By Rabbi Ilan
Wisdom & Inspiration for the Journey Ahead
Welcome back, friends. Thanks for tuning in to the Torah of Life podcast. In this episode, I recap my January adventures and teaching opportunities and share some of the key highlights I learned along the way. It's beautiful to be a part of...
A short bit of wisdom for you... It's amazing what lessons you can learn just from opening your eyes and paying attention. Yesterday the leaves taught me something, and I hope they'll teach you as well. Thanks for listening to the Torah...
Welcome back my friends to the Torah of Life podcast. So glad to be back with you. It's been too long! In this episode, I share with you where I've been, what I've been up to, and what I'm hoping to do...
Thanks for listening to the Torah of Life podcast. Sorry for the post so quick to Shabbat (on the East coast anyway). Here's a quick teaching about why life sometimes feels so hard. Why do we get all these tests anyway? Shouldn't...
Freedom! Finally, after generations of slavery, the Israelites leave Egypt, cross the sea, and escape the shackles of tyranny that had been binding them. Their freedom is hard-earned, and almost didn't happen. A clever marketing trick by the Holy One kept...
Friends, What do we do when darkness surrounds us? When we can't find a way forward, we can feel paralyzed, stuck, stranded on a deserted island of complicated choices and realties. How can we find our way out of the darkness? A surprising comment...
Here we are, it's 2019, and the Torah of Life podcast is back and better than ever! Why have I been silent since Thanksgiving? Listen to this episode for an update on the book I've been writing! (OMG, I wrote a...
Happy Thanksgiving! What are your Thanksgiving traditions? Food? Football? Family and friends? Getting ready for Black Friday? Whatever your traditions are, I hope it's a wonderful day for you. Didn't you always want to know why Thanksgiving is on Thursday? And who started Thanksgiving...
Welcome back to the Torah of Life podcast. Thanks for listening. The unspeakable tragedy in Pittsburgh last Shabbat left so many at a loss for words. How could this happen? Will it happen again? Are we safe in America? What has become of...
Welcome back to the Torah of Life podcast. Thanks for listening. In this episode I share a commentary which talks about the destruction of Sodom and Amorah can teach us about the people who live there, and about the effects that...
Welcome back to the Torah of Life podcast. Thanks for listening. Over there, it'll be better over there! All I have to do is sign on the dotted line and all will be well, right? How often have we convinced ourselves that...
Welcome back to the Torah of Life podcast. Thanks for listening. As I was reading the story of Noah today, I realized something I'd never seen before. Ever since I was young I was told the story of Noah and how he...
Welcome back to the Torah of Life podcast. Thanks for listening. Congratulations on making it through another High Holiday season! Now we've made it into 5779, and we begin the Torah with fresh eyes. The beginning chapters of the Torah describe the...
Welcome back to the Torah of Life podcast. Thanks for listening. Wait, there are MORE Jewish holidays this week? Really? Haven't we had enough? Well, just a few more days, but don't skip over these last days! Shemini Atzeret is, according to today's...
Welcome back to the Torah of Life podcast. Thanks for listening. Thanks again to those of you who've been listening for the last year. As I shared in the last podcast, it's been a topsy-turvy journey learning about podcasting, life, and Torah....
Holy moly, we've reached the 1st birthday of the Torah of Life podcast! What an amazing year of learning and growth it has been as we continue growing this podcast and making it even more amazing than it is. In this episode,...
How do we forgive others for the harm they've done to us? What about those terrible actions that are truly unforgivable? How do we let go of those, or at least learn to carry them differently? I was honored to chat last...
Welcome back to the Torah of Life podcast. Thanks for listening. What gets us through the difficult times? Our Torah and Haftarah readings imply that when we surrender ourselves to God, and believe that God is with us, then God will...
Welcome back to the Torah of Life podcast. Thanks for listening. When a holiday comes, we are often happy to celebrate it with family and friends. What happens when we our family or friends have died and they can't be with...
If we feel we have gone astray from God, or from being who we want to be in the world, how do we return? If our life circumstances have taken us down a road which doesn't support us, how can we...
Welcome back to the Torah of Life podcast. Thanks for listening. In these weeks leading up to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, many Jews focus on our tradition's call for teshuvah, which asks us to examine our lives, identify our shortcomings,...
Welcome back to the Torah of Life podcast. Thanks for listening. Here's a question, since Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur are coming: If I follow all the rules of public ritual and community, can I do whatever I want inside my own...
Welcome back to the Torah of Life podcast. Thanks for listening. Yesterday was Chai Elul, an auspicious day on the Jewish calendar. The 18th of the month of Elul is the birthday of Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer, the Baal Shem Tov,...
If you want to get ahead in life, you have to learn from those who've already succeeded. Last Wednesday, I was privileged to learn from Gary V and Tony Robbins at Success Resources's National Achievers Congress. I've been a fan...
Welcome back to the Torah of Life podcast. Thanks for listening. This week's Torah reading talks about a whole host of issues, including what happens when we make a vow to God. Simply put, the Torah says that if we make a...
Welcome back to the Torah of Life podcast. Thanks for listening. Have you been enjoying these interviews? I've loved spending time with great Jewish thinkers and activists. I learn so much from them each week. If you haven't listened to the...
Welcome back to the Torah of Life podcast. Thanks for listening. Some days we just don't have the energy to face life as we normally want. Some days we get behind on the bills and the to-do lists, and somedays we're in...
Welcome back to the Torah of Life podcast. Thanks for listening. This week we read Parshat Shoftim, which focuses on judges and an orderly rule of law. It happens to be the 26th anniversary of my Bar Mitzvah, and I will hopefully...
Welcome back to the Torah of Life podcast. Thanks for listening. This week's interview is with Dr. Daniel Unowsky, who teaches at the University of Memphis. Professor Unowsky's latest work, The Plunder, examines several months of anti-Jewish violence in Hapsburg...
How should we respond when hate comes to town, when people question our very right to exist? Yesterday was the "Unite the Right 2" rally in Washington, DC. Its organizers wanted to promote their toxic worldview which speaks for the rights...
This week's Torah reading says that all will be well once we enter the promised land and build God's house. Today, when there is no central location of the Jewish people, where is God to be found? How can we connect...
Thanks for listening to the Torah of Life podcast, your home for transformational wisdom from a Jewish lens. My guest this week is Rabbi Lauren Tuchman, who is recently ordained from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. Rabbi Lauren is the first...
Why are we so hard on ourselves when things don't go exactly the way we think they should? Why are we so willing to be hard on ourselves in ways we wouldn't be to anyone else? Can we find the strength to...
Thanks for listening to the Torah of Life podcast, your home for transformational wisdom from a Jewish lens. Rules. There are so many of them. Shouldn't life be easier and without so many rules? Shouldn't religion be easier without so...
Greetings, friends, My friend and teacher Rabbi Moshe Givental heard the call and is on an inspiring journey from Boston to Detroit. In today's interview he shares why he's on the move, and why we all need to commit to raising awareness...
Thanks for listening to today's episode of the Torah of Life podcast. Every Monday I'll be releasing a short motivational snippet for you to think about as you begin your week. Each Wednesday an interview will release, and every Friday I'll share...
