Podcasts about Yula

I Know. We are all feeling it. The war in Israel and our brothers and sisters suffering in bomb shelters as missiles mercilessly rain down upon them. In our class today we share chizuk and ideas to help us gain clarity and focus as jews always do in the face of evil. Along the way we come face to face with those who put their mouths and false pretenses before the truths their eyes are showing them.

In this Pre Shavuot Shiur we try to explain the connection we feel on Shavuot and the ultimate acceptance we partake in. Along the way we talk about cheesecake and 24 adornments of a bride and its connection to the Tikkun Lel Shavuot. Enjoy!

SOooooo I wasn't sure I should post this one. Still not sure. It is pretty intense but I felt maybe someone out there will gain. I make some archaic references from my teenage music listening years and try to move us in a direction of Torah growth. Enjoy

This is a fun one. I laugh so hard in the middle I need a moment to compose myself. We go through some outrageous stories of the Rashbi that shed light on what we as a people should focus on to tear up any bad decree's in heaven. Along the way, my son shares an interesting thought and I drop a Major push to buy some Artscroll sets at 25 percent off!Here is my personal Link to buy those sets: http://artscroll.com/linker/rebari/link/Books/

This one is pretty hard hitting. I didn't mean for it to be so intense but I realized how much I have personally weakened in my own Kedusha since I have moved from Israel and I guess this is the product of that! We talk about the famous Ramban of Menuval B'reshut hatroah in todays society. We find a hidden gem of a Ramban in Acharei Mot that teaches 4 levels of living for this world and the next. And a funny story in a pizza shop in Israel.

Welcome Back!! We are starting up again after Pesach with a brand new Shiur on the 3 causes of Lashon Hara based on the Amazing Sefer 'Pushing Your Buttons' On the Parsha written by Rabbi Moshe Gruenstein. We ask if Hashem is a Scout or a Scoreboard and hear some amazing ideas about the Luz Bone, Reb Shayala and Melava Malka. Enjoy! ^^Announcement^^- I am excited to announce a new online community and class I am giving on Shaare Habitachon, this FREE class is powered by Meaningful Minute we called this series "Faith it till you make it". The only way to watch these classes is by signing up on this link-https://5iuumx7ab.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001iWHpghskY-ERpnel9Mk9fb9jV8XsXYySclhEw7WaTtQ07xFTECCZZ0FsTPy-LOcwRu_wl8dqfOkpBskvm2YRFoD_m9mMRnP4bclcWqfr10GMOVvzxsKP04AoTEBLXyYO-yjdW5RT3eQsocxK756EM5gaBL6jKrwe-8_Yyp-5Kco=&c=vCY_rlhMTRFopYJYUnOmAwwbtmeTpk9MoBLo8oxlnL_G2uERZqd41Q==&ch=2-OjNaHij0AZjX4oG90fH2gpf7Q8-UrfT2nrzncsKCq7VmukqFOufQ==

It is finally here! SEDER TIME! Please grab a pen and paper for this one because it is the legendary focused Seder From My Rebbi Rav Berkowitz with all the Fire I can muster. We laugh and learn some heavy hitting points of how to imbue our children with a fierce sense of jewish identity and show them the secret of our immortality! Yeah we also talk about stocks.I have made Pesach Cards that explain this class in detail and so much more about a focused seder. Please email me at:ari@wearechazak.com for a free copy.

hanks Nachum, No fooling folks, it's April as the Yeshiva League turns the corner into Spring. But first, straight ahead on Tuesday Morning JM in the AM Sports Update, the Yeshiva League holds court at the 2025 Red Saracheck Tournament. All that and more, good morning, I'm Elliot Weiselberg. From beginning to end, the 2025 Red Saracheck Tournament held an extraordinary amount of suspense, excitement and, of course, upsets. The Granddaddy of all Yeshiva League Basketball took place this weekend at the Max Stern Athletic Center on the campus of Yeshiva University with 21 teams vying for the most prestigious title and for the first time in a long time Yeshiva League teams were in command of the action for the Tier I and Tier II championships...just not the ones that would be believed. The afternoon session on Monday started out with the Tier II championship featuring two highly ranked teams, semifinalist North Shore and league-Champion DRS Wildcats, both teams were relegated to the lower bracket following stunning Thursday upsets, for 3rd seed DRS, it would be the 14th seed Frisch Cougars pulling off the upset on a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Nathan Neufield for Frisch in the 45-44 victory. North Shore would also fall to a Yeshiva League foe, Magen David, who gained the 10th seed by virtue of their play-in win the night before over Flatbush. More on them later. The Wildcats and Lions would rebound with wins Saturday night to advance to the semifinals and narrowly advance to the finals, with DRS needing an overtime miracle buzzer beater three by Joe Aaron to send their game with Hebrew Academy of Montreal to Double OT and then a superb second extra session from Aaron to seal the deal to move on. In the finals, it seemed as if the totality of the last two weeks had finally caught up to the Wildcats. North Shore took a two-point lead with under a minute to go in the first and never trailed the rest of the way, opening up mid-teen leads at several points. DRS would make a charge late, though and would pull within two and with 7 seconds to go, Aaron would go to the line for two shots. Aaron would only make 1 of two shots to trail by one. With the Lions hitting a free throw at the other end, DRS would have one last chance to tie as Aaron burned his way up the court cutting through to the basket, but could not get the running jumper to fall at the buzzer, giving North Shore the 49-47 Tier II victory. In Tier 1, two more Yeshiva League teams squared off in the unlikeliest of finals. 4th seed TABC busted through Fasman, SAR and top ranked YULA to head back to the main stage at the MSAC where they fell short only a handful of days earlier in the Yeshiva League Championship. Their opponent, the 10th seeded Magen David Warriors. Following their wins over Flatbush and North Shore, the Warriors knocked off #2 Shalhevet 58-51 and #6 Berman by 1 to become one of the lowest seeds to ever advance to the Sarachek finals. The teams would trade runs and keep a close game until midway through the 4th when the league runner up took over and finished off the game on a 17-7 run to take the tier 1 championship for TABC 61-49. Eyal Kinderlehrer saved the best for last, putting up a 24 point, 13 rebound double-double to lead the Storm to their first-ever Saracheck Tournament Championship. The final winter sport event will take place this coming weekend as the 2025 Rabbi David Beitler Memorial Tournament will take place in HAFTR for Varsity Hockey. Moving over to Spring Sports, in Girls Hockey, HAFTR has opened up a sizeable lead in the East at 4-0-1, taking a 5-point lead over second place HANC. Meanwhile, in Boys Volleyball, Solomon Schechter took a straight set win over YDE to improve to 4-0. In Boys Soccer, Westchester continues their impressive season, downing Flatbush 12-5 to match DRS at the top of the East with 4 wins and Frisch took a 5-4 win over defending champion Kushner to remain undefeated out West. And that was your Tuesday Morning JM in the AM Sports Update, I'm Elliot Weiselberg

Pesach is here!! We begin our journey to unravel the mystery of what we are meant to give over to our children and ourselves over the course of Pesach. Even if you are heard my other Pesach Shiurim I cover new ground in this shiur so give it a listen!!Big NEWS!! Chazak LA has teamed up with Artscroll! When you order from Artscroll and use the following link:https://www.artscroll.com/linker/rebari/homeyou will get incredible Artscroll books and be donating to Chazak LA at the same time. A percentage of each order will be a donation to help spreading Torah to LA and the world!If you live in California use Promo Code- WESTCOAST to upgrade from ground shipping to EXPEDITED SHIPPING for free! 

In this episode we tackle the idea of humility in the Parah Adumah. Along the way we hear about husbands avodah in marriage and how the build up from Parshat Shekalim culminates in Nissan. Oh Yeah, there is a lot about marriage. Like more than I should've shared. Enjoy!Last licks on helping keep this podcast and more Torah going! thechesedfund.com/chazak/torah-in-motion-chazak-non-stop-2025/teams/rabbiariandnaomibensoussan

“He told me: ‘We are the same. We are the same.' Meaning, me and the terrorists who penetrated the kibbutz are the same. They received the mission to murder and to burn, and I received the mission to hold you as bargaining chips for the release of the Palestinian prisoners. And this was a very cruel sentence, because while we were in captivity . . . they could do anything to us.” Former Israeli hostage Shoshan Haran, abducted during the Hamas terror attack on October 7, 2023, shares her harrowing story of survival and resilience. Shoshan was abducted from her home in Kibbutz Be'eri alongside her family, including her son-in-law Tal Shoham, her daughter, and her young grandchildren. While she and the other women and children were released after 50 days in November 2023, Tal remained in Gaza for 505 days and was released in February 2025. Now, as she welcomes Tal home, Shoshan opens up about the unbearable anguish of captivity, the emotional toll of waiting, and the devastating losses her family has endured. She sheds light on the humanity that persisted even in the darkest moments and issues a powerful call for continued global action to free the 59 hostages who are still being held. Resources: Listen – AJC Podcasts: The Forgotten Exodus: with Hen Mazzig, Einat Admony, and more. People of the Pod:  U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff on Gaza Reconstruction, Israeli Security, and the Future of Middle East Diplomacy Why Germany's Antisemitic Far-Right Party is Thriving Instead of Disappearing Follow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've appreciated this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. __ Transcript of Conversation with Shoshan Haran: Manya Brachear Pashman:   After 505 days as a hostage in Gaza, Tal Shoham returned to Israel to his wife and two young children and to an extended family whose lives have been on hold since the Hamas terror attacks on October 7, 2023. Tal had been taken hostage from his home in Kibbutz Be'eri with his wife, his children, his wife's aunt, his 12-year-old niece, and his mother in law, Shoshan Haran. Shoshan returned home with the other women and children on November 26, 2023. She is with us now to talk about welcoming Tal home, the tremendous loss she and her family have suffered, and the endless fight to get the rest of the hostages home.  Shoshan, welcome to People of the Pod.  Shoshan Haran:   Thank you. Nice being here.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   Well, I'm glad that you are here to at least partially celebrate the return of your loved ones. It has been more than 500 days since that awful day in October. Can you take our listeners back a few days before the 7th, to October 4th: what were you doing that day? Shoshan Haran:   On October 4, we had a very big event of Women Making Peace in the Dead Sea, together with a sister movement, Women of the Sun. It's a Palestinian movement. Both women-led movements working for peace on both sides. And I went there with my sister Lilach and with the founder of this movement, Vivian Silver, who was my neighbor in Kibbutz Be'eri. And it was such an optimistic event, and heartwarming, we were there with thousands of women, some men also, and we were talking about the power of women to bring peace and how we should stop the bloodshed and how we should find a new way to live together in peace. That was on October 4.  Two days later, on October 6, we are getting ready for Simchat Torah, to celebrate with our family. We had the sukkah already since a week ago, and we invited my daughter, Adi, and her husband Tal and the little kids, Naveh, who was then eight years old, and Yahel (Yula), three years old, to join us for Simchat Torah. So we were cooking, getting ready for the holidays. It was a shabbat dinner, so cooking. And then we got a call from Avshal, Avshalom, he's my husband, his nickname is Avshal, and we got a call from his sister, Sharon, that wanted to join us for that evening with her daughter, Noam who was then 12 years old. And we celebrated together in the sukkah, having fun. The kids were playing all over. And then we went to sleep. We had kind of a loft above our house for hosting our guests, and that's where Tal and Adi and the kids stayed overnight. Sharon and her daughter stayed with us on the ground level, and we went to sleep. And then at 6:29am, we heard the red . . . color red is the code for attack. And we thought it is, I shouldn't say it, but the usual missile attack on us. So we went to the safe room. And then after a few minutes, we went out. My husband went up to the second floor to get Adi, Tal, and the kids down to be with us, and I started making hot chocolate for the grandkids. And then we got the warning on our–we have a community WhatsApp for alarms. And they told us that they suspect that some terrorists penetrated the kibbutz, and then we should go into the safe room. And a few minutes later, they confirmed that a terrorist attack was launched on the kibbutz. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Who was in that safe room with you? Shoshan Haran:   We were in the safe room, seven people. Tal, Adi, my daughter, the kids–my [2] grandkids, Sharon and Noam. Avshal stayed outside with a knife ready to protect his family, and also looking through the windows to understand what was going on. And then we started hearing shooting and grenades, and they got closer and closer to us. My cell phone was the only one that had reception inside the safe room. And after one hour and a half of terror, Tal texted my husband to join us in the safe room, because he understood that a knife is not gonna protect us, so there was no way. And so Avshal joined us, and Tal and him–we had a very large dinner table when we have guests, and the extensions were in the safe room, so very heavy pieces of wood. And they used it to protect the handle of the safe room door because there was no lock, but they were just pushing it against the safe room door. I heard them breaking into my neighbor's home. I heard a lot of glass and a lot of shooting and grenades. I didn't know what was happening there. And then they left.  And then they penetrated our house. They just broke into it. It's easy. It was full of windows that you could easily break into. And they started shouting at us: open the door, open the door. We did not. And then they had steel penetrating bullets that went through the safe room's iron door. And I even saw one bullet passing very close to my head. The movement of the bullet was a little bit slowed, so I could see it. And my husband shouted at me, just lie down, you know, because my head was a little bit upwards, looking at the cell phone and trying to call for help.  They couldn't break in the safe room door, and then they left, and we thought that maybe we were saved. But then after a few minutes, they brought a bulldozer, and they just cracked the safe room window. And the safe room window is composed of two steel parts that should be connected. But with the bulldozer, they were able to dismantle the window and create a crack.  And then we had a few seconds to decide to surrender or not. And then my husband and Tal decided to surrender. We were under the bed, so we didn't see much, but they understood that the crack will allow the terrorists to throw grenades into the room. So they decided to surrender.  And then the terrorist opened the window so we stopped resisting. They opened the window, and then my husband and Tal went out first, and that was the last glance that I had of my husband. And it took us a while, because we were under the bed, and we were three women and three little kids. So we went out of the room. They grabbed us through the window. And when my daughter was out, she saw her kids. They took her kids separately. And she just shouted at them, mother, kid, mother, kids. And she, she just kidnapped. She grabbed them from the terrorist. She's a real hero, my daughter.  And then they pushed us with a gun pointed at us. And when we were out of the safe room, which I saw already, six or seven members of the kibbutz were already murdered and were lying near our home, and they were pushing us towards the fence around the kibbutz, which they already destroyed.  And one of them that looks really lunatic, he handcuffed me with my hands behind my back, and they just pushed us into the car that they brought from Gaza and drove towards the Gaza Strip. We didn't see any IDF soldiers. The border was completely abolished. There was no border. We didn't see any Air Force. We saw nothing. It was just driving through the open fields into the Gaza Strip.  We were sitting in the back seat of the car. I had Naveh, my grandson, on my lap. Adi was holding Yula, and Sharon was holding her daughter, Noam. And the two terrorists were sitting in front. And when we crossed the border into Gaza–the theoretical border, there was nothing there–one of the terrorists told us, welcome to Gaza. And I said, thank you. And then we just entered into Gaza.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   You said that was your last glance of Avshal when he climbed out the window. Shoshan Haran:   So we were in captivity for 50 days, and during these horrible days, I was almost sure that both Tal and Avshal were hostages in Gaza, because they were kidnapped a few minutes before us, and I understood that the goal of the terrorists was to have hostages. And so I was very confident, I should say, that both of them are hostages in Gaza. And I knew, I knew by intuition, that Israel will demand to release women and children first. I just knew it.  And I told Adi and Sharon all the time. I said, we need to survive. Every day that we survive will get us closer to our release, because I knew that the terrorists see us as bargain chips to get their prisoners released. So I said our mission is just to survive. I need to keep my family. I need to survive.  And I thought that Tal and Avshal are also hostages, and I learned about the fact that they murdered my husband on October 7, only after I was released and I met my daughter and my son, and they had to tell me the horrible truth that he was murdered, but not only him. My sister was murdered, my little sister, my younger sister. Her husband, his caregiver.  102 people from my kibbutz, from the little community that we know, every one were murdered on October 7. Manya Brachear Pashman:   This was your sister, Lilach, who had been at the event on October 4 with you. Yes?  Shoshan Haran:   Yes, yes. Manya Brachear Pashman:   I am so sorry. May all of those memories be a blessing, every one of them in the kibbutz.  Did you stay with your daughter and grandchildren in Gaza the entire time? Or were you separated?  Shoshan Haran:   No, we were together, luckily. We were handed over by the kidnappers to what I used to term as guards in Gaza. And I use the term guards because we wanted the children to live in the belief that these people are guarding us, so we didn't call them terrorists, not even between ourselves. We call them guards.  We were moved from one house to another. So we were not in the tunnels. We were in top Hamas leaders' houses. What they did in all of these houses, they created a separate room for us, where we did not see the family of the Hamas leader, but we heard the voices. We heard the voices of the commander. We heard the voices of his wife and the children. So it was like a provisoric arrangement. And the guards were always in between us and the family. I mean, we didn't see the family, but we heard them. And the guards were the ones who brought us food and they were kind of in between.  We had an event in the second house that we stayed. We had an event of knock on the roof. Knock on the roof is a term that the IDF is using when the Air Force is aiming to hit a specific house without harming the people who live inside the house.  One time it was supposed to be two blocks away from us, so the terrorists, they know exactly the address, and they told us to get away, just to stay away from the window. So if the window is, if the glass is breaking, we will not be wounded. The second time, it was very close to where we stayed, maybe even the place we stayed, specifically so they evacuated us and the family of the Hamas terrorist who was holding us. We were evacuated to the street, and then we were taken to another house. And eventually we were taken to a fourth house, where we stayed 43 days. And in that house, the Hamas person who joined us knew English. So I started to talk. Before that the guards or the captors, didn't speak any English. They knew some very basic words, like bomb, far, go, come. You know, simple words. But in the fourth house that we stayed 43 days, the Hamas terrorist knew quite good English.  Manya Brachear Pashman: Did you seize on that and try to have conversations with your captors? We had lots of conversations and talks. I'm a very passionate reader, so I read a lot of books, including Holocaust survivors' books. I used a lot of the wisdom on how to survive when I was in Gaza. So the first thing I knew: that I should not show any weakness. I looked in their eyes, I talked straight forward, I didn't show any panic or hysterical or crying or stuff like that.  The other thing is, I knew I had to keep hope and be determined that we will be released. So that was very important, and that gave us strength. And also I counted the days. I knew the day of the week. And I knew the date. And to eat when you can. To sleep when you can. So to be very determined and very focused on the present. You don't have the capacity to think about the past or the future, you just focus on survival every second, every minute, every hour, how to protect your family and how to create some kind of a relationship with your captors. So they will get to know us, and this will give some some layer of protection. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Did you feel like you successfully fostered a relationship?   Shoshan Haran:   Yeah, it's a very tricky situation. So on one hand, I used to thank–his mother was cooking, was providing the food. We never saw her, but we heard her voice. We heard the babies on the other side of the apartment, but there was no eye contact. But when I knew that she was the one who is preparing food for us and for the captors and for her family. So every time that this guy, her son, brought us the food, I said, I want you to thank your mother. And I mentioned a few times that I appreciate the fact that they are guarding us and they are providing us the food, although it was very minimal, but still. And after a few days, we started to talk about life. I know about their salaries. I know their problems. I know how they get married or why they're not married yet.  I know about their mission. Their mission is very clear. They want to destroy Israel. It's a jihadistic mission. It's very clear. They talk about it very openly. And actually, they tried to convince us to leave Israel. He was saying, why don't you go back to Europe or go to Florida. I don't know for some reason, Florida is like, simple for them, for the Jewish community in the US. And he said, next time we're going to come harder on Israel, and I'm not sure that you'll have such a nice team to take care of you, so I advise you go, leave Israel.  And at a certain point he said, he asked me, if you go back to Israel, will you go back to the kibbutz? So said to him, I don't want to hear the word if. When we go back to Israel. And regarding the kibbutz, I said, it's a very good question, but I never gave him an answer. I knew what he wanted to hear. They were in a state of mind that, on one hand, you do create human interactions. And they played with the children. The children were so sweet, and they started to play. His family had the same age kids at the other side of the house, so there were human interactions, but it was very clear that their mission is to keep us as bargaining chips. And at one point after I felt more, I don't know, relaxed with the interaction with him, because all my talks were with this specific guy, because he was the only one who talked English. I said, you know, I am very, I don't know which expression I said, but I'm very angry about the people I saw who penetrated the kibbutz and murdered my my friends. And I saw the house of my sister was on fire. It was already bombed. You know, with, I don't know what, with whatever. Actually, I gave her and her husband like, 1% chances to be alive. What I saw in the house was, it would require a miracle for them to survive. So I told him that I'm angry at the people who penetrated the kibbutz and did these horrible things, but I do thank him and the guards and his family, to protect us and to feed us. Manya Brachear Pashman: Did you get any glimmer of remorse or compassion or empathy from them at that point? Shoshan Haran: He told me: We are the same. We are the same, meaning me and the terrorists who penetrated the kibbutz are the same. They received the mission to murder and to burn, and I received the mission to hold you as bargaining chips for the release of the Palestinian prisoners. And this was a very cruel sentence, because while we were in captivity, we were fully dependent on every expression of their faces, they could do anything to us.  So my mind couldn't handle this sentence, and I kind of buried it, I just put it aside. I didn't want to think about it, because it was so cruel. But I was sure that if anybody tried to rescue us, they will murder us. I was sure, I was not confused in that sense. I knew that they use us as assets. They see us as assets. And if they will feel that somebody is trying to rescue us by force, then they will kill us. And going to the situation now, you know that Tal, my son in law, Tal Shoham, was released two weeks ago. And actually it's the first time I started to breathe after a year and some months of fighting for his life, and, you know, taking care of helping my daughter and the grandkids and everybody, but we need To remember there are 59 more hostages in Gaza. And when we must keep on the fight. We must not give up. Manya Brachear Pashman:   A religion reporting colleague of mine, Dave Schechter in Atlanta, is a cousin of yours. When Tal was released, he wrote about how the extended family all around the world fought for and celebrated his release. Were you able to feel that love or sense that family energy? Shoshan Haran:   When I was a hostage in Gaza, I knew that my family and friends in Israel will not stay quiet, just because I know them. But as I said before, most of the time you don't think of anything else besides what's going on in your cell. Actually, I I looked at our situation as if we are astronauts in a hostile world, but unfortunately with terrorists pointing guns at our heads inside the satellite.  So when I was in Gaza, I thought about the fact that my family and friends will not stay quiet and will fight, but only on the way to Gaza. Once I was there, the focus is survival, focus. You just don't have any capacity to think of the past or the future or on anything that is beyond here and now. After I returned, first of all, Yuval, my son, told me that he organized a march from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem with 50,000 people when we were in captivity. And Shaked, my daughter, she was then nine months pregnant, and she flew to the US with AJC, by the way. Without insurance. She was nine months pregnant, no insurance company would cover her flight, but she still went, and she was all over. And when they told me, I suddenly felt the connection.  And of course, I mean, I got, while I was there, I got millions of emails and, well, WhatsApp I didn't have, because my phone was stolen, but emails from all over the world, including from Africa, the places that my my NGO is working with smaller farmers, Fair Planet, we call it. Now I think it's a bit naive name, but still.  Manya Brachear Pashman: And really the Jewish people as a collective have come together at this moment in history. Were you able to feel that sense of community in your circumstance? Or if not, can you feel it now that Tal is home and you can, as you just said, breathe? Shoshan Haran:   10 days after I was released on 26 of November, 50 days after we were taken, I came to the US and AJC people helped us get meetings with congressmen and Senate members. They took us all over. I was just in the meetings. But, you know, in the corridors of the Senate, at the corridors of the Congress and in and out with meetings. And I really, really, really appreciate not only this help, but this was my personal feeling. I mean, we just landed. I was still half in Gaza and half in my freedom. And here I am in the US, talking to decision makers and influencers, and this was done with the help of you guys, so I think it's a nice opportunity to thank you. Thank you for all the help that you are doing since then. I know it started very early on.  Actually, my daughter, my younger daughter, Shaked, came to the US to meet you guys and to meet Congressmen a few days after I was kidnapped. So, when I was in Gaza, actually.  So I think, the way I see it, I always knew the importance of the Jewish people all over the world, and of course, the importance of Israel being an independent Jewish democratic country, the importance of Israel to the Jews in the world, and the importance of the Jews in the world for Israel. I knew it, but the strength of these connections was much more evident after this horrific October 7 attack. So I felt that the Jewish world is is not only with us, but on a very practical level with us, and using all the network and all the professionals in Washington, in New York, I was invited to synagogues a few times, to big synagogues in Manhattan, what I felt is that a lot of Jewish people abroad that were not so much active in their connection to Israel understood the importance of Israel to them. And the urgency to work together on this crisis. And I think this will not go away. That's my feeling.  But now we need to focus on the 59 hostages. I know the feeling I had until two weeks ago. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't smile. I mean, it's your you look at the news and you get heart attacks every single news piece, and you just cannot breathe, and the families of these 59 hostages are still in this situation, we are not allowed to forget and let go. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Thank you for expressing your gratitude. And I must echo that gratitude to you for sharing that story and reliving all of that trauma. I'm sorry that you had to remember some of those horrible moments, though I do think that they are illuminating for those who just simply can't grasp what your family went through.  You did not see Tal again until he returned to Israel. Is that correct?  Shoshan Haran:   Yes. Well, about my husband, I heard only when I returned. But there were evidence from October 7 that Tal was taken alive. People saw him in Gaza. So we knew that he was taken. We were just hoping and praying that none of the horrible things that could happen while you are in captivity will not happen to him. He had a horrible time, but it was released, and my daughter, Adi, his wife, told me it's either zero or one. Either you get your husband, your loved ones back alive, and you can rebuild your future and unite your family, or it's a zero.  And for the 59 hostages who are still in Gaza, we need to do anything that we can keep keep the pressure, keep the energy, keep the fight. If you care about the civilian Palestinians in Gaza, like I do–that all my life, I was working for peace–the only thing you need to focus on is releasing the hostages. Because the hostages, the fact that the Hamas terrorists are still keeping them there, is a devastating fact for the Palestinians, because the Hamas, they don't care about their own people.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   Is it too soon to ask, once all the hostages return and they will, what comes next? Is there a movement already afoot to make sure Israel and others never forget what happened on October 7? Or is it too soon to ask that question?  Shoshan Haran:   I think once all the hostages are back, there will be as we will need, and also the Jewish people in the world will need to cheshbon nefesh (accounting of the soul). I don't know how to say it in English. To rethink and reconsider our views and our actions looking forward. I think we cannot be naive anymore and say to ourselves, you know that just saying that they want to kill us all, but they don't really mean it, and they will not be, they will not dare to do it and so and so forth. I think now we need to look at the facts as they are and recalculate our stance, our thoughts.  I think, first of all, we need to follow the money. Because one thing I can tell you, without funding, Hamas would never get to this stage, and neither Iran or the Houthis or Hezbollah, there are forces in the world who are supporting financially, the organizations or the countries who declare that they want to destroy and abolish Israel. We need to follow the money. We need to be smart. That's one. The other, and that's a big question. I'm just putting it on the table, but it's a big question how to do it, but this, we must do it. And the other thing is, the key for mutual existence is education. And what I learned recently, for example, is that the Palestinian Authority, or the people in Gaza, they do not teach about the Holocaust. They do not know about the Holocaust. The people that my captors, they were 24, 25, and 31 and then the commander was 40. Looking at the dates of the decision not to teach about the Holocaust, I'm sure they had no understanding why we are here. They think that we just came here like a colonialist or, you know, and then, if they will give us enough trouble, we will go away.  But we're not going to go away. We are staying, and until they change their mission to destroy us. We need to be stronger and smarter than them. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Shoshan, thank you so much for being with us, for sharing your story, and for giving us hope, sharing your hope, and then giving us hope that the hostages are all coming home, and that there is a future for Israel. Shoshan Haran:   There is a future for Israel. This, I'm sure, yes, but we need the Jewish people with us, and we need to work together. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Thank you so much. Shoshan Haran:   Thank you. Thank you. And regards to my friends at AJC. Manya Brachear Pashman:   If you missed last week's episode, be sure to tune in for my conversation with two scientists at MIT who have created a foundation to ensure Israeli scholars and their American colleagues can collaborate freely, and foster research and innovation that benefits all of humanity.

YESSSS!! PURIM is the happiest time of the year. We discuss some amazing little known stories of the Megillah, like what is the deal with Vashti's tail? We then explore th very difficult challenges Esther faced and how she in her times and we in our times will persevere.Thank you to all those who donated to my organization the Chazak L.A. campaign. We are still trying to finish it off please help us continue spreading Torah to the world. Below is the Tax-deductible link:thechesedfund.com/chazak/torah-in-motion-chazak-non-stop-2025/teams/rabbiariandnaomibensoussan

 A Short thought, with a long reach. In this quick little amuse I also make a bit of a pitch, the once a year reach out to those who enjoy the podcast and want to partner with all the Torah that myself and Chazak LA share daily with the world. Your contribution enables us to continue teaching Torah to Klal Yisroel.If your feeling a surge of Hakarat Hatov here is the link! The Fundraiser begins Now and will the Link will be live until after Purim.Thanks and Enjoy! http://thechesedfund.com/chazak/torah-in-motion-chazak-non-stop-2025/teams/rabbiariandnaomibensoussan 

WOW WOW WOW!!! What a beautiful turn out and FIRE TORAH! We explore the concept of Marbin B'Simcha, and the some incredible stories along the way. Its an emotional one, and a simcha filled one. Here is the link to the fundraiser- http://thechesedfund.com/chazak/torah-in-motion-chazak-non-stop-2025/teams/rabbiariandnaomibensoussanAny donation over $101 will get a misheberach on my Whatsapp status !!! 

Purim Is Coming!! We delve in to the idea of what kind of mitzvah Purim is and what kind of Anti Semitism there was then and how it is applicable to us now. We end with a mindset necessary for this year Purim and hopefully for the rest of our lives. I do not ever fundraise during year, but now is the time my organization, Chazak LA reaches out to our listeners  for help to continue our holy work in teaching Torah to the masses. If you would like to help us and become an ambassador of Chazak LA and the Torah I teach by making a fundraising group for our Fundraiser next week March 4th and 5th please email me - Ari@wearechazak.com, I personally answer all emails and look forward to hearing from you. Anyone who makes a group will get a personal shout out from me in future podcasts! Enjoy!

In this episode, we explore the Torah's perspective on causing harm to others—the good, the bad, and the ugly of it all. We dive into the importance of developing sensitivities and attempting to see things from another person's perspective. Ultimately, we discuss how we can never truly know what someone else is going through, and how that awareness should shape the way we interact with both strangers and loved ones.

***TRIGGER WARNING-HEAVY MUSSAR*** Todays Women Shiur enters into the incredible idea of Kabalot Hatorah being what the Maharal calls "MUCHRACHI" (definition in the Shiur). From there we traverse into the little known world of building a Jewish women's Olam Habah. I have been giving this class for several years and once in a while will shift into heavier mussar, please listen to this as a high level of discipline and as a level to one day reach. Do not play this out loud in your home or car as we touch on delicate marriage subjects.

In this episode we delved into the incredible world of Hodah- Thanksgiving to Hashem. Thanks for being alive and for all the innumerable Chessed Hashem does for us each and every second of every day. This is a powerful deep dive into the Psalm of Mizmor L'todah that we say each day and how to muster those deep feelings of love and appreciation to Hashem, Enjoy.

What's the deal with the Darkness? We shed 'light' on this enigmatic plague and learn a lot about how to see the world that Hashem gave us in the process. We meet "Good Guest vs. Bad Guest" along the way and how certain rewards are distributed by Hashem.  

In this weeks class we cover the Mesorah of Torah from Moshe to us today. This is a very important class to know that the same Torah Moshe taught the Jews in the Midbar is the same that we are learning and teaching today. (One correction- I said the the Yemenite Jews concerning their lack of Torah Shel bal Peh in truth I meant the Ethiopian jews)

Believe it or not there are those who fast on the eighth and ninth of Tevet as well as the tenth. Why? Find out in this weeks episode, where a miracle turns into tragedy for generations to come.

In our next installment of Chanukah, we talk about the prep involved in set up of the menorah and why Eliyahu Hanavi feels the set up is key. We then delve deeper into the aspects of flame (Neshama) Wicks (Guf) and Oil ( Chochmah). In the end we tie it up with some heavy emotion-namely, not seeing help from above time after time and how staring a the candles can help with that. Somehow the concept of "Thru- Hiking" helps shed light on the entire idea thru-out. Enjoy and Chanukah Sameach.

As we move closer towards Chanukah our second step in the Avodah is discussed. Tapping into the Ohr Haganuz and how implementing it can save us from the darkness of Yavan. A darkness that was implemented to destroy us at our core. A darkness meant to make us forget the Torah. How could they make us forget? We explore some self searching thoughts that examine ourselves and out commitment to Torah.  We then delve into the second Avodah of what to concentrate on when we watch our candles , our personal Ohr Haganuz.  

Chanukah is almost upon us! We begin our Chanukah journey this year with a deep dive in to the fight between Yaakov and the Angel of Eisav. The hit in the hip reveals all!

This one gets heavy. We begin with the background of Yaakov & Eisav , but quickly become aware that there is more than meets the eye in their incredible story. -WARNING-This one gets pretty emotional at the end as it finds its climax in the enormous power of Leah's tears. 

What an adventure!! We take a deep dive into the human psychology of rebelling. Going against ones own nature and nurture to find ones own originality. Pinnochio gets a shout out as does Yishai Ribo as we explore the world of Chidush. Enjoy.

Welcome to an unknown Gem of a Shiur given from My Rebbi, Rav Yitzchok Berkowitz many years ago. Hidden away in the decades old recordings this one is very close to my heart. It is both challenging and simple, a call to greatness in four steps. I get emotional because how could you not when you tap into the one chance we have at life and living it to our fullest potential. Enjoy, Like , Susbcribe!

Vayeira is the address of Free Will and Sacrifice. We explore the ten tests of Avraham and the making of an actual choice based on nothing but choice itself. Along the way, we share stories of Reb Nosson Tzvi Finkel A"h, Rochel Imeinu and my own personal struggle with some hard life decisions. Enjoy! If you like what you are hearing please consider a good old subscribe and a like! That one second extra helps keep us afloat. 

In this A-muse , I share an idea that hit me and resonated enough that I felt like I had to share it. Feel good about standing out for what is right. Feel good that you and I would be a 'klum' amongst greater people. Feel good with control and grabbing greatness, no matter how small that greatness may seem. Enjoy

In this week's Women Shiur, we begin to tackle some incredible ideas that they may never have taught you in Yeshiva growing up. The mysteries of Og Melech HaBashan and his deep connection to Noach and Moshe. This deep dive is in an effort to unearth some hidden gems of the past to ignite some new love for our oldest limud. Enjoy

In this Yom Kippur Prep Shiur, we explore the real in depth analysis of what Vidui , Charatah & Kabalah for the future are REALLY about in order to begin an amazing life of ever lasting change. Along the way I talk about meeting one of my hero's and what my son's stolen bike has to with Reb Shamshon Refael Hirsch. The King of Rohan, Gandolph the Gray and Oscar Schindler stop by as well! Enjoy!

Rosh Hashana is upon us my friends! What is the proper mindset to have when standing before our king and crowning him once again this year? In this Women Shiur we explore this idea while traversing through the different stages of life, each compared to different levels of soul. Donkeys will bray and Dogs will bark in this episode to help us define ourselves and our commitment to Hashem this year.

Rosh Hashana is getting closer, now is the time to begin thinking and preparing our minds for this incredible day. If you will only listen to one Shiur about Rosh Hashana this year , I would highly recommend this one! In this Women's Shiur we delve deep into the concept of Judgment on this most auspicious of days and what our attitude is meant to be for an uplifting and positive rosh Hashana and year to follow. Enjoy!

In our final Shiur on History we delve in to our most precious of subjects- Israel. This is an emotional roller coaster as we end off our years long exploration of jewish history.

In This Women Shiur we explore the rise of Islam and its affect on Jewish History. We then reflect upon the beginning of Elul and the True feelings and Avodah we are meant to begin having and doing at this time of the year. 

I am sitting alone right before Tisha B'Av , as many of you out there feeling ... lost. When this happens I try to find a path to gain clarity as to what I will try and attain as my Avodah in sorrow for this year. Join me on this one, let's find what to truly cry about.

Chodesh Av is upon us.. I was feeling unsettled after a year of Mourning so many atrocities to just go into Chodesh Av like any other year. I delved into sources and prayed to Hashem for clarity. This Shiur is outcome of it all.In the place of mourning may we dance together as one this Tisha B'av with Mashiach in the third Bet Hamikdash, Amen! 

If You Listen to one A-Muse , let it be this one. I did not plan to get so emotional or go so raw when I sat down to record, but the Eibishter had other plans. In this A-Muse we search for what quality makes a Jewish leader. We then reflect this characterisitc on our own lives and see if we are living up to our own responsibilities as Rabbeim and as parents.  

In this Monday Night Shiur With my Post High school guys, we explore the idea of fasting and the times we are entering now. We reflect on the act of Pinchas and how hidden within his story we can find an original outlook for the upcoming fast of Shiva Asar B'Tamuz.