Nourish Your Biblical Roots with Yael Eckstein

Have you ever noticed the irony of our modern world — we have more time-saving technology, but less time to spend on the things that really matter to us? In today’s episode, the third in a series about the Shabbat, host Yael Eckstein talks about how the ancient observance of the Sabbath — a time to relax, rethink, and reset — is exactly what we all need to combat the challenges of today’s modern w...

Join host Yael Eckstein as she welcomes college basketball coach Bruce Pearl, who has led the Auburn Tigers to 154 wins, three Southeastern Conference championships, consecutive NCAA Tournament berths, and the program’s first ever appearance in the Final Four in 2019. While his success on the basketball court is well-documented, what might not be as well-known is his absolute dedication and love f...

What does it mean to be truly free? As Christian theologian Karl Barth wrote, “A being is free only when it can determine and limit its activity.” And in the Jewish faith, that’s what observing the Sabbath is all about. In this second episode in her five-part series on the Sabbath, host Yael Eckstein explores why setting boundaries around time and activities on the Sabbath actually frees her to fo...

Have you ever wondered the spiritual meaning behind the Jewish tradition of keeping Shabbat (the Sabbath) holy? On today’s episode, host Yael Eckstein shares with us how grateful she is for the blessings of Shabbat — a holy day of rest — that transform her and her family every week! It’s a day to recharge spiritually, and Yael will share the amazing lessons of faith the Sabbath has for both Christ...

As the High Holy Days come to a close, Jews around the world spend one last day in an intense celebration with God before resuming their normal routines. Simchat Torah, which means “Rejoicing in the Torah ,” is unlike any other observance that takes place in synagogue. As host Yael Eckstein describes in today’s podcast, the entire congregation — from the youngest children to the oldest adults — ta...

Do you know the one holy day that the entire world will celebrate in Messianic times? According to the prophet Zechariah, it’s the Festival of Tabernacles, or as it’s called in Hebrew, Sukkot (Zechariah 14:16.). Unity among all God’s children is a major theme of this joyous celebration that is part of the High Holy Days that Jews around the world have been observing. In continuing her series on th...

It’s been said that two of the hardest words for people to say are “I’m sorry.” Can you relate? When have you experienced needing to apologize and dreaded doing it? Or maybe, you have been hurt by someone who won’t apologize to you? In this special episode about Yom Kippur , the Day of Atonement, host Yael Eckstein explores how those two words relate to the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. Admi...

As America celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, host Yael Eckstein welcomes Pastor Carlos Ortiz, Church Outreach Director for the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews and a longtime and ardent pro-Israel voice to the Hispanic Christian community. Pastor Ortiz, a native of Colombia who immigrated to the U.S. in 1986, was recognized for his work in buildin...

How many of us think about repentance as we celebrate and usher in a New Year on January 1? Probably not many! But when Jews usher in the Jewish New Year on Rosh Hashanah, the main focus is on repentance, or teshuvah, which means to “return” to God and to who we really are. The sound of the shofar, the ritual trumpet, signals this time to reflect on the past twelve months, fix any behavior that is...

Did you know that God has an alarm clock for our souls? Beginning a month before the start of the High Holy Days, the sounds of the shofar, the biblically mandated trumpet, can be heard throughout synagogues across the world, calling people to reflect, repent and return to God. On this podcast, Yael continues exploring the significance and meaning of the Jewish High Holy Days, focusing on one of t...

Today, host Yael Eckstein begins a six-part series examining the spiritual journey Jews around the world take each year during the High Holy Days and what lessons these holy observances can teach Christians and Jews about making real and lasting change. In this series, Yael will explore how the sounds of the shofar awaken the soul, how Rosh Hashanah , the Jewish New Year, teaches us about the gift...

We live in the so-called “selfie generation,” where our focus is often on ourselves — how we look, how many “likes” we get on social media, what we have, and what we do. The irony is that focusing on ourselves does not make us happier; rather it robs us of our joy. As the Bible teaches, what truly brings joy is giving to others. In the Jewish faith, charity is not seen as simply a good deed, but r...

If we want our children to live according to godly — not worldly — values, then it is essential that we instill in them courage. Host Yael Eckstein shares on the podcast that courage is one of the most important values that she can pass down to her children. This vital trait is celebrated annually on the biblical observance of Purim , which commemorates the story of Queen Esther, whose courageous...

Join host Yael Eckstein as she talks with one of the unsung heroes on the frontlines of the war in Ukraine — Ilia Golberg, Chief Security Officer for the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine. Since the beginning of the war, Ilia Golberg has been an instrumental partner with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jew (The Fellowship) in rescuing Jews from war-torn Ukraine and in prov...

What’s the greatest distance between two points? As host Yael Eckstein shares on today’s program, it’s the distance between our head and our heart. On an intellectual level, we know what we believe, but acting on that belief is another thing. Bridging this distance is part of our life-long service to God, what Yael calls “faith-living.” Every year during the observance of Sukkot, the Festival of T...

One of the most difficult practices for any of us to learn is forgiveness —asking forgiveness from God, seeking forgiveness from others, and giving forgiveness. Yet this practice is so critical to living a healthy and happy life, and its rewards are invaluable. On today’s podcast, host Yael Eckstein shares how the Jewish observances of the High Holy Days — Rosh Hashanah , the Jewish New Year, and...

What is the one thing we must teach our children if we want them to never give up and never give in when it comes to their values and beliefs? We must teach them hope. On today’s podcast, host Yael Eckstein shares how an unflagging hope in God’s promises has sustained the Jewish people through exiles and pogroms, persecution and even the Holocaust. Every year, on the Jewish observance of Tisha B’A...

How can we raise children to be grateful when we live in a culture that’s constantly telling us that we need — and deserve — more? It’s not easy, but as host Yael Eckstein explains in this week’s podcast, the key is helping our children recognize all the blessings in their lives. Yael continues her summer series on passing on our faith to the next generation by exploring how the annual observance...

What’s the best way for children to learn? Teach them the power of asking questions. For millennia, the Jewish faith has held that the best way to serve God is by constantly learning and growing — and in order to learn, one must ask questions. Podcast host Yael Eckstein continues her summer series on passing on our faith to the next generation by exploring how the annual observance of Passover hel...

Join host Yael Eckstein as she welcomes Israeli statesman and former UN Ambassador Danny Danon to the podcast, as they discuss how he successfully championed Israel and her people in an environment that’s often hostile to the Jewish state. As Ambassador Danon shared with Yael, growing up, he was inspired by one guiding principle —if you want to make change happen, you have to be in a place where y...

With increasing demands on our time and attention coming from all sides — emails, text messages, Zoom calls, social media — how can families today find the time to connect with each other, and more importantly, with God? For thousands of years, Jewish families have answered this dilemma with one word — Shabbat , the Sabbath. Podcast host Yael Eckstein continues her summer series on passing our fai...

According to renown Christian leader Billy Graham, the greatest legacy we can leave the next generation is not money nor the material things we’ve accumulated, but a legacy of faith and character. Passing on our faith is of paramount importance to both Christians and Jews. In Judaism, it’s called “ l’dor v’dor,” from generation to generation. As we will learn in Yael Eckstein’s special podcast ser...

What if you were asked to name the most important quality in a person of faith? What would you say? Honesty? Purity? Compassion? Scripture actually has an answer to this question. In honor of the Jewish holiday Shavuot , the Festival of Weeks, better known to Christian by its Greek name, Pentecost, we’ll learn about the one quality that can take our faith to the next level. The biblical figure Rut...

Nearly 13 years ago, a pastor in North Carolina made a life-changing decision to answer God’s call to bless Israel by bringing needy and persecuted Jews back to their biblical homeland. Four years later, this pastor enlisted his church, Hope Community Church in Winston-Salem, N.C. to join him in this mission, pledging to raise $1 million to help Jews make aliyah (immigrate to Israel). This past ye...

Today, Jews in Israel celebrate Jerusalem Day — Yom Yerushalayim — commemorating the miraculous reunification of God’s Holy City in 1967. But as podcast host Yael Eckstein explains, we ALL — Christians and Jews — should celebrate Jerusalem Day! Not only is Jerusalem God’s designated place where His Temple once stood and will someday stand again, but as we read in Psalm 137:5, “ If I forget you, Je...