Yoni's Sofa

Yoni's Sofa

By Yonathan Lev CiottaEducationSelf-Improvement
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Yoni's Sofa episodes

  • The Three Sisters: Dancing Through the End of the Holidays

    Sukkot ends… but the story doesn’t. In this extra-long episode of Yoni’s Sofa, we meet the final three characters of the High Holiday season: Hoshanah Rabbah, Shemini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah — three strange and beautiful sisters who each hold a key to joy, depth, and Jewish survival.
    From leafy circles and divine goodbyes to wild dancing with scrolls, this is the grand finale you didn’t know you needed. Pull up a seat. The rain is coming, but the joy is staying.

    📬 Contact: [email protected]

    10 min
  • Sukkot – Fragile Walls, Unbreakable Joy

    Sukkot may be the strangest Jewish holiday — it asks us to leave our sturdy homes, move into a shaky hut, wave a bunch of plants around, and… be happy? In this joyful episode of Yoni’s Sofa, we explore the deeper meaning of sitting in the sukkah, the strange beauty of the arba minim, the contrast between fragility and faith — and why this holiday might just be the most honest celebration of joy we have.
    Reach for your raincoat, pour some hot tea, and pull up a seat under the stars.

    📬 Contact: [email protected]

    8 min
  • Yom Kippur - A Feast for the Soul


    Yom Kippur is not a day of sadness — it’s a day of joy, clarity, and closeness to HaShem. In this extended special episode, recorded the morning before the fast begins, we dive into the spiritual power of Yom Kippur: the meaning behind the five restrictions, the beauty of teshuva, the quiet intimacy of Ne’ilah, and why this “Day of Atonement” is also called a Day Like Purim.
    Pull up a seat on Yoni’s Sofa, and let’s talk heart to heart before the gates close.

    📬 Contact: [email protected]

    10 min
  • Nitzavim – We Are All Standing Here, Even You

    This week’s Torah portion, Nitzavim, begins with a powerful image: the entire nation standing together. Chiefs and woodchoppers. Elders and water drawers. Everyone. Even… you.

    On this episode of Yoni’s Sofa, we explore what it really means to belong — to be counted — even when we feel invisible or far away.Spoiler alert: your name is already in the book.

    📩 Write me anytime: ⁠[email protected]⁠🛋️ A Torah podcast for strong Jewish souls

    6 min
  • Ki Tavo – Blessings, Curses, and the Art of Showing Up

    Parashat Ki Tavo is full of high drama — blessings shouted from one mountain, curses from another. But behind all the noise is something deeply personal: the choice to show up, to bring your story, to serve with joy.

    This week on Yoni’s Sofa, we explore the heart of what it means to be present — with HaShem, with ourselves, and with our people. Because sometimes the smallest rituals carry the biggest truths.

    📩 Write me at: [email protected]
    🛋️ New episodes weekly

    7 min
  • Ki Teitzei – Don’t Trip Over a Mitzvah (Literally)

    Ki Teitzei is packed with 74 mitzvot — from returning lost donkeys to putting fences on your roof. Sounds random? It’s not.
    This week on Yoni’s Sofa, we explore how even your forgetfulness can be a mitzvah, why your roof needs Torah, and how everyday acts of kindness are actually sacred.
    It’s light, funny, warm — and a reminder that holiness hides in the details.

    📩 Write me anytime at [email protected]
    🛋️ New episodes weekly

    5 min
  • Slichot – The Prayer Before the Prayer

    In this episode of Yoni’s Sofa, we talk about Slichot — the quiet, early-morning prayers that soften our hearts before the High Holidays. Why do we whisper before we cry out? Why do some communities begin a full month before Rosh Hashanah?

    Join Yoni on the sofa to explore how Selichot prepares the soul — not with pressure, but with presence. Through stories, melodies, and personal reflection, this episode is a loving invitation to return, even before we feel ready.

    ☁️ Sit down. Take a breath. Let the teshuvah begin gently.

    📩 Write me at: [email protected]

    7 min
  • Shoftim – Justice, But Not Without Kindness

    Justice, justice you shall pursue. But what if justice alone is not enough?
    This week on Yoni’s Sofa, we slow down and explore Parashat Shoftim — not as a courtroom drama, but as a heart-centered search for balance.
    We talk about integrity, empathy, and the gentle power of becoming trustworthy in a world full of noise.

    📩 Contact: [email protected]

    5 min
  • Elul - Preparing the Heart

    Elul is not loud. It whispers.
    This special episode walks through the month of return — Teshuvah — as a soft, honest, human invitation to come back to yourself, to HaShem, and to what truly matters.
    We talk about the shofar, the love in “Ani leDodi veDodi li,” and how to begin again — gently, truthfully, and without shame.

    📩 Contact: [email protected]

    8 min
  • Re'eh - Freedom Is a Choice

    What does it mean to truly be free?
    In Parashat Re’eh, the Torah sets before us a choice: blessing or curse. But this isn’t about rewards or punishments — it’s about becoming conscious, moral, awake.
    In a world full of distractions and noise, this episode explores the courage it takes to choose clarity, generosity, and spiritual freedom.

    📩 Contact: [email protected]

    9 min

About Yoni's Sofa

From the publisher's feed

“Yoni’s Sofa” is your cozy space to pause, reflect, and connect with the weekly Torah portion and Jewish wisdom. Each episode invites you to sit down with Yoni for a heartfelt conversation — weaving together parasha insights, timeless values, and personal reflections, all in clear and accessible English.