Human & Holy

What is the Jewish take on sexual intimacy? Join us today for an open conversation with Rivkah Slonim and Sara Marasow, co-authors of a new book on the topic, Holy Intimacy. This episode is intended for mature audiences. To purchase the book, visit https://www.amazon.com/dp/1958542113/ref || For a transcript of this episode, visit humanandholy.com. To sponsor an episode of the podcast, visit human...

When the world feels bleak, where do we draw our strength from? Should we turn away from the world's darkness, or should we turn towards it? How can we remain aware of the hardships of the world without being drowned by them? Can we be a force of light, while truly witnessing the darker sides of the world? Join us, as Bruria Efune talks about the Chassidic approach to darkness. || To sponsor an ep...

How can the chassidic ideas of Iskafya and Ishapcha transform the way we approach food? Today, Divi Bogart shares her own story with an eating disorder and personal recovery, and the way these ideas in chassidus have guided her on her journey. Join us as Divi shares her own personal transformation, from hunger to holy fullness. || To sponsor an episode of Human & Holy or give in any amount, visit...

Chanukah is all about Pirsumei Nisa, publicizing the miracle that G-d did for us long ago. Today, Leah Rubashkin publicly shares her own Chanukah miracle: when G-d released her husband, Sholom Rubashkin, from prison, against all odds. What was it like to experience a miracle like this up close? And what does it look like to hold onto hope, when redemption does not seem possible? Join us, as we cel...

Season 3 is here! In today's episode, we tell the story of Ki Karov. How the teachings of Chassidus are so close to us, and so accessible. What you’ll hear is that karov -- close, does not always mean easy, but it means it's possible, and it already belongs to us. Learning Chassidus does not give us access to tools that are outside of us. It gives us an awareness of our inner powers, our kochos, t...

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 humanan...

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 i...

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 epi...

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 humanandhol...

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 & H...

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/...

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...

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/comm...

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 h...

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 experie...

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...

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 patr...

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 spons...

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 conv...

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...

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 cri...

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...

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 forc...