Shows
70 to 1Choni Goldman - My Music is my ShlichusIn this episode, I speak with my dear friend and popular Jewish singer, Choni Goldman. This episode is being released on Rosh Chodesh Sivan, the beginning of the month where the Jewish people received the Torah at Mount Sinai on Shavuot. One of the core themes of Shavuot is the idea of a marriage between Hashem and the Jewish people, with the Torah serving as the Ketubah and Mt. Sinai as the chuppah. In honor of this theme, I’m joined by Choni, a beloved wedding singer, to reflect on the beauty of Jewish weddings and the dee...2025-05-282h 0870 to 1Paula Levitats - The Beauty of Women in Judaism, Continual Growth, and Finding our Core ValuesIn this episode, I speak with my wonderful wife, Paula. Being released on Rosh Hodesh Iyar in the middle of the counting of the Omer, in this episode, Paula and I dive deep into many core themes of Iyar and the Omer including continual spirutal growth, being open to change, discipline and boundaries, the often mis-understood role of Women in Judaism, finding our core values, and much more. If you'd like a more detailed version of Paula (and I's) story, check out our interview on Stories of Hope and/or our interview on the Empowered Jewish Living P...2025-04-281h 5170 to 1Alec Kremins - Pre- Pesach Thoughts on Jewish Unity, Finding Meaning, and Jewish Destiny in the Land of IsraelIn this episode, I speak with my dear friend Alec Kremins. Originally from New York, Alec currently lives in Jerusalem with his wife. Being released on Rosh Hodesh Nissan, in this episode, Alec and I dive deep into many core themes of Nissan and Passover including Ahavas Yisrael, hope, Jewish unity, and returning to the land of Israel. In this conversation, Alec shares many profound insights on how to live a more mindful Judaism, see the good in others, the Torah approach to entrepreneurship, and finding meaning and purpose in life. Alec is an incredibly thoughtful and d...2025-03-302h 0670 to 1Rabbi Shlomo Buxbaum - Music, Mysticism, and Mastering our Inner WorldsIn this episode, I speak with Rabbi Shlomo Buxbaum. Rabbi Buxbaum is a passionate Jewish educator, author, motivational speaker, life-coach, and musician committed to helping people of all walks of life discover meaning, direction, inspiration and joy in their life. He lectures on a wide range of topics including daily spirituality, love and relationships, law and ethics, Kabbalah/mysticism, Jewish mindfulness and more, encouraging each and every individual to discover their unique potential and to always find the joy in their Judaism. He, along with his incredible rebbitzen, Devorah Buxbaum, is the co-founder and director of The L...2025-02-281h 4470 to 1Matt Mann - Living in Alignment and Committing to a Process-Oriented LifeIn this episode, I speak with my dear friend Matt Mann. After studying mathematics at Cornell, Matt's curiosity took him to Lake Tahoe, Nevada to work for a startup and explore the beautiful Mountain West. Matt's journey ultimately took him to New York City and then to Jerusalem, where he currently is living learning Torah full-time. In this conversation, we discuss his evolving perspective on the relevance of Jewish practice, what it means to live in alignment with self, the confidence required to live and teach Torah authentically, the relationship between individuality and community-involvement, the transformational power of...2025-01-302h 07
Stories Of Hope With Tzipora GrodkoThe Catholic Jew: My Conversion Changed Our Lives | Paula & Aaron Levitats | Stories of HopeRaised entirely Catholic, Paula was affectionately called “the Jewish daughter” by her mother, who recognized Paula’s deep, innate connection to Judaism. While exploring her roots during college, Paula embarked on a journey toward conversion—but with one firm boundary: she vowed she would never become Orthodox. On the other hand, Aaron grew up in a loving Reform Jewish household, deeply connected to his heritage. Over time, however, he drifted from Judaism, dating a non-Jewish girlfriend and feeling disconnected. It wasn’t until an unexpected moment during a volunteering trip to Thailand that Aaron’s passion for Judaism was r...2025-01-131h 1370 to 1Yaakov Carno — Growth is Not LinearIn this episode, I speak with my dear friend Yaakov Carno. Originally from South Africa, Yaakov currently lives in Jerusalem with his wife and daughter. Yaakov's journey within Torah has seen many iterations, growing up in a Torah observant family, spending his teenage years operating outside Torah observance, and ultimately returning to Torah observance with a renewed and re-inspired perspective. In this conversation, Yaakov and I dive deep on his perspective on the role of emotion and intellect, Jewish law, pursuing truth. Yaakov is an incredibly thoughtful and deep individual, and as we discuss, is an avid...2024-12-311h 3870 to 1David Kosofsky - Diving Deeper Through Jewish MeditationWhen you think of meditation, do you also think of Judaism? Or, perhaps, more eastern spiritual practices? In this episode, being released on Rosh Hodesh Kislev, I speak with David Kosofsky. Originally from Massachusetts, David now lives in Jerusalem with his wife and 3 kids. In this episode, we go deep on David's unique journey from his secular upbringing to embracing Torah Judaism. Currently, David teaches a weekly Jewish meditation class in Jerusalem, and shares his perspective on the beauty and power of Jewish meditation techniques. David is a model for living an authentic and mindful Jewis...2024-12-012h 0370 to 1Isaac Rosenheim - When an Asia Backpacking Trip Turns Into YeshivaIn this episode, I speak with my dear friend Isaac Rosenheim. Originally from Miami, Florida, Isaac currently lives in Jerusalem spending his days growing in his Torah learning at Machon Shlomo, a Torah learning institution focused on growth-oriented Jewish men that grew up outside the traditional Torah world. Isaac's journey within Torah leaped forward when a brief stopover in Israel before planned months-long backpacking trip through Southeast Asia to explore meditation, martial arts, and spiritual practices lead him to Aish HaTorah. That trip never happened because he found what he was looking for in Southeast Asia in Israel instead.2024-11-011h 5570 to 1Uri Eckmann - Lessons in Giving and Responsibility Through Starting a Family YoungIn this episode, I speak with my dear friend Uri Eckmann. This episode is being released during the Aseret Yemei Teshuva, the 10 days of Teshuva from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur. Uri grew up in Philadelphia and now lives in Jerusalem with his wife and 5 kids. In this episode, we go deep on Uri's perspective on marrying and starting a family young, as well as discuss his motivations for moving to Israel. Uri is a model for giving and shouldering responsibility, attributes that fit beautifully into the world of teshuva, returning to our authentic selves. Ur...2024-10-102h 0170 to 1Menajem Benchimol - Post-Traumatic Growth, Chassidut, and Confronting ChallengesIn this episode, I speak with my dear friend Menajem Benchimol. Originally from Calli, Colombia, Menajem has lived in Miami, China, New York, and now Israel. Growing up the son a Chabad shluchim (emissaries) in Colombia, Menajem has had many unique experiences that shape his Jewish identity and worldview. In this episode, we go deep on Menajem's childhood struggles, the comfort and connection he finds in Chassidut - the inner-dimension of Torah - as well as some perspectives on Torah and business. Menajem also shares the power of using trauma as a springboard for growth, as he has modeled f...2024-09-042h 1970 to 1Noah Ifergan - Why Grow?In this opening episode, I speak to my close friend Noah Ifergan. Noah and I met while we both living in Washington D.C. Noah is originally from Canada, went to university in Canada where he studied applied mathematics and engineering, lived in Washington D.C., backpacked Asia, Australia and New Zealand for an extended period of time, and now finds himself learning Torah in Israel. Noah is a total go-getting and adventure seeker (check out his travel blog The Pursuit of Adventure), and is genuinely one of the most thoughtful and honest people I know. We discuss this...2024-08-051h 37