The Book of Life: Weekly Wisdom with Ruchi Koval: Recent Episodes

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What is your purpose? Where do you seek inspiration? Find it in Judaism’s most important Book. With Ruchi Koval as our guide through the weekly Torah portion, we’ll find the meaning, courage, and inspiration we need to power our days.

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A new season of Adrienne Gold Davis’ chart-topping Momentum podcast, Rise & Shine, is launching on Wednesday, July 5.

Adrienne’s wisdom and wit are always a joy to listen to, and this season is super special: Season 18 – and, true to the number (chai!), is filled with so much life-affirming inspiration. 

Subscribe to Rise & Shine wherever you get your podcasts, and never miss an episode.

https://momentumunlimited.org/blog/series/podcast/rise-and-shine/

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Parshat Vayachi:

Do secrets protect us, or hurt us?

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Parshat Vayigash:

When we find someone to blame for our problems, the relief is sweet – but short-lived. Is there a healthier alternative?

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Parshat Mikeitz:

If we don’t really mean it, should we still say, “I’m sorry?”

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Parshat Vayeshev:

Sometimes we know the right thing to do, but we don’t know if anyone will listen. How do we find the confidence to lead?

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What does it take to become a truly great teacher? Ruchi Koval has some advice: look to the moon.

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Is it possible to “die well?” Ruchi Koval shares how Jewish wisdom can guide us to create lasting legacies – and fewer regrets.

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When Ruchi Koval was a child, she would wake to the sounds of her grandfather, a cantor, warming up for Shabbat – and it made more of an impression than he would ever know.

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The road to success is paved with failure. The biggest mistake is to let the fear of failure stop you from getting there.

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The people who shaped us from the very beginning are often the ones we overlook. How can we adequately express gratitude for those that we take for granted?

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A little white lie. A last-minute change of plans. A promise you might not be able to keep. 

These things don’t really matter, right? Jewish wisdom says otherwise.

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Boundaries are sacred. Find the confidence to establish and keep yours, with guidance from Jewish wisdom. 

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We all could use a break. Here’s how Jewish wisdom can help us make the most of our time away from work.

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Anxiety can make us feel like we are responsible for managing the entire universe. Here’s how Jewish wisdom can help. 

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We’ve all done things we’re not proud of – but those mistakes do not need to define us. 

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It takes a wise person to say, “I don’t know” – and an even wiser person to be okay with that answer.

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Each of us is on a journey – but where we are heading may not be apparent for years to come. 

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Every choice has consequences. It’s how we handle them that matters. Building a relationship with God means weathering the consequences he might send our way.  

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Are you a giver or a taker? Throughout our lives, we’ll find ourselves in both positions. No one can survive in this world without ever needing anyone. We all go around the merry-go-round of life, giving and taking in turn. Jewish wisdom can help us handle it with grace. 

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Jewish wisdom teaches us to count the days between Passover and Shavuot, celebrating each one as a new opportunity for growth. Explore this unique mitzvah with Ruchi Koval.

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A stunning number of commandments in the Torah deal with other people’s feelings – and that isn’t a coincidence. Why does Jewish wisdom care so much about how we treat others? 

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Why do so many Jewish people feel at home in Israel? The answer is complicated – and oh-so-simple. 

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There was a blessing in Ruchi Koval’s backyard. Yet, it would take years before she discovered it.

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We can’t always solve other people’s problems, but we can always speak up in support. Jewish wisdom can teach us how.

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Why do we encounter wine in so many Jewish traditions? Ruchi Koval consults our sages to find out.

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How might we bring more gratitude to our days? Ruchi explores an ancient, formal way of saying thanks – and how we might adapt it for modern life.

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Each of us is a little bit angel, a little bit animal. How can we balance these traits – and channel them for good?

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The most valuable thing in life is something we can’t touch, eat, smell, or see. So, what exactly is it?

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For those of us in the habit of constantly creating, resting on Shabbat is easier said than done. 

“Taking a break” takes practice. Jewish wisdom can help. 

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No super-sweet dessert is complete without a pinch of salt. Likewise, our lives aren’t complete without the occasional moment of negativity. 

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Fight antisemitism with this threefold strategy rooted in Jewish wisdom. Ruchi Koval shows us how.

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Happiness is a choice, according to Jewish wisdom. Ruchi Koval helps us choose it. 

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Being vulnerable is hard. That’s no reason not to keep trying.

Ruchi Koval turns to Jewish wisdom for guidance on getting real without regret.

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Why do so many modern Jews feel drawn to eastern spirituality? Ruchi Koval explores.

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We’ve all overcommitted and not been able to follow through on our promises. Ruchi Koval turns to a piece of Jewish wisdom for help kicking the habit. 

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Real life doesn’t come with an instruction manual, or a map, or even a cheat sheet. Ruchi Koval helps us face the journey with a little guidance from Jewish wisdom.

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Whether your “pond” is big or small, it’s up to you to decide how big a fish you’d like to be. 

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Hit that reset button – with a little help from Jewish wisdom. Ruchi Koval shows us how.

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Each of us is yearning for something just out of reach. Should we fight for what we want, or trust that we’ll get it if we wait patiently? 

This podcast is sponsored by Andrea & Steven Mail in honor of their beloved mothers Carole Shlipak and Zelda Mail

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What do your blinders prevent you from seeing? Ruchi Koval digs into a piece of Jewish wisdom that might help us recognize and overcome our blind spots.

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Doubt is not just an emotion – it is a voice, whispering in our ear and distracting us from being our best selves. Ruchi Koval shares how to turn down the volume.

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It’s difficult to scroll through social media without feeling envious of someone else’s “perfect” life. Envy is addictive – and it’s on us to break the habit. Ruchi Koval shares how to rise above that awful feeling. 

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Whether you’re the speaker or the subject, talking about someone else has a way of hurting everyone involved. How do we resist the pull of gossip?

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Do second chances, do-overs, and edits ever work in real life? Ruchi Koval climbs “the second mountain” to find out.

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Peace is a gift – and a process. How can we work towards it for ourselves, and for each other?

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You can’t be everything to everyone. But sometimes, you can be everything to someone. Ruchi Koval explores a piece of Jewish wisdom that helps us uncover how. 

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Knocking before entering is a sign of respect. And when others knock on your door, letting them in is a sign of trust.

For more inspiration, visit us at https://momentumunlimited.org

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Many people have a complex relationship with their own appearance. Yet, Jewish wisdom advises us to treat our bodies with the kindness and respect they deserve.

For more inspiration, visit us at https://momentumunlimited.org

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Each one of us has felt like an outsider at some point in our lives. How can we tap into our empathy and support the vulnerable people in our communities and in our lives? 

For more inspiration, visit us at https://momentumunlimited.org

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Conscious living means seeking to make the most of our day –  instead of mindlessly getting through it. How can we intentionally place the keys to happiness back in our own hands?

If you would like to sponsor an upcoming podcast, please email us at info@momentumunlimited.org

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It can be challenging to not gloat when someone we dislike struggles. How can we view our adversaries’ downfalls as a loss of life and potential rather than a celebration? 

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When we come into this world, we are given an enormous gift: time. The story of the exodus from Egypt teaches us how to use it wisely.

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Do we have the ability to make our own decisions? Or will we always be subject to the forces of nature, nurture, and circumstance? Ruchi Koval explores the wisdom of Jewish thinkers in search of answers.

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Feeling empathy isn’t easy. To truly empathize with our loved ones, we must feel their pain as if it were our own. How can we embrace the discomfort to truly comfort another?