Human & Holy

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

Reflections on my birthday, why I think about my mortality, and a Modeh Ani meditation.

Episode sponsored by an anonymous sponsor in honor of our LA Tanya class.

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

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 - Birthday Reflections

1:27 - Why I Think About My Mortality

4:30 - The Gift of Another Day

5:45 - Forgetting Who We Are

7:33 - Saying Modeh Ani With Intention

9:22 - The Memory of Prayer

12:16 - A Modeh Ani Meditation

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.

Elissa Felder is the Coordinator for Core’s Communities of Practice. Elissa started and actively manages Core’s community of practice for women engaged with traditional chevrah kadisha. She is responsible for providing on-going professional development for the community. The knowledge she acquired through her work motivated her to write her book, From One Life to the Next Life: The Sacred Passage of Life After Death. Additionally, she is very active in her local chevrah kadisha and speaks widely on this topic.

Elissa is the Founding Director of Core Connects RI, a non-profit organization that aims to deepen women’s connections to one another, to Jewish wisdom, and to Jewish values, as well as to empower each other to find greater meaning, purpose, and possibility in life and to cultivate unity without uniformity. As director she is passionate about providing others with opportunities to grow and become. She runs programming both online and in person. Elissa is passionate about bringing Jews together and celebrating their commonalities rather than their differences. Through all of these experiences, Elissa mentors and encourages others on their journeys.

You can purchase Elissa's book here: https://mosaicapress.com/product/from-one-life-to-the-next-life/?srsltid=AfmBOorymKsRPl9qZlNH91dglhkMuoqSkLUd1EdThXJfSxY72ARG1UeJElissa can be reached 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

00:54 - Host’s Intro

03:30 - Welcome Elissa

05:50 - Where Did My Son Go?

07:33 - What Happens After Death?

09:28 - The Soul Separates From Its Body in Stages

10:41 - Purification of the Soul

11:37 - Resurrection of the Dead: A Soul Reunited with Its Body

12:51 - The Deeper Meaning Behind Chevra Kadisha Practices

15:09 - Talking to a Soul: Preparing for Life, Not Death

16:15 - Analogies for Resurrection

18:18 - Why Return to the Body If the Soul Experiences Divine Bliss?

21:11 - Why Are We Here?

23:05 - Elevating Each Part of the Body

24:50 - Living with an Awareness of Life's Fragility

26:27 - The Significance of Morning Prayers

27:22 - Grief is Love

28:36 - Communal Presence During Shiva

29:34 - Witnessing Grief

32:12 - The Power of Small Acts of Love

33:18 - Why We Let Mourners Lead

37:00 - The Soul’s Journey After Death

38:50 - Grief as a Companion

39:47 - The Chevra Kedisha’s Love for the Deceased

40:41 - The Rabbi Who Cared for My Father

42:44 - Caring For My Granddaughter

45:04 - Welcoming the Soul

46:13 - Do We Access the Soul at its Grave?

48:38 - It Is About Life

49:16 - Navigating Grief

52:00 - Letting Our Emotions Flow

57:05 - Choosing Love Over Anger After Loss

01:00:12 - Host’s Outro

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

Timestamps:

00:00 - Host's Intro

00:52 - The Moshiach Seudah

3:18 - Forty Two Journeys

4:59 - Becoming Receptive to Divine Light

6:17 - Living in a Post Truth Era

8:49 - Eating the Food of Moshiach

11:06 - Rising to Meet a New Reality

11:49 - Experiencing the Moshiach Seudah As a Child

13:31 - The Vulnerability of Hope

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 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.

Episode sponsored in honor of the speedy Refuah of Sholom Dovber ben Chava.

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

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introducing Solo Sessions

00:56 - The Four Sons as Four Identities Within

02:07 - Seeing Our Judaism From the Outside

02:56 - Juxtaposing the Wise & Wicked Sons' Questions

03:25 - Defining Our Questions & Immersing Ourselves in the Search

05:38 - Cynicism or Wonder?

08:20 - When Our Judaism Feels Jaded

09:55 - Learning How to Ask

11:50 - Discussion Game

Link to the episode from last year, where we played a conversation game based on this teaching about the four sons: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd3LVLhvMQY

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 have welcomed Chani in.

Chani is a wife, mother, poet, writer, and aspiring florist. She's an all around creative, and loves bringing beauty and meaning into everyday life. She dabbles in freelance writing and content creation alongside her work at a preschool and a nonprofit organization. You can find her writing and content on Instagram @chani_lipovenko and Substack (Tulips & Tantrums). Chani can be contacted at [email protected].

Link to download Chani's Haggadah companion here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/13GrQ7e9rrxpC_5c9P2qq9y9j3XgXvvkV/view

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

TIMESTAMPS

0:00:00 - Sneak Peek

0:00:37 - Host's Introduction

0:02:03 - Welcome Chani

0:02:43 - How it Started

0:04:34 - Reimagining the Seder Experience

0:09:56 - Where Am I in This Ritual?

0:14:21 - Leaning into the Physical Act of a Mitzvah

0:17:35 - Experiencing the Essence of a Holiday

0:21:55 - Staying Open to Unexpected Inspiration

0:23:20 - I Can't Recreate My Pre-Baby Life

0:27:10 - Experiencing the Seder as a Personal Journey

0:29:02 - Being An Open Vessel to What the Seder Has to Offer

0:31:25 - Bring Your Heartbreak

0:32:28 - The Soul Can Never Be in Exile

0:35:19 - Encouraging Questions in Our Judaism

0:38:45 - Encouraging Questions

0:41:25 - The Steps of the Seder Are Leading Us Somewhere

0:42:27 - Postpartum: Holding Both Brokenness and Wholeness

0:45:45 - How G-d Sees Us

0:48:13 - Opening the Door to Miracles

0:51:38 - Allowing Ourselves to be Transformed in Small Ways

0:52:28 - The End of the Seder is the Beginning of Freedom

0:53:09 - Host’s Outro

A conversation with Racheli 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.

Mrs. Racheli Luftglass is the Principal of Judaic Studies at YULA Girls High School and a kallah teacher. Before moving to the West Coast, she taught at The Frisch School in Paramus, NJ, in the Nach Department and in the Learning Center. At the OU Women’s Initiative, Mrs. Luftglass has served as a Counting Toward Sinai Scholar-in-Residence, presented shiurim and taught “Yirmiyahu’s Canon for Calamity” – an interactive in-depth course at the ALIT Virtual Summer Learning Program. She also taught Sefer Nechemia to over 5,000 women worldwide for Torat Imecha Nach Yomi. Mrs. Luftglass began her career at The Moriah School in Englewood, NJ, where she taught both mainstream and enrichment Judaic Studies classes as well as secular studies in the school’s Gesher Yehuda Program. Mrs. Luftglass graduated from Yeshiva University’s Stern College for Women with a B.A. in music and psychology and holds an M.A. from Columbia University’s Teachers College with a concentration in Education of the Gifted and of the Learning Disabled. She has also completed coursework at Columbia University towards a doctorate degree in neuropsychology. Mrs. Luftglass lives in Los Angeles, CA with her husband and five children.

Contact Racheli 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 on Youtube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00:00 - Sneak Peek

0:00:37 - Host's Introduction

0:02:10 - Welcome Racheli

0:04:06 - A Personal Passion for Tanach

0:06:00 - The Lost Art of Letter Writing

0:06:54 - The Daughters of Tzelofchad

0:09:15 - Which Characters Do You Currently Connect With?

0:10:25 - How It All Began: Racheli’s Early Experiences with Tanach

0:11:03 - Intertextuality in Tanach

0:13:31 - What We Can Learn From Hashem’s Vulnerable Moments

0:17:10 - Teaching as a Means of Mastery

0:17:54 - Understanding the Prophets

0:19:34 - Yirmiyahu: Survival and Identity in Exile

0:27:22 - Roots and Branches: Continuity in Judaism

0:28:01 - Inner Sense of Connection to Your Values

0:30:19 - Finding Personal Guidance in Tanach

0:32:11 - Devorah: An Unapologetic Voice

0:40:29 - Recurring Themes in the Women in Tanach

0:42:43 - I Am in a Dance With Hashem

0:44:05 - When Hashem Says No

0:47:45 - Following Your Curiosity in Your Studies

0:49:11 - Accessing Tanach

0:52:24 - Connecting Through Art and Personal Stories

0:53:18 - Finding Personal Role Models Within Tanach

0:53:59 - Lessons from Batya & Esther

0:56:38 - Choosing Not to Become Bitter

0:58:36 - Host's Outro

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.

Inbal Levin is a writer, former fashion model, and social media director for Chabad on Campus. You can connect with her via instagram @itsinbal.

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

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00:00 - Sneak Peek

0:01:00 - Introduction of Inbal Levin

0:02:25 - Welcome Inbal

0:03:08 - Inbal’s Background

0:03:46 - Passion for Fashion

0:05:57 - Creativity is Holy

0:06:28 - The Lubavitcher Rebbe’s Reflections on the Depth of Art

0:09:11 - Girls on the Cover of the Moshiach Times Magazine

0:10:48 - The Rebbe’s Conversation with the Israeli Beauty Queen

0:14:54 - Being a Jew in Public

0:18:12 - Helping Others Up the Volume on their Own Jewish Pride

0:21:05 - Embracing Jewish Identity in Modern Times

0:21:31 - Inspiring Other's in Their Own Heritage

0:24:25 - The Responsibility of Being the Chosen People

0:26:15 - Moral Clarity

0:27:30 - A Moment of Silence

0:31:00 - A Universal Call to G-dly Awareness

0:32:53 - Bringing Torah to the World

0:37:55 - The Power of Shabbos Candles

0:43:46 - Mitzvah Campaigns: A Response to Darkness

0:50:40 - The Rebbe’s Approach to Antisemitism

0:52:28 - The Haggadah Focuses on Freedom, Not Suffering

0:53:19 - A Judaism of Joy

0:57:15 - Awakening Through Tragedy

01:00:02 - Judaism Asks for Participation

01:03:03 - The Impact of Jewish Rituals on Future Generations

01:05:55 - Follow Up Story on Inbal’s Flight

01:07:40 - Host's Outro