Human & Holy
Human & Holy
Tonia Chazanow
Honest, spiritual conversations to unravel the essence of the human experience. Exploring Jewish & Chassidic wisdom, women's Torah, and the lived experience of Judaism. Hosted by Tonia Chazanow. Learn more about Human & Holy's work at humanandholy.com.
The Moment that Stuck | Rachel Jacobs: Why Numbers Don't Measure Success
Human & Holy is on a season break for the rest of the summer! During this time, we're airing your favorite moments from the past few seasons. This episode is an impactful moment extracted from the original conversation. Watch the episode in full here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VuF9NwQt8oRebbetzin Rachel Jacobs built a Jewish community in Birmingham, UK from the ground up: a Chabad house, a Torah Tots nursery, a Hebrew school, and a role as the only Jewish studies teacher in a school of 160 students. In this excerpt, we explore what happens when you feel called to build something and no one shows up, and how she learned to measure success by relationships instead of numbers. Rachel shares the Torah teaching that convinced her to start a Hebrew school with just six kids, and what it felt like years later watching those same kids read fluently from the Torah at their own bar and bat mitzvahs. A conversation about faith, community building, Jewish education, and redefining what success actually means.Rachel Jacobs, originally from Los Angeles, California, currently serves as Rebbetzin of Singers Hill Synagogue in Birmingham, England. She is also the Educational Director of the Torah Tots nursery school, the Cheder, and the Jewish studies program at the local King David Primary School. Over the past 20 years, Rachel has gained recognition as an inspiring Jewish speaker, with a particular focus on women’s issues and marriage. Her warmth, charisma, and insightful teachings have touched the lives of Jewish women across the United States and Europe. You can contact Rachel via [email protected] and on instagram @Rachelcjacobs.* * * * * * *To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at [email protected] 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 — The ache of being called to something and hearing crickets back00:23 — Rachel on the early, hardest days of building a Chabad house04:03 — The real question underneath it all: are we measuring success by numbers?04:21 — Starting Torah Tots with six kids: "affecting children from a young age is infinite"05:41 — The reality now: down to two kids, and showing up anyway05:53 — Called into King David School as the lone Jewish voice for 11 students among 16007:35 — Leading through bureaucracy and red tape: "you have to go back to your why"09:23 — Redefining the metric of success: deep impact on one person over reach to many09:50 — Rachel's husband and the minyan he shows up for every night, no matter the count12:53 — The Torah source that named her calling: Matos Masei and the tribes who chose to build12:54 — Starting Cheder Club with five boys and one girl14:56 — Years later: those same kids reading fluently from the Torah at their bar and bat mitzvahs16:04 — "It's the positivity. People want to be part of success."16:14 — Outro
Aug 30
16 min
The Moment that Stuck | Devori Nussbaum: Why You Feel Numb (And How to Reconnect to G-d)
Human & Holy is on a season break for the rest of the summer! During this time, we're airing your favorite moments from the past few seasons. Watch the original episode in full here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhnlNd2zd2wIn this excerpt from a past episode with Devori Nussbaum, we explore healing a blocked heart, rooted in Tanya and Chassidic thought. We explore why arrogance and honesty are opposites, the Torah's real definition of humility, and the difference between grief and depression. Devori shares how the animal soul keeps us "small, safe, and in control" and the exact language for asking G-d for help from wherever you honestly are, not where you think you should be. If you've been feeling numb, disconnected, or far from Hashem, this episode is a way back in.Devori is an integrative psychotherapist who has trained in many different healing modalities including body psychotherapy, imago therapy, logotherapy, the energetics of food, quantum touch, breathwork, CBT, NLP, EMDR, IFS, inner child work and somatic modalities. She is also passionate about teaching Chassidus in a way that is accessible, relevant and embodied, showing people that these teachings are not just nice ideas, but a description of our reality. Get in touch with Devori and find out more about her work on www.devorinussbaum.com. * * * * * * *To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at [email protected] 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:0:00 — The antidote to the desire to be "transformed"0:15 — Presencing your block: how to begin when you feel numb or disconnected1:09 — Why honesty is what unlocks connection to Hashem1:40 — The Tanya's teaching on the oneness of God and the kelipah (shell) of separation2:57 — Pain vs. suffering: the difference between what hurts and the story we tell about it4:08 — The void as a portal: Ayin (nothingness) as the source of infinite potential5:09 — Bringing G-d's presence into your darkness: how tears open the way to joy5:30 — The classic teaching: "To open hearts, to know what one sees and hears"6:59 — Seeing past people's defenses to "the light behind their eyes"8:22 — Living in constant one-on-one conversation with G-d9:14 — Why we judge the external shell before we ever see the soul underneath10:22 — The frequency of oneness: hearing it like a heartbeat, an undercurrent11:49 — Clearing the noise: expanding your capacity to notice the sacred in ordinary things13:31 — Where blocked hearts really come from: unacknowledged grief14:12 — Grief, attachment, and learning to move through the seasons of life17:25 — Is being present with pain against Jewish values? 17:56 — Merirut vs. atzvut: the Tanya's distinction between grief and depression19:26 — Moving through the cycle of grief back into joy21:41 — "Ask for help from where you actually are" 23:04 — Arrogance and honesty as opposites, and what true humility actually means24:00 — Moshe Rabbeinu, humility, and the honesty of naming your own greatness25:28 — "Small, safe, and in control": the animal soul's real agenda26:26 — Living from the divine soul: success and failure as opportunities, not identity28:20 — The real cost of letting go of an identity you've outgrown30:22 — Peeling away the layers: why every threshold in life asks you to release something31:51 — Closing thoughts
Aug 23
32 min
The Moment That Stuck | Inbal Levin: Our Light is Our Weapon
Human & Holy is on a season break for the rest of the summer! During this time, we're airing your favorite moments from the past few seasons. Watch the original episode in full here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3u2c4ErF-4In this excerpt, we discuss why being "chosen" isn't a status, but a responsibility to model moral clarity for a world that's lost it. Why the Lubavitcher Rebbe called Shabbos candles a campaign, a mitzvah, an army, and why that language matters more after October 7th than it ever has before. Why the Haggadah spends almost no time on our slavery and nearly all of it on our freedom, and what that says about the story we choose to live inside of right now. This is an episode about the difference between reporting on darkness and building light, and why Inbal chooses the second one, every single day.Inbal Levin is a writer, former fashion model, and social media director for Chabad on Campus. You can connect with her via instagram @itsinbal.* * * * * * *To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at [email protected] 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 — Being chosen means holding up a mirror07:21 — The Seven Noahide Laws and moral clarity for everyone09:02 — The Baal Shem Tov's answer to "Moshiach, when are you coming?"11:24 — Trusting Hashem in the long security line and the delayed flight14:15 — How every Jewish girl, age three and up, started lighting Shabbos candles18:03 — The menorah they wouldn't let into Auschwitz 20:14 — Why the Rebbe used military language for mitzvahs23:25 — Choosing to build light instead of reporting on darkness26:15 — What Dara Horn's People Love Dead Jews gets right 26:56 — The Rebbe never said the word "antisemitism": what the Haggadah teaches about what you choose to emphasize30:53 — Closing thought: you're not just living a story, you're choosing which one it is
Aug 16
31 min
The Moment that Stuck | Chanie Krasnianski: The Soul of Intimacy
Human & Holy is on a season break for the rest of the summer! During this time, we're airing your favorite moments from the past few seasons. Watch the original episode in full here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_0i0EAAC_4This excerpt with Chanie Krasnianski explores the Jewish view on sexual intimacy and marriage. We explore the soul-level magnetism between men and women that is sourced in the creation of the world, and talk honestly about the lived experience: what it means when attraction shows up outside your marriage, why halacha starts to feel like a checklist the second you lose the relationship underneath it, and what it looks like to reclaim the mikvah as an immersion into light instead of one more item on the list.We also sit in the places that don't resolve as cleanly: religious guilt, growing spiritually at a different pace than your spouse, wanting closeness during niddah and not always getting it, and navigating personal discomfort around immersion in the mikvah.Mrs. Chanie Krasnianski is the shlucha in the Upper East Side in Manhattan, NY and a seasoned educator and Torah teacher. Contact Chanie at [email protected].* * * * * * *To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at [email protected] 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 — The soul-level reason for attraction between husband and wife04:05 — Attraction outside your marriage: where it's really coming from 07:23 — Halacha as relationship, not checklist 10:32 — When the framework feels restricting, not freeing 12:44 — "We're human, not angels" 13:58 — Trust in Hashem, and the mikvah as immersion into light 20:18 — Bare minimum vs. growing on purpose 22:11 — Why halacha is freedom, not restriction 24:16 — Body image and privacy at the mikvah 26:30 — The headstand story 29:18 — Checking in with yourself when you won't call a rabbi 30:35 — Why none of us are objective about our own lives 37:53 — Calling a rabbi on a different continent — privacy and permission 40:05 — Religious guilt and "you're not your spouse's rabbi" 43:30 — Growing faster than your spouse — baby steps, not pressure 47:07 — When you're the one resisting your spouse's growth 48:49 — Your spouse as your mirror — the Adam-and-Eve reframe 50:49 — Does absence really make the heart grow fonder? 52:25 — Marriage as decades of weather 55:49 — Closing reflection and outro
Aug 9
57 min
The Moment that Stuck | Shternie Rosenfeld: How Gratitude Got Me Through My Divorce
Human & Holy is on a season break for the rest of the summer! During this time, we're airing your favorite moments from the past few seasons.In this excerpt, Shternie describes the way she moves through the world: not with a basket she guards, protecting what's "owed" to her, but with an empty one, open-handed, saying thank you every time something lands in it. Shternie Rosenfeld went through what she calls her own tsunami: a devastating divorce that cracked her open completely. In this conversation, she shares what actually got her through: a relationship with Hashem that is raw, honest, and full of open gratitude. We talk about the difference between feeling entitled to goodness and feeling worthy of it and about how gratitude isn't whitewashing our pain, but allowing it to live in the same body that is screaming, grieving, and being honest with G-d.* * * * * * *Shternie Rosenfeld has spent more than 25 years in Jewish education and community leadership, teaching everyone from preschoolers to seniors. She spent 15 years as director of the Chabad Fox Chapel Jewish Center, building its Hebrew School, summer camp, and adult education programs from the ground up. She went on to found The Jewish Spark, a nonprofit running weekly Kabbalah classes and community Shabbat and holiday programming, and now serves as Program Director of the Yonah Foundation, where she supports 38 community centers worldwide and empowers women to lead Torah classes globally. She has also taught at Yeshiva Schools, Hillel Academy, and Tzohar Seminary. Find out more at shternie.comTo inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at [email protected] 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.* * * * * * *00:00 — What got her through divorce02:16 — Talking to Hashem like a best friend03:55 — A real relationship, not a performed one05:02 — Seeing kindness as Hashem's hand05:40 — The basket metaphor10:36 — Entitlement vs. worthiness11:41 — What to do when you feel shortchanged13:54 — Gratitude in the tiny things15:08 — Modeh Ani as the daily reset16:40 — The Torah source on what is owed to us18:29 — Is gratitude ever dishonest?19:28 — "There's room for both"20:40 — Day by day22:41 — Marriage as a mirror for Hashem23:30 — Outro
Aug 2
23 min
The Moment that Stuck | Chani Heyman on Raising Kids Who Stay Close as They Grow
Human & Holy is on a season break for the rest of the summer! During this time, we're airing your favorite moments from the past few seasons.How do you instill Jewish values from a young age, while leaving space for a child to grow into them on their own? In this conversation, we talk about why Judaism has to start as routine for young children before it becomes relationship, why “yes, unless you have a value to say no” changes everything with a teenager, the importance of physical touch in raising healthy children, and why mourning openly when our children's religious choices look differently than ours do can do real damage, even when it comes from love. This is a conversation about giving our children strong roots in their Judaism, and navigating the evolution from childhood to adulthood, as they begin to make their own choices in their relationship with G-d.Chani Heyman is a dynamic parenting coach, motivational speaker, educator, and Torah teacher who's passionate about empowering families to thrive. Originally from Los Angeles, Chani now calls Israel home. With a background rooted in the timeless wisdom of Rebbetzin Spetner and her own experiences as a mother of eight, Chani shares practical and inspiring guidance with parents worldwide.Through her engaging group classes, popular parenting column, and vibrant Instagram community @parentingwithchani, Chani sparks meaningful connections and helps families unlock their full potential. Find out more at https://theparentingclub.info.* * * * * * *To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at [email protected] 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 How to build Yiddishkeit routines that feel as natural as brushing teeth01:06 Building the routine: start at the smallest sustainable level06:24 The teen shift09:13 Foundation vs. peer pressure10:45 The reframe: “Yes, unless you have a value to say no”11:38 Choosing your battles 12:49 “Copy paste” — are we raising kids to replicate our table, or to be halachically their own person?14:41 Finding a rav to define the lowest level that is still 100% halacha — the loose-fitting-pants story16:44 When your child doesn't look like you17:44 Is “because it would make my mother happy” a legitimate motivation for a teen’s mitzvah observance?21:43 Why building the habit before the meaning arrives is so much easier than trying to build both at once at 2022:17 Parental fear and projection 22:34 For ba’alei teshuva parents specifically — “I’m trying to give you what I didn’t have,” and why force backfires23:33 Beyond 100% halacha — what it looks like when a child’s practice truly diverges25:36 “Keep your relationship strong” 27:03 The sapling-and-tree image 28:17 The emotional baseline — what it is, and why it differs by age28:26 Ten minutes of true one-on-one time30:33 For teens: it’s not about the ten minutes, it’s about being available the moment they want you32:15 Modeling adult relationships 33:37 Physical touch as an emotional need 35:40 The mother who couldn’t remember the last time she’d touched her 19-year-old son38:45 Host's Outro
Jul 26
39 min
The Moment That Stuck | Jackie Glaser: When Turning to G-d Becomes a Way to Hide From Yourself
Human & Holy is on a season break for the rest of the summer! During this time, we're airing your favorite moments from the past few seasons.In today's excerpt with Jackie Glaser, we cover spiritual bypassing, noticing the patterns that keep showing up in our lives, cultivating self-worth and self-trust, navigating rejection, our flaws as filters while dating, recognizing that matchmakers do not have control over people's future when navigating the shidduch system, and strengthening our trust in God. To watch the full episode this excerpt is from, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=243HxQfOx9ETo contact Jackie or learn more about her courses, you can find her at jackieglaser.com or find Jackie on Instagram: datingbyjackieg * * * * * * *To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at [email protected] 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:0:00 Spiritual bypassing2:04 How our patterns are signposts from Hashem, not punishments3:07 Why we avoid taking responsibility, and turn anxiety into blaming Hashem instead5:27 Going inward with compassionate curiosity instead of judgment7:11 Turning to G-d as an escape hatch7:21 Normalizing the pattern before moving forward9:08 Self-trust as the real foundation behind who you marry9:17 The somatic work begins: tuning into the body as a source of real data12:45 Surrendering 14:23 Clearing subconscious blockage to make more room for closeness with Hashem16:13 How our internal beliefs get projected onto strangers 17:35 Why healing the felt state dissolves the belief system underneath it18:58 How the fear of rejection actually dissolves with this work20:42 "I reject myself" — the most important relationship you'll ever build is with you22:23 Disability or flaws as a filter in dating, not a disqualifier24:05 Boundaries with matchmakers25:44 When parents choose to "play the game" with a difficult shadchan for their child's sake26:27 Hashem was never limited to a shadchan
Jul 19
28 min
The Questions Women Don't Ask Out Loud | Dena Block
A conversation about women's health & Jewish law, the more sensitive questions hidden behind women's seemingly straightforward halachic questions, how the concept of a Yoetzet Halacha came about, the difference between a halachic ruling and halachic advice, why the advice of "don't look at the toilet paper" can sometimes do more harm than good, the evolution of halachic thinking on IVF, the medical red flags that can be associated with "halachic infertility", the questions Dena gets most often, the ones that break her heart, and the ones that surprise her the most. Dena Block is the Co-Director of Nishmat's Miriam Glaubach Center. Previously, she served as the Center's Associate Director and as a Yoetzet Halacha for several congregations throughout the tri-state area. She taught Gemara and Halacha at Ma'ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls in Teaneck, NJ, where she also served as Director of Admissions. A graduate of the first class of Nishmat's Miriam Glaubach Center's U.S. Yoatzot Halacha Fellows Program, Dena worked on numerous MGC initiatives to broaden the impact of of Yoatzot Halacha before joining the Center full-time in 2021. Dena lives in Raanana with her husband and 5 children and can be reached at [email protected][00:00] Welcome Dena Block [01:00] Meeting women where they're at[01:50] Defining the term "Yoetzet Halacha" (women's halachic advisor)[02:48] The origin story: why the role was created[03:30] How women were being more stringent on themselves in silence, not more lenient — and the health/marital cost of that silence[04:24] Why more questions asked = more comfort, not less trust in rabbinic authority[05:00] How a Yoetzet answers — always with context, not just yes/no, to empower future understanding[05:48] The "question behind the question" — when the real issue isn't the halachic one[05:52] Example: a woman asking to go to mikvah early — the real story underneath[07:44] How that extra context changes the answer a posek gives[08:11] Story: a woman whose ongoing staining was actually a birth control issue [10:15] Defining the boundary between a Yoetzet and a rav/posek[11:06] What "psak" actually means vs. general halachic knowledge[12:00] Judgment calls vs. established rulings [12:16] Should women be taught to examine their own bedikah cloths? [16:27] The bigger question — why can't a woman hold a halachic ruling position?[18:23] The humility and reverence in deepened knowledge[20:47] How halacha creates unusual bodily attunement[24:41] Why "don't look at the toilet paper" is advice Dena wants retired [27:36] What IVF is and the original halachic concerns when it emerged[28:11] The concern over hashchatat zera (wasting seed) and how sperm collection is handled[29:36] How halachic opinion evolved as the technology became safer and more regulated[32:54] Common misconceptions about halachic infertility[34:34] Why a very short cycle can be a medical red flag, not just a halachic inconvenience [35:22] Halachic literacy often reveals underlying health issues[35:23] Why unexplained staining should always prompt a doctor visit, even when it's halachically minor[37:08] Misconceptions around halacha and sexuality[38:53] The most common question Dina receives [39:35] The hardest questions — women asking about mikvah while heading toward divorce[40:31] The range of what women are carrying — infertility, loss, mental health, marital strain[40:48] What makes Dina feel hopeful — when a woman expects "no" and hears "yes"[41:43] Witnessing halachic commitment and sacrifice[42:00] The number one thing women struggle with in this mitzvah — physical separation and lack of touch, more than the absence of sex itself[43:25] How the separation period affects men too, not just women[44:03] The biggest friction point between couples — the story of a woman who lied about her niddah status to avoid intimacy[46:26] Most unexpected mikvah locations[47:23] Closing question
Jul 12
48 min
Why I Stopped Waiting for a Miracle | Chavie Bruk
A conversation about the gritty, messy experience of faith when the things you want are not a "not yet" but a "no", life as a mother of five adopted children while grieving a permanent infertility diagnosis, why sometimes we need to stop waiting for a miracle, trying again and being told “no” again by God after 20 years of accepting, the impact of life setbacks on marriage and being willing to get support, the spiritual framework that makes Chavie's faith possible, and choosing to live with joy even when life doesn’t go as planned. Chavie Bruk is the host of Totally Unexpected!, a podcast featuring long-form interviews that uncover the one unexpected moment that shaped her guests’ lives. She is the author of a weekly blog on Substack, a sought-after public speaker, and a passionate advocate for adoption and infertility awareness. She and her husband are the directors of Chabad-Lubavitch of Montana, where they have spent nearly two decades building Jewish life out west and are the parents of five adopted children. She is an avid reader, traveler, fitness and health enthusiast, and endlessly curious about this messy ride we all call life.Listen to Totally Unexpected! wherever you get your podcasts and read her blog at www.totallyunexpected.blog.Chavie can be reached on Instagram @chaviebruk or by email [email protected] inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at [email protected] support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.00:00 Introducing Chavie Bruk 02:52 Chavie introduces herself04:23 Seasons of family vs. seasons of community service08:39 Why she lets her community see the harder parts of her life10:42 Permanent infertility diagnosis 15:33 Choosing to live fully inside the hardest years instead of just surviving them17:22 The "why me" question — and how it eventually became "how"20:11 Acceptance isn't linear — re-accepting the same grief at a deeper layer, years later22:50 Holding grief and gratitude at the same time23:09 Her unconventional relationship to miracles — the decision she made on her 30th birthday26:02 When spiritual belief becomes spiritual bypassing — and how to tell the difference29:12 On waiting: traveling with a child with special needs instead of waiting for "someday"34:00 Living in the thick of life — why she started her podcast without waiting for it to be easier35:25 The toll hard circumstances take on a marriage — and the stigma around therapy40:24 Learning your couple's "trigger dance," and the tools that actually hold a marriage together51:04Turning a canceled marriage-counseling slot into a standing weekly coffee date53:16What it actually looks like to grieve a life that didn't turn out how you expected54:11 The twinge she feels when someone close to her gets pregnant — and giving it room instead of shame58:56 The story she's never said out loud before: a new fertility possibility reopens after 20 years1:00:09 Saying no, then yes, then the test — and the result1:02:20 "Why did You do that?" — wrestling openly with Hashem after the door closed again1:04:38 What her therapist helped her see: this wasn't a setback, it was another layer of healing1:07:07 "That's not my story" — choosing what this experience gets to mean1:11:14 Not every "not yet" is a not-yet — sometimes it's a no, and that's its own form of faith1:13:33 Faith isn't feeling good when things go well — it's staying okay when they don't1:14:22 Why she teaches Tanya — the mechanics of the spiritual world as grounding, not platitude1:17:18 Living in the present moment as the antidote to shame about the past and fear of the future1:22:36 Real bitachon isn't toxic positivity — Hashem wants your anger too, not just your best behavior1:24:47 What "messy" actually looks like behind a polished, recorded conversation1:26:35 Knowing your own constitution — why she's "fire," not Zen, and why that's not a flaw to fix1:28:03 Rapid fire & outro
Jul 5
1 hr 31 min
Am I a Follower of the Lubavitcher Rebbe?
I recently opened a box of my middle school journals, and found the question that has followed me for nearly twenty years: could I honestly call myself a chossid of a Rebbe I had never met? In honor of Gimmel Tammuz, the anniversary of the Lubavitcher Rebbe's passing, I explore some of the questions that have gnawed at me for as long as I can remember: Should my relationship to the Rebbe be defined by longing? Am I fundamentally missing out on a nostalgic, golden age of Chabad if I never met him? What distinct message did the Rebbe have for a generation with a strong emphasis on the self? Is our determination to feel deeply "aligned" with our life choices a flaw, or a gift? Was the Rebbe passing on the baton, and if yes, to who?Drawing on a community survey and a close reading of V'atah Tetzaveh, this episode explores the generational shift the Rebbe himself outlined, what a relationship shaped by ignition, not loss, might look like, and how the Rebbe encouraged each person to step into their mission, to embrace the specificity of their identities and be the unique, unrepeatable messengers of Hashem the world is waiting for. * * * * * * *To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at [email protected] 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 Finding my middle school journals01:33 "Do we have the right to call ourselves a Chossid?" 04:00 Should I yearn for the physical presence of a Rebbe I never met?06:00 Growing up on shlichus in Houston, TX 08:30 The enormous grief of Gimmel Tammuz 10:30 The community survey about the Rebbe12:00 The message from the Rebbe that changed people's lives13:15 Would you call yourself a chossid?14:30 The final piece of the Torah the Rebbe distributed15:30 Generation of self-sacrifice vs. religious freedom17:55 Exploring V'atah Tetzaveh19:30 What is higher than self-sacrifice?21:36 Why connect to a Tzadik?24:00 This generation's power27:00 The specificity of who you are is your mission30:00 Every person can be a Rebbe33:00 When the Rebbe passed on the baton35:58 Am I a follower of the Lubavitcher Rebbe?37:48 The vision of Moshiach 38:50 Outro
Jun 14
39 min
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