Human & Holy

The Shofar is a call to face your own desire. Its explosive call on Rosh Hashanah is an invitation to be awoken to the depths within us, to witness the divine desire with which G-d created the world, and to have the courage to face the gaps between where we are and what we truly want.

Source: Likkutei Torah Tiku Bachodesh, Parshas Netzavim, pg. 106

SPONSOR:

Sponsored in honor of Malka Mayasha bat Esther, for a year of blessings and joy.

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 The Call of the Shofar: Awakening the Soul's Desire

02:48 Rosh Hashanah: Renewal and Connection

06:08 Understanding G-d's Desire: The Essence of Creation

08:47 Two Levels of Divine Will

11:55 The Gift of Rupture: Awakening Your Depths

14:47 The Courage to Face Our True Desires

18:07 Meeting G-d: The Divine Invitation on Rosh Hashanah

In this conversation, Gitty Hecht shares her transformative journey from a well-known makeup artist to a spiritual leader, exploring her relationship with G-d and the evolution of her self-worth. She explores moving from a fear-based connection with G-d to one of secure attachment and intimacy, the importance of embracing one's gifts, overcoming fear, dismantling self-imposed pedestals of spiritual leadership, and embracing her current role with humility and authenticity. Gitty emphasizes that everyone has something to offer to the world as they are and that the impact of our actions can resonate deeply, even if we don't always see it.

Gitty Hecht is a Rebbetzin, speaker, and educator based in Queens, NY.

Find more of her work here: https://linktr.ee/gittyhecht

Explore her online courses here: https://stan.store/GittyHecht

Contact her at [email protected].

Find her on instagram @gittyhecht

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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:

00:00:00 - Guest Intro & Life Journey

00:05:10 - Post-Divorce Transformation

10:35:00 - Shame, Vulnerability, and G-d

14:05:00 - Evolving Faith: From Fear to Connection

21:58:00 - G-d's Unconditional Love

27:12:00 - Finding Love & Safety

00:30:39 - Dismantling the Pedestal of Spiritual Leadership

34:35:00 - Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

41:00:00 - Torah Study & Leadership

Season Six is live! In today's episode, I share my vision for this new season of the podcast, some Torah about the birthday of the Baal Shem Tov and Alter Rebbe, and the ways our diversity is a reflection of the inherent oneness woven through G-d, Torah, and the Jewish people.

Source: a talk on Chai Elul given by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, recorded in Likutei Sichos, Vol. 24

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If you believe in Human & Holy's work, consider partnering with us! 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 the first episode of Season 6, we sit down with three women, Sophia Rivka Rossi, Shaina Liberow-Schmukler, and Adira Shiff-Kest, to explore the impact of Chassidic wisdom on their individual experiences of Teshuvah and their process of returning to their divine souls. We explore the power of emotional honesty, humor, and even anger in our relationship with G-d, the importance of maintaining our own individual voices and what it looks like to truly choose G-d throughout life.

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 Share.Fund.

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/introduction-to-the-zohar?srsltid=AfmBOooH7_qO1p7rBV6KCczFMDV3aeErxeHI67zRImb1g0hh2e3tUBqL

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 & Share Sponsorship

02:49 Celebrating Chai Elul and the Impact of Chassidus

05:43 When Judaism Entered My Inner World

09:02 Understanding Teshuvah: A Return to Self

11:58 How the Tanya Impacted Me

14:47 G-d is Underneath the Pain

17:40 Emotional Honesty in a Relationship with G-d

27:16 The Power of Holy Anger

29:37 Being a Voice of Moral Courage

32:19 The Zigzags of Life

34:45 Finding Stillness in a Busy World

38:35 There's More to You

41:45 A Jewish Experience of Joy

45:48 Owning My Jewish Identity in Public

49:00 The Ideas That Changed Me

49:53 From One Soul to Another

What if your relationship with G-d wasn't just in your head and heart, but lived in your entire body?

Shimona Tzukernik, a somatic therapist and Torah teacher, describes the bridge between intellectual faith and visceral spiritual experience.

How can we transform the visceral resistance we feel towards certain mitzvos?

How can we lean into the body’s experience of a joyful, jewish life?

Human & Holy is currently on a season break. Season Six airs on Sunday, September 7!

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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 - Visceral Experience of God

0:36 - Meet Shimona Tzukernik

2:24 - Shimona's Pivot to Somatic Therapy

5:38 - What is Somatic Therapy? Understanding Body-Stored Memories

10:29 - Visceral Yiddishkeit: Feeling Judaism in Your Body

19:21 - "Your Head is Heaven" - Integrating Mind & Body Faith

23:27 - Hair Covering Example: Physical Mitzvah Resistance

30:03 - Hiddur Mitzvah: Engaging All Five Senses

34:34 - Mitzvahs vs. Metaverse: Staying Grounded in Physical Reality

37:54 - The Magic of Jewish Living & Repetitive Spiritual Experiences

45:29 - Fight or Flight: Watching Emotions Flow Through You

48:58 - Dealing with Dissociation During Spiritual Moments

50:44 - Kavanah & Presence: Being Fully There with Hashem

53:54 - Integration & Synthesis of Body-Soul Connection

54:42 - Final Thoughts

What happens when kindness runs unchecked? In this re-aired episode of Human & Holy, we sit down with Miriam Cohen to explore the deep spiritual journey of over-giving, codependency, and emotional depletion—and how Jewish wisdom offers a path to healing.

Season Six launches on Sunday, Sep. 7! ✨

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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.

While Human & Holy is currently on a season break, we're revisiting some of our most meaningful conversations from seasons past.

This week's episode rerun is a conversation with Ester Zirkind, exploring the concept of Moach Shalit al Halev, the mind ruling over the heart. In a personal accounting of this idea, Ester speaks about the importance of our emotions in the equation. Using the mind to guide the heart is not about suppressing emotions. It’s a spiritual reframe: how to honor your heart while allowing your mind to gently lead the way.

Stay tuned for Season 6 landing on Sunday, Sep. 7 ✨

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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: Season Break & Re-airing Beloved Episodes

01:00 – Meet Ester Zirkind: Educator, Author, and Shlucha

02:15 – What Is Moach Shalit al Halev? The Mind Governing the Heart

04:00 – Growing Up Emotional in a Culture of Emotional Restraint

05:40 – Shame Around Sensitivity: A Personal Struggle

07:00 – Discovering the Enneagram & Sefirot Connection

09:00 – Finding Her Place: Embracing Tiferes and Deep Feeling

10:30 – The Path to True Self-Understanding and Emotional Leadership

12:00 – Why Naming Feelings Is the Key to Mastering Them

13:45 – Teaching Girls to “Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway”

15:00 – The Power of Regulated Emotion in Conscious Living

16:45 – Accepting Differences: Understanding Others Through Soul Roots

18:00 – Esther’s Book: A Memoir Born of Midlife and Honesty

19:30 – Four Years of Illness, Grief, and Redemption

21:15 – The Life and Loss of Baruch Menachem Mendel

23:00 – Choosing Risk, Choosing Life: A Mother's Courage

24:45 – Battling Illness While Rebuilding Faith

26:15 – The Power of a Supportive Marriage

27:30 – Choosing Gratitude Over Bitterness

29:00 – On Missing Eretz Yisrael and Spiritual Longing

30:30 – Disappointment, Bitterness, and Faith in Divine Timing

32:00 – The Balance Between Emotion and Intuition

33:30 – How Do You Know If You’re Getting It Right?

35:00 – Give Yourself Time: Practical Emotional Guidance

36:30 – Respecting Your Process, History, and Emotions

38:00 – Grieving Honestly as a Path to Healing

39:15 – The Pain Is a Pathway: Choosing to Feel and Grow

40:20 – Final Reflections

What does it actually look like to internalize the identity of the soul as our own? To approach our own reflection with a deep understanding of our essence, of the way it does not hinge on anything but the piece of G-d inside? In this episode, Shterna Ginsberg explores how to stop depending on others for your sense of self and find the infinite worth that lies within.||

To find more of Shterna's work, visit www.energizedliving.org.

To sponsor an episode, please visit humanandholy.com/sponsor or email us at [email protected].

Human & Holy is currently on a season break. This episode originally aired in June 2022.

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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 - The Search for Sense of Self

0:36 - Meet Shterna Ginsberg

1:47 - What is the Neshama?

2:59 - Roots vs. Fruits: Why We Miss Our Essence

4:34 - The Self-Care Problem: No Self to Care For

6:09 - How to Bridge Concept to Experience

7:21 - Hidden Hashem in a "Realistic" World

8:07 - Power Dynamics: Who Controls Your Life?

10:57 - Healthy vs. Unhealthy Dependency

11:48 - The Inner Island of Love & Dignity

13:41 - The Bell Story: Faith Must Be Practiced

16:08 - Chochma, Bina, Das: Three Steps to Integration

18:32 - Dealing with Inner Resistance & Toxic Self-Talk

19:29 - Setting Up Your Internal "Fire Department"

20:45 - The Shaitel Story: Practical Soul Identity

22:37 - Essence vs. Personality: What's Really You?

25:40 - "Just Be Nice"

26:38 - No Excuses for Not Shining Your Light

28:18 - Marriage Without a Self: The Dangerous Dynamic

30:14 - "I'll Give You Everything for a Sense of Self"

32:40 - Parenting from Wholeness vs. Neediness

34:16 - The Apple Story: When Identity Depends on Details

36:10 - Unconditional Love Requires Soul-Centered Identity

38:21 - Root of All Problems

40:45 - "You Are Worthy" - Empty vs. Soul-Based Truth

43:08 - The Virtual Reality Experiment

46:27 - Living in Hashem's Reality vs. Virtual Reality

48:44 - Breaking Through the Barrier

50:35 - Practical Integration: Using Daily Mitzvos

52:28 - The Bell System: Connecting Dots in Your Day

54:04 - Who Is the Self?

Freidy Yanover speaks about our challenges being signs that can direct us towards the next step of our journey. If we are open, we can allow them to nudge us more deeply into our lives and relationships with G-d. If we are open, we can allow them to nudge us more deeply into our lives and relationships with G-d.

This episode originally aired in Feb., 2022

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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: Season Break

01:10 – Freidy’s Story Begins: From Chassidic Home to Spiritual Awakening

02:45 – Chassidic Thought vs. Chassidic Lifestyle

04:30 – The Turning Point: Tragedy and the Birth of Conscious Connection

06:15 – Asking “What Now?” Instead of “Why Me?”

08:00 – A Letter to the Rebbe—and a Life-Changing Response

10:30 – From Challenge to Clarity: The Path to Purpose

12:45 – Understanding Nisayon as a Path to Nes (Miracle)

15:20 – Flags in the Desert: Imagery, Identity, and Divine Direction

17:00 – Mourning Honestly While Seeking Meaning

19:00 – From Personal Loss to Helping Others Heal

21:00 – The Need for Constant Renewal in Our Relationship With Hashem

26:00 – Learning at 4am: Motherhood, Torah, and the Drive to Go Deeper

28:30 – Every Life Has Challenge, So Every Life Has Opportunity

30:20 – Going Deeper in Torah Study: Not Just Reading, But Absorbing

32:45 – How Footnotes & Sources Unlock Spiritual Depth

34:40 – Advice for the Woman Living in Challenge: Feel First, Then Ask “What”

36:30 – Our Mind and Heart Are Meant to Work Together

38:00 – What Flag Is G-d Waving in Your Life?

While we take a season break, we’re bringing back this conversation with Rus Devora Wallen, who shares her own experience with a stroke, and lessons from her clients on how the greatest descents in our lives are often a preparation and a catalyst for unparalleled ascent.

Find more of Rus Devorah’s work on toratherapeutics.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

0:00 - Introduction

1:55 - Meet Devora Wallen: Licensed Clinical Social Worker

3:25 - Understanding Yerida L'Tzorech Aliyah (Descent for Ascent)

5:46 - The Stroke Story: Shavuos Morning Crisis

7:26 - Emergency Signs: When Something Goes Wrong

9:50 - Hospital Experience & Spiritual Tools

12:15 - The Turning Point: Gratitude & Second Life1

3:44 - Physical Transformation: Better Than Age 25

15:26 - Managing High Energy Positively

18:11 - Client Story: Postpartum Psychosis Recovery

21:07 - Mirror Neurons & Relationship Dynamics

23:41 - Unexpected Healing: Tourette's Syndrome Improvement

24:44 - The Three-Legged Stool: Mind, Body, Soul

26:36 - Depression

29:02 - Caring for Aging Parents & Life Changes

30:43 - The Bike Ride Breakthrough

31:41 - Moving Creates Motivation

34:14 - Mitzvah Leads to Mitzvah

35:20 - Three-Legged Stool Method Explained

37:35 - Bedtime Breathing Contest Technique

39:45 - Basic Breathing for Beginners

41:12 - Live Meditation Demonstration Begins

45:01 - Post-Meditation Discussion & Benefits

46:54 - Mental Muscle Training & Daily Practice

48:14 - Meditation as Mental Exercise, Not Relaxation

49:30 - Closing Thoughts