04 Comparison between anger & fire
10:46 Emotions as data points
12:10 Regenerative anger & trauma
15:13 Empathic communication & reframing
19:58 Our needs v. our strategies
24:45 The Language of Emotions
26:51 Ganga Devi’s story
31:41 The Work That Reconnects
33:10 Tools within & without us
37:31 Cultivating integrity
Links:
Marshall Rosenberg
https://www.nonviolentcommunication.com
Alexandra Paretta, Tantra practitioner
https://www.wovenyin.com
Karla McLaren, The Language of Emotions
https://karlamclaren.com/product/the-language-of-emotions-book
https://karlamclaren.com/understanding-and-befriending-anger
Joanna Macy, The Work That Reconnects
https://www.joannamacy.net/main
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Visit our learning community: https://www.schooloflivingjewishly.com
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
Send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org
Shalom!
“That's where I really rely on our traditional teachings because it speaks to humility, and understanding that your gifts are valuable. And everybody has gifts.”
— Jillian Morris
Trigger Warning: This episode makes brief mention of self harm and addiction.
On this episode of What’s In Your Toolbox: An Honest Discussion on Mental Health, host Bobby Koven shares a deep and open conversation with his guest Jillian Morris which started at a chance meeting in New Brunswick.
In this conversation, Jillian shares some of the tools that her community uses to heal the indigenous communities in Ontario, and further expanding into Canada.
A member of the Feather Carriers, Jillian is committed to community mobilization that enhances mental health and addictions and suicide prevention through a culturally appropriate training.
One thing is for sure, Jillian will absolutely inspire you to take up a practice of gratitude for every element of life, which is an excellent tool to manage mental health.
This episode discusses:
✔ The power and importance of storytelling
✔ Connecting to your own spirituality through healing
✔ Sharing your gifts as a way to contribute to a larger community
About Jillian:
Jillian is Kanien’kehaka, a member of Six Nations of the Grand River Territory, and Poet Laureate for Collingwood. Jillian is a former federal public servant and in addition to writing, she is a researcher, creator, public engager, mother, wife, and bridge builder. Jillian is also a member of the Unity Collective where she finds endless reward in volunteering and working to build relationships, capacity, and understanding.
Highlights:
00:01 Intro
02:54 Meet Jillian Morris
08:35 The call to nature
10:02 Spirituality
11:21 Tools for healing
13:01 Jillian’s path of healing
15:15 Traditional teachings
24:45 The Feather Carriers
26:07 Jillian’s Amazing Support Team (JAST)
26:51 The power of listening
30:17 Next episode
Links:
Connect with Jillian: https://www.jillianmorris.ca/
instagram: @jk_morris_less
Collingwood Today: https://www.collingwoodtoday.ca/columns/kanikonhriio/column
Wise Practices: https://wisepractices.ca/practices/feather-carriers/
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“Dreaming is a necessary complement to our waking life that allows us to rest and integrate and regenerate.”
— Ganga Devi
As home to the holiday of Chanukah, Kislev is a time for celebration, light, and togetherness. But it is also a time for sleeping, for dreaming, and for integrating the teachings of our dreams into our waking lives.
The beauty of the cyclical nature of our Hebrew calendar is that it creates space for us to explore its universal and resonant themes each year as different people, bringing with us new experiences and perspectives that shift and re-shape the ways in which we engage and reflect. This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is a replay of the Kislev episode of Sacred Time, a podcast about the healing art of the Hebrew calendar.
Looking toward Channukah as a time of light, dedication, and grace within a time of darkness, this conversation deeply examines Kislev’s overarching themes of sleep, death, dreams, and light, and moves thoughtfully through the cyclical nature of the rhythms of creation.
“There’s something about this time of sleep and slumber and darkness — we are actually deeply held.”
— Bluth
This episode discusses:
- How dreams inspire, enrich, and borrow from our waking lives — and their connection to prophecy
- How our relationship with sleep can inform and soften our relationship to death
- The symbolic meaning behind Channukah falling across both Kislev and Tevet
Highlights:
00:52 Intro
01:51 Kislev & Samec
05:00 The circle of our daily rhythms
07:46 Dreams, prophecy & waking life
09:58 Death & sleep
12:14 Midrash: Adam & the Garden of Eden
16:09 Living Jewishly Channukah Guide
19:01 Channukah & Kislev
22:01 Darkness & light
24:03 Ganga Devi’s dream work
29:29 Mourning rituals & Waking Life
Links:
Living Jewishly Channukah Guide
https://livingjewishly.org/channukah
Waking Life (2001)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waking_Life
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“Even when it doesn’t feel like there is excitement, there are our rhythms and there are our cycles.”
— Bluth
After the social and structured rituals of the High Holidays, the month of Cheshvan is a period of personal contemplation during which we turn to the quieter rhythms of our daily commitments. The absence of Holy Days during this month challenges us to source our connection with the sacred from within. In doing so, we are able to look both back and forward to address our priorities — what is meaningful and important at this moment.
This instalment of the Living Jewishly Podcasts revisits the Cheshvan episode of Sacred Time, a podcast devoted to the healing art of the Hebrew calendar. Bluth and Ganga Devi discuss the month of Cheshvan, and the many ways that we can develop structures and systems to reconnect us with our true priorities in life.
Though it is a more introspective month, it is still one of action. The process of self-inquiry identifies what is precious and tender to us, so we are then able to step fully into those relationships — with the divine, with our loved ones, and with ourselves.
“The structures and systems of religions should exist to support each of our own personal and direct relationships with what is sacred.”
— Ganga Devi
This episode discusses:
- Being mindful of how we relate to systems of authority and power outside of ourselves in our relationship with what is sacred
- The importance of motivating ourselves to find empowerment in responsibility by creating our own structures in the absence of external ones
- Why Cheshvan is the perfect time to focus on restorative and nurturing self-care
Highlights:
00:51 Intro
01:51 The month of Cheshvan
04:42 What is sacred to us?
08:03 Self-inquiry & creating our own structures
10:38 External structures
12:22 The sacred in the mundane
13:37 Taking action & finding support
16:50 Rhythms & cycles
18:20 Modeh Ani & daily commitments
25:06 The School of Living Jewishly
Links:
Living Jewishly Yoga for Cheshvan with Jenna Zadaka:
https://livingjewishly.org/rosh-chodesh-cheshvan-with-guest-yoga-teacher-jenna-zadaka
The School of Living Jewishly
https://www.schooloflivingjewishly.com
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“Life is for the living. You have to go on, and make the best you can out of your present situation and utilize your tools”
— Nate Leipciger
Mental health is a different story across generations, and on today’s episode of What’s In Your Toolbox: An Honest Discussion on Mental Health, host Bobby K. has a conversation with Holocaust survivor Nate Leipciger about the tools he cultivated to survive.
One of Nate’s survival skills, awareness, helped him during his time in Auschwitz, and then in his early years in Canada. Learning new rules every day, helped to keep him from standing out, and ultimately being freed at the end of WWII.
You’ll definitely want to tune into this episode to hear Nate’s story of survival, and the lessons Nate learned that can be used as mental health tools for many generations to come.
This episode discusses:
✔ How Nate survived the concentration camp
✔ How Nate navigated immigrating to Canada and how the survivor skills he learned helped him
✔ Nate’s mission to educate future generations about the Holocaust
Highlights:
00:01 Introduction
04:31 Meet Nate Leipciger
07:32 Nate’s story
18:50 Coming to Canada
22:19 Nate’s survival toolbox
25:32 The King of Kensington
27:33 Cole’s Notes
29:47 Starting a business
34:20 Educating youth about the Holocaust
40:07 Problem solving
43:43 Self-hypnosis
46:21 Nate’s Amazing Support Team
49:53 Wrapping up
About Guest:
Nathan (Nate) Leipciger, who has a B.A. in Science, lived through the horrors of the Holocaust, where he was forced to live and work in Nazi concentration camps, losing his mother and sister, and enduring several closed brushes with death before the end of the Second World War.
Having suffered and witnessed firsthand the devastating consequences of hatred and war, Leipciger went on to dedicate his life to educating Canadians and global citizens about the dangers of racism and the importance of tolerance, inclusivity, and dialogue. Through thoughtful stewardship of various institutions involved in Holocaust education, Nate's efforts are credited with educating young generations of Canadians about the Holocaust, and teaching them the virtues of respect and acceptance.
Links:
Learn about Nate: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nate_Leipciger
Link to Nate’s Book The Weight of Freedom: https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=nate+leipciger&hvadid=254863918482&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9104712&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=10619440215456575975&hvtargid=kwd-473138502367&hydadcr=10108_10274008&tag=googcana-20&ref=pd_sl_5aiccf9sx7_e
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“At what point in our history did our houses become ‘not nature’?”
— Julia Plevin
The earth is our home, our classroom, and our legacy — how can we create a nurturing relationship with the earth that allows all living creatures to thrive?
Sukkot, the ancient Jewish Harvest festival, is an invitation for people of the Jewish faith to experience, celebrate, and revere the gift of our natural world. But in the face of the looming climate change crisis and global food insecurities, what can Sukkot teach us about how to live in harmony with nature — and what spiritual and secular practices can help us ensure our ongoing survival?
This episode of Living Jewishly is the third and final of a series of special episodes exploring the Jewish holidays.
Dr. Elliot Malamet is joined by guests Julia Plevin and Rabbi Rachel Rosenbluth, who have actively engaged nature as a powerful focal point in their personal, professional, and spiritual lives.
This episode dives into our evolving relationship with the natural world, how to incorporate our holiday messages into the rest of our year, and the importance of embracing our identities as beings of nature.
“We’ve disconnected ourselves from nature in our capitalist and extractive culture… we are nature. We are a part of nature.”
— Bluth
This episode discusses:
- How to experience Sukkot as a powerful invitation into a more sustainable, in-tune, and natural way of living
- How to involve nature in your daily spiritual practice — and the healing benefits you can enjoy
- Why now is the time to seriously care about the state of our world — and why it is so urgent
Highlights:
00:52 Introduction
02:23 The sukkah as metaphor
05:01 The sukkah as liminal space
06:21 Technology conquering nature
08:03 The sukkah as a home
09:49 Nature as daily spiritual practice
16:33 The six directions
17:24 Segmentation of holiday messages & shmita
19:47 Importance of identity & reconnection
25:57 Thinking beyond the abstract
26:45 Environmentalism & diaspora
30:58 Turning to, not away
33:50 Nature-integrated spiritual practices
41:09 Judaism as a nature-based religion
Links:
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“Do Jewish prayer services nurture us… or narrow us?”
— Dr Elliot Malamet
This is the first episode in a series of special Living Jewishly podcast episodes that will take a deeper look at the Jewish holidays.
As we approach Rosh Hashanah, Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, many of us will celebrate the high holidays by attending synagogue or shul.
However, particularly for young Jews not religiously oriented in the traditional sense, there is an increasing disconnect to synagogue life, institutional ritual, and liturgy.
With shul attendance also affected by Covid-19, communities have been further distanced by digital spaces.
This episode explores our emotional, spiritual, and social relationship with — and connection to — synagogue structures and prayer services during the high holidays.
In a series of illuminating interviews with members of the Jewish community, traditional and modern approaches to the language and practice of prayer are discussed in relation to virtual engagement, the campfire community, and how we connect in a changing world.
“The act of prayer is an act of commission and omission. It has to be both, and you have to engage and disengage at the same time.”
— Rabbi Yossi Saberman
This episode discusses:
- What millennial Jews think about synagogue life — and what they would change about prayer services and texts
- Working with sacred texts — the tension between humanism and the sacred in prayer language
- How the practice of non-traditional prayer, such as social justice activism as a form of holy work and divine communication, can be secular or complement institutional ritual
Highlights:
00:51 Introduction
02:02 Ruth Chitiz & changes to prayer
06:11 Noah Tile & identity
07:49 Jenny Young & inclusion
10:04 Divine connection in Judaism v. Christianity
12:24 Sam Venis & interpreting tradition
15:18 Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz & maintaining mission
17:19 Synagogue infrastructure: Connection & relationships
19:30 Social justice activism as prayer
20:54 Rituals as reflection
23:40 Yom Kippur: Navigating affirmation & judgement
27:19 Dr Zindel Segal & prayer meditation
30:08 Prayer mindfulness
34:09 Lisa Morrison & prayer in the pandemic
36:24 Rabbi Yossi Saberman & listening to yourself
38:30 Prayer language
46:11 Covid-19 & structural changes
47:07 Menachem Feuer & virtual communities
48:40 Rabbi Yossi Saberman & post-pandemic shul
52:21 Social connection
55:08 Dynamic synagogue
59:17 Recap & community challenges
Links:
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“Repentance, in essence, embodies a return to our best selves, the me that each of us really wants to be.”
— Dr. Elliott Malamet
Is it time to change the course of your life? Perhaps this episode of The Living Jewishly Podcast is exactly what you need in order to instigate that change.
In this episode, Dr. Elliott Malamet breaks down the four components outlined in the Talmud for changing one’s circumstances. Giving to charity, crying out, changing names, and changing actions. As a bonus, he explains how changing one’s physical place can have equally beneficial effects on redirecting the course of one’s life.
As we approach the High Holidays this episode may provide you with the opportunity to explore deeply within yourself, whether you wish to make a change, big or small, and how you might go about doing it.
This episode discusses:
✔ The Jewish teaching for changing direction
✔ How you can implement change in your own life
✔ When to know that it’s the right time to make a change
Highlights:
00:01 Intro
00:54 How to change one’s course in life
02:12 Giving to charity
03:08 Cry out
04:48 Change of name
06:21 Change your actions
07:36 Changing your place
11:09 Recap
Links:
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else, is the greatest accomplishment.”
— Dr. Elliott Malamet
In this special SOLJ (School of Living Jewishly) episode, Dr. Elliott Malamet brings us a conversation about the most important prayer Jewish people revisit each year at Rosh Hashanah, Unetanah Tokef.
Rosh Hashanah is a time to reflect on the year that has just passed, and meditate on the one that is about to come. Each year we have a certain set of expectations that things will not change - but in anticipation of change, how can we prepare ourselves for the year ahead? How can we accept that death may come, or that loved ones may change life direction and move away?
At the end of this episode, stay tuned for Elliott’s practical questions and exercises that will help you to prepare for the High Holidays, and set intentions for how you would like to spend your time in the year to come.
This episode discusses:
✔ Preparing our thoughts and revisiting our routines in anticipation of Rosh Hashanah
✔ What to do when life’s plans get off track
✔ How to be more mindful of the time we have available to us
Highlights:
00:01 Intro
01:20 High Holidays
02:11 The most important prayer
04:25 Routine expectations
06:50 Denial of death
11:05 Dying vs. time passing
14:32 Expectations vs. reality
17:00 Connection to the High Holidays
19:46 Restarting and changing course
23:19 Motivation to change
25:37 Questions for change
27:31 Practical exercises
Links:
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“I'm getting better and better at just saying, okay, that's just today.”
— Judy Singer
When major health challenges face us, it is crucial to gather friends and family around for support. That is what today’s episode of What’s In Your Toolbox: An Honest Discussion on Mental Health is all about.
In this episode, Bobby talks with Judy Singer about her cancer diagnosis and treatment, and how she coped with the changing abilities of her physical body. Judy is an artist and teacher by trade, and when she was faced with beginning treatments for cancer she had to make the difficult decision to not work on her art in order to retain her strength for chemotherapy sessions. Her friends and family were essential to her physical recovery, and her mental health throughout the entire process.
This episode is especially helpful for anyone who is currently undergoing treatments for cancer, who may need some new ideas and strategies to navigate the incredibly challenging mental health factor of treatment and recovery.
This episode discusses:
✔ Art as a tool for mental health
✔ Navigating fitness challenges after recovering from cancer treatment
✔ The importance of family and friendship during cancer treatment and recovery
Highlights:
00:01 Intro
02:07 The Artist
00:00 Meet Judy Singer
03:53 How Bob and Judy met
06:11 Art classes and curation
09:45 Judy’s passion and career in art
10:47 Judy’s physical and mental health
12:09 Cancer treatments
16:26 Creativity during cancer treatments
17:43 Physical fitness after chemotherapy
21:02 Friends as a mental health tool
24:12 Judy’s Amazing Support Team
27:36 Healing
30:34 Wrap up
Links:
Judy’s Website: https://judysinger.ca
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“When you live in an environment that's out of control, you latch onto something that will make you feel like you're stabilized.”
— Brian Robinson
Working in a world that values and reveres constant work has led society to increased numbers of burnout and workaholism. But is workaholism really “a thing”? Rest is an essential part of life, and when we don’t give ourselves the opportunity to rest, we face avoidable obstacles.
In this episode, Dr. Elliott Malamet interviews guest Brian Robinson about work addiction, how people become workaholics, how society supports workaholism, and what to do if you or someone you love is showing signs of work addiction.
Tune in to learn what signs and signals may be a key indicator of workaholism, why it’s important to support friends and family that may be addicted to work, and how to recognize that work has become a substitute for life.
This episode discusses:
✔ Where work addiction and hustle culture come from, and how it permeates our society
✔ Overcoming the need for control, plus actionable steps you can take to speak to your workaholic friend or family member
✔ The challenges of adjusting to retired life after decades of endless working hours
Highlights:
00:54 Elliott’s introduction
02:06 Defining hustle culture and work addiction
06:33 The need for control
08:19 The hustle “badge of honor”
10:00 Cultural norms of workaholism
13:57 Internal Family Systems Therapy
18:11 Behavioral clues of work addiction
21:52 Where the term “Hustle Culture” comes from
24:29 Adjusting to retired life
27:34 Society’s part in supporting workaholism
31:30 The right to not be addressed
37:11 How to talk to a workaholic in your life
Links:
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“These holidays are such an opportunity for us to be looking at our lives, to be stepping in fully with humility and with honesty, and with care for each other and for the Earth — to find the capacity to forgive so that we can renew.”
— Bluth
This episode of Living Jewishly is an instalment of Sacred Time, a podcast devoted to the healing art of the Hebrew calendar. In this episode exploring the significance of the month of Elul, Bluth and Ganga Devi unpack major themes related to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
The month of Elul is a time of intimacy, love and relationships. It reminds us that the sacred is in the mundane — we are beloved because we feel G-d every day, in every human and messy moment. Ani L'dodi V'dodi Li is the acronym for Elul and it means “I am for my beloved and my beloved is for me."
Elul’s reflective energy guides us into the New Year, preparing us for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Rosh Hashanah is our shared story of the birth of the world and humanity, celebrating creation by honouring the Earth and looking forward to our collective future.
Yom Kippur tells the story of the sin of the Golden Calf and the second chance given to humanity. This is a day to practice atonement and forgiveness — so we can enter the New Year with integrity.
By reflecting on the past year, we hold ourselves responsible and accountable so that we are able to cleanse and renew. In doing so, we return to Elul’s beloved meditation on loving and forgiving ourselves as well as others.
Listen as Bluth and Ganga Devi discuss the importance and benefits of shadow work, humility, and alignment of values as we introspectively and collectively work toward renewal and integrity during the high holidays.
“If we can recognize ‘this is where I’ve been missing the mark, this is where I’ve been out of integrity, this is where I’ve been out of alignment,’ [we can] actually recognize what are some of the possible benefits and blessings and lessons.”
— Ganga Devi
This episode discusses:
- Commentary on original sin as a lack of responsibility and accountability — not human nature
- How Jungian perspectives on the human shadow relate to human nature — shame, blame, and perfection as the enemy of integrity — and how shadow work can allow us to love ourselves and others, and step into our lives with empowerment
- The importance of humility in taking our place within the world, and its relationship to our field of action
Highlights:
00:50Introduction
01:17Month of Elul
02:57Preparing for Rosh Hashanah
03:38Rosh Hashanah: Responsibility & accountability
08:40Humility & our field of action
12:50Missing the mark
14:08Yom Kippur: Forgiveness & second chances
17:07Jungian perspectives: Human shadow
23:20Sukkot: Earthly love and care
26:00Elul: Beloved reflection
29:04Transformative power of the high holidays
30:11Living Jewishly resources
31:59Cleansing & renewal
Links:
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org
Shalom!
“Sometimes life's better understood backwards rather than forwards.”
— Jane Enright
Life changes constantly – but what happens when three incredibly sudden rapid changes occur in just 12 months? And more importantly, what are the best tools to use to cope with life’s unexpected twists and turns?
This episode of No Magic Bullet’s is an instalment of What’s In Your Toolbox, a podcast about mental health and the tools that we use to cope, heal, and thrive. In this episode, host Bobby K sits down with Jane Enright, a brain injury survivor, an author, and blogger behind “My Super Awesome Life”.
During this conversation, Bobby and Jane talk about Jane’s three massive life changes (two traumatic brain injuries and the death of a friend), practicing mindfulness through writing in order to process the fallout of the changes, and what recovery looks like afterwards.
This episode discusses:
✔ How life can change instantaneously, and the steps Jane took to navigate her sudden life changes
✔ What focusing on what we have, rather than what we don’t have, can do to change our perspective
✔ Different ways to engage your amazing support team when you need it
Highlights:
00:01 - Intro
02:42 Meet Jane
03:25 Beaver Valley Shangri-la
05:04 Jane’s story
11:27 Laughter is the best medicine
13:11 Jane’s books
16:52 Yoga and mindfulness
20:27 Cooking and movement as a tool
26:47 Strategies for coping with challenges
29:36 Jane’s Amazing Support Team
33:20 Goodbyes
Links:
Janeenrightauthor.com
Mysuperawesomelife.com
Listen to the first No Magic Bullet podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1763485/9899438
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“Judaism advises not just sexual passion and a partnership, but constant physical encouragement with the one you love.”
— Dr. Elliott Malamet
What is Tu b’av and why do we celebrate it? In this Special School of Living Jewishly podcast for Tu b'av, Dr. Elliott Malamet shares the history and symbolism of this romantic holiday. This holiday dedicated to love has long been seen as a day for matchmaking and romance.
It may come as a surprise to some people that Judaism believes in romance, and the constant renewal of a relationship from the initial attraction, which Jewish law mandates must be present in some rudimentary form to the ongoing quest to keep the relationship fresh and vital.
There are five different love languages, words of affirmation, acts of service, gift giving, quality time, and touch. Each of these has an underlying theme, which is commitment. Dr. Elliott Malamet discusses each love language in detail, and how they related to Jewish practice.
Tune into this episode to learn about different and exciting ways to celebrate Tu b’av with your loved ones, and the joy of incorporating love and romance into your daily life.
This episode discusses:
✔ Jewish perspectives on our relationships
✔ The five love languages and their relation to Judaism
✔ Commitment to romantic relationships
Highlights:
00:01 Intro
00:54 About Tu b’av
01:25 The history of Tu b’av
03:07 Romance in Judaism
04:08 Words of affirmation
05:57 Acts of service
06:34 Gift giving
08:01 Quality time
09:51 Touch and physical contact
12:06 Commitment
12:30 Conclusion
Links:
Learn about The School of Living Jewishly: https://www.schooloflivingjewishly.com/
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
“With all the evil and all the suffering that is in the world and that Jews have undergone throughout history, as a people, we've always been focused on being a moral and creative force in the world. And if Jews are about anything, we're about the faith in what could be faith in the future.”
— Dr. Elliott Malamet
In this Special School of Living Jewishly podcast for Tisha b'av, Dr. Elliott Malamet explores various explanations for why there is suffering, and God’s silent role in each.
Through various texts and philosophies, this episode hopes to bring clarity to why there is human suffering and why humans (specifically Jews) blame or do not blame God. Referencing a text by psychoanalyst Dr. R.W. Fairburn, Elliott explores why “it's better to be a sinner in a world ruled by God, than a saint in a world ruled by the devil.”
Elliott also explores the idea of the covenant between Jews and God, that if you do good, you get good. If you receive or experience bad things, you must have done something wrong – but is that truly the case?
Tune in to dive deeply into this fascinating topic with Dr. Elliott Malamet.
This episode discusses:
✔ What are we willing to overlook in order to protect God's reputation?
✔ If not God, whom or what are we willing to blame for the presence of suffering?
✔ What's the mindset that underlies an approach to suffering in which you blame yourself?
Highlights:
00:01 Introduction
00:52 The silence of God
02:04 Ancient and modern explanations
03:05 Why does God allow suffering?
06:45 Blaming oneself for suffering
12:00 The issue of covenant
15:34 If we do good, we get good
20:09 The free will defense
22:51 “Stuff happens”
25:40 What does it all mean to us as Jews?
30:11 In closing
Links:
Find the source sheet at https://www.schooloflivingjewishly.com/
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
“Trauma is undigested experience”
— Ganga Devi
This instalment of Living Jewishly is an episode of Sacred Time, a podcast devoted to exploring the healing art of the Hebrew calendar. Tammuz is the fourth month of the year in the religious Jewish calendar. It is one of the heated months of the calendar, and it holds and commemorates the memory of a lot of the pain, trauma, and destruction that we have experienced as a people.
The 17th of this month of the Hebrew calendar marks the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem, which we recognize through fasting. Three weeks later, we observe the Tisha B'Av, which commemorates the destruction of two holy temples.
In Tammuz, we descend into the heat. In the following month, Av, we emerge from it. This is a sacred time of reflection and mourning — a time when we give space to anger and despair while also contemplating our own boundaries and violations.
This episode discusses the nature of trauma, the different ways we may approach it, and steps that we can take to heal.
“It’s not just something that lives in the past. It’s something that lives in the present, in our bodies, until we do the work of healing.”
— Ganga Devi.
This episode discusses:
✔ How the Hebrew calendar helps us process and integrate through allowing sacred space for pain and reflection
✔ How to create a level of separation from trauma to help enhance your healing — and how to find refuge in your present moment
✔ The role that the act of bearing witness plays in the healing process
Highlights:
00:51 Intro
01:19 Tammuz
02:15 Water & the fire of anger
03:14 The trauma of violation
04:45 Making space for pain
06:16 “Looking” at trauma & lenses
10:42 We can be what we need
11:56 Regeneration & decomposition
16:08 Transformation & resilience
18:19 What does it mean to process?
24:36 What helps us process?
26:20 Bearing witness & befriending anger
28:38 The Interior Castle
30:49 “The temple is rebuilt continuously”
32:52 Everything is sacred
35:10 Practices for this month
Links:
The Interior Castle
https://wedaretosay.com/what-are-the-mansions-of-the-interior-castle
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“When you’re having fun, when you’re laughing, and you have something that makes your heart sing, your life is so much better.”
— Julie Starr
What does it mean to be an empath (or “super-feeler”)? And how does having a higher-than-average level of empathy affect the way that you move through the world and react to its challenges?
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is an instalment of What’s In Your Toolbox, a podcast about mental health and the tools that we use to cope, heal, and thrive. In this episode, host Bobby K sits down with Julie Starr, an author and life coach who offers private and group coaching for empathic and highly-sensitive women who are ready to overcome the overwhelm and discover how to embrace a better life.
During this conversation, Bobby and Julie talk about the importance of infusing fun into your life, how she transitioned from dance therapy to life coaching, and why she specifically chooses to work with empaths.
“My credo in life is about being of service.”
— Julie Starr
This episode discusses:
- What inspired her to write her self-help book, Your Husband Left. Now What?!: How to Be Your Own Hero and Live Your Better Life
- Why having a high level of empathy is a gift — and the tools that will help you protect that gift
- How Julie serves her life coaching clients, and the tools that she uses and recommends
Highlights:
00:52 Intro
03:14 Come on over to Hawaii
04:31 University & dance therapy
06:00 Your Husband Left. Now What?
07:13 All about empaths
08:51 Protecting the gift of empathy
10:45 Car accident story & 18
13:34 Life coaching & movement
16:47 Body, mind, soul
18:39 Health challenges & lived experience
21:51 Covid & anxiety
21:14 Hours into minutes
26:53 J.A.S.T
29:53 Takeaways & conclusion
Links:
Julie Starr
https://possibilitycoaching.net
Your Husband Left. Now What?!: How to Be Your Own Hero and Live Your Better Life by Julie Starr
https://www.amazon.ca/Your-Husband-Left-Now-What/dp/177753500X
Dr. Judith Orloff
https://drjudithorloff.com
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“When you live in an environment that's out of control, you latch onto something that will make you feel like you're stabilized.”
— Brian Robinson
Working in a world that values and reveres constant work has led society to increased numbers of burnout and workaholism. But is workaholism really “a thing”? Rest is an essential part of life, and when we don’t give ourselves the opportunity to rest, we face avoidable obstacles.
In this episode, Dr. Elliott Malamet interviews guest Brian Robinson about work addiction, how people become workaholics, how society supports workaholism, and what to do if you or someone you love is showing signs of work addiction.
Tune in to learn what signs and signals may be a key indicator of workaholism, why it’s important to support friends and family that may be addicted to work, and how to recognize that work has become a substitute for life.
This episode discusses:
✔ Where work addiction and hustle culture come from, and how it permeates our society
✔ Overcoming the need for control, plus actionable steps you can take to speak to your workaholic friend or family member
✔ The challenges of adjusting to retired life after decades of endless working hours
Highlights:
00:54 Elliott’s introduction
02:06 Defining hustle culture and work addiction
06:33 The need for control
08:19 The hustle “badge of honor”
10:00 Cultural norms of workaholism
13:57 Internal Family Systems Therapy
18:11 Behavioral clues of work addiction
21:52 Where the term “Hustle Culture” comes from
24:29 Adjusting to retired life
27:34 Society’s part in supporting workaholism
31:30 The right to not be addressed
37:11 How to talk to a workaholic in your life
Links:
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“Consumptive culture cultivates covetousness.”
— Dr. Elliot Malamet
The holiday of Shavuot marks the conclusion of the Counting of the Omer after Passover, and celebrates the revelation of the Torah on Mt. Sinai. As we come up on Shavuot, a permanent question remains: how might a contemporary Jewish person hear and interpret the voice on Sinai today?
As human beings, it’s in our nature to crave meaning, and the Torah offers a rich source. However, many people wonder how they’re meant to deeply and effectively connect to a message that was given long ago, and feels very removed from their present-day experience in a modern world that pulls them toward covetousness.
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is a special episode devoted to discussion around the holiday of Shavuot and what we should keep in mind during this time, with a focus on the modern inclination toward covetousness. Dr. Elliot Malamet explores the nature of covetousness, how we may shift our understanding of the Ten Commandments, and what we can learn from the Jewish perspective when it comes to coveting.
“From a Jewish point of view, what you need to do is appreciate what you already have, and definitely focus less on the self and more on making the world a better place.”
— Dr. Elliot Malamet
This episode discusses:
- How to differentiate between your true needs and the false needs that are imposed from the outside
- The existential question that arises when we succumb to extreme covetousness, and the emotional toll that we pay
- How social media use can make us feel sadder, lonelier, and more envious than ever
Highlights:
00:53 Intro
02:02 From ‘needs culture’ to ‘desires culture’
03:53 True v. false needs
06:32 Covetousness & “fairness”
08:06 Social media use
10:32 The Ten Commandments
14:07 Manufactured reality & doctrine of the Buddha
16:49 Shavuot & exercises
Links:
The World Beyond Your Head: On Becoming an Individual in an Age of Distraction by Matthew B. Crawford
https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-world-beyond-your-head/9780143182344-item.html
The Doctrine of the Buddha: The Religion of Reason and Meditation by M. Keller-Grimm
https://www.amazon.ca/Doctrine-Buddha-Religion-Reason-Meditation/dp/8120811941
The Attention Merchants: The Epic Scramble To Get Inside Our Heads by Tim Wu
https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/9780804170048-item.html
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“How do we move forward in a way that both integrates and sustains whatever it is that we want to carry with us?”
— Rabbi Bluth
This episode of the Living Jewishly podcast is an instalment of Scared Time, a podcast dedicated to exploring the healing art of the Jewish calendar as it relates to our lives today. This episode focuses on the month of Sivan, the third month in the religious calendar.
Shavuot, the Festival of Weeks, is an important holiday early on in the month of Sivan. The holiday commemorates the day that the Jewish people first received the Torah at Mount Sinai in 1312 BCE. Shavuot also marks the end of the Counting of Omer, which was discussed in last month’s episode of Sacred Time.
Sivan is a time of ripening, as we move more deeply into spring. It is a beautiful time for follow-through on things that we have initiated... or dreamed of doing. And it is a month of movement — once we receive the gift of the Torah, we must decide how and where we move forward.
In a time when many are sensitive to their privilege, it can be difficult to know how to receive gifts, both material and spiritual. Abundance can come with a feeling of shame or guilt — how can we appreciate what we have in a world with such an unequal distribution of resources? And what steps can we take toward creating a better outcome for our communities?
“Power is something that is beautiful. Power is something that is sacred. And the only thing that’s shameful about power is when it is stripped from people or when it is denied.”
— Ganga Devi
This episode discusses:
- How do we move forward sustainably and intentionally with the material and spiritual gifts that we receive?
- What real, sacred power looks like — and how to share your power and gifts with the world
- The importance of contributing to the collective healing of the world, rather than its fragmentation
Highlights:
01:22 The month of movement
04:50 How do we proceed with what we received?
07:18 What is power? What is abundance?
09:50 Relationality
11:45 The walking of the spirit
12:40 How do we contribute to healing?
14:27 Perfectionism & integrity
16:16 Shavuot
18:56 Different types of power
22:01 Lekh Lekha
26:47 Daily blessings
30:00 Inhabiting the fullness of time
39:15 Practice for connecting to ancestors
Links:
Joanna Macy - To Live in the Fullness of Time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jliSPJxTHak
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“I’m still exploring ADHD as an adult.”
— Nancie McLeod
While neurodivergence has historically been seen as something linked to males, it has started to be recognized more frequently in women over the last decade, finally giving them the answers and tools that they need to make sense of their differences.
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is an instalment of What’s In Your Toolbox?, a podcast about mental health and the tools that we use to cope and thrive. In this episode, host Bobby K sits down with Nancie McLeod, a Toronto-based designer and realtor who offers experienced, empathetic, and hands-on real estate services for people dealing with one of the four Ds: downsizing, divorce, disability, or death.
In this conversation, Bobby K and Nancie dig into her ADHD diagnosis and medication journey, how she builds social interactions into her schedule (even when working from home), and the joy of being creative and turning ‘nothing’ into something beautiful.
“I think the most important thing — and one of the tools that I use — is talking to people.”
— Nancie McLeod
This episode discusses:
- How she discovered that she had ADHD — and how this condition has defined her path
- How creative endeavours help Nancie deal with her ADHD challenges
- Her self care habits and how she uses technology to ensure a better night’s sleep
Highlights:
00:52 Intro
02:21 Beaver Valley birthday
04:13 Skiing & doctors
07:04 High school & post-secondary
08:18 Mental health & defining your path
10:15 Creativity
12:01 The meds journey
13:50 Lucky 13 & communication
16:03 Discovering her niche
18:05 Exercise
19:32 Social interactions
20:31 Diet, self care & sleep
22:42 Women’s mental health & neurodiversity
24:29 Life is hard, be kind to yourself
26:53 Decluttering & downsizing
27:59 N.A.S.T.
Links:
Nancie McLeod
http://nancie.ca
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“If the Torah is to bear a message for all generations… its revelation has to be a dynamic process, a gradual unfolding that reveals its ultimate significance incrementally, only through time.”
— Tamar Ross
The giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai reads something like a fairy tale, and to take the story at face value requires a high level of credulity. How is it possible for an invisible, unknowable, and divine force to communicate with human beings? How are we to accept not only this narrative, but the sacred laws and teachings that derive from it?
When it comes to the Torah, how do we find the core of “truth” beneath and behind the layers of subjective human interpretation — and is this “truth” still relevant in our contemporary world?
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is an instalment of What Would You Do?, a podcast about ethics in the modern world. Dr. Elliot Malamet speaks with Tamar Ross, Professor Emerita of Jewish Philosophy at Jerusalem’s Bar-Ilan University and a leading specialist of religious feminist philosophy, about the implications of the Mount Sinai story and how we may approach it in our modern context.
This rich and fascinating conversation explores the tension between Orthodox beliefs and critical theories, the malleability of meaning behind words, and the concept of non-realism.
“Humans haven’t begun to scratch the surface of possible modes of existence and consciousness.”
— Tamar Ross
This episode discusses:
- Three assumptions that make up Professor Ross’s understanding of the Mount Sinai narrative and other traditional messages
- The primary job of religious statements of “truth” — and how they shape our worldview and day-to-day practices
- Three strands of thought that have helped Professor Ross build a subjectivist approach to metaphysics
Highlights:
00:51 Intro
05:06 Tamar Ross & youthful faith
12:49 3 assumptions of cumulativism
17:32 Words & meaning
20:30 Non-realism & cultural perspectives
25:43 Metaphysics, subjectivism & Kant
28:56 Kabbalah & G-d’s view of human life
32:00 Ludwig Wittgenstein
35:27 Orthodoxy & religious fictionalism
41:44 Obligation, meaning & prayer
49:17 Overcoming disadvantages
52:30 Conclusion
Links:
Expanding the Palace of Torah: Orthodoxy and Feminism by Tamar Ross
https://www.amazon.ca/Expanding-Palace-Torah-Orthodoxy-Feminism/dp/168458051X
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“The beauty of the cyclical nature of our Hebrew calendar is that as we move through the seasons and holy days and months, we revisit universal themes each year as new people.”
— Bluth
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is an episode of Sacred Time, a podcast that explores the healing art of the Hebrew calendar as it relates to our lives today. This is a replay of our Iyar episode, exploring its rituals, its agricultural origins, and the meaning we may find in it.
The month of Iyar is a time of healing, development, and growth, one marked by the 49-day ritual of counting the Omer. As we record and reflect upon our journey from Passover (celebrating our freedom from slavery) to Shavuot (when we celebrate receiving the Torah), our attention is drawn to a variety of divine characteristics, including loving-kindness, beauty, acknowledgment, and foundation.
The rich themes of the Hebrew calendar allow for fertile space in which to uncover new insights. We invite you to re-join us for our Iyar discussion with fresh eyes (and ears) and consider how the last 12 months may have changed your perspective… and how this new perspective may guide your actions throughout the next 12.
“If you actually study earth systems, it doesn’t take long to realize that we are living and breathing and speaking and talking and moving and thinking aspects of the earth… just as all living things are.”
— Ganga Devi
This episode discusses:
- The deep meaning behind Shavuot and our relationship to and with the Torah
- How should we as individuals receive Torah during this sacred moment — and what should we do to prepare?
- The importance of achieving the mindset shift from “freedom from” to “freedom through” or “freedom to”
Highlights:
00:50 Scared Time
01:20 Iyar & counting the Omer
02:37 Healing & growth
03:41 Agricultural rituals & offerings
04:36 Acknowledging the nourishment available to us
06:15 Spiritual energy
07:10 What are we moving toward?
09:05 What is Torah?
11:16 How can we receive Torah now?
15:07 The Aleph of the Ten Commandments
18:53 Components of the Torah
20:44 Ramadan 2021
23:13 Interdevotionalism
24:10 “Speak to the Earth and it will guide you”
30:45 Final takeaway & how to get involved
Links:
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“Amongst my generation and especially Gen Z, I think that there is a huge awareness around mental health.”
— Kyle Beechey
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is an instalment of What’s in Your Toolbox, a podcast about mental health and the tools that we use to cope, heal, and thrive.
In this episode, host Bobby K speaks with Kyle Beechey, a New York-based creative and accomplished vegan baker with an expertise in writing and in living. During this candid conversation, Kyle shares how her perfectionism complex has impacted her ability to slow down and self-nurture, how she nurtures and cherishes her amazing support team, and how she has implemented her own unique and delicious twist when it comes to vegan baking.
“I am incredibly driven, to the point where I will burn myself out — actually managing my drive is something that I’ve had to work on.”
— Kyle Beechey
This episode discusses:
- The new generational shift in awareness of mental health and openness in talking about it
- The tools that Kyle uses to recharge after a long day in front of her laptop — and how she infuses play into her baking experience
- How the setting of New York City helps Kyle to deal with her challenges and find inspiration
Highlights:
00:54 Intro
02:26 Meet Girl Kyle
04:20 Kyle’s World
05:35 Six degrees of separation
06:12 The call
07:39 Generational differences around mental health
09:03 Perfectionism & drive
10:26 Getting away from the laptop
11:34 Vegan baking
12:53 Creativity, play & interaction
14:30 Hours into minutes
15:21 New York life
17:41 K.A.S.T.
20:03 How to be supportive
21:44 Nurturing friendships
25:18 Hobbies & passions into tools
28:05 Grit & work ethics
29:43 Coping with mania
Links:
Kyle Beechey
http://www.kylebeechey.com
How to Turn Nearly Any Baking Recipe Into a Vegan Baking Recipe
https://www.bonappetit.com/story/veganizing-baking-recipe-tips
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“I’m not going to say that ‘greed is good.’ Greed can be made to DO good, but we’ve got to get the institutional designs right.”
— Jason Kuznicki
When people think of freedom, they usually associate it with the idea of being able to do whatever they want… as long as their actions don’t harm others. The political ideology of Libertarianism is particularly concerned with institutional restrictions on freedom, and pushes for the idea of less governmental control.
But what if freedom alone isn’t enough? What if some people in our society NEED government support or regulations in order to thrive?
This week’s episode of Living Jewishly is an instalment of What Would You Do?, a podcast about ethics in the modern world.
In this episode, Dr. Elliot Malamet’s guest is Jason Kuznicki, a senior fellow at The Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank. Jason is also the editor of Cato Unbound, its online journal of debate and A Free Society, their quarterly journal of opinion.
In this conversation, Elliot and Jason explore the idea of using public v. private provisions for assisting those living in poverty, the role of government in medicine and the market, and whether Libertarian psychology can be considered a little too optimistic.
“I am skeptical that everybody has that sense of social responsibility… I always saw external monitoring as the necessary evil.”
— Dr. Elliot Malamet
This episode discusses:
- Whether liberating some people from government interference involves abandoning others
- Areas where government intervention has been more harmful or problematic than the issues it sought to alleviate
- The risks of exploitation in a capitalist system without government oversight and regulations
Highlights:
00:51 Intro
03:30 Jason Kuznicki & private provisions
05:13 Role of government in medicine
07:50 Opioid market example
08:58 Libertarian psychology
11:08 Exploitation & capitalism
15:05 American checks of power
17:33 Helping those left behind
20:21 Pandethics & Covid-19
24:34 Necessary evil & airline example
32:00 Freedom of expression
36:51 Outro
Links:
Technology and the End of Authority: What Is Government For? by Jason Kuznicki
https://www.amazon.ca/Technology-End-Authority-What-Government/dp/3319839950
Leave Me Alone and I'll Make You Rich: How the Bourgeois Deal Enriched the World by Deirdre Nansen McCloskey & Art Carden
https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/9780226739663-item.html
The Future and Its Enemies: The Growing Conflict Over Creativity, Enterprise, and Progress by Virginia Postrel
https://vpostrel.com/future-and-its-enemies
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“We are, in many ways, slaves to the grind — grind culture and being defined by our productivity.”
— Bluth
Is the idea of “freedom” clear-cut and universal? How closely do we examine the chains that bind us — and how can the Sedar help us to gain new perspective?
Slavery is not a grim chapter in our history that we can consider closed. It’s an ongoing problem that still occurs today, in many parts of the world and in many industries. But even for those of us fortunate enough not to be subject to it, debates about exploitation and work-life balance are both urgent and applicable to our modern lives.
Referred to as the zman cheruteinu, “the time of our freedom,” Pesach is the perfect time to reflect upon the constraints we deal with in our daily lives, whether physical, mental, or emotional — where are we “stuck,” and how can we get “unstuck”?
In this special episode is dedicated to Pesach, Dr. Elliot Malamet speaks with Living Jewishly’s Rabbi Rachel Rosenbluth and Rabbi Ami Silver, a teacher and psychotherapist living in Jerusalem, to explore our current understanding of freedom and where true freedom may be found in our modern lives.
“Rituals ought to be transformative experiences. If we look to the Sedar as a ritual, then we can look to it as something we’re designing, with a beginning and a middle and an end: we’re trying to get somewhere.”
— Bluth
This episode discusses:
- How to deal with situations and mindsets that leave you feeling “stuck”
- The symbolism of cleaning out chametz — and the thin boundary that exists between matzo and chametz
- How to approach the Haggadah in our contemporary age and what it can tell us about storytelling
Highlights:
00:52 Intro
02:26 Being “stuck” or “unstuck”
07:26 The Sedar, pain & late-stage capitalism
11:52 Chametz & absolutism
14:30 Matzo & chametz symbolism
16:52 The Sedar as purposeful ritual
22:30 The Haggadah & storytelling
26:04 When do stories start?
28:07 Labelling children
32:54 Asking Sedar questions
38:18 Universal suffering & the inexplicable
42:50 Conclusion
Links:
The Social Contract
https://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/rousseau/section2/
The School of Living Jewishly
https://www.schooloflivingjewishly.com
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
This passover podcast series will stir your minds and souls as we explore liberation. Enjoy this series of interviews by Bluth along with Beth Tzedec Congregation, to explore a variety of stories and expressions of Liberation in today’s society. From Toronto to Harlem, Jerusalem to Pakistan - we hear from a Jewish thinker, queer jewish musician, racial justice educator, and a Pakistani women’s rights activist - to hear their liberation work, their stories and their wisdom. We gain insights into the pain and joys, the grief and celebration, the exile and bliss of existence, emergence and becoming. Soul Brew Liberation Sessions are replays from 2022.
In this session, Rabbi Bluth has a vibrant conversation with Leah Tubbs, dancer, founder of MADC, Harlem Based Modern Dance Company. Leah is a black choreographer that grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, the birthplace of the Civil Rights movement. She shares her journey with unfreedom and freedom, her work to connect people of colour with the ancestral roots of dance, and to create spaces for black and brown bodies to be seen and heard - through dance.
A conversation on the perversion of Honour, and its reclamation - in Pakistan
This passover podcast series will stir your minds and souls as we explore liberation. Enjoy this series of interviews by Bluth along with Beth Tzedec Congregation, to explore a variety of stories and expressions of Liberation in today’s society. From Toronto to Harlem, Jerusalem to Pakistan - we hear from a Jewish thinker, queer jewish musician, racial justice educator, and a Pakistani women’s rights activist - to hear their liberation work, their stories and their wisdom. We gain insights into the pain and joys, the grief and celebration, the exile and bliss of existence, emergence and becoming. Soul Brew Liberation Sessions are replays from 2022.
In this session, Rabbi Bluth interviews award winning Balochistani activist, Sufi Muslim, founder of Sughar Foundation and author, Khalida Brohi who has been fighting for nearly two decades against honour killings in tribal communities of Pakistan.
“There is such a kindness in this calendar. There is so much opportunity to truly heal, to truly shift how we relate to ourselves and our world.”
— Ganga Devi
As we enter the month of Nisan, the first month of the Hebrew calendar, we enter a time of freshness, new beginnings… and bold possibility. With Nisan comes springtime, with its beautiful themes of renewal and life.
As we look forward with anticipation to the possibilities ahead, we also look back on the past year and all that we have learned.
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is an instalment of Sacred Time, a podcast exploring the healing art of the Hebrew calendar.
In this episode, Bluth and Ganga Devi reflect on the past 12 months that have been explored on the Sacred Time podcast, honour and organise what has been, and create a container of reflection and fertile ground for what may come next.
“Each moon cycle brings us through new energy, new time, and a new chapter.”
— Bluth
This episode discusses:
- The four different moments for new beginnings in the Jewish calendar, and what sets each New Year apart
- The meaning and essence behind the word Seder and how we use our freedom in a way that honours that order
- The cyclical nature of our sacred time, from moons to months to life cycles — and how to remain present and conscious
Highlights:
00:52 Intro
01:30 Nisan
03:06 New Years in Judaism
06:26 Zodiac New Year
08:14 Passover Seder
11:18 Sacred Time reflection
13:17 Kindness in the calendar & The World to Come
16:58 Sacred Time cycles
19:37 Designing lives for presence
21:01 Freedom & structure
21:47 Year in review
32:40 Time to reflect & counting the Omer
Links:
The World to Come by Dara Horn
https://www.darahorn.com/book/the-world-to-come
Daily Omer count through art, with Ariella Powers on the LJ Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/living.jewishly
The Holistic Haggadah: How Will You Be Different This Seder Night by Michael Kagan
https://ktav.com/products/the-holistic-haggadah
For an excerpt, see Bluth’s facebook post.
School of Living Jewishly
https://www.schooloflivingjewishly.com
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“There are some things that are off-limits to a legitimate religion that is supposed to have divine authority to it.”
— Rabbi Eugene Korn
The atmosphere during Passover is usually a blend of fun and family, but the story narrated at the Seder table contains dark overtones, as the trials and tribulations of a group in exodus are prolonged and exacerbated by their powerful G-d.
Do these plagues and plights raise questions about the morality of G-d and divine justice? To put it another way: is G-d immoral? Which aspects of G-d’s behaviour should we be trying to emulate?
Through reinterpreting the story of Exodus, we can uncover new relevance for our modern lives. This episode of the Living Jewishly podcasts is an instalment of What Would You Do?, a podcast about ethics in the modern world.
In this episode, Dr. Elliot Malamet speaks with guest Rabbi Eugene Korn, a former Academic Director of the Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation in Israel, senior research fellow at Bet Morasha of Jerusalem’s Institute for Religion and Society, and author of To Be a Holy People: Jewish Tradition and Ethical Values.
This conversation explores the aspects of G-d that we should and should not strive to imitate, how the status of commandments is affected by the passage of time and cultural shifts, and the hidden lessons that the Bible may hold.
“The Bible wanted us to think about the problematics of religion being in the service of immorality. It wanted us to struggle with this idea that there could be a G-d that could demand that people kill others that were innocent.”
— Rabbi Eugene Korn
This episode discusses:
- How the modern reader may understand, interpret, and relate to the plague on the firstborn sons of Egypt
- The spiritual value that texts still hold when they require reinterpretation in order to remain palatable or relevant for modern readers
- How we may balance individual feelings about the morality of a religious text with the desire for a communal religious morality
Highlights:
00:52 Intro
02:28 Rabbi Eugene Korn, Exodus & Genesis
08:00 How we divide the divine
10:20 Reinterpretations for a modern world
12:44 Meaning of immoral commandments
17:12 Ground rules for conducting war
18:39 “Comes from G-d”
25:10 Pushback against religious morality
35:35 Outro
Links:
To Be a Holy People: Jewish Tradition and Ethical Values by Rabbi Eugene Korn
http://www.urimpublications.com/to-be-a-holy-people-jewish-tradition-and-ethical-values.html
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
This passover podcast series will stir your minds and souls as we explore liberation. Enjoy this series of interviews by Bluth along with Beth Tzedec Congregation, to explore a variety of stories and expressions of Liberation in today’s society. From Toronto to Harlem, Jerusalem to Pakistan - we hear from a Jewish thinker, queer jewish musician, racial justice educator, and a Pakistani women’s rights activist - to hear their liberation work, their stories and their wisdom. We gain insights into the pain and joys, the grief and celebration, the exile and bliss of existence, emergence and becoming. Soul Brew Liberation Sessions are replays from 2022.
In this session, Rabbi Bluth interviews queer Jewish/Yiddish/Ladino Singer and songwriter Aviva Chernick, teacher of voice as a tool of healing - about emergence, voice, and passover.
Min HaMeitzar Karati Yah - “From the narrows, I Call to you” - what is this calling out and what is the role of voice and vocals in liberation?
This passover podcast series will stir your minds and souls as we explore liberation, in preparation for Passover! Enjoy this series of interviews by Bluth along with Beth Tzedec Congregation, to explore a variety of stories and expressions of Liberation in today’s society. From Toronto to Harlem, Jerusalem to Pakistan - we hear from a Jewish thinker, queer jewish musician, racial justice educator, and a Pakistani women’s rights activist - to hear their liberation work, their stories and their wisdom. We gain insights into the pain and joys, the grief and celebration, the exile and bliss of existence, emergence and becoming. Soul Brew Liberation Sessions are replays from 2022.
This first conversation with Rabbi Bluth and Dr. Elliott Malamet about how Miztrayim, or Egypt manifests in our personal lives today; distraction, suffering, agency, and meaning; creating the conditions for freedom. They explore how this relates to us stepping up against real overt and covert slavery in the global community today; how the Seder rituals are a tool for us; and how to liberate the Seder itself - making sure it is indeed different from all other nights, and all passover before it.
“Music is beyond talking. It’s a universal language that we all understand and we all feel… it can touch our souls, it can trigger a memory, it can make somebody want to move.”
— Steve Koven
Never underestimate the power of music.
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is an instalment of What’s In Your Toolbox?, a podcast about mental health and the tools that we use to cope and heal. In this episode, host Bobby K sits down with his brother, Steve Koven, to talk about his journey from being diagnosed with a learning disability in childhood to earning his Master’s in Composition and Music from York University.
In this episode, you’ll discover why Steve, a talented musician and music educator, counts music as a powerful tool in his toolbox, and how he also uses it to help heal and support those around him.
“I graduated, and it was probably the best thing I’ve ever done in my life for developing self confidence, and understanding starting something and finishing it to the best of your ability.”
— Steve Koven
This episode discusses:
- The links between music and brain health, and Steve’s artist-in-residence gig with the University Health Network
- How Steve became an educator even though it was the last thing he ever expected to be
- Why having a trusted mentor can help you in multiple facets of your life
Highlights:
00:53 Intro
02:38 Meet Steve Koven
03:14 Learning disability to Master’s
04:59 Piano & lineage
06:12 Becoming an educator
08:29 Music & brain health
10:54 The universal healing power of music
12:54 Turning hours into minutes & teaching
15:06 Student challenges & the Bahamas
17:37 Women’s Brain Health challenge
19:32 Hobbies & passions
25:52 S.A.S.T.
27:21 Turning passions into tools
Links:
Steve Koven
http://www.stevekoven.com
http://stevekoven.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/SteveKovenTrio
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“How do we integrate in the way that we are constantly living in relationship to these sweet, high moments that we have?”
— Bluth
How do we integrate the experiences of Purim into our every day? And what lessons can we learn from the month of Adar II?
This year, we celebrate two months of Adar, the last month of the Hebrew calendar. It is a month of laughter and joyful chaos, one that holds the infinitude of G-d in its very name. After a month of such intensity and abundance, we need effective ways to integrate our experiences — and work through our “Purim hangovers!”
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is an instalment of Sacred Time, a podcast exploring the healing art of the Hebrew calendar.
In this episode, Bluth and Ganga Devi explore how to better integrate delight into soft daily experiences, how to open our hearts to the immense pain and joy in the world, and the deep connections between those emotions.
Bonus: this episode also contains a beautiful, healing, immersive sound journey, created with intention for this month.
“In the absence of G-d being explicitly present in any particular way… the body of what is unfolding is the body of G-d, is the presence of G-d.”
— Ganga Devi
This episode discusses:
- The hidden relationship between G-d and the story of Purim
- How to understand and integrate intense life experiences — and how to communicate these lessons
- The different types of joy that are present throughout the human experience
Highlights:
00:51 Intro
01:41 About Adar
04:37 Gematria & meaning
07:01 Purim & G-d
09:53 Kuf
11:28 Integrating intense experiences
15:20 Menu of integration options
17:22 Feasting & abundance
19:05 Bold joys & gentle joys
20:50 Witnessing grief & suffering
22:51 Forrest Landry
24:10 EnlivenedLab
25:54 “On Joy and Sorrow”
26:52 A Sound Healing Journey for Adar
Links:
Sefer Yetzirah
https://www.sefaria.org/Sefer_Yetzirah
Forrest Landry
http://www.magic-flight.com/pub/uvsm_1/idm_foundations_01.pdf
EnlivenedLab and Presence Foundations
https://enlivenedlab.com/presence
Kahlil Gibran, the Prophet
https://poets.org/poem/joy-and-sorrow
A Sound Healing Journey for Adar
https://livingjewishly.org/rosh-chodesh-adar-in-art
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“‘The good guys and the bad guys’: it’s a day where there’s a lot of clarity and a lot of energy focused on that… We really are going to fight evil on this day and yet, at the same time, we’re undoing part of our rigid perspectives.”
— Ami Silver
During Purim, we’re encouraged to drink to the point of intoxication — in fact, up until we perhaps have trouble distinguishing between good and evil. What is the meaning behind this teaching, and how can we take a fresh look at it in our modern context, in which many people and clinical researchers are exploring new types of intoxicants… including psychedelics?
This episode of the Living Jewishly podcasts is a special episode dedicated to exploring the holiday of Purim, its emphasis on intoxication, and whether it’s time for Purim to open up to the world of psychedelics.
Dr. Elliot Malamet’s guests are Rabbi Rachel Rosenbluth and Rabbi Ami Silver, a psychotherapist, clinical social worker, and Director of Emergent Education for Shefa, an organization that provides integration support and opportunities for the Jewish psychedelic community to ground their experiences within Jewish tradition.
This episode discusses the spiritual potential of psychedelic substances, the spiritual value of transcending rigid frames of mind and judgments, and how to integrate the lessons of Purim in the days that follow.
“What happens if we had a small moment in our year where we actually released ourselves from knowing, from being caught in our heads, and analyzing the world through knowledge?”
— Bluth
This episode discusses:
- The value of occasionally breaking free from the shackles of the mind and exploring the knowledge of the body
- The events of Purim being the truest reception of the Torah and foundational to the way that people receive it
- How different shifts in consciousness affect the ways that we approach and integrate spiritual lessons — and how to create safer experiences
Highlights:
00:52 Intro
03:10 Ami Silver & spiritual virtue of not-knowing
07:01 Bluth & release from knowing
08:42 Perspective & morality
12:20 Purim as true reception of Torah
14:15 Fear of bypassing
15:18 Seriousness, play & transformativeness
17:01 Effects of drinking v. psychedelics
19:16 Set, setting & dosage
22:46 Enhancing religious practice
27:56 Do we play at religion?
33:53 Simple ways to shift perspective
37:29 Does Judaism require external infusions?
42:30 Purim
Links:
Shefa
https://www.shefaflow.org
Awakening with Rabbi Ami Silver podcast
https://www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/ss2ak-8a1ab/Awakening-with-Rabbi-Ami-Silver-Podcast
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
Love Me Two Times, BabyElliott begins by recalling how his daughter would dress up like Esther on Purim, all made up as though entering a “beauty contest.” But when you read the Megillah, the facts are far scarier. The key verb in relation to the story’s central figure, Esther is that “she was taken.” And in fact, just like the Liam Neeson movie, she is taken, kidnapped, to be a sex slave.
The Megillah relates that all women in Persia at that time are taken to be used sexually by the king, and then discarded, their bodies and their autonomy utterly stripped.Yossi points out that a close reading reveals that a major focus of the text is not the Jews, but rather the women.
One example is Vashti, the king’s wife, who is an independent woman, but is suddenly summoned by the king, who demands her presence. When she refuses, she is deposed of her crown (and executed). What ensues is what Yossi calls an “institutionalized massacre of women’s rights.”
And yet, Yossi continues, even though she too was taken like an object, Esther somehow makes an impression on the king. Her key moment comes after the king has not sent for her for thirty days. Mordechai urges her to approach the king, to speak up about the plight of the Jews, though ordinarily one cannot approach the king without being summoned.
So Esther internalizes the fact that, as Yossi says “if I die, I am going to die speaking, not silent.”But how can she get through to a king who views her and all women as sex objects? So she invites him to not just one, but two parties.
Why, asks Yossi, would she not have used the very first opportunity to beg for salvation for the Jews? Why delay matters by inviting the king to a second party? It is an attempt to get the king to see her as human, as someone outside of the bedroom.Elliott likes this reading but asks us to speculate about the end of the story and beyond, and asks: “What is the position of women in Persia after the story? Answer: Unchanged.” What Elliott calls the “nasty residue” of the story is that in the kingdom you have a systematic transfer and trafficking of women. State mechanisms are used to transport women to the palace and prepare them for sex. And nothing that happens with Esther and Mordechai will change that fact.
Yossi envisions a less harsh possibility, in that Esther’s advocating for her own humanity will affect the king to recognize, perhaps, the humanity of others. Yossi asserts that “one woman’s voice is very powerful”, and that Esther was willing to risk everything in order to make a point about her humanness.
Thus, the Megillah really is the book of Esther, where she is the centre and the heroine. Esther is a woman for our time, demanding to be seen as fully human. That would take two nights, not just one.
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“Happiness is connected to how we are with what we have in front of us.”
— Rabbi Rachel Rosenbluth
Falling midway through Adar, Purim celebrates the saving of the Jewish people in the Persian Empire, after a genocidal plot concocted by a rogue court official is thwarted by a brave young Jewish woman named Esther. During Adar, and particularly around Purim, we are meant to “increase in joy” — but in the absence of an “instant happiness” switch, how are we to obey this call, particularly during a period marked by increased stress, worry, and grief?
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is an instalment of Sacred Time, a podcast about the healing art of the Hebrew calendar. Dr. Elliot Malamet sits down with therapist Idan Lumi and Rabbi Rachel Rosenbluth to explore the Jewish perspective regarding happiness, the importance of community, why material goods won’t lead to true and lasting happiness, and the power of forgiveness.
“Joy is cultivated. It’s not just a feeling state.”
— Rabbi Rachel Rosenbluth
This episode discusses:
- How we may cultivate joy in the face of so much grief, pain, and tragedy around the world
- How we create community and connection through the celebration of Purim
- How to turn a painful past experience into a transformative narrative, or a “good past”
Guest:
Idan Lumi is an international therapist, certified in “Beyond The Mind” Israeli therapy, and trained in trauma-informed therapy, imago, Hawaiian healing modalities, and myofascial bodywork. With 15 years of experience, his facilitation weaves eastern and western modalities with contemporary psychological needs to be both profound and practical.
Highlights:
00:01 Intro
00:50 Elements of joy & cultivating joy
04:58 Happiness & meaningfulness
10:43 Materialism & happiness
17:03 Four Questions & “having a good past”
21:01 Seeing the world with fresh eyes
25:45 Creating community through Purim
29:07 Drinking, substances & escapism
32:46 Relationship between happiness & trauma
37:08 Being present in the moment of grace
39:58 Collective trauma & building safer systems
41:32 Gender & trauma
46:45 Purim & opportunities
Links:
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
The Art of Loving by Erich Fromm
Four Liberating Questions HERE
Rewriting the Self: Psychotherapy and Midrash by Mordechai Rotenberg
Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community by Robert D. Putnam
The Wisdom of Trauma HERE
The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker
School of Living Jewishly
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“Trying to support a child who’s suffering and is going through some real difficult stuff around hospitalization and medication… that was something that was kind of outside of my toolbox.”
— Craig Wilson
How do we cope when the people closest to us are struggling? Especially when we ourselves struggle to understand their challenges?
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is an instalment of What’s In Your Toolbox?, a podcast about mental health and the tools that we use to cope and to heal. In this episode, host Bobby K speaks with Craig Wilson, a free-spirited Torontonian, avid snowboarder, and father of four daughters, about how he developed new mental health skills when one of his children was diagnosed with Bipolar I while in her late teens.
Tune in to learn how Craig and his family dealt with his daughter’s diagnosis, the challenges that they worked through together, and the shortcomings of the healthcare system.
“My toolbox has just been learning that my daughter is everything to me, and that I’ll walk over hot coals to support her.”
— Craig Wilson
This episode discusses:
- The mental health tools that Craig developed in the wake of his daughter’s diagnosis
- The tools that Craig’s daughter uses to stay healthy and balanced
- What can happen when the wrong medication is prescribed — and why patience can be required
Highlights:
00:52 Introduction
02:32 California Kid or Canadian Craig
04:03 Beaver Valley
06:03 Dealing with Bipolar I
08:02 Facing things outside his toolbox
10:25 Tools that Craig developed
13:55 His daughter’s tool box
16:58 Managing Tourette’s
17:59 Bad days & medication
20:34 Craig’s toolbox
22:11 Mental health systems & stigma
24:29 C.A.S.T.
27:54 How is she doing now?
Links:
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“The art of loving is hard to learn… and even harder to master.”
— Dr. Elliot Malamet
When you are part of a religious community, the acts of loving and being loved can be surprisingly complex, requiring a delicate balancing act between personal freedom and external expectations, and between sexual pleasure and religious duty.
Singlehood is seen in the community as a problem to be solved — particularly for Jewish women.
From accessing the ritual of the mikvah to negotiating healthy sexuality to coping with the pain of breaking up, single Jewish women regularly navigate complicated terrain, and often without rules or rituals that are compatible with dating in modernity.
This episode is an instalment of Across the Sea, a podcast about mental health and Judaism. In this episode, Dr. Elliot Malamet invites guests Rabbi Rachel Rosenbluth and Micki Lavin-Pell to discuss dating and building healthy relationships while Jewish.
“Singleness is definitely supposed to be a temporary stage — as temporary as possible.”
— Bluth
This episode discusses:
✔ The possibility of “holy intimacy,” a sacred sexuality that may be experienced before marriage
✔ The lessons that we can learn from break-ups & how to benefit from them going forward
✔ Whether we need to develop a new Jewish sexual ethos — and what it may include
Highlights:
00:50 Introduction
01:51 Rabbi Bluth, stereotypes & expectations
04:50 Jewish law out of step with modern dating?
07:52 New Jewish sexual ethos
09:50 The mikvah & singlehood
12:11 Intimate couples & purity laws
15:36 Lessons gained from break-ups
19:55 Healthy v. unhealthy relationships
22:25 Is it harder to get & stay married now?
25:42 Micki Lavin-Pell & internal barriers
28:34 Singlehood & cultural messaging
30:23 Single male stereotypes
32:06 Singlehood & fear
34:32 Gender discrepancies
36:19 Too fast v. too slow
37:50 Healthy sexuality
40:00 Setting boundaries
43:05 Damaging beliefs & best advice
Links:
The Art of Loving by Erich Fromm
https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-art-of-loving/9780061129735-item.html
We Do: Saying Yes to a Relationship of Depth, True Connection and Enduring Love by Stan Tatkin
https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/we-do-saying-yes-to/9781622038930-item.html
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
Tu B'Shvat is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the renewal of trees in a yearly cycle. Elliott notes, the timing of the holiday on the Jewish calendar is weird, falling out in the middle of winter. If we really wanted to get into the spirit of the day, we'd send everyone out into the middle of mature, "into the wild," to experience the trees. Rabbi Yossi points out that the winter is also a cool time to think about trees, because it is when the sap starts to run. The trees are starting to come alive, on the inside, where the sap is starting to build. Really, this is symbolic of the inner growth that takes place inside of us as human beings. Yossi adds that maple syrup is an ancient food but you have to get rid of the excess foam, which is a great metaphor for what people have to do - to keep the sweet parts of ourselves and get rid of the excess. As Yossi says, "whatever your winter looks like" you have to learn to go through the dark nights and come out on the other side.Elliott also notes that educationally, Tu B'shvat should teach us to "throw out the playbook." Jewish schools could plan a trip, throw away the books for a day, and take students out into nature to experience renewal and the miracle of creation. The holiday of the trees shows us that religious education can be found as much in nature as in textbooks. Yossi says there should be "Outward Bound" program for Tu B'shvat. This holiday represents the environmental ethic of the ancient rabbis and their view of the ecosystem, exemplified in the discussion of rain in the second paragraph of the Shema prayer. God gives human stewardship over the earth and it is up to us to make sure we treat that a sacred trust. In an age of climate change, this is a powerful message.Shout out to the late great Neil Peart of Rush and his wonderful song "The Trees!"
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“Real rest is the act of rejuvenating the inner person… the soul.”
— Dr. Elliot Malamet
While we stay indoors during the cold, dark months, we must remember that the time of winter rest is crucial for the blossoming and ripening of spring.
The month of Shvat is a period of subtle renewal, and Tu B’shvat (often referred to as the Israeli Arbor Day) celebrates our beautiful and lifegiving friends, the trees. Falling on the 15th day of Shvat, the “New Year of the Trees” may be celebrated as an agricultural holiday or a day of ecological activism — or both!
During Shvat, we focus on self-nurturing. As the sap rises in the trees in preparation of bearing fruit, we take a moment to ready ourselves to embark on our own pursuits — this is part of the journey of renewal taught to us by the trees.
This week’s episode of Living Jewishly is an instalment of Sacred Time, a podcast exploring the healing art of the Hebrew calendar. In honour of the restful nature of Shvat, we offer a taste of our new learning and community platform, the School of Living Jewishly.
This episode shares an excerpt of a lesson called “Welcoming Shabbat,” from the Rest module of the Foundations course. Through this lesson, you’ll learn about the importance of rest to creation, the symbolism of different customs for candle-lighting, and the meaning behind the phrase “bringing in Shabbat.”
“Candle-lighting is the marker of transition — a liminal space between there and here, between the workweek and the realm of Shabbat.”
— Bluth
This episode discusses:
- How to create your own intimate and personal vessel to shape your experience of Shabbat
- The feminine energy and quality that underlies Shabbat — and how we forge connections with the divine
- The benefits of religious rituals and what to consider when preparing for a ritual
Highlights:
00:51 Intro
03:00 Wisdom & rest
04:16 Your vessel
05:58 Beginning with fire
08:03 Counting candles
12:19 The Sabbath Queen
15:34 “Bringing in Shabbat”
19:43 Preparing for ritual
23:30 Outro
Links:
Tu B’Shvat Manual
https://livingjewishly.org/tu-bshvat-manual-2022
School of Living Jewishly
https://www.schooloflivingjewishly.com
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“Your mental health is part of your brain health.”
— Jade Crystal
Your brain may not be a muscle, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t work it! This week’s episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is an instalment of What’s In Your Toolbox?, a podcast about mental health and the tools that help us to cope and heal. In this episode, host Bobby K sits down with Jade Crystal, the Program Director at Brainable for the Women's Brain Health Initiative. Through the Brainable program, students in grades 5-8 are taught how to keep their brains healthy and lower their risk of developing degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
Listen now to learn more about the importance of protecting your brain as you age, and the six pillars of brain health that will help you to stay alert, healthy, and happy. You’ll discover powerful tools that will benefit both your brain health and your mental health, from game nights to belly breathing to bedtime routines!
This is the first episode of Season 2 of What’s in Your Toolbox?. This podcast feed features a rich roster of podcasts produced by Living Jewishly — subscribe now to never miss an episode.
“Being around people increases our dopamine — and dopamine is what keeps us happy.”
— Jade Crystal
This episode discusses:
- Why it’s important to engage in a wide variety of physical exercises, rather than just one type
- How to set goals for achieving a healthy, brain-friendly lifestyle with the free BrainFit app
- How social activity helps to develop your brain — and how to improve your mental and brain health through socializing (even if you’re shy or introverted)
Highlights:
00:53 Intro
02:35 “Work daughter” & glamping
04:27 Brainable.ca
05:49 Six pillars of brain health
07:49 Physical activity
09:45 BrainFit app
11:58 Social activity
13:51 Stress management
16:13 Bedtime routines & afternoon naps
18:04 Jade’s toolbox
19:19 Training older audiences
20:51 Students, stigma & mental health
23:27 J.A.S.T.
25:36 Support Brainable
27:23 Turning hobbies & passions into tools
Links:
Brainable
https://www.brainable.ca
Mind Over Matter
https://womensbrainhealth.org/mind-over-matter-magazine
Memory Morsels recipes
https://memorymorsels.org
BrainFit app
https://womensbrainhealth.org/brainfit
No Magic Bullet
http://nomagicbullet.org
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“The way people behave from birth, the way that people grow up, is what’s normal to them.”
— Dr. David Greenberg
Can Judaism make you sick?
There are many studies that highlight the positive effects of religious life — greater contentment, a feeling of community, and a strong sense of purpose.
But what about the negative effects of religion?
How should we think about and deal with the guilt, shame, fear, and disordered behaviours that religion can bring up in some people?
This episode of Living Jewishly is an instalment of Crossing The Sea, a podcast about Judaism and mental health.
This episode looks at the line between healthy piety and unhealthy pathology and features interviews with mental health experts Dr. Michelle Friedman, Dr. David Greenberg, and Dr. David H. Rosmarin.
“Thinking of Judaism or frankly any type of religion or tradition as a monolithic entity that has a one-way street would be a big mistake,” says Dr. Friedman. “I’ve definitely seen situations where a practice of Judaism has been incredibly helpful for people, and I’ve certainly seen the opposite… where a family’s expression of Judaism, a doctrinaire attitude or approach, can really be quite difficult.”
In this episode, you’ll explore the positive and negative effects of religion, how our upbringing influences our experience of mental distress, and how religion can be a healthy resource for LGBTQ+ people.
“The basis of religious practice should be a source of confidence — should be a source of a positive feeling, not a negative feeling.”
— Dr. David Greenberg
This episode discusses:
- Whether religion can cause disordered thinking or only exacerbate conditions that already exist
- How we can separate healthy belief from pathological or delusional thinking
- How spirituality can be effectively integrated into psychotherapy in clinical settings
Highlights:
- 00:51 Can Judaism make you sick?
- 02:00 About Dr. Michelle Friedman
- 02:35 Why Judaism can affect people differently
- 05:23 OCD & religious ritual
- 06:51 The chicken & the egg #1
- 08:59 Cultural contexts & mental disorder
- 12:10 About Dr. David Greenberg
- 13:19 Healthy belief v. delusional thinking
- 15:52 Distress & how to assess
- 18:31 Differences of opinion on change
- 22:59 The chicken & the egg #2
- 29:09 About Dr. David Rosmarin
- 31:59 Positive & negative effects
- 33:29 Spiritual struggles
- 36:57 X factor & case example
- 39:00 G-d’s providence
- 40:42 Integrating spirituality into psychotherapy
- 44:31 LGBTQ+ community & religion
- 49:01 Recap
Links:
Sanity and Sanctity: Mental Health Work Among the Ultra-Orthodox in Jerusalem by David Greenberg and Eliezer Witztum
https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300071917/sanity-and-sanctity
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“Anger can be illogical and it can cause a lot of harm. But it also can be righteous and it can be rectifying something that’s wrong.”
— Ganga Devi
What is the role of anger in our lives? And what can we learn from our sense of it?
This episode of Living Jewishly is an instalment of Scared Time, a podcast devoted to the healing art of the Hebrew calendar.
As we bid goodbye to Chanukah, we enter Tevet, the tenth month of the calendar. This is a time of cold and darkness, but one that evokes a fiery emotion. Its 10th day commemorates the onset of the siege of Jerusalem — no wonder that Tevet is associated with the sense of anger.
Tevet is also connected to the story of Purim, as it is in the month of Tevet that Esther was taken to the King Achashverosh's palace to be chosen as Queen.
Most of us are only aware of anger when we feel it or when others feel it toward us, but in these heightened states we are unable to reflect on and understand the wisdom and potential carried within it.
Tevet offers us the rare opportunity to examine anger from a place of peace.
Through drawing on Kabbalistic themes and psychological tools, we may work intentionally with anger and see it with new eyes. This episode explores anger’s purpose — how it can point us to unmet needs and fuel us to make necessary changes in our lives, relationships, and social systems.
“That is what Tevet gives us to work with. It’s understanding: what is anger? What does it mean to play with the fire of anger?”
— Bluth
This episode discusses:
- How anger can be used as a tool to create positive and necessary change
- Comparisons between ecological fire and the fire of anger, and how each plays a role in stripping away what no longer serves
- How to differentiate between the needs and the strategies connected with our anger
Highlights:
01:30 Welcome to Tevet
02:58 Purim & The Book of Esther
03:53 Chanukah & Purim
06:39 Tevet & anger
08:04 Comparison between anger & fire
10:46 Emotions as data points
12:10 Regenerative anger & trauma
15:13 Empathic communication & reframing
19:58 Our needs v. our strategies
24:45 The Language of Emotions
26:51 Ganga Devi’s story
31:41 The Work That Reconnects
33:10 Tools within & without us
37:31 Cultivating integrity
Links:
Marshall Rosenberg
https://www.nonviolentcommunication.com
Alexandra Paretta, Tantra practitioner
https://www.wovenyin.com
Karla McLaren, The Language of Emotions
https://karlamclaren.com/product/the-language-of-emotions-book
https://karlamclaren.com/understanding-and-befriending-anger
Joanna Macy, The Work That Reconnects
https://www.joannamacy.net/main
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Visit our learning community: https://www.schooloflivingjewishly.com
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org
“There are friends for a season, friends for a reason, and friends for life… I had to let a lot of stuff go.”
— Paul Richardson
Sometimes you need to fake it till you make it — even when it comes to self care. Often, practice is required in order to receive the full benefits of your mental health tools.
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is an instalment of What’s in Your Toolbox?, a podcast about mental health and the tools that help us to heal and cope. In this episode, host Bobby K sits down with wealth manager Paul Richardson to talk about his mental health journey, including his time at the Homewood Health Centre and what it taught him. Tune in for a conversation about identifying mental health struggles, putting the work into meditation and mindfulness, the benefits of vision boards, and the difference between freestyle skiing and racing.
This episode marks the end of the first year of What’s in Your Toolbox?, and we thank you for listening! Subscribe now to never miss an episode of Living Jewishly’s rich roster of podcasts.
“Before I went to the Homewood, I would get really, really uptight and angry. I wasn’t fully aware of the degree of anger and tension I was suffering, because I didn’t know any different.”
— Paul Richardson
This episode discusses:
- How identifying his primary triggers helped Paul to gain control over his anger and tension
- How Paul rebuilt his self-identity after leaving the Homewood Health Centre — and the mindset skills that help him cope
- How Paul engages with his support network in order to create balance in his life
Highlights:
00:53 Intro
02:38 Meet Paul Richardson
04:41 Skiing
05:41 Entering Homewood
08:20 Triggers
10:45 Rebuilding after Homewood
13:22 Becoming friends with meditation & mindfulness
14:47 Paul’s toolbox
17:34 Sports car
19:40 Diving
20:43 P.A.S.T.
23:35 Vision boards
25:21 Peter
27:57 Final thoughts
Links:
No Magic Bullet
http://www.nomagicbullet.org
Homewood
https://homewoodhealth.com/health-centre
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“Happy journeying and happy Chanukah!”
— Bluth, Jessie and the whole Living Jewishly Team
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is a special Chanukah meditation brought to you by the School of Living Jewishly. Join us this Chanukah for eight candle meditations dedicated to supporting the kindling of light and honouring the flame, while celebrating home, hope, and ordinary heroes.
Meditation by: Jessie Duke
Kalimba music by: Jessie Duke
This week’s ‘Zot Chanukah - Celebration’ candle focuses on acknowledging and celebrating the beautiful gifts that Chanukah has given you this year — the magical light and energy that you’ve cultivated and harnessed over the past eight days.
To find the Living Jewishly Chanukah Guide along with accompanying journal questions and teachings, check out: https://www.schooloflivingjewishly.com/chanukah-guide
For more Living Jewishly information and resources, visit the School of Living Jewishly. And remember to subscribe to find more candle meditations through the Living Jewishly Podcasts feed — and remember to subscribe. We wish you a joyful Chanukah!
Highlights:
00:01 Intro
00:32 Candle
Links:
The School of Living Jewishly:
https://www.schooloflivingjewishly.com
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“Happy journeying and happy Chanukah!”
— Bluth, Jessie and the whole Living Jewishly Team
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is a special Chanukah meditation brought to you by the School of Living Jewishly. Join us this Chanukah for eight candle meditations dedicated to supporting the kindling of light and honouring the flame, while celebrating home, hope, and ordinary heroes.
Meditation by: Jessie Duke
Kalimba music by: Jessie Duke
This week’s ‘Chag Habanot & Ordinary Heroes Meditation’ candle focuses on recognizing and honouring the idea of ordinary heroes — those who inspire us in our everyday lives.
To find the Living Jewishly Chanukah Guide along with accompanying journal questions and teachings, check out: https://www.schooloflivingjewishly.com/chanukah-guide
For more Living Jewishly information and resources, visit the School of Living Jewishly. And remember to subscribe to find more candle meditations through the Living Jewishly Podcasts feed — and remember to subscribe. We wish you a joyful Chanukah!
Highlights:
00:01 Intro
00:32 Candle
Links:
The School of Living Jewishly:
https://www.schooloflivingjewishly.com
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“Happy journeying and happy Chanukah!”
— Bluth, Jessie and the whole Living Jewishly Team
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is a special Chanukah meditation brought to you by the School of Living Jewishly. Join us this Chanukah for eight candle meditations dedicated to supporting the kindling of light and honouring the flame, while celebrating home, hope, and ordinary heroes.
Meditation by: Jessie Duke
Kalimba music by: Jessie Duke
This week’s ‘Hope and Action Meditation’ candle explores the meanings of miracles, and supports you in discovering and understanding your own definition while working to create miraculous meaning in your own life.
To find the Living Jewishly Chanukah Guide along with accompanying journal questions and teachings, check out: https://www.schooloflivingjewishly.com/chanukah-guide
For more Living Jewishly information and resources, visit the School of Living Jewishly. And remember to subscribe to find more candle meditations through the Living Jewishly Podcasts feed — and remember to subscribe. We wish you a joyful Chanukah!
Highlights:
00:01 Intro
00:32 Candle
Links:
The School of Living Jewishly:
https://www.schooloflivingjewishly.com
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“Happy journeying and happy Chanukah!”
— Bluth, Jessie and the whole Living Jewishly Team
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is a special Chanukah meditation brought to you by the School of Living Jewishly. Join us this Chanukah for eight candle meditations dedicated to supporting the kindling of light and honouring the flame, while celebrating home, hope, and ordinary heroes.
Meditation by: Jessie Duke
Kalimba music by: Jessie Duke
This week’s ‘Home & Rededication Meditation’ candle focuses on rededicating yourself to intention-setting, and supporting yourself as you follow through on bringing new meaning, excitement, and light into the world.
To find the Living Jewishly Chanukah Guide along with accompanying journal questions and teachings, check out: https://www.schooloflivingjewishly.com/chanukah-guide
For more Living Jewishly information and resources, visit the School of Living Jewishly. And remember to subscribe to find more candle meditations through the Living Jewishly Podcasts feed — and remember to subscribe. We wish you a joyful Chanukah!
Highlights:
00:01 Intro
00:32 Candle
Links:
The School of Living Jewishly:
https://www.schooloflivingjewishly.com
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“Happy journeying and happy Chanukah!”
— Bluth, Jessie and the whole Living Jewishly Team
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is a special Chanukah meditation brought to you by the School of Living Jewishly. Join us this Chanukah for eight candle meditations dedicated to supporting the kindling of light and honouring the flame, while celebrating home, hope, and ordinary heroes.
Meditation by: Jessie Duke
Kalimba music by: Jessie Duke
This week’s ‘Darkness Meditation’ candle focuses on becoming aware of and honouring the contrast and balance between the light and the darkness existing in your life.
To find the Living Jewishly Chanukah Guide along with accompanying journal questions and teachings, check out: https://www.schooloflivingjewishly.com/chanukah-guide
For more Living Jewishly information and resources, visit the School of Living Jewishly. And remember to subscribe to find more candle meditations through the Living Jewishly Podcasts feed — and remember to subscribe. We wish you a joyful Chanukah!
Highlights:
00:01 Intro
00:32 Candle
Links:
The School of Living Jewishly:
https://www.schooloflivingjewishly.com
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is a special Chanukah meditation brought to you by the School of Living Jewishly. Join us this Chanukah for eight candle meditations dedicated to supporting the kindling of light and honouring the flame, while celebrating home, hope, and ordinary heroes.
Meditation by: Jessie Duke
Kalimba music by: Jessie Duke
This week’s ‘The Sun Will Rise Meditation’ candle focuses on facing, understanding, and learning from your fears, as well as nurturing your inner child.
To find the Living Jewishly Chanukah Guide along with accompanying journal questions and teachings, check out: https://www.schooloflivingjewishly.com/chanukah-guide
For more Living Jewishly information and resources, visit the School of Living Jewishly. And remember to subscribe to find more candle meditations through the Living Jewishly Podcasts feed — and remember to subscribe. We wish you a joyful Chanukah!
Highlights:
00:01 Intro
00:32 Candle
Links:
The School of Living Jewishly:
https://www.schooloflivingjewishly.com
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“Happy journeying and happy Chanukah!”
— Bluth, Jessie and the whole Living Jewishly Team
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is a special Chanukah meditation brought to you by the School of Living Jewishly. Join us this Chanukah for eight candle meditations dedicated to supporting the kindling of light and honouring the flame, while celebrating home, hope, and ordinary heroes.
Meditation by: Jessie Duke
Kalimba music by: Jessie Duke
This week’s ‘Meditation: Honoring the Flame’ candle focuses on identifying, accessing, and celebrating your internal flame, the things that light you up inside, and the things that warm you up to those around you.
To find the Living Jewishly Chanukah Guide along with accompanying journal questions and teachings, check out: https://www.schooloflivingjewishly.com/chanukah-guide
For more Living Jewishly information and resources, visit the School of Living Jewishly. And remember to subscribe to find more candle meditations through the Living Jewishly Podcasts feed — and remember to subscribe. We wish you a joyful Chanukah!
Highlights:
00:01 Intro
00:32 Candle
Links:
The School of Living Jewishly:
https://www.schooloflivingjewishly.com
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“Happy journeying and happy Chanukah!”
— Bluth, Jessie and the whole Living Jewishly Team
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is a special Chanukah meditation brought to you by the School of Living Jewishly. Join us this Chanukah for eight candle meditations dedicated to supporting the kindling of light and honouring the flame, while celebrating home, hope, and ordinary heroes.
Meditation by: Jessie Duke
Kalimba music by: Jessie Duke
This week’s ‘Gifts Meditation’ candle focuses on the gifts we hold, including the gifts we inherit from those who have come before us.
To find the Living Jewishly Chanukah Guide along with accompanying journal questions and teachings, check out: https://www.schooloflivingjewishly.com/chanukah-guide
For more Living Jewishly information and resources, visit the School of Living Jewishly. And remember to subscribe to find more candle meditations through the Living Jewishly Podcasts feed — and remember to subscribe. We wish you a joyful Chanukah!
Highlights:
00:01 Intro
00:32 Candle
Links:
The School of Living Jewishly:
https://www.schooloflivingjewishly.com
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“Dreaming is a necessary complement to our waking life that allows us to rest and integrate and regenerate.”
— Ganga Devi
As home to the holiday of Chanukah, Kislev is a time for celebration, light, and togetherness. But it is also a time for sleeping, for dreaming, and for integrating the teachings of our dreams into our waking lives.
The beauty of the cyclical nature of our Hebrew calendar is that it creates space for us to explore its universal and resonant themes each year as different people, bringing with us new experiences and perspectives that shift and re-shape the ways in which we engage and reflect. This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is a replay of the Kislev episode of Sacred Time, a podcast about the healing art of the Hebrew calendar.
Looking toward Channukah as a time of light, dedication, and grace within a time of darkness, this conversation deeply examines Kislev’s overarching themes of sleep, death, dreams, and light, and moves thoughtfully through the cyclical nature of the rhythms of creation.
“There’s something about this time of sleep and slumber and darkness — we are actually deeply held.”
— Bluth
This episode discusses:
- How dreams inspire, enrich, and borrow from our waking lives — and their connection to prophecy
- How our relationship with sleep can inform and soften our relationship to death
- The symbolic meaning behind Channukah falling across both Kislev and Tevet
Highlights:
00:52 Intro
01:51 Kislev & Samec
05:00 The circle of our daily rhythms
07:46 Dreams, prophecy & waking life
09:58 Death & sleep
12:14 Midrash: Adam & the Garden of Eden
16:09 Living Jewishly Channukah Guide
19:01 Channukah & Kislev
22:01 Darkness & light
24:03 Ganga Devi’s dream work
29:29 Mourning rituals & Waking Life
Links:
Living Jewishly Channukah Guide
https://livingjewishly.org/channukah
Waking Life (2001)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waking_Life
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“..So how do we retell these stories that are complicated? And teach them in a way that uplifts us and moves us forward with greater integrity?”
– Rabbi Bluth
In preparation to launch 8 nights of meditations which accompany the art and teachings in our Living Jewishly Chanukah guide (available for download here: https://www.schooloflivingjewishly.com/chanukah-guide), Rabbi Bluth and Jessie Duke come together for a short conversation about the teachings of Chanukah.
This episode discusses:
- Where and how Chanukah is situated in the Hebrew calendar, and what that means for us
- Themes of darkness and light
- What Chanukah literally means, as well as metaphorically
- The benefits of making holidays (in the case, Chanukah) your own
- How to work with the Chanukah guide
To get in contact or learn more about SOLJ:
Visit our website. https://www.schooloflivingjewishly.com/
Follow us on instagram @living.jewishly
Send us an email school@livingjewishly.org
“One unexpected benefit of being in an interfaith relationship has been that it’s really caused me to look at all of my Jewish practice and ask myself: where is the meaning in this to me?”
— Kayla Kwinter
The December dilemma: how do we keep hold of our Jewish identity and joy in the face of the Christmas onslaught? With classic carols and popstar covers playing on repeat in grocery stores and retail shops, holiday specials popping up on television, and Christmas lights brightening neighbourhoods, December can feel overwhelming, but it is doubly challenging for Jews who are intermarried and must navigate this type of terrain year-round. Add children into the mix, and the conversation turns to how the kids will be raised — and which practices will become paramount.
In this episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts, Dr. Elliot Malamet and Rabbi Yossi Sapirman sit down with Kayla Kwinter and Mike Finley, Toronto-based lawyers in an interreligious marriage, to talk about their experience working together to build a shared life that is spiritually meaningful for each of them, and the role that their religious differences has played in their relationship.
Listen now to enjoy a spirited discussion about dating while Jewish, raising a Jewish child in an interfaith marriage, and the areas of tension that the couple have had to deal with.
“It’s very important to me to raise a Jewish family, and I want a partner who can be a partner in that with me, but whether or not they are themselves Jewish was a lot less important to me.”
— Kayla Kwinter
This episode discusses:
- How Kayla and Mike negotiate and practice holiday celebrations and observances
- Why Mike chose not to convert and how he still participates meaningfully in Jewish culture
- The advice that they would give to other interfaith couples — and the value of radical communication
Highlights:
00:52 Intro
02:40 Dealbreakers & familial objections
07:23 Converting & authenticity
09:40 Raising a Jewish child
13:02 If Mike converted
15:18 Negotiating holidays
18:51 Thought process before dating
22:42 Areas of tension
25:04 Boundaries, privilege & radical communication
29:34 Investing in other traditions
31:43 Kids, culture & choices
36:42 Intermarriage & commitment
40:08 Conclusion
Links:
School of Living Jewishly
https://www.schooloflivingjewishly.com
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“When opportunities too amazing to deny came across my bow, I went in that direction.”
— Dr. Eric Weissman
Dr. Eric Weissman, an assistant professor and a PhD in Social Science at University of New Brunswick, has been developing and applying a lived experience form of scholarship to the study of homelessness, housing, mental health, and substance use in Canadian and US cities since 1999 — an academic pursuit based on his own history of addiction and homelessless. He is currently studying mental health issues and housing precarity among post-secondary students across Canada.
This episode of The Living Jewishly Podcasts is an episode of What’s in Your Toolbox?, a podcast about mental health and the tools that we use to cope and heal. Host Bobby K sits down with Dr. Weissman to talk about personal reinvention, the rise of youth anxiety and homelessness, his ongoing documentary exploring the real-life stories of Canada’s homeless population, and what’s in his toolbox.
“Time flies… and then there’s this really wild painting finished.”
— Dr. Eric Weissman
This episode discusses:
- Dr. Weissman’s incredible journey and how he’s used his lived experience to create meaningful impact
- How physical activity provides an outlet for our energy — and why it’s more important than ever to consciously engage in it
- How Dr. Weissman discovered the calming nature of fly fishing and why he became a fly fishing guide in Mexico
Highlights:
00:51 Intro
02:34 About Dr. Weissman’s work
05:40 Early friendship & moving to Red Deer
08:22 Fly fishing
13:57 Back to school & back to art
16:53 Anxiety & physical activity
17:48 Having pets & nurturing ecosystems
20:55 Power of laughing
23:19 Student homelessness & mental health
25:12 Dr. Weissman’s journey & lived experience
29:25 E.A.S.T.
31:02 Subtext: Real Stories
Links:
Subtext: Real Stories
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CezCHIXzXHU
https://vimeo.com/12400258
https://www.unb.ca/faculty-staff/directory/arts-sj-socialscience/weissman-eric.html
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“People have a variety of misconceptions about the Jewish approach — it starts with the idea that there is ONE Jewish approach.”
— Dr. Danny Schiff
Few questions are as thorny or polarizing in the mainstream as the question of reproductive rights — specifically regarding a woman’s right to choose. Religion plays a major role in this debate, with many pointing to biblical teachings as a reason to undercut the hard-won legal victories fought for by women, particularly that of Roe v. Wade in 1973. When it comes to Jewish Law, the question is not so clear-cut, and neither the ‘pro-life’ nor the ‘pro-choice’ sides will find easy or undeniable wins.
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is an instalment of What Would You Do?, a podcast about ethics in our modern world. In this episode, Dr. Elliot Malamet speaks with Rabbi Dr. Danny Schiff, author of Abortion and Judaism, Foundation Scholar at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, and the founder and president of the Museum of Jewish Ideas.
Tune in for a thoughtful and insightful discussion about Jewish perspectives on abortion and how the abortion question can guide us into the exploration of deeper issues — including the ability of ancient religions to meaningfully address modern ethical dilemmas.
“Informed Jewish discourse about abortion recognizes that no one answer fits all cases, and the discussion must therefore take these subtleties into account.”
— Dr. Elliot Malamet
This episode discusses:
- The major misconceptions that people hold regarding the ways that Jewish ethics and law approach abortion
- The limitations of relying on examples drawn from ancient source material — and why the concept of abortion would have been rare at the time of its writing
- Whether evolving technologies influence our moral or ethical understanding of certain medical procedures
Highlights:
00:51 Intro
04:09 Major misconceptions
06:22 Limitations of ancient sources
09:29 “Pro-choice” v. “pro-life”
12:21 Relationship between technology & morality
15:16 Forming a Jewish response
18:57 Beginning of life
25:13 International abortion laws & rates
28:48 Rights v. responsibilities
32:54 Our self-referential era
36:20 Ancient v. modern ways of living Judaism
42:49 How the discourse could change
44:48 Conclusion
Links:
Abortion in Judaism by Daniel Schiff
https://www.amazon.ca/Abortion-Judaism-Daniel-Schiff-ebook/dp/B01DM2FDEU
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“I remember being told ‘It’s not WHO’s on the air, it’s WHAT’s on the air’ — when I heard that, I knew that my days were numbered. ”
— Howard Berger
While losing your job can be stressful at any age, for those over 50 it can be a life-changing crisis. Entering the job market over the age of 50 often brings with it a host of psychological issues, including anxiety, insecurity, depression, and emotional paralysis.
An analysis of employment data spanning the years 1990-2016 has shown that over 50% of workers who entered their 50s with stable, full-time employment were laid off or forced out at least once by their 65th birthdays. 9 out of 10 never again found work that matched their previous salary — and most never recovered financially from this loss.
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is an instalment of Crossing The Sea, a podcast about Judaism and mental health. Dr. Elliot Malamet speaks with Howard Berger, a former sports journalist who spent many years covering professional athletes for radio and print publications. The involuntary loss of his journalism career in 2011 led to years of emotional struggle — until his professional path took an unexpected turn in his late 50s and brought new meaning into his life.
“Every funeral service is the most important of all time — and that’s the only way to do it.”
— Howard Berger
This episode discusses:
- The athlete/journalist relationship and how it has changed over the decades
- The emotions that Howard dealt with in the aftermath of being let go — and the trend in his industry that led to his firing
- The meaningful nature of Howard’s new career and the reverence he brings to his work
Highlights:
00:50 Intro
02:51 Dealing with professional athletes
05:06 The athlete/journalist relationship
06:52 Post-9/11 travel & other job-related stresses
09:01 Being let go
11:51 Immediate aftermath
13:40 Between the Posts & growing debt
16:14 Transitioning to funeral industry
20:38 Compassion & reverence
25:01 Covid-era funeral services
29:31 Jewish burial practices
32:28 Conclusion
Links:
Between the Posts
https://betweentheposts.ca
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“Even when it doesn’t feel like there is excitement, there are our rhythms and there are our cycles.”
— Bluth
After the social and structured rituals of the High Holidays, the month of Cheshvan is a period of personal contemplation during which we turn to the quieter rhythms of our daily commitments. The absence of Holy Days during this month challenges us to source our connection with the sacred from within. In doing so, we are able to look both back and forward to address our priorities — what is meaningful and important at this moment.
This instalment of the Living Jewishly Podcasts revisits the Cheshvan episode of Sacred Time, a podcast devoted to the healing art of the Hebrew calendar. Bluth and Ganga Devi discuss the month of Cheshvan, and the many ways that we can develop structures and systems to reconnect us with our true priorities in life.
Though it is a more introspective month, it is still one of action. The process of self-inquiry identifies what is precious and tender to us, so we are then able to step fully into those relationships — with the divine, with our loved ones, and with ourselves.
“The structures and systems of religions should exist to support each of our own personal and direct relationships with what is sacred.”
— Ganga Devi
This episode discusses:
- Being mindful of how we relate to systems of authority and power outside of ourselves in our relationship with what is sacred
- The importance of motivating ourselves to find empowerment in responsibility by creating our own structures in the absence of external ones
- Why Cheshvan is the perfect time to focus on restorative and nurturing self-care
Highlights:
00:51 Intro
01:51 The month of Cheshvan
04:42 What is sacred to us?
08:03 Self-inquiry & creating our own structures
10:38 External structures
12:22 The sacred in the mundane
13:37 Taking action & finding support
16:50 Rhythms & cycles
18:20 Modeh Ani & daily commitments
25:06 The School of Living Jewishly
Links:
Living Jewishly Yoga for Cheshvan with Jenna Zadaka:
https://livingjewishly.org/rosh-chodesh-cheshvan-with-guest-yoga-teacher-jenna-zadaka
The School of Living Jewishly
https://www.schooloflivingjewishly.com
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“Most of the time when I do counselling or I meet with families, I feel better afterwards — like it’s an enriching process.”
— Rob Pepler
Mindfulness gets a lot of attention these days. Hundreds of apps, articles, and self-help books offer the simple secrets to practicing mindfulness, and there’s a good reason for that — mindfulness brings with it a ton of powerful benefits, particularly for mental health.
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is an instalment of What’s In Your Toolbox?, a podcast about mental health and the ways in which we cope and heal. In this episode, host Bobby K sits down with social worker Rob Pepler to discuss the mindfulness techniques and practices that he uses with his clients and in his own life — including practical tips on how to get started.
Tune in to discover how a grounding in bodywork informs Rob’s therapeutic approach, why mindfulness is a core aspect of dialectical behaviour therapy, and how gardening can be a double-edged sword when it comes to stress relief.
“We’re trying to be kind, we’re trying to be a little bit honest, and that allows more life to flow.”
— Rob Pepler
This episode discusses:
- How mental health techniques used by professionals have changed over the past few decades
- Why both Bobby and Rob swears by mindfulness — and tips for getting started today
- A guided mindfulness exercise that you can practice while listening along to the episode
Highlights:
00:53 Intro
02:51 Pep Kid memories
07:40 Getting into the mental health field
09:17 Bio-energetic therapy to social work
09:48 Bodywork & mindfulness
12:03 Mindfulness & DBT
13:40 Mindfulness exercise preamble
15:16 Mindfulness exercise
18:11 “Letting go” experiment
23:06 Happy place
25:03 Unplugging & meditating
27:08 Tips for getting into mindfulness
30:39 10 Percent Happier
Links:
Ten Percent Happier
https://www.tenpercent.com
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“At what point in our history did our houses become ‘not nature’?”
— Julia Plevin
The earth is our home, our classroom, and our legacy — how can we create a nurturing relationship with the earth that allows all living creatures to thrive?
Sukkot, the ancient Jewish Harvest festival, is an invitation for people of the Jewish faith to experience, celebrate, and revere the gift of our natural world. But in the face of the looming climate change crisis and global food insecurities, what can Sukkot teach us about how to live in harmony with nature — and what spiritual and secular practices can help us ensure our ongoing survival?
This episode of Living Jewishly is the third and final of a series of special episodes exploring the Jewish holidays.
Dr. Elliot Malamet is joined by guests Julia Plevin and Rabbi Rachel Rosenbluth, who have actively engaged nature as a powerful focal point in their personal, professional, and spiritual lives.
This episode dives into our evolving relationship with the natural world, how to incorporate our holiday messages into the rest of our year, and the importance of embracing our identities as beings of nature.
“We’ve disconnected ourselves from nature in our capitalist and extractive culture… we are nature. We are a part of nature.”
— Bluth
This episode discusses:
- How to experience Sukkot as a powerful invitation into a more sustainable, in-tune, and natural way of living
- How to involve nature in your daily spiritual practice — and the healing benefits you can enjoy
- Why now is the time to seriously care about the state of our world — and why it is so urgent
Highlights:
00:52 Introduction
02:23 The sukkah as metaphor
05:01 The sukkah as liminal space
06:21 Technology conquering nature
08:03 The sukkah as a home
09:49 Nature as daily spiritual practice
16:33 The six directions
17:24 Segmentation of holiday messages & shmita
19:47 Importance of identity & reconnection
25:57 Thinking beyond the abstract
26:45 Environmentalism & diaspora
30:58 Turning to, not away
33:50 Nature-integrated spiritual practices
41:09 Judaism as a nature-based religion
Links:
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“There’s a stability, I think, that everyone can find in relation to the calendar.”
— Ganga Devi
As we exit the period of Rosh Hashanah and venture further into the month of Tishrei, we transition from a time of serious contemplation and teshuva into the time of our joy.
What should we be bringing with us into this period — and what should we be taking out of it?
This episode of Living Jewishly is an instalment of Sacred Time, a podcast dedicated to exploring the healing art of the Hebrew calendar. In this episode, Bluth and Ganga Devi explore the holiday of Sukkot, looking at the fragility, stability, and joy of this time in which we step out of our ordinary homes and find home and communion in relationship with the natural, living world.
Beginning on the evening of September 20th and ending on the evening of September 27th, 2021, Sukkot is a pilgrimage holiday that incorporates rest, remembrance, and celebration. It is a commemoration of not only the years that Jewish people spent in the desert while seeking the Promised Land, but also of their resilience and the protection granted them by G-d.
During Sukkot, we step out of our habitual lives and boxes of our identities, and find new revitalization in nature and in communion with those around us. Join us for a deep discussion of the nourishment that we can find during this precious time.
“Sukkot comes as a time of our joy, when we actually transition from seriousness… and step into the natural world. ”
— Bluth
This episode discusses:
- Where and how to find deep insights into what the holiday of Sukkot really means for us, from rest to remembrance to celebration
- How we balance acknowledging both our fragility and our stability when considering our past and position in the world
- How we can find strength and revitalization through relating to nature — even in the midst of a global crisis
Highlights:
00:51 Intro
02:16 Rabbi Alan Lew’s words
03:56 Remembrance & celebration
06:15 From seriousness to the time of our joy
08:41 Fragility & stability
10:27 Teshuva
11:32 Nature & revitalization
13:57 Radical Amazement & joy
15:26 Stepping out of our personal lives
17:34 Party in Jerusalem
18:37 Find a sukkah
19:33 Expanding into the collective
21:17 Integration
25:58 The transition with water
28:37 How will you step into this?
31:26 The shape(s) of Sukkot
Links:
This is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared by Rabbi Alan Lew
https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/this-is-real-and-you/9780316830201-item.html
I and Thou by Martin Buber
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/I-and-Thou/Martin-Buber/9780743201339
Heschel’s concept of Radical Amazement
https://www.awakin.org/read/view.php?tid=1080
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“Being so close to nature… it is always wonderful for me to restore my perspective, my point of view.”
— Renay Weissman-Stanners
When you have the power to create and inhabit your happy place wherever you are, you carry with you some protection — not only against the daily stresses of everyday life, but also the deeper anxieties and melancholy of lived and inherited trauma.
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is an instalment of What’s In Your Toolbox?, a podcast about mental health and the tools that we use to cope and to thrive. Host Bobby K. and his guest, 99.3 County FM radio host Renay Weissman-Stanners, have a candid and honest conversation about familial trauma, antisemitism, intergenerational stress, and the importance of being kind to yourself.
From the soothing nature of the sun to the relaxing art of embroidery to the importance of finding the right medication, Renay shares the most effective tools in her toolbox. Tune in to hear her story and the lessons she shares.
“The feeling of the sun immediately warms everything — and it warms up my thoughts, too.”
— Renay Weissman-Stanners
This episode discusses:
- How Renay creates her own happy places within her home and her community
- How Renay discovered and grew into her Jewishness after her early religious confusion
- The incredible power of nature and music to heal, soothe, teach, and calm
Highlights:
00:53 Intro
02:07 “Walk Away Renay”
03:52 Prince Edward County
06:07 Creating happy places
08:14 Chaotic upbringing
10:42 Religious confusion
15:10 Antidepressants & intergenerational stress
17:17 Music
20:18 Embroidery
22:20 Family situations
27:46 RAST
31:16 Reading
Links:
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“Without forgiveness, there could be no allowance for human frailty.”
— Dr. Elliot Malamet
All relationships depend on forgiveness, from the personal to the professional to the intimate. In fact, the closer you become to another person, the more robust a role forgiveness must play in your relationship, as the strongest bonds can lead to the strongest hurts.
But how far does forgiveness really extend? Are there acts that are too difficult to forgive or atone for? And is it even possible to truly move past a discretion for which no apology has been given?
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is a special Yom Kippur instalment of Crossing the Sea, a podcast about Judaism and mental health. Dr. Elliot Malamet explores the dynamics of forgiveness from a Jewish perspective, and how these themes are linked to our observance of Yom Kippur.
“The apology is second and forgiveness is third. What’s step number one? Communicating the hurt.”
— Dr. Elliot Malamet
This episode discusses:
- How forgiveness can be a form of liberation, both for the forgiven and for the forgiver
- Why we are compelled to make it known when we are feeling resentful or angry, rather than bottling up our feelings
- What stops us from sharing our authentic feelings — and why forgiveness without communication can be harmful
Highlights:
00:52 Intro
02:10 Forgiveness & liberation
03:04 The martyr syndrome & Maimonides
05:32 Why don’t we communicate?
07:52 Forgiveness without apology
11:22 Types of forgiveness
14:38 “Forgiveness as understanding”
15:55 What is your expectation?
16:25 Yom Kippur & atonement
18:53 Is forgiveness ever owed… or toxic?
20:50 Forgiveness & the Talmud
25:12 Conclusion
Links:
Strange Piece of Paradise: A Return to the American West to Investigate My Attempted Murder—and Solve the Mystery of Myself by Terri Jentz
https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/strange-piece-of-paradise-a/9780312426699-item.html
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“When we’re able to stand in true humility and integrity, it’s really nice… you’re not operating from your shadows anymore.”
— Ganga Devi
The month of Elul is a time of intimacy, love, and relationships. It reminds us that the sacred exists within the mundane — we are beloved because we feel G-d every day, in every human and messy moment. Elul’s reflective energy guides us into the New Year, preparing us for the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. By reflecting on our actions and inactions of the past year, we hold ourselves responsible and accountable, so that we are able to cleanse and renew as we move forward with grace. In doing so, we return to Elul’s beloved meditation on loving and forgiving ourselves, as well as others.
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is an instalment of Sacred Time, a podcast devoted to the healing art of the Hebrew calendar. This replay episode reflects upon the significance of the month of Elul and touches upon major themes related to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
In this episode, Bluth and Ganga Devi explore the rich possibilities of shadow work, the nuances of accountability, and why we are so keen to push boundaries. Join us as we introspectively and collectively work toward renewal and integrity during the High Holidays.
“We are really looking at our calendar as our blueprint — our healing art.”
— Bluth
This episode discusses:
- What really happened in the Garden of Eden, and what we can learn about responsibility, accountability, and blame
- How Jungian shadow work can allow us to better love ourselves and others, and step into our lives with empowerment
- The importance of humility in taking our place within the world, and its relationship to our personal field of action
Highlights:
00:50Introduction
01:17Month of Elul
02:57Preparing for Rosh Hashanah
03:38Rosh Hashanah: Responsibility & accountability
08:40Humility & our field of action
12:50Missing the mark
14:08Yom Kippur: Forgiveness & second chances
17:07Jungian perspectives: Human shadow
23:20Sukkot: Earthly love and care
26:00Elul: Beloved reflection
29:04Transformative power of the high holidays
30:11Living Jewishly resources
31:59Cleansing & renewal
Links:
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“I think laughter is underrated. I think if everybody laughed a good belly laugh for five or ten minutes a day, they’d feel a heck of a lot more different than if they didn’t.”
— Jackie G.
Laughter really is the best medicine. From sitcoms to comedians to real-life quirks and absurdities, humour can be a powerful tool for raising the spirits and overcoming dark times.
This instalment of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is an episode of What’s in Your Toolbox?, a podcast about mental health and the tools that we use to improve it. In this episode, Bobby K sits down with his friend and former co-star “Wacky Jackie” G., a fellow alumni of the Mood Disorder Association of Ontario’s Laughing Like Crazy program.
In this episode, the two explore the power of comedy, creativity, connection, and planning out your “me” time!
“You have to be so kind and compassionate to yourself.”
— Jackie G.
This episode discusses:
- The importance of being kind to yourself, especially during times when you’re feeling vulnerable
- How Jackie deals with her bad days — and the methods that she uses to self-soothe
- The healing power of laughter and where to find humour in the world
Highlights:
00:53 Intro
02:22 Meet “Wacky Jackie”
04:29 Laughing Like Crazy
07:16 Back to Niagara Falls
09:36 Crystals
11:48 Parenting at a distance
12:57 Getting through a bad day
14:05 Be kind to yourself
15:46 Laughter as medicine
18:02 “Me” time
20:04 Meditation
21:40 Being assertive & setting boundaries
22:55 JAST
26:07 Jackie’s advice
29:04 For Darnish
Links:
Laughing Like Crazy
https://mooddisorders.ca/program/laughing-like-crazy
Jackie’s shop
shopcrystaldragon@gmail.com
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“For most people in the real world, their experience of beauty is that it is a moral ideal.”
— Professor Heather Widdows
We live in a world that is obsessed with appearance. Social media filters allow young people to create personal images far removed from reality, plastic surgery “trends” pop up almost seasonally, and we increasingly conflate our self worth with how well we conform to societal beauty standards. For many people, achieving aesthetic beauty is virtuous — consider the guilt that we can feel when we skip the gym, put on a few pounds, or run into an acquaintance while having a bad hair day… or the way that we may judge others for doing the same.
What is the fallout from our current cultural preoccupation with beauty, and how can we uncover a healthier sense of self?
This instalment of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is an episode of Crossing the Sea, a podcast about mental health. In this episode, Dr. Elliot Malamet speaks with Professor Heather Widdows, British philosopher, John Ferguson Professor of Global Ethics at the University of Birmingham in Birmingham, England, and co-writer of the Beauty Demands blog.
This discussion covers the moral and ethical implications of our focus on the external, as well as its effects on our mental health.
“We’ve moved from the cut of the dress to the cut of the breast.”
— Professor Heather Widdows
This episode discusses:
- How the digital age has shifted the way that we engage with beauty ideals
- The role that capitalism plays in creating or emphasizing aesthetic “problems”
- Questions regarding individual agency and control around objectification
Highlights:
00:51 Intro
03:18 Beauty as a moral ideal
05:14 Has beauty always been so important?
07:03 Normalization of beauty practices
09:05 Beauty & capitalism
10:52 Origin of beauty standards
12:25 Pretense of diversity
13:53 Women’s individual agency
16:17 Where youth receive beauty ideals
19:34 Dominance of image & being camera-ready
23:33 Control v. objectification
29:32 Living with contradiction
31:32 Beauty & age
34:15 Men & beauty
36:27 Ideal selfhood
39:39 Final takeaway
41:13 Conclusion
Links:
Beauty Demands
https://beautydemands.blogspot.com
The Attention Merchants: The Epic Scramble To Get Inside Our Heads by Tim Wu
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/234876/the-attention-merchants-by-tim-wu
My Body by Emily Ratajkowski
https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250817860/mybody
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“We all hold different cards in life… part of the idea of Av is to see our cards and say: all right, how can I love this? How can I love where I came from, and how can I use this to improve my life?”
— Idan Lumi
Av is a complex month. It’s a period during which we consider our own responsibility, in our lives and our history, but it also reminds us of the softer aspects of being human. Av begins in a time of heat, mourning, and destruction… then guides us through a period of grief to one of potential, renewal — and love.
Love plays a significant role in the month of Av. This is the month in which we celebrate Tu B'Av, known as the “Jewish Valentine’s Day.” This holiday has in the past been celebrated as a day of matchmaking, but now takes on the role of a celebration of love, playfulness, and connection (both with ourselves and others). It’s been described as one of the happiest days of the year, along with Yom Kippur.
This episode of Sacred Time revisits our exploration of Av and of the concept and practice of love — the shapes that it can take, the process of becoming more loving, and the links between love, accountability, and grief. Ganga Devi, Bluth, and guest Idan Lumi explore love of self, love of others, and love of the divine as they delve into the significance of this sacred month.
We wish you a love-filled and joyful Av!
“This month holds inside of it the whole process of taking responsibility and paying your dues, and then moving along and enjoying the flowering.”
— Idan Lumi
This episode discusses:
- What it means to take responsibility during the month of Av — and how that process may look in our lives
- The history of the holiday of Tu B'Av, known as the “Jewish Valentine’s Day”
- Rich and enriching definitions of what “love” truly means, and why it requires vulnerability and wilful action
Highlights:
00:52 Introduction & Idan Lumi
01:57 Month of Av
03:09 Tu B'Av
04:51 Av & taking responsibility
08:26 “Response + ability”
09:53 Love is a struggle
10:49 Defining love
19:25 Energy & frequency
26:30 Accountability
28:58 Ganga’s New Years story
32:52 Integrating experiences & becoming more loving
36:29 Finding the “meaning”
41:21 Unlearning linearity
43:37 Grief & suffering
46:41 Tu B'Av & love
50:28 Practical parenting wisdom
56:16 Small daily practices
1:02:43 Gratitude & happy Tu B'Av
Links:
HeartSourcing: Finding Our Way to Love and Liberation by Ramgiri Braun, Ph.D.
https://skillsforawakening.com/book/
What's Love Got to Do With It? Guided Learning for Tu B'Av
https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/185368?lang=bi
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“It’s not only through learning that we can express who we are as Jews.”
— Professor William Kolbrener
Have the humanities become a supportive platform or mirror for fundamentalist modes of thinking, rather than an antidote?
Over the past few decades, the humanities have undergone a major shift. Has a new dogmatic focus on “correcting” discourse stifled academic curiosity and exploration? Are the dogmas of the left and right more closely related than we think?
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is an instalment of What Would You Do?, a podcast about ethical issues in our modern world. Dr. Elliot Malamet speaks with Professor William Kolbrener, professor of English Literature at Bar Ilan University in Israel, about the evolution of reading communities, the problems surrounding the rise of the safe space, and the differences between teaching in North America and teaching in Israel.
“I feel betrayed by the left — I don’t feel betrayed by the right, I always knew the right didn’t have my interests in mind.”
— Professor William Kolbrener
This episode discusses:
- Why and when the shift in the humanities began to occur — and how this legacy is playing out today
- Whether the language of self-interested modernity is antithetical to maintaining a traditional community
- What modern students are seeking — and craving — in their educational experiences
Highlights:
00:52 Intro
03:00 Reading communities now & then
06:00 Legacy of 16th & 17th century humanists
08:01 The shift of the humanities
12:09 Charedi world
14:35 Free interpretations v. un-free lived experiences
17:10 Destined for greatness
19:31 Modernity v. traditional communities
23:01 What modern students are craving
28:09 Teaching the humanities in Israel
31:00 Fate of the humanities
32:10 Conclusion
Links:
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“There’s just something so calming about carving down a mountain that I can’t really describe.”
— Alex Wasser
Since the age of 5, Alex Wasser has been passionate about snowboarding, joining a snowboard racing team at the age of 9 and honing her skills in competition for nearly a decade. Through her time with the team, she found community, discipline, self esteem, and a rich appreciation for her sport. Snowboarding also provided Alex with an incredible source of peace and satisfaction.
But her passion for snowboarding soon proved to be in conflict with her passion for academics — a conflict that was heightened by Alex’s tendency toward toxic perfectionism.
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is an episode of What’s In Your Toolbox?, a podcast about mental health and the tools that help us to cope and heal. In this episode, Alex and host Bobby K explore the hazards of perfectionist notions, how her mental health challenges have influenced her career, and the importance of speaking out and being authentic.
“A lot of my perfectionism stemmed in anxiety and depression. I really felt that until I addressed that as an issue, anything I tried to pursue was going to have this underlying perfectionist notion.”
— Alex Wasser
This episode discusses:
- The link between anxiety and perfectionism, and why perfectionism must be dealt with in order to successfully pursue one’s path
- How Alex uses social media as a tool for raising awareness and providing needed nuance when it comes to mental health
- What an intensive dialectical behaviour therapy program looks like — and how it can improve your thinking and relationships
Highlights:
00:53 Introduction
02:50 Alex Wasser & Irish Lake
03:37 Snowboarding
05:05 Dealing with perfectionism
06:44 Discovering a diagnosis
08:17 Social media as a tool
09:57 Alex’s accomplishments & goals
10:46 CBT, DBT & the 3 Ps
13:50 A.A.S.T.
16:44 What’s in Alex’s toolbox?
18:11 Laughing Like Crazy program
19:12 Positive energy & negative energy
21:01 Comedy as a tool
23:51 Alex’s advice
27:56 Coming up on What’s in Your Toolbox? & snowboarding facts
Links:
Laughing Like Crazy
https://mooddisorders.ca/program/laughing-like-crazy
No Magic Bullet
http://nomagicbullet.org
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“I did not transition from a woman to a man. Society perceived me as a woman. I was born female, but I’ve always been a man in my eyes.”
— Micha Yehudi
What does it mean to grow up transgender and Jewish — and how do these intersecting identities complicate the challenges faced by this group?
As the connections and differences between biological sex and gender have sparked new debates in the public discourse, society’s focus on the LGBTQ community has expanded beyond sexual orientation to gender identity. Although many cultures have historically recognized “third gender,” two-spirited, and nonbinary people, transgender people in the modern world still face many challenges when it comes to acceptance, understanding, and in many cases their fundamental human rights.
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is an instalment of Crossing the Sea, a podcast about Judaism and mental health. Dr. Elliot Malamet speaks with Micha Yehudi and Yiscah Smith about their experiences with transitioning and how they view their lives through a Jewish lens.
Tune into this episode for a candid, insightful, and fascinating discussion about identity, isolation, and becoming whole.
“I needed to go about this really deliberately, from a place of strength, not from a place of fear — where I’m not running away, but I’m running to.”
— Yiscah Smith
This episode discusses:
- The role that one’s culture plays in reifying one’s sense of identity and the generational changes that have affected the trans experience
- What it’s like to undergo the transition process in Israel — and why each person’s transition choices are so unique and personal
- Finding a place within one’s self and finding a place within one’s community
Highlights:
00:52 Intro
02:16 Micha’s early years
08:18 Joining the military
13:41 Yiscah’s story
17:36 The role of culture in reifying identity
18:39 1960s high school experience
20:14 Caged in adulthood & leaving the Torah world
25:11 Generational changes
28:01 Micha’s transition story
34:26 Negotiating community
37:46 Returning to America post-divorce
42:24 Feeling of dying & returning to G-d
47:27 Gender in Judaism
53:42 Yiscah’s reconnection to Judaism
58:25 What to know and ask
1:02:55 Conclusion
Links:
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“What does it mean to be healing through a process of bringing trauma, and bringing really difficult things to our awareness and to our consciousness?”
— Ganga Devi
Trauma does not merely live in the past. It lives in our bodies… until we do the work of healing. Tammuz, the fourth month in the religious Jewish calendar, holds and commemorates the memory of a lot of the pain, trauma, and destruction that we have experienced as a people.
In Tammuz, we descend into the heat. In the following month, Av, we emerge from it. During Tammuz, we recognize and reflect upon the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem and commemorates the destruction of two holy temples. This is a sacred time of mourning — a time when we give space to anger and despair while also contemplating our own boundaries and violations. It is necessary work that plays a vital role in our collective healing.
This instalment of Living Jewishly revisits last year’s Tammuz episode of Sacred Time, a podcast devoted to exploring the healing art of the Hebrew calendar.
When we hold trauma inside of ourselves, we may be doomed to a cycle of retraumatization. This episode discusses the nature of trauma, the different ways we may approach it, and steps that we can take to heal.
“Trauma is undigested experience.”
— Ganga Devi
This episode discusses:
- Why we need sacred space for pain and reflection — and how the Hebrew calendar creates this
- The roles that “looking” and the act of bearing witness play in the healing process
- How to create a level of separation from trauma to help enhance your healing — and how to find refuge in your present moment
Highlights:
00:51 Intro
02:23 Tammuz
04:11 The trauma of violation
05:55 Making space for pain
07:16 “Looking” at / witnessing trauma
11:42 We can be what we need
12:56 Regeneration & decomposition
17:08 Transformation & resilience
19:19 What does it mean to process?
22:20 The human shadow
25:32 What helps us process?
27:20 Bearing witness & befriending anger
29:38 The Interior Castle
31:50 Rebuilding the temple
33:52 Everything is sacred
36:10 Practices for this month
Links:
The Interior Castle
https://wedaretosay.com/what-are-the-mansions-of-the-interior-castle
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“If we’re going to harm somebody because they’ve done something wrong, we should do it because we expect good things — better things — to come from it.”
— Professor Adam Kolber
As humans, we have strong feelings about right and wrong. But our individual opinions regarding what constitutes justice — or even what constitutes a crime, in many cases — may vary. Our culture remains deeply divided on the policies that guide punishment, so how do we determine the best and most ethical courses of action when it comes to maintaining law and order in our society? Should punishment be inflicted to cause harm and suffering, or as a consequence that will produce some good?
This episode of The Living Jewishly Podcasts is an instalment of What Would You Do?, a podcast about ethics in the modern world. This episode’s guest is Professor Adam Kolber, who teaches health law, bioethics, criminal law, and neurolaw at Brooklyn Law School.
During this conversation, Dr. Elliot Malamet and Professor Kolber dive into the goals and moral basis of punishment, the difference between vengeance and punishment, and how culture and politics affect crime and its institutional consequences.
“When you increase amounts of punishment a little bit, it doesn’t affect people’s behaviour very much… because most people don’t think they’re going to get caught.”
— Professor Adam Kolber
This episode discusses:
- The retributivist approach to punishment v. the consequentialist approach
- The rationale behind the extremely high levels of crime and incarceration in the United States
- What we gain from performing justice and punishment on an institutional rather than individual level — and which types of punishments are most effective
Highlights:
00:53 Intro
02:42 Adam Kolber & goals of punishment
04:46 Vengeance & punishment
06:03 Blood avengers v. institutions
07:44 Crime in the United States
10:39 Crime & culture
13:11 Heroes in popular culture
14:40 “Getting away with it”
16:12 Effective punishments
18:27 Kant’s thought experiment
22:40 Free will, responsibility & capital punishment
27:30 Eye for an eye
30:11 Proportionality & drug offences
32:27 Atonement
34:09 Punitiveness in the digital era
38:19 Conclusion
Links:
Kant: The Metaphysics of Morals by Immanuel Kant & Mary J. Gregor (Editor)
https://www.amazon.ca/Kant-Metaphysics-Morals-Immanuel/dp/0521566738
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“Something about a dance class is very ritualistic; it’s very meditative, it’s exhilarating and joyful, but also very soothing.”
— Jody (Kerzner) Bruner
Prepare to hear a great excuse to turn up the volume on your favourite album or playlist. This episode of The Living Jewishly Podcasts is an instalment of What’s In Your Toolbox?, a podcast about mental health and the tools we use to heal. In this episode, host Bobby K reconnects with an old high school classmate whose irreverent and surprisingly wise yearbook message still resonates decades later.
While Bobby and his classmate Jody developed their personal connection through their school’s dance class, Jody’s own connection to dance is much larger and more significant. From serving as an escape from a challenging and sometimes volatile family life as a child to helping her soothe her anxieties and ground herself as an adult, dance has become one of Jody’s most important mental health tools and passions.
Tune in to hear her story… and then consider putting on your favourite music and some dancing shoes!
“I’m trying to be more connected and to be more open about the challenges in my life.”
— Jody (Kerzner) Bruner
This episode discusses:
- The power of dance and movement to heal not only the body, but the mind as well
- How dance has helped Jody to navigate many of the emotional stressors in her life
- Additional tools that help both Jody and Bobby deal with anxiety and depression
Highlights:
00:53 Intro
01:54 Meet Jody (Kerzner) Bruner
03:36 Yearbook message
05:19 Dance in school
07:10 Dance as an early escape
08:53 Dance & divorce
10:16 Jody’s other hobbies
13:32 More tools
15:07 Love where you live
17:21 JAST
20:35 Openness
21:57 Being a grandmother & bobblehead
24:49 Getting married
Links:
No Magic Bullet
http://nomagicbullet.org
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“It’s very important that I not conflate my position as a support beam for people in the community with real therapy… if someone needs real therapy, I need to turn them in that direction.”
— Rabbi Yoni Rosensweig
When a community views mental health problems — and the professionals who treat them — with suspicion, what does that do to its members who may deal with these issues?
While the stigma around mental health has begun to be challenged, many people still face an uphill battle when it comes to seeking treatment, or even being open about their struggles, without facing social consequences.
This episode of The Living Jewishly Podcasts is an instalment of Crossing the Sea, a podcast about Judaism and mental health. Dr. Elliot Malamet’s guest is Rabbi Yoni Rosensweig, rabbi of the Netzach Menashe community in Beit Shemesh and author of a number of books about the nexus between mental health and Jewish law.
This conversation explores the growing understanding of mental health care, the evolving responsibilities of rabbis in our modern world, and the sacrifices we need to make as a community to create a safe space for our struggling members.
“The thing that we need to care for the most is that we don’t doom a gay individual to a life of loneliness.”
— Rabbi Yoni Rosensweig
This episode discusses:
- How to identify and honor the line between pastoral counselling and professional therapeutic work
- Whether older Jewish texts hold any use in modern conversations about mental health
- How we may support and serve LGBT members in our communities
Highlights:
00:52 Intro
02:45 Rabbi Rosensweig & Gen Z
05:22 Evolving responsibilities & boundaries
08:09 Rabbinic training
11:01 Should rabbis be in therapy?
15:00 Jewish texts & mental health perspectives
20:27 Mental health & returnees
22:51 LGBT, guilt & Orthodoxy
29:03 Communal treatment & sacrifice
35:09 Conclusion
Links:
Sanity and Sanctity: Mental Health Work Among the Ultra-Orthodox in Jerusalem by David Greenberg & Eliezer Witztum M.D.
https://www.amazon.ca/Sanity-Sanctity-Mental-Ultra-Orthodox-Jerusalem/dp/0300071914
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“We received the Torah in this month. This month brought us a very big gift, and now that we have it, there’s a question of: where does it lead us to?”
— Bluth
Welcome to Sivan, a time of ripening and movement! This episode of the Living Jewishly podcast is an instalment of Scared Time, a podcast that explores the healing art of the Jewish calendar. It revisits last year’s episode dedicated to the month of Sivan, its themes and symbols, and how they relate to our lives today.
The holiday of Shavuot, the Festival of Weeks, is an important holiday early on in the month of Sivan that marks the end of the Counting of Omer and commemorates the day that the Jewish people first received the Torah at Mount Sinai.
Once we receive the gift of the Torah, we must decide how and where we move forward.
In a time when many are sensitive to their privilege, it can be difficult to know how to receive gifts, both material and spiritual. Abundance can come with a feeling of shame or guilt — how can we appreciate what we have in a world with such an unequal distribution of resources? And what steps can we take toward creating a better outcome for our communities?
This episode explores these questions and more, helping us to map our paths in this month of movement.
“Power is the ability to choose and then to follow through — to act on that choice. If we have the ability to act but we don’t actually have the ability to choose… that’s not real power.”
— Ganga Devi
This episode discusses:
- How we may move forward sustainably and intentionally with the material and spiritual gifts that we receive
- What real, sacred power looks like — and how to share your power and gifts with the world
- The importance of contributing to the collective healing of the world, rather than its fragmentation
Highlights:
00:51 Introductions
02:22 The month of movement
05:40 How do we proceed with what we received?
08:17 Power & abundance
10:30 Relationality
12:22 The walking of the spirit
13:42 How do we contribute to healing?
15:27 Perfectionism & integrity
17:16 Shavuot
19:56 Different types of power
23:01 Lekh Lekha
27:47 Daily blessings
31:00 Inhabiting the fullness of time
40:15 Practice for connecting to ancestors
Links:
Joanna Macy - To Live in the Fullness of Time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jliSPJxTHak
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“If the Torah is to bear a message for all generations… its revelation has to be a dynamic process, a gradual unfolding that reveals its ultimate significance incrementally, only through time.”
— Tamar Ross
The giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai reads something like a fairy tale, and to take the story at face value requires a high level of credulity. How is it possible for an invisible, unknowable, and divine force to communicate with human beings? How are we to accept not only this narrative, but the sacred laws and teachings that derive from it?
When it comes to the Torah, how do we find the core of “truth” beneath and behind the layers of subjective human interpretation — and is this “truth” still relevant in our contemporary world?
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is an instalment of What Would You Do?, a podcast about ethics in the modern world. Dr. Elliot Malamet speaks with Tamar Ross, Professor Emerita of Jewish Philosophy at Jerusalem’s Bar-Ilan University and a leading specialist of religious feminist philosophy, about the implications of the Mount Sinai story and how we may approach it in our modern context.
This rich and fascinating conversation explores the tension between Orthodox beliefs and critical theories, the malleability of meaning behind words, and the concept of non-realism.
“Humans haven’t begun to scratch the surface of possible modes of existence and consciousness.”
— Tamar Ross
This episode discusses:
- Three assumptions that make up Professor Ross’s understanding of the Mount Sinai narrative and other traditional messages
- The primary job of religious statements of “truth” — and how they shape our worldview and day-to-day practices
- Three strands of thought that have helped Professor Ross build a subjectivist approach to metaphysics
Highlights:
00:51 Intro
05:06 Tamar Ross & youthful faith
12:49 3 assumptions of cumulativism
17:32 Words & meaning
20:30 Non-realism & cultural perspectives
25:43 Metaphysics, subjectivism & Kant
28:56 Kabbalah & G-d’s view of human life
32:00 Ludwig Wittgenstein
35:27 Orthodoxy & religious fictionalism
41:44 Obligation, meaning & prayer
49:17 Overcoming disadvantages
52:30 Conclusion
Links:
Expanding the Palace of Torah: Orthodoxy and Feminism by Tamar Ross
https://www.amazon.ca/Expanding-Palace-Torah-Orthodoxy-Feminism/dp/168458051X
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“When I came into recovery from alcoholism, I didn’t know all the issues that were driving me into that behaviour.”
— Mark Collings
Sometimes, the tools that we use to manage our own mental health can have amazing effects on others.
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is an instalment of What’s In Your Toolbox, a podcast about mental health and the tools we use in our daily lives, and features a conversation between host Bobby K and Mark Collings, a media production professional and documentary filmmaker from Alberta, Canada.
Mark served as the director of the documentary No Magic Bullet: An Honest Discussion About Mental Health — a commitment that took five years but was led by his heart. A vocal mental health advocate himself, Mark’s approach to mental health is informed by an addiction perspective.
The conversation explores the tools that Mark uses to manage his depression and alcoholism, his approach to blending filmmaking with advocacy, and his important work as an AA sponsor.
Note: If you reside in or around Calgary, Alberta, Canada, please visit the link below to learn more about an upcoming mental health fundraiser being held on June 7, 2022 in conjunction with the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) of Central Alberta.
“The classic 12-step program is just a series of decisions and actions that take a person from a state of illness to a state of wellness.”
— Mark Collings
This episode discusses:
- How Mark used cognitive tools, socialization, and self care to manage his mental health
- The importance of ego deflation and working to help others rescue themselves
- Mark’s new documentary project & an upcoming fundraiser relating to mental health
Highlights:
00:53 Intro
02:05 Mark Collings & advocacy
03:45 Comedy, art & mental health
06:26 Behind ‘No Magic Bullet’
07:44 What’s in Mark’s toolbox?
11:49 AA sponsoring
14:16 Habits & transformation
15:39 Hobbies
18:12 June 7 fundraiser
19:52 M.A.S.T.
22:16 Turning hobbies into tools
24:03 The 3 Ps
25:29 Listener feedback & snail lesson
Links:
Fundraiser information (June 7, 2022)
http://nomagicbullet.org
https://krazyafteralltheseyears.com
Hwy 2
http://www.hwy2.tv
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“The beauty of the cyclical nature of our Hebrew calendar is that as we move through the seasons and holy days and months, we revisit universal themes each year as new people.”
— Bluth
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is an episode of Sacred Time, a podcast that explores the healing art of the Hebrew calendar as it relates to our lives today. This is a replay of our Iyar episode, exploring its rituals, its agricultural origins, and the meaning we may find in it.
The month of Iyar is a time of healing, development, and growth, one marked by the 49-day ritual of counting the Omer. As we record and reflect upon our journey from Passover (celebrating our freedom from slavery) to Shavuot (when we celebrate receiving the Torah), our attention is drawn to a variety of divine characteristics, including loving-kindness, beauty, acknowledgment, and foundation.
The rich themes of the Hebrew calendar allow for fertile space in which to uncover new insights. We invite you to re-join us for our Iyar discussion with fresh eyes (and ears) and consider how the last 12 months may have changed your perspective… and how this new perspective may guide your actions throughout the next 12.
“If you actually study earth systems, it doesn’t take long to realize that we are living and breathing and speaking and talking and moving and thinking aspects of the earth… just as all living things are.”
— Ganga Devi
This episode discusses:
- The deep meaning behind Shavuot and our relationship to and with the Torah
- How should we as individuals receive Torah during this sacred moment — and what should we do to prepare?
- The importance of achieving the mindset shift from “freedom from” to “freedom through” or “freedom to”
Highlights:
00:50 Scared Time
01:20 Iyar & counting the Omer
02:37 Healing & growth
03:41 Agricultural rituals & offerings
04:36 Acknowledging the nourishment available to us
06:15 Spiritual energy
07:10 What are we moving toward?
09:05 What is Torah?
11:16 How can we receive Torah now?
15:07 The Aleph of the Ten Commandments
18:53 Components of the Torah
20:44 Ramadan 2021
23:13 Interdevotionalism
24:10 “Speak to the Earth and it will guide you”
30:45 Final takeaway & how to get involved
Links:
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“In general, modern liberal societies trade on the idea that there is no one way to be a person.”
— Akiva Malamet
Nation, state, country… these concepts may seem straightforward and synonymous, but they contain a great deal of nuance.
Can nationalism be just a simple love of one’s country, or does it always imply a level of prejudice? Can a state be truly multinational or must it contain dominant beliefs and backgrounds? Are borders an ethical necessity?
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is an instalment of What Would You Do?, a podcast about ethics in the modern world.
In this episode, Dr. Elliot Malamet speaks with Akiva Malamet, a graduate student whose research deals with immigration policy and whose writings on nationalism have appeared on Libertarianism.org. Their conversation explores the rise of fervent nationalism, the thin line between patriotism and hate, and whether the idea of compulsory loyalty to a nation has any moral basis.
“Nationalism is a force to be reckoned with and highlights the deep divisions around the world about matters of identity and belonging… these arguments can start out as benign and end up as deadly.”
— Dr. Elliot Malamet
This episode discusses:
- The modern cultural shifts that have triggered the global rise in right-wing nationalism
- The definition and (comparatively recent) history of nationhood — and whether most nations may be thought of as social constructs
- The nature of nationalism and whether nations should be thought of as homogenous tribes or as empires
Highlights:
00:52 Intro
02:06 Culture & nationalism’s comeback
05:23 What is a nation?
08:51 How is nationalism modern?
12:50 Is the concept of “nation” valuable?
15:19 Nationalism & morality
18:33 Individual v. citizen
22:06 Russian nationalism
24:57 Megalothymia
27:49 Conclusion
Links:
Vice In The Virtue Of Nationalism by Akiva Malamet
https://www.libertarianism.org/columns/vice-virtue-nationalism
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“Doctors are doing their very best, but they are not all-knowing and they certainly are only beginning to scratch the surface of mental health.”
— Angela Tsounis
What do you do when your family’s lives are turned upside down by a surprise medical diagnosis… and you can’t seem to find any real help?
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is an episode of What’s in Your Toolbox?, a podcast about mental health and the tools we use to heal.
In this episode, Bobby K speaks to Angela Tsounis, podcast host, holistic lifestyle coach, and author of Different From the Other Kids: A Book of Interviews for Parents of Challenging Children. After Angela’s daughter was diagnosed with a major mood disorder, Angela struggled to make sense of her new situation and create space for herself and her daughter to find peace and healing going forward.
Tune in to discover how Angela how Angela discovered her own resources… and created a source of information and reassurance for others in her situation.
“Stay open. Listen to all the people who have come before you who have worked this out for themselves… success leaves clues.”
— Angela Tsounis
This episode discusses:
- The challenging diagnosis and journey of discovery that led Angela to write Different From the Other Kids
- The tools and support team that help Angela overcome and move past her challenges and struggles
- Angela’s top two pieces of advice for people who are struggling with (or have loved ones who are struggling with) mental health challenges
Highlights:
00:52 Intro
02:24 Meet Angela Tsounis
04:24 Different From The Other Kids
06:29 What’s in a name?
07:45 No Magic Bullet
08:17 What’s in Angela’s toolbox?
24:38 Angela’s support team
26:17 Angela’s words of advice
27:43 Angela’s upcoming anxiety program
28:36 Reach out
Links:
Angela Tsounis
https://www.angelatsounis.net
https://podcast.dftok.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angela_tsounis
Different From the Other Kids: A Book of Interviews for Parents of Challenging Children by Angela Tsounis
https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/different-from-the-other-kids/9781988179001-item.html
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
“To me, addiction is a cancer. Because I don’t believe that cancer can be beaten. I don’t believe that addiction can be beaten. But it CAN be put into remission.”
— Randy Eckler
How do you solve a problem that you aren’t ready to admit exists?
When it comes to alcohol and substance addiction, the problem of denial isn’t confined to the person suffering the addiction. Denial can affect their friends, their family… and their religious community.
The stereotype that Jewish people do not drink or do drugs may seem like a positive one, but it masks the very real issues that many Jews face. It makes it more challenging for them to step forward and ask for the help that they need, as well as for the people around them to acknowledge their struggles.
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is an instalment of Crossing the Sea, a podcast about Judaism and mental health. In this episode, Dr. Elliot Malamet speaks with David Kaufman, an addictions counsellor at the Jewish Addiction Community Services, and his client, Randy Eckler, about the nature of addiction and Randy’s personal struggle with addiction and path to recovery.
Randy’s story is not a happy one, but it’s valuable one.
“I hit rock bottom three times… there’s nothing that I could do to take anything back that I’ve done. All I can do is be a better person, be a better example.”
— Randy Eckler
This episode discusses:
- The root causes and symptoms of addiction and how they are misunderstood
- The recovery process, including the four important steps
- How Randy emerged from hitting rock bottom three times to become a teacher who is helping others overcome their own addictions
Highlights:
00:52 Introduction
02:13 Jewish sobriety myth
04:21 Root issues of addiction
05:42 Degrees of personal responsibility
07:23 Keys to recovery
10:00 Rock bottom & bringing the bottom up
11:03 Randy’s story
18:14 The recovery experience
21:28 Parenthood & enabling addiction
27:00 Randy’s experience hiding use
28:51 Conclusion
Links:
Great Falls by Richard Ford
https://granta.com/great-falls
Jewish Addiction Community Services
https://jacstoronto.org
How to Be a Jewish Recovery Ally
https://jaanetwork.org/pdf/JAN_InfoSheet_m1.pdf
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“There is such a kindness in this calendar. There is so much opportunity to truly heal, to truly shift how we relate to ourselves and our world.”
— Ganga Devi
As we enter the month of Nisan, the first month of the Hebrew calendar, we enter a time of freshness, new beginnings… and bold possibility. With Nisan comes springtime, with its beautiful themes of renewal and life.
As we look forward with anticipation to the possibilities ahead, we also look back on the past year and all that we have learned.
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is an instalment of Sacred Time, a podcast exploring the healing art of the Hebrew calendar.
In this episode, Bluth and Ganga Devi reflect on the past 12 months that have been explored on the Sacred Time podcast, honour and organise what has been, and create a container of reflection and fertile ground for what may come next.
“Each moon cycle brings us through new energy, new time, and a new chapter.”
— Bluth
This episode discusses:
- The four different moments for new beginnings in the Jewish calendar, and what sets each New Year apart
- The meaning and essence behind the word Seder and how we use our freedom in a way that honours that order
- The cyclical nature of our sacred time, from moons to months to life cycles — and how to remain present and conscious
Highlights:
00:52 Intro
01:30 Nisan
03:06 New Years in Judaism
06:26 Zodiac New Year
08:14 Passover Seder
11:18 Sacred Time reflection
13:17 Kindness in the calendar & The World to Come
16:58 Sacred Time cycles
19:37 Designing lives for presence
21:01 Freedom & structure
21:47 Year in review
32:40 Time to reflect & counting the Omer
Links:
The World to Come by Dara Horn
https://www.darahorn.com/book/the-world-to-come
Daily Omer count through art, with Ariella Powers on the LJ Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/living.jewishly
The Holistic Haggadah: How Will You Be Different This Seder Night by Michael Kagan
https://ktav.com/products/the-holistic-haggadah
For an excerpt, see Bluth’s facebook post.
School of Living Jewishly
https://www.schooloflivingjewishly.com
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“We are, in many ways, slaves to the grind — grind culture and being defined by our productivity.”
— Bluth
Is the idea of “freedom” clear-cut and universal? How closely do we examine the chains that bind us — and how can the Sedar help us to gain new perspective?
Slavery is not a grim chapter in our history that we can consider closed. It’s an ongoing problem that still occurs today, in many parts of the world and in many industries. But even for those of us fortunate enough not to be subject to it, debates about exploitation and work-life balance are both urgent and applicable to our modern lives.
Referred to as the zman cheruteinu, “the time of our freedom,” Pesach is the perfect time to reflect upon the constraints we deal with in our daily lives, whether physical, mental, or emotional — where are we “stuck,” and how can we get “unstuck”?
In this special episode is dedicated to Pesach, Dr. Elliot Malamet speaks with Living Jewishly’s Rabbi Rachel Rosenbluth and Rabbi Ami Silver, a teacher and psychotherapist living in Jerusalem, to explore our current understanding of freedom and where true freedom may be found in our modern lives.
“Rituals ought to be transformative experiences. If we look to the Sedar as a ritual, then we can look to it as something we’re designing, with a beginning and a middle and an end: we’re trying to get somewhere.”
— Bluth
This episode discusses:
- How to deal with situations and mindsets that leave you feeling “stuck”
- The symbolism of cleaning out chametz — and the thin boundary that exists between matzo and chametz
- How to approach the Haggadah in our contemporary age and what it can tell us about storytelling
Highlights:
00:52 Intro
02:26 Being “stuck” or “unstuck”
07:26 The Sedar, pain & late-stage capitalism
11:52 Chametz & absolutism
14:30 Matzo & chametz symbolism
16:52 The Sedar as purposeful ritual
22:30 The Haggadah & storytelling
26:04 When do stories start?
28:07 Labelling children
32:54 Asking Sedar questions
38:18 Universal suffering & the inexplicable
42:50 Conclusion
Links:
The Social Contract
https://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/rousseau/section2/
The School of Living Jewishly
https://www.schooloflivingjewishly.com
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“There are some things that are off-limits to a legitimate religion that is supposed to have divine authority to it.”
— Rabbi Eugene Korn
The atmosphere during Passover is usually a blend of fun and family, but the story narrated at the Seder table contains dark overtones, as the trials and tribulations of a group in exodus are prolonged and exacerbated by their powerful G-d.
Do these plagues and plights raise questions about the morality of G-d and divine justice? To put it another way: is G-d immoral? Which aspects of G-d’s behaviour should we be trying to emulate?
Through reinterpreting the story of Exodus, we can uncover new relevance for our modern lives. This episode of the Living Jewishly podcasts is an instalment of What Would You Do?, a podcast about ethics in the modern world.
In this episode, Dr. Elliot Malamet speaks with guest Rabbi Eugene Korn, a former Academic Director of the Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation in Israel, senior research fellow at Bet Morasha of Jerusalem’s Institute for Religion and Society, and author of To Be a Holy People: Jewish Tradition and Ethical Values.
This conversation explores the aspects of G-d that we should and should not strive to imitate, how the status of commandments is affected by the passage of time and cultural shifts, and the hidden lessons that the Bible may hold.
“The Bible wanted us to think about the problematics of religion being in the service of immorality. It wanted us to struggle with this idea that there could be a G-d that could demand that people kill others that were innocent.”
— Rabbi Eugene Korn
This episode discusses:
- How the modern reader may understand, interpret, and relate to the plague on the firstborn sons of Egypt
- The spiritual value that texts still hold when they require reinterpretation in order to remain palatable or relevant for modern readers
- How we may balance individual feelings about the morality of a religious text with the desire for a communal religious morality
Highlights:
00:52 Intro
02:28 Rabbi Eugene Korn, Exodus & Genesis
08:00 How we divide the divine
10:20 Reinterpretations for a modern world
12:44 Meaning of immoral commandments
17:12 Ground rules for conducting war
18:39 “Comes from G-d”
25:10 Pushback against religious morality
35:35 Outro
Links:
To Be a Holy People: Jewish Tradition and Ethical Values by Rabbi Eugene Korn
http://www.urimpublications.com/to-be-a-holy-people-jewish-tradition-and-ethical-values.html
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“I think I’d been meditating my whole life, without even realizing I was meditating.”
— Diana Aziz
You cannot outrun mental health issues, of course. But for many people, being in motion can help you stay centred — no matter the season.
From exploring the slopes in Beaver Valley during the cold winter months to perfecting her stance while stand up paddleboarding during the summer, Diana Aziz, the self-proclaimed Watergirl, finds peace and solace in action… but she’s also a strong believer in the power of stillness.
It’s through both movement and stillness that Diana is able to access the meditative states that keep her balanced.
This episode of the Living Jewishly podcasts is an instalment of What’s in Your Toolbox?, a podcast about mental health.
Tune in to learn how meditation helps Diana deal with life challenges, why we need to be kind and gracious to ourselves, and the power of epiphanies.
“I’m very judgmental with myself, so now I’m allowing myself the same things that I give other people: patience, support, love, and no judgment.”
— Diana Aziz
This episode discusses:
- How to tap into the power of meditation in a few different and accessible ways
- Finding mental health tools that you truly enjoy (rather than just relying on traditional recommended methods)
- How Diana channelled her creativity into entrepreneurship — and learned how to distance herself from non-supporters
Highlights:
00:52 Intro
02:20 Meet Diana Aziz
04:53 Different ways to meditate
06:04 Structured meditation
07:12 Dealing with challenges
09:31 Water therapy story
10:44 Marathon running
12:13 A-ha! moments
13:17 Discover tools that you truly enjoy
14:27 The 3 Ps
16:15 Watergirl without her water
17:45 Entrepreneurship & support
19:42 DAST
24:10 Turning hobbies & passions into tools
26:39 Listener response & next guest
Links:
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“How do we integrate in the way that we are constantly living in relationship to these sweet, high moments that we have?”
— Bluth
How do we integrate the experiences of Purim into our every day? And what lessons can we learn from the month of Adar II?
This year, we celebrate two months of Adar, the last month of the Hebrew calendar. It is a month of laughter and joyful chaos, one that holds the infinitude of G-d in its very name. After a month of such intensity and abundance, we need effective ways to integrate our experiences — and work through our “Purim hangovers!”
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is an instalment of Sacred Time, a podcast exploring the healing art of the Hewbrew calendar.
In this episode, Bluth and Ganga Devi explore how to better integrate delight into soft daily experiences, how to open our hearts to the immense pain and joy in the world, and the deep connections between those emotions.
Bonus: this episode also contains a beautiful, healing, immersive sound journey, created with intention for this month.
“In the absence of G-d being explicitly present in any particular way… the body of what is unfolding is the body of G-d, is the presence of G-d.”
— Ganga Devi
This episode discusses:
- The hidden relationship between G-d and the story of Purim
- How to understand and integrate intense life experiences — and how to communicate these lessons
- The different types of joy that are present throughout the human experience
Highlights:
00:51 Intro
01:41 About Adar
04:37 Gematria & meaning
07:01 Purim & G-d
09:53 Kuf
11:28 Integrating intense experiences
15:20 Menu of integration options
17:22 Feasting & abundance
19:05 Bold joys & gentle joys
20:50 Witnessing grief & suffering
22:51 Forrest Landry
24:10 EnlivenedLab
25:54 “On Joy and Sorrow”
26:52 A Sound Healing Journey for Adar
Links:
Sefer Yetzirah
https://www.sefaria.org/Sefer_Yetzirah
Forrest Landry
http://www.magic-flight.com/pub/uvsm_1/idm_foundations_01.pdf
EnlivenedLab and Presence Foundations
https://enlivenedlab.com/presence
Kahlil Gibran, the Prophet
https://poets.org/poem/joy-and-sorrow
A Sound Healing Journey for Adar
https://livingjewishly.org/rosh-chodesh-adar-in-art
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“There is tremendous power in knowing your worth that no amount of cosmetics and no amount of beauty products and no amount of surgery can replace.”
— Adrienne Gold
We are constantly told, and tell each other, that true beauty lies within. Yet, there are inarguable advantages to possessing external beauty. We see this not only in our modern world, but in ancient texts such as the Megillat Esther, where the heroine’s attractive visage plays no small role in helping her not only survive, but thrive within the palace and her relationship with her husband, King Achashverosh.
The darker aspects of her story include sexual coercion and patriarchal exploitation, as the King’s harem of kidnapped virgins are valued for their looks and pressured to please him, visually and otherwise. While the pressures that modern women in the West face aren’t quite as dire, the pressure to be beautiful is a major source of stress — and can lead to serious mental health issues.
This episode of Living Jewishly is an instalment of Crossing the Sea, a podcast about Judaism and mental health. In this episode, Dr. Elliot Malamet sits down with Adrienne Gold, a trip leader with Momentum Canada and former fashion and beauty television personality, to explore the link between physical attractiveness and self worth, the psychology behind the drive for beautification, and how we can extricate ourselves from the beauty trap for good.
“It’s not only disingenuous to equate beauty with virtue, but it’s also so transitory because the standard just keeps shifting.”
— Dr. Elliot Malamet
This episode discusses:
- How Esther’s agency and internalization of her worth helped her to become a victor in her story
- The societal equation of physical beauty with inherent morality and virtue, and how language supports this association
- The mixed messaging we receive in society and the importance of finding balance between your inner Esther and Vashti
Highlights:
00:50 Intro
02:06 Adrienne Gold & internalization
06:10 Shifting standards of beauty
07:21 Esther’s agency & knowing your worth
11:25 Modern beauty messaging
14:06 Elliot’s cowboy clothing story
15:37 Beautification aims
18:44 Focus on your soul
21:30 Mixed messaging in society
25:28 Vashti & Esther
28:23 Cancel culture
30:19 Esther: victim or operator
35:45 Gender stereotypes & beautification
38:38 Escaping the beauty trap
Links:
Momentum Canada
https://www.momentumcanada.ca
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“‘The good guys and the bad guys’: it’s a day where there’s a lot of clarity and a lot of energy focused on that… We really are going to fight evil on this day and yet, at the same time, we’re undoing part of our rigid perspectives.”
— Ami Silver
During Purim, we’re encouraged to drink to the point of intoxication — in fact, up until we perhaps have trouble distinguishing between good and evil. What is the meaning behind this teaching, and how can we take a fresh look at it in our modern context, in which many people and clinical researchers are exploring new types of intoxicants… including psychedelics?
This episode of the Living Jewishly podcasts is a special episode dedicated to exploring the holiday of Purim, its emphasis on intoxication, and whether it’s time for Purim to open up to the world of psychedelics.
Dr. Elliot Malamet’s guests are Rabbi Rachel Rosenbluth and Rabbi Ami Silver, a psychotherapist, clinical social worker, and Director of Emergent Education for Shefa, an organization that provides integration support and opportunities for the Jewish psychedelic community to ground their experiences within Jewish tradition.
This episode discusses the spiritual potential of psychedelic substances, the spiritual value of transcending rigid frames of mind and judgments, and how to integrate the lessons of Purim in the days that follow.
“What happens if we had a small moment in our year where we actually released ourselves from knowing, from being caught in our heads, and analyzing the world through knowledge?”
— Bluth
This episode discusses:
- The value of occasionally breaking free from the shackles of the mind and exploring the knowledge of the body
- The events of Purim being the truest reception of the Torah and foundational to the way that people receive it
- How different shifts in consciousness affect the ways that we approach and integrate spiritual lessons — and how to create safer experiences
Highlights:
00:52 Intro
03:10 Ami Silver & spiritual virtue of not-knowing
07:01 Bluth & release from knowing
08:42 Perspective & morality
12:20 Purim as true reception of Torah
14:15 Fear of bypassing
15:18 Seriousness, play & transformativeness
17:01 Effects of drinking v. psychedelics
19:16 Set, setting & dosage
22:46 Enhancing religious practice
27:56 Do we play at religion?
33:53 Simple ways to shift perspective
37:29 Does Judaism require external infusions?
42:30 Purim
Links:
Shefa
https://www.shefaflow.org
Awakening with Rabbi Ami Silver podcast
https://www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/ss2ak-8a1ab/Awakening-with-Rabbi-Ami-Silver-Podcast
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“As I get older, Esther, for me, continuously changes… In many ways, she is a fascinating example of making lemonades out of lemons, with a lot of different layers to that.”
— Nechama Goldman Barash
Purim may be a joyful time of feasting, imbibing, and gift-giving, but the history behind the holiday as told in the Book of Esther deserves closer examination.
Known as the Festival of Lots, Purim commemorates the foiling of a genocidal plot against the Jewish people, orchestrated by Haman, the royal vizier to King Achashverosh. It celebrates the story of a strong and determined woman, one who appears unsummoned before the King in order to save her people, although it is forbidden and punishable by death. When Achashverosh’s new wife, an orphan named Esther, reveals her Jewishness to her husband just before the date set for the annihilation, he has the vizier executed as punishment. Unable to reverse his own decree authorizing the slaughter, he grants the Jewish people permission to defend themselves and they ably defeat their would-be killers.
Each year, we celebrate this victory and the bold initiative of Esther herself… yet many unsavory aspects of this tale are glossed over or softened in Jewish education, including sex trafficking, kidnapping, rape, and patriarchal exploitation.
This is an inarguably dark text for women, despite its celebrated ending.
This episode of Living Jewishly is an instalment of What Would You Do?, a podcast about ethics in the modern world. In this episode, Dr. Elliot Malamet speaks with Nechama Goldman Barash, who teaches contemporary halakha and Talmud at Matan and the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies and is a qualified sex educator, about consent, agency, sexualization, and coercion in the story of Esther… and beyond.
“How should we think about Megillat Esther in the age of #MeToo?”
— Dr. Elliot Malamet
This episode discusses:
- Questions regarding Esther’s level of agency in her marriage to Achashverosh
- Consent, yes culture, and the environment of the college campus
- How religious and secular communities navigate sexuality, age, and expectations
Highlights:
00:50 Intro
02:43 Nechama Goldman Barash & agency
04:47 Growth & maturing
06:10 Consent & education
15:35 Jewish sexual ethic
23:47 Age & sexuality
30:05 Sexualization & beauty
36:59 Vashti
Links:
Nechama Goldman Barash
https://www.pardes.org.il/faculty/nechama-goldman-barash
Sexual Citizens
https://www.sexualcitizens.com
Boys & Sex, Girls & Sex
https://www.peggyorenstein.com
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“The tool is power lifting… I can go to the gym and I can use anger, whatever anger I have, and take it out on the weight.”
— Michael Bandler
The “gains” that you can achieve in the gym go far beyond simply having bigger biceps or the ability to carry all of your groceries inside in just one trip. For many people, lifting weights is a powerful way to improve not only their physical strength, but also their mental health… allowing them to become stronger people, both inside and out.
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is an installment of What’s in Your Toolbox?, a monthly podcast about mental health — and the tools that we use to protect and heal.
In this episode, Bobby K speaks with Special Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Bandler about the healthy and constructive ways that he deals with anger, his dedication to the sport of powerlifting, and how his passion took him all the way to the top.
Remember: even world champions who can deadlift 500 lbs may struggle with their mental health… and, just like the rest of us, they carry toolboxes to help them persevere.
“The reason that I love to cook is because… it occupies my mind, because you’ve got to measure, you’ve got to cut, you’ve got to do this, you’ve got to do that.”
— Bobby K
This episode discusses:
- How Michael channels his negative emotions into fuel for improving his physique
- The importance of persistence and patience in following your passions
- How travelling and performing with the Famous PEOPLE Players helped Michael find himself
Highlights:
00:50 Intro
02:27 Michael Bandler
04:19 Power lifting
05:16 Michael’s journey to the gold medal
06:39 Michael’s gold medal performance
07:17 Perseverance, patience & form
08:15 Did he expect to be a champion?
09:28 Snowboarding
11:29 Cooking
13:00 Family & Famous PEOPLE Players
14:38 Support systems
16:30 Michael’s advice
Links:
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“What I ask myself and what I want to ask other people is: what do you need more time for?”
—Ganga Devi
Mishenichnas Adar marbim b'simcha! As Adar enters, we increase in joy.
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is an instalment of Sacred Time, a podcast that explores the healing art of the Hebrew Calendar, and it celebrates the month of Adar… twice, in this case.
Adar Aleph, the Jewish Leap Year, is also known as the Shanah Me'uberet, or “pregnant year,” a nod to its fullness and its potential. It grants us not one additional day, but an entire additional month of Adar, the final month in the religious calendar. This necessary inclusion to the lunar calendar protects the sacred timing of holidays such as Passover and Sukkot, in terms of their symbolic and agricultural importance.
It is the spaciousness of this extra month that gives us containers for experiencing deeper rest, for cultivating more joy, and discovering more liberatory ways of being, on the way to the celebration of Purim. This is a time of care and chaos, rest and release.
We invite you to tune in for an enlightening conversation about the origin and meaning of the Jewish New Year cycle, and to join us in celebrating the arrival of Adar Aleph.
“We’ve been talking a lot about Shabbat as a time of rest, but it’s not like an apathetic rest. It’s not a detached rest. It’s a rest that is then filled or inhabited… we inhabit the boundaries of our rest with what? With joy.”
— Bluth
This episode discusses:
- The differences between the lunar calendar and the solar cycle, and the elegant ways in which the Jewish New Year creates harmony between the two
- The beautiful function of adding space to a year and how this can help us rediscover our rhythms and alignment
- The year of release, Shmita, and the role that it plays both socially and ecologically
Highlights:
00:51 Mishenichnas Adar marbim b'simcha!
01:45 Purim to Passover
03:01 Origin of Adar I
05:05 The maths behind calendars
06:14 The meaning behind Adar Aleph
09:26 The pregnant year
12:36 The role of others
14:12 Shmita year
15:18 Kira Rib & Joanna Macy
19:00 Ganga Devi’s project story
20:53 Time & space
23:25 The Nap Ministry & active rest
27:38 Chayav inish le'besume
31:08 Community care & releasing judgment
35:00 Obliterating & recreating structures
36:55 Purim
Links:
Ariela Yomtovian
https://www.arielasharon.com
Joanna Macy - The Work that Reconnects
https://workthatreconnects.org/spiral
The Nap Ministry
https://thenapministry.wordpress.com
The Jewish Leap Year https://www.washingtonjewishweek.com/five-fascinating-facts-about-the-jewish-leap-year
The School of Living Jewishly
https://www.schooloflivingjewishly.com
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“There is tremendous power in knowing your worth that no amount of cosmetics and no amount of beauty products and no amount of surgery can replace.”
— Adrienne Gold
We are constantly told, and tell each other, that true beauty lies within. Yet, there are inarguable advantages to possessing external beauty. We see this not only in our modern world, but in ancient texts such as the Megillat Esther, where the heroine’s attractive visage plays no small role in helping her not only survive, but thrive within the palace and her relationship with her husband, King Achashverosh.
The darker aspects of her story include sexual coercion and patriarchal exploitation, as the King’s harem of kidnapped virgins are valued for their looks and pressured to please him, visually and otherwise. While the pressures that modern women in the West face aren’t quite as dire, the pressure to be beautiful is a major source of stress — and can lead to serious mental health issues.
This episode of Living Jewishly is an instalment of Crossing the Sea, a podcast about Judaism and mental health. In this episode, Dr. Elliot Malamet sits down with Adrienne Gold, a trip leader with Momentum Canada and former fashion and beauty television personality, to explore the link between physical attractiveness and self worth, the psychology behind the drive for beautification, and how we can extricate ourselves from the beauty trap for good.
“It’s not only disingenuous to equate beauty with virtue, but it’s also so transitory because the standard just keeps shifting.”
— Dr. Elliot Malamet
This episode discusses:
- How Esther’s agency and internalization of her worth helped her to become a victor in her story
- The societal equation of physical beauty with inherent morality and virtue, and how language supports this association
- The mixed messaging we receive in society and the importance of finding balance between your inner Esther and Vashti
Highlights:
00:50 Intro
02:06 Adrienne Gold & internalization
06:10 Shifting standards of beauty
07:21 Esther’s agency & knowing your worth
11:25 Modern beauty messaging
14:06 Elliot’s cowboy clothing story
15:37 Beautification aims
18:44 Focus on your soul
21:30 Mixed messaging in society
25:28 Vashti & Esther
28:23 Cancel culture
30:19 Esther: victim or operator?
35:45 Gender stereotypes & beautification
38:38 Escaping the beauty trap
Links:
Momentum Canada
https://www.momentumcanada.ca
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“I’m not going to say that ‘greed is good.’ Greed can be made to DO good, but we’ve got to get the institutional designs right.”
— Jason Kuznicki
When people think of freedom, they usually associate it with the idea of being able to do whatever they want… as long as their actions don’t harm others. The political ideology of Libertarianism is particularly concerned with institutional restrictions on freedom, and pushes for the idea of less governmental control.
But what if freedom alone isn’t enough? What if some people in our society NEED government support or regulations in order to thrive?
This week’s episode of Living Jewishly is an instalment of What Would You Do?, a podcast about ethics in the modern world.
In this episode, Dr. Elliot Malamet’s guest is Jason Kuznicki, a senior fellow at The Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank. Jason is also the editor of Cato Unbound, its online journal of debate and A Free Society, their quarterly journal of opinion.
In this conversation, Elliot and Jason explore the idea of using public v. private provisions for assisting those living in poverty, the role of government in medicine and the market, and whether Libertarian psychology can be considered a little too optimistic.
“I am skeptical that everybody has that sense of social responsibility… I always saw external monitoring as the necessary evil.”
— Dr. Elliot Malamet
This episode discusses:
- Whether liberating some people from government interference involves abandoning others
- Areas where government intervention has been more harmful or problematic than the issues it sought to alleviate
- The risks of exploitation in a capitalist system without government oversight and regulations
Highlights:
00:51 Intro
03:30 Jason Kuznicki & private provisions
05:13 Role of government in medicine
07:50 Opioid market example
08:58 Libertarian psychology
11:08 Exploitation & capitalism
15:05 American checks of power
17:33 Helping those left behind
20:21 Pandethics & Covid-19
24:34 Necessary evil & airline example
32:00 Freedom of expression
36:51 Outro
Links:
Technology and the End of Authority: What Is Government For? by Jason Kuznicki
https://www.amazon.ca/Technology-End-Authority-What-Government/dp/3319839950
Leave Me Alone and I'll Make You Rich: How the Bourgeois Deal Enriched the World by Deirdre Nansen McCloskey & Art Carden
https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/9780226739663-item.html
The Future and Its Enemies: The Growing Conflict Over Creativity, Enterprise, and Progress by Virginia Postrel
https://vpostrel.com/future-and-its-enemies
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“It’s not about us giving each other support, it’s about knowing we have the support. It’s kind of like a river — I don’t need to pull the fish out of the river to know there’s fish in there.”
— Rabbi Yossi Sapirman
Introducing the newest member of the Living Jewishly family of podcasts!
This episode of Living Jewishly is the inaugural instalment of What's in Your Tool Box?, a new monthly Living Jewishly podcast. Bobby Koven will explore the different tools that people have in their psychological tool boxes to help them cope with and overcome mental health issues, through candid and honest interviews with a wide variety of guests.
Listen to discover new ways to fill up your own tool box and become more emotionally resilient.
In a world of pandemic lockdowns, remote learning, and economic strain, discussions surrounding mental health are more important than ever. In this episode, Bobby and guest Rabbi Yossi Sapirman discuss their decades-long friendship and how they have turned their common passion of flyfishing into a powerful tool for improving their mental health.
“A passion can turn into a tool.”
— Bobby Koven
This episode discusses:
- The importance of mutual understanding and support in friendship — and how to truly be there for those you care about
- The tools that guest Rabbi Yossi Sapirman keeps in his mental health tool box
- The documentary ‘No Magic Bullet’ — and why its existence is so meaningful
Highlights:
00:50 Intro
02:07 Rabbi Yossi Sapirman & joy of fishing
02:51 The story of 22+ years of friendship
06:30 Importance of mutual support
08:11 How Yossi discovered flyfishing
12:22 Yossi’s mental health tools
16:44 The wolf photograph story
19:00 Turning passions into tools
21:58 Processing & healing
22:33 No Magic Bullet
25:43 Why this podcast is needed right now
Links:
Bell Let’s Talk
https://letstalk.bell.ca
No Magic Bullet
http://nomagicbullet.org
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“In Ontario, it’s interesting to know that, when it comes to visitor policies, patients don’t have rights.”
— Sharry Aiken
The health ramifications of the Covid-19 pandemic haven’t been limited to the unfortunate people who have been infected by the virus — or to the tragic deaths of those who have succumbed to it. The enormous stress and emotional toll experienced by their families and caregivers is one of the major mental health stories to emerge during the pandemic… especially as many families are unable to visit or say goodbye to hospitalized loved ones who are kept in strict isolation.
In fact, many people are unable to visit non-Covid patients — even when fully vaccinated.
What are the rights of the patient, and those who want to visit them, in such a situation?
This episode of Living Jewishly is an instalment of Crossing the Sea, a podcast about Judaism and mental health.
In this episode, Dr. Elliot Malamet speaks to Sharry Aiken, associate professor and academic director at the Faculty of Law at Queen's University, about the nightmare of hospital visitation during Covid-19, the unseen hardships faced by marginalized groups when dealing with hospital bureaucracy or other Covid-related situations, and the vital missing piece when it comes to preparing our frontline decisionmakers.
“Whether it’s border guards or the staff at a hospital… We’ll always need discretion. We always need the person on the frontline faced with the real situation to have the authority to respond appropriately to the context.”
— Sharry Aiken
This episode discusses:
- The wide range of visitor policies adopted by hospitals in the absence of overarching federal or provincial guidelines
- How societal beliefs and differences affect the ways that our institutions work — and how personalities affect the ways that policies are enforced
- The hidden benefits of these unprecedented times and the lessons we should carry into the future
Highlights:
00:53 Intro
03:36 Sharry Aiken & hospital visitation
07:28 Staffing shortages & the need for advocacy
09:24 Difficulties for marginalized groups
12:17 Hardships we don’t see
14:57 Societal/institutional relationships
17:14 Policy implementation
20:56 Remote learning
26:34 Benefits & challenges
29:41 Coping practices
31:40 Outro
Links:
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“Real rest is the act of rejuvenating the inner person… the soul.”
— Dr. Elliot Malamet
While we stay indoors during the cold, dark months, we must remember that the time of winter rest is crucial for the blossoming and ripening of spring.
The month of Shvat is a period of subtle renewal, and Tu B’shvat (often referred to as the Israeli Arbor Day) celebrates our beautiful and lifegiving friends, the trees. Falling on the 15th day of Shvat, the “New Year of the Trees” may be celebrated as an agricultural holiday or a day of ecological activism — or both!
During Shvat, we focus on self-nurturing. As the sap rises in the trees in preparation of bearing fruit, we take a moment to ready ourselves to embark on our own pursuits — this is part of the journey of renewal taught to us by the trees.
This week’s episode of Living Jewishly is an instalment of Sacred Time, a podcast exploring the healing art of the Hebrew calendar. In honour of the restful nature of Shvat, we offer a taste of our new learning and community platform, the School of Living Jewishly.
This episode shares an excerpt of a lesson called “Welcoming Shabbat,” from the Rest module of the Foundations course. Through this lesson, you’ll learn about the importance of rest to creation, the symbolism of different customs for candle-lighting, and the meaning behind the phrase “bringing in Shabbat.”
“Candle-lighting is the marker of transition — a liminal space between there and here, between the workweek and the realm of Shabbat.”
— Bluth
This episode discusses:
- How to create your own intimate and personal vessel to shape your experience of Shabbat
- The feminine energy and quality that underlies Shabbat — and how we forge connections with the divine
- The benefits of religious rituals and what to consider when preparing for a ritual
Highlights:
00:51 Intro
03:00 Wisdom & rest
04:16 Your vessel
05:58 Beginning with fire
08:03 Counting candles
12:19 The Sabbath Queen
15:34 “Bringing in Shabbat”
19:43 Preparing for ritual
23:30 Outro
Links:
Tu B’Shvat Manual
https://livingjewishly.org/tu-bshvat-manual-2022
School of Living Jewishly
https://www.schooloflivingjewishly.com
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“The key trait of this era that we’re in is the immediate collapse of whatever the subject is into a conversation about semantics and linguistics.”
— Aja Romano
Being woke. Cancel culture. Politically correct. These have become very loaded and often antagonistic terms, and not just online. Different groups interpret and use these terms to mean different things. Wokeness especially has become polarized — some wield it as an insult and others wear it as a badge of pride.
George Orwell has written about the way that language can be politicized, exploited, and corrupted. Looking back on the relatively short history of these terms can teach us a lot about the way that meanings can shift to serve different ends.
This episode of Living Jewishly is an instalment of What Would You Do?, a podcast about ethics in the modern world. Dr. Elliot Malamet speaks to Aja Romano, culture writer for Vox.com, about the thin line between free speech and incitement to harm, the way that conversations are inevitably derailed, and how words seem to suddenly emerge in the societal lexicon… and then mutate in unexpected ways.
“We have an extremely bifurcated society and a very deeply polarized understanding of what it means to be American and what it means to protect one another.”
— Aja Romano
This episode discusses:
- The history of the term “woke,” how it was originally used, and the way that the term has spread and developed different meanings
- How language may be politicized — and how cause and effect can sometimes become muddled
- How social media culture plays into the way that terms are received and reinterpreted
Highlights:
00:51 Intro
02:16 Aja Romano & the history of woke
04:48 Politics and the English Language
06:02 The corruption of woke
09:17 Weaponization of words
12:12 Social media culture & free speech
16:15 Derailment & appropriation
22:06 Know the history
22:48 Free speech & comedy
27:07 How we argue in the modern era
32:40 Conclusion
Links:
Politics and the English Language by George Orwell
https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-foundation/orwell/essays-and-other-works/politics-and-the-english-language
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Visit our learning community: https://www.schooloflivingjewishly.com
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“The rabbinate is often a precarious place to be, from an emotional and psychological point of view.” — Dr. Elliot Malamet
Burnout is an issue that may affect people across all types of occupations, but people working in high-stress professions, such as doctors, nurses, teachers, and mental health workers, tend to get the most attention when it comes to wider discussions of burnout.
While not as widely acknowledged as healthcare workers and police, the clergy are also at very high risk for not only burnout, but depression. Their vocation carries enormous expectations in terms of their availability, empathy, wisdom, hopefulness, and ability to make things right — no matter what they may be dealing with themselves.
This episode of Living Jewishly is an instalment of Across the Sea, a podcast about Judaism and mental health, and it is the first of a two-part series focusing on the clergy and their mental health.
Dr. Elliot Malamet speaks with Rabbi Yossi Sapirman and Dr. Michelle Friedman about the particular stresses that rabbis experience, their challenges in accessing mental health care, and what congregants do not understand about the lives of their spiritual leaders.
“I don't think people truly realize that the person they’re dealing with is as vulnerable as they are.”
— Rabbi Yossi Sapirman
This episode discusses:
- The isolation and loneliness of being a designated source of comfort for a community
- Guidelines and policies that synagogues could implement to improve their working lives of their rabbis
- The lack of Shabbat in the lives of rabbis and the importance of rest to mental health and emotional wellness
Highlights:
00:51 Intro
03:06 Rabbi Yossi Sapirman & Shabbat
06:17 Effects of stress on family
07:12 Always connected, always on
11:34 Gratitude & expectations
13:50 Synagogue guidelines
17:20 Isolation & loneliness
19:05 Challenges of seeking mental health care
23:21 Dr. Michelle Friedman & mandatory therapy
28:01 Resistance to support
31:29 The risk of speaking out
Links:
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Visit our learning community: https://www.schooloflivingjewishly.com
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org
Shalom!
“Anger can be illogical and it can cause a lot of harm. But it also can be righteous and it can be rectifying something that’s wrong.”
— Ganga Devi
What is the role of anger in our lives? And what can we learn from our sense of it?
This episode of Living Jewishly is an instalment of Scared Time, a podcast devoted to the healing art of the Hebrew calendar.
As we bid goodbye to Chanukah, we enter Tevet, the tenth month of the calendar. This is a time of cold and darkness, but one that evokes a fiery emotion. Its 10th day commemorates the onset of the siege of Jerusalem — no wonder that Tevet is associated with the sense of anger.
Tevet is also connected to the story of Purim, as it is in the month of Tevet that Esther was taken to the King Achashverosh's palace to be chosen as Queen.
Most of us are only aware of anger when we feel it or when others feel it toward us, but in these heightened states we are unable to reflect on and understand the wisdom and potential carried within it.
Tevet offers us the rare opportunity to examine anger from a place of peace.
Through drawing on Kabbalistic themes and psychological tools, we may work intentionally with anger and see it with new eyes. This episode explores anger’s purpose — how it can point us to unmet needs and fuel us to make necessary changes in our lives, relationships, and social systems.
“That is what Tevet gives us to work with. It’s understanding: what is anger? What does it mean to play with the fire of anger?”
— Bluth
This episode discusses:
- How anger can be used as a tool to create positive and necessary change
- Comparisons between ecological fire and the fire of anger, and how each plays a role in stripping away what no longer serves
- How to differentiate between the needs and the strategies connected with our anger
Highlights:
01:30 Welcome to Tevet
02:58 Purim & The Book of Esther
03:53 Chanukah & Purim
06:39 Tevet & anger
08:04 Comparison between anger & fire
10:46 Emotions as data points
12:10 Regenerative anger & trauma
15:13 Empathic communication & reframing
19:58 Our needs v. our strategies
24:45 The Language of Emotions
26:51 Ganga Devi’s story
31:41 The Work That Reconnects
33:10 Tools within & without us
37:31 Cultivating integrity
Links:
Marshall Rosenberg
https://www.nonviolentcommunication.com
Alexandra Paretta, Tantra practitioner
https://www.wovenyin.com
Karla McLaren, The Language of Emotions
https://karlamclaren.com/product/the-language-of-emotions-book
https://karlamclaren.com/understanding-and-befriending-anger
Joanna Macy, The Work That Reconnects
https://www.joannamacy.net/main
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Visit our learning community: https://www.schooloflivingjewishly.com
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org
“In pre-modern discussions of Judaism, identity is almost inextricably linked to observance. The whole notion of Jewish identity… it’s like a modern idea.”
— Dr. Elliot Malamet
The 1960s were about more than hippie fashion and flower power. Divisions over the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement, and the beginnings of second wave feminism sparked civil unrest, fearmongering, political handwringing, and, eventually, necessary social change.
The 1960s also marked the emergence of the Jewish Defense League, and the rise of its founder Rabbi Meir Kahane as a controversial figure. Founded in 1968, the JDL advocated for an anti-Arab form of Jewish nationalism, one that denied all Palestinian claim to Israel, and preached violent resistance to anti-Semitism at home and abroad... including targeted killings.
The JDL was classified by the FBI as a right-wing terrorist organization and Rabbi Kahane himself was assassinated at the age of just 58.
This episode of the Living Jewishly podcast is an instalment of What Would You Do?, a podcast about Judaism and ethics.
Dr. Elliot Malamet is joined by Professor Shaul Magid, Distinguished Fellow in Jewish Studies at Dartmouth College and author of a Meir Kahane: The Public Life and Political Thought of an American Jewish Radical.
This conversation explores the ethics of radicalism and fanaticism, the DNA of Kahane’s desired revolution, and the lingering echoes of his rhetoric today.
“I don’t think that Kahane really cared too much about religious observance. What he cared about was the commitment to fight for Jewish causes.”
— Professor Shaul Magid
This episode discusses:
- The emergence of a Jewish identity non-reliant on observance — and how that tied into Kahane’s ideas of revolution
- The difference between a radical and a fanatic, and how Kahane evolved over time
- The ideas put forward by Kahane that still live on today in many Orthodox populations
Highlights:
00:51 Intro
03:37 Shaul Magid & revolution
06:14 “American sham Judaism”
07:47 Observance v. identity
10:22 Basic ideas that live on
14:49 Endemic anti-Semitism
16:22 Two spheres of Kahane
18:00 Judaism & the rhetoric of violence
21:32 Post-Holocaust & Zionism
22:38 Anti-Arab rhetoric & Israel
26:11 “The failed American dream”
27:50 Kahane’s time in Israel
29:03 Radical v. fanatic
30:55 Race in Israel
32:59 Posthumous acceptance
34:37 Culture of language
36:55 Assassination & legacy
41:05 Kahane’s wars
43:30 Tragic figure?
Links:
Meir Kahane: The Public Life and Political Thought of an American Jewish Radical
https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691179339/meir-kahane
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“Chanukah is fundamentally an ambiguous holiday.”
— Rabbi Yossi Sapirman
When we think about the Festival of Lights, the word “controversy” generally isn’t the first thing to come to mind.
Yet the history of this holiday period does raise a few questions...
Two well-known stories help to shape our understanding and celebration of Chanukah.
The first story is the miracle of the oil that kept the lights burning in the temple for eight days, despite only being enough for one. The second is the Jewish military victory over the Greeks.
While the oil story is a celebration of light, gratitude, and peace, the military victory is a celebration of triumph through force. It’s been suggested that the story of the miraculous oil was created in order to demilitarize the celebration of Chanukah.
With two such disparate and almost contradictory themes, how do we recognize, acknowledge, and honour both faces of Chanukah?
In this episode of Living Jewishly, Dr. Elliot Malamet, Rabbi Yossi Sapirman, and Rabbi Bluth shed light on the multitude of themes that make Chanukah such a rich, beautiful period of celebration and thanksgiving.
Listen to this episode, and then visit livingjewishly.org/channukah to download the Living Jewishly Chanukah Guide.
“We do look toward history and draw it into our lives today… in some ways, having a wide spread of lessons and themes doesn’t bother me too much. The question for me is: how are we applying it?”
— Bluth
This episode discusses:
- The Maccabees, the politics of sovereignty, and how we should feel about this story in our present context
- How do we remain connected to the themes of the holiday in the context of diaspora and assimilation — and should gift-giving remain a part of Chanukah?
- What the popularity of Chanukah might say about current needs and desires surrounding the practice of our faith
Highlights:
00:51 Intro
01:42 Multiple narratives & the sages
04:28 Curation of holiday experiences
06:16 The Maccabees & Jewish sovereignty
08:30 Challenges of diaspora & assimilation
11:30 Ambiguity of Chanukah
14:07 Dichotomy, schism & anxiety
15:28 The “gift bribe”
17:50 Pluralism & assimilation
21:07 Creating identity through practice
25:38 The home
29:10 Diwali
30:20 Chanukah teachings
33:53 Poetry & final messages
Links:
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“One of the stories of Jewish modernity is that faith in — as well as the practice of — Judaism can no longer be taken for granted.”
— Dr. Elliot Malamet
When you’ve been entrusted with the religious education of an Orthodox community’s young people, how do you navigate doubts, criticisms, or differing interpretations arising from modern Jewish thought?
This episode of the Living Jewishly podcast is an instalment of Crossing the Sea, a podcast about mental health and Judaism.
In this episode, Dr. Elliot Malamet speaks with Sara Susswein Tesler, who teaches the Five Books of Moses at an Orthodox girls seminary in Jerusalem. Sara is an enthusiastic student of biblical criticism, a school of thought that, among other things, challenges the idea of divine authorship when it comes to the Bible.
Sara and many other Orthodox educators often find themselves frustrated when trying to reconcile their institutional role and their true responsibilities as they understand them.
“We’re Orthodox cheerleaders, and that’s part of our job description,” Sara explains. “But those things come at the expense of being a real educator, because, by definition, we can’t expose our students to critical thinking in the classroom… teachers are in a strange place.”
This conversation digs into the tensions between personal authenticity, intellectual honesty, and institutional obligations — and the personal and professional consequences of operating within this delicate space.
“I have students who come back to me years later and thank me for widening the theological tent, and creating room for them within the tent to question dogma and still stay within the Orthodox community.”
— Sara Susswein Tesler
This episode discusses:
- The scholarly approach of biblical criticism — and why so many find it challenging
- How institutional pressure may rob Jewish youth of inspirational role models to help them navigate doubt while strengthening their faith
- The “second naïveté” and how we move forward and rebuild after the loss of certain beliefs
Highlights:
00:51 Intro
04:06 Sara Susswein Tesler & biblical criticism
07:02 Institutional pressures
08:21 Why not move to a different institution?
09:25 The mental health toll
10:53 Dialogue between teachers
13:29 Sara’s role & teaching
17:03 The impact
19:23 “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
21:44 Threat or misguided fear?
24:02 Benefits of biblical criticism
27:50 Weight of narrative
28:32 Discovering biblical criticism
31:35 The second naïveté
36:10 “Truth”
39:18 Switching roles
44:03 Sara’s faith & family
47:55 Outro
Links:
Teaching Biblical Scholarship in a Modern Orthodox High School
https://www.thetorah.com/article/teaching-biblical-scholarship-in-a-modern-orthodox-high-school
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“This time of year is not the end of life… times of rest and integration are just as much a part of life as times of momentum and activity.”
— Ganga Devi
In a period of darkness, sleep, and retreat, what can we learn from our dreams? And how can we integrate these teachings into our waking lives?
This episode of Living Jewishly is an instalment of Sacred Time, a podcast dedicated to the healing art of the Hebrew calendar. This episode explores the month of Kislev, traditionally a time of slumber and dreams.
The letter associated with the month of Kislev is the samech, the fifteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, which is formed as a closed circle without beginning or end. As the word samech means “to support,” it is fitting that the letter resembles a hug — and in this time of darkness, it’s comforting to imagine ourselves as being held.
Looking toward Channukah as a time of light, dedication, and grace within a time of darkness, this conversation examines themes of sleep, death, dreams, and light, and moves thoughtfully through the cyclical nature of the rhythms of creation.
Listen to this episode, and then visit livingjewishly.org/channukah to download the Living Jewishly Channukah Guide.
“We sleep and we wake — and the world does that. The seasons do that. Our sun does that.”
— Bluth
This episode discusses:
- How dreams inspire, enrich, and borrow from our waking lives — and their connection to prophecy
- How our relationship with sleep can inform and soften our relationship to death
- The symbolic meaning behind Channukah falling across both Kislev and Tevet
Highlights:
00:51 About Kislev
02:30 Samech
04:00 The circle of our daily rhythms
05:33 Entropy v. centropy
06:44 Dreams, prophecy & waking life
08:58 Death & sleep
11:14 Midrash: Adam & the Garden of Eden
15:09 Living Jewishly Channukah Guide
18:01 Channukah & Kislev
21:01 Darkness & light
23:03 Ganga Devi’s dream work
28:29 Mourning rituals & Waking Life
Links:
Living Jewishly Channukah Guide
https://livingjewishly.org/channukah
Waking Life (2001)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waking_Life
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“Hanukkah is not always right around Christmas... yet the two holidays have kind of become analogous to one another in the US.”
— Rachel Greenblatt
In an atmosphere where Christmas steals the spotlight and occupies the airwaves, can Hanukkah find appreciation as a meaningful holiday that explores multiple powerful themes relevant to our modern world?
Does the religious fusion practiced by interreligious families (such Chrismukkah celebrations) dilute the meaning of both holidays or create a new space for deepened faith?
And does the practice of gift giving take away from the intended meaning of Hanukkah?
This episode of the Living Jewishly podcast is an instalment of What Would You Do?, a podcast about Judaism and ethics. Dr. Elliot Malamet and guests Rachel Greenblatt and Jeffrey Goldwasser investigate the ethics of our approach to winter holidays, how we can hold onto our religious identities while integrating new traditions, and where to find balance in the rise of holiday consumerism.
The guests for this episode are Rachel Greenblatt, a digital culture editor at Insider, and Jeffrey Goldwasser, the spiritual leader of Temple Sinai in Cranston, Rhode Island.
“There’s no doubt that Hanukkah gift giving has become a more significant marker of the holiday.”
— Jeffrey Goldwasser
This episode discusses:
✔ Why and how gift giving became such an important part of Hanukkah — and the role that Christmas has played in this
✔ How to hold onto our identity and navigate the integration of new traditions into our holidays
✔ Why it’s important to tie the teachings of Hanukkah into how we experience our modern world
Highlights:
00:51 Intro
03:13 Rachel Greenblatt & gift giving
05:32 Bringing more joy to the holiday
09:19 Shift to a more “fun” Judaism
11:58 Consumerism & compensation
13:35 Navigating identity
17:28 Jeffrey Goldwasser & gift giving
20:11 Holidays & capitalism
22:48 Hanukkah & the modern world
25:24 December dilemma
28:50 Interreligious families & inclusion
37:07 Identity, dating & pressure
46:44 Outro
Links:
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“We’ve kind of lost our way within what is Shabbat.”
— Susan Osher
Hanukkah and other Jewish holidays can be joyous occasions during which we spend time (and feast) with loved ones. But can the heavy focus on ritual foods and eating serve a purpose apart from bringing us together in a way that strengthens our faith?
To put it another way, is the role of food in Judaism meant to fill a hole left by something that we are lacking?
This episode of the Living Jewishly podcast is an instalment of Crossing the Sea, a podcast focused on mental health and Judaism. Dr. Elliot Malamet and expert guests Susan Osher and Allan Kaplan explore the relationships between eating, religion, and emotions — and discuss the possibility of creating a relationship between food and faith that is both physically and psychically beneficial.
In this episode, Elliot speaks with Susan Osher, a certified eating disorder registered dietician with over 20 years of experience, a nutrition therapist, and the founder of Connected Eating, as well as Dr. Allan Kaplan, a professor in the department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine and an expert in eating disorders.
“Food is often used in a negative way, including in religious families, because it takes on religious meaning.”
— Allan Kaplan
This episode discusses:
✔ Whether religious holidays or even the Shabbat can contribute to an unhealthy cycle of eating
✔ The particular relationship to food developed by Holocaust survivors and how it has been passed down through generations
✔ Why food plays such a large role in our emotional lives and the different meanings that it can hold
Highlights:
00:52 Intro
01:48 Susan Osher, holidays & unhealthy eating
03:24 Different emotional meanings of food
05:40 Filling up through eating
07:30 Relationship between emotion & food
12:47 Food & shame
16:40 Dr. Allan Kaplan, eating disorders & Judaism
19:46 Anorexia & control
21:29 Eating disorders & ritual eating
22:35 Food, rebellion & forgiveness
26:54 “Just the right weight” v. feasting
29:47 Messaging & beauty ideals
30:55 Attuned/intuitive eating
33:42 Enjoy food healthfully
39:14 “Heads-up food”
41:40 Outro
Links:
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“We’ve kind of lost our way within what is Shabbat.”
— Susan Osher
Hanukkah and other Jewish holidays can be joyous occasions during which we spend time (and feast) with loved ones. But can the heavy focus on ritual foods and eating serve a purpose apart from bringing us together in a way that strengthens our faith.
To put it another way, is the role of food in Judaism meant to fill a hole left by something that we are lacking?
This episode of the Living Jewishly podcast is an instalment of Crossing the Sea, a podcast focused on mental health and Judaism. Dr. Elliot Malamet and expert guests Susan Osher and Allan Kaplan explore the relationships between eating, religion, and emotions — and discuss the possibility of creating a relationship between food and faith that is both physically and psychically beneficial.
In this episode, Elliot speaks with Susan Osher, a certified eating disorder registered dietician with over 20 years of experience, a nutrition therapist, and the founder of Connected Eating, as well as Dr. Allan Kaplan, a professor in the department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine and an expert in eating disorders.
“Food is often used in a negative way, including in religious families, because it takes on religious meaning.”
— Allan Kaplan
This episode discusses:
✔ Whether religious holidays or even the Shabbat can contribute to an unhealthy cycle of eating
✔ The particular relationship to food developed by Holocaust survivors and how it has been passed down through generations
✔ Why food plays such a large role in our emotional lives and the different meanings that it can hold
Highlights:
00:52 Intro
01:48 Susan Osher, holidays & unhealthy eating
03:24 Different emotional meanings of food
05:40 Filling up through eating
07:30 Relationship between emotion & food
12:47 Food & shame
16:40 Dr. Allan Kaplan, eating disorders & Judaism
19:46 Anorexia & control
21:29 Eating disorders & ritual eating
22:35 Food, rebellion & forgiveness
26:54 “Just the right weight” v. feasting
29:47 Messaging & beauty ideals
30:55 Attuned/intuitive eating
33:42 Enjoy food healthfully
39:14 “Heads-up food”
41:40 Outro
Links:
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“What's sacred? What's meaningful? What's important to you at this moment?”
— Bluth
This episode of Living Jewishly is an instalment of Sacred Time, a podcast devoted to the healing art of the Hebrew calendar.
In this episode, Bluth and Ganga Devi discuss the month of Cheshvan and the many ways that we can develop structures and systems to reconnect us with our true priorities in life.
Cheshvan is a month with no particular Holy Days, an absence which challenges us to source our connection with the sacred from within.
After the social and structured ritual of the High Holidays, Cheshvan is a period of personal contemplation in which we turn to the quieter rhythms of our daily commitments.
In doing so, we are able to look back and forward to address our priorities — what is meaningful and important at this moment.
Though it is a more introspective month, it is still one of action. The process of self-inquiry identifies what is precious and tender to us, so we are then able to step fully into those relationships — with the divine, with our loved ones, and with ourselves.
“I feel very strongly that the structures and systems of religions should exist to support each of our own personal and direct relationships with what is sacred.”
— Ganga Devi
This episode discusses:
✔ Being mindful of how we relate to systems of authority and power outside of ourselves in our relationship with what is sacred
✔ The importance of motivating ourselves to find empowerment in responsibility by creating our own structures in the absence of external ones during Cheshvan
✔ Why Cheshvan is the perfect time to focus on self-care (as we’re not always able to take time for ourselves in busier months)
Highlights:
00:50Welcome to the month of Cheshvan
02:29What is sacred?
07:03Self-inquiry & stepping back from external structures
11:22Sacred in the mundane
13:16Prioritizing your body: Health & exercise
15:50Rhythms & cycles
17:20Modeh Ani & daily commitments
23:40School of Living Jewishly
30:48Connect with us
Links:
Living Jewishly Yoga for Cheshvan with Jenna Zadaka:
https://livingjewishly.org/rosh-chodesh-cheshvan-with-guest-yoga-teacher-jenna-zadaka
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“At what point in our history did our houses become ‘not nature’?”
— Julia Plevin
The earth is our home, our classroom, and our legacy — how can we create a nurturing relationship with the earth that allows all living creatures to thrive?
Sukkot, the ancient Jewish Harvest festival, is an invitation for people of the Jewish faith to experience, celebrate, and revere the gift of our natural world. But in the face of the looming climate change crisis and global food insecurities, what can Sukkot teach us about how to live in harmony with nature — and what spiritual and secular practices can help us ensure our ongoing survival?
This episode of Living Jewishly is the third and final of a series of special episodes exploring the Jewish holidays.
Dr. Elliot Malamet is joined by guests Julia Plevin and Rabbi Rachel Rosenbluth, who have actively engaged nature as a powerful focal point in their personal, professional, and spiritual lives.
This episode dives into our evolving relationship with the natural world, how to incorporate our holiday messages into the rest of our year, and the importance of embracing our identities as beings of nature.
“We’ve disconnected ourselves from nature in our capitalist and extractive culture… we are nature. We are a part of nature.”
— Bluth
This episode discusses:
- How to experience Sukkot as a powerful invitation into a more sustainable, in-tune, and natural way of living
- How to involve nature in your daily spiritual practice — and the healing benefits you can enjoy
- Why now is the time to seriously care about the state of our world — and why it is so urgent
Highlights:
00:52 Introduction
02:23 The sukkah as metaphor
05:01 The sukkah as liminal space
06:21 Technology conquering nature
08:03 The sukkah as a home
09:49 Nature as daily spiritual practice
16:33 The six directions
17:24 Segmentation of holiday messages & shmita
19:47 Importance of identity & reconnection
25:57 Thinking beyond the abstract
26:45 Environmentalism & diaspora
30:58 Turning to, not away
33:50 Nature-integrated spiritual practices
41:09 Judaism as a nature-based religion
Links:
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“There’s a stability, I think, that everyone can find in relation to the calendar.”
— Ganga Devi
As we exit the period of Rosh Hashanah and venture further into the month of Tishrei, we transition from a time of serious contemplation and teshuva into the time of our joy.
What should we be bringing with us into this period — and what should we be taking out of it?
This episode of Living Jewishly is an instalment of Sacred Time, a podcast dedicated to exploring the healing art of the Hebrew calendar. In this episode, Bluth and Ganga Devi explore the holiday of Sukkot, looking at the fragility, stability, and joy of this time in which we step out of our ordinary homes and find home and communion in relationship with the natural, living world.
Beginning on the evening of September 20th and ending on the evening of September 27th, 2021, Sukkot is a pilgrimage holiday that incorporates rest, remembrance, and celebration. It is a commemoration of not only the years that Jewish people spent in the desert while seeking the Promised Land, but also of their resilience and the protection granted them by G-d.
During Sukkot, we step out of our habitual lives and boxes of our identities, and find new revitalization in nature and in communion with those around us. Join us for a deep discussion of the nourishment that we can find during this precious time.
This episode discusses:
- Where and how to find deep insights into what the holiday of Sukkot really means for us, from rest to remembrance to celebration
- How we balance acknowledging both our fragility and our stability when considering our past and position in the world
- How we can find strength and revitalization through relating to nature — even in the midst of a global crisis
Highlights:
00:51 Intro
02:16 Rabbi Alan Lew’s words
03:56 Remembrance & celebration
06:15 From seriousness to the time of our joy
08:41 Fragility & stability
10:27 Teshuva
11:32 Nature & revitalization
13:57 Radical Amazement & joy
15:26 Stepping out of our personal lives
17:34 Party in Jerusalem
18:37 Find a sukkah
19:33 Expanding into the collective
21:17 Integration
25:58 The transition with water
28:37 How will you step into this?
31:26 The shape(s) of Sukkot
Links:
This is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared by Rabbi Alan Lew
https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/this-is-real-and-you/9780316830201-item.html
I and Thou by Martin Buber
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/I-and-Thou/Martin-Buber/9780743201339
Heschel’s concept of Radical Amazement
https://www.awakin.org/read/view.php?tid=1080
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“All relationships depend on forgiveness… How, in our deepest relationships, can we forge ahead from pain toward healing, from sadness to renewal?”
— Dr Elliot Malamet
Is there a relationship in your life that needs mending?
This episode of Living Jewishly is an instalment of Crossing the Sea, a podcast that explores Judaism and mental health.
Yom Kippur is a time of atonement in which we challenge accountable actions.
The High Holidays are also a period of reflection and inner work, as we work toward forgiveness for these flaws and mistakes — both in terms of our relationships with others and with ourselves.
Humans are storytellers. When we feel hurt, betrayed, or wronged, we firstly need to find an explanation for the betrayal... and this often involves blaming ourselves or others.
In this episode, you’ll hear several accounts of forgiveness framed within the tellers’ relationship with Judaism.
From finding empowerment in changing our story, repairing by communicating our hurt, and choosing redemption, the stories shared reveal how we must transform ourselves, emotionally and spiritually, to fix relationships and hopefully make them whole again.
“Isn’t it ironic that the person who hurts you most, if you actually forgive them, they’ve caused you to change, theoretically, for the better.”
— Rabbi Yossi Saberman
This episode discusses:
- Why absolution can be a burden for Jews because our concept of G-d is ineffable
- Why premature forgiveness as promoted by religious doctrine (martyr syndrome) can be a formula for further damage
- How we need to reconstruct the narrative in order to close the chapter on a hurt or betrayal to find value in forgiveness
Highlights:
00:52 Introduction
02:30 Lisa Morrison & authenticity
04:33 Validation
06:30 Unforgivable actions
07:30 Stoic forgiveness
08:25 Forgiveness has many faces
09:02 Self-forgiveness
12:28 Rabbi Batya Hefter & blind spots
14:25 Dr Robert Karen & repair
16:09 Communicating hurt
17:10 Winning & blame
18:43 So when did this start?
21:11 Timing, encouragement & imperative
23:58 Dr Zindel Segal & ritualistic resolution
26:01 Martyr syndrome & protective boundaries
27:56 Redemption is a choice
28:52 Close the chapter
30:41 Forgiveness as emotional risk
31:36 Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz & formative forgiveness
34:23 Self-forgiveness & childhood trauma
37:29 Growing into responsibility
39:09 Dr Robert Karen & parental models
41:45 Dr Allan Kaplan & transformational forgiveness
44:25 Spirituality & Tikkun olam
46:44 Rabbi Yossi Saberman & letting go
47:34 Repentance & self-transformation
49:41 “I hope to have a good past”
51:07 Rosh Hashanah & urgency
52:21 Yom Kippur
Links:
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“Do Jewish prayer services nurture us… or narrow us?”
— Dr Elliot Malamet
This is the first episode in a series of special Living Jewishly podcast episodes that will take a deeper look at the Jewish holidays.
As we approach Rosh Hashanah, Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, many of us will celebrate the high holidays by attending synagogue or shul.
However, particularly for young Jews not religiously oriented in the traditional sense, there is an increasing disconnect to synagogue life, institutional ritual, and liturgy.
With shul attendance also affected by Covid-19, communities have been further distanced by digital spaces.
This episode explores our emotional, spiritual, and social relationship with — and connection to — synagogue structures and prayer services during the high holidays.
In a series of illuminating interviews with members of the Jewish community, traditional and modern approaches to the language and practice of prayer are discussed in relation to virtual engagement, the campfire community, and how we connect in a changing world.
“The act of prayer is an act of commission and omission. It has to be both, and you have to engage and disengage at the same time.”
— Rabbi Yossi Saberman
This episode discusses:
- What millennial Jews think about synagogue life — and what they would change about prayer services and texts
- Working with sacred texts — the tension between humanism and the sacred in prayer language
- How the practice of non-traditional prayer, such as social justice activism as a form of holy work and divine communication, can be secular or complement institutional ritual
Highlights:
00:51 Introduction
02:02 Ruth Chitiz & changes to prayer
06:11 Noah Tile & identity
07:49 Jenny Young & inclusion
10:04 Divine connection in Judaism v. Christianity
12:24 Sam Venis & interpreting tradition
15:18 Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz & maintaining mission
17:19 Synagogue infrastructure: Connection & relationships
19:30 Social justice activism as prayer
20:54 Rituals as reflection
23:40 Yom Kippur: Navigating affirmation & judgement
27:19 Dr Zindel Segal & prayer meditation
30:08 Prayer mindfulness
34:09 Lisa Morrison & prayer in the pandemic
36:24 Rabbi Yossi Saberman & listening to yourself
38:30 Prayer language
46:11 Covid-19 & structural changes
47:07 Menachem Feuer & virtual communities
48:40 Rabbi Yossi Saberman & post-pandemic shul
52:21 Social connection
55:08 Dynamic synagogue
59:17 Recap & community challenges
Links:
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“These holidays are such an opportunity for us to be looking at our lives, to be stepping in fully with humility and with honesty, and with care for each other and for the Earth — to find the capacity to forgive so that we can renew.”
— Bluth
This episode of Living Jewishly is an instalment of Sacred Time, a podcast devoted to the healing art of the Hebrew calendar. In this episode exploring the significance of the month of Elul, Bluth and Ganga Devi unpack major themes related to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
The month of Elul is a time of intimacy, love and relationships. It reminds us that the sacred is in the mundane — we are beloved because we feel G-d every day, in every human and messy moment. Ani L'dodi V'dodi Li is the acronym for Elul and it means “I am for my beloved and my beloved is for me."
Elul’s reflective energy guides us into the New Year, preparing us for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Rosh Hashanah is our shared story of the birth of the world and humanity, celebrating creation by honouring the Earth and looking forward to our collective future.
Yom Kippur tells the story of the sin of the Golden Calf and the second chance given to humanity. This is a day to practice atonement and forgiveness — so we can enter the New Year with integrity.
By reflecting on the past year, we hold ourselves responsible and accountable so that we are able to cleanse and renew. In doing so, we return to Elul’s beloved meditation on loving and forgiving ourselves as well as others.
Listen as Bluth and Ganga Devi discuss the importance and benefits of shadow work, humility, and alignment of values as we introspectively and collectively work toward renewal and integrity during the high holidays.
“If we can recognize ‘this is where I’ve been missing the mark, this is where I’ve been out of integrity, this is where I’ve been out of alignment,’ [we can] actually recognize what are some of the possible benefits and blessings and lessons.”
— Ganga Devi
This episode discusses:
- Commentary on original sin as a lack of responsibility and accountability — not human nature
- How Jungian perspectives on the human shadow relate to human nature — shame, blame, and perfection as the enemy of integrity — and how shadow work can allow us to love ourselves and others, and step into our lives with empowerment
- The importance of humility in taking our place within the world, and its relationship to our field of action
Highlights:
00:50Introduction
01:17Month of Elul
02:57Preparing for Rosh Hashanah
03:38Rosh Hashanah: Responsibility & accountability
08:40Humility & our field of action
12:50Missing the mark
14:08Yom Kippur: Forgiveness & second chances
17:07Jungian perspectives: Human shadow
23:20Sukkot: Earthly love and care
26:00Elul: Beloved reflection
29:04Transformative power of the high holidays
30:11Living Jewishly resources
31:59Cleansing & renewal
Links:
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“It took me many years before I started to pick up on the power of food, almost… like a drug.”
— Rabbi Yossi Sapirman
Why does our society treat larger bodies with such disdain? And what effect does that have on our mental health?
This episode of Living Jewishly in an instalment of Crossing the Sea, a podcast that explores Judaism and mental health.
Food isn’t just necessary fuel for survival. It can be a source of comfort, protection, and pleasure. We eat not just to satisfy our hunger, but out of boredom, to celebrate happy times, and to participate in community. Eating can become compulsive, a source of inner conflict and shame.
Life in a structured, Orthodox world can have its own specific challenges around food and shame, with its ritual meals and rules regarding what should or should not be eaten. Adding gender into the mix adds more complexity, as sexist double standards create additional hardships.
In this episode, Dr. Elliot Malamet and Rabbi Yossi Sapirman have a candid and thought-provoking discussion about overeating, weight, body image, shame, and dignity, and how these topics relate to Jewish life.
“Food, I started to realize, is not just about food. It is about everything.”
— Rabbi Yossi Sapirman
This episode discusses:
- Whether Judaism facilitates overeating through ritual feasts and kiddush, and shame through the laws of kashrut
- The emotional and psychological damage that is caused by body shaming
- How food can become an addiction — and why some people use it as they would a drug
Highlights:
00:54 Introduction
01:46 Rabbi Yossi Sapirman’s early life
06:12 Food & Orthodoxy
11:01 Facilitating overeating
12:08 Body shame & attraction
18:48 Overeaters Anonymous
20:06 Food as a drug
24:33 Cultural beauty standards
29:12 Weight & gender
33:57 Self perception
36:52 Conclusion
Links:
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“This month holds inside of it the whole process of taking responsibility and paying your dues, and then moving along and enjoying the flowering.”
— Idan Lumi
This episode of Living Jewishly is an instalment of Sacred Time, a podcast devoted to the healing art of the Hebrew calendar. In this episode, Ganga Devi, Bluth, and guest Idan Lumi explore love of self, love of others, and love of the divine as they delve into the significance of the month of Av.
Av is a complex month that begins in a time of heat, mourning, and destruction, guiding us from a period of grief to one of potential, renewal, and love. It’s a time during which we consider our own responsibility, in our lives and our history. As Idan says, “We all have different cards in life… I think part of the idea of Av is to see our cards and say ‘All right, how can I love this? How can I love where I came from and how can I use this to improve my life?”
Love plays a significant role in the month of Av. Tu B'Av, known as the “Jewish Valentine’s Day,” takes place on the 15th of the month. This is a holiday that has in the past been celebrated as a day of joy or matchmaking, but now takes on the role of a celebration of love, playfulness, and connection (both with ourselves and others). It’s been described as one of the happiest days of the year, along with Yom Kippur.
This episode of Sacred Time is a celebration and deep investigation of the concept and practice of love — the shapes that it can take, the process of becoming more loving, and the links between love, accountability, and grief.
“There’s a lot of struggle in love. It’s not an easy thing to do.”
— Idan Lumi
This episode discusses:
- What it means to take responsibility during the month of Av — and how that process may look in our lives
- The history of the holiday of Tu B'Av, known as the “Jewish Valentine’s Day”
- Rich and enriching definitions of what “love” truly means, and why it requires vulnerability and wilful action
Highlights:
00:52 Introduction & Idan Lumi
01:57 Month of Av
03:09 Tu B'Av
04:51 Av & taking responsibility
08:26 “Response + ability”
09:53 Love is a struggle
10:49 Defining love
19:25 Energy & frequency
26:30 Accountability
28:58 Ganga’s New Years story
32:52 Integrating experiences & becoming more loving
36:29 Finding the “meaning”
41:21 Unlearning linearity
43:37 Grief & suffering
46:41 Tu B'Av & love
50:28 Practical parenting wisdom
56:16 Small daily practices
1:02:43 Gratitude & happy Tu B'Av
Links:
HeartSourcing: Finding Our Way to Love and Liberation by Ramgiri Braun, Ph.D.
https://skillsforawakening.com/book/
What's Love Got to Do With It? Guided Learning for Tu B'Av
https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/185368?lang=bi
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“The art of loving is hard to learn… and even harder to master.”
— Dr. Elliot Malamet
When you are part of a religious community, the acts of loving and being loved can be surprisingly complex, requiring a delicate balancing act between personal freedom and external expectations, and between sexual pleasure and religious duty.
Singlehood is seen in the community as a problem to be solved — particularly for Jewish women.
From accessing the ritual of the mikvah to negotiating healthy sexuality to coping with the pain of breaking up, single Jewish women regularly navigate complicated terrain, and often without rules or rituals that are compatible with dating in modernity.
This episode is an instalment of Across the Sea, a podcast about mental health and Judaism. In this episode, Dr. Elliot Malamet invites guests Rabbi Rachel Rosenbluth and Micki Lavin-Pell to discuss dating and building healthy relationships while Jewish.
“Singleness is definitely supposed to be a temporary stage — as temporary as possible.”
— Bluth
This episode discusses:
✔ The possibility of “holy intimacy,” a sacred sexuality that may be experienced before marriage
✔ The lessons that we can learn from break-ups & how to benefit from them going forward
✔ Whether we need to develop a new Jewish sexual ethos — and what it may include
Highlights:
00:50 Introduction
01:51 Rabbi Bluth, stereotypes & expectations
04:50 Jewish law out of step with modern dating?
07:52 New Jewish sexual ethos
09:50 The mikvah & singlehood
12:11 Intimate couples & purity laws
15:36 Lessons gained from break-ups
19:55 Healthy v. unhealthy relationships
22:25 Is it harder to get & stay married now?
25:42 Micki Lavin-Pell & internal barriers
28:34 Singlehood & cultural messaging
30:23 Single male stereotypes
32:06 Singlehood & fear
34:32 Gender discrepancies
36:19 Too fast v. too slow
37:50 Healthy sexuality
40:00 Setting boundaries
43:05 Damaging beliefs & best advice
Links:
The Art of Loving by Erich Fromm
https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-art-of-loving/9780061129735-item.html
We Do: Saying Yes to a Relationship of Depth, True Connection and Enduring Love by Stan Tatkin
https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/we-do-saying-yes-to/9781622038930-item.html
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“You can’t just apply the rules as if they’re always going to be the same.”
— Professor Anthony Lang
You might think that “ethics of war” is a contradiction in terms. But although the vast majority of us would prefer it did not exist, warfare is a rich subject when it comes to discussing ethical considerations.
This episode of Living Jewishly is an instalment of What Would You Do?. In this episode, Dr. Elliot Malamet welcomes three esteemed scholars, Professor Anthony Lang, Professor Helen Frowe, and Professor Asa Kasher, to explore the contemporary ethics of war.
Is there such a thing as an innocent civilian given the nature of today’s conflicts? Have the ethics of war changed due to the rise of asymmetrical warfare? What is the moral responsibility of non-combatant participants, such as munitions factory workers? If the ends are important enough, can they justify any means?
Proportionality, collateral damage, and just cause are just a few of the complex topics explored in this thought-provoking episode.
“It’s much harder to justify killing people than just failing to save them.”
— Professor Helen Frowe
This episode discusses:
✔ Whether we should safeguard the safety of the civilians of an enemy state that has eliminated the distinction between combatants and non-combatants
✔ The existence of inviolable rules — and when it could be justified to transgress basic principles of war
✔ How proportionality figures into the moral calculus of warfare
Highlights:
00:52 Introduction
02:21 Professor Anthony Lang
03:35 Terrorism & ethics
05:10 Civilians, combatants & moral responsibility
10:15 Discerning civilian support
12:19 Safety of enemy civilians
14:52 WWII & citywide warfare
16:34 Professor Helen Frowe
17:17 Inviolable rules v. just cause
20:06 Proportionality
24:59 Quantitative analysis
27:03 Personal attachments
30:37 The dilemma of dirty hands
34:06 Civilians & innocence
44:06 Professor Lang & proportionality
46:25 Professor Asa Kasher
47:10 Distinction between combatants & non-combatants
49:59 How we think about conflict
56:19 Politics & war
Links:
Killing in War by Jeff McMahan
https://global.oup.com/ukhe/product/killing-in-war-9780199603572
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
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Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“Trauma is undigested experience”
— Ganga Devi.
This instalment of Living Jewishly is an episode of Sacred Time, a podcast devoted to exploring the healing art of the Hebrew calendar. Tammuz is the fourth month of the year in the religious Jewish calendar. It is one of the heated months of the calendar, and it holds and commemorates the memory of a lot of the pain, trauma, and destruction that we have experienced as a people.
The 17th of this month of the Hebrew calendar marks the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem, which we recognize through fasting. Three weeks later, we observe the Tisha B'Av, which commemorates the destruction of two holy temples.
In Tammuz, we descend into the heat. In the following month, Av, we emerge from it. This is a sacred time of reflection and mourning — a time when we give space to anger and despair while also contemplating our own boundaries and violations.
This episode discusses the nature of trauma, the different ways we may approach it, and steps that we can take to heal.
“It’s not just something that lives in the past. It’s something that lives in the present, in our bodies, until we do the work of healing.”
— Ganga Devi.
This episode discusses:
✔ How the Hebrew calendar helps us process and integrate through allowing sacred space for pain and reflection
✔ How to create a level of separation from trauma to help enhance your healing — and how to find refuge in your present moment
✔ The role that the act of bearing witness plays in the healing process
Highlights:
00:51 Intro
01:19 Tammuz
02:15 Water & the fire of anger
03:14 The trauma of violation
04:45 Making space for pain
06:16 “Looking” at trauma & lenses
10:42 We can be what we need
11:56 Regeneration & decomposition
16:08 Transformation & resilience
18:19 What does it mean to process?
24:36 What helps us process?
26:20 Bearing witness & befriending anger
28:38 The Interior Castle
30:49 “The temple is rebuilt continuously”
32:52 Everything is sacred
35:10 Practices for this month
Links:
The Interior Castle
https://wedaretosay.com/what-are-the-mansions-of-the-interior-castle
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“The shift focused from the world bullying me to me bullying myself… I literally thought my life was coming all together, and then I realized I was gay in the timeframe.”
— Micah Thau
While depression, self harm, substance abuse, and suicidal thoughts can affect anyone, they’re more common among the LGBTQ population — especially those members who come from a religious background.
This episode of Living Jewishly is an instalment of Crossing The Sea, a podcast focused on mental health. In this episode, young, queer Jewish adults tell their stories in their own words.
There is a lack of queer and religous representation on TV and in films — not to mention in positions of leadership in our communities, big and small. This lack of representation makes it challenging for queer, religious individuals to recognize a place for themselves.
While this alone can cause mental health issues for LGBTQ individuals, so can many other aspects of their experience. Homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia not only affect those out of the closet, but can prevent people from feeling safe in coming out and living their truths. Religion complicates this further, as many religious queer people struggle with increased internalized (and externalized) stigma.
Guests Micah Thau and Shlomo Satt candidly and honestly discuss mental health issues and their experiences growing up queer and Jewish, touching on topics such as bullying, the process of coming out, parental expectations, conversion therapy, self acceptance, and how religious leaders may smooth the path for their queer community members.
“My attitude basically the entire time as a teenager was ‘I need to repress this or change it’ — I knew that it was incompatible with the lifestyle I wanted to live, which was a very Orthodox lifestyle.”
— Shlomo Satt
This episode discusses:
- How and why a religious upbringing and environment complicates the coming-out process and self acceptance
- The real-life experience of psychological trauma caused by conversion therapy
- The responsibility that religious leaders may hold in terms of ensuring the comfort and safety of the young, queer members of their communities
Highlights:
- 00:51 Introduction
- 01:20 Micah Thau, bullying & the Jewish American dream
- 04:44 Disclosure v. suicide
- 06:41 Coming out & parental expectations
- 11:06 The ‘cowardice’ problem
- 12:39 Active harassment & danger
- 14:58 Shlomo Satt, repression & the Orthodox lifestyle
- 18:09 Coming out to professionals
- 19:47 Conversion therapy
- 28:59 Dr. Mindy Shankman
- 31:46 Dr. Robert Schwartz
- 35:47 Conversion trauma
- 42:42 Breaking point & self acceptance
- 46:52 Miryam Kabakov & traditional Jewish communities
- 49:06 Stages of grief
Links:
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“We have lots of great social and political mechanisms for integrating people into the new society that they moved to.”
— Fabio Rojas
Is immigration a basic human right? Or is it a privilege?
This episode of Living Jewishly is an instalment of What Would You Do?, a podcast about ethics. In this episode, we explore the borderlines making up the ethics of immigration.
Immigration to Western countries is one of the most hotly debated and controversial topics of our time, sparking published thinkpieces, political debates, and arguments among acquaintances.
Some people view immigrants with fear, seeing them as violent or criminal (a fear stoked by certain politicians), while others see them as people looking to move up the economic ladder, provide for their families, and lead productive lives, or as refugees in need of compassion and a safe haven.
Western governments must discern between these categories when developing their policies — and the line between “immigrant” and “refugee” can be life or death for millions of people.
Leading American scholars Fabio Rojas and Professor Kit Wellman join Dr. Elliot Malamet for a thought-provoking discussion on the ethical nuances of open borders, sovereignty, cultural integrity, moral responsibility, freedom of association, family reunification, and global distributive justice.
“The way I see it… you don’t fully have self-determination unless you enjoy freedom of association.”
— Professor Kit Wellman
This episode discusses:
- The concept of ‘open borders’ and what that type of policy could look like in practice
- The idea of the right of the state to determine its own freedom of association
- How global distributive justice ties into arguments about immigration, and whether it can be achieved through other means
Highlights:
- 00:51 Introduction
- 02:31 About Fabio Rojas & Professor Kit Wellman
- 03:10 What are open borders?
- 04:34 Argument for open borders
- 06:40 The sovereignty argument
- 08:22 The “apocalypse” scenario
- 12:41 Culture & influence
- 16:20 The “moral responsibility” argument: Rojas
- 22:58 The “freedom of association” argument
- 27:29 What if the majority are wrong?
- 31:12 Family reunification
- 32:25 Distributive justice
- 39:55 The “moral responsibility” argument: Wellman
- 45:07 American examples
- 47:51 The ‘hot potato’ problem
- 53:51 Rights v responsibilities
Links:
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“How do we move forward in a way that both integrates and sustains whatever it is that we want to carry with us?”
— Rabbi Bluth
This episode of the Living Jewishly podcast is an instalment of Scared Time, a podcast dedicated to exploring the healing art of the Jewish calendar as it relates to our lives today. This episode focuses on the month of Sivan, the third month in the religious calendar.
Shavuot, the Festival of Weeks, is an important holiday early on in the month of Sivan. The holiday commemorates the day that the Jewish people first received the Torah at Mount Sinai in 1312 BCE. Shavuot also marks the end of the Counting of Omer, which was discussed in last month’s episode of Sacred Time.
Sivan is a time of ripening, as we move more deeply into spring. It is a beautiful time for follow-through on things that we have initiated... or dreamed of doing. And it is a month of movement — once we receive the gift of the Torah, we must decide how and where we move forward.
In a time when many are sensitive to their privilege, it can be difficult to know how to receive gifts, both material and spiritual. Abundance can come with a feeling of shame or guilt — how can we appreciate what we have in a world with such an unequal distribution of resources? And what steps can we take toward creating a better outcome for our communities?
“Power is something that is beautiful. Power is something that is sacred. And the only thing that’s shameful about power is when it is stripped from people or when it is denied.”
— Ganga Devi
This episode discusses:
- How do we move forward sustainably and intentionally with the material and spiritual gifts that we receive?
- What real, sacred power looks like — and how to share your power and gifts with the world
- The importance of contributing to the collective healing of the world, rather than its fragmentation
Highlights:
- 01:22 The month of movement
- 04:50 How do we proceed with what we received?
- 07:18 What is power? What is abundance?
- 09:50 Relationality
- 11:45 The walking of the spirit
- 12:40 How do we contribute to healing?
- 14:27 Perfectionism & integrity
- 16:16 Shavuot
- 18:56 Different types of power
- 22:01 Lekh Lekha
- 26:47 Daily blessings
- 30:00 Inhabiting the fullness of time
- 39:15 Practice for connecting to ancestors
Links:
Joanna Macy - To Live in the Fullness of Time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jliSPJxTHak
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“The way people behave from birth, the way that people grow up, is what’s normal to them.”
— Dr. David Greenberg
Can Judaism make you sick?
There are many studies that highlight the positive effects of religious life — greater contentment, a feeling of community, and a strong sense of purpose.
But what about the negative effects of religion?
How should we think about and deal with the guilt, shame, fear, and disordered behaviours that religion can bring up in some people?
This episode of Living Jewishly is an instalment of Crossing The Sea, a podcast about Judaism and mental health.
This episode looks at the line between healthy piety and unhealthy pathology and features interviews with mental health experts Dr. Michelle Friedman, Dr. David Greenberg, and Dr. David H. Rosmarin.
“Thinking of Judaism or frankly any type of religion or tradition as a monolithic entity that has a one-way street would be a big mistake,” says Dr. Friedman. “I’ve definitely seen situations where a practice of Judaism has been incredibly helpful for people, and I’ve certainly seen the opposite… where a family’s expression of Judaism, a doctrinaire attitude or approach, can really be quite difficult.”
In this episode, you’ll explore the positive and negative effects of religion, how our upbringing influences our experience of mental distress, and how religion can be a healthy resource for LGBTQ+ people.
“The basis of religious practice should be a source of confidence — should be a source of a positive feeling, not a negative feeling.”
— Dr. David Greenberg
This episode discusses:
- Whether religion can cause disordered thinking or only exacerbate conditions that already exist
- How we can separate healthy belief from pathological or delusional thinking
- How spirituality can be effectively integrated into psychotherapy in clinical settings
Highlights:
- 00:51 Can Judaism make you sick?
- 02:00 About Dr. Michelle Friedman
- 02:35 Why Judaism can affect people differently
- 05:23 OCD & religious ritual
- 06:51 The chicken & the egg #1
- 08:59 Cultural contexts & mental disorder
- 12:10 About Dr. David Greenberg
- 13:19 Healthy belief v. delusional thinking
- 15:52 Distress & how to assess
- 18:31 Differences of opinion on change
- 22:59 The chicken & the egg #2
- 29:09 About Dr. David Rosmarin
- 31:59 Positive & negative effects
- 33:29 Spiritual struggles
- 36:57 X factor & case example
- 39:00 G-d’s providence
- 40:42 Integrating spirituality into psychotherapy
- 44:31 LGBTQ+ community & religion
- 49:01 Recap
Links:
Sanity and Sanctity: Mental Health Work Among the Ultra-Orthodox in Jerusalem by David Greenberg and Eliezer Witztum
https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300071917/sanity-and-sanctity
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“Mendacity spoils the well of communication.”
— Professor Pablo Muchnik
Is honesty the best policy?
Studies have shown that almost everyone lies on a weekly (or even daily) basis. We lie about small things, like whether we like a friend’s new haircut or a partner’s choice of shoes. We also lie about larger things — cheating on exams or partners, or hiding other misdeeds.
The term “white lies” stems back to the 14th century — we consider these to be “good” lies, or at least inconsequential ones.
But is there such a thing as benign deceit?
The guest for this episode is Professor Pablo Muchnik, a professor of ethics and philosophy at Emerson College and an expert in Kantian thought.
Dr. Elliot Malamet and Professor Muchnik dig deeply into the ethics of lying and cheating, and address questions such as:
- How do we deal with the cognitive dissonance of identifying and punishing specific acts in a corrupt culture while ignoring others?
- What sort of morality do we endorse when we privilege financial success over virtue?
- How do we resolve the conflict between honesty and sensitivity?
Tune into this fascinating discussion to learn more about ethical honesty and Kantian philosophy.
“I think the initial response... should be neither grudging nor sympathetic endorsement, but curiosity. We should ask questions such as ‘how does this kind of justification come about?’”
— Professor Pablo Muchnik
This episode discusses:
- The common, two-step thought process behind the justification of lies and cheating
- Why our moral imagination is shaped in our early childhood — and how to reshape it from the ground up
- How the Western models for heroism have evolved — and why aggression and imperialism are increasingly valued
Highlights:
- 00:51 Everybody lies
- 01:32 White lies & worse lies
- 02:45 Professor Pablo Muchnik & the Cheating Culture
- 08:08 Dealing with cognitive dissonance in a corrupt society
- 10:53 Diagnosing the problem
- 12:16 The remoralizing process
- 14:19 The messaging of success over virtue
- 16:38 Our models for heroism
- 18:23 Consequentialism, Kant & radical evil
- 23:36 Kantian v. Jewish ethics
- 30:42 Evasion as a compromise
- 33:30 Humility & limitations of human freedom
- 35:16 Conflict between sensitivity & honesty
- 37:34 Culture of incivility
- 39:37 Learn to listen
- 40:58 Personal lesson
Links:
Professor Pablo Muchnik’s books
https://www.amazon.ca/Kants-Theory-Evil-Self-Love-Aprioricity/dp/0739140167
https://www.amazon.ca/Rethinking-Kant-I-Pablo-Muchnik/dp/1847188214
https://www.amazon.ca/Kants-Anatomy-Evil-Sharon-Anderson-Gold/dp/1107414733
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“The deeper I go into the study of earth-based Judaism and mystical Judaism... the more incredible the many meanings become to me.”
— Ganga Devi
Welcome to Sacred Time, a podcast that explores the healing art of the Hebrew calendar as it relates to our lives today.
Welcome to the month of Iyar, the second month of the Jewish religious year, taking place in between Passover and Shavuot.
Iyar is a time of healing, development, and growth. This is a special time marked by ritual, like so many other sacred periods in the Hebrew calendar.
During Iyar, we practice a 49-day ritual called counting the Omer, where we consciously and intentionally count off the days out loud. This count records our journey from Passover, celebrating our freedom from slavery, to Shavuot, our holiday for receiving the Torah.
Each day that we count represents a different quality or divine characteristic for us to reflect upon and develop within ourselves, with each week devoted to a different sefirot, including loving-kindness, beauty, acknowledgment, and foundation.
Iyar allows us to create space for contemplation and integration, and prepare ourselves for the wisdom we’ll receive during Shavuot. The counting of the Omer marks a gradual shift from a time of freedom from slavery towards a time of freedom through our relationship with Torah.
Tune into this episode to learn about the agricultural origins of this sacred ritual and how we find meaning in it during our modern time.
“The relationship through the Torah is our relationship with G-d, is our relationship with each other as the community.”
— Bluth
This episode discusses:
- The importance of achieving the mindset shift from “freedom from” to “freedom through” or “freedom to”
- Why we need to think of Torah as something much bigger than the actual book
- How should we as individuals receive Torah during this sacred moment — and what should we do to prepare?
Highlights:
- 00:50 Scared Time
- 01:20 The month of Iyar & counting the Omer
- 02:37 Healing & growth
- 03:41 Agricultural rituals & offerings
- 04:36 Acknowledging the nourishment available to us
- 06:15 Spiritual energy
- 07:10 What are we moving toward during this time?
- 09:05 What is Torah?
- 11:16 How can we receive Torah now?
- 15:07 The Aleph of the Ten Commandments
- 18:53 Components of the Torah
- 20:44 Ramadan 2021
- 23:13 Interdevotionalism
- 24:10 “Speak to the Earth and it will guide you”
- 30:45 Final takeaway & how to get involved
Links:
To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:
Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org
Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw
or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.
Shalom!
“Most of us are in favour of freedom, as long as your actions don’t hurt someone else. But, as Hamlet would say, there’s the rub.”— Dr. Elliot MalametShould mask-wearing during a pandemic be universal public policy or a personal decision?This episode of the Living Jewishly podcast introduces What Would You Do?, the new ethics podcast from Dr. Elliot Malamet.This episode centres on a topic that has become hotly debated over the past year, sparking protests, violence, and countless conversations: what happens when public health policy seems to infringe on individual agency and choice?Our society is experiencing a huge split in opinion over mask wearing, with one side arguing for the importance of civil liberty in democratic societies and the other side drawing the line at personal freedoms when one’s actions can harm someone else.Anti-maskers often appeal to science and claim that masks are ineffective, but their true motivations lie in protecting what they see as their personal freedom.And therein lies the rub: when personal freedoms result in harm to others, where do we draw the line?When it comes to masks and morality, should individuals be able to opt-out of measures that protect the lives of those around them? And should we be heaping praise on people for simply choosing to behave in a minimally ethical way?To answer these questions, Dr. Malamet looks at a Florida anti-masking trial, an Italian flu vaccination story, and the work of philosopher John Stuart Mill.This introductory episode of What Would You Do? discusses: Why we as a society are so hesitant to impose coercive policies, even when they’re designed to save livesHow we can apply the philosophy of John Stuart Mill to the modern act of mask-wearingWhat kind of a world do we create when we consider basic morality to be newsworthy? “In today’s world, just doing the ordinarily right thing is apparently a cause for celebration.”— Dr. Elliot Malamet Highlights: 00:40 Introducing What Would You Do?01:52 Personal liberty v. social harm03:08 The Piedmont flu vaccinations04:16 Praising v. state intervention05:56 Vaccination requirements & consequences07:32 John Stuart Mill & the Florida mask lawsuit11:03 Freedom stops where harm begins13:03 ‘Crossing the unsafe bridge’16:14 Teenagers & judgment19:42 What can we do?21:46 Responsibility to discloseLinks: To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishlyWatch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzwor send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org. Shalom!
“Every ancient tradition has a healing art… our ancient healing art is the Hebrew calendar — our sacred time.”— BluthHow can the passage of time help us strengthen our communities and faith, and become happier and more fulfilled?Today’s episode is an introduction to Sacred Time, a new podcast from Living Jewishly hosted by Bluth and Ganga Devi. Released each month on the full moon, Sacred Time explores the healing art and wisdom of the Hebrew calendar as it relates to our day to day lives.Our path through the Shabbats, new moons, and holidays brings us through a process of healing and growth. This journey guides us, individually and as a community, to better ourselves and gain a fuller understanding of our faith.Through Sacred Time, we will honour the cycle of the calendar, letting the months themselves act as teachers and shape our discussions. The Kabbalistic symbols associated with each month guide rich and thoughtful discussions each episode. Sacred Time is for listeners at all points in the faith journey — in fact, you don’t even need to be Jewish. Its goal? To be a source of nourishment for the heart, mind, and body.“Our intention for this podcast is that it be rooted in tradition, blossoming into relevance in the present moment, and lead us all into the ripening of a beautiful Jewish future.”— Ganga DeviThis episode discusses: The 3 Rs framework that helps us to learn from the past, create a fruitful present, and plan for our best futureHow the atrocities of World War II have fractured the collective human psyche — and its relationship with time The eclectic spiritual paths that Bluth and Ganga have travelled — and how social media brought them together Highlights: 00:37 Welcome to Sacred Time01:16 What is sacred about time?02:16 Why months are meaningful04:07 About Bluth06:15 About Ganga Devi08:12 Who is Sacred Time for?09:15 Inner devotion & outer action11:10 How Bluth & Ganga Devi met18:04 Rogue religiosity19:30 Human relationship with time23:22 Sanctifying time & the art of healing26:37 Chesed/lovingkindess30:04 Buckminster Fuller 33:55 Design Science Studio37:19 The 3 RsLinks: Visit these websites to learn more about Bluth and Ganga Devi:https://www.rbluth.com https://gangadevibraun.com Holocaust survivor Sami Steigmannhttps://www.samispeaks.com/samisstory The Sabbath by Abraham Joshua Heschelhttps://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-sabbath/9780374529758-item.html God is a Verb by Rabbi David A. Cooperhttps://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/348304/god-is-a-verb-by-david-cooper Buckminster Fullerhttps://www.cs.mcgill.ca/~rwest/wikispeedia/wpcd/wp/b/Buckminster_Fuller.htm Design Science Studiohttps://www.designscience.studio To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishlyWatch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzwor send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org. Shalom!
We welcome the new moon and the month of adar with this poetic/melodic collab! Put on headphones, and enjoy the journey. Through poetry, chanting and niggun in a beautiful collaboration created by Rabbi Bluth and Galittas Healing. This audio piece takes you on a journey to feel into the month of adar, and to understand it’s themes as they relate to today. It is a melodic experience to welcome the Joy of Adar, a Joy that emerges as resistance and healing to the difficult times we are in.
What happens when you ask a room full of Jewish people to finish the following sentence: “The thing that is challenging about being Jewish…”?Living Jewishly did just that, and this episode is the last of a three-part series exploring the discussion that followed.The question about whether it is necessary to enrol Jewish children in Jewish schools is a long-standing one — and one that has sparked many lively debates.Is a religious education a requirement when it comes to raising children who will remain faithful, stay and marry within the community, and commit to raising their children within the faith?Or can Jewish children thrive and develop (and maintain) a strong relationship to their faith even when enrolled in public school?Or does the debate over schooling ignore the most important factor — what happens in the home?The truth is that Jewish children who grow up and remain connected to their culture tend to grow up in households that celebrate their Jewishness through traditions and ritual.Jewish schools certainly do a wonderful job passing down the fundamental rudiments of Jewish education — but perhaps schools should be a supplement to the Jewish experience they have at home.Find out how Rabbi Yossi Sapirman and Dr. Elliot Malamet advise parents to approach their children’s cultural and religious education in this episode of the Living Jewishly podcast.“Rabbi Yossi and I believe very strongly that for many years, a generation not of kids, but of parents, were neglected in terms of the Jewish education.”— Dr. Elliot MalametThis episode discusses: Whether sending your child to an expensive Jewish day school will really make a difference in their spiritual growth and engagement in Jewish life Why it is so important to attend shul for the right reasons, rather than the wrong ones How choosing the wrong JCC or shul for your family can actually create an obstacle for your children to fully embrace their faith Highlights: 01:00 Judaism by proxy01:24 Jewish school v public school02:49 The wrong reasons to go to shul03:55 Choose the right JCC and shulLinks: To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishlyWatch us on YouTube: Living Jewishlyor send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org. Shalom!
“Until Jewish communities see it as a global village issue, education won’t be affordable.”— Dr. Elliot MalametWhat happens when you ask a room full of Jewish people to finish the following sentence: “The thing that is challenging about being Jewish…”?Chances are, you’ll receive insightful answers that make you think.Living Jewishly did just that, and this episode is the second of a three-part series exploring the discussion that followed.Is it too expensive to be Jewish? Have we unintentionally created too-high a cost of entry for living a Jewish lifestyle? Many of the larger and more robust Jewish communities are found within cities that have high costs of living. But even apart from that, the cost of belonging to a synagogue or opting for Jewish education can become a hardship for many young Jewish families.The truth is that while Jewish mega-donors (people who donate upwards of $10 million for a single gift) give very generously to institutional causes, including museums, art galleries, and hospitals, Jewish education is not the priority it once was. Perhaps a change in this regard might be timely.How do Rabbi Yossi Sapirman and Dr. Elliot Malamet believe we can create an affordable, accessible, and inclusive Jewish lifestyle? Listen to the episode to find out.“It’s really a conversation about priorities.”— Rabbi Yossi SapirmanThis episode discusses: Whether politics belong in the sanctuary and whether Rabbis should address them during prayerWhy engaging in Jewish community life is so expensive — and how to radically decrease these costsHow Jewish governance and certifications are holding the community back from creating new spaces Highlights: 00:56 Politics in the sanctuary04:32 Judaism in the United Kingdom05:00 Is it too expensive to be Jewish?08:52 A re-communalizing revolution12:23 Foregoing elite Jewish community life13:18 The issues of Jewish governance Links: To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishlyWatch us on YouTube: Living Jewishlyor send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org. Shalom!
“Religion is the expression of what your values are. Religion on its own is nothing."— Rabbi Yossi SapirmanWhat happens when you ask a room full of Jewish people to finish the following sentence: “The thing that is wrong with Judaism is…”?Chances are, you’ll receive a collection of insightful answers that really make you think.Living Jewishly did just that, and this episode is the first of a three-part series exploring the discussion that followed.While the family-centric nature of Judaism helps to strengthen familial bonds while underscoring spiritual belonging, this focus on family is a challenge for people who aren’t part of a nuclear family or are estranged or otherwise have difficulty relating to their kin. This focus on family can make many people feel excluded or “less than.” It’s an exclusion that can feel as though it comes from both within and without. A greater emphasis on relationship-building and openness within the community would help to lessen this feeling, creating a greater sense of belonging.Exclusion is also an issue for those who are in their 40s, 50s, and beyond. With so much funding and effort focused on the 20s and 30s age groups, it’s important to create more events and roles for those outside of those groups. How do Rabbi Yossi Sapirman and Dr. Elliot Malamet believe we can create a more tight-knit, inclusive community? Listen to the episode to find out.“I think the role of G-d has to change… Rabbis are conveying the word of G-d, so to speak, and I actually think people talk about G-d too much.” — Rabbi Yossi SapirmanThis episode discusses: How the role of the Rabbi needs to adapt in a world where most questions are answered by GoogleWhy the family-centric spirit of Judaism can be alienating for those who are travelling on different pathsHow the use of funding in Jewish communities can leave certain age groups out in the cold Highlights: 00:55 “The thing that is wrong with Judaism is…”03:08 The role of the Rabbi & the role of G-d06:05 “Too much G-d and not enough food”08:12 Relationship-building & age inclusivity 12:52 Denominational & shul differences15:23 Growing up secular & the issues of Orthodoxy Links: To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishlyWatch us on YouTube: Living Jewishlyor send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org. Shalom!
The High Holy Days are a season of opportunity — the opportunity to change, grow, and forgive. But how we approach the season may determine how fruitful our efforts to change may be. Noah Tile, host of the Change Talk podcast, believes that expecting or aiming for a drastic transformation is not the most effective way to create a lasting transformation. He makes an effort throughout the year to make necessary changes, and focuses on very small, meaningful professional, interpersonal, and spiritual areas of his life during the season. Rather than looking to achieve a 180-degree turn, he aims to get 1-2% better. “I used to come into this season with a lot of expectations and I’ve really narrowed that down,” he explains. “At this time, perhaps I’m going to choose very, very small areas… and try my best to make it even an inch better than it was.”For example, Noah wants to learn how to slow down during his week, which is filled with a number of meaningful projects for which he holds great passion. He wakes up on edge, filled with excitement for his work, but wants to take time for breath and mindfulness. His goal? To take just a few minutes each day, before his prayers, to focus on his breath. Just two to three minutes, each day. Not a large change, but an effective and achievable one.Once that habit is set in place, who knows how it will grow? In this episode of Living Jewishly, Noah speaks to Dr. Malamet about strategies for effective change, proactive reconciliation, and how to overcome the barriers to forgiveness.“I am so passionate about the concept of change. It’s how I do my podcast — I interview people about very, very, very small things that they want to change in their life. Bite-sized things that they want to make an improvement on. And I find that that really creates breakthroughs, when we really reduce the complexity.” — Noah TileIn this episode, you’ll discover: Why narrowing your focus will help you achieve effective changeHow to re-assess and repair relationships that aren’t serving you wellWhat to do when the ‘forgiveness scene’ doesn’t live up to your expectations Highlights: 00:41 The experience of the High Holy Days02:00 Think small, focused changes05:51 Proactive reconciliation09:01 The forgiveness scene12:43 Pain and spirituality Links: Change Talk podcasthttps://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/change-talk-noah-tile-BXD18MaPkFG To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishlyWatch us on YouTube: Living Jewishlyor send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org. Shalom!
Part Two: Millennials in the Contemporary Jewish World with Noah Tile by Living Jewishly
Part One: Millennials in the Contemporary Jewish World with Noah Tile by Living Jewishly
“How do we find the space ... where people come and can carve out a Jewish identity free from expectations, free ideological considerations, just to taste and experiment?”— Dr. Elliott MalametWhen does identity become not a means of differentiation, but a cumbersome weight that prevents creativity, curiosity, and adaptability?What would it look like if we could create a space for young people to carve out a Jewish identity that spoke to their own human, emotional experiences?In this episode of the Living Jewishly podcast, Dr. Elliott Malamet interviews Ruth Chitiz about her journey of learning to own her own Judaism and how she ultimately came to think about her own Jewish practice. Jewish texts and teachings ought to pay homage to the integrity of the human being as a whole — and Ruth believes that the High Holidays are perfectly positioned to explore this human dimension, particularly the story of Passover. “We’ve taken a lot of creativity when it comes to Haggadah writing, and I think we should use that as a model to build more Jewish texts and feel empowered to not beholden to the texts of the past,” she says. “The writers of the Talmud were very creative.” Without jettisoning our rich denominational history, she would love to see Jewish leadership become more bold and curious, and to take more risks.The Jewish Calendar is ideally set up in a way to access emotional, human experiences that we may not otherwise tap into in our secular lives. It’s up to us to make Rosh Hashanah about more than pouring honey on an apple and sharing a meal with family. How do we make it an enriched and deeply meaningful experience? In this episode, you’ll discover: The hidden emotional tensions underlying Rosh Hashanah and Yom KippurHow to make the High Holidays more spiritually meaningfulWhy so many people feel emotionally disconnected from the Liturgy — and how we can better relate“If I could ask for one thing to be changed … it would be to have my Jewish practice reflect the rich, emotional experience of being a person.”— Ruth Chitiz Highlights: 00:37 Introducing Ruth Chitiz01:05 Navigating denominational divisions02:29 Celebrating our full humanness in our practice04:41 The emotional experience of the High Holidays06:05 The tension of Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur07:58 How do we repackage our High Holidays?09:09 How do we relate to the Liturgy?10:13 Sustaining our introspection11:30 Unforgiveability15:01 Timing for forgiveness15:32 The balance between sharing and refraining16:51 Recap & outro Links: N/A To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishlyWatch us on YouTube: Living Jewishlyor send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org. Shalom!
When someone hurts you, do they have to change in order for you to let it go? Or do you have to change?It’s impossible to go through life without feeling wronged or mistreated by others on occasion, whether foe, friend, or family. Offence can be caused by words or actions, or even by the lack of words and actions. Mistreatment can include a range of harms, from the mild to the severe; a careless statement, a hurtful snub, or deliberate abuse all have varying degrees of psychological impact.Anger and resentment are negative emotions with no spiritual benefit. When it comes to more severe offences, these emotions can last for years. But forgiveness can be a challenging proposition, particularly when there has been no effort on the part of the offender to make up for their mistake.While Jewish law requires a sincere act of teshuvah (repentance) in order to be granted forgiveness, that isn’t always realistic in real-life situations. In order to move on, we need to work on forgiving for our own benefit and wellbeing, even without a genuine apology or teshuvah. Forgiveness frees us to move on from harmful memories and let go off draining emotions such as anger. You cannot control whether others change. You can only control yourself.So, how do you get started?In this episode, you’ll discover: How shifting your perspective can transform the harm you’ve experienced into a a type of giftThe only thing that you should regret — and the benefits of letting go of unnecessary regrets Why the meaning of Rosh Hashanah evolves as you grow, from youth to old age“I’ve learnt that I have a short life and you waste way too much time trying to get apologies, and even if you get them, they’re not sincere. If you have to force it, it feels fake.” — Rabbi Yossi Sapirman Highlights: 00:37 Does forgiveness require an apology?02:00 Becoming a different You03:20 “I hope to have a good past”04:35 What happens when you put regret aside05:23 Experiencing Rosh Hashanah 06:36 Looking at moments as possibilities07:30 The Book of Life and The Book of Death Links: N/A To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:Visit our website: https://livingjewishly.org Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishlyWatch us on YouTube: Living Jewishlyor send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org. Shalom!
In this episode, Rabbi Yossi and Dr. Malamet discuss the pros and cons of the virtual Shul experience we’ve come to expect during the pandemic. Will people come back to Shul after COVID? The question is, can we ever undo the fact that we’ve found a new way to deliver something that people really want? Elliott thinks there is a way, but that Shuls will need to bring their A-Game and create experiences that are more engaging, and different from what we’ve always done for so many years. When people return to Shul after 12 months or so and the services are continuing in teh same old way, it will be difficult to inspire that commitment to attend. But, since there has been a freeze in the norm, there’s an opportunity to change things up and re-inspire people to come to Shul.Will the social experience bring people back?So many people attend Shul for the social experience, but will that be enough to get people to come back to the “grinding” service that has become the norm? Rabbi Yossi asked the question - Would you be interested in coming to Shul if you couldn’t go, but we could find a way to bring it to you? The overwhelming response is YES. This really puts into perspective, that perhaps the social element isn’t as much of a priority as we might think.So what can change? Shorter services, longer Kiddush. Less sermonizing, shorter Torah, more social experience after the services. Or, maybe it’s both virtual and in-person experiences combined so that the community elements can be shared even if people choose to tune into the livestreams or pre-recorded videos.The key takeaways:1. Young people are saying that High Holidays are their favourite thing in the Synagogue - maybe that means more of this type of programming throughout the year will drive more engagement and desire to attend Shul.2. A lot of people struggle to get to Shul that want to participate, so it’s important to think of Shul as a spiritual broadcaster for those that want something meaningful but can’t physically attend.3. People are now willing to say “I can sit with my family and have an engaging conversation with them about what’s being said without being shushed” and it’s more meaningful to them. They are still creating the shared experience in their close-knit communities at home.It will change.Maybe, prayer can actually be a social element of synagogue, and maybe there are new ways for us to nurture our sense of community. Either way, whatever the future holds, it will be a completely renewed experience for everyone.Download the Living Jewishly podcast wherever you get your podcasts! If you liked this episode please leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts along with a written review. That helps more people like you find the show. Follow us on Instagram at @living.jewishly and on Facebook at https://facebook.com/livingjewishly for more content just like this.
In this episode which is part of the Art of Living Jewishly series, Rabbi Bluth talks with Rabbi Leibish about Simchat Torah. Chag sameach!
Is there a better time than right now to take a new look at an old subject? In this first of a 3 part series called Prayer As Cover- How to Get Through to Yourself, Rabbi Yossi and Dr Malamet discuss and debate whether and how prayer can be relevant in our modern times. As always, the conversation is lively, free ranging and even a little surprising at times. The episode closes out with Eli Schwebel performing We Thank You Forever after recovering from Covid-19. It's so beautiful- not to be missed.
In part three of Living Jewishly's 3 part series, the Secret Lives of Rabbis, Rabbi Yossi, Professor Malamet and Rabbi Bluth conclude with a fascinating conversation about when living between worlds can be a fully intentional, empowering and courageous choice. Please do listen and if you're moved to give us feedback, we'd love to hear from you.
In part two of Living Jewishly's 3 part series, Rabbi Yossi, Professor Malamet and Rabbi Bluth debate whether the Secret Lives of Rabbis should be secret at all. In this conversation we're challenged to understand the concept of 'secret' as a means towards achieving positive change. Just as two things can be true at the same time, the power of words when they hold many meanings is explored. Please do listen and if you're moved to give us feedback, we'd love to hear from you.Part 3 airs on September 9, 2020
In part one of a 3 part series Living Jewishly's three sages Rabbi Yossi, Professor Malamet and Rabbi Bluth share a fascinating, free range conversation about the secret lives of Rabbis we hope will whet your appetite for the upcoming holiday season. Please do listen and if you're moved to give us feedback, we'd love to hear from you.Part 2 airs on August 25, 2020.
Introducing: The Art of Living Jewishly, a new content series with Rabbi Bluth who will share her perspectives on Jewish experience through the lens of the Jewish calendar, and especially Rosh Chodesh, as the anchor.Listen to this episode to learn about Rabbi Bluth and her spiritual journey that began after her ordination at Yeshiva. Celebrate with us as we welcome her to the Living Jewishly family. L’Chaim!From Rabbi Bluth:“I'm so excited today to be launching The Art of Living Jewishly, with me, Rabbi Bluth. Twice a month this program will move through a journey where we encounter ancient Jewish wisdom, particularly through the Jewish calendar, which I see as a path and guide and healing tool. We will look, look to the ancients to bring that wisdom into the present moment to guide us, to live our best lives, to be the best versions of ourselves. To grow, to be introspective and to be inspired. “I'm going to be sharing content that involves art, thought and embodied practice, and we are going to use the Jewish calendar as a guide for this year together of growing in our personal lives and what it means to be Living Jewishly. “The goal is to experience Jewish wisdom, to inspire us on a path of personal growth and collective transformation. We're doing this all in order to grow our inner selves and to transform and create, a re-imagined world. “Especially during this time of pandemic and the sort of social, spiritual revolution that's happening, it's really an opportunity to be intentional caring, loving, and how we want to be building the future.”Subscribe to the Living Jewishly podcast wherever you get your podcasts, and follow us on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook for even more great content every single week. Questions? Comments? Email us at hello@livingjewishly.org to continue the conversation.
Episode 13: The Jewish Response To HomelessnessIn this episode, Rabbi Yossi talks with Cari Kozreiok of Ve'ahavta which provides much needed support to the homeless Jewish community of Toronto. Cari shares some of the struggles that the homeless community of Toronto has been experiencing in recent months in combination with the pandemic, and what Ve'ahavta has been working on in order to bring stability back to the individuals. "We have a mobile outreach van and it's primarily serving a specific subset of the homeless population known as "rough sleepers". These are folks who are living outdoors. Since the pandemic began, there's been a marked increase in the number of people who are living outdoors, many of them left the shelter system out of fear for their safety.They are braving the pandemic outside on the streets and it has presented tremendous challenges. Combined with the closure of so many of the formal and the informal amenities that enable people who are rough sleepers to survive in these harsh conditions, we're finding that people are going without food, without access to bathrooms and places to wash their hands. Things that enabled them to survive in the past are lacking, and there are many more people on the streets today. So it's a perfect storm and there's tremendous need.Listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts!More from this episode:https://livingjewishly.org/episode-13:-the-jewish-response-to-homelessness/Ve'ahavta:https://veahavta.org/
In this episode, Rabbi Yossi and Dr. Malamet discuss Halacha, Jewish law, which provides us with an agreed upon set of values. They discuss whether Halacha is capable of standing on its own without the presence of God, and what life might be without it?The different types of Halacha are broken down into things that are antiquated, things that are anachronistic, things that are archetypal - that's the way Judaism can be understood in general. But beyond that, does one need the Halacha to act as an engine starting battery?Some people need Halacha to remind them to wash their hands before they eat. But for without Halacha others might eat without washing first or others might do so instinctively for sanitary reasons.If you're the kind of person that needs a Halacha jumpstart, that's great. But not everyone thinks they do.Judasim informs us that God is the inspiration for the Halachic system by which one can start on the right path. But the idea also that Halacha must be a permanent companion in everything you do, in order to lead a righteous life, might be challenged by some. The full transcript follows below at https://livingjewishly.org/episode-12-jewish-law
Rabbi Yossi interviews backyard urban farmers Marc Green and Arlene Hazzan, co-owners of BUFCO (Backyard Urban Farm Company), about how they transform urban spaces into amazing gardens. Their passion to grow nourishing food in urban spaces led them to help others to grow their own food, and to help them reconnect with nature.As part of the Year of Living Jewishly Bar/Bat Mitzvah program, Rabbi Yossi encourages participants to see work in designated gardens as a way to honour the environment and give of themselves in support of others. Rabbi Yossi himself is an urban gardener who donates the output of his own terrace garden to Living Jewishly’s social enterprise, The Manna Project. Through this active engagement with nature and Rabbi Yossi as a guide, YLJ participants are able to see how their hard work can have a direct impact on their own lives too.Learn more about the Manna Project here: https://livingjewishly.org/manna/Learn more about BUFCO here: https://bufco.ca/This video is also a podcast! Download wherever you listen to. your podcasts now!
Episode 10: The Kvetcher In The RyeYossi begins by telling a story about when he was travelling and stopped at a friend’s house where his friend made him biscuits from 100-year old starter sourdough. Yossi relates this to selling your chametz every year before Pesach (if you had 100 year-old sourdough you would have to sell it). Is our goal in Judaism to skirt around the law (in this case, to not have any chametz on your person or property) by creating a “sale” of the chametz each year? Is this really what Jewish law intends? Elliott asks whether religion is simply interpretation or can one literally understand the text. But Jews were never literalists – texts are always subject to human interpretation, including the selling of chametz. Even though the original case of such sales was when one time two Jews were stuck on a boat just before Pesach and had not gotten rid of their chametz, so it was kind of an emergency sale. How unlike our present day sales, in which we even go online and sell our chametz in detailed ways, weeks ahead of the holiday. So we found creative ways to sell the chametz.But Elliott speaks about female friends of his that complain that we should be creative with women’s issues like getting Jewish women a timely divorce if they request it.Yossi picks up on the theme of creativity and recalls how just before the Exodus, the eating of the Paschal lamb became a family/communal event in which the participants play acted as though they were leaving Egypt. They ate matzah and maror and acted as if they were in a rush. And then, they actually did leave Egypt in a hurry. Yossi adds that matzah has a double narrative. One narrative is that it is eaten because it is “the poor man’s bread,” as we recall the poverty of our ancestors. But a second narrative is that we eat matzah because we left Egypt in such a hurry that there was not even time for the dough to rise. And that has become the popular narrative today.Elliott argues that, in a sense, the whole Exodus narrative is bizarre. Why does God take 400 years when God could have redeemed the slaves at any moment? It almost feels like the text is “God’s show” to prove that He is the man, the dominant figure on the stage. It is like a scripted drama. Elliott argues that the Exodus is not about freeing the slaves, but rather about God showing the Egyptians, the Jews, and the reader, that God is the only being of ultimate importance.So the business of not having time for the dough to rise, after waiting 400 years for redemption, is for Elliott, on the surface, very weird. But maybe the idea is that sometimes when you get that moment of clarity to change your life, you have to do it right away. You can’t think or delay – you have to do the thing right now.Yossi extends this to the metaphor of making bread. Fermented bread is when you have the time. But when you have to go, when there is not a moment to spare, you go for the flat bread, which is fast, easy and convenient, and gets you out. And that is the power of the symbol of matzah. When the moment of clarity comes, take it.
Episode 9: The Wicked SonOne of the centre pieces of the Seder is the section on the four sons. Both Yossi and Elliott like the “wicked son” above all. Yossi notes that according to the Haggadah, once they finish “smacking around” the wicked son, we do not hear from him again, either because he has just upped and left, or because after a show of aggression the rest of the family leaves him alone. In that vein, Yossi tells a well-known joke “If you are going to get married, do it in the morning; that way, if it does not work out, you have not wasted the whole day.”! None of the other sons have any motivation to leave the table; only the wicked son who has some reason to go, is the wicked one, because he is the centre of everyone’s anger, the emotional dialogue of the Seder.Elliott adds that there is an idea in psychology called the “identified patient,” the kid who seems to be the reason that the whole family has gone to therapy, the “troubled on” but also the most emotionally honest one in the family, the one who is unwilling to suppress the family secrets. This child, like the wicked son, is the emotional key to the family.Why is he the wicked son? What did he do to invoke all of this anger? It does not seem to add up. Do they want to get rid of him, or just “smack his teeth”, meaning make it clear to him that his attitude is not the prevailing one at the table. Trying to shame him in front of everyone else, to force subservience. Elliott is bewildered at why the wicked son would be any kind of paradigm for education. No teacher that he knows would ever treat a student that way.Yossi suggests that perhaps the text is arguing that all children are a mix of all four sons all at the same time, that we have all of these different parts (Wise; wicked; simple; clued out). The text is often a rorschach of what Jewish cultures down through the ages viewed as wise or wicked. This was especially borne out, Elliott, states, in illustrated Haggadot, where pictures of the wicked son included images of Roman soldiers, boxers, or a kid smoking at the Seder; or dilletantish pictures – whatever the particular Haggadah thought of as “not Jewish.”Yossi asks what would a wicked son look like today? Thinking about this question could create one of the most relevant conversations at the Seder table today. In our time, it could be too religious, not religious enough; anti-Zionist etc. Elliott laments that the Haggadah considers this child irredeemable. In today’s world of education, the last thing you are going to label a kid with is the tag “irredeemable. We will try many other things –maybe the kids needs meds or therapy—before abandoning this child. So how does this text—with its troubling message– play out in 2020? Or perhaps we no longer take the Haggadah’s portrait seriously.In an age of assimilation, it is interesting that kid shows up at the table, and actually bothers to ask a question. That is far preferable in comparison to many people who show up bored and apathetic at the table. So, Yossi says we should revel in the wicked child, without whom the Seder would not be complete!
Episode 8 - Love Me Two Times, BabyElliott begins by recalling how his daughter would dress up like Esther on Purim, all made up as though entering a “beauty contest.” But when you read the Megillah, the facts are far scarier. The key verb in relation to the story’s central figure, Esther is that “she was taken.” And in fact, just like the Liam Neeson movie, she is taken, kidnapped, to be a sex slave. The Megillah relates that all women in Persia at that time are taken to be used sexually by the king, and then discarded, their bodies and their autonomy utterly stripped.Yossi points out that a close reading reveals that a major focus of the text is not the Jews, but rather the women. One example is Vashti, the king’s wife, who is an independent woman, but is suddenly summoned by the king, who demands her presence. When she refuses, she is deposed of her crown (and executed). What ensues is what Yossi calls an “institutionalized massacre of women’s rights.” And yet, Yossi continues, even though she too was taken like an object, Esther somehow makes an impression on the king. Her key moment comes after the king has not sent for her for thirty days. Mordechai urges her to approach the king, to speak up about the plight of the Jews, though ordinarily one cannot approach the king without being summoned. So Esther internalizes the fact that, as Yossi says “if I die, I am going to die speaking, not silent.”But how can she get through to a king who views her and all women as sex objects? So she invites him to not just one, but two parties. Why, asks Yossi, would she not have used the very first opportunity to beg for salvation for the Jews? Why delay matters by inviting the king to a second party? It is an attempt to get the king to see her as human, as someone outside of the bedroom.Elliott likes this reading but asks us to speculate about the end of the story and beyond, and asks: “What is the position of women in Persia after the story? Answer: Unchanged.” What Elliott calls the “nasty residue” of the story is that in the kingdom you have a systematic transfer and trafficking of women. State mechanisms are used to transport women to the palace and prepare them for sex. And nothing that happens with Esther and Mordechai will change that fact.Yossi envisions a less harsh possibility, in that Esther’s advocating for her own humanity will affect the king to recognize, perhaps, the humanity of others. Yossi asserts that “one woman’s voice is very powerful”, and that Esther was willing to risk everything in order to make a point about her humanness. Thus, the Megillah really is the book of Esther, where she is the centre and the heroine. Esther is a woman for our time, demanding to be seen as fully human. That would take two nights, not just one.Read more at www.livingjewishly.org/podcast-episo…-off-the-tapeEmail us at hello@livingjewishly.org, we would love to hear from you!Be sure to follow us on Instagram www.instagram.com/living.jewishly/ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/livingjewishly/If you like the show, please leave a review, it helps us to reach more people just like you.
Episode 7: Turn off the TapeElliott begins the podcast by telling a story about a few years ago he was invited to moderate a panel comprised of a number of Orthodox singles, who talked about what it was like being single and trying to remain observant Jews. Elliott asked them about how they had navigated Judaism’s sexual restrictions and whether they had spoken to rabbis about this and what they had been told. No one felt comfortable answering that question unless he turned off the tape that had recorded the session. Elliott then goes on to talk about the fact that ancient Jewish sexual ethics are a bad fit for contemporary Jewish life. Contemporary adults are dating longer; having sexual relationships at a younger age, and marrying later, than did people of previous generations. How does a traditional Jew work this out, especially the problem of sexuality in the face of later marriage? If the answer is avoid sex and marry young, there is the problem of whether the individuals are emotionally and financially ready for that commitment. But if we say “no, wait a few years until you are ready,” how does that reconcile with burgeoning sexual pressure, especially in the wake of the halacha’s prohibitions on pre-marital sexual expression? Should we allow single women to use the mikveh?Elliott wonders about the metaphor of "turning off the tape," and what that tells us about the honesty of current Orthodox discourse. If religion is about truth and honesty, then why did the tape have to be turned off? Yossi points out that many Biblical texts and ancient laws were not uncomfortable about sexuality - in fact they "did not turn off the tape at all." Yossi asserts that in the Orthodox world, what is uncomfortable is having to ask rabbis for permission regarding sexual matters. When Elliott asks why certain matters are "unspeakable," Yossi replies that if they were "speakable," if they in fact became part of regular Jewish discourse, then rabbinic power, which seeks to keep them hidden away would be severely undermined. Rabbis, he goes on to say, make idiosyncratic decisions about whether you are permitted to do an act or not. "not everyone wants to go their rabbi and talk about everything," Yossi concludes.Yossi intriguingly argues that "there is no power in truth, only in half truth," meaning that if rabbis fully empower the lay person with knowledge, then they will no longer rely on the rabbi to be the arbiter of truth. Elliott asks Yossi what was the conversation about things like masturbation in yeshiva when Yossi was younger. "You were told you would go to a hell and be a sinner forever". These were explicit messages.Read more at https://www.livingjewishly.org/podcast-episode-7-turn-off-the-tapeEmail us at hello@livingjewishly.org, we would love to hear from you!Be sure to follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/living.jewishly/ and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/livingjewishly/If you like the show, please leave a review, it helps us to reach more people just like you.
Tu B'Shvat is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the renewal of trees in a yearly cycle. Elliott notes, the timing of the holiday on the Jewish calendar is weird, falling out in the middle of winter. If we really wanted to get into the spirit of the day, we'd send everyone out into the middle of mature, "into the wild," to experience the trees. Rabbi Yossi points out that the winter is also a cool time to think about trees, because it is when the sap starts to run. The trees are starting to come alive, on the inside, where the sap is starting to build. Really, this is symbolic of the inner growth that takes place inside of us as human beings. Yossi adds that maple syrup is an ancient food but you have to get rid of the excess foam, which is a great metaphor for what people have to do - to keep the sweet parts of ourselves and get rid of the excess. As Yossi says, "whatever your winter looks like" you have to learn to go through the dark nights and come out on the other side.Elliott also notes that educationally, Tu B'shvat should teach us to "throw out the playbook." Jewish schools could plan a trip, throw away the books for a day, and take students out into nature to experience renewal and the miracle of creation. The holiday of the trees shows us that religious education can be found as much in nature as in textbooks. Yossi says there should be "Outward Bound" program for Tu B'shvat. This holiday represents the environmental ethic of the ancient rabbis and their view of the ecosystem, exemplified in the discussion of rain in the second paragraph of the Shema prayer. God gives human stewardship over the earth and it is up to us to make sure we treat that a sacred trust. In an age of climate change, this is a powerful message.Shout out to the late great Neil Peart of Rush and his wonderful song "The Trees!"Email us at hello@livingjewishly.org, we would love to hear from you!Be sure to follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/living.jewishly/ and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/livingjewishly/If you like the show, please leave a review, it helps us to reach more people just like you.
Rabbi Yossi and Dr. Elliott Malamet talk about Chanukah in episode 5 of the Living Jewishly Podcast.
Episode 4: The Road To ResilienceDr. Elliott Malamet hosts a conversation about resilience with author Sherri Mandel. He opens with an interesting juxtaposition. In Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, two tramps stand around at the side of the road and make up games and conversations to pass the time, and although they repeatedly threaten to move on, they never do. In Sherri’s books Blessing of A Broken Heart and The Road to Resilience, the reader learns that even in the throes of grief, when moving on seems impossible, with help, one can.In this episode we explore healing and grieving traumatic experiences and discuss how Judaism can be helpful to those in grief. We hear about the different ways people reacted to Sherri’s trauma, and we're offered some insight into how to talk to people who have suffered traumatic loss. Additionally, we learn how Sherri and her husband processed the loss of their son Koby to a terrorist attack, together and as a family unit.
Healing through Atonement and ForgivenessAll relationships depend on forgiveness. Even the one we have with ourselves.People can hurt each other no matter how much they love one another.Often we hurt or are hurt by those we love the most. And sometimes it seems that some hurts (e.g. infidelity, sexual and/or emotional) are too difficult to forgive.Is atonement possible for such betrayals? Can a relationship actually grow stronger in the wake of such a shattering blow to trust? Yom Kippur is the Jewish holiday that challenges each of us to be accountable in our lives and our actions, and to consider deeply who it is we need to seek forgiveness from the most.In this conversation with Robbie Schwartz, a long time Marriage and Family Therapist, Dr. Elliott Malamet will explore questions of whether and how, in our deepest relationships, we can forge ahead from pain towards healing, and from sadness to renewal, and how Jewish ideas about atonement can help us to move forward emotionally and spiritually, both within ourselves and with those we love.
Rabbi Yossi Sapirman and Dr. Elliott Malamet talk about Sukkot. Sukkot literally means “the booth” which is meant to represent the escape from Egypt. Rabbi Yossi challenges the typical interpretations of Sukkot and its symbolism.Harvesting Your LifeThe original intention of Sukkot was a harvest festival. Sukkot has evolved into an opportunity to invite our history into our lives. People we miss, victims of the Holocaust, patriarchs or matriarchs, whoever you want to bring in that you miss. When you’re feeling vulnerable, the object of the Sukkah is to harvest the joy and love in our lives.The Natural Conclusion of Yom KippurRabbi Yossi suggest that Sukkot is really the natural conclusion of Yom Kippur, an opportunity to feel a connection with the world and connected to people at a time of transition in the changing seasons. Yom Kippur is extremely internal while Sukkot invites us to move outward, it’s what Virgina Wolf called “The voyage outward”, or as Elliott puts it, Judaism at its very best.Email us at hello@livingjewishly.org, we would love to hear from you! Be sure to follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/living.jewishly/ and on Facebook at http://facebook.com/livingjewishly If you like the show, please leave a review, it helps us to reach more people just like you.
Living Jewishly Episode 1 - Atonement and ForgivenessCW: Mention of sexual abuse and incestIn the first episode of the Living Jewishly podcast, Rabbi Yossi Sapirman and Dr. Elliott Malamet discuss atonement and forgiveness in preparation for Yom Kippur. Through personal experiences and examples from the Torah, they dig into what it really means to forgive and be forgiven, and the grey areas we often face when seeking atonement. How and why do we need to forgive? Should we forgive absolutely everything?Jewish law and human reality can sometimes be seen to be at odds. Many believe that Jewish law asks us to seek forgiveness three times, and if forgiveness isn’t given, the responsibility of the sin is placed on the person who was wronged in the first place. But is this really how it works? Elliot and Yossi know there’s more to it than that. Forgiveness is more complex than “I’m sorry” and “I forgive you,” and they discuss skills to seek forgiveness and to forgive - depending on the situation. What if the person isn’t sorry, do you have to forgive them?It’s a mitzvah to forgive someone but what if the person offering an apology is doing so insincerely, and is only saying the words “I’m sorry” as a means to an end? The key starting point of an apology is that the person forgiving must have their feelings validated by the person apologizing. Yossi and Elliott discuss a few examples that dig deeper into this topic and suggest that the three steps are better understood as stages.What happens if the person who feels wronged, doesn’t tell you? Is it fair to expect an apology if the person that caused you suffering doesn’t realize that they’ve done so? Yossi and Elliott discuss how the seeking and granting of forgiveness is a process that must be understood in the context of basic human nature.12 Step Programs12 step programs can create a pathway for forgiveness and atonement in an a-religious way.. Yossi and Elliott discuss what it means to seek forgiveness in a 12 step program.Forgiveness As Part Of A Religious TrainingTerri Jentz, author, was attacked on a cycling trip as a teenager. She defaulted to forgiveness because of her religious training which she said was very detrimental because it left it with a legacy of powerlessness for many years. How does religion play into your willingness to forgive?A Formula For ForgivenessIs it possible to create a formula around atonement and forgiveness in a way that the sinner is safe to speak and a methodology for the one that was hurt receives validation? We invite your thoughts on the subject and want to hear how you have experienced atonement, forgiveness and making amends as we approach Yom Kippur.Email us at yossi@livingjewishly.org and elliott@livingjewishly.org, we would love to hear from you!Links mentioned in this episode:Terri Jentz https://www.amazon.com/Strange-Piece-Paradise-Terri-Jentz/dp/0374134987
It's the trailer for the Living Jewishly podcast with Rabbi Yossi Sapirman and Dr. Elliott Malamet!