What does it mean to be “made for” something, and how do we find our way there? In this episode, Rabbi Oren Hayon weaves together a therapy dog named Obie, the spectacle of the Houston World Series of Dog Shows, and the quiet, powerful moments when humans, like well-trained dogs, seem to slip effortlessly into what they were born to do. Through stories of agility courses and scent work, Olympic-level focus and barn-hunt bravery, we explore the intersection of practice, innate gifts, and the deep spiritual satisfaction of living our purpose.
From there, the conversation turns to Jewish spiritual tradition: tales of rabbis, cantors, and teachers so immersed in prayer, song, or Torah study that they lose all sense of time, and what those stories can teach about moments of transcendence available to all of us—not just the spiritual “greats.” Along the way, you’ll hear a stirring excerpt from Marge Piercy’s poem “To Be of Use” and a reminder that each of us is the embodiment of generations of hope, history, and survival, especially as inheritors of Jewish peoplehood.
