What happens when we are called to a mission, but we don't have what it takes? Why is the world we live in one of specificity, where every person experiences a very individual life and purpose? Can we be channels for divine light in this world, as our imperfect selves?

When God tells Moshe to speak to Pharoh, he says: "I am not a man of speech." His inability to communicate is not just a technical inability, it is a spiritual one. What follows is a rich lesson about the advantage of deep, expressed light over the highest, disembodied light and the power of communication, both in life and speech: the power of compressing limitless information into contained expression, the power of taking the raw material of our potential and building a life with it.

Source: Torah Ohr, Parshas Shemos

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To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.

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How do we trust God when we face unfathomable challenges in our lives? How do we believe that God is good when He says no to the things we most want? How can we expand our vessels to receive more blessing in our lives, to make space for better even when it's already good?

A live Human & Holy podcast recorded in Woodmere, NY with Miriam Rubenstein on the subject of Bitachon (trust in God). Includes audience questions, vulnerable shares about trusting even when God says no, and women sharing the personal transformations that they experienced through studying this subject.

Miriam Rubenstein is a Rebbetzin at Cong. Aish Kodesh in Woodmere, and an experienced facilitator whose Bitachon Chaburas have uplifted the lives of many women. She is passionate about helping women step into their light, and inspires growth, trust, and joy through her teaching and guidance. To contact Miriam: [email protected]

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To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at [email protected]

To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.

Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨

Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.

There are so many bittersweet flavors to our emotional landscape: our grief intermingled with relief, the tears of compassion when those who have hurt us express their regrets, the push and pull between our inner and outer worlds, the existential ache of not finding full expression in any world, the relief at expressing who we are aloud only to discover that we still only belong to ourselves, the lonely costs of success, the recognition that what was broken in our lifetime may not be made whole for hundreds more years, and a thousand more inner contradictions.

Yosef's story is the story of a dreamer whose dreams came true. But even stories with the happiest endings come with an underlying ache.

As we close Yosef’s story in this week's Parsha, we analyze Yosef's emotional world through the astounding record of Yosef’s tears, a central character in the Torah who is plainly recorded in verse after verse as weeping: sometimes in private, sometimes in public, sometimes so loudly that the entire land can hear.

How do we make meaning of these tears? What story do they tell us about Yosef’s experience of his life’s triumphs and hardships, of the inner, emotional world that beat beneath this powerful figure, who rose from the pit to find astounding success as viceroy in Egypt, and as he released his restraint on his buried identity, expressed an emotional landscape that echoes the complexity of each of our own inner worlds?

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To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at [email protected]

To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.

Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨

Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.

Is the life of a Jew an individual journey with God or a communal one? What is being asked of the Jewish people right now? When your faith fractures, how do you find wholeness again in your relationship with God?

A conversation with Dr. Mijal Bitton exploring faith in God, the current Jewish experience, Judaism not just as a religion but as a family, the significance of our ancestral bonds and the power and necessity of individual contributions to the collective Jewish narrative.

Dr. Mijal Bitton is a spiritual leader, public intellectual, and sociologist. She serves as Scholar in Residence at the Maimonides Fund and Rosh Kehilla of the Downtown Minyan in New York City. A Visiting Researcher at NYU Wagner, she directed pioneering research on Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews in the United States.

Mijal is an alumna of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship, a New Pluralist Field Builder, and a Sacks Scholar. She co-hosts the podcast Wondering Jews and shares weekly reflections on Jewish life, identity, and resilience in her Substack newsletter, Committed.

Substack: https://mijal.substack.com/

Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/1cU0NTHYQZOTARwuXTbpLU?si=uPmpMnd6RbycOuFli-N9Sg

Website & contact: mijalbitton.com

Instagram: @mijalbitton

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To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at [email protected]

To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.

Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨

Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.

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TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Introducing Mijal Bitton

03:12 The Jewish Experience: Identity and Collective Responsibility

05:56 Faith and Imperfection: Navigating Belief in Difficult Times

08:48 Judaism Beyond Religion: A Family and Community

12:04 The Interconnectedness of Faith and Peoplehood

14:56 Finding Your Individual Path Within a Collective Identity

17:48 The Role of My Ancestors in Shaping My Faith

21:10 Hope vs. Optimism: A Jewish Perspective on Challenges

23:53 The Joy of Being Jewish

27:13 The Future of Judaism: A Vision for the World

30:02 Fighting for Our Place: Political Mobilization and Community Engagement

32:54 Personal Practices: Staying Centered Amidst Responsibilities

36:10 Sephardic Heritage: A Unique Perspective on Tradition

38:56 Closing Thoughts: Embracing Our Roles in the Jewish Community

What is the Jewish response to existential threat? Is political activism, investment in physical security and self protection the Jewish response? Is increased prayer and good deeds enough, to the exclusion of all else?

Using the biblical record of Yaakov's response to Esav in his moment of danger, the Purim story, and the Lubavitcher Rebbe's response to the 1954 massacre in Kfar Chabad, we explore when it is a time to grieve, when it is a time to pray, and when it is a time to mobilize to confront the realities of our world.

Episode dedicated to the Refuah Sheleima, the complete healing, of Yehudah Leib Ben Manya.

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To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at [email protected]

To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.

Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨

Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.

A conversation with Miriam Pineles, a practitioner of Chinese medicine, Chassidus teacher and founder of Ayin Healing, exploring the intersection of Chinese medicine and Chassidic ideas. Miriam shares how an understanding of the elements within a person can lead to personal healing and balance, the role that the inner dimension of Torah plays in finding wholeness, and practical tools for releasing stored emotions.

Miriam Pineles is a licensed, board-certified Acupuncturist and Chinese Herbalist in NYC, specializing in women's health, fertility, pain, anxiety, and digestive issues, with a focus on integrative healing using Dr. Richard Tan's Balance Method and custom herbal formulas to treat both physical and emotional well-being, helping bodies function optimally and promoting self-care. She holds a Master's degree from Pacific College of Oriental Medicine and is also a Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine (DACM).

Miriam is the founder of Ayin Healing, an organization supporting Jewish women in their journey of healing from the wound of childhood sexual abuse.She is also the teacher of popular weekly Chassidus chaburahs.

For more information about Ayin Healing, visit ayinhealing.com

To book an appointment with Miriam Pineles, visit conscioushealthandwellness.com.

Find her on instagram @dr.miriampineles

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To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at [email protected]

To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.

Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨

Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.

In this Chanukah episode, we gather the light of eight Torah teachers, offering one luminous idea for each night. Exploring the depth behind halachic questions, modern lessons from our ancient victory, and chassidic insight into this festival of light.

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To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at [email protected]

To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.

Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨

Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.

We celebrated Season Six of the podcast with an evening in LA, celebrating the innermost teachings of Torah with a spiritual gathering of art, poetry, and deep connection.

Link to watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/bUQrJUFWpmY

Link to the conversation cards created for this evening: humanandholy.com/download

SPONSOR: Today’s episode is sponsored by SHARE, a global initiative connecting individuals to the timeless teachings of the inner dimension of Jewish wisdom, known as Pnimiyut Hatorah. Their mission is to inspire soulful living and learning by translating ancient insights for the contemporary moment. You can learn more on Share.Fund.

Florals & lamps sponsored by Lark Floral Event & Design. Find out more at larkla.com. Instagram @larklosangeles

Event planning, setup & magnificent foodscape by Shaina Liberow-Schmukler of The Graze LA. Found out more at thegrazela.com. Instagram @thegrazela

To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at [email protected]

To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.

Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨

Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.

In honor of Yud Tes Kislev, we're talking about farbrengens, everything I learned about gathering with intention, and how to create an environment for honest sharing at a spiritual gathering.

Link to download free Human & Holy farbrengen conversation cards here: humanandholy.com/download

Link to join our Human & Holy Women's Open Mic Night: eventbrite.com/e/1975623794953/?aff=oddtdtcreator (women only)

Books:

"The Art of Gathering" by Priya Parkers

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To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at [email protected]

To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.

Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨

Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.

A conversation about the difference between marital privacy being born of shame versus dignity, the importance of teaching children about sexuality with directness, the cost of being too strict in all things related to family purity, how to determine which community's path, traditions and stringencies to follow, and how to bring divine intention into our experience of this mitzvah.

This conversation is part of 2/2 with Elimor Ryzman. Part 1 can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA0DQ68DvP4

SAVE THE DATE: Human & Holy Open Mic Night in Jerusalem on Dec. 6. Join our Jerusalem WhatsApp group here: https://chat.whatsapp.com/E6Rk8cYK1aSGSzf4XAFeyQ

Elimor Ryzman has over ten years’ experience in teaching, lecturing and inspiring women from all over the world. From educating high school girls to lecturing Kallot and woman, Elimor is able to enthrall and engage a crowd with her passion and love. Her devotion to each and every one of her students is unique and everlasting. She believes that student success and personal growth is created through meaningful relationships.

Upon Elimor’s completion of the Michlala seminary in Jerusalem, she studied at Stern College for Woman, NYU School of Occupational Therapy, and at Ridman University for the study of holistic care. Elimor is a member of the PUAH Cares team and also received a certificate as a Yoetzet Bakehilla from the PUAH Organization. She is currently on the board of EVEN LA, a Los Angeles based organization that focuses on woman, Taharat Hamishpacha, and preserving the Jewish home.

Elimor can be contacted at [email protected] or 323-695-7636.

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To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at [email protected]

To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.

Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨

Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.