Human & Holy

Lessons from our biblical matriarchs on owning our Judaism, giving while maintaining personal boundaries, the personal process of rebuilding our Judaism after periods of disillusionment, growing into the choices we've made in our youth, and navigating our own spiritual evolution.

Chana Herzog was born and raised in Australia and now lives in Encino, California, with her husband and four spirited children, where they are dedicated to bringing joyful and authentic Jewish experiences to their community.

She is inspired by family, friendship, stories of faith and bravery, and the quiet wisdom of the ocean.

Chana is passionate about combining creative expression with soulful intention to bring meaning to everyday life. My Inner Spark is her first book—so far. Purchase My Inner Spark here: www.innerspark.world.

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.

G-d's call to Avraham is the call to a life of openness, attention, inner transformation, self awareness and trust.

Lessons from Parshas Lech Lecha on finding the courage to answer the call of the open road, develop our inner worlds and step into the unknown.

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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 parenting coach Chani Heyman about imparting Jewish values to our children. We explore the importance of owning our own values fully, establishing routines for our children from a young age, and cultivating a strong emotional connection to each child through intentional quality time and physical touch. Chani emphasizes the need for parents to find their own love for Judaism and gives practical tools to create a positive environment that fosters a genuine relationship with each child, even as they transition into their teenage years.

Chani Heyman is a dynamic parenting coach, motivational speaker, educator, and Torah teacher who's passionate about empowering families to thrive. Originally from Los Angeles, Chani now calls Israel home. With a background rooted in the timeless wisdom of Rebbetzin Spetner and her own experiences as a mother of eight, Chani shares practical and inspiring guidance with parents worldwide.Through her engaging group classes, popular parenting column, and vibrant Instagram community @parentingwithchani, Chani sparks meaningful connections and helps families unlock their full potential.

Episode sponsored in honor of the shloshim of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Kalmenson from New Haven, Yosef Yitzchok ben Yekusiel Dovber ob"m.

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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.

How can precise spiritual language bring G-d to life in our lives? What happens when deep ideas become hollow, when holy words become strangers to the meaning they hold?

References:

"People of the Word" by Mendel Kalmenson, Zalman Abraham

"Chassidus Through the Eyes of a Psychotherapist" by Devori Nussbaum

Story of the Lubavitcher Rebbe re "House of Healing": https://www.chabad.org/blogs/blog_cdo/aid/1099296/jewish/A-Hospital-is-Not-a-House-of-the-Sick.htm

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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.

What does the biblical description of the world's creation have to teach us about our role in the world's future?

In a time of rapid technological change, our place in co-creating the development of reality has never felt more pressing.

Through an exploration of the converge of science and Torah and the deep lessons within our origin story in the book of Bereshit, we explore how we are each being called to co-create reality, what role divine acts have to play in awakening our interconnectedness, the importance of individuality in spiritual expression, and the renewed opportunities available to us within our world's continuous creation.

Charlotte Broukhim is a Jewish mom from Los Angeles who explores the intersections of Jewish mysticism, science, and politics. She studied comparative religion at Harvard, and her upcoming Substack will share practical reflections and insights at the crossroads of ancient wisdom and today’s world. Find her on instagram @cbroukhim and contact her at [email protected].

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EPISODE 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 https://share.fund/learn/

Explore their new book, an English translation of Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag’s Introduction to the Zohar: The Wisdom of Truth here: https://korenpub.com/products/introdu...

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 Introduction

03:15 When Judaism Began to Impact my Worldview

06:33 Where is Our Technological Development Leading Us?

8:47 Where Science and Torah Converge

12:00 Bringing G-d Consciousness into the Development of AI

16:00 The Wisdom of Shabbat in a Digital World

18:25 Divine Responsibility Keeps Us Tethered to a Global Reality

19:42 Why Should a Spiritual Life Include Divine Laws (Halachah)?

23:19 Four Levels of Understanding Truth

24:16 What is the Messianic Era?

26:20 Spiritual Knowledge Without Responsibility

28:23 Being Like Our Creator: The Greatest Pleasure is to Give

31:20 The First Verse of the Torah: Why Do We Begin With a Story?

32:50 Torah as a Description of Reality

33:13 The World Has a Beginning

34:30 G-d Spoke the World into Existence: What Does That Mean?

37:50 Why Isn't the First Verse of the Torah a Commandment?

38:15 Two Levels of Divine Light

39:30 Co-Creating a Future With G-d

41:00 Our Lives Are a Gift

43:00 The Illusion of Separateness

44:44 Individuality: Distinct Divine Light

47:00 Does Religion Mean Removing Channels for Self-Expression?

48:50 The Limitations of a Fixed Identity

50:08 Channeling Your Unique Soul

50:47 G-d Consciousness Brings Me Freedom

52:15 The Soul Vs. The Ego

53:40 This is Who I Am: Judaism Beyond Obligation

58:45 Mitzvot as Remembrances

1:00:00 Activating Your Power Through Divine Acts

1:01:54 You Are Not Measured Against Anyone But Yourself

1:04:10 Can We Experience Objective Truth?

1:07:30 Cancel Culture and the Power to Recreate Yourself

1:10:15 Teshuvah Was Created Before Creation

1:14:10 Did G-d Create the World and Then Leave It?

A historical, halachic and cultural exploration of women's celebration of Simchas Torah. Through a poll of women's experiences, a deep dive into relevant halachic and historical sources, and an analysis of Rabbi Shlomo Riskin's visit to the Lubavitcher Rebbe asking if the women of his community could dance with the Torah, we explore questions like:

Is Simchas Torah a “men’s holiday”? Is there an essential difference between men and women’s relationship to this day? How did the custom to dance with the Torah develop? Can women dance with the Torah? Should women dance at all?

Join us in exploring women's relationship to this joyful, celebratory holiday.

Sources:

The Diary of Samuel Pepys, entry for October 14, 1663

"Law as Love" by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

Shlomo Riskin, Listening to G-d (New Milford, CT: Maggid, 2010), pp.193-96

Lubavitcher Rebbe's letter to Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, 13 Kislev 1976

Rambam Hilchot Shofar V'sukka V'lulav 8:14

Chemdat Yamim III Sukka 8

"Dancing With the Torah" by Laurie Novick

R. Moshe Meiselman, Jewish Woman in Jewish Law (New York, 1978)

Shulchan Aruch OC 88

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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 Introduction: Why We're Exploring This Topic

02:49 What Simchas Torah Means to Me

05:24 Poll Results on Women's Experiences of Simchas Torah

7:00 Is There an Essential Difference Between Men and Women's Relationship to Dancing on Simchas Torah?

9:39 Participating Through Watching

10:32 Being a Bystander

11:18 The Pain of Alienation

13:39 Why Do Women Dance?

14:40 What Motivates Women's Desire to Dance With the Torah?

17:20 When Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Went to Ask the Lubavitcher Rebbe's Advice

21:18 The Lubavitcher Rebbe's Retraction

23:50 When Samuel Pepys Visited a Synagogue in 1663

25:30 The Evolution of the Tradition of Dancing

29:11 What is the Barrier to Women Dancing with the Torah?

31:10 Diversity of Rabbinic Perspectives on the Topic

32:40 Exploring the Custom Women Took Upon Themselves Not to Touch the Torah

39:15 Recognizing the Nuances of this Topic

41:30 Women Yearning to Dance with the Torah

43:55 Cultural Impact of Each Woman's Experience

45:00 Ensuring a Vibrant Women's Section

47:00 Simchas Torah Belongs to the Entire Jewish People

How do we access joy when the world feels heavy?

How do we lean into joy amidst collective anguish, grief, and global uncertainty?

As we enter the holiday of Sukkos, the time of our joy, we are asked to celebrate. But what does it look like to celebrate honestly, without ignoring the ache of our times?

In this episode, we explore how Sukkos offers a model of Jewish joy that honors the emotional complexity of life.

A joy that is not about denying our pain, but about making a courageous, spiritual choice: to recognize the divine presence and be moved by it, to root more deeply into our communal spaces and our responsibility for one another, and to bring our sorrow to the dance floor, trusting in its ultimate healing.

Sources:

Chapter 33, Tanya by the Alter Rebbe

"I Praised Happiness" by Rabbi Shagar

"Catharsis" by Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik

Likutei Moharan, Part II 23:1:2

Rabbi Isaac Luria, Pri Etz Hayim, Sukkot

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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 meditation to open us up to the profound spiritual potential of Yom Kippur — the day of G-d's ultimate love. Together, we explore what it means for the day to atone, and how we might be softened and expanded by our encounter with Hashem.

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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 raw conversation with Sara Mayberg, we explore Sara's personal process of Teshuvah and the path back to her divine soul, as someone who was already committed to her Jewish practice. We discuss how the inherent nature of the divine soul is to want G-d, how Sara began to develop a visceral experience of trust, and how grief can crack us open in transformative ways.

Other topics explored: how financial struggles can be invitations to lean on G-d, the significance of community in the path back to ourselves, learning to see the divine in others, the ongoing process of return, and the journey to reclaiming a sense of choice in our Judaism and relationships.

Sara can be contacted 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.

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TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 Reconnecting with Joy

01:26 The Journey of Trust and Divine Connection

03:45 Awakening Through Relationships

07:49 The Catalyst of Darkness

11:04 Surrendering to the Void

14:56 Finding G-d in Material Insecurity

20:15 Navigating Financial Strain and Trust

22:41 Grieving and Embracing New Perspectives

29:31The Ongoing Conversation with Hashem

32:28 Experiencing Hashem Within and Around Us

34:18 Integrating Knowledge into the Body

36:34 The Role of Prayer and Learning in Personal Growth

38:59 Understanding the Animal and Divine Souls

42:26 Compassion and Connection in Healing

45:12 Seeing the Divine in Others

48:37 Building Community and Support

50:27 Reconnecting with Judaism and Mitzvot

52:59 The Process of Teshuvah and Reclaiming Choice

55:53 Acceptance and Compassion in Relationships

59:04 Trusting the Power of Our Souls

01:00:58 Letting Go to Make Space for What's Next

01:02:12 "I Love You"

Elul and the high holidays are a period of introspection and self accounting. In this conversation with Matti Banon, we discuss the Chassidic perspective on gentle growth, what it looks like to live our lives with agency while remaining humble enough to recognize our recurring flaws, the balance between intellect and emotion, the transformative power of compassion and curiosity, and the parenting truths that can guide us in becoming more whole ourselves.

Matti Banon is a campus shlucha in Montreal who enjoys learning and delving into topics like marriage and parenting through the lens of Chassidus. Her children are her biggest helpers when it comes to her shlichus and self growth. She can be reached at [email protected]

References:

Story of the Baal Shem Tov & the shofar: https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/3080/jewish/The-Master-Key.htm

Chapter 27 of the Tanya (the sweet & spicy paths): https://www.chabad.org/library/tanya/tanya_cdo/aid/7906/jewish/Chapter-27.htm

More about Reb Levi Yitzchok of Berdichev: https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1007604/jewish/A-Brief-Biography.htm

The 4 Body System: https://a.co/d/djfpzDu

Parenting reference: Blimieheller.com

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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 Introduction and Personal Background

01:53 The Essence of Parenting and Nurturing

05:13 Leading Ourselves: The Journey of Self-Discovery

10:03 Awareness and Compassion: The First Steps

14:42 The Role of Emotions in Personal Growth

19:52 The Chassidic Balance of Intellect and Emotion

24:48 Transforming the Inner Critic

29:43 Discipline and Connection in Parenting

34:33 Embracing Imperfection and Growth

39:27 The Importance of Compassion in Relationships

44:34 Curiosity and Self-Exploration

49:06 Final Thoughts