What does Judaism actually teach about happiness, joy, and being happy? Do we have to feel happy all the time? What is simcha in Jewish tradition, and is happiness really a feeling, or something deeper?

In this episode of A Soul Grows in Israel, I explore the Jewish understanding of happiness and joy, and what Jewish spirituality, Torah, Chassidut, and Jewish tradition have to say about living with joy even when life is difficult.

But I also ask a question that can feel much more uncomfortable: Is there room for doubt in Judaism?

Can you have faith in God and still have questions? Can you believe and doubt at the same time? What happens when our spiritual lives don't match the certainty we think we're supposed to have?

We explore faith, doubt, God, happiness, Jewish spirituality, simcha, spiritual struggle, and authentic religious life, asking whether perhaps the goal isn't to always feel happy or certain, but to develop a deeper relationship with God and with ourselves.

If you've ever wondered “Why am I not happy?” “Does Judaism require me to be happy?” “What is true happiness?” or “Can I be religious and still have doubts?”, this conversation is for you.

Topics: Happiness in Judaism, Jewish spirituality, simcha, faith and doubt, questioning God, Jewish tradition, Chassidut, Torah, spirituality, authentic Judaism, and finding meaning in difficult times.

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What makes a software engineer walk away from a career in tech to study Kabbalah and Jewish mysticism? Michael Macks did exactly that, trading the certainty of code for the depths of Torah and a new life in Israel.

In this conversation, Michael traces the road from a tech career to teaching Jewish spirituality, and what he found when he started asking the questions that software could not answer. We talk about what Kabbalah actually is beneath the mystique, why the move to Israel was inseparable from the inner journey, and how the wisdom of Jewish mysticism translates into a practical way of living rather than abstract theory. It is a story about leaving one kind of certainty to find another, and about what the ancient tradition still has to say to a very modern seeker.

In this episode:

• Why Michael left a career in tech, and the questions that pulled him toward Kabbalah
• What Jewish mysticism really is, past the popular image of it
• How the move to Israel became part of the spiritual path, not just a change of address
• Turning mystical wisdom into daily practice rather than theory
• What the tradition offers anyone feeling the pull toward something deeper

Michael Macks is a teacher and author of Jewish spirituality who traded a career in tech for a life of learning and teaching in Israel. He is the author of Practical Spiritual Tidbits: 365 Torah Insights to Awaken Your Mind and Heart and hosts a podcast of the same name, where he explores the spiritual architecture of the universe through Kabbalah and Torah sources. He is currently at work on a new book on how the mitzvot build a living connection with the Divine.

📖 Read Michael's book, Practical Spiritual Tidbits, on Amazon
🎧 Follow his podcast, Practical Spiritual Tidbits, on Spotify and Apple Podcasts
📱 Find Michael on Instagram @michaelmacks

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#Kabbalah #JewishMysticism #Torah #Judaism #Spirituality #Israel #Aliyah #MichaelMacks #JewishWisdom #Mysticism #Chassidus #TorahStudy #JewishPodcast

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Marrying off a child cracks something open. In the middle of the joy there's a quieter truth: you are being asked to let go. This episode is about that, and about what ancient Jewish wisdom teaches all of us about moving through the transitions we never feel ready for.

The wedding is the doorway, but the subject is bigger than any one simcha. Every life is a series of thresholds we have to cross with open hands: children growing up and leaving, seasons ending, roles we held tightly slipping into something new. Drawing on Torah, the prayers, and generations of Jewish teaching, we look at why letting go is a skill rather than a weakness, how perspective changes everything about a transition, and the real power we hold even in the moments that feel entirely out of our control. Whether or not you're standing under a chuppah anytime soon, these are lessons for anyone facing change.

In this episode:

• Why letting go is something we learn, not something we're born knowing
• What marrying off a child reveals about every transition we face
• How the prayers reframe our sense of control and surrender
• The power that stays in our hands even when everything is shifting
• Finding perspective in the thresholds we never felt ready to cross

However life is asking you to grow right now, may you cross the threshold with steadier hands.

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts
🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on Jewish wisdom, Torah, and the inner life

#JewishWisdom #LettingGo #Torah #Transitions #Judaism #Spirituality #Prayer #LifeLessons #Simcha #Growth #JewishThought #Perspective

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What does teshuva really mean? Not punishment, not self reproach, but return, coming home to who you actually are. Rabbi David Aaron reframes Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and the whole arc of the High Holidays as an invitation rather than a verdict.

We tend to translate teshuva as "repentance," a word heavy with judgment. Rabbi David Aaron opens it back up to its literal meaning, return. In this conversation we talk about why Rosh Hashanah is a beginning and not a sentencing, what these days are really inviting us toward, and how Yom Kippur can be the most freeing day of the year rather than the most fearful.

In this episode:
Rosh Hashanah as coronation and new beginning, not judgment day
What the Days of Awe are actually asking of us
How to approach Yom Kippur?
A practical way to enter the High Holidays with honesty and openness

Rabbi David Aaron is the author of several books on Jewish spirituality and the founder of Isralight, known for making Kabbalah and Torah accessible and deeply personal.

The Jewish year 5787 begins at sundown on September 11, 2026, with Yom Kippur following on September 20 to 21. However you come to these days, may they be a genuine homecoming.

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts
🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on Jewish thought, Torah, and the inner life

#RoshHashanah #YomKippur #Teshuva #HighHolidays #DavidAaron #JewishWisdom #Torah #Kabbalah #DaysOfAwe #Repentance #JewishNewYear #Teshuvah

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New studio, same old questions.

My husband and I sat down with our friend Robert Blum, a man who actually thinks and never gives us the easy answer, for a wide-ranging conversation on Jewish values, making Aliyah to Israel, the Torah, Navi, and the Temple Mount. No script, no easy conclusions, just an honest talk between people who've known each other long enough to agree, push back, and dig deeply into Judaism, Israel, and how we live out those values today.

If you want more from Robert Blum on Jewish parenting, Israel, and Torah, find him at jewishparenting.substack.com.

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What is it really like to make aliyah? Is moving to Israel everything people imagine—or are there challenges no one talks about?

In this episode of A Soul Grows in Israel, Esther Farkovits sits down with Marc Rosenberg, Vice President of Diaspora Partnerships at Nefesh B'Nefesh, for an honest conversation about making aliyah, building a life in Israel, and discovering what it truly means to live with purpose in the Jewish homeland. Marc believes that in Israel, we're "living out loud"—where Jewish history, identity, and values are woven into everyday life.

Whether you're seriously considering aliyah, dreaming about moving to Israel one day, or simply want to deepen your connection to the Jewish people and the Land of Israel, this conversation offers practical insight, inspiration, and heartfelt honesty.

In this episode, we discuss:
• What inspires people to make aliyah.
• The biggest fears and challenges before moving to Israel.
• What Nefesh B'Nefesh does to help new olim succeed.
• The realities of building a new life in Israel.
• Raising a family, finding community, and creating a meaningful future.
• Why so many Jews continue to choose Israel as home.

If you've ever searched for making aliyah, moving to Israel, living in Israel, Nefesh B'Nefesh, aliyah from America, or Jewish life in Israel, this episode is for you.

Subscribe to A Soul Grows in Israel for inspiring conversations on Israel, Jewish spirituality, aliyah, Torah, Jewish identity, and living a life of meaning.

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What was it like to escape Nazi Europe as a child? How did one life, shaped by the Kindertransport and the horrors of World War II, lead to a future in the State of Israel?

In this episode of A Soul Grows in Israel, Esther Farkovits sits down with Paul Alexander to hear his remarkable firsthand story of survival, resilience, and hope.

Paul shares his memories of leaving Europe through the Kindertransport, the difficult and often unlikely path that followed, and how those experiences ultimately led him to build a life in Israel. His story is a powerful reminder of courage, faith, perseverance, and the enduring strength of the Jewish people.

This conversation explores:

• The Kindertransport and the rescue of nearly 10,000 Jewish children before World War II.
• Growing up during the Holocaust.
• Life after the war and rebuilding from unimaginable loss.
• The journey to Israel.
• The resilience of the Jewish people across generations.
• Lessons of hope, identity, and survival that remain deeply relevant today.

Whether you're interested in Holocaust history, Jewish history, Israel, World War II, family stories, or the resilience of the human spirit, this episode offers an unforgettable personal testimony.

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What is humility according to Judaism? Is humility thinking less of yourself, or is it seeing yourself more truthfully?

In this episode of A Soul Grows in Israel, Esther Farkovits explores one of the most misunderstood ideas in Jewish spirituality: anavah (humility). Drawing on Torah, Chassidut, Kabbalah, and timeless Jewish wisdom, she explains why humility is not weakness, low self-esteem, or self-erasure. Instead, it is one of the deepest spiritual laws governing personal growth and the Jewish soul.

Discover why Moses, the greatest leader in Jewish history, was also called the most humble person on earth, and how humility transforms our relationships, strengthens our connection with God, quiets the ego, and helps us live with greater purpose, clarity, and inner peace.

If you've ever wondered how the universe really works from a Torah perspective, this episode offers a profound look at why humility may be the foundation for spiritual growth and authentic confidence.

you'll discover:

• What humility (anavah) really means in Judaism.
• Why humility is different from low self-esteem.
• The relationship between humility, ego, and the Jewish soul.
• What Torah and Kabbalah teach about spiritual growth.
• Why Moses is the ultimate model of humility.
• Practical ways to cultivate humility in everyday life.

If you enjoy conversations about Jewish spirituality, Kabbalah, Chassidut, Torah wisdom, the Jewish soul, personal growth, and living a meaningful life, subscribe and share this episode.

#Judaism #JewishSpirituality #Humility #Torah #Kabbalah #Chassidut #JewishSoul #Middot #PersonalGrowth #Moses #Israel #Faith #SpiritualGrowth

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