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 allowing G-d into moments shaped by self-blame and anger toward Him. She shares how the loss of her first pregnancy, which ended in stillbirth, shaped her relationship with Hashem, and offers a moving reading of Eicha as a journey through self-blame, anger, and the search for connection. We also talk about how to pass Judaism on with honesty and joy: welcoming children’s questions, meeting the feelings beneath them, and modeling what it looks like to balance exploration with commitment. * * * * * * * Chaya Cowen is a Sacks Scholar, the Head of Learning & Teaching at Beth Rivkah Ladies College in Melbourne, and oversees a comprehensive high school curriculum and teaches courses in Tanach, Jewish History, and Jewish Philosophy. She has a passion for education with a focus on meaningful, empowered and personalized Jewish learning, and explores the interface between Judaism and the wider world. Chaya resides in Melbourne, Australia with her husband and four children. She can be reached at [email protected] To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at [email protected] To 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 difference between pain and suffering 00:15 Welcome and the episode’s central question 03:35 Meet Chaya Cowen, educator and mother 05:13 Choosing a relationship with Hashem through life’s challenges 08:57 Fertility, loss, and facing what we can’t control 11:26 Reading Eicha as a journey through grief 17:31 Why we blame ourselves after tragedy 18:37 What happens when anger turns toward G-d 21:16 The leap of letting G-d into our pain 23:02 Drawing strength from ancestors and Jewish stories 24:42 The story of Zusha and a different view of suffering 26:04 Finding a way to express and process grief 28:01 How to acknowledge pain without being alone in it 30:58 How to support someone who is grieving 34:23 The lasting mark of pain and asking it for a blessing 36:14 Helping children build a relationship with Hashem 37:11 The educator as a “midwife” to Torah 41:10 Welcoming students’ questions without judgment 45:12 Balancing exploration with commitment 46:28 Modeling beauty and meaning in Jewish practice 49:34 Teaching Torah with joy and continued learning 52:25 Finding a personal path into Jewish life 54:33 Bringing joy, Shabbos, and questions into the home 55:21 Chaya’s closing message

A conversation with Devori Nussbaum, a psychotherapist and Tanya teacher, about emotional honesty in our spiritual growth and living with open-hearted presence. Devori shares her unique approach to integrating Chassidus and psychotherapy, offering powerful insights into shedding old identities, processing the grief of life, and tapping into the opportunity for connection with G-d at every moment. 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. * * * * * * * EPISODE SPONSOR: "Miss Rose is Worried" by Estee Cohen is a heartwarming story that shows that every child's individuality is a gift. Their quirks and character traits, if nurtured rather than suppressed, become the foundation of who they are meant to be. Link to purchase the book here: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/miss-rose-is-worried-estee-cohen/1146818067 To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at [email protected] To 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 – Sneak Peek & Sponsorship 02:25 – Meet Devori Nussbaum 04:45 – The Power of Real Human Presence 07:12 – What Is Chassidus Meant to Do for the Human Psyche? 12:00 – Finding the Balance Between Presence & Spiritual Aspiration 18:04 – Embracing the Void: Turning Emotional Numbness into a Portal for Growth 21:15 – Seeing Beneath the Surface of Reality 26:00 – How Unprocessed Grief Blocks Our Hearts—and How to Reopen Them 30:11 - The Role of Grief in Spiritual Growth 36:01 - Holy Honesty 38:00 – Bringing G-d into Daily Life 44:53 - Navigating the Fear of Change 47:00 – Regulating Your Nervous System 54:30 – One Minute a Day: Building Presence in Busy Lives 1:02:15 – Kavanah and Mitzvot: How One Moment Can Fill a Lifetime 1:07:30 – Animal Soul vs. Divine Soul: A Compassionate Integration 1:12:00 – Redefining Iskafya: Presence, Breath, and Spiritual Discipline 1:16:30 – Choosing Growth vs. Chasing Perfection 1:29:10 - Crumbling into Grief 1:41:00 – How to Navigate Religious Trauma 1:44:15 – Parents, Fear, and Compassion: Reframing the Narrative 1:47:00 – The Magic of Retreats 1:53:30 – Personal Journey: From Control to Joy 1:57:05 – Presence, Honesty, and Shedding the Snake Skin 1:59:00 – Host’s Outro

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=243HxQfOx9E To 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] To 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 bypassing 2:04 How our patterns are signposts from Hashem, not punishments 3:07 Why we avoid taking responsibility, and turn anxiety into blaming Hashem instead 5:27 Going inward with compassionate curiosity instead of judgment 7:11 Turning to G-d as an escape hatch 7:21 Normalizing the pattern before moving forward 9:08 Self-trust as the real foundation behind who you marry 9:17 The somatic work begins: tuning into the body as a source of real data 12:45 Surrendering 14:23 Clearing subconscious blockage to make more room for closeness with Hashem 16:13 How our internal beliefs get projected onto strangers 17:35 Why healing the felt state dissolves the belief system underneath it 18:58 How the fear of rejection actually dissolves with this work 20:42 "I reject myself" — the most important relationship you'll ever build is with you 22:23 Disability or flaws as a filter in dating, not a disqualifier 24:05 Boundaries with matchmakers 25:44 When parents choose to "play the game" with a difficult shadchan for their child's sake 26:27 Hashem was never limited to a shadchan

Orthodox Jewish singer Shaindy Plotzker discusses her journey within the music industry, using our talents and voices for the sake of a higher purpose, performing for women’s only crowds and the blessings she’s seen come of it, seeing G-d as the source of both our successes and hardships, learning how to rest, elevating other women in her industry, advice for aspiring artists, and the deep intention that guides her every move. Discover more from Shaindy Plotzker at shaindyplotzker.com and by streaming her music on Youtube, Spotify and all music streaming platforms. Connect with her on instagram via @shaindyplotzkermusic. Episode Partners: TOVEEDO: An online children's streaming subscription featuring exclusive Jewish content created and sourced by Toveedo. Use code HH10 for 10% off at Toveedo.com. ZELDA HAIR: A wig company that champions the holistic process of hair covering for Jewish women. Shop Zelda Hair at zeldahairshop.com and discover the heart behind the brand on Instagram @zeldahair.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 available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday on Youtube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts. 0:15 Toveedo Sponsorship 1:06 Host's Introduction 2:20 Welcome Shaindy Plotzker  3:00 What Makes Shaindy Who She Is? 5:17 Shaindy's Journey into the Music World 8:02 What Do I Want to be Known For? 9:50 Putting the Spotlight on Others 11:00 The Spiritual Significance of Women's Concerts 14:20 The Challenges & Rewards of Singing for Women Only  15:45 Getting Halachic Guidance on Her Career 18:10 Seeing Open Blessings from Doing the Right Thing 20:00 I Am Not Motivated by Self Expression 25:00 My Talent is a Vessel for G-d 27:28 How Does Faith in G-d Impact Her Business? 30:26 Put Your Trust in G-d, Not People 31:30 The Jewish People's Story (Kol Isha) 35:35 Advice On Faith When Business is Hard 38:00 My Voice Doesn't Define Me 39:30 Defining Yourself Beyond Success 42:12 Lifting Up Fellow Artists in Her Industry 49:16 Can Jewish Music Hold Sorrowful Emotion? 54:55 Music Writing Process 56:15 Joy and Sadness Can Coexist 58:35 Being Intentional About How I Share  59:42 A Moving Concert in Israel After Oct. 7th 1:06:27 Hold Onto Hope  1:08:54 Knowing When to Say No to an Opportunity 1:12:04 Learning How to Rest 1:21:18 Advice to Jewish Women With Unique Talents 1:25:08 Stop Being a Perfectionist and Start Somewhere 1:30:00 Rapid Fire Questions and Closing Thoughts 1:37:12 Zelda Hair Sponsorship & Host's Outro

Join us for an evening with five women from different backgrounds, gathering to approach the holiday of freedom with a sense of wonder and exploration. We discuss the different voices that we reckon with in our Judaism, our experiences around sensitive mitzvos that are part of our daily lives, talk about the steps of the Seder, play a game, eat, and share poetry. To download free conversation cards for your Seder based on each of the Seder steps, visit humanandholy.com/seder-prompts. Timestamps: 0:15-2:43 Exploring the Seder With A Sense of Wonder 2:44-5:15 Introducing Our Guests 5:16-9:11 The Four Sons as Four Voices Within 9:12-10:29 Cookie Distribution & Rules of the Game 10:30-13:27 The Details of Shabbos  13:28-17:23 Finding Our Tznius Without the Noise of Other People’s Perceptions 17:24-20:17 Struggles With Mikvah 20:18-25:37 Spirituality In Halacha 25:38-26:59 Game Winners & Prize 27:00-28:04 Perspective in Pause 28:05-29:00 Nurturing Curiosity In Our Judaism  29:01-30:09 Learning How to Rest 30:10-31:37 Growth From Brokenness 31:38-32:58 Seeing G-d Everywhere 32:59-36:08 Rapid Fire Seder Prompts 36:09-37:46 Spoken Word Poem  37:47-41:25 Ball Game & Reflections Stay in touch with us! Instagram: @humanandholy Email: [email protected] Website: humanandholy.org The song behind the Seder poem is called 'The Seder Song' by Zusha. You can find more of their music here:  @zusha 

When nothing is large enough to hold the enormity of your emotions, where do you go? This episode is Chani's story of finding solace in the weekly Parsha, how the emotional wisdom of the Torah became her mirror and comfort as she grieved the loss of her older sister, Raizel. A moving reflection on what it means to bring the full emotional range of our inner experiences to our study of the Torah. The women's siddur is back in stock and available for purchase on humanandholy.com/shop. We love hearing your feedback! Email us at [email protected] to get in touch. To sponsor an episode, reach out to us via email or visit ⁠⁠humanandholy.com/sponsor⁠⁠. Become a monthly supporter of the podcast on ⁠⁠patreon.com/humanandholy⁠⁠. You can find us on instagram @humanandholy.

A conversation with a practicing marriage and family therapist about the limits of therapeutic language. Fraida establishes the enormous gifts of therapy in giving people the ability to come face to face with their humanity and inner healing, and suggests that as Jews, we don't have to stop there. We can weave the reality of our divine souls and infinite potential into the story of our vulnerability and humanity. The women's siddur is back in stock and available for purchase on humanandholy.com/shop. We love hearing your feedback! Email us at [email protected] sponsor an episode, reach out to us via email or visit ⁠humanandholy.com/sponsor⁠.Become a monthly supporter of the podcast on ⁠patreon.com/humanandholy⁠.