Human & Holy: Recent Episodes
Tonia Chazanow
Do you crave spiritual conversation that feels relevant to your daily life? Do you enjoy studying but can’t always find yourself in the text? This podcast is a space for experiential learning. Together, we will be exploring ideas in Jewish and Chassidic thought through the lens of real people’s experiences. How do they weave the sacred into the fabric of their lives? What relevance do mystical ideas have to their most intimate, human struggles? What does it mean to be both human and holy?
A historical, halachic and cultural exploration of women's celebration of Simchas Torah. Through a poll of women's experiences, a deep dive into relevant halachic and historical sources, and an analysis of Rabbi Shlomo Riskin's visit to the Lubavitcher Rebbe asking if the women of his community could dance with the Torah, we explore questions like:
Is Simchas Torah a “men’s holiday”? Is there an essential difference between men and women’s relationship to this day? How did the custom to dance with the Torah develop? Can women dance with the Torah? Should women dance at all?
Join us in exploring women's relationship to this joyful, celebratory holiday.
Sources:
The Diary of Samuel Pepys, entry for October 14, 1663
"Law as Love" by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
Shlomo Riskin, Listening to G-d (New Milford, CT: Maggid, 2010), pp.193-96
Lubavitcher Rebbe's letter to Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, 13 Kislev 1976
Rambam Hilchot Shofar V'sukka V'lulav 8:14
Chemdat Yamim III Sukka 8
"Dancing With the Torah" by Laurie Novick
R. Moshe Meiselman, Jewish Woman in Jewish Law (New York, 1978)
Shulchan Aruch OC 88
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Introduction: Why We're Exploring This Topic
02:49 What Simchas Torah Means to Me
05:24 Poll Results on Women's Experiences of Simchas Torah
7:00 Is There an Essential Difference Between Men and Women's Relationship to Dancing on Simchas Torah?
9:39 Participating Through Watching
10:32 Being a Bystander
11:18 The Pain of Alienation
13:39 Why Do Women Dance?
14:40 What Motivates Women's Desire to Dance With the Torah?
17:20 When Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Went to Ask the Lubavitcher Rebbe's Advice
21:18 The Lubavitcher Rebbe's Retraction
23:50 When Samuel Pepys Visited a Synagogue in 1663
25:30 The Evolution of the Tradition of Dancing
29:11 What is the Barrier to Women Dancing with the Torah?
31:10 Diversity of Rabbinic Perspectives on the Topic
32:40 Exploring the Custom Women Took Upon Themselves Not to Touch the Torah
39:15 Recognizing the Nuances of this Topic
41:30 Women Yearning to Dance with the Torah
43:55 Cultural Impact of Each Woman's Experience
45:00 Ensuring a Vibrant Women's Section
47:00 Simchas Torah Belongs to the Entire Jewish People
How do we access joy when the world feels heavy?
How do we lean into joy amidst collective anguish, grief, and global uncertainty?
As we enter the holiday of Sukkos, the time of our joy, we are asked to celebrate. But what does it look like to celebrate honestly, without ignoring the ache of our times?
In this episode, we explore how Sukkos offers a model of Jewish joy that honors the emotional complexity of life.
A joy that is not about denying our pain, but about making a courageous, spiritual choice: to recognize the divine presence and be moved by it, to root more deeply into our communal spaces and our responsibility for one another, and to bring our sorrow to the dance floor, trusting in its ultimate healing.
Sources:
Chapter 33, Tanya by the Alter Rebbe
"I Praised Happiness" by Rabbi Shagar
"Catharsis" by Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik
Likutei Moharan, Part II 23:1:2
Rabbi Isaac Luria, Pri Etz Hayim, Sukkot
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
A meditation to open us up to the profound spiritual potential of Yom Kippur — the day of G-d's ultimate love. Together, we explore what it means for the day to atone, and how we might be softened and expanded by our encounter with Hashem.
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
In this raw conversation with Sara Mayberg, we explore Sara's personal process of Teshuvah and the path back to her divine soul, as someone who was already committed to her Jewish practice. We discuss how the inherent nature of the divine soul is to want G-d, how Sara began to develop a visceral experience of trust, and how grief can crack us open in transformative ways.
Other topics explored: how financial struggles can be invitations to lean on G-d, the significance of community in the path back to ourselves, learning to see the divine in others, the ongoing process of return, and the journey to reclaiming a sense of choice in our Judaism and relationships.
Sara can be contacted at ysmayberg@sbcglobal.net.
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Reconnecting with Joy
01:26 The Journey of Trust and Divine Connection
03:45 Awakening Through Relationships
07:49 The Catalyst of Darkness
11:04 Surrendering to the Void
14:56 Finding G-d in Material Insecurity
20:15 Navigating Financial Strain and Trust
22:41 Grieving and Embracing New Perspectives
29:31The Ongoing Conversation with Hashem
32:28 Experiencing Hashem Within and Around Us
34:18 Integrating Knowledge into the Body
36:34 The Role of Prayer and Learning in Personal Growth
38:59 Understanding the Animal and Divine Souls
42:26 Compassion and Connection in Healing
45:12 Seeing the Divine in Others
48:37 Building Community and Support
50:27 Reconnecting with Judaism and Mitzvot
52:59 The Process of Teshuvah and Reclaiming Choice
55:53 Acceptance and Compassion in Relationships
59:04 Trusting the Power of Our Souls
01:00:58 Letting Go to Make Space for What's Next
01:02:12 "I Love You"
Elul and the high holidays are a period of introspection and self accounting. In this conversation with Matti Banon, we discuss the Chassidic perspective on gentle growth, what it looks like to live our lives with agency while remaining humble enough to recognize our recurring flaws, the balance between intellect and emotion, the transformative power of compassion and curiosity, and the parenting truths that can guide us in becoming more whole ourselves.
Matti Banon is a campus shlucha in Montreal who enjoys learning and delving into topics like marriage and parenting through the lens of Chassidus. Her children are her biggest helpers when it comes to her shlichus and self growth. She can be reached at Mattibanon@gmail.com
References:
Story of the Baal Shem Tov & the shofar: https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/3080/jewish/The-Master-Key.htm
Chapter 27 of the Tanya (the sweet & spicy paths): https://www.chabad.org/library/tanya/tanya_cdo/aid/7906/jewish/Chapter-27.htm
More about Reb Levi Yitzchok of Berdichev: https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1007604/jewish/A-Brief-Biography.htm
The 4 Body System: https://a.co/d/djfpzDu
Parenting reference: Blimieheller.com
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Introduction and Personal Background
01:53 The Essence of Parenting and Nurturing
05:13 Leading Ourselves: The Journey of Self-Discovery
10:03 Awareness and Compassion: The First Steps
14:42 The Role of Emotions in Personal Growth
19:52 The Chassidic Balance of Intellect and Emotion
24:48 Transforming the Inner Critic
29:43 Discipline and Connection in Parenting
34:33 Embracing Imperfection and Growth
39:27 The Importance of Compassion in Relationships
44:34 Curiosity and Self-Exploration
49:06 Final Thoughts
The Shofar is a call to face your own desire. Its explosive call on Rosh Hashanah is an invitation to be awoken to the depths within us, to witness the divine desire with which G-d created the world, and to have the courage to face the gaps between where we are and what we truly want.
Source: Likkutei Torah Tiku Bachodesh, Parshas Netzavim, pg. 106
SPONSOR:
Sponsored in honor of Malka Mayasha bat Esther, for a year of blessings and joy.
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 The Call of the Shofar: Awakening the Soul's Desire
02:48 Rosh Hashanah: Renewal and Connection
06:08 Understanding G-d's Desire: The Essence of Creation
08:47 Two Levels of Divine Will
11:55 The Gift of Rupture: Awakening Your Depths
14:47 The Courage to Face Our True Desires
18:07 Meeting G-d: The Divine Invitation on Rosh Hashanah
In this conversation, Gitty Hecht shares her transformative journey from a well-known makeup artist to a spiritual leader, exploring her relationship with G-d and the evolution of her self-worth. She explores moving from a fear-based connection with G-d to one of secure attachment and intimacy, the importance of embracing one's gifts, overcoming fear, dismantling self-imposed pedestals of spiritual leadership, and embracing her current role with humility and authenticity. Gitty emphasizes that everyone has something to offer to the world as they are and that the impact of our actions can resonate deeply, even if we don't always see it.
Gitty Hecht is a Rebbetzin, speaker, and educator based in Queens, NY.
Find more of her work here: https://linktr.ee/gittyhecht
Explore her online courses here: https://stan.store/GittyHecht
Contact her at rebbetzingittyhecht@gmail.com.
Find her on instagram @gittyhecht
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00:00 - Guest Intro & Life Journey
00:05:10 - Post-Divorce Transformation
10:35:00 - Shame, Vulnerability, and G-d
14:05:00 - Evolving Faith: From Fear to Connection
21:58:00 - G-d's Unconditional Love
27:12:00 - Finding Love & Safety
00:30:39 - Dismantling the Pedestal of Spiritual Leadership
34:35:00 - Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
41:00:00 - Torah Study & Leadership
Season Six is live! In today's episode, I share my vision for this new season of the podcast, some Torah about the birthday of the Baal Shem Tov and Alter Rebbe, and the ways our diversity is a reflection of the inherent oneness woven through G-d, Torah, and the Jewish people.
Source: a talk on Chai Elul given by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, recorded in Likutei Sichos, Vol. 24
If you believe in Human & Holy's work, consider partnering with us! To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com. To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
In the first episode of Season 6, we sit down with three women, Sophia Rivka Rossi, Shaina Liberow-Schmukler, and Adira Shiff-Kest, to explore the impact of Chassidic wisdom on their individual experiences of Teshuvah and their process of returning to their divine souls. We explore the power of emotional honesty, humor, and even anger in our relationship with G-d, the importance of maintaining our own individual voices and what it looks like to truly choose G-d throughout life.
EPISODE SPONSOR:
Today’s episode is sponsored by Share, a global initiative connecting individuals to the timeless teachings of the inner dimension of Jewish wisdom, known as Pnimiyut Hatorah. Their mission is to inspire soulful living and learning by translating ancient insights for the contemporary moment. You can learn more on Share.Fund.
Explore their new book, an English translation of Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag’s Introduction to the Zohar: The Wisdom of Truth here: https://korenpub.com/products/introduction-to-the-zohar?srsltid=AfmBOooH7_qO1p7rBV6KCczFMDV3aeErxeHI67zRImb1g0hh2e3tUBqL
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Introduction & Share Sponsorship
02:49 Celebrating Chai Elul and the Impact of Chassidus
05:43 When Judaism Entered My Inner World
09:02 Understanding Teshuvah: A Return to Self
11:58 How the Tanya Impacted Me
14:47 G-d is Underneath the Pain
17:40 Emotional Honesty in a Relationship with G-d
27:16 The Power of Holy Anger
29:37 Being a Voice of Moral Courage
32:19 The Zigzags of Life
34:45 Finding Stillness in a Busy World
38:35 There's More to You
41:45 A Jewish Experience of Joy
45:48 Owning My Jewish Identity in Public
49:00 The Ideas That Changed Me
49:53 From One Soul to Another
What if your relationship with G-d wasn't just in your head and heart, but lived in your entire body?
Shimona Tzukernik, a somatic therapist and Torah teacher, describes the bridge between intellectual faith and visceral spiritual experience.
How can we transform the visceral resistance we feel towards certain mitzvos?
How can we lean into the body’s experience of a joyful, jewish life?
Human & Holy is currently on a season break. Season Six airs on Sunday, September 7!
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - Visceral Experience of God
0:36 - Meet Shimona Tzukernik
2:24 - Shimona's Pivot to Somatic Therapy
5:38 - What is Somatic Therapy? Understanding Body-Stored Memories
10:29 - Visceral Yiddishkeit: Feeling Judaism in Your Body
19:21 - "Your Head is Heaven" - Integrating Mind & Body Faith
23:27 - Hair Covering Example: Physical Mitzvah Resistance
30:03 - Hiddur Mitzvah: Engaging All Five Senses
34:34 - Mitzvahs vs. Metaverse: Staying Grounded in Physical Reality
37:54 - The Magic of Jewish Living & Repetitive Spiritual Experiences
45:29 - Fight or Flight: Watching Emotions Flow Through You
48:58 - Dealing with Dissociation During Spiritual Moments
50:44 - Kavanah & Presence: Being Fully There with Hashem
53:54 - Integration & Synthesis of Body-Soul Connection
54:42 - Final Thoughts
What happens when kindness runs unchecked? In this re-aired episode of Human & Holy, we sit down with Miriam Cohen to explore the deep spiritual journey of over-giving, codependency, and emotional depletion—and how Jewish wisdom offers a path to healing.
Season Six launches on Sunday, Sep. 7! ✨
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
While Human & Holy is currently on a season break, we're revisiting some of our most meaningful conversations from seasons past.
This week's episode rerun is a conversation with Ester Zirkind, exploring the concept of Moach Shalit al Halev, the mind ruling over the heart. In a personal accounting of this idea, Ester speaks about the importance of our emotions in the equation. Using the mind to guide the heart is not about suppressing emotions. It’s a spiritual reframe: how to honor your heart while allowing your mind to gently lead the way.
Stay tuned for Season 6 landing on Sunday, Sep. 7 ✨
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Introduction: Season Break & Re-airing Beloved Episodes
01:00 – Meet Ester Zirkind: Educator, Author, and Shlucha
02:15 – What Is Moach Shalit al Halev? The Mind Governing the Heart
04:00 – Growing Up Emotional in a Culture of Emotional Restraint
05:40 – Shame Around Sensitivity: A Personal Struggle
07:00 – Discovering the Enneagram & Sefirot Connection
09:00 – Finding Her Place: Embracing Tiferes and Deep Feeling
10:30 – The Path to True Self-Understanding and Emotional Leadership
12:00 – Why Naming Feelings Is the Key to Mastering Them
13:45 – Teaching Girls to “Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway”
15:00 – The Power of Regulated Emotion in Conscious Living
16:45 – Accepting Differences: Understanding Others Through Soul Roots
18:00 – Esther’s Book: A Memoir Born of Midlife and Honesty
19:30 – Four Years of Illness, Grief, and Redemption
21:15 – The Life and Loss of Baruch Menachem Mendel
23:00 – Choosing Risk, Choosing Life: A Mother's Courage
24:45 – Battling Illness While Rebuilding Faith
26:15 – The Power of a Supportive Marriage
27:30 – Choosing Gratitude Over Bitterness
29:00 – On Missing Eretz Yisrael and Spiritual Longing
30:30 – Disappointment, Bitterness, and Faith in Divine Timing
32:00 – The Balance Between Emotion and Intuition
33:30 – How Do You Know If You’re Getting It Right?
35:00 – Give Yourself Time: Practical Emotional Guidance
36:30 – Respecting Your Process, History, and Emotions
38:00 – Grieving Honestly as a Path to Healing
39:15 – The Pain Is a Pathway: Choosing to Feel and Grow
40:20 – Final Reflections
What does it actually look like to internalize the identity of the soul as our own? To approach our own reflection with a deep understanding of our essence, of the way it does not hinge on anything but the piece of G-d inside? In this episode, Shterna Ginsberg explores how to stop depending on others for your sense of self and find the infinite worth that lies within.||
To find more of Shterna's work, visit www.energizedliving.org.
To sponsor an episode, please visit humanandholy.com/sponsor or email us at humanandholy@gmail.com.
Human & Holy is currently on a season break. This episode originally aired in June 2022.
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - The Search for Sense of Self
0:36 - Meet Shterna Ginsberg
1:47 - What is the Neshama?
2:59 - Roots vs. Fruits: Why We Miss Our Essence
4:34 - The Self-Care Problem: No Self to Care For
6:09 - How to Bridge Concept to Experience
7:21 - Hidden Hashem in a "Realistic" World
8:07 - Power Dynamics: Who Controls Your Life?
10:57 - Healthy vs. Unhealthy Dependency
11:48 - The Inner Island of Love & Dignity
13:41 - The Bell Story: Faith Must Be Practiced
16:08 - Chochma, Bina, Das: Three Steps to Integration
18:32 - Dealing with Inner Resistance & Toxic Self-Talk
19:29 - Setting Up Your Internal "Fire Department"
20:45 - The Shaitel Story: Practical Soul Identity
22:37 - Essence vs. Personality: What's Really You?
25:40 - "Just Be Nice"
26:38 - No Excuses for Not Shining Your Light
28:18 - Marriage Without a Self: The Dangerous Dynamic
30:14 - "I'll Give You Everything for a Sense of Self"
32:40 - Parenting from Wholeness vs. Neediness
34:16 - The Apple Story: When Identity Depends on Details
36:10 - Unconditional Love Requires Soul-Centered Identity
38:21 - Root of All Problems
40:45 - "You Are Worthy" - Empty vs. Soul-Based Truth
43:08 - The Virtual Reality Experiment
46:27 - Living in Hashem's Reality vs. Virtual Reality
48:44 - Breaking Through the Barrier
50:35 - Practical Integration: Using Daily Mitzvos
52:28 - The Bell System: Connecting Dots in Your Day
54:04 - Who Is the Self?
Freidy Yanover speaks about our challenges being signs that can direct us towards the next step of our journey. If we are open, we can allow them to nudge us more deeply into our lives and relationships with G-d. If we are open, we can allow them to nudge us more deeply into our lives and relationships with G-d.
This episode originally aired in Feb., 2022
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Introduction: Season Break
01:10 – Freidy’s Story Begins: From Chassidic Home to Spiritual Awakening
02:45 – Chassidic Thought vs. Chassidic Lifestyle
04:30 – The Turning Point: Tragedy and the Birth of Conscious Connection
06:15 – Asking “What Now?” Instead of “Why Me?”
08:00 – A Letter to the Rebbe—and a Life-Changing Response
10:30 – From Challenge to Clarity: The Path to Purpose
12:45 – Understanding Nisayon as a Path to Nes (Miracle)
15:20 – Flags in the Desert: Imagery, Identity, and Divine Direction
17:00 – Mourning Honestly While Seeking Meaning
19:00 – From Personal Loss to Helping Others Heal
21:00 – The Need for Constant Renewal in Our Relationship With Hashem
26:00 – Learning at 4am: Motherhood, Torah, and the Drive to Go Deeper
28:30 – Every Life Has Challenge, So Every Life Has Opportunity
30:20 – Going Deeper in Torah Study: Not Just Reading, But Absorbing
32:45 – How Footnotes & Sources Unlock Spiritual Depth
34:40 – Advice for the Woman Living in Challenge: Feel First, Then Ask “What”
36:30 – Our Mind and Heart Are Meant to Work Together
38:00 – What Flag Is G-d Waving in Your Life?
While we take a season break, we’re bringing back this conversation with Rus Devora Wallen, who shares her own experience with a stroke, and lessons from her clients on how the greatest descents in our lives are often a preparation and a catalyst for unparalleled ascent.
Find more of Rus Devorah’s work on toratherapeutics.com ||
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - Introduction
1:55 - Meet Devora Wallen: Licensed Clinical Social Worker
3:25 - Understanding Yerida L'Tzorech Aliyah (Descent for Ascent)
5:46 - The Stroke Story: Shavuos Morning Crisis
7:26 - Emergency Signs: When Something Goes Wrong
9:50 - Hospital Experience & Spiritual Tools
12:15 - The Turning Point: Gratitude & Second Life1
3:44 - Physical Transformation: Better Than Age 25
15:26 - Managing High Energy Positively
18:11 - Client Story: Postpartum Psychosis Recovery
21:07 - Mirror Neurons & Relationship Dynamics
23:41 - Unexpected Healing: Tourette's Syndrome Improvement
24:44 - The Three-Legged Stool: Mind, Body, Soul
26:36 - Depression
29:02 - Caring for Aging Parents & Life Changes
30:43 - The Bike Ride Breakthrough
31:41 - Moving Creates Motivation
34:14 - Mitzvah Leads to Mitzvah
35:20 - Three-Legged Stool Method Explained
37:35 - Bedtime Breathing Contest Technique
39:45 - Basic Breathing for Beginners
41:12 - Live Meditation Demonstration Begins
45:01 - Post-Meditation Discussion & Benefits
46:54 - Mental Muscle Training & Daily Practice
48:14 - Meditation as Mental Exercise, Not Relaxation
49:30 - Closing Thoughts
While Human & Holy is on a season break, we’re bringing back this conversation with Chayale Tzukernik, where we explore the role our thoughts play in the way we view the world.
Chayale speaks about bridging the gap between her intellectual understanding of an idea and its practical implications in her life. We discuss questioning our natural thought processes in order to guide them towards a more objective truth, and how to practically reframe our experiences in order to align them with a more G-dly perspective of the world.
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Introduction: Struggling with judgmental thoughts
01:10 – Season break announcement
01:42 – Meet Chayale Tzukernik
03:05 – Why thought is central in Chassidus
04:38 – The transformative power of thought
06:45 – Internal vs. external harmony through intentional thinking
08:10 – Reframing control: from force to gentle inner teaching
10:00 – Bridging the gap between knowing and living Torah ideas
12:03 – Making Torah personal: internalizing Hashem’s love
13:44 – Choosing thoughts vs. controlling them
15:40 – Thoughts as clutter: does it spark joy?
17:32 – From default judgment to G-dly perception
19:00 – Questioning our own perceptions: trusting Hashem’s view over ours
21:20 – Releasing attachment to negative thoughts
22:20 – Reframing fear through divine perspective
24:30 – Parenting and fear: letting go of control
26:07 – Moving self out of the center, putting G-d in His place
27:50 – Thinking good
28:40 – The case for conscious thought selection
30:20 – Judging others: from coercion to spiritual re-alignment
33:10 – Practical steps to retrain your thoughts
35:10 – Replacing old narratives with Torah truth
36:45 – Personalizing Torah ideas to real relationships
38:30 – Applying Chassidus to judgment in daily life
40:00 – Looking for evidence of the soul in others
41:30 – Final thoughts: transformation through gentle redirection
42:55 – Outro: Season 6 returns Sept 7
While we take a season break, we’re bringing back this unforgettable conversation with Devorie Kreiman, a mother, educator, and woman of deep faith who has lived through unimaginable loss.
In this episode, Devorie shares the raw journey of losing multiple childre, and the lifelong work of finding G-d in the depths of grief. With honesty, courage, and spiritual clarity, she teaches us how to move from “life is impossible” to “I am possible,” holding pain and faith in the same breath.
Find out more about Devorie Kreiman and purchase her book, "Even If I'm Not" at www.devoriekreiman.com
This episode originally aired June 2022. Season 6 returns on Sunday, Sep. 7.
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TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Introduction: Season break
00:53 – Meet Devorie Kreiman and her story of loss and faith
02:15 – Losing her first child: the diagnosis and heartbreak
03:30 – A pattern of illness: discovering a genetic condition
04:40 – The sudden, tragic death of her son Yossi
06:15 – Teaching HaYom Yom the day Yossi died
07:30 – The mitzvah of lighting Shabbos candles through grief
08:55 – Beginning the spiritual journey of doing what feels impossible
10:00 – The early years: grieving four sick children
11:40 – The pain of stopping to have more children
13:15 – What her sick children taught her about unconditional love
14:30 – Navigating deep jealousy, pain, and spiritual honesty
16:00 – How her son's passing reshaped her identity and reality
17:50 – The quiet, paralyzing grief after Yossi’s death
18:40 – “Even If I’m Not” – the story behind the title of her book
20:30 – Frozen with pain: knowing truth but struggling to live it
21:30 – The role of EMDR, EFT, and therapy in healing
22:30 – A powerful memory from Simchas Torah: “I’m possible”
25:00 – The final day of shiva and a miraculous moment of hope
26:45 – Tapping into the soul’s strength: “We are possible”
28:00 – The deeper awareness of a soul’s journey and Hashem’s plan
29:00 – Spiritual growth vs. prolonged grief – finding the balance
30:00 – Becoming a grandmother to Yossi’s namesake
31:40 – Navigating bittersweet joy through birth and loss
33:00 – Real-time self-talk: making space for grief and joy
34:30 – Reclaiming rituals like Shabbos candles with new meaning
36:15 – The lifelong challenge of answering “How many children do you have?”
37:20 – Deepened joy and gratitude that grows through loss
38:30 – Appreciation, laughter, and high-quality living after grief
39:40 – Final advice: how to bring Chassidus into daily struggle
41:00 – “We need light in the tunnel, not just at the end”
42:00 – Closing thoughts: a life of small lights, faith, and awareness
43:10 – Outro: Human & Holy Season 6 returns September 7
Wrapping up Season 5 of Human & Holy! We will be going on a season break and re-airing some favorite episodes until Season 6 airs on Sunday, Sep. 7 ✨
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A conversation about singlehood, self-worth, and the spiritual journey of opening yourself up to receive G-d's blessings. Jackie, a former psychologist turned global dating mentor, shares powerful insights about faith and personal identity, her story of finding her soulmate at 44, having a baby at 50, and the profound inner work she experienced during that time.
To contact Jackie or learn more about her courses, you can find her at jackieglaser.com or find Jackie on Instagram: datingbyjackieg
EPISODE SPONSOR:This episode is sponsored by Tov Bookkeeping, founded by Tova Munitz. Message @TovBookkeeping on instagram or Whatsapp 323-770-9356 to book a free 20 minute consultation.
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Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Introduction & The Power of Inner Shifts
01:25 - Meet Jackie Glaser: Psychologist Turned Dating Coach
04:00 - Helping Others Dissolve Inner Blockages
06:00 - Single by Design, Not by Punishment
08:15 - Jackie's Journey
11:00 - 14 Years of Waiting: Wrestling with Hashem
13:30 - The Myth of "Not Being Whole Enough" for Marriage
16:00 - Soulmates, Timing & Hashem’s Bigger Plan
18:10 - Crushed to Create: The Olive Oil Analogy
20:00 - Spiritual Bypassing vs. Real Inner Work
23:00 - Mirror Moments: Patterns That Reveal Our Growth Areas
26:15 - How Self-Worth Impacts Dating & Relationships
28:30 - Building Self-Trust through Somatic & Emotional Work
32:00 - Dissolving Fear & Receiving Blessings
35:00 - How We Project Internal Beliefs onto Others
38:00 - Rejection, Self-Worth & Emotional Resilience
41:00 - Our Flaws Are Filters, Not Failures
44:00 - Shadchanim, Boundaries & Trusting Hashem
47:00 - True Bitachon: Trusting Hashem in Action
49:30 - Real Life Example: Surgery, Fear & Hashem’s Protection
53:00 - The Role of Anxiety as a Spiritual Opportunity
56:00 - Loneliness, Desperation & How to Nurture Ourselves
59:00 - Healthy Yearning vs. Desperation in Dating
01:02:00 - Who You Marry Reflects Where You’re At
01:04:00 - Manifesting, Misconceptions & Hashem’s Role
01:06:30 - How to Support Single Friends with Sensitivity
A lesson from the red heifer about how faith is not something that is created or imposed on our lives, but is the ground that everything instinctively rests on.
Also: being a channel for giving to others despite our own blockages, leaning into our engraved experience of faith, and the invitation in the unexplainable laws within the Torah.
Based on a talk from the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Parshas Chukas, Chelek Alef.
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In this intergenerational conversation, mother and daughter open their hearts to reflect on what it means to be impacted by the Lubavitcher Rebbe in today’s world. From personal encounters with the Rebbe to honest reflections on what it looks like to be shifted by the Rebbe's teachings without his physical presence, we explore the rich empowerment, divine awareness and love of another Jew that characterizes the Lubavitcher Rebbe's impact.
C. Rochel Duchman is a Certified Life Coach (by Infiniti Coaching Training) and Dating Coach. She believes each person has exceptional gifts and greatness to contribute to the universe. As a coach, she is committed to helping each individual uncover and reach their limitless potential. Find out more at Autumncoaching.net. Instagram: Autumncoaching. Facebook: Autumn Coaching. Phone: 323-620-3618
Srula Chaiton is a guiding force in the lives of children and families—leading with warmth, vision, and deep compassion. Through her work with Kol Yakov Yehuda, camp, and dance, she has shaped some of the most innovative programming for girls, especially around Shabbos and Jewish identity, setting a new standard for creativity and meaning. As a proud member of Chai Lifeline’s crisis intervention team and one of the first female CTMs with Magen Am, Srula brings calm, strength, and action where it’s needed most. Devoted wife, beloved mother, and vibrant community builder, she lives each day with purpose—rooted in faith, growth, and an unshakable belief in the power of the neshama. She can be contacted at sruladuchman@gmail.com.
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
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Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
TIMESTAMPS:00:00 – Welcome
00:45 – Meet Srula Chaiton: Building Spiritual Community for Kids
02:20 – Experiencing the Rebbe's Impact Beyond Physical Presence
04:00 – A Tzaddik's Soul After Their Passing
06:30 – I Feel Empowered to Have an Impact
08:15 – Making the Rebbe’s Energy Accessible Today
08:55 – Why Do You Want Your Children to Feel Connected to the Rebbe?
11:50 – Total Immersion: My Life is Not Made of Fragmented Pieces
14:30 – Encouraging Teens to Ask and Learn
17:00 – Meet Rochel Duchman: Growing Up with a Legendary Chabad Legacy
19:00 – "I Was Your Chossid Before You Were My Rebbe"
20:12 – Growing Up in Close Proximity to the Rebbe
22:00 – Personal Story: My Private Audience with the Rebbe
24:29 – Use the Gifts That You Have
25:45 – The Rebbe’s Belief in Me Still Gives Me Strength
28:00 – How Did the Rebbe's Passing Impact You?
30:20 – Empowering the Individual Soul
32:30 – Intergenerational Reflection: What We Admire in Each Other
35:00 – Truth, Faith, and the Power of Stories
38:10 – Teaching Through Experience and Realness
42:00 – A Personal Letter and Unexpected Answer
43:37 – Footage of the Rebbe's Leadership
44:51– Lifting Others Will Uplift You
46:00 – What Messages from the Rebbe Would You Like to See More Integrated?
48:08 – Returning to Our Core
51:00 – Judaism is Coming Alive
52:00 – How Would You Like to See the Rebbe's Impact Develop?
55:06 – Trusting the Next Generation
A moving source exploring how our beloved biblical characters were unaware of the way their lives were being recorded as the text of the Torah and what that teaches us about the sacredness of the lived experience of our Judaism and how our lives are becoming a part of the Torah's story, too.
Sources:
Rus Rabbah 5
Rupture and Reconstruction: The Transformation of Contemporary Orthodoxy by Haym Soloveitchik linked here: https://traditiononline.org/rupture-and-reconstruction-the-transformation-of-contemporary-orthodoxy
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Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
How do you move from fear to purpose? Bestselling author and TikTok exec Michal Oshman shares how discovering her soul helped her overcome anxiety, perfectionism, and self-doubt. She opens up about parenting with intention, redefining success, and embracing the concept of bitul—spiritual humility—as a path to clarity and peace.
Michal Oshman is the former Head of Company Culture, Diversity and Inclusion at TikTok Europe, and was formerly responsible for international leadership and team development at Facebook. Throughout her career, Michal has trained and coached hundreds of tech leaders. She served as an officer in the IDF, and has three university degrees in psychodynamic and systemic thinking, sociology, and anthropology. Michal lives with her husband and their children in London, UK.
Find out more about Michal on michaloshman.com.
Contact Michal at info@michaloshman.com
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations
✨Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 – Intro: Fear, Purpose & Jewish Wisdom
01:37 – Meet Michal Oshman
05:10 – Fear vs. Anxiety
09:00 – Discovering the Jewish Soul
14:00 – You Are Here for a Reason
18:00 – Parenting with Soul, Not Fear
22:10 – Hashem as a Life Partner
25:20 – The Holiness of Marriage
29:20 – Confidence vs. Fear in the Workplace
33:50 – Letting Go of Parental Perfection
38:10 – Finding Purpose Through Life Phases
44:45 – Discovering and Using Your Gifts
48:00 – What Is Bitul?
52:25 – Living for a Mission Greater Than the Self
55:00 – The Power of Honest Friendship
57:20 – You Are Needed
Time rushes forward and in attempt to control its passage, we often find ourselves divvying it up into smaller sections, mining it for every ounce of productive energy, or missing it entirely. In this episode, we explore how mitzvos offer us a way to suspend time---not by escaping it, but by entering it more deeply. Each mitzvah invites us into a moment of stillness within the endless flow of life. These moments of interaction with the divine don’t just change our experience of time, but reshape us as people. Our beings are shifted by the way we choose to inhabit the moments of our lives.
Source mentioned: Maamer V’Avraham Zaken 5738 Sefer Hamamorim Melukat Vol. 1
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A conversation with Miriam Tenenbaum about the power of a mother's influence, staying connected to a deeper calling while experiencing the mundane moments of motherhood, and staying grounded within your sense of self while showing up for others.
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Thoughts on the neatness of religious art, what my process has been around learning to voice the honest emotional experience of life through poetry, and King David's model for creating spiritual art from a raw place within.
Sources mentioned in this episode:
Orthodoxy, Wealth, and Tackiness by Alex S. Ozar from Tradition, Spring 2025 Issue 57.2
Psalm 22: "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me; why so far from delivering me and from my anguished roaring?...I cry by day, You do not answer.."
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Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
A conversation with Devori Nussbaum, a psychotherapist and Tanya teacher, about emotional honesty in our spiritual growth and living with open-hearted presence. Devori shares her unique approach to integrating Chassidus and psychotherapy, offering powerful insights into shedding old identities, processing the grief of life, and tapping into the opportunity for connection with G-d at every moment.
Devori is an integrative psychotherapist who has trained in many different healing modalities including body psychotherapy, imago therapy, logotherapy, the energetics of food, quantum touch, breathwork, CBT, NLP, EMDR, IFS, inner child work and somatic modalities. She is also passionate about teaching Chassidus in a way that is accessible, relevant and embodied, showing people that these teachings are not just nice ideas, but a description of our reality. Get in touch with Devori and find out more about her work on www.devorinussbaum.com.
EPISODE SPONSOR:
"Miss Rose is Worried" by Estee Cohen is a heartwarming story that shows that every child's individuality is a gift. Their quirks and character traits, if nurtured rather than suppressed, become the foundation of who they are meant to be. Link to purchase the book here: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/miss-rose-is-worried-estee-cohen/1146818067
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Sneak Peek & Sponsorship
02:25 – Meet Devori Nussbaum
04:45 – The Power of Real Human Presence
07:12 – What Is Chassidus Meant to Do for the Human Psyche?
12:00 – Finding the Balance Between Presence & Spiritual Aspiration
18:04 – Embracing the Void: Turning Emotional Numbness into a Portal for Growth
21:15 – Seeing Beneath the Surface of Reality
26:00 – How Unprocessed Grief Blocks Our Hearts—and How to Reopen Them
30:11 - The Role of Grief in Spiritual Growth
36:01 - Holy Honesty
38:00 – Bringing G-d into Daily Life
44:53 - Navigating the Fear of Change
47:00 – Regulating Your Nervous System
54:30 – One Minute a Day: Building Presence in Busy Lives
1:02:15 – Kavanah and Mitzvot: How One Moment Can Fill a Lifetime
1:07:30 – Animal Soul vs. Divine Soul: A Compassionate Integration
1:12:00 – Redefining Iskafya: Presence, Breath, and Spiritual Discipline
1:16:30 – Choosing Growth vs. Chasing Perfection
1:29:10 - Crumbling into Grief
1:41:00 – How to Navigate Religious Trauma
1:44:15 – Parents, Fear, and Compassion: Reframing the Narrative
1:47:00 – The Magic of Retreats
1:53:30 – Personal Journey: From Control to Joy
1:57:05 – Presence, Honesty, and Shedding the Snake Skin
1:59:00 – Host’s Outro
The cost of undeveloped potential, the misguided instinct to protect our brightest lights, why Dinah felt an internal call to leave her home and lead, and why the world is waiting for women to trust and raise their own distinct voices.
Based on a talk of the Lubavitcher Rebbe about Dinah. Likkutei Sichos, Volume 35, Vayishlach Sicha 3.
Link to the episode with Rivky Kaplan: https://humanandholy.com/the-feminine-spirit-a-rising-force-rivky-kaplan
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We spend weeks leading up to Shavuot refining our characters. And then we receive G-d's Torah, which asks us to faithfully reflect the light of the Divine in this world.
Does the Torah mark a path to self development or self transcendence? What might it look like to be both surrendered and distinctly who we are?
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Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - The Gift of the Torah
02:50 - Understanding Bitul: Reflecting the Divine
05:57 - The Interplay of Self-Development and Self-Transcendence
08:51 - The Role of Rosh Chodesh in Preparing for Receiving the Torah
12:04 - Naaseh v'Nishmah: Redefining Our Sense of Self
15:07 - Expanding, Not Shrinking
In honor of Shavuos, three women — Lauren Nagel, Devora Pinson, and Chana Arnold — sit down for a raw and honest conversation about receiving the Torah anew in our adult lives.
What are some of the things that have disconnected us from the Torah over the years? What are some of the things that have softened those blockages? And in what ways has the Torah become the greatest gift of our lives?
If you connected to something that was shared in this episode, let our generous guests know:
Devora Pinson: DevoraRpinson@gmail.com
Lauren Nagel: LaurenRNagel@gmail.com
Chana Arnold: Chanaarnold1@gmail.com
EPISODE SPONSORS:
This episode is sponsored by Finds By Rivka. Think of Rivka’s finds as a personal shopper who sifts through the sale pages to find the best Tznius clothing deals! Join 3,000+ other women who are loving the group:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/LBOxmcsZin66u7brbOvx4l
Babyccino is a Mommy & Me class curriculum designed to facilitate meaningful, Jewish experiences for mothers and babies. We can only receive the Torah that is given to us, and the Torah is given to children, first, by their mothers. Find out more here: www.babyccinoclass.com
This episode is co-sponsored and dedicated with love by Riki to a special "Human & Holy" person, mother and friend, Miriam Frimet Bas Tzivia, upon her birthday. May it be a Zchus.
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Sneak Peek
00:17 - Host's Intro
01:45 - Sponsorship Message: Finds by Rivka
03:03 - Meet the Guests: Devora, Chana, Lauren
05:18 - Spiritual Backgrounds
08:52 - I Needed More
12:10 - The Torah Feeds My Soul
16:34 - Choosing the Torah Again
17:50 - The Torah as a Tree of Life
19:58 - I Was Just Repeating What I Learned
22:55 - Real Learning Creates Space for Real Struggles
24:21 - Letting Go of Perfectionism
30:06 - I Lost Everything
32:28 - When I Began to Access Hashem
33:27 - Holding Pain & Faith Simultaneously
35:33 - I Am Not Alone
37:37 - A Real Relationship Welcomes Your Full Self
40:54 - What Do We Do With Our Freedom?
42:05 - The Torah Can't Be Done in Isolation
44:30 - I Skip to My Torah Classes
46:05 - From "I Have to" to "I Get To"
49:51 - Torah is an Overflowing Ocean
51:08 - Raising Kids with G-d Consciousness
54:01 - When You See the Light Shining in Other Women
54:37 - The Torah Shifted Me
56:22 - Investing in Our Relationship with G-d
58:24 - Shavuos as a Relationship Renewal
01:01:07 - Sharing Torah at the Table
01:01:44 - Beautifying Our Experience of the Torah
01:04:38 - Host's Outro
Answering listener questions on maturing in our Judaism, maintaining a spiritual sense of self when mothering small children, friendship, Torah study, and spiritual ruts.
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To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
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Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
A personal journey of discovering Jewish meditation, taking the cerebral act of study and grounding it in the body through focus and breath. Explore the balance between body and soul, the power of intention in prayer, the difference between Jewish and Eastern meditation, and the spiritual practice of finding balance in our characters through the Sefirot.
A mom of seven, Zeesy furthers development on the Board of the Jewish International School. She is the spiritual feminine leader of Blouberg Jewish Community Centre. Zeesy gives ongoing psycho-spiritual ‘soultalks’ in the community, sharing her passion of bringing people closer to their soul source. She coaches women around the world with ‘Echad coaching’ bringing body and soul together.
Find out more about Zeesy's work here: echadcoach.com
Get in touch with Zeesy at zeesyderen@gmail.com
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Sneak Peek
00:17 - Host's Intro
01:17 - Support Human & Holy
01:39 - Welcome Zeesy
03:34 - The Birth of Echad: Mindfulness & Meditation
05:31 - Integrating Body and Soul in Spiritual Practice
09:01 - Learning & Practicing Meditation
10:47 - Chassidic Meditation Practice
14:05 - Jewish Meditation vs. Eastern Meditation
18:22 - An Example of Jewish Meditation
22:24 - How Torah Learning Becomes Embodied
24:57 - Da’at: Intimacy with G-d Through Torah and Body
32:10 - Practical Tools for Spiritual Integration
34:00 - The Power of Single Tasking
34:52 - Morning Rituals and Connection to Nature
36:13 - Building a Meaningful Prayer Practice
38:45 - Integrating Gratitude into Daily Life
41:00 - Heartfelt Prayer: Emotional Presence in Judaism
42:42 - Understanding the Sefirot and Personal Growth
48:19 - Balancing Character Traits
49:46 - Breathing the Sefirot Into Your Day
51:57 - Hashem in the Slow Lane: Trusting Divine Timing
54:18 - Peak Judaism: When Body and Soul Are One
55:34 - Experiencing G-d On Slower Days
57:30 - Vulnerability in Prayer
59:58 - Grounding Ourselves in Our Bodies
1:03:43 - Host's Outro
Does each generation get less spiritually sensitive? What is the original source for the idea of "Yeridos Hadoros" -- the decline of the generations -- and in what ways are we experiencing a reversal of that idea?
Explore the deeper meaning of Lag Ba'Omer, a teaching from R' Tzadok about the ascent of the generations and why there is an unprecedented spiritual attunement to the deepest parts of Torah.
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Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
A conversation about discovering a loving relationship with G-d through grief. Bianca shares her personal journey of loss and how it led her to a deeper understanding of G-d's love and connection. We discuss expressing raw emotions in prayer, the Torah as a love letter from G-d, and the significance of gratitude and daily conversation in building a relationship with the Divine.
Bianca Benisti Kaffash is a motivational speaker and spiritual coach who has walked through her own challenges to discover a deeper connection with Hashem and the beauty of Torah. She believes in the power of reconnecting with the sacred language of prayer and Torah—something that’s often been cheapened or lost. Now, Bianca is passionate about bringing others back to that language, helping them experience the profound beauty and strength it offers. Through spiritual coaching, personalized prayers, and leading meaningful events, Bianca empowers others to find healing, clarity, and a true connection with Hashem. Follow her on Instagram @ritainspired for raw, heartfelt inspiration and a journey back to the light of Torah.
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Sneak Peek
00:16 - Host’s Intro
01:10 - Introduction of Bianca Benisti
02:43 - Welcome Bianca
02:51 - Bianca’s Background + Starting Rita Inspired
04:31 - Grief and Torah as a Healing Language
06:05 - Being Reintroduced to the Torah as Hashem’s Love Language
06:46 - Shifting from Obedience to Connection
08:15 - Mourning Laws as Divine Comfort
09:59 - Inviting G-d In
11:07 - The Only Way Out is Through
11:50 - Experiencing Hashem’s Love Through Loss
13:35 - Surrendering to G-d
15:37 - Having a Conversation with G-d
18:33 - How to Pray When It Feels Imaginative
23:49 - Personal Gratitude and Emotional Honesty
28:46 - How Grief & Singlehood Shaped My Prayer
29:57 - Hashem Wants to Spend Time with Me
30:34 - The Exodus: Crying Out to G-d Sparks Redemption
32:05 - Simple, Raw Prayers Can Bring Miracles
34:13 - Studying Torah to Understand G-d
36:15 - Mitzvot Are Love Maps, Not Restrictions
38:32 - The Message Behind Jealousy
39:46 - Hashem Just Wants You to Be You
40:39 - When G-d Doesn’t Reveal Everything
42:01 - Being Motivated by Love
43:32 - Crisis Can Reveal G-d’s Emotional Presence
46:14 - Finding Clarity in Torah
47:49 - G-d will Find a Way to Get Into Your Painful Moments
48:22 - My Joy Under The Chuppah
51:35 - Host’s Outro
A reading of the poem "How a Place Becomes Holy" by Yehoshua November, reflections on the power of calling out to G-d with the few, ambiguous words we have, and the delicate invitations in both creativity and faith to trust what stirs inside us.
Episode sponsored in honor of the safety and protection of the Jewish people in the Holy Land.
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - "How a Place Becomes Holy"
02:00 - Self-Trust in Creativity
03:45 - Holiness as the Subtext of Reality
04:22 - Story of Yeshaya Bar-Daki: A Cry for Life
06:50 - An Experience at the Mikvah
08:58 - The Holiness in Everyday Life
11:45 - Trusting the Heart's Longings
A conversation with Rivky Kaplan exploring what it means to lean into the feminine spirit in both the private and public sphere, the Lubavitcher Rebbe's vision for Jewish womanhood, the wisdom available to us in our cycles and the seasons of our life, how to stay connected to the woman beneath the role of mother, and the power of sisterhood in helping us find our voices.
Rivky Kaplan is a Chabad Shlucha in Tzfat, Israel with her husband Chaim and family. Rivky teaches Torah and Chassidut in various seminaries as well as many adult education classes both in Israel and abroad. She is passionate about engaging her students in the text and making Torah concepts personal and relevant. Rivky is a Yoetzet Halacha and has recently opened a one of a kind Educational Visitors center in their newly renovated Mikva. She is also a trained Fertility Fellow providing guidance to couples navigating the challenges of infertility. Rivky is also a very proud Bubby. You can contact Rivky at rivkaplan@gmail.com
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Sneak Peek
00:27 - Host's Intro
02:13 - Welcome Rivky
05:51 - Rosh Chodesh: A Gift to Women
07:35 -The Lubavitcher Rebbe's Vision for Jewish Womanhood
10:26 - Why Chana Decided to Stay Home
15:00 - Giving Your Child That Little Bit More
16:26 - Why Dena Went Out to Lead
17:35 - Personifying Internality: The Feminine Spirit
19:03 - Beyond Biological Motherhood: A Spiritual Role
21:00 - Expanding the Walls of the Home
23:46 - Capitalizing on What is Unique About Us
25:40 - If the Workplace Was Designed for Women's Needs
28:55 - The World is Waking Up to Feminine Values
29:55 - Listening to Our Bodies
32:50 - I Expected Myself to Be a Full Moon Every Day
33:25 - Understanding the Hormonal Phases
35:15 - Attuning Ourselves to Our Bodies
37:58 - The Phases of Our Menstrual Cycles
38:44 - Wishing My Mother Could Hold My Babies
42:55 - Our Bodies Hold Paradox
44:28 - Carrying Life and Grief in Israel
46:40 - A Disconnect From Our Bodies
47:50 - Navigating Life's Seasons: We Are Both Chana and Dina
50:33 - Being Present Where You Are
52:50 - Staying Connected to What Fuels Me
56:33 - What is a Feminine Way of Giving?
57:56 - Story of the Rebbe: What is the Identifier of a Jewish Girl?
1:01:30 - Shifting the Way the World Sees Jewish Women
1:04:30 - Have We Internalized That Vision?
01:07:05 - Menopause and Its Impact on a Woman’s Identity
1:09:24 - Expanding the Why's That Carried You
1:11:30 - How to Nurture Yourself When You're a Mother
1:13:37 - G-d Trusts Us
1:17:35 - Having a Firsthand Experience of the Torah
1:20:48 - Teaching From a Place of Trust
1:24:25 - Textual Learning Makes Space for Critical Thinking
1:30:58 - There Are Many Ways of Serving G-d
1:33:18 - I Felt Escorted to the Mikvah by the Chain of Jewish Women
1:37:33 - The Contemporary Sisterhood
1:40:00 - Female Soldiers Immersing in the Mikvah
1:41:42 - How to Create Your Own Sisterhood
1:43:28 - You Need One Person to Truly See You
1:49:00 - The World is Waiting for Every Woman's Voice
01:50:05 - Host’s Outro
Personal reflections on some of the central themes in Reclaiming Dignity. Exploring the sanctity of our inner worlds, what it truly means to walk before G-d, how tznius shows up in the way we speak, share of ourselves and spend money, why legislating every detail of tznius robs us of the ability to cultivate own own internal sensitivities, and what it might look like to infuse our clothing with the depth of tznius, instead of having them define it.
Link to purchase the book at 15% off: https://mosaicapress.com/product/recl.... Human & Holy discount code is humanandholy15. Find out more on the website www.reclaimingdignity.com.
To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday and Wednesday on Youtube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
A conversation with Bracha Poliakoff, co-author of the groundbreaking book Reclaiming Dignity, exploring the deep, spiritual meaning of Tzniut in Judaism. Far from being just a dress code, this episode explores Tzniut as a powerful expression of dignity, internality, and self-respect for both men and women. We discuss halachic sources, misconceptions around modesty, and why more is not always better in this sensitive and central Jewish value.
Bracha Poliakoff, LCSW-C, is a licensed clinical social worker, speaker, and writer. She currently serves as the founder and director of continuing education at Bright Ideas Continuing Education, providing high-quality programs for mental health professionals in the United States and Canada. Bracha has a strong commitment to Jewish education, having taught Torah to high schoolers and adults in various settings, founded a number of Jewish learning initiatives, and co-authoring Reclaiming Dignity: A Guide to Tzniut for Men and Women. As a passionate member of the Orthodox community, she actively gives back and makes a difference, including serving on the boards of Keneseth Beth Israel (Richmond, VA) and the Women’s Institute of Torah/Mesorah Baltimore (Baltimore, MD). Bracha is also committed to personal and professional development, having participated in The Associated’s Young Leadership Council, Orthodox Union’s Women’s Initiative Leadership Summit, and the Orthodox Leadership Project. She lives in Baltimore, MD, with her husband and three children. Bracha can be contacted at brachapoliakoff@gmail.com.
Link to purchase the book at 15% off: https://mosaicapress.com/product/recl.... Find out more on the website www.reclaimingdignity.com.
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Sneak Peek
00:34 Host’s Intro
02:35 Welcome Bracha
03:33 Why Write a Book on Tznius?
08:10 The Importance of Women’s Voices in the Conversation About Tzniut
11:00 Is Tzniut for Men?
13:07 A Torah Source for Men's Tzniut: Dignity in War
16:07 The Parts of Tzniut That No One Will Ever See
18:10 Shifting My Own Experience of Tzniut
21:36 Removing the Judgment and Pressure
24:08 Are Introverts More Tzniut?
28:37 The Difference Between Erva and Tzniut
30:11 Do Women Dress Tzniut for Men?
35:03 The Negative Impacts of Overemphasizing External Modesty
36:21 Mutual Respect Between Men and Women
38:23 Excessive Modesty Can Sexualize Women
39:26 More is Not Always Better
41:21 Women's Pictures in Magazines
46:00 The Cost of Exclusion
50:32 When I Didn't Want My Own Picture Published
52:00 Determining Your Own Boundaries
53:51 Materialism & Other Areas of Tzniut Beyond Clothing
57:37 How Does Bracha Aim to Show Up?
01:00:57 Host’s Outro
Reflections on my birthday, why I think about my mortality, and a Modeh Ani meditation.
Episode sponsored by an anonymous sponsor in honor of our LA Tanya class.
To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on Youtube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - Birthday Reflections
1:27 - Why I Think About My Mortality
4:30 - The Gift of Another Day
5:45 - Forgetting Who We Are
7:33 - Saying Modeh Ani With Intention
9:22 - The Memory of Prayer
12:16 - A Modeh Ani Meditation
A conversation exploring the Jewish view of death, grief, and the afterlife. Drawing from her personal losses and decades of spiritual exploration, Elissa shares her journey, reflections from her work preparing bodies for Jewish burial, and powerful insights on mourning rituals and what they can teach us about what it means to truly live.
Elissa Felder is the Coordinator for Core’s Communities of Practice. Elissa started and actively manages Core’s community of practice for women engaged with traditional chevrah kadisha. She is responsible for providing on-going professional development for the community. The knowledge she acquired through her work motivated her to write her book, From One Life to the Next Life: The Sacred Passage of Life After Death. Additionally, she is very active in her local chevrah kadisha and speaks widely on this topic.
Elissa is the Founding Director of Core Connects RI, a non-profit organization that aims to deepen women’s connections to one another, to Jewish wisdom, and to Jewish values, as well as to empower each other to find greater meaning, purpose, and possibility in life and to cultivate unity without uniformity. As director she is passionate about providing others with opportunities to grow and become. She runs programming both online and in person. Elissa is passionate about bringing Jews together and celebrating their commonalities rather than their differences. Through all of these experiences, Elissa mentors and encourages others on their journeys.
You can purchase Elissa's book here: https://mosaicapress.com/product/from-one-life-to-the-next-life/?srsltid=AfmBOorymKsRPl9qZlNH91dglhkMuoqSkLUd1EdThXJfSxY72ARG1UeJElissa can be reached at elissafelder613@gmail.com
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Sneak Peek
00:54 - Host’s Intro
03:30 - Welcome Elissa
05:50 - Where Did My Son Go?
07:33 - What Happens After Death?
09:28 - The Soul Separates From Its Body in Stages
10:41 - Purification of the Soul
11:37 - Resurrection of the Dead: A Soul Reunited with Its Body
12:51 - The Deeper Meaning Behind Chevra Kadisha Practices
15:09 - Talking to a Soul: Preparing for Life, Not Death
16:15 - Analogies for Resurrection
18:18 - Why Return to the Body If the Soul Experiences Divine Bliss?
21:11 - Why Are We Here?
23:05 - Elevating Each Part of the Body
24:50 - Living with an Awareness of Life's Fragility
26:27 - The Significance of Morning Prayers
27:22 - Grief is Love
28:36 - Communal Presence During Shiva
29:34 - Witnessing Grief
32:12 - The Power of Small Acts of Love
33:18 - Why We Let Mourners Lead
37:00 - The Soul’s Journey After Death
38:50 - Grief as a Companion
39:47 - The Chevra Kedisha’s Love for the Deceased
40:41 - The Rabbi Who Cared for My Father
42:44 - Caring For My Granddaughter
45:04 - Welcoming the Soul
46:13 - Do We Access the Soul at its Grave?
48:38 - It Is About Life
49:16 - Navigating Grief
52:00 - Letting Our Emotions Flow
57:05 - Choosing Love Over Anger After Loss
01:00:12 - Host’s Outro
An episode about the last day of Pesach, becoming receptive to divine revelation, eating the food of Redemption and the vulnerability of hope.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Host's Intro
00:52 - The Moshiach Seudah
3:18 - Forty Two Journeys
4:59 - Becoming Receptive to Divine Light
6:17 - Living in a Post Truth Era
8:49 - Eating the Food of Moshiach
11:06 - Rising to Meet a New Reality
11:49 - Experiencing the Moshiach Seudah As a Child
13:31 - The Vulnerability of Hope
To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday and Wednesday on Youtube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
A teaching about the four sons as four identities within, the choice between cynicism and wonder when observing our lives from the outside, and the gifts hidden in our unexplored questions.
Episode sponsored in honor of the speedy Refuah of Sholom Dovber ben Chava.
To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com. Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday on Youtube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Introducing Solo Sessions
00:56 - The Four Sons as Four Identities Within
02:07 - Seeing Our Judaism From the Outside
02:56 - Juxtaposing the Wise & Wicked Sons' Questions
03:25 - Defining Our Questions & Immersing Ourselves in the Search
05:38 - Cynicism or Wonder?
08:20 - When Our Judaism Feels Jaded
09:55 - Learning How to Ask
11:50 - Discussion Game
Link to the episode from last year, where we played a conversation game based on this teaching about the four sons: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd3LVLhvMQY
A personal conversation about creating a Seder that allows us to bring our full selves to the experience, finding an accessible entrance into the essence of Jewish holidays and rituals after becoming a mother, and some of the teachings about the steps of the Seder that have welcomed Chani in.
Chani is a wife, mother, poet, writer, and aspiring florist. She's an all around creative, and loves bringing beauty and meaning into everyday life. She dabbles in freelance writing and content creation alongside her work at a preschool and a nonprofit organization. You can find her writing and content on Instagram @chani_lipovenko and Substack (Tulips & Tantrums). Chani can be contacted at chanasmoller@gmail.com.
Link to download Chani's Haggadah companion here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/13GrQ7e9rrxpC_5c9P2qq9y9j3XgXvvkV/view
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms.
New episodes every Sunday on Youtube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
TIMESTAMPS
0:00:00 - Sneak Peek
0:00:37 - Host's Introduction
0:02:03 - Welcome Chani
0:02:43 - How it Started
0:04:34 - Reimagining the Seder Experience
0:09:56 - Where Am I in This Ritual?
0:14:21 - Leaning into the Physical Act of a Mitzvah
0:17:35 - Experiencing the Essence of a Holiday
0:21:55 - Staying Open to Unexpected Inspiration
0:23:20 - I Can't Recreate My Pre-Baby Life
0:27:10 - Experiencing the Seder as a Personal Journey
0:29:02 - Being An Open Vessel to What the Seder Has to Offer
0:31:25 - Bring Your Heartbreak
0:32:28 - The Soul Can Never Be in Exile
0:35:19 - Encouraging Questions in Our Judaism
0:38:45 - Encouraging Questions
0:41:25 - The Steps of the Seder Are Leading Us Somewhere
0:42:27 - Postpartum: Holding Both Brokenness and Wholeness
0:45:45 - How G-d Sees Us
0:48:13 - Opening the Door to Miracles
0:51:38 - Allowing Ourselves to be Transformed in Small Ways
0:52:28 - The End of the Seder is the Beginning of Freedom
0:53:09 - Host’s Outro
A conversation with Racheli Luftglass, a passionate Judaic educator and Tanach scholar, about finding our spiritual role models within the Torah. Racheli shares her journey from struggling with Tanach as a student to falling in love with its stories and teachings, how the characters in Tanach guide her in everyday life, and how engaging deeply with biblical characters can transform the way we live. This discussion includes lessons from biblical characters like Yirmiyahu, Nechemiah, the daughters of Tzelofchad, Devorah, Batya, and Esther.
Mrs. Racheli Luftglass is the Principal of Judaic Studies at YULA Girls High School and a kallah teacher. Before moving to the West Coast, she taught at The Frisch School in Paramus, NJ, in the Nach Department and in the Learning Center. At the OU Women’s Initiative, Mrs. Luftglass has served as a Counting Toward Sinai Scholar-in-Residence, presented shiurim and taught “Yirmiyahu’s Canon for Calamity” – an interactive in-depth course at the ALIT Virtual Summer Learning Program. She also taught Sefer Nechemia to over 5,000 women worldwide for Torat Imecha Nach Yomi. Mrs. Luftglass began her career at The Moriah School in Englewood, NJ, where she taught both mainstream and enrichment Judaic Studies classes as well as secular studies in the school’s Gesher Yehuda Program. Mrs. Luftglass graduated from Yeshiva University’s Stern College for Women with a B.A. in music and psychology and holds an M.A. from Columbia University’s Teachers College with a concentration in Education of the Gifted and of the Learning Disabled. She has also completed coursework at Columbia University towards a doctorate degree in neuropsychology. Mrs. Luftglass lives in Los Angeles, CA with her husband and five children.
Contact Racheli at rwluftglass@gmail.com.
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms.
New episodes every Sunday on Youtube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00:00 - Sneak Peek
0:00:37 - Host's Introduction
0:02:10 - Welcome Racheli
0:04:06 - A Personal Passion for Tanach
0:06:00 - The Lost Art of Letter Writing
0:06:54 - The Daughters of Tzelofchad
0:09:15 - Which Characters Do You Currently Connect With?
0:10:25 - How It All Began: Racheli’s Early Experiences with Tanach
0:11:03 - Intertextuality in Tanach
0:13:31 - What We Can Learn From Hashem’s Vulnerable Moments
0:17:10 - Teaching as a Means of Mastery
0:17:54 - Understanding the Prophets
0:19:34 - Yirmiyahu: Survival and Identity in Exile
0:27:22 - Roots and Branches: Continuity in Judaism
0:28:01 - Inner Sense of Connection to Your Values
0:30:19 - Finding Personal Guidance in Tanach
0:32:11 - Devorah: An Unapologetic Voice
0:40:29 - Recurring Themes in the Women in Tanach
0:42:43 - I Am in a Dance With Hashem
0:44:05 - When Hashem Says No
0:47:45 - Following Your Curiosity in Your Studies
0:49:11 - Accessing Tanach
0:52:24 - Connecting Through Art and Personal Stories
0:53:18 - Finding Personal Role Models Within Tanach
0:53:59 - Lessons from Batya & Esther
0:56:38 - Choosing Not to Become Bitter
0:58:36 - Host's Outro
A conversation about the Lubavitcher Rebbe's perspective on fighting antisemitism, what it truly means to be a light unto the nations and how to find moral clarity in a G-dless society.
Inbal Levin is a writer, former fashion model, and social media director for Chabad on Campus. You can connect with her via instagram @itsinbal.
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor. Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday on Youtube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00:00 - Sneak Peek
0:01:00 - Introduction of Inbal Levin
0:02:25 - Welcome Inbal
0:03:08 - Inbal’s Background
0:03:46 - Passion for Fashion
0:05:57 - Creativity is Holy
0:06:28 - The Lubavitcher Rebbe’s Reflections on the Depth of Art
0:09:11 - Girls on the Cover of the Moshiach Times Magazine
0:10:48 - The Rebbe’s Conversation with the Israeli Beauty Queen
0:14:54 - Being a Jew in Public
0:18:12 - Helping Others Up the Volume on their Own Jewish Pride
0:21:05 - Embracing Jewish Identity in Modern Times
0:21:31 - Inspiring Other's in Their Own Heritage
0:24:25 - The Responsibility of Being the Chosen People
0:26:15 - Moral Clarity
0:27:30 - A Moment of Silence
0:31:00 - A Universal Call to G-dly Awareness
0:32:53 - Bringing Torah to the World
0:37:55 - The Power of Shabbos Candles
0:43:46 - Mitzvah Campaigns: A Response to Darkness
0:50:40 - The Rebbe’s Approach to Antisemitism
0:52:28 - The Haggadah Focuses on Freedom, Not Suffering
0:53:19 - A Judaism of Joy
0:57:15 - Awakening Through Tragedy
01:00:02 - Judaism Asks for Participation
01:03:03 - The Impact of Jewish Rituals on Future Generations
01:05:55 - Follow Up Story on Inbal’s Flight
01:07:40 - Host's Outro
A conversation with Chanie Krasnianski, a seasoned educator and shlucha on the Upper East Side in Manhattan, NY, about the beauty of the Jewish perspective on sexuality, mikvah, and marriage. Explore the spiritual depth of physical attraction, the beauty and struggles that can arise with the laws of family purity, how to navigate religious differences in a relationship, and the deep potential for holiness and profound connection within our most intimate spaces.
Contact Chanie at ckrasnianski@gmail.com.
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor. Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday on Youtube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00:00 - The Bedroom is the Holy of Holies
0:00:41 - Partner With Human & Holy
0:01:57 - Guest Introduction: Chanie Krasnjanski
0:03:01 - Welcome Chanie
0:03:27 - Topic: Holy Intimacy
0:03:33 - Chanie’s Background
0:05:53 - Bringing Holiness to Marriage
0:07:07 - You Want to Fix the World, Fix Your World
0:08:05 - In Times of Crisis, Strengthen the Home
0:09:11 - The Art of Holy Intimacy: Connection
0:09:42 - How Do You Begin This Conversation?
0:10:27 - Reclaiming Your Sexuality
0:12:48 - Boundaries as Protection, Not Restriction
0:14:08 - What is the Jewish Perspective on Sexuality?
0:14:28 - The Physical Reality Mirrors the Spiritual Reality
0:15:11 - The Kabbalistic Understanding of Male & Female Attraction
0:18:22 - Attraction Outside of Marriage
0:19:05 - The Torah's Perspective Keeps You Honest
0:20:27 - You Choose How to Satisfy Your Hunger
0:22:13 - Halacha Is Not a Checklist
0:26:39 - Accepting the Imperfections in Our Relationship with G-d
0:27:48 - Judaism is Not a Religion
0:28:17 - A Child Learns Faith In Infancy
0:30:36 - Reframing Your Understanding of the Mikvah
0:31:10 - The Spiritual Significance of Mikvah Immersion
0:33:01 - Femininity is a Divine Vessel
0:34:42 - You Can't Override the Spiritual Level of Your Spouse
0:35:59 - Building a Relationship with G-d
0:38:26 - Overcoming Personal Discomfort with Mikvah Ladies
0:41:42 - Your Triggers are Signals
0:43:41 - When Your Spouse Wants Something But It Isn't the Highest Halachic Standard
0:46:07 - When You Feel Uncomfortable Speaking to a Mentor About Intimate Topics
0:52:02 - Religious Guilt Around Sexuality
0:55:11 - G-d as a Loving Father
0:56:40 - You Are Not Your Spouse’s Rabbi
0:57:10 - When a Spouse Is Resistant to the Other's Spiritual Growth
01:02:58 - Your Spouse is a Mirror
01:04:09 - When Niddah Draws You Apart
01:08:21 - The Seasons of Marriage
01:10:49 - There’s Usually a Deeper Reason
01:12:30 - Differentiating Between Law & Custom (Halacha & Chumra)
01:15:13 - Strengthening the Mitzvah of Family Purity
01:19:13 - The Jewish Ideals of Sexual Intimacy Are Designed to Encourage Connection
01:23:24 - Seeking Out the Right Rabbi or Mentor
01:25:24 - Inviting G-d into Our Bedrooms
1:27:31 - Through Intimacy, We Become G-dlike
1:28:02 - Host's Outro
A deep lesson from the Purim story about who we give our power to, showing up to create imperfect vessels while believing that G-d can send miracles that far surpass our efforts, and learning to see past the veneer of concealment and experience the soul's identity as primary in our lives.
Video episode is available on Youtube.
To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com.
Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday on Youtube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
A conversation about the lessons we can learn from Megillas Esther for our current times, walking through the doorways G-d calls us to, navigating responsibilities that we didn't sign up for, the synthesis of modern wisdom with Torah, differentiating between the sacred and unsacred, and how to begin developing a relationship with Torah study.
Dr. Erica Brown is the Vice Provost for Values and Leadership at Yeshiva University and the founding director of its Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks-Herenstein Center for Values and Leadership. She previously served as the director of the Mayberg Center for Jewish Education and Leadership and an associate professor of curriculum and pedagogy at The George Washington University. Erica is the author or co-author of 15 books on leadership, the Hebrew Bible and spirituality. Erica has a daily podcast, “Take Your Soul to Work.” Her book Esther: Power, Fate and Fragility in Exile (Maggid) was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award. Her latest book is Kohelet and the Search for Meaning (Maggid). She and her husband live in Maryland and have four children, another four through marriage, and six exquisite grandchildren. Explore more of her work at ericabrown.com.
Video episode is available on Youtube.
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.comTo support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations. Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms.
New episodes every Sunday on Youtube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
2:50 Welcome Dr. Erica Brown
4:43 What We Can Learn from Megillas Esther
10:10 How Can We Show Up Right Now?
12:58 A Relationship with G-d is Dynamic
15:10 Harnessing the Jewish Shift in the Diaspora
18:00 The Power of Invitation
19:00 Developing a Personal Interest in Tanach
21:58 Bringing the Totality of Ourselves to the Text
23:10 The Story of Jonah: The Wishful Fantasy of Adulthood
24:45 When Your Responsibilities Feel Like Too Much
27:58 Getting Guidance From Those Who Have Walked the Path
20:55 When You Didn't Sign Up for What Life is Asking of You
33:50 Asking for Help: Esther and Mordechai's Partnership
35:05 The Mezuzah: Walking Through the Doorway With G-d
37:50 Bringing All Worlds of Wisdom to the Torah
40:50 Filtering Out the Unholy
43:20 Will AI Change the Way We Study Torah?
47:10 Advice on Developing a Relationship with Torah Study
A conversation about believing in ourselves as much as G-d does, rising to G-d’s call for our mission in this world, moving past numbers as our metric of success, and what we can each learn from Chabad Shluchim.
Rachel Jacobs, originally from Los Angeles, California, currently serves as Rebbetzin of Singers Hill Synagogue in Birmingham, England. She is also the Educational Director of the Torah Tots nursery school, the Cheder, and the Jewish studies program at the local King David Primary School. Over the past 20 years, Rachel has gained recognition as an inspiring Jewish speaker, with a particular focus on women’s issues and marriage. Her warmth, charisma, and insightful teachings have touched the lives of Jewish women across the United States and Europe.
You can contact Rachel via rachelcjacobs@aol.com and on Instagram @Rachelcjacobs.
Today's episode is dedicated in honor of Levi Yizchok ben Chaim Tzvi a"h. Support his family here: https://raisethon.com/leviwolosow. Do a mitzvah in his honor and share it here: https://onemitzvah.org/leviw.
Episode Partners:
TOVEEDO: An online children's streaming subscription featuring exclusive Jewish content created and sourced by Toveedo. Use code HH10 for 10% off at Toveedo.com.
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday on Youtube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
TIMESTAMPS
00:27 Toveedo Sponsorship
01:48 Dedication to Levi Wolosow (Levi Yitzchok ben Chaim Tzvi a"h)
02:38 Welcome Rachel Jacobs
10:10 We Were Born Because G-d Believes in Us
20:01 How to Build True Self Esteem
25:40 How to Respond to G-d's Call When We Don't Feel Perfectly Suited
30:06 Moving Past Numbers as a Metric for Success
39:17 Focusing On the Needs of Your Community
42:14 Showing Up Without Expectation of Results
46:16 Consciously Elevating Others
51:37 Stepping Back to Appreciate Our Roles
55:50 Nurturing the Potential in Others When We Don't See It
01:01:10 We Can't Control the Outcome of Our Guidance
01:06:06 Every Person Has a Mission to Fulfill
A conversation about embracing the many ways of seeing the Torah while remaining rooted in our values, the difference between judgment and discernment, impacting people without preaching, and how to approach the decision to have another baby.
Dena Schusterman is a founder of Chabad Intown in Atlanta, a Jewish educator and a founding director of both the Intown Jewish Preschool and Hebrew School. Dena writes about parenting and applied Torah and Chassidic thought, her articles have appeared on Kveller, Chabad.org, Groknation, Ami magazine and the Atlanta Jewish Times. Dena is currently working on writing her first book. She and her husband Rabbi Eliyahu Schusterman are native Californians and have been living in Atlanta for 20 years. They have 8 children. You can contact Dena at dena@chabadintown.org and on instagram @denads.
Link to Dena's first episode with Human & Holy: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5rZZHw2SdusrTq6xiz1FHC?si=4b9607a0f2d74ac5
Episode Partners:
TOVEEDO: An online children's streaming subscription featuring exclusive Jewish content created and sourced by Toveedo. Use code HH10 for 10% off at Toveedo.com.
ZELDA HAIR: A wig company that champions the holistic process of hair covering for Jewish women. Shop Zelda Hair at zeldahairshop.com and discover the heart behind the brand on Instagram @zeldahair.
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.comTo support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday on Youtube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
Timestamps:
0:00:23 Toveedo Sponsorship
0:00:45 Zelda Hair Sponsorship
0:01:15 Host’s Introduction
0:02:48 Welcome Dena Schusterman
0:06:36 Why I’m Publishing a Memoir
0:10:37 You Can’t Tell People How to Think
0:13:00 Don’t Give People Answers to Questions They Never Asked
0:16:00 People Will Misunderstand You
0:17:08 Standing in Front of the Rebbe as a Child
0:19:34 Why Do We Feel the Need to Source Everything?
0:20:39 Chiddushei Torah: Writing Down Our Thoughts on Torah
0:22:58 Humility When We Interpret the Torah
0:23:43 Trusting Our Barometers for Truth
0:24:22 Knowing When Other People’s Ideas Are Not For You
0:25:41 The Difference Between Judgment & Discernment
0:27:25 Seventy Ways of Understanding the Torah
0:28:50 Can Women Choose Not to be in Magazines?
0:33:20 Respecting Other Communities’ Religious Choices
0:35:22 Judging People Who Are More Religious Than Us
0:38:50 Trusting Other People’s Spiritual Paths
0:41:50 Having Strong Jewish Values
0:44:50 Live in a Way That Speaks for Itself
0:46:38 Being a Shlucha Without Preaching
0:49:31 Sharing Our Convictions
0:53:00 Educating Our Children Without Fear
0:54:15 Being Role Models for Our Children
0:56:00 The Rebbe Met People Where They Were At
0:57:10 How to Make the Decision to Have a Baby
0:58:25 What is the Jewish Perspective on Pru U’rvu?
1:03:44 Have One More Child Than You Ideally Want to Have
1:04:37 Approaching Hashem with Receptivity
1:06:23 When We Face Discomfort, Hashem Comforts Us
1:07:25 The Difference Between Trust and Free Falling
1:08:15 What to Do When Having Another Child Feels Like Too Much
1:09:43 What Does Having a Large Family Actually Mean?
1:10:27 Showing Up as Ourselves
1:11:25 We Are Each Called to be Leaders
1:13:45 Learning How to Live with What is
Orthodox Jewish singer Shaindy Plotzker discusses her journey within the music industry, using our talents and voices for the sake of a higher purpose, performing for women’s only crowds and the blessings she’s seen come of it, seeing G-d as the source of both our successes and hardships, learning how to rest, elevating other women in her industry, advice for aspiring artists, and the deep intention that guides her every move.
Discover more from Shaindy Plotzker at shaindyplotzker.com and by streaming her music on Youtube, Spotify, and all music streaming platforms. Connect with her on Instagram via @shaindyplotzkermusic.
Episode Partners:
TOVEEDO: An online children's streaming subscription featuring exclusive Jewish content created and sourced by Toveedo. Use code HH10 for 10% off at Toveedo.com.
ZELDA HAIR: A wig company that champions the holistic process of hair covering for Jewish women. Shop Zelda Hair at zeldahairshop.com and discover the heart behind the brand on Instagram @zeldahair.To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.comTo support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor. Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨Human & Holy podcast available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday on Youtube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
Timestamps:
0:15 Toveedo Sponsorship
1:06 Host's Introduction
2:20 Welcome Shaindy Plotzker
3:00 What Makes Shaindy Who She Is?
5:17 Shaindy's Journey into the Music World
8:02 What Do I Want to be Known For?
9:50 Putting the Spotlight on Others
11:00 The Spiritual Significance of Women's Concerts
14:20 The Challenges & Rewards of Singing for Women Only
15:45 Getting Halachic Guidance on Her Career
18:10 Seeing Open Blessings from Doing the Right Thing
20:00 I Am Not Motivated by Self Expression
25:00 My Talent is a Vessel for G-d
27:28 How Does Faith in G-d Impact Her Business?
30:26 Put Your Trust in G-d, Not People
31:30 The Jewish People's Story (Kol Isha)
35:35 Advice On Faith When Business is Hard
38:00 My Voice Doesn't Define Me
39:30 Defining Yourself Beyond Success
42:12 Lifting Up Fellow Artists in Her Industry
49:16 Can Jewish Music Hold Sorrowful Emotion?
54:55 Music Writing Process
56:15 Joy and Sadness Can Coexist
58:35 Being Intentional About How I Share
59:42 A Moving Concert in Israel After Oct. 7th
1:06:27 Hold Onto Hope
1:08:54 Knowing When to Say No to an Opportunity
1:12:04 Learning How to Rest
1:21:18 Advice to Jewish Women With Unique Talents
1:25:08 Stop Being a Perfectionist and Start Somewhere
1:30:00 Rapid Fire Questions and Closing Thoughts
1:37:12 Zelda Hair Sponsorship & Host's Outro
A thorough conversation about women’s roles, the beauty and significance of Jewish law, and the lived experience of women’s Judaism.
This episode is dedicated by Schwartzie’s daughters in honor of the 8th yartzeit of their father, Shlomo Yitzchak Ben Moshe, aka Schwartzie. Do a mitzvah in his honor.
Today’s episode explores questions like:
What is the ideal definition of a Jewish woman’s role within Judaism?
Do we have an impossible vision of what a Jewish woman is?
Should we meet women's desires for more spiritual engagement with suspicion?
Do women belong in shul?
What does it mean for the Jewish woman to be the heart of the home?
Has Laurie ever struggled with Jewish womanhood?
What is the halachic significance of women’s mitzvot?
Laurie Novick is the Director and Head Writer of Deracheha, a comprehensive resource for women and mitzvot. She has worked as a Yoetzet Halacha since Fall 5763 and teaches at Migdal Oz. Laurie is also a Yoetzet Halacha Fertility Counsellor, a member of a pilot cohort of Yoatzot Halacha who have received advanced training in fertility issues and Halacha and taught for many years at Nishmat. She has degrees in Bible, Jewish Education, and Talmud and has also done graduate work in Counseling.
Contact Laurie here: novicklaurie@gmail.com
Link to Deracheha here: deracheha.org
Link to the piece that includes discussion of Rebbitzen Bayla Falkhttps://www.deracheha.org/concepts-introduction/
Episode Partners:
TOVEEDO: An online children's streaming subscription featuring exclusive Jewish content created and sourced by Toveedo. Use code HH10 for 10% off at Toveedo.com.
ZELDA HAIR: A wig company that champions the holistic process of hair covering for Jewish women. Shop Zelda Hair at zeldahairshop.com and discover the heart behind the brand on Instagram @zeldahair.
Email us at info@humanandholy.com
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
00:00:30 Toveedo Sponsorship
00:01:00 Zelda Hair Sponsorship
00:01:28 Host’s Introduction
00:03:00 Welcome Laurie Novick
00:05:25 Developing a Personal Interest In Women and Halacha
00:07:30 Every Jewish Woman Deserves Access to Sources On This Topic
00:10:00 Does Exploration of this Topic Have to be Motivated by Discontent?
00:12:24 All Topics of Torah Are Interconnected
00:13:00 We Used to Learn About Jewish Womanhood From Our Mothers
00:17:00 The Lived Experience of Judaism Begins in the Home
00:19:20 Deepening Our Experience of Judaism Through Study
00:20:00 How Would You Define a Woman’s Role?
00:23:40 Do We Have an Impossible Vision of what a Jewish Woman is?
00:28:00 Honing in On Your Personal Values
00:29:45 Is The Woman the Heart of the Home?
00:34:38 Honing in On What Each Holiday Means to You
00:36:48 When Your Spiritual Yearnings as a Woman Are Met With Suspicion
00:40:00 Trusting Your Desire To Do Mitzvos
00:42:38 Eating In The Sukkah as a Woman
00:43:30 How to Channel Your Desire To Be More Engaged
00:46:00 The Halachic Significance of Women’s Mitzvos
00:47:27 This Is Not a Problem, It Is An Opportunity
00:47:55 Women’s Relationship to Shul & Torah Reading
00:51:00 There Are Many Women Within Each of Us
00:52:50 Shutting Down Our Channels of Connection
00:54:15 Is This for the Sake of Heaven?
01:01:16 What Is Halacha?
1:05:29 Jewish Law is Responsive to Life’s Nuances
1:07:30 Why Learning the Backstory to Halacha is Important
1:10:40 The Variety of Halachic Opinions
1:12:36 The Lived Experience of Jewish Law
1:17:00 The Significance of Learning Halacha From a Woman’s Perspective
1:20:23 Women’s Halachic Obligations Reveal the Fundamental Definition of Mitzvos
1:22:00 Women Should Not Be a Footnote
1:25:22 Has Laurie Ever Struggled with What It Means to be a Jewish Woman?
1:27:50 Questions Are a Healthy Part of Our Spiritual Paths
1:28:22 Making Simchas Torah More Woman Friendly
1:31:00 What Has Torah Study Given Laurie As a Person?
1:31:31 Jewish Role Models
1:33:20 What Does It Mean to be a Jewish Woman?
A conversation about the chassidic work of V'atah Tetzaveh. This conversation explores the generational shift from serving G-d through self sacrifice to a generation that is asked to serve G-d through abundance and an integration of our individual selves, as well as the role of a Tzaddik in helping us reveal the light of our souls.
Contact Sara Blau and learn more about her work at www.sarablau.com.
Some terms to know:
Maamer | a divinely inspired teaching shared by a chassidic rebbe to his disciples
Rebbe | a spiritual leader
Sechel | intellect
Middos | character traits
Mesiras Nefesh | self sacrifice
Matan Torah | receiving the Torah at Mt. Sinai
Purim Katan Maamer | a Chassidic teaching shared by the Lubavitcher Rebbe before Purim Katan
Kriyas Yam Suf | splitting of the sea
Gzeira | decree
Yehudim | Jews
Sicha | talk given by a rebbe
Rebbe Rashab | the fifth Chabad Rebbe
Koach | strength
Ahavas Hashem | love of G-d
Ahavas Haolam | love of the Creator based on a love of the Creator's world
Ohel | Lubavitcher Rebbe's resting place
Study the original text that this conversation is based on here: https://www.chabad.org/therebbe/article_cdo/aid/145191/jewish/Maamar-Veatah-Tetzaveh.htm
Episode Partners:
TOVEEDO: An online children's streaming subscription featuring exclusive Jewish content created and sourced by Toveedo. Use code HH10 for 10% off at Toveedo.com.
ZELDA HAIR: A wig company that champions the holistic process of hair covering for Jewish women. Shop Zelda Hair at zeldahairshop.com and discover the heart behind the brand on Instagram @zeldahair.
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
To support our work, visit patreon.com/humanandholy or humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
Timestamps:
00:00 Host's Introduction
00:01:30 Toveedo Sponsorship
00:02:28 Zelda Hair Sponsorship
00:03:17 Conversation Begins
00:10:30 Self Sacrifice Vs. A Conscious Relationship With Your Essence
00:14:18 Spiritual Adrenaline Doesn't Always Last
00:15:30 Can You Become Something You're Not?
00:20:24 A Generation Seeking Authenticity
00:27:00 Serving G-d For External Reasons
00:31:11 Why You Don't Have to be in Survival Mode
00:32:00 Creating a Lasting Judaism
00:34:12 I Want to Connect to G-d
00:37:25 A Tzaddik Empowers Us to Lead Our Own Selves
00:43:00 A Collective Desire for Spirituality
00:45:00 When Our Judaism Becomes Who We Are As People
00:47:35 Navigating The Uncomfortable Parts of our Jewish Practice
00:56:12 Is It Selfish or Is It Selfless?
01:01:44 Utilizing Our Unique Gifts When It Feels Indulgent
01:04:00 When Our Souls Are Expressed We Love People for Who They Are
01:07:39 What Does It Mean to Love G-d?
01:12:00 Do We Have a Leader?
01:16:30 Knowing Where to Dig Within Ourselves
01:17:30 What is the Role of the Rebbe After His Passing?
01:19:30 An Eye Towards the Future
01:22:00 What Is the Call of the Hour?
01:27:00 Host's Outro
A conversation with Chaya Lester, a psychotherapist, author, speaker, and poet, about the significance of internal, spiritual work during a time of collective upheaval, how we can become more attuned to divine messages through our daily interactions and dreams, and how we are all being invited to practice spiritual chutzpah in order to reveal the divine reality of the world.
Video episode is available on Youtube. Episode is sponsored in honor of Yosef Dovid ben Yehoshua's birthday, by his parents, Josh & Goldie Grinberg.You can find out more about Chaya Lester, as well as links to purchase her work, here: www.chayalester.comEpisode Partners:TOVEEDO: An online children's streaming subscription featuring exclusive Jewish content created and sourced by Toveedo. Use code HH10 for 10% off at Toveedo.com.ZELDA HAIR: A wig company that champions the holistic process of hair covering for Jewish women. Shop Zelda Hair at zeldahairshop.com and discover the heart behind the brand on Instagram @zeldahair.To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.comTo support our work, visit patreon.com/humanandholy or humanandholy.com/sponsor.Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨Human & Holy podcast available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday on Youtube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.Timestamps:00:00 Host’s Introduction01:55 Dedication to Yosef Dovid ben Yehoshua 2:15 Toveedo Sponsorship3:16 Zelda Hair Sponsorship03:36 Conversation with Chaya Lester Begins08:07 Chaya's Spiritual Journey13:14 The Torah is Our Story16:53 Developing Spiritual Sensitivity18:40 Embracing Spiritual Chutzpah22:00 Who Am I in the Face of Our Jewish History?25:19 The Impact of Spiritual Work on Current Events26:12 Paying Attention to Divine Messages27:42 Messianic Era: Dystopian or Utopian?28:34 Transforming Destruction into Expression29:17 The Journey from Exile to Redemption31:25 The Higher Consciousness Within Pain32:32 Three Ways to Integrate Divine Consciousness 34:24 Personal Work Reflects Collective Work38:04 Dreams as a Source of Guidance40:53 Chaya’s Dream 49:15 Poem52:50 Host’s Outro
Episode is sponsored in honor of Uziel ben Moshe Yakov, whose yartzeit is Yud Tes Teves. May his neshama have an aliyah.
A conversation with Shternie Rosenfeld -- who is a shlucha, Torah teacher, and single mother -- about her transformative journey through divorce within the Orthodox community. Shternie talks about her darkest moments and how she found light through an unwavering relationship with G-d. We also explore her unique role as a shlucha running a Chabad house alone and the daily choice to see our circumstances with gratitude and faith.
Contact Shternie at shternie6@gmail.com
Video episode is available on Youtube.
Episode Partners:
TOVEEDO: An online children's streaming subscription featuring exclusive Jewish content created and sourced by Toveedo. Use code HH10 for 10% off at Toveedo.com.
ZELDA HAIR: A wig company that champions the holistic process of hair covering for Jewish women. Shop Zelda Hair at zeldahairshop.com and discover the heart behind the brand on Instagram @zeldahair.To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
To support our work, visit patreon.com/humanandholy or humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨Human & Holy podcast available on all podcast streaming platforms.
New episodes every Sunday on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
Timestamps:
00:00 Host's Introduction
01:33 Toveedo Sponsorship
02:23 Zelda Hair Sponsorship
03:11 Introducing Shternie Rosenfeld
04:26 Shternie's Life and Community Work
06:55 The Dark Period: Divorce and Its Aftermath
12:07 My Relationship With Hashem Saved Me
17:12 Seeing People's Kindness as G-d's Love
21:25 Choosing Not to Wallow in the Pain
23:55 We Are Worthy, But Not Owed
26:38 Gratitude for Small Gifts
29:00 Modeh Ani
33:26 The Struggles Brought Me Here
35:42 Having a Relationship With My Ex
40:33 If You Roll In the Mud, You Get Dirty
46:42 Getting Comfortable With Inner Peace
51:30 Being G-d's Banker
54:56 The Highs and Lows Make Life Rich
01:01:00 Running a Chabad House on My Own
01:07:42 Host's Outro
Recording of a Human & Holy Open Mic night hosted in LA, with the theme "I Am a Jew". Women shared their writings, original music, poetry and more. Video episode available on Youtube.
This evening was sponsored by SOLIKA, a modest women's clothing brand based in LA. Find their clothing at solika.com
This evening was sponsored anonymously in honor of the refuah sheleima of Penina Sara bas Gittel Mindel.
Episode Partners:TOVEEDO: An online children's streaming subscription featuring exclusive Jewish content created and sourced by Toveedo. Use code HH10 for 10% off at Toveedo.com.ZELDA HAIR: A wig company that champions the holistic process of hair covering for Jewish women. Shop Zelda Hair at zeldahairshop.com and discover the heart behind the brand on instagram @zeldahair.To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.comTo support our work, visit patreon.com/humanandholy or humanandholy.com/sponsor.Find us on instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨Human & Holy podcast available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
1:00 Opening Poem by Tonia Chazanow
2:00 Opening Words
5:12 “We Are Here“ by Menucha Belkin
6:25 “Salt" by Menucha Belkin
7:05 “G-d’s Classroom” by Hadassah Shemtov
9:00 "Waiting" by Hadassah Shemtov
10:44 “Inner Light” by Rivkala Gottleib
15:18 “Be Good to Me” original song by Zisi Zirkind
18:19 “Let Go and Let G-d” by Sara Mayberg
22:00 “Roller Coaster” by Adele Bryski
26:35 “One of the Hardest Things” by Shoshana Wolf
30:34 “V’Zakeini“ sung by Hindi Kalmenson & Elana Gilbert
34:52 “One Soul, One Heart” by Devora Pinson
39:14 “Because I Am a Jew” by Chani Zavdi
42:15 “Tzama Lecha Nafshi” sung by Boonya Cadaner
45:08 Thank You Rosie Gurevitch & Shaina Schmukler
46:10 “What Is a Jew?” by Tonia Chazanow
A conversation with Nechama Schusterman about how to live with an internal Moshiach consciousness, based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
This episode is our second episode with Nechama, where we took listener questions, and dove deeper into the practical experience of integrating G-d into our daily lives.
Video episode with Nechama is available on Youtube.
Listen to our first episode with Nechama here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2G1xzVTiIrtxV9Kl2txAOV?si=hl3xK3GISYKaPwWBMLDVDw
Episode Partners:
TOVEEDO: An online children's streaming subscription featuring exclusive Jewish content created and sourced by Toveedo. Use code HH10 for 10% off at Toveedo.com.
ZELDA HAIR: A wig company that champions the holistic process of hair covering for Jewish women. Shop Zelda Hair at zeldahairshop.com and discover the heart behind the brand on instagram @zeldahair.
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
To support our work, visit patreon.com/humanandholy or humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Find us on instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our Youtube channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
Find more of Nechama's work on her podcast, A Path Forward. Spotify link here: https://open.spotify.com/show/47LRqDkHbkExn8MVxUV7dI?si=aa02cf984efe4cd9.
Timestamps:
0:00 Host's Introduction
00:01:54 Zelda Hair Sponsorship
00:02:37 Toveedo Sponsorship
00:03:49 Introducing Nechama
00:05:00 What is Moshiach Consciousness?
00:11:00 Inside Out Approach to Giving
00:13:00 Knowing When to Show Up
00:17:00 Living in a State of Flow
00:18:30 Giving When Beyond Capacity
00:22:00 The Masculine Experience of Moshiach Consciousness
00:26:00 When Women Begin to Thrive, Do Men Begin to Suffer?
00:30:00 Is the Jewish Woman a Receiver or a Leader?00:33:00 Finding the Third Way in Our Daily Choices
00:36:45 When Our Desires Are Not Practical
00:38:45 Can Women Have It All With Ease?
00:48:00 Transforming Ourselves Internally Vs. Transforming the World
00:58:20 When Halacha Is a Painful Space for You
1:02:45 Is Inner Healing G-dly or Human?
1:06:00 Getting in Touch With Your Inner GPS
1:13:00 The Different Stages of Moshiach
1:16:15 The Light Can Be Found Within the Darkness
1:18:00 Becoming Grounded and Present Within Our Own Selves
1:20:00 How Can I Believe in an Internal Redemption When My External Circumstances Bring Me So Much Pain?
1:24:00 Should We See Painful World Events as a Personal Wake Up Call?
1:31:00 Cultivating Healthy Boundaries Around Other People’s Pain
1:33:00 Sharing With Calm
Nechama Dina Hendel from Baka, Jerusalem speaks about her community work in Israel during the war, the interconnectedness of the Jewish people from all over the world, her relationship with Rachel Goldberg-Polin and how to process the crushing losses of people we spent months praying for.
Video episode available on Youtube.
Contact Nechama Dina here: chabadofbaka18@gmail.com
Link to donate to Chabad of Baka: https://www.chabadofbaka.com/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/4897078/jewish/Donate-form-US-Dollars.htm
Episode Partners:
TOVEEDO: An online children's streaming subscription featuring exclusive Jewish content created and sourced by Toveedo. Use code HH10 for 10% off at Toveedo.com.
ZELDA HAIR: A wig company that champions the holistic process of hair covering for Jewish women. Shop Zelda Hair at zeldahairshop.com and discover the heart behind the brand on instagram @zeldahair.
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
To support our work, visit patreon.com/humanandholy or humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Find us on instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our Youtube channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨
Human & Holy podcast available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
A conversation with Gitty Rappoport about finding a personal sense of identity within her Judaism, how she navigated her religious questions growing up in Boro Park, and how Chassidic wisdom helped her develop a deep sense of connection to her Judaism.
Episode sponsored in honor of the yartzeit of Chana Bracha bas Isser. May her neshama have the highest aliyah.
Episode Partners:TOVEEDO: An online children's streaming subscription featuring exclusive Jewish content created and sourced by Toveedo. Use code HH10 for 10% off at Toveedo.com.ZELDA HAIR: A wig company that champions the holistic process of hair covering for Jewish women. Shop Zelda Hair at zeldahairshop.com and discover the heart behind the brand on instagram @zeldahair.To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.comTo support our work, visit patreon.com/humanandholy or humanandholy.com/sponsor.Find us on instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our Youtube channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨Human & Holy podcast available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
When we are crushed, what do we do the broken pieces? And when our faith wavers, can we lean on the tiny flickers of faith?
This episode chronicles the inner process that followed the crushing losses of Malki's babies and the way she opened up her heart to transform her pain into a source of light.
TW: Malki speaks about pregnancy loss and death in this episode.
Human & Holy is currently on a season break. Season 5 airs on Sunday, Dec. 15. This episode is a rerun from April 2023. Conversation begins at 6:38.
Human & Holy Partners:
TOVEEDO: An online children's streaming subscription featuring exclusive Jewish content created and sourced by Toveedo. Use code HH10 for 10% off at Toveedo.com.
ZELDA HAIR: A wig company that champions the holistic process of hair covering for Jewish women. Shop Zelda Hair at zeldahairshop.com and discover the heart behind the brand on instagram @zeldahair.
We love hearing your feedback! Email us at info@humanandholy.com to get in touch.
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A conversation about moving away from our obsession with productivity to embrace the value of simply being. Through a teaching about the diminishment of the moon, Rivky challenges us to consider that sometimes, our mere presence is enough. We are human beings, not doings. Some days, G-d asks us, simply, to be.
Human & Holy is currently on a season break. Season 5 airs on Sunday, Dec. 15. This episode is a rerun from Dec. 2021. Conversation begins at 6:38.
Human & Holy Partners:
TOVEEDO: An online children's streaming subscription featuring exclusive Jewish content created and sourced by Toveedo. Use code HH10 for 10% off at Toveedo.com.
ZELDA HAIR: A wig company that champions the holistic process of hair covering for Jewish women. Shop Zelda Hair at zeldahairshop.com and discover the heart behind the brand on instagram @zeldahair.
We love hearing your feedback! Email us at info@humanandholy.com to get in touch.
To sponsor an episode, reach out to us via email or visit www.humanandholy.com/sponsor.
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You can find us on instagram @humanandholy and on Youtube, as Human & Holy.
An exploration of Jewish sacrifice with Chana Silberstein, through the lens of the Akedah.
How can we mature in our faith, so that we make choices rooted in a deep safety with G-d? What is the ideal motivator of our lives, a sense of sacrifice or desire? And how do we process the inevitable pitfalls of our carefully chosen paths?
Chana Silberstein came to Ithaca in 1984 with her husband to establish a Chabad house for Jewish students and community members. She serves in the role of Education Director at Chabad of Cornell. Chana holds a PhD in Psychology from Cornell University and is certified in Clinical Pastoral Education. When Chana is not busy running the Chabad house, she consults on educational projects for Jewish institutions. You can contact Chana at cs32@cornell.edu.
Human & Holy Partners:
TOVEEDO: An online children's streaming subscription featuring exclusive Jewish content created and sourced by Toveedo. Use code HH10 for 10% off at Toveedo.com.
ZELDA HAIR: A wig company that champions the holistic process of hair covering for Jewish women. Shop Zelda Hair at zeldahairshop.com and discover the heart behind the brand on instagram @zeldahair.
We love hearing your feedback! Email us at info@humanandholy.com to get in touch.
To sponsor an episode, reach out to us via email or visit www.humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Become a monthly supporter of the podcast on www.patreon.com/humanandholy.
You can find us on instagram @humanandholy and on Youtube, as Human & Holy.
A conversation about the rich, Jewish tradition of women's voices expressed through informal prayer, how to unlock that ability within ourselves, and personal reflections from her new book, “Az Nashir - We Will Sing Again: Women’s Prayers for Our Time of Need,” which is an anthology of personal prayers written by Jewish women in Israel.
Purchase Az Nashir here: bit.ly/48L0zFT
Shira Lankin Sheps is a writer, editor, workshop facilitator, and clinically-trained therapist. She founded and published The Layers Project Magazine, authored "LAYERS: Personal Narratives of Struggle, Resilience & Growth of Jewish Women", and is the Executive Director and Founder of Shvili Center. Shira can be reached at Shiralsheps@gmail.com.
Human & Holy Partners:
TOVEEDO: An online children's streaming subscription featuring exclusive Jewish content created and sourced by Toveedo. Use code HH10 for 10% off at Toveedo.com.
ZELDA HAIR: A wig company that champions the holistic process of hair covering for Jewish women. Shop Zelda Hair at zeldahairshop.com and discover the heart behind the brand on instagram @zeldahair.
We love hearing your feedback! Email us at info@humanandholy.com to get in touch.
To sponsor an episode, reach out to us via email or visit www.humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Become a monthly supporter of the podcast on www.patreon.com/humanandholy.
You can find us on instagram @humanandholy and on Youtube, as Human & Holy.
A conversation with Chana Traxler about experiencing flow within our Judaism, leaning into abstract spiritual experiences, and choosing simplicity as the deepest experience of G-d.
This episode is sponsored in honor of Lauren Nagel.
Human & Holy Partners:
TOVEEDO: An online children's streaming subscription featuring exclusive Jewish content created and sourced by Toveedo. Use code HH10 for 10% off at Toveedo.com.
ZELDA HAIR: A wig company that champions the holistic process of hair covering for Jewish women. Shop Zelda Hair at zeldahairshop.com and discover the heart behind the brand on instagram @zeldahair.
We love hearing your feedback! Email us at info@humanandholy.com to get in touch.
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A conversation with Esther Piekarski about a new woman to woman helpline created by Mikvah.org, the differentiation between a Rav and a woman's scholarship, Yoatzot Halacha, women's roles in shul, and the power of receiving support from another woman for sensitive mitzvos.
Interview begins at 8:53.
You can reach the helpline by calling 833-4MIKVAH | 833-464-5824 and find more information at mikvah.org.
You can reach Esther at estherpiekarski@gmail.com.
This episode is sponsored in honor of Lauren Nagel.
Human & Holy Partners:
TOVEEDO: An online children's streaming subscription featuring exclusive Jewish content created and sourced by Toveedo. Use code HH10 for 10% off at Toveedo.com.
ZELDA HAIR: A wig company that champions the holistic process of hair covering for Jewish women. Shop Zelda Hair at zeldahairshop.com and discover the heart behind the brand on instagram @zeldahair.
We love hearing your feedback! Email us at info@humanandholy.com to get in touch.
To sponsor an episode, reach out to us via email or visit www.humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Become a monthly supporter of the podcast on www.patreon.com/humanandholy.
You can find us on instagram @humanandholy and on Youtube, as Human & Holy.
A conversation about the unity of G-d that we experience over Sukkos, and how can we can draw that all-encompassing embrace into the fragmented pieces of our lives.
Source mentioned in this episode: Chassidic discourse of the Lubavitcher Rebbe from Motzei Simchas Torah, 5738.
This episode is sponsored in honor of Lauren Nagel.
Episode Partners:
TOVEEDO: An online children's streaming subscription featuring exclusive Jewish content created and sourced by Toveedo. Use code HH10 for 10% off at Toveedo.com.
ZELDA HAIR: A wig company that champions the holistic process of hair covering for Jewish women. Shop Zelda Hair at zeldahairshop.com and discover the heart behind the brand on instagram @zeldahair.
We love hearing your feedback! Email us at info@humanandholy.com to get in touch.
To sponsor an episode, reach out to us via email or visit www.humanandholy.com/sponsor.
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A recording of a live, follow up conversation with Tzivie Greenberg, where we discussed podcast listeners' questions, as well as questions that came in from the audience as we spoke.
Some questions that were asked: Is therapeutic language authentic to the Tanya? What are some practical ways to live in a way that emanates from the light of our souls? How can we find a healthy balance between being and doing when doing inner work, and how can we differentiate between recognizing our genuine capacity versus a fear of stepping into our soul's mission? Other topics that were discussed: religious guilt, plant medicine, and healing the root of our struggles.
This episode is a follow up conversation to the episode titled 'It Could Be So Much Better'.
This episode is sponsored by Zelda Hair, a wig company that champions the holistic process of hair covering for Jewish women. Shop Zelda Hair at zeldahairshop.com and discover the heart behind the brand on instagram @zeldahair.
We love hearing your feedback! Email us at info@humanandholy.com to get in touch.
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A conversation about the connection between Rosh Hashana and centrality of the home within Judaism, the role that Jewish women's candle-lighting plays in welcoming a new year, the rising of a feminine energy within Judaism, the challenges of being wrapped up in domestic tasks or the role of motherhood when you want to be absorbed in the deeper meaning of the day, and more.
Based on a talk from the Lubavitcher Rebbe given to a women's only audience.
This episode is sponsored by Zelda Hair, a wig company that champions the holistic process of hair covering for Jewish women. Shop Zelda Hair at zeldahairshop.com and discover the heart behind the brand on instagram @zeldahair.
Sources mentioned in this episode: Talk from the Lubavitcher Rebbe given on 27 Elul, 5744. Linked here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/13WGzdFn9jly1dSFuYDlcaGQUuiBHbdS0/view?pli=1
Reach out to Nechama at chama09@gmail.com.
We love hearing your feedback! Email us at info@humanandholy.com to get in touch.
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Is Teshuvah a return to an untouched state of purity, or an acceptance of the past mistakes and experiences that have led us to where we are today?
A deeply moving teaching from Rav Tzadok of Lublin about the conversation between growth and self-acceptance in the journey of Teshuvah, and on how the darker parts of our journey are the most generative parts, too.
This episode is sponsored by Zelda Hair, a wig company that champions the holistic process of hair covering for Jewish women. Shop Zelda Hair at zeldahairshop.com and discover the heart behind the brand on instagram @zeldahair.
Sources mentioned in this episode:
Zohar, Parshas Vayetze
Tzidkas Hatzaddik by Reb Tzadok Hakohen Milublin, Kuf Samach Daled and Mem
We love hearing your feedback! Email us at info@humanandholy.com to get in touch.
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What would it look like to have a spiritual relationship with financial abundance? How can we move out of control and into an open trust in G-d's ability to provide everything that we need?
This episode is a conversation with Sarah Barash about experiencing the spiritual depth of money and dissolving some of the blockages we have to receiving the resources we so desire and need.
Sarah can be reached at csbarash@gmail.com.
This episode is sponsored by Zelda Hair, a wig company that champions the holistic process of hair covering for Jewish women. Shop Zelda Hair at zeldahairshop.com and discover the heart behind the brand on instagram @zeldahair.
We love hearing your feedback! Email us at info@humanandholy.com to get in touch.
To sponsor an episode, reach out to us via email or visit www.humanandholy.com/sponsor.
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Is inner healing truly a Jewish value? How do you know when to stop? What is the relationship between emotional wellness and spiritual growth? How do we dissolve the blockages to our soul’s innate voice?
Explore these questions and more in this conversation about Teshuvah, personal healing, spiritual growth, and returning to our divine soul’s voice.
Tzivie Greenberg is a facilitator of emotional healing for soul-led living. She is Internal Family Systems Trained, IFSCA Certified. You can contact her at tziviegreenberg@gmail.com for a one time consultation or weekly sessions. You can also find more of her work on instagram @TzivieG.
This episode is sponsored by Zelda Hair, a wig company that champions the holistic process of hair covering for Jewish women. Shop Zelda Hair at zeldahairshop.com and discover the heart behind the brand on instagram @zeldahair.
We love hearing your feedback! Email us at info@humanandholy.com to get in touch.
To sponsor an episode, reach out to us via email or visit www.humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Become a monthly supporter of the podcast on www.patreon.com/humanandholy.
You can find us on instagram @humanandholy.
The unlikely story of a woman who found Judaism as a teenager, married young, and became a Chabad Rebbetzin in her own hometown.
What propelled her to choose her Judaism at such a young age? And what it is it like, fifteen years later, to be living a life so different than the one she was raised with?
To get in touch with Ariella, you can email her at gawronsky.a@gmail.com.
This episode is sponsored by Zelda Hair, a wig company that champions the holistic process of hair covering for Jewish women. Shop Zelda Hair at zeldahairshop.com and discover the heart behind the brand on instagram @zeldahair.
We love hearing your feedback! Email us at info@humanandholy.com to get in touch.
To sponsor an episode, reach out to us via email or visit www.humanandholy.com/sponsor.
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You can find us on instagram @humanandholy.
A conversation about learning how to love other people, the medicine for judgment, and knowing when to reflect the flaws we see in others as a catalyst for our own introspection and growth. Based on Chapter 30 of Tanya.
This episode is sponsored by Zelda Hair, a wig company that champions the holistic process of hair covering for Jewish women. Shop Zelda Hair at zeldahairshop.com and discover the heart behind the brand on instagram @zeldahair.
We love hearing your feedback! Email us at info@humanandholy.com to get in touch.
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You can find us on instagram @humanandholy.
A solo episode about Moshiach and why I can't stop thinking about Nachshon stepping into the sea.
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A conversation about shifting from seeing G-d as a tool, but as our anchor in life, the struggle to access the wisdom of Torah when we are experiencing personal blockages or mental health struggles, knowing when to say 'enough' in terms of our emotional wellbeing...and so much more.
You can contact Musia at musia@jewishhamptons.com.
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In honor of the nine days, Nechama Schusterman, a woman who has spent the last few years studying talks of the Lubavitcher Rebbe about Moshiach, explores our role in preparing the world for Moshiach and refining ourselves and homes to make a vessel for a world of revealed G-dliness.
Is Moshiach escapism or is it a reality that we set the stage for? How do we channel the pain of our current experience into a strong boundary against evil? What are some tangible ways that we can face the areas in our lives where Hashem is still not revealed?
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You can get in touch with Nechama at nechama@bayareafc.org.
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A conversation about trusting G-d's timeline and letting our seasons of waiting expand us into becoming the type of person that can receive the fullness of life's blessings. A moving reflection on Rochelle's 18 year season of dating and the growth that it sparked in her life and relationship with G-d.
The women's siddur is back in stock and available for purchase on humanandholy.com/shop.
We love hearing your feedback! Email us at info@humanandholy.com to get in touch.
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A conversation about the power of a woman’s intuition, the decision to have another child after many years, and the way a radical openness to life can realign us with our soul’s voice.
This episode was sponsored by Rosie Liberow Interiors, design that harmonizes your soul with your space. Find out more at @rosieliberowinteriors on instagram.
To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com
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Find us on instagram @humanandholy
When you are struggling with suicide and self harm, where can you turn for support?
This episode chronicles one woman's journey through the unthinkable, the resources she has created for others who are struggling, tools to support the ones we love, and honest reflections on the complicated relationship with Hashem that was born as a result of her struggles.
To find more of Hadassah, check out www.preventfrumsuicide.org, the online home for her organization, A Drop of Light.
For additional support, check out www.thelongshortroad.com, an organization that saves lives through suicide prevention and mental health education.
The women's siddur is back in stock and available for purchase on humanandholy.com/shop.
We love hearing your feedback! Email us at info@humanandholy.com to get in touch.
To sponsor an episode, reach out to us via email or visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Become a monthly supporter of the podcast on patreon.com/humanandholy.
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In honor of Gimmel Tammuz, which is the anniversary of the Lubavitcher Rebbe's passing, I share the impact that the Rebbe has had on my life and how I have been molded by his teachings.
This episode was hosted by Raizel Schusterman from A Positive Podcast, which can be found on all podcast streaming platforms.
The women's siddur is back in stock and available for purchase on humanandholy.com/shop.
We love hearing your feedback! Email us at info@humanandholy.com to get in touch.
To sponsor an episode, reach out to us via email or visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
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A conversation about the difference between spiritual complacency and acceptance, and how to know when we are shutting ourselves down around our Judaism because we don't want to face our grief or fear and when we are truly learning to accept the circumstances of our lives.
The women's siddur is back in stock and available for purchase on humanandholy.com/shop.
We love hearing your feedback! Email us at info@humanandholy.com to get in touch.
To sponsor an episode, reach out to us via email or visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
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A raw, vulnerable conversation about being brought to the brink of the divide between life and death over and over, and what it has taught Racquel about Hashem's compassion, the strength of our own souls, and the pathway forward to her most vibrant, divine life.
The women's siddur is back in stock and available for purchase on humanandholy.com/shop.
We love hearing your feedback! Email us at info@humanandholy.com to get in touch.
To sponsor an episode, reach out to us via email or visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Become a monthly supporter of the podcast on patreon.com/humanandholy.
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Adele's personal journey through infertility over the last eight years, the impact it has had on her relationship with Hashem, and how she has turned the pain of her experience into something that supports others on a similar journey.
You can get in touch with Adele via her website, oneworldawareness.org and her instagram account @oneworld.awareness.
The women's siddur is back in stock and available for purchase on humanandholy.com/shop.
We love hearing your feedback! Email us at info@humanandholy.com to get in touch.
To sponsor an episode, reach out to us via email or visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
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A solo episode about the court case between Moshe and the angels and what it teaches us about receiving the Torah within our own selves.
The women's siddur is back in stock and available for purchase on humanandholy.com.
We love hearing your feedback! Email us at info@humanandholy.com to get in touch.
To sponsor an episode, reach out to us via email or visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Become a monthly supporter of the podcast on patreon.com/humanandholy.
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A conversation about the things we reach for when we are craving aliveness, and how to get in touch with what we really want, so we can choose the energy sources that make us feel most alive.
The women's siddur is back in stock and available for purchase on humanandholy.com/shop.
We love hearing your feedback! Email us at info@humanandholy.com to get in touch.
To sponsor an episode, reach out to us via email or visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Become a monthly supporter of the podcast on patreon.com/humanandholy.
You can find us on instagram @humanandholy.
When nothing is large enough to hold the enormity of your emotions, where do you go?
This episode is Chani's story of finding solace in the weekly Parsha, how the emotional wisdom of the Torah became her mirror and comfort as she grieved the loss of her older sister, Raizel. A moving reflection on what it means to bring the full emotional range of our inner experiences to our study of the Torah.
The women's siddur is back in stock and available for purchase on humanandholy.com/shop.
We love hearing your feedback! Email us at info@humanandholy.com to get in touch.
To sponsor an episode, reach out to us via email or visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
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A conversation with a practicing marriage and family therapist about the limits of therapeutic language. Fraida establishes the enormous gifts of therapy in giving people the ability to come face to face with their humanity and inner healing, and suggests that as Jews, we don't have to stop there. We can weave the reality of our divine souls and infinite potential into the story of our vulnerability and humanity.
The women's siddur is back in stock and available for purchase on humanandholy.com/shop.
We love hearing your feedback! Email us at info@humanandholy.com.
To sponsor an episode, reach out to us via email or visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Become a monthly supporter of the podcast on patreon.com/humanandholy.
A full, organic farbrengen with Rivka Marga Gestetner. We covered faith in the Redemption, allowing our children to fly even when our instinct is to pull them in, what the walls of the Mishkan have to teach us about boundaries, the nuance around self care, and why our creative outlets are holy.
We love hearing your feedback! Email us at info@humanandholy.com.
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What are the side alleys of growth that go unnoticed while we seemingly return to the same struggles, over and over again? What are the spiritual benefits of the more chaotic elements of our lives? And how can we navigate our own spiritual glass ceilings, to allow us to leap beyond our self perception and grow to our fullest potential?
Sources mentioned in this episode:
Alter Rebbe's Discourse: Torah Ohr, 'Shir Hamaalos' Parsha Vayeshev
Lubavitcher Rebbe's Talk: Parshas Miketz תשׁי"ג, Farbrengen of the 5th night of Chanukah
The siddur mentioned in this episode will be available for purchase on humanandholy.com in the coming weeks. To find out when the siddurim are live, sign up to our newsletter here: humanandholy.com/newsletter
We love hearing your feedback! Email us at info@humanandholy.com.
To sponsor an episode, reach out to us via email or visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
Become a monthly supporter of the podcast on patreon.com/humanandholy.
To get in touch with Esther Shemtov, visit her website www.onyourownpodcast.com or email her at esther@mayanot.edu.
Join us for an evening with five women from different backgrounds, gathering to approach the holiday of freedom with a sense of wonder and exploration. We discuss the different voices that we reckon with in our Judaism, our experiences around sensitive mitzvos that are part of our daily lives, talk about the steps of the Seder, play a game, eat, and share poetry.
To download free conversation cards for your Seder based on each of the Seder steps, visit humanandholy.com/seder-prompts.
Timestamps:
0:15-2:43 Exploring the Seder With A Sense of Wonder
2:44-5:15 Introducing Our Guests
5:16-9:11 The Four Sons as Four Voices Within
9:12-10:29 Cookie Distribution & Rules of the Game
10:30-13:27 The Details of Shabbos
13:28-17:23 Finding Our Tznius Without the Noise of Other People’s Perceptions
17:24-20:17 Struggles With Mikvah
20:18-25:37 Spirituality In Halacha
25:38-26:59 Game Winners & Prize
27:00-28:04 Perspective in Pause
28:05-29:00 Nurturing Curiosity In Our Judaism
29:01-30:09 Learning How to Rest
30:10-31:37 Growth From Brokenness
31:38-32:58 Seeing G-d Everywhere
32:59-36:08 Rapid Fire Seder Prompts
36:09-37:46 Spoken Word Poem
37:47-41:25 Ball Game & Reflections
Stay in touch with us!
Instagram: @humanandholy
Email: info@humanandholy.com
Website: humanandholy.org
The song behind the Seder poem is called 'The Seder Song' by Zusha. You can find more of their music here: @zusha
Next week, we're dropping a video episode (for the first time!) on Youtube and Spotify that I can only describe as a farbrengen reimagined. In anticipation, I shared some thoughts about the underrated benefits of getting together with other women to give voice to our souls.
A conversation about the relationship between joy and humility in our lives, and the way an understanding of G-d's presence in our lives can bring us to true joy. || To sponsor an episode of Human & Holy, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor or email us at info@humanandholy.com. To become a monthly supporter, visit patreon.com/humanandholy.
A conversation with Yaffy Newman, an American-Israeli woman whose husband is fighting on the front lines of the current war, on her experiences on October 7th and beyond, the ways we can show up to help, and the ideas that are keeping her strong. || To sponsor an episode of Human & Holy, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor or email us at info@humanandholy.com. To become a monthly supporter, visit patreon.com/humanandholy.
A candid conversation about how to figure out where your soul is needed to fulfill its purpose, getting more specific about our gifts so we can deepen our contributions to the world, the teachings from the Lubavitcher Rebbe that have helped Mushka navigate her anxiety and more. || To sponsor an episode of Human & Holy, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor or email us at info@humanandholy.com. To become a monthly supporter, visit patreon.com/humanandholy.
A solo episode on all the ways we withdraw from our Judaism because we have internalized a self perception that tells us we are not religious enough, chassidish enough, consistent enough, or authentic enough to be let past the gate. Inspired by Chapter One of the Tanya. || To sponsor an episode of Human & Holy, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor or email us at info@humanandholy.com. To become a monthly supporter, visit patreon.com/humanandholy.
An episode on Jewish, feminine strength, with the founder of Women of Valor | Untold Stories of the Women of Israel. A conversation that will shift you away from the endless pain and towards the empowerment and resilience of Jewish women. You can find the project on instagram @valorstories, and you can find Shifra's personal page @shifroosh. Link to the most recent documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fC08QbsRluM&t=229s || To sponsor an episode of Human & Holy, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor or email us at info@humanandholy.com. To become a monthly supporter, visit patreon.com/humanandholy.
You asked, Esty answered. This episode is a recording of a live Q & A with Esty Raskin, where we answered community members' questions about everything from fearing our older siblings' judgments when we share, to who Esty's Torah teachers are, how her relationship with G-d has evolved, the hardest thing about shifting into a state of ownership and more. || To sponsor an episode of Human & Holy, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor or email us at info@humanandholy.com. To become a monthly supporter, visit patreon.com/humanandholy.
A conversation with Esty Raskin about co-creating our inner and outer realities with G-d. || For more information about Esty's retreat, visit estyraskin.com. You can also find her on instagram @estyraskin. || To submit a question for the live Q & A, email us at info@humanandholy.com. To sponsor an episode of the podcast, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor. To become a monthly paid subscriber, visit patreon.com/humanandholy.
A solo episode about finding your own place in Torah. Inspired by the Alter Rebbe's introduction to the Tanya. || To sponsor an episode of Human & Holy, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor or email us at info@humanandholy.com. To become a monthly supporter, visit patreon.com/humanandholy.
A conversation with Bruria Efune from Be'er Sheva, Israel about October 7th, the days and months that have followed, and the way time has stopped still. The heroes Bruria has met, the fierce helper she has become, and the ways we, too, can step up to help. Sensitive content, not suitable for young children. || Link to buy helmets for soldiers with PTSD: https://www.jgive.com/new/en/usd/donation-targets/121939 Link to join Bruria's WhatsApp group for updates: https://chat.whatsapp.com/Ew0lrRWmmR2LVC68YY3mKp Link to donate to Chabad of Eilat: https://causematch.com/eilat/ || To contact us or sponsor an episode of Human & Holy, email us at info@humanandholy.com.
What are the costs of the systems we build around Chassidus? What does "chassidishkeit" even mean? Has Chana received judgment around her journey, does she experience resentment in her Judaism, and why, to her, is Chassidus the call to live authentically? Join us for a follow up Q & A with Chana Dubinsky, where we address listener questions, talk more about her internal process around her Judaism, and hear from Chana about her life on shlichus in Costa Rica. || To sponsor an episode of Human & Holy, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor or email us at info@humanandholy.com. To become a monthly supporter, visit patreon.com/humanandholy.
A conversation about Jewish identity, the experience of being a soul in a body, and the journey to finding balance between different elements of who are. || To sponsor an episode of Human & Holy, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor or email us at info@humanandholy.com. To become a monthly supporter, visit patreon.com/humanandholy.
Today, Faigy Blumstein shares how her journey to discovering Chassidus kindled a vibrancy in her life that had been lost through the drudgery of daily routines. Faigy talks about the power of song in Jewish life, learning to live her daily life with intention, and discovering an entirely new vocabulary in the pages of the Tanya. Faigy can be found on instagram @faigy.blumstein. || To sponsor an episode of Human & Holy, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor. To join our online community, visit humanandholy.com/community. To support the podcast, visit patreon.com/humanandholy.
Today’s episode is a practical exploration of the Beinoni of the Tanya – who she is and how she shows up in the world when her humanity weighs on her. What does it actually look like to bring our animal soul in alignment with our G-dly soul? How do we interact with our triggers, and the guilt and shame that often follows our hardest moments? || To sponsor an episode of Human & Holy, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor. To join our online community, visit humanandholy.com/community. To support the podcast, visit patreon.com/humanandholy.
What happens when our lives take a detour? When our journey shifts and asks us to become something new? Manya's life -- like many of ours -- is continuously surprising her. Today, we discuss how to embrace the road G-d sends us on, and stay open to the continuous evolution of our lives. || To sponsor an episode of Human & Holy, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor. To join our online community, visit humanandholy.com/community. To support the podcast, visit patreon.com/humanandholy.
Today, we talk about reclaiming our personal sense of desire and the experience of pleasure in our Judaism. What it looks like to move from ‘I have to’ to ‘I want to’ and how shutting ourselves down in service of our Judaism ends up sapping it of its strength. Rishi shares her personal journey of victimhood, how she felt like life – and her Judaism – was happening to her, and how getting back in touch with her own personal sense of desire reconnected her to her family and to G-d. || To sponsor an episode of Human & Holy, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor. To join our online community, visit humanandholy.com/community. To become a paying subscriber of the podcast, visit patreon.com/humanandholy.
Join the 12th grade class of a Chabad high school for a joyous celebration of Yud Tes Kislev and a discussion on the role of Chassidus in their lives. || To sponsor an episode of Human & Holy, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor. To join our online community, visit humanandholy.com/community. To become a paying subscriber of the podcast, visit patreon.com/humanandholy.
How do we shake the terror from our bones and experience trust in G-d when the world is shaking? Where do we find the confidence in victory when everything seems uncertain? In this episode, Hindel Swerdlow, an American woman living in Israel, shares how she has moved through the trauma of the first few weeks after October 7th into the strength and empowerment she is experiencing now. Hindel talks about the process of restoring her soul, the beautiful scenes on the ground and the ideas that are keeping her strong. If Israel’s on your mind, this episode is for you. || To sponsor an episode of Human & Holy, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor. To join our online community, visit humanandholy.com/community. To become a paying subscriber of the podcast, visit patreon.com/humanandholy.
Human & Holy is currently on a season break! Season 4 of the podcast launches on Sunday, Nov. 26. Today’s episode is a re-airing of one of our most popular episodes from the first season of the podcast. || In this episode, I interviewed my mother, Rochel Lazaroff, about the definition of joy according to Chassidus. What does it mean to use our mind as the root of our emotions? How can we choose to live just a little bit more joyfully in our everyday life? || To sponsor an episode of Human & Holy in Season 4, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor or email us at info@humanandholy.com. To join our online community, visit humanandholy.com/community. To become a patron of the podcast, visit patreon.com/humanandholy.
Human & Holy is currently on a season break! Season 4 of the podcast launches on Sunday, Nov. 26. Today’s episode is a re-airing of one of our most popular episodes from the first season of the podcast. || In this episode, I interviewed Raizel Deitsch about a verse from Mishlei which encourages us to ‘find G-d in all our ways’. Raizel speaks about giving herself permission to find G-d in the human corners of her life, which sparked her transition from an abstract relationship with G-d to one that emanated from her authentic, physical experience. || To sponsor an episode of Human & Holy in Season 4, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor or email us at info@humanandholy.com. To join our online community, visit humanandholy.com/community. To become a patron of the podcast, visit patreon.com/humanandholy.
Human & Holy is currently on a season break! Season 4 of the podcast launches on Sunday, Nov. 26. Today’s episode is a re-airing of one of our most popular episodes from the first season of the podcast. || In this episode, I interviewed Nechama Caplan about the promise the soul made before coming down into the body and how that oath inspires her daily life. Nechama speaks about shifting her consciousness away from the self and towards the divine, through intentional habit forming and conscious choices. How can you integrate divine consciousness into the details of your daily life? || To sponsor an episode of Human & Holy in Season 4, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor or email us at info@humanandholy.com. To join our online community, visit humanandholy.com/community. To become a patron of the podcast, visit patreon.com/humanandholy.
Human & Holy is currently on a season break! Season 4 of the podcast launches on Sunday, Nov. 26. Today’s episode is a re-airing of one of our most popular episodes from the first season of the podcast. || In this episode, I interviewed Dena Shusterman, about how her understanding of Ein Sof, G-d’s limitlessness within the world and her own self, empowers her to make choices beyond her perceived limitations. She talks about expanding her family, stretching herself financially, and sometimes, scaling back in one area in order to expand in another. Listen to this episode for a grounded perspective on what it means to be tapped into an infinite source. || To sponsor an episode of Human & Holy in Season 4, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor or email us at info@humanandholy.com. To join our online community, visit humanandholy.com/community. To become a patron of the podcast, visit patreon.com/humanandholy.
Human & Holy is currently on a season break! Season 4 of the podcast launches on Sunday, Nov. 26. Today’s episode is a re-airing of one of our most popular episodes from the first season of the podcast. Today's episode is dedicated to the safety and security of our Jewish nation and our Jewish family in Israel. || In this episode, I interviewed Eta Cotlar about her relationship with Bitachon. Eta tragically lost her 13 year old son, Mendel, and she talks about the paradoxes she lives with daily: her deep pain and simultaneous trust in G-d's goodness, her responsibility to make a vessel for positive outcome, and then knowing when to let go of control. Eta shares more than just her personal story; she shares the nuances and complexities of what it means to be a struggling human in a relationship with an infinite G-d. || To sponsor an episode of Human & Holy in Season 4, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor or email us at info@humanandholy.com. To join our online community, visit humanandholy.com/community. To become a patron of the podcast, visit patreon.com/humanandholy.
In honor of the holiday of Sukkos, join a group of women in discussing our experience of some of the key teachings of this special holiday. What does it mean to build a Sukkah of unity? What does it mean to be hugged by G-d when we enter the sukkah? How can we find the joy in the uncertainty of our temporary dwellings? Join us, for an intimate conversation about the deeper meaning of this beloved holiday. || This episode is the last episode of Season 3! Season 4 launches on Sunday, Nov. 26. Over the next six weeks, we will be re-airing some of our most popular episodes from the first season of the podcast. || To sponsor an episode of Human & Holy, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor. To join our online community, visit humanandholy.com/community. To become a patron of the podcast, visit patreon.com/humanandholy.
Based on a talk from the Lubavitcher Rebbe about Chai Elul, Sima and I discuss what it actually means to serve G-d in the deepest way possible, and how Chassidus invites us to bring our full selves to the table. Where do we struggle in bridging the gap between our desire for personal authenticity and our belief in our G-dly souls? How is that process an invitation to go deeper, and an opportunity to experience our Judaism in a more integrated, authentic way? || The sicha discussed in this episode is from Likkutei Sichos, Parshas Ki Savo/Chai Elul, Chelek Yud Tes, Sicha Yud Zayin. || To sponsor an episode of Human & Holy, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor. To join our online community, visit humanandholy.com/community. To become a patron of the podcast, visit patreon.com/humanandholy.
How can we approach the people we care most about with clear communication? What can the mitzvah of mikvah teach us about the deepest level of communication in our romantic relationships? And in general, when it comes to all our relationships, how can we work from the inside out, so that we show up with our words in the most wholesome, connected way possible? || To get in touch with Sara Esther, email crispespeaking@yahoo.com. || To sponsor an episode of Human & Holy, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor. To join our online community, visit humanandholy.com/community. To become a patron of the podcast, visit patreon.com/humanandholy.
Cancer was Amanda’s catalyst to returning to her soul. How did the stillness of treatment force her to step off of the rat race of her life? How did it help her tune into the still, small voice inside that she’d had since she was a young girl, the voice that whispered that there was more to life than what could be seen on the surface? || Amanda can be reached via amandaspiro.com || This episode was sponsored by Devorah Bukiet, in honor of her special friend Amanda, who does incredible work, living her life like an emissary of the Rebbe and a soldier of G-d. To sponsor an episode of Human & Holy, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor. To join our online community, visit humanandholy.com/community. To become a patron of the podcast, visit patreon.com/humanandholy.
What blocks us from connecting deeply to the people around us? How do our futile attempts to circumvent our humanity, end up shutting us down from connecting to our loved ones and to G-d? Today, Tzippy Piekarski describes her struggle to connect with her loved ones, and how making space for her humanity ultimately allowed her to connect deeply with her soul and the world. || Tzippy can be reached via tzippypiekarski@gmail.com || To sponsor an episode of Human & Holy, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor. To join our online community, visit humanandholy.com/community. To become a patron of the podcast, visit patreon.com/humanandholy.
Joyce Azria is an entrepreneur in the fashion industry, daughter of BCBG’s late CEO Max Azria, and a woman who found her Judaism through some of the darkest moments of her life. What internal processes led her to where she is now? How does she maintain her equilibrium through the ups and downs of life as a businesswoman and mother? How did becoming fully aligned with her values allow her to step into her power within her home and the world? || This episode is a live podcast recording from the National Jewish Retreat this past summer in Florida. To find out more about upcoming retreats, visit jretreat.com. || To sponsor an episode of Human & Holy, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor. To join our online community, visit humanandholy.com/community. To become a patron of the podcast, visit patreon.com/humanandholy.
Why do we feel the instinct to skip to the happy ending of our story? What makes us so resistant to the long way home? Based on the long short way described in Tanya, Sandra talks about all the ways she wishes she could skip to the destination, and what she does to keep herself anchored in the present. || To get in touch with Sandra, find her on instagram @shluchamama. || To sponsor an episode of Human & Holy, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor. To join our online community, visit humanandholy.com/community. To become a patron of the podcast, visit patreon.com/humanandholy.
Today, Chana Kornfeld speaks about her journey to owning the choices she made as a young person to have a large family, and get married at a young age. Based on a talk by the Lubavitcher Rebbe about our matriarch Rochel being buried on the side of the road – and the differences between giving wholeheartedly to others and a loaded martyrdom, Chana outlines her own journey of reclaiming the choices she made in the past and crafting a new way of giving to her family, her spouse, and to G-d. || The sicha discussed in this episode is from Likkutei Sichos, חלק ל ויחי א. Chana can be reached via chanakornfeld@gmail.com. || To sponsor an episode of Human & Holy, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor. To join our online community, visit humanandholy.com/community. To become a patron of the podcast, visit patreon.com/humanandholy.
What does it mean to be truly open and curious to the world around us so that we can make space to hear G-d’s gentle hello’s? How has Olivia’s life been so clearly guided by G-d’s hand, from her days seeking spirituality in India, to finding it in the birthright of her Jewish soul and the daily experience of meeting G-d? || Today’s episode is sponsored leilui nishmas Yaakov Yosef ben Avraham Akiva Halevi. To sponsor an episode of Human & Holy, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor. To join our online community, visit humanandholy.com/community. To become a patreon of the podcast, visit patreon.com/humanandholy.
Today, Esther Sitbon talks about the mitzvah of hair covering, how a medical scare led her to the wig salon and began her hair covering journey. Hear one woman’s precious story of how she began covering her hair, some teachings from Torah about hair covering that have guided her, and the advice she would give to other women on strengthening or beginning the journey. || To sponsor an episode of Human & Holy, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor. To join our online community, visit humanandholy.com/community. To become a patreon of the podcast, visit patreon.com/humanandholy.
What revived the public conversation about Mikvah? How can we educate our children about it, so the concept is natural to them as they age? And how can we, in our own lives, navigate the practical struggles that come up when observing the details of this process, and support each other in honoring this sacred mitzvah? || Chassi Rivkin is the Director of Operations at mikvah.org, an organization dedicated to bringing awareness and a deeper understanding of the mitzvah of Mikvah through online courses, podcasts, and dozens of resources that help support people in their observance of and connection to this precious mitzvah. To find out more about their work, visit www.mikvah.org. || To sponsor an episode of Human & Holy, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor. To join our online community, visit humanandholy.com/community. To become a patreon of the podcast, visit patreon.com/humanandholy.
What does full integration look like, for a woman who made the decision to choose Judaism later in life? Today, Rivka Gilles shares her journey to religious integration, what it has looked like for her to bring her full self to the table as a religious person, and how she navigates staying inspired through the grind of everyday life. || To find out more about The BT Center and to listen to Rivka’s podcast, Shuva Full Circle, visit btcenter.org || To sponsor an episode of Human & Holy, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor. To join our online community, visit humanandholy.com/community. To become a patreon of the podcast, visit patreon.com/humanandholy.
What impact has the Rebbe had on the lives of women who never met him? What teachings or life lessons guide them in their daily lives? Today, in honor of the 29th yahrtzeit of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, hear from a group of women about the continuous impact the Rebbe's guidance has on their lives. || To sponsor an episode of the podcast, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor. To join our online community, visit humanandholy.com/community. To become a patreon of the podcast, visit patreon.com/humanandholy.
In honor of Gimmel Tammuz, which is the yahrzeit of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Mrs. Esther Sternberg shares her reflections from the hours she spent by the Rebbe’s side, managing the lines of women who came to receive dollars from the Rebbe and spearheading the Shabbos Candle Campaign. What are some of the unique moments that she experienced? What impact has the Rebbe had on her life? And what, to her, is the defining message of the Rebbe’s leadership? This episode is the first in a two part series celebrating the Rebbe’s leadership. || To sponsor an episode of the podcast, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor. To join our online community, visit humanandholy.com/community. To become a patreon of the podcast, visit patreon.com/humanandholy.
What happens when a group of women get together to celebrate Shabbos? What joys and struggles rise to the surface? Join us for a reimagined Shabbos party, where four women get together to celebrate the holiest day of our week. || This episode is the Season 2 finale. Season 3 will launch on the Sunday before Yud Tes Kislev, on December 11, 2022. || To support the work of Human & Holy, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor. To join our online community, visit humanandholy.com/community.
How can you rest on Shabbos if it is the most chaotic day of the week for you? How can you make it an enjoyable experience if it feels too quiet and you spend the day alone? Do you try to relax on Shabbos but don’t know how to shut off? Join us today with Aliza Shapiro, a psychotherapist, on some practical tools you can use to maximize your mental rest on Shabbos. || Today's episode is the third in a four part series, where we are taking a deep dive together into the holiest day of the week. || To donate to Human & Holy, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor. To join our online community, visit humanandholy.com/community. To get in touch, email us at humanandholy@gmail.com. || To see more from Aliza Shapiro, find her on instagram @therapist_in_nyc or email her at alizashapirolcsw@gmail.com.
To find out more about Blimie Heller’s parenting course, visit blimieheller.com or find her on instagram @unconditional_parenting.
How can we experience an unconditional relationship with G-d that lies at the foundation of our divine service? What does it look like to just be with Him on Shabbos, to show up from a place of rest, not performance? Join myself and Hindi Kalmenson as we explore a chassidic discourse from the Alter Rebbe about our Neshama Yeseira, the additional soul we receive each week on Shabbos. || Today's episode is the second in a four part series on Shabbos. Our conversation is based on a a maamer from the Alter Rebbe "Vayakhel Moshe", which can be found in Torah Or. || To sponsor an episode or donate to the podcast, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor. To join our online community, visit humanandholy.com/community.
Join two women, Nili Navot and Vanessa Chalem, as they share their journeys to Shabbos observance. What drew them into Shabbos initially? And what continues to draw them close today? || Today’s episode is the first in a four part series on Shabbos, where we will be doing a deep dive into the beauty and deeper meanings of Shabbos. || If you would like to sponsor an episode, please visit humanandholy.com/sponsor or email us at humanandholy@gmail.com. To join our online community, visit humanandholy.com/community
Can we acknowledge our flaws, without identifying with them? Can we confront our struggles honestly, without shaming ourselves for what we see? In this episode, Zisi Zirkind shares a powerful teaching of the Alter Rebbe to illustrate a self-awareness that holds us accountable, without leading us to believe that we have created ourselves. || To sponsor an episode or to support the work of Human & Holy, please visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.
What memories do these women have with the Rebbe that stuck with them? What are the moments that carry them and guide them in our lives? Join us, as five women share their personal interactions with the Rebbe, and in the in-between moments, tell us the story of who the Rebbe was. || To sponsor an episode, please visit humanandholy.com/sponsor or email us at humanandholy@gmail.com.
What does it actually look like to internalize the identity of the Neshamah as our own? To approach our own reflection with a deep understanding of our essence, of the way it does not hinge on anything but the piece of G-d inside? Join us, as we explore the identity of our souls. || To find more of Shterna's work, visit www.energizedliving.org. To sponsor an episode, please visit humanandholy.com/sponsor or email us at humanandholy@gmail.com.
Devorie's life story has not been simple. How does she navigate the pain and grief that has been a constant companion in her life? How has she wrestled with the impossible and survived?
To find more of Devorie's work, visit devoriekreiman.com. To sponsor an episode, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor or email us at humanandholy@gmail.com.
As we prepare to receive the Torah, Shimona shares with us what it means to have a visceral experience of G-d. To accept the Torah not only in our hearts and minds, but also within our bodies. Pulling from sources in Torah and Chassidus, as well as her own experience as a somatic therapist, Shimona asks and answers:
How can we transform the visceral resistance we feel towards certain mitzvos? How can we lean into the body’s experience of a joyful, jewish life? || To sponsor an episode, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor. To join our online community, visit humanandholy.com/community
There are some things you cannot teach by instruction, but can only pick up through scent. Today, Shaindy Jacobson talks about the extra layer of sensitivity that the Torah does not explicitly ask of us, but is at the heart of everything we do. ||
To sponsor an episode, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor. To join our online community (sign ups are open until Sunday, May 29) visit humanandholy.com/community.
What does it look like to struggle with untempered chessed, to give and give without end, and wind up depleted, totally disconnected from yourself?
And what does it look like to learn how to give from a place of fullness, without resentment, to give to those around us while staying connected to every part of who we are?
Today, Miriam shares how the teachings of the seven emotional sefiros helped her confront her codependency and heal.
|| To sponsor an episode, please visit humanandholy.com/sponsor. To support us on patreon, please visit patreon.com/humanandholy
What does it look like to welcome grief as your divine mission, to hold tightly to G-d as you are plunged into the depths of human suffering? And what does it look like for others to witness you in your grief without looking away? Today, Chana Wasserman shares her experience with devastating grief, and invites us to turn towards those who are grieving, and to witness their grief as a G-dly experience.
|| To become a paying subscriber of the podcast on patreon, please visit patreon.com/humanandholy. To sponsor an episode, please email us at humanandholy@gmail.com
The Jewish perspective on the function of a home is revolutionary. The home is not an aside, it is the incubator for all meaningful contribution to the world.
Today, Chava Green shares her personal and professional experience with the idea of the "akeres habayis". Chava is a PhD student, writing her dissertation on chassidic feminism. She is also a woman navigating her own identity in a world that attributes little to the essential qualities of a woman.
What does it mean to celebrate my femininity within my Jewish home? What does it mean for the home to be the foundation of our society, and the Jewish home the center for Jewish life? And even if I am not a parent, how can I show up to nurture the home within myself? || To become a paying subscriber of the podcast, please visit patreon.com/humanandholy. To sponsor an episode, please email us at humanandholy@gmail.com
What happens when your life takes an unexpected turn? How can you find the balance between surrendering to G-d’s plan and taking ownership of the way you show up for your life? In today’s episode, Rivky shares her journey with a life-threatening illness that taught her, at a young age, what it meant to be the co-author of her life. || To become a paying subscriber of the podcast, please visit patreon.com/humanandholy. To sponsor an episode, please email us at humanandholy@gmail.com
Join four women, as we sit down at a table together and approach the Seder with fresh eyes. What do each of these steps really mean? And what lessons do they hold for our lives? || Today's episode is the last of a three part series on Pesach, where we are exploring the themes of the holiday of freedom. || To become a paying subscriber of the podcast, please visit patreon.com/humanandholy. To sponsor an episode, please email us at humanandholy@gmail.com
On the Seder night, so much of our energy is directed towards getting the children to ask questions, while we provide the answers. What happens when we ask them the questions, and sit down to listen to their answers?
Does Jewish law limit me or liberate me? Who am I, really? What do I seek to express?
Join us in the hallways of the largest Chabad high school in the world, for a raw and honest conversation about the questions of true freedom. ||
Today's episode is part two of a three part series on Pesach, where we are exploring the themes of the holiday of freedom. ||
To become a paying subscriber of the podcast, please visit patreon.com/humanandholy. To sponsor an episode, please email us at humanandholy@gmail.com
Where do you feel limited in your life? How can you experience freedom from your personal limitations? If you have experienced internal freedom, why do you seem to keep coming back to the same cage? Today, Rivka Mazal Tauber shares her own personal experiences of limitations, and the chassidic wisdom that brings her to a higher plane. ||
Today's episode is part one of a three part series on Pesach, where we will be exploring the themes of the holiday of freedom. ||
To become a paying subscriber of the podcast, please visit patreon.com/humanandholy. To sponsor an episode, please email us at humanandholy@gmail.com
Religious fervor, arrogance, a false assumption about another person's experience... all of these things can easily lead us down the slippery slope of self-righteous judgment. Today, Rochel Holzkenner takes a deep dive into our judgments of others and explore how we can bring ourselves to a place where we not only judge others less, but actually come to respect them for the very things we were critical of before. || To become a paying subscriber of the podcast, please visit patreon.com/humanandholy. To sponsor an episode, please email us at humanandholy@gmail.com
How can we manage feelings of sadness or worry that confront us throughout our day? How should we respond to feelings of failure when we struggle to maintain our internal growth? Through the wisdom of Chapters 26 and 27 of Tanya, Rivky Brikman shares her ongoing, internal journey with G-d. || To become a paying subscriber of the podcast, please visit patreon.com/humanandholy. To sponsor an episode, please email us at humanandholy@gmail.com
Through her own experience with a stroke, and through watching her clients rise from the depths of internal struggle, Rus Devorah tells us the story of yeridah l’tzorech aliyah: how the greatest descents in our lives are often a preparation and a catalyst for unparalleled ascent.
How can we support ourselves in rising, after we have plummeted? How can we experience our descent as the driving force of our subsequent ascent?
Find more of Rus Devorah’s work on toratherapeutics.com ||
To become a paying subscriber of the podcast, please visit patreon.com/humanandholy. To sponsor an episode, please email us at humanandholy@gmail.com
Does the Torah value physical beauty, or not? How should we define our own beauty? When does our desire to feel beautiful come as a true expression of ourselves, and when does it come from a place of judgment or lack? In today's episode, we explore the Torah's unique perspective on physical beauty to better understand how we can fully embody our G-d given beauty, without making it about looking a certain way.
|| To become a paying subscriber of the podcast, please visit patreon.com/humanandholy. To sponsor an episode, please email us at humanandholy@gmail.com
In today's episode, Freidy Yanover speaks about our challenges being signs that can direct us towards the next step of our journey. If we are open, we can allow them to nudge us more deeply into our lives and relationships with G-d. || To become a paying subscriber of the podcast, please visit patreon.com/humanandholy. To sponsor an episode, please email us at humanandholy@gmail.com
What is Jewish femininity? What does it mean to be leaders of our homes, and of the world? This episode explores these questions in a live panel hosted for the Young Women's Kinus. Rochel Flikshtein, Chayale Tzukernik, Rochel Deitsch, and Elana Kornfeld share how they each experience their Jewish femininity and power. || To become a paying subscriber of the podcast, please visit patreon.com/humanandholy. To sponsor an episode, please email us at humanandholy@gmail.com
In today's episode, Miriam Lipskier speaks about seeing another person's soul before we judge them for their actions. Based on chapter 32 of Tanya, and Miriam's own experience, we discuss what it actually means to see others as souls first. And what it means to see ourselves that way, too. || To become a paying subscriber of the podcast, please visit patreon.com/humanandholy. To sponsor an episode, please email us at humanandholy@gmail.com
In this episode, I speak with Alisa Fellig about the muscles we build, over time, that help us stay present with G-d in our more challenging moments. Through a miraculous outcome of her baby's birth, Alisa speaks about surrendering the future to G-d and fully owning our headspace in each moment. ||
TW: Alisa speaks about complications during birth. If you are pregnant or sensitive to complicated birth stories, please consider skipping the first fifteen minutes of the conversation. ||
To become a paying subscriber of the podcast, please visit patreon.com/humanandholy. To sponsor an episode, please email us at humanandholy@gmail.com
In today’s episode, I speak to Shterny Tubul about the lifelong process of Ratzui V’shuv, pining for spirituality, but always returning to the real work in this physical world. Shterny speaks about wrestling with a woman’s profoundly physical role in Judaism and how she had to redefine her understanding of spirituality. Through parenting her child, she began to sense what it meant to connect to G-d through her daily life, and she shares how she balances her personal process of longing and returning.
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To become a paying subscriber of the podcast, please visit patreon.com/humanandholy. To sponsor an episode, please email us at humanandholy@gmail.com
In today’s episode, I speak to Kayla Goldstein about her journey with her Judaism throughout the years. For many years, she went through the motions of the religious lifestyle that she was brought up with. When life got rough, habit was not enough. Kayla speaks about being encouraged, for the first time, to truly ask questions -- and what happened to her relationship with G-d when she did. ||
TW: Kayla briefly mentions her struggle with depression, anxiety, and thoughts of suicide. ||
To become a paying subscriber of the podcast, visit patreon.com/humanandholy. To sponsor an episode, please reach out at humanandholy@gmail.com.
In honor of Yud Shvat, I interview Dini Hecht and Inbal Levin about the way the Rebbe's vision for the world pushes them, each in their own way, to take responsibility for the state of the world and prioritize their fellow Jew's spirituality, just as much as their own. The world is already a garden. Through our tending, we reveal its inherent beauty.
|| To become a paying subscriber of the podcast, visit patreon.com/humanandholy. To sponsor an episode, please reach out at humanandholy@gmail.com.
In today's episode, Chana Kalmenson speaks about using our understanding of attachment theory to better understand our relationships with G-d. What does it look like for us to be securely attached to G-d, as a parent to a child? What does it look like for us to choose Him as adults, and form a committed, loving relationship?
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To sponsor an episode, or to reach out about the podcast, please get in touch via humanandholy@gmail.com. To become a paying subscriber of the podcast, please visit patreon.com/humanandholy.
In today's episode, I interview Shternie Bell about finding the unity in seemingly opposing areas of our lives. Shternie shares her quest to bridge the divide between her personal identity and her life as a community leader, and in doing so, encourages us to look for the unifying thread that runs through our lives.
In today's episode, Vivi Deren speaks about utilizing the idea of L'chatchila Ariber to help us focus less on our obstacles, and more on our goals. Instead of becoming consumed with the challenges in her life, Vivi tries to focus her energy on her unique mission in bringing the world to its ultimate goal.
To become a paying subscriber of the podcast, please visit patreon.com/humanandholy. To sponsor an episode, please email us at humanandholy@gmail.com
In today's episode, Devori Nussbaum describes Daas as a felt sense in the body, as a true integration of G-dly awareness into our emotional and internal headspace. Devori outlines how to deepen our body's awareness of G-d, with compassion, curiosity, and openness.
In today's episode, I interview Rivky Kaplan about moving away from our obsession with productivity to embrace the value of simply being. Many of us measure our worth by the light we are emitting. Through a talk given by the Lubavitcher Rebbe about the diminishment of the moon, Rivky challenges us to consider that sometimes, our mere presence is enough. We are human beings, not doings. Some days, G-d asks us, simply, to be.
In today's episode, I interview Chana Margulies about embracing the continuous, inward nature of personal challenges. Through the lens of her personal journey with cancer, infertility, and a family member's depression, Chana discusses the instinct to shame recurring struggles, and how we can learn to celebrate the opportunities for holiness in our continuous battles.
Chana can be reached through her website chanamargulies.org. Her memoir “Jumping in Puddles” is available on Amazon. Her newest book "Thank You for Being You" will be released in the coming months.
Join a group of women, as we celebrate the new year of Chabad Chassidus. Play a game with us, laugh with us, look inward. This is the year we discover the holiness in our human experience.
In this episode, I interview Chayale Tzukernik about the role our thoughts play in the way we view the world. Chayale speaks about bridging the gap between her intellectual understanding of an idea and its practical implications in her life. We discuss questioning our natural thought processes in order to guide them towards a more objective truth, and how to practically reframe our experiences in order to align them with a more G-dly perspective of the world.
Have you ever felt yourself floating above your life? Have you ever connected spiritually to an idea, but still felt detached from it in your day to day life?
Today, I explore how Sukkos teaches me the profound importance of physical embodiment as the manifestation of our spiritual experiences.
In today’s episode, I interview Chaviva New about her unique and deeply personal relationship with the mitzvah of tzedakah. She talks about charity as this ongoing conversation she has with G-d: both to give thanks and to ask for things that she needs.
In the days leading up to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Chaviva's words are a powerful reminder that a mitzvah can be a daily opportunity for us to interact with G-d.
What would our life look like if we tapped into the limitlessness of our potential? Do we stunt ourselves when we become too well versed in our limitations? What is the true meaning of Ein Sof, and how can its presence in our world inform the way that we live?
In today’s episode, I interviewed Dena Shusterman about the experiences she has had in pushing herself beyond her perceived limitations. Dena talks about expanding her family, stretching herself financially, and sometimes, scaling back in one area in order to expand in another.
Listen to this episode for a grounded perspective on what it means to be tapped into an infinite source.
In today’s episode, I bring you a beautiful, soulful conversation I had with Menucha Schwartz about a chassidic discourse that makes the case for the importance of a sense of a self in our relationship with G-d. Not as an end unto itself, but as a vehicle that takes us where we need to go. We explore why the word “yeshus” might not actually be the big, bad word in G-dly service, and what it looks like to allow your sense of self to evolve, as your reality becomes more aligned with G-d’s.
In today’s episode, I interview Dena Gorkin, principal of Bnos Chomesh Academy and a sought after educator about the topic of Iskafia as a powerful regulation tool to teach to youth, and ourselves. Dena throws a new spin on the topic that I had never considered before: Iskafia is not extended self-control. It is the moment of pause before making a decision where we can regulate ourselves enough to make a conscious choice.
In today’s episode, I interview Raizel Deitsch about a verse from Mishlei which encourages us to “find G-d in all your ways”. Raizel speaks about giving herself permission to find G-d in the human corners of her life, which sparked her transition from an abstract relationship with G-d to one that emanated from her authentic, physical experience.
Raizel’s words are a powerful reminder that G-d is looking for a personalized relationship with us that goes far deeper than the world’s opinions or expectations of our Judaism. When we can clear out the noise around us and hone in on our authentic relationship with G-d, we can reclaim the joy and passion of a divine service that is intertwined with our messy, human existence.
In today’s episode, I interview Ester Zirkind about the concept of Moach Shalit al Halev, the Chassidic teaching that encourages us to let the mind take the driver seat when we make decisions. In a personal accounting of this idea, Ester speaks about the importance of our emotions in the equation. Using the mind to guide the heart is not an excuse to disregard the heart; it is an invitation to feel our emotions fully, so that when it comes time to make the decision, our heart is regulated enough to make a conscious choice.
Today is the 3rd of Tammuz, the anniversary of the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s passing. In today’s episode, I asked five women, from different ages and backgrounds, five questions about the Rebbe’s influence on their lives. Join us as we celebrate the Rebbe’s ongoing impact on the world.
When the world goes low, we go high. Join me as I explore the storyline of these last few weeks in Israel and the entire world through the lens of Jewish voices worldwide. When the world tries to terrify us into submission, we get louder and prouder. Even a tiny candle can cut through the thickest darkness. Our flame is only getting brighter and brighter.
In this solo episode, I explore the friction we experience between our unrealistic desire for perfection and our inevitable human reality. Before G-d gave us the Torah, a court case occurred between Moshe and the angels. Each felt that they had legal rights to the Torah. They fought back and forth until ultimately, the angels were silenced and the Torah was given to the human beings.
Today, I speak about silencing our own, internal angels and recognizing that the Torah was not given to us despite our human limitations, but because of them. Every day, we battle the internal voices that tell us that G-d demands perfection. If we cannot be perfect, why bother?
The first step to receiving the Torah is silencing the angels within. Their voices prevent us from receiving the Torah as we are, and allowing ourselves to believe that we are worthy and capable of carrying out its mission.
In today's episode, I interview Rochel Leah Taktuk about Achdus Hashem, the unity of G-d, and how that awareness pushed her to acknowledge her internal battles as part of her divine service. Rochel Leah speaks about seeing G-dliness everywhere, other than within her own self. Ultimately, she learned that trusting in G-d's presence is about turning the truth inward, and revealing His presence and importance in our human battles, too.
In today’s episode, I interview Temmi Hadar about the topic of Isapcha, transformation, and how she strives to infuse the ordinary moments of her life with meaning, little by little.
It is not the grand moments that transform our lives into meaningful ones. It is the ordinary moments infused with meaning that make our lives extraordinary.
In today's episode, I interview Rivkah Slonim about her experience with the idea of Kabbalas Ol, which literally means "accepting the yoke". Rivkah speaks about tapping into the larger vision of our soul's mission in this world and recognizing that even if something isn't easy or pleasant for us in this moment, we can trust that if G-d needs it from us, than it is in our own best interests, too. She speaks about pushing herself to accept G-d's will even when it was challenging and how those choices led her to life's greatest gifts. Deep alignment is not always easy. But it is always worth it.
Is it possible to live our lives solely guided by the voice of our souls, free of the world's opinions and perspectives on us? What is the secret to a true, personal freedom? Join me on a journey through the Torah's guide to personal freedom, hidden in the three names of Passover. It's freedom season. Let's shatter our inner limitations and step into our truest selves.
Background music in this episode, by order of appearance: "Ve'hi She'amda" by Yonatan Razel, "The Seder Song" by Zusha, and "Freedom Season" by Shmuli Chazanow.
In today’s episode, I interview Sara Hecht, who is a singer-songwriter, about the influence of Torah and Chassidus in her creative process. Sara speaks about allowing herself to become a vessel for G-d’s work to flow through her, through conscious listening to her soul’s voice. Sara’s words are a reminder to pay closer attention, and to actively carve out space to listen to the voice of the soul.
You can find Sara's music on sarahecht.com.
It's Adar! The month of joy. In this episode, I interview my mother, Rochel Lazaroff, about the definition of joy according to Chassidus. What does it mean to use our mind as the root of our emotions? How can we choose to live just a little bit more joyfully in our everyday life?
In this episode, I interview Hindel Swerdlow about the deepest form of self confidence: believing in our G-d given potential. Hindel speaks about how she has pushed herself to overcome some of her greatest fears by reminding herself that her gifts and talents are "not about her" but about her responsibility to the world. Hindel is warm and honest about her own experiences in pushing herself to her soul's fullest capacity and I think her words will give you the courage to push yourself a little closer, too.
In this episode, I interview Chavie Bruk about the concept of hashgachah pratis, detailed divine guidance, and how that awareness has shaped the way she deals with the mail G-d sends to her doorstep. Chavie talks about how our personal challenges can be guides to our souls’ mission and how we can train our minds to notice G-d’s guidance in the minute details and circumstances of our lives.
Yud Shvat is the anniversary of the date that the Lubavitcher Rebbe officially accepted the role of leadership of the Chabad community. In this episode, I speak about the Rebbe's vision for the world, and how he empowered each of us to be leaders of light in our own way. I interview Chava Witkes about how she embodies this mission in her own home, by bringing people together in meaningful ways. What better way to celebrate the Rebbe's leadership than to explore how we can perpetuate his mission statement seventy years later?
In this episode, I interview Eta Cotlar about her relationship with bitachon (trusting in G-d), when the rug was pulled from beneath her feet six years ago and is continuously tested every single day. Eta talks about the paradoxes she lives with daily: her deep pain and simultaneous trust in G-d's goodness, her responsibility to make a vessel for positive outcome, and then knowing when to let go of control. Eta shares more than just her personal story; she shares the nuances and complexities of what it means to be a struggling human in a relationship with an infinite G-d.
In this solo episode, I share a bit about the miracle of the oil: what it represents and how I've seen it show up in my life. What does it actually mean to tap into a connection with G-d that transcends our understanding? Hear how I experienced this idea through the pregnancy and birth of my baby.
Background song "Chasof" by Shauli
In this episode, I interview Nechama Caplan about the promise the soul made before coming down into the body and how that oath inspires her daily life. Nechama speaks about shifting her consciousness away from the self and towards the divine, through intentional habit forming and conscious choices. How can you integrate your divine purpose into the details of your daily life?
Nechama can be reached at nechamacaplan@gmail.com for more information about her Whatsapp group and online Tanya courses!
In this episode, I interview Hadassah Shemtov, director of Batsheva Learning Center and high school Gemara teacher, about the concept of yesh ayin yesh -- the idea that in order for any type of meaningful transformation to happen, we have to lean into that uncertain, open space of ayin, or nothingness. Hadassah speaks about our experience of transformation on a micro scale: learning something new, or making room for change in our closest relationships, as well as life’s broader transformations, like the birth of her daughter and the unraveling she experienced before becoming something new.
In this episode, I interview Hindi Kalmenson, who is a marriage coach, teacher, and mom of four. Hindi takes us on her journey of learning to embrace her imperfections and let go of control in order to truly receive from the people around her and from G-d. Hindi’s story is inspired by the kabbalistic idea of mashpia and mekabel, the relationship between the giver and the receiver. How is our need for control and illusion of self-perfection stopping us from truly receiving?
Hindi is a certified marriage coach living in LA. She can be contacted at hindikalmenson@gmail.com.
Do you crave spiritual conversation that feels relevant to your daily life? Do you enjoy studying but can’t always find yourself in the text? This podcast is a space for experiential learning. Together, we will be exploring ideas in Jewish and Chassidic thought through the lens of real people’s experiences. How do they weave the sacred into the fabric of their lives? What relevance do mystical ideas have to their most intimate, human struggles? What does it mean to be both human and holy?