Rachel Kaplan & HaGal Sheli (My Wave)

In this deeply moving episode of Torah From Boca, Rabbi David Baum is joined by Rachel Kaplan, a senior leader at HaGal Sheli – My Wave, an Israeli nonprofit using surf therapy to support youth at risk, trauma survivors, displaced families, and communities coping with PTSD — especially in the aftermath of October 7. Rachel focuses on partnerships and international outreach, helping connect HaGal Sheli’s life-changing work in Israel with Jewish communities and supporters around the world.

Originally from the United States and now based in Tel Aviv, she brings together a background in international relations with a profound belief in the healing power of the ocean.

Through her leadership and advocacy, HaGal Sheli has emerged as a powerful model of resilience — using the rhythm of the sea to help people regain strength, confidence, and hope when the ground beneath them no longer feels stable.

🌊 In this conversation, we explore:

• Healing and trauma through embodied, relational work

• What resilience looks like after October 7

• Why the ocean can become sacred space

• How Jewish communities abroad can meaningfully partner in healing

🎥 Also included in this post: A powerful video from Zikim, capturing the return of Israeli hostages — moments filled with relief, sorrow, love, and collective breath. These scenes remind us that redemption is rarely simple, but it is deeply human and profoundly holy.

🔗 Videos featured: • Torah From Boca — Rachel Kaplan & HaGal Sheli: https://youtu.be/U1Zk0RFhJKw

• Zikim — Hostage Returnees: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNM2_kdz1lw

🙏 Support this holy work: If this conversation resonates with you and you would like to help sustain healing and resilience in Israel, please consider supporting HaGal Sheli – My Wave: 👉 Donate here:

https://donate.stripe.com/eVabLa8Ac5EN5fa144

In this episode of Torah from Boca, Rabbi David Baum reflects on Parashat Va’eira through the lens of the moment we’re living in — a time when it can feel like one battle follows another.

Beginning with a headline that hits uncomfortably close to home, Rabbi Baum explores recent acts of antisemitism alongside the Torah’s account of the plagues of Egypt. Why does Pharaoh grow more hardened with each blow? And what does Rashi teach us about the difference between becoming “battle-hardened” and losing our moral freedom?

Drawing on Pirkei Avot and a deeply personal story of mitzvah and memory, this episode asks a powerful question: when darkness multiplies, how do we ensure that goodness does too?

A thoughtful and timely reflection on resilience, responsibility, and the quiet power of choosing action over despair — one mitzvah at a time.

https://youtu.be/E4Lo5kYf57A

💀 What Zombie shows reveals about compassion fatigue, psychic numbing, and how Torah teaches us to remember. #Shoftim #parashahoftheweek

What does #thewalkingdead teach us about compassion in a world that grows numb? Think of Sheriff Rick Grimes. In the first episode, he honors the fallen stranger ("we will always remember him") before his empathy fades. Likewise, our hearts risk hardening in the face of relentless tragedy. This sermon explores how constant exposure to mass shootings and global horrors leads to compassion fatigue—as described in NPR’s “Another Mass Shooting? ‘Compassion Fatigue’ Is a Natural Reaction” and psychic numbing, which was unpacked by the APA in their article “COVID-19 & Psychic Numbing.”

Together, they demonstrate how numbers can often overshadow human stories. Torah offers a different way forward. Through Ramban’s vision of “circumcising the heart,” the haunting ritual of the Eglah Arufah, Seforno’s call to spare the trees, and Ibn Ezra’s demand for a culture that cherishes life, Judaism insists that every individual soul matters—even amid war. This week, we speak the names of Harper Lillian Moyski (10) and Fletcher Merkel (8)—two children whose lives cannot be reduced to statistics. In Elul, may we resist numbness, remember the names, and soften our hearts—so compassion remains our sacred response.

📖 Texts: Deuteronomy 21 (Eglah Arufah), Ramban, Seforno, Ibn Ezra, Mishnah Sanhedrin Articles

📰: Another Mass Shooting? ‘Compassion Fatigue’ Is a Natural Reaction” - https://www.npr.org/sections/health-s...

Paul Slovic observes the ‘psychic numbing’ of COVID-19 - https://www.apa.org/members/content/c...

🕯️ Remembering: Harper Lillian Moyski (10) & Fletcher Merkel (8)

➡️ Watch to discover how Torah challenges us to resist numbness, remember names, and soften our hearts in a world that too often forgets.

https://youtu.be/ES6VfgI4FGk?si=xwBOmw6JgxtkjLJ3

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