In this episode of More to the Story, I speak about the double Parsha of Behar-Bechukosai which tells of the mitzvah of Shemitah, the commandment to let the land rest.

I talk about the force of productivity, survival, and financial striving, what I describe as “the river” that so many of us get pulled into, and how Shabbos, Shemitah, and the feminine energy all come to interrupt that flow and remind us to step back into alignment. I reflect on rest as an act of faith, the willingness to loosen our grip and remember where our sustenance truly comes from.

I also speak about Yovel, the year when slaves go free and land returns to its rightful owner, and what it means to reclaim the parts of ourselves we may have handed over to fear, shame, overwork, or control.

I speak about the blessings and consequences described in details in Bechukosai, and how I no longer experience them as punishments from G-d, but as the natural spiritual consequences of alignment or disconnection.

Lea

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In this episode, I reflect on Parshas Emor and the laws of the Kohanim, the priests who were asked to live with a higher level of awareness, purity, and service.

I speak about the Kohen who had a blemish and was not able to serve in the same way as the others, but was still given a holy role through eating from the offerings. For me, this opens a deeper question about the parts of us that feel disqualified, limited, or wounded, and whether those places might still carry a mission of their own.

I also explore the festivals in this Parsha, the role of joy, receiving, marriage, safety, and what it means to create rituals that allow more light to enter our homes and bodies.

If there is a part of you that feels too blemished to belong, this episode is an invitation to see that it may still be part of the offering.

Lea

Below is the link to the series of classes on the Mamar of the Tzemach Tzedek taught by Rabbi YY Jacobson "Kohen Baal Mum”, mentioned in this week’s episode:

https://www.theyeshiva.net/jewish/category/1697/series/chassidus-morning-class-series/derech-mitzvosecha-kohen-baal-mum

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In this episode, I discuss Parshas Acharei Mos-Kedoshim, which name indicates the shift from “after death” into holiness.

I speak about desire, how powerful it is, and what happens when it isn’t held with awareness. The Torah offers very clear boundaries, and I’m beginning to understand them not as punishment, but as protection - a way of preserving life and keeping us aligned with something higher.

I also reflect on the tension between longing for closeness to G-d and the responsibility to stay grounded in this world, and what it means to bring holiness into our everyday lives, not just in sacred moments, but in how we speak, relate, and show up.

This Parsha also brings up difficult realities around sexuality. I touch on the places we don’t usually speak about - harm, silence, and the ways darkness can exist within individuals and communities. For me, this is part of the work: not looking away, but learning how to face what’s real while still believing in healing, accountability, and the possibility of return.

Because holiness isn’t created by avoiding what’s broken, but by meeting it with truth, clarity, and the courage to transform it.

Lea

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In this episode of More to the Story, I reflect on the Parsha of Tazria–Metzora and the way the Torah describes a process where something internal begins to reveal itself externally in the body, in the home, and in the life a person is living.

I speak about how we often respond to what surfaces by trying to manage or fix what is visible, without turning toward what is actually being revealed beneath it. The Parsha offers a different framework, one that sees this exposure not as punishment, but as a blessing and part of a process that brings what is out of alignment into view.

The Torah then speaks about the purity of the mikvah for certain circumstances. I speak about the mitzvah of mikvah and the process of the female cycle, not only as a halachic structure, but as a rhythm of return. A space where a woman is held, where what has been carried can be released, and where there is a sense of protection of not taking in what does not belong, of creating a boundary from negative energy, and re-entering from a place of clarity and connection.

This Parsha becomes an invitation to move through the process as it’s given, to see, to recognize, and to continue toward alignment.

Lea

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In this episode, I reflect on Parshas Tzav, Shabbos Hagadol, and the days leading into Pesach. I speak about the fire on the alter that could never go out, what it means in our own lives to stay alive and connected, and why numbness is often more dangerous than struggle.

I explore the idea of the ashes we carry from what we’ve been through, and how even what feels burned or lost still holds something holy. I also speak about Egypt as an inner state: the beliefs and patterns that tell us we are stuck, that things cannot change, and that this is just how it is.

This week is not only about waiting for miracles. It is about becoming someone who can hold them. I reflect on the role of women in redemption, and what it means to live with enough faith, presence, and openness to allow something new to be born.

If there is a place in your life that feels shut down, this episode is an invitation to return to your fire.

Lea

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In this episode, I reflect on Parshas Vayikra and the deeper meaning of Korbanos. The root of korban is karov: to draw close. What looks, on the surface, like sacrifice is really Torah’s language for return: the movement back into relationship with Hashem, with our own soul, and with the parts of ourselves we have learned to fear or reject.

I speak about what it means to stop reading these offerings as something distant and ancient, and to begin receiving them as instruction for inner life now. I explore how anger, grief, pain, fear, shame, guilt, and even hope can be brought to the altar of the heart and transformed into something holy.

I also reflect on what it means to leave survival mode and begin living as though redemption is already near, not only in history, but in the nervous system, in the home, and in the smallest moments of safety and connection.

Lea

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In this episode, I reflect on the powerful connection between the story of Purim and Parshas Ki Tisa.

The Torah brings us to one of the most painful moments in Jewish history: the sin of the Golden Calf. Why would the Torah preserve this story so publicly, our greatest betrayal, recorded for generations?

Through the courage of Esther and the leadership of Moshe, we explore a deeper truth: that even after failure, the relationship between G-d and the Jewish people can be rebuilt with greater love.

I speak about the feminine voice that rises through Esther, the courage to reclaim our voice in the face of darkness, and why Amalek always tries to silence that voice.

From the holiness of the Mishkan to the rhythm of Shabbos, Ki Tisa teaches us that serving G-d is not only found in spiritual moments, but in the physical details of everyday life.

Lea

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In this episode, I explore Parshat Tetzave and what it means that the Kohen is clothed before he serves. The Torah details every thread, every stone, every garment, and through it, teaches us something about dignity, identity, and spiritual agency.

I speak about 7 Adar and Moshe Rabbeinu as the archetype of redemption within us. I reflect on Amalek as the voice of doubt that weakens us from the inside, and on the teaching that we are no longer meant to serve G-d from being crushed, but from abundance.

Tetzave invites us to reconsider our relationship with clothing, food, and the ordinary rhythms of life. Holiness is not only found in elevated spaces, it waits for us in the mundane.

Lea

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In this episode, I explore what it means to build a Mishkan, not only in the desert, but within ourselves.

The Torah begins Terumah with the invitation: “Take for Me a contribution from every person whose heart moves them to give.” I reflect on the power of ratzon, our will, as the foundation of marriage, adulthood, and divine service. A sanctuary cannot be built from obligation alone. It must come from the heart.

We walk through the vessels of the Mishkan and their parallel within the human body: the Aron as the heart, the Menorah as the mind, the Shulchan as nourishment, the beams as our inner structure. I speak about reclaiming desire, maturing beyond our younger parts, and building a home where G-d can truly dwell.

Terumah is not only about gold and wood. It is about becoming a vessel that wants to give.

Lea

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In this episode, we return to Har Sinai, but not to the thunder and revelation, but to what came next.

Parshas Mishpatim moves us from the ecstasy of receiving the Torah into the detailed laws that shape a holy society. I explore what it means that immediately after Sinai, we are given laws about slavery, dignity, financial responsibility, protecting the vulnerable, honoring parents, and guarding the integrity of our communities.

These laws can feel technical or even uncomfortable. But beneath them is something deeply tender: G-d showing us the structure required for His presence to dwell among us.

Mishpatim asks: What kind of world are we building? Are we creating space for compassion, accountability, and protection of the widow, the orphan, and the convert? Are we strong enough to hold both the fire of revelation and the discipline of law?

Lea

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