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.

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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