We spend weeks leading up to Shavuot refining our characters. And then we receive G-d's Torah, which asks us to faithfully reflect the light of the Divine in this world.

Does the Torah mark a path to self development or self transcendence? What might it look like to be both surrendered and distinctly who we are?

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

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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 - The Gift of the Torah

02:50 - Understanding Bitul: Reflecting the Divine

05:57 - The Interplay of Self-Development and Self-Transcendence

08:51 - The Role of Rosh Chodesh in Preparing for Receiving the Torah

12:04 - Naaseh v'Nishmah: Redefining Our Sense of Self

15:07 - Expanding, Not Shrinking

In honor of Shavuos, three women — Lauren Nagel, Devora Pinson, and Chana Arnold — sit down for a raw and honest conversation about receiving the Torah anew in our adult lives.

What are some of the things that have disconnected us from the Torah over the years? What are some of the things that have softened those blockages? And in what ways has the Torah become the greatest gift of our lives?

If you connected to something that was shared in this episode, let our generous guests know:

Devora Pinson: [email protected]

Lauren Nagel: [email protected]

Chana Arnold: [email protected]

EPISODE SPONSORS:

This episode is sponsored by Finds By Rivka. Think of Rivka’s finds as a personal shopper who sifts through the sale pages to find the best Tznius clothing deals! Join 3,000+ other women who are loving the group:

https://chat.whatsapp.com/LBOxmcsZin66u7brbOvx4l

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Babyccino is a Mommy & Me class curriculum designed to facilitate meaningful, Jewish experiences for mothers and babies. We can only receive the Torah that is given to us, and the Torah is given to children, first, by their mothers. Find out more here: www.babyccinoclass.com

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This episode is co-sponsored and dedicated with love by Riki to a special "Human & Holy" person, mother and friend, Miriam Frimet Bas Tzivia, upon her birthday. May it be a Zchus.

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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 - Sneak Peek

00:17 - Host's Intro

01:45 - Sponsorship Message: Finds by Rivka

03:03 - Meet the Guests: Devora, Chana, Lauren

05:18 - Spiritual Backgrounds

08:52 - I Needed More

12:10 - The Torah Feeds My Soul

16:34 - Choosing the Torah Again

17:50 - The Torah as a Tree of Life

19:58 - I Was Just Repeating What I Learned

22:55 - Real Learning Creates Space for Real Struggles

24:21 - Letting Go of Perfectionism

30:06 - I Lost Everything

32:28 - When I Began to Access Hashem

33:27 - Holding Pain & Faith Simultaneously

35:33 - I Am Not Alone

37:37 - A Real Relationship Welcomes Your Full Self

40:54 - What Do We Do With Our Freedom?

42:05 - The Torah Can't Be Done in Isolation

44:30 - I Skip to My Torah Classes

46:05 - From "I Have to" to "I Get To"

49:51 - Torah is an Overflowing Ocean

51:08 - Raising Kids with G-d Consciousness

54:01 - When You See the Light Shining in Other Women

54:37 - The Torah Shifted Me

56:22 - Investing in Our Relationship with G-d

58:24 - Shavuos as a Relationship Renewal

01:01:07 - Sharing Torah at the Table

01:01:44 - Beautifying Our Experience of the Torah

01:04:38 - Host's Outro

Answering listener questions on maturing in our Judaism, maintaining a spiritual sense of self when mothering small children, friendship, Torah study, and spiritual ruts.

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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 personal journey of discovering Jewish meditation, taking the cerebral act of study and grounding it in the body through focus and breath. Explore the balance between body and soul, the power of intention in prayer, the difference between Jewish and Eastern meditation, and the spiritual practice of finding balance in our characters through the Sefirot.

A mom of seven, Zeesy furthers development on the Board of the Jewish International School. She is the spiritual feminine leader of Blouberg Jewish Community Centre. Zeesy gives ongoing psycho-spiritual ‘soultalks’ in the community, sharing her passion of bringing people closer to their soul source. She coaches women around the world with ‘Echad coaching’ bringing body and soul together.

Find out more about Zeesy's work here: echadcoach.com

Get in touch with Zeesy at [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.

* * * * * * *

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Sneak Peek

00:17 - Host's Intro

01:17 - Support Human & Holy

01:39 - Welcome Zeesy

03:34 - The Birth of Echad: Mindfulness & Meditation

05:31 - Integrating Body and Soul in Spiritual Practice

09:01 - Learning & Practicing Meditation

10:47 - Chassidic Meditation Practice

14:05 - Jewish Meditation vs. Eastern Meditation

18:22 - An Example of Jewish Meditation

22:24 - How Torah Learning Becomes Embodied

24:57 - Da’at: Intimacy with G-d Through Torah and Body

32:10 - Practical Tools for Spiritual Integration

34:00 - The Power of Single Tasking

34:52 - Morning Rituals and Connection to Nature

36:13 - Building a Meaningful Prayer Practice

38:45 - Integrating Gratitude into Daily Life

41:00 - Heartfelt Prayer: Emotional Presence in Judaism

42:42 - Understanding the Sefirot and Personal Growth

48:19 - Balancing Character Traits

49:46 - Breathing the Sefirot Into Your Day

51:57 - Hashem in the Slow Lane: Trusting Divine Timing

54:18 - Peak Judaism: When Body and Soul Are One

55:34 - Experiencing G-d On Slower Days

57:30 - Vulnerability in Prayer

59:58 - Grounding Ourselves in Our Bodies

1:03:43 - Host's Outro

Does each generation get less spiritually sensitive? What is the original source for the idea of "Yeridos Hadoros" -- the decline of the generations -- and in what ways are we experiencing a reversal of that idea?

Explore the deeper meaning of Lag Ba'Omer, a teaching from R' Tzadok about the ascent of the generations and why there is an unprecedented spiritual attunement to the deepest parts of Torah.

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 discovering a loving relationship with G-d through grief. Bianca shares her personal journey of loss and how it led her to a deeper understanding of G-d's love and connection. We discuss expressing raw emotions in prayer, the Torah as a love letter from G-d, and the significance of gratitude and daily conversation in building a relationship with the Divine.

Bianca Benisti Kaffash is a motivational speaker and spiritual coach who has walked through her own challenges to discover a deeper connection with Hashem and the beauty of Torah. She believes in the power of reconnecting with the sacred language of prayer and Torah—something that’s often been cheapened or lost. Now, Bianca is passionate about bringing others back to that language, helping them experience the profound beauty and strength it offers. Through spiritual coaching, personalized prayers, and leading meaningful events, Bianca empowers others to find healing, clarity, and a true connection with Hashem. Follow her on Instagram @ritainspired for raw, heartfelt inspiration and a journey back to the light of Torah.

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.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Sneak Peek

00:16 - Host’s Intro

01:10 - Introduction of Bianca Benisti

02:43 - Welcome Bianca

02:51 - Bianca’s Background + Starting Rita Inspired

04:31 - Grief and Torah as a Healing Language

06:05 - Being Reintroduced to the Torah as Hashem’s Love Language

06:46 - Shifting from Obedience to Connection

08:15 - Mourning Laws as Divine Comfort

09:59 - Inviting G-d In

11:07 - The Only Way Out is Through

11:50 - Experiencing Hashem’s Love Through Loss

13:35 - Surrendering to G-d

15:37 - Having a Conversation with G-d

18:33 - How to Pray When It Feels Imaginative

23:49 - Personal Gratitude and Emotional Honesty

28:46 - How Grief & Singlehood Shaped My Prayer

29:57 - Hashem Wants to Spend Time with Me

30:34 - The Exodus: Crying Out to G-d Sparks Redemption

32:05 - Simple, Raw Prayers Can Bring Miracles

34:13 - Studying Torah to Understand G-d

36:15 - Mitzvot Are Love Maps, Not Restrictions

38:32 - The Message Behind Jealousy

39:46 - Hashem Just Wants You to Be You

40:39 - When G-d Doesn’t Reveal Everything

42:01 - Being Motivated by Love

43:32 - Crisis Can Reveal G-d’s Emotional Presence

46:14 - Finding Clarity in Torah

47:49 - G-d will Find a Way to Get Into Your Painful Moments

48:22 - My Joy Under The Chuppah

51:35 - Host’s Outro

A reading of the poem "How a Place Becomes Holy" by Yehoshua November, reflections on the power of calling out to G-d with the few, ambiguous words we have, and the delicate invitations in both creativity and faith to trust what stirs inside us.

Episode sponsored in honor of the safety and protection of the Jewish people in the Holy Land.

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.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - "How a Place Becomes Holy"

02:00 - Self-Trust in Creativity

03:45 - Holiness as the Subtext of Reality

04:22 - Story of Yeshaya Bar-Daki: A Cry for Life

06:50 - An Experience at the Mikvah

08:58 - The Holiness in Everyday Life

11:45 - Trusting the Heart's Longings

A conversation with Rivky Kaplan exploring what it means to lean into the feminine spirit in both the private and public sphere, the Lubavitcher Rebbe's vision for Jewish womanhood, the wisdom available to us in our cycles and the seasons of our life, how to stay connected to the woman beneath the role of mother, and the power of sisterhood in helping us find our voices.

Rivky Kaplan is a Chabad Shlucha in Tzfat, Israel with her husband Chaim and family. Rivky teaches Torah and Chassidut in various seminaries as well as many adult education classes both in Israel and abroad. She is passionate about engaging her students in the text and making Torah concepts personal and relevant. Rivky is a Yoetzet Halacha and has recently opened a one of a kind Educational Visitors center in their newly renovated Mikva. She is also a trained Fertility Fellow providing guidance to couples navigating the challenges of infertility. Rivky is also a very proud Bubby. You can contact Rivky at [email protected]

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.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Sneak Peek

00:27 - Host's Intro

02:13 - Welcome Rivky

05:51 - Rosh Chodesh: A Gift to Women

07:35 -The Lubavitcher Rebbe's Vision for Jewish Womanhood

10:26 - Why Chana Decided to Stay Home

15:00 - Giving Your Child That Little Bit More

16:26 - Why Dena Went Out to Lead

17:35 - Personifying Internality: The Feminine Spirit

19:03 - Beyond Biological Motherhood: A Spiritual Role

21:00 - Expanding the Walls of the Home

23:46 - Capitalizing on What is Unique About Us

25:40 - If the Workplace Was Designed for Women's Needs

28:55 - The World is Waking Up to Feminine Values

29:55 - Listening to Our Bodies

32:50 - I Expected Myself to Be a Full Moon Every Day

33:25 - Understanding the Hormonal Phases

35:15 - Attuning Ourselves to Our Bodies

37:58 - The Phases of Our Menstrual Cycles

38:44 - Wishing My Mother Could Hold My Babies

42:55 - Our Bodies Hold Paradox

44:28 - Carrying Life and Grief in Israel

46:40 - A Disconnect From Our Bodies

47:50 - Navigating Life's Seasons: We Are Both Chana and Dina

50:33 - Being Present Where You Are

52:50 - Staying Connected to What Fuels Me

56:33 - What is a Feminine Way of Giving?

57:56 - Story of the Rebbe: What is the Identifier of a Jewish Girl?

1:01:30 - Shifting the Way the World Sees Jewish Women

1:04:30 - Have We Internalized That Vision?

01:07:05 - Menopause and Its Impact on a Woman’s Identity

1:09:24 - Expanding the Why's That Carried You

1:11:30 - How to Nurture Yourself When You're a Mother

1:13:37 - G-d Trusts Us

1:17:35 - Having a Firsthand Experience of the Torah

1:20:48 - Teaching From a Place of Trust

1:24:25 - Textual Learning Makes Space for Critical Thinking

1:30:58 - There Are Many Ways of Serving G-d

1:33:18 - I Felt Escorted to the Mikvah by the Chain of Jewish Women

1:37:33 - The Contemporary Sisterhood

1:40:00 - Female Soldiers Immersing in the Mikvah

1:41:42 - How to Create Your Own Sisterhood

1:43:28 - You Need One Person to Truly See You

1:49:00 - The World is Waiting for Every Woman's Voice

01:50:05 - Host’s Outro

Personal reflections on some of the central themes in Reclaiming Dignity. Exploring the sanctity of our inner worlds, what it truly means to walk before G-d, how tznius shows up in the way we speak, share of ourselves and spend money, why legislating every detail of tznius robs us of the ability to cultivate own own internal sensitivities, and what it might look like to infuse our clothing with the depth of tznius, instead of having them define it.

Link to purchase the book at 15% off: https://mosaicapress.com/product/recl.... Human & Holy discount code is humanandholy15. Find out more on the website www.reclaimingdignity.com.

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

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

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 and Wednesday on Youtube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.

A conversation with Bracha Poliakoff, co-author of the groundbreaking book Reclaiming Dignity, exploring the deep, spiritual meaning of Tzniut in Judaism. Far from being just a dress code, this episode explores Tzniut as a powerful expression of dignity, internality, and self-respect for both men and women. We discuss halachic sources, misconceptions around modesty, and why more is not always better in this sensitive and central Jewish value.

Bracha Poliakoff, LCSW-C, is a licensed clinical social worker, speaker, and writer. She currently serves as the founder and director of continuing education at Bright Ideas Continuing Education, providing high-quality programs for mental health professionals in the United States and Canada. Bracha has a strong commitment to Jewish education, having taught Torah to high schoolers and adults in various settings, founded a number of Jewish learning initiatives, and co-authoring Reclaiming Dignity: A Guide to Tzniut for Men and Women. As a passionate member of the Orthodox community, she actively gives back and makes a difference, including serving on the boards of Keneseth Beth Israel (Richmond, VA) and the Women’s Institute of Torah/Mesorah Baltimore (Baltimore, MD). Bracha is also committed to personal and professional development, having participated in The Associated’s Young Leadership Council, Orthodox Union’s Women’s Initiative Leadership Summit, and the Orthodox Leadership Project. She lives in Baltimore, MD, with her husband and three children. Bracha can be contacted at [email protected].

Link to purchase the book at 15% off: https://mosaicapress.com/product/recl.... Find out more on the website www.reclaimingdignity.com.

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.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Sneak Peek

00:34 Host’s Intro

02:35 Welcome Bracha

03:33 Why Write a Book on Tznius?

08:10 The Importance of Women’s Voices in the Conversation About Tzniut

11:00 Is Tzniut for Men?

13:07 A Torah Source for Men's Tzniut: Dignity in War

16:07 The Parts of Tzniut That No One Will Ever See

18:10 Shifting My Own Experience of Tzniut

21:36 Removing the Judgment and Pressure

24:08 Are Introverts More Tzniut?

28:37 The Difference Between Erva and Tzniut

30:11 Do Women Dress Tzniut for Men?

35:03 The Negative Impacts of Overemphasizing External Modesty

36:21 Mutual Respect Between Men and Women

38:23 Excessive Modesty Can Sexualize Women

39:26 More is Not Always Better

41:21 Women's Pictures in Magazines

46:00 The Cost of Exclusion

50:32 When I Didn't Want My Own Picture Published

52:00 Determining Your Own Boundaries

53:51 Materialism & Other Areas of Tzniut Beyond Clothing

57:37 How Does Bracha Aim to Show Up?

01:00:57 Host’s Outro