HUMAN & HOLY

HUMAN & HOLY

Honest, spiritual conversations exploring Jewish & Chassidic wisdom, women’s Torah, and the lived experience of Judaism.

Latest Episode:

Why I Think About My Mortality

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Is There an Afterlife? Jewish Rituals for Death, Grief, and Life After Life | Elissa Felder

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..

Do We Dare to Hope? The Deeper Meaning of the Moshiach Seudah

An episode about the last day of Pesach, becoming receptive to divine revelation, eating the food of Redemption and the vulnerability of hope.

Cynicism, Wonder & Questions: The Four Sons as Four Identities Within

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.

My Personal Journey Through the Seder | Chani Lipovenko

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 welcomed Chani in.

A conversation with Rachel 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.

Who Are Our Spiritual Role Models? | Racheli Luftglass

How to Fight Antisemitism | Inbal Levin

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.

An Honest Conversation About Jewish Marriage, Sexuality, and Mikvah | Chanie Krasnianski

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.

Who Do We Give Our Power To?

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.

Walking Through the Doorway | Dr. Erica Brown

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.

Believe In Yourself as Much as G-d Does | Rachel Jacobs

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.

Live In a Way That Speaks for Itself | Dena Schusterman

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.

Singing With Purpose | Shaindy Plotzker

An 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.

Where Do Women Belong? | Laurie Novick

A thorough conversation about women’s roles within Judaism, the beauty and significance of Jewish law, and the lived experience of women’s Judaism.

Can Your Soul Override Who You Are? | Sara Blau

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.

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.

Spiritual Chutzpah | Chaya Lester

G-d Was My Lifeline | Shternie Rosenfeld

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.

I Am a Jew | Women's Open Mic Night

Live In a State of Flow | Nechama Schusterman

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.

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.

When We Lose the Hostages We Prayed For, Where Do Our Prayers Go? | Nechama Dina Hendel

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.

Finding My Own Path Within Judaism: Religious Questions, Personal Identity, and Chassidic Wisdom

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.