PODCAST · religion
Human & Holy
by 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.
Episodes
-
Pain and Suffering Are Not the Same | Chaya Cowen
How can we experience crushing pain without experiencing it as suffering? Again and again, life brings us to a crossroads: will we hold our pain by ourselves, or let G-d meet us in it? In this conversation, Chaya Cowen reflects on grief, personal experiences of devastation, and the leap of…
more -
I Imagined Myself in the Sukkah | Shoshana Judelman
Get a free download of Human & Holy's conversation cards for your Sukkah by becoming a monthly supporter of Human & Holy at humanandholy.com ❤️ * * * * * * * The sukkah is called the "shade of faith," but what happens when we sit inside it and feel nothing? What if we are entering Sukkos feeling...
-
Yom Kippur: Let Yourself Be Carried | Sara Rosenstein, Rivka Fenton and Rosie Gurevitch
A short excerpt from this week's Human & Holy pre-Yom Kippur morning in New Haven, CT. A poem, a conversation with Sara Rosenstein about returning to Hashem after years of disconnection, original music by Rivka Fenton about finding safety in leaning into God, and personal notes on being carried…
more -
Teshuvah and the God We Think We Know | Rus Devorah Wallen
A conversation about Teshuvah through the dual lens of clinical attachment theory and Torah sources. We explore why perfect attunement in any relationship is a myth, and how the rupture and repair cycle of Teshuvah is actually what deepens our connections, rather than threatening it. Rus Devorah...
-
Where Are You? A Rosh Hashanah Reckoning with Choice
What is Rosh Hashanah, the birthday of the world, inviting us to? In this recording of our Human & Holy Rosh Hashanah event in LA, we sit with powerful Torah sources to look at the opportunity available right now to co-create a new year with G-d. This episode explores why Rosh Hashanah is a...
-
Hashem Is In with Mimi Hecht, Rivki Rabinowitz, Chani Lisbon and ChayaLeah Sufrin
So...how are we doing? We're ringing in the new Jewish year with a Jewish State of the Union: where have we been this last year and where are we headed? Today, I sit down with four people who each have a finger on a different pulse of Jewish life. ChayaLeah Sufrin, executive director of Beach...
-
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=-VuF9NwQt8o...
-
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=FhnlNd2zd2w In this excerpt from a past episode with Devori Nussbaum, we explore...
-
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-4 In this excerpt, we discuss why being "chosen" isn't a status, but a...
-
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_4 This excerpt with Chanie Krasnianski explores the Jewish view on…
more -
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...
-
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...
-
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...
-
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...
-
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”…
more -
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...
-
Raising Children When You're Still Figuring It Out | Elisheva Segelman
An honest, joyful, and deeply practical conversation about Jewish parenting. We talk about how to genuinely infuse your home with love of Judaism, what to do when you want to teach a value you don't fully keep yourself, the difference between an inherited Judaism and discovered Judaism, how to…
more -
You Are Harder on Yourself Than G-d Is | Karen Hochhauser
The Torah opens up with failure after failure, we have laws of repair (teshuvah) baked into our Judaism, and yet many who live a value-driven life live in enormous fear of failing. Why are we harder on ourselves than G-d is? Today, we talk about the Jewish perspective on failure, along with…
more -
It Already Belongs to You | Annie Nagel & Hadassah Shemtov on Women's Torah Study
Does the Torah belong to every woman? This week, I host a roundtable with two women who've built their lives around Torah: Annie Nagel, who left a thriving law career for the classroom and a PhD in Tanakh, and Hadassah Shemtov, founder of Batsheva Learning Center. We trace the halachic sources on...
-
To Be Both a Traveler and at Home: Receiving the Torah
What does it mean to be both a stranger and at home in your Judaism? To be deeply connected to your faith and still feel othered from a piece of your own practice? This week, in honor of Shavuos, we sit with a Talmudic dispute between Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Yishmael about how the Jewish people...
-
Why Rest Doesn't Cure Burnout: A Conversation with My Friend, Zisi Zirkind
Today, I sit down with my friend, Zisi Zirkind for an unscripted conversation about burnout, motherhood, faith, friendship, and the holy delusion of believing your soul is needed in this world. This isn't an interview; it's a conversation between two close friends. We talk about why it's not…
more -
Loved Into Existence: A Soulful Guide to Sefiras Ha'Omer | Chana Kalmenson
A conversation with Chana Kalmenson: shlucha of Chabad of Belgravia in London, poet, and teacher of Jewish mysticism, on the Sefirot of the Omer. Chana walks through each of the seven emotional Sefirot: Chesed, Gevurah, Tiferet, Netzach, Hod, Yesod, and Malchut. What each one is, how they relate…
more -
I Am a Dreamer | Jerusalem Open Mic
A live Human & Holy Women's Open Mic Night in Jerusalem, exploring the theme "I Am a Dreamer". A deeply moving evening of poetry, prose and song about dreams fulfilled and dreams shattered, on the dreams laid to rest and the ones held onto with quiet persistence, on the courage to keep dreaming....
-
Hello, God: Building a Relationship with Hashem | Chana Bennett
Join our virtual Tanya class here: https://humanandholy.mykajabi.com/tanyaclass Chana Bennet grew up in the religious system, but found herself searching for something from a young age. With nowhere to turn, she turned to God. In this conversation, Chana discusses the concept of devekut…
more -
Let It Be Simple: A Personal Essay About Motherhood
A personal essay about motherhood, the way it awakens my childhood self, and a fleeting, luminous moment where I allowed myself to experience its simplicity. Sharing this as we enter into an immersive Pesach season, as an invitation to let yourself feel these moments when they come. Read the…
more -
The Biblical Power of Israeli Women's Song | Ricka Razel
Meet Ricka Razel, the Israeli musician who has been leading thousands of women in monthly Rosh Chodesh gatherings across Israel during one of the country's darkest times. In this conversation, Ricka shares how she experiences music as prayer, why she and fellow musicians became the "Brigade of…
more -
Can I Tolerate Uncertainty? Six Teachings About Personal Freedom
Nissan, the month of freedom, is an invitation for personal freedom. Today, we explore the many dimensions of personal freedom: lack of external attachments, knowing our life force, taking a leap, finding the words, allowing ourselves to feel the bitterness of our slavery, and being able to...
-
Always Happy, Never Satisfied: The Inner World of Israel's Most Beloved Media Personality | Sivan Rahav Meir
Sivan Rahav-Meir has been on Israeli television since age six, and became religious at fifteen after a chance encounter with three girls who simply said, "Bo l'Shabbat." In this conversation recorded in Jerusalem, Sivan shares how she's channeled three decades of journalism skills toward teaching...
-
What Matters More: My Grandparent's Name or My Own?
The Medrash teaches that every person has three names: the one our parents give us, the one our friends give us, and the ones we make for ourselves. In this episode, we dive deep into a single verse in Parshat Vayakhel to explore what it truly means to name ourselves, and why the greatness of our...
-
Darkness: Don't Leave Until You Bless Me | Kiki Newman
A deeply personal and Torah-rich conversation on facing darkness from within. Kiki opens up about her own journey with anxiety and depression, sharing how she moved from resenting the darkness she experienced to believing in its inherent blessing. Drawing on biblical stories, Kiki weaves profound...
-
The Things We Don't See About Ourselves | Purim 2/2
The power of having our blindspots revealed to us, why seeing ourselves clearly (both our flaws and potential) is the beginning of all growth, the spark of Moshe in each soul that allows us to experience an unfiltered version of our soul's descent, and the subtle movements we make in our lives…
more -
Becoming a Student of Life | Purim 1/2
A lesson from the Purim story about self-education, becoming a student of life, waking up to the gap between where we are and what is possible for our soul's expression in this world, and the internal, conscious choice that the Jews during the Purim story were finally able to make to accept the...
-
Religious Doubt, Jewish Womanhood and Accepting the Cost of Our Choices | Shani Taragin
In this deeply honest conversation, Shani opens up about the origins of her love for Torah, a genuine religious crisis she experienced in college, and how wrestling with philosophy ultimately widened her faith. We talk about Jewish womanhood, halacha, and why Shani wants women to stop being…
more -
Holy Laughter and Taking Ourselves Less Seriously
In honor of Rosh Chodesh Adar, we talk about the mystical underpinnings of this month of joy: why humor is the very space where contradictions can breathe, how the soul finds expression in lighthearted depth, why taking ourselves less seriously can be a conduit for our fullest expression, and…
more -
Joy, Giving, and Letting Yourself Dream With My Mother, Rochel Lazaroff
A live conversation with my mother about joy, reflections on life when living so close to hardship, her work caring for people in their most tenuous moments, the privilege of being in a position of giving, raising children with Jewish values outside of a Jewish community, letting yourself dream,...
-
Truth Is a Moving Target
Episode sponsored by Naomi Gruber. Dedicated in honor of my dear father’s neshama, דב ברל בן יצחק . May his neshama have the highest aliyah! * * * * * * * Can any of us experience objective truth? What do we make of the ebbs and flows of our inner worlds? If a spiritual experience felt real, but...
-
Faith Is a Choice We Make
A conversation about the deaths and rebirths that we experience throughout our lives, the existential shift of motherhood, the personal language required to choose faith, the philosophy behind Chabad outreach and how it democratizes spirituality, why the concept of Moshiach (messiah) cannot be...
-
The Nature of Desire | Charlotte Broukhim
A conversation about the nature of human desire, why we were each created with enormous wanting, and how to transform our desire to take into a desire to receive in order to give what we have. We talk about perfection as wholeness, not a lack of flaws, making sense of our relationship to...
-
How Could a Good God Bring So Much Pain Into the World?
A conversation exploring the introduction to the Zohar, through some of life's biggest questions, like: Why are we here? Why do humans suffer? If everything is part of a divine plan, what is our role in God's broader story? We explore the opportunities for growth in facing our own resistance…
more -
Is God Speaking to Me?
Where do I look for direction? Is G-d just speaking the world into existence, or is G-d speaking to me through all that exists in my life? The Sfas Emes teaches that the plagues transformed the ten divine utterances of creation into the ten commandments, reflecting a clear unveiling of God's…
more -
Mikvah is Your Personal Yom Kippur | Shoshana Manssouri
Shoshana Manssouri stumbled into the role of being a mikveh attendant as a young woman. Over the years, she has developed a deep reverence for the experience of accompanying women to immerse in the mikvah's holy waters. Today, she shares the deeper meaning behind mikvah immersion, what makes…
more -
Shedding Who We Were to Meet Who We Are
How do the past versions of ourselves prevent us from experiencing who we are? How can we become more present to what exists in our lives, to the people, callings, and divine encounters that reveal themselves to us every day? The Zohar says "The righteous live every day as if it is their last."...
-
I'm Not Comfortable Living a Life I Don't Understand | Raizy Fried
A conversation with Raizy Fried about discovering the Godly purpose of her natural personality, the way resurrection of the dead (Techiyas Hameisim) can be a practical, emotional experience, the realization that Hashem wants our full hearts, how Raizy's personal questions led her to deeper Torah...
-
I Don't Have What It Takes: Why Moshe Stuttered
What happens when we are called to a mission, but we don't have what it takes? Why is the world we live in one of specificity, where every person experiences a very individual life and purpose? Can we be channels for divine light in this world, as our imperfect selves? When God tells Moshe to…
more -
When God Says No: A Live Podcast About Trust | Miriam Rubenstein
How do we trust God when we face unfathomable challenges in our lives? How do we believe that God is good when He says no to the things we most want? How can we expand our vessels to receive more blessing in our lives, to make space for better even when it's already good? A live Human & Holy...
-
The Ache Beneath the Happy Ending: Why Yosef Wept
There are so many bittersweet flavors to our emotional landscape: our grief intermingled with relief, the tears of compassion when those who have hurt us express their regrets, the push and pull between our inner and outer worlds, the existential ache of not finding full expression in any world,...
-
God as an Encounter, Not a Belief | Dr. Mijal Bitton
Is the life of a Jew an individual journey with God or a communal one? What is being asked of the Jewish people right now? When your faith fractures, how do you find wholeness again in your relationship with God? A conversation with Dr. Mijal Bitton exploring faith in God, the current Jewish...
-
Where Do We Go From Here?
What is the Jewish response to existential threat? Is political activism, investment in physical security and self protection the Jewish response? Is increased prayer and good deeds enough, to the exclusion of all else? Using the biblical record of Yaakov's response to Esav in his moment of…
more -
Finding Balance Through the Elements | Miriam Pineles
A conversation with Miriam Pineles, a practitioner of Chinese medicine, Chassidus teacher and founder of Ayin Healing, exploring the intersection of Chinese medicine and Chassidic ideas. Miriam shares how an understanding of the elements within a person can lead to personal healing and balance…
more -
Light Upon Light: Chanukah Teachings from Eight Torah Masters
In this Chanukah episode, we gather the light of eight Torah teachers, offering one luminous idea for each night. Exploring the depth behind halachic questions, modern lessons from our ancient victory, and chassidic insight into this festival of light. * * * * * * * To inquire about sponsorship &...
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
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.
HOSTED BY
Tonia Chazanow
CATEGORIES
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Human & Holy have?
Human & Holy currently has 278 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Human & Holy about?
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.
How often does Human & Holy release new episodes?
Human & Holy publishes regularly with 278 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Human & Holy?
You can listen to Human & Holy on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Human & Holy?
Human & Holy is created and hosted by Tonia Chazanow.
URL copied to clipboard!