Human & Holy

What does the biblical description of the world's creation have to teach us about our role in the world's future? In a time of rapid technological change, our place in co-creating the development of reality has never felt more pressing. Through an exploration of the converge of science and Torah and the deep lessons within our origin story in the book of Bereshit, we explore how we are eac...

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 e...

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 co...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 spiritua...

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 belie...

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...

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...

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@h...

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...

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 w...

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...

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 opportun...

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 m...

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 f...

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 ✨ To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, share your feedback or guest recommendations, please email us at info@humanandholy.com To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor. Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & su...

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...

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,...

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 cha...

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...

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 Inc...

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...