Human & Holy

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.