Practical Spiritual Tidbits

Michael Macks
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Spirituality

A deeper exploration of the spiritual nature of the universe, based on Torah sources

  1. 11 hr ago

    Ep. 75- The energy of "appreciation"

    In this episode we discuss the energy of "appreciation." We discuss the spiritual impact of appreciation, including a few stories, as it relates to different types of relationships in our lives: person to person, person to self, and person to Creator.

    16 min

  2. 25 May

    Ep. 74- Gemstones' Healing Powers

    The fact that gemstones have healing properties is rooted in the Bible. In Exodus 39:10-14 it lists 12 gemstones that were to be placed in the breastplate the high priest in the Temple, each stone corresponding to a son of Jacob. The Kabbalists (e.g. Rabbeinu Bachya (1255-1340), on Exodus 28:15) teach that based on what we know about the life of each of those sons, we can derive what the healing powers of each respective stone are. In this episode, we go through each stone and its healing properties. (The English definitions of the stones come the research of the Italian physician Abraham Portaleone (d. 1612, a student of Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu haKohen of Izmir), in his book Shlatte Giborim, which I learned of from Rabbi Shaul Shimon Deutch from the Living Torah museum in Brooklyn, New York.) In Summary: 1) Ruby (Reuben)- Strength, energy, and healthy pregnancy 2) Topaz (Shimon)- Cools the body, calm 3) Emerald (Levi)- Insight, wisdom, ability to self-express 4) Garnet (Yehuda)- Self-confidence, enemies run from you 5) Sapphire (Yissachar)- Heals eye-sight (inc. third eye), pain, swelling, depression 6) Diamond (Zevulun)- Helps with sleep 7) Opal (Dan)- Creativity/ vision 8) Agate (Naftali)- Balance, protection from plague 9) Amethyst (Gad)- Courage and strength of mind 10) Beryl (Asher)- Digestion, wisdom and understanding 11) Onyx (Joseph)- Attractive to others 12) Jasper (Benjamin)- Good reputation

    26 min

  3. 19 May

    Ep. 73- God: Being or Principle?

    In this short episode, we discuss whether G-d is more of a being or a principle.

    10 min

  4. 17 May

    Ep. 72- Rabbi Josh Zebberman: Couples Counseling

    In this episode, I sit down with Rabbi Josh Zebberman, who is a rabbi and couples counselor. He shares his unique approach to counseling, which involves focusing more on & highlighting what's working well, and less on what's not working as well. He shares many stories of different clients and how this approach has helped. We get into Hasidic and Kabbalistic discussions related to this approach. You can find him on his website rabbijosh.org; instagram @rabbijoshzebberman.

    1hr 1min

  5. 13 May

    Ep. 71 - Katia Bolotin

    Katia Bolotin, a Torah educator and speaker, writer, pianist and composer, is the author of the recently published book "Making it Relevant," which is about finding practical meaning and application from the weekly Torah portion. In this conversation we talk about King David's life, various lessons from Psalms, resilience, optimism, setbacks, a perspective on sadness, and more! You can find her book on Amazon here, or from Mosaica here, and her music on streaming platforms.

    56 min

  6. 10 May

    Ep. 70- Noa Amalia Arazi: Conversion to Judaism

    In this episode I sit down with Noa Amalia Arazi, the founder of "Destined to be a Jew," an organization that supports thousands of people converting - and considering converting - to Judaism. We discuss her personal story converting to Judaism, the top reasons why people decide to convert, where across the globe most conversions take place, how long conversion takes, common challenges, how it feels to convert/ if it feels totally different, how much is one expected to know before converting, and more! You can find her on instagram @destined_to_be_a_jew, on her website here, and on Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and on her Whatsapp community.

    44 min

  7. 6 May

    Ep. 69- Rav Yehuda HaKohen: A Vision for Israel's Future

    It was enlightening to speak with Rav Yehuda HaKohen, the co-founder of the Vision Movement, about a vision for Israel's future. We discuss the biblical concept of a society based on tribal identity, the concept of a "Kohen/Priest," what a government looks like from a biblical perspective, the spiritual paths of Abraham versus Nahor (Abraham's brother), the soul of the Land of Israel, a vision for how to reconcile between Israelis and Palestinians and more!

    1hr 42min

  8. 3 May

    Ep. 68- Rav Joey Rosenfeld

    In this conversation, Rav Joey Rosenfeld shares profounds insights about Kabbalah, the past, free will versus divine orchestration, a perspective for singles, effort versus faith, where does HaShem "end" and a human "begin," self-love and giving to oneself, how to be less judgemental, and more! Rav Joey is a prominent teacher of Kabbalah, and a therapist. You can find him on YouTube here, on Spotify here, or on his website here, or on instagram here. You can use my discount link for SHARE's new publication, the Introduction to the Zohar by Rav Yehuda Ashlag, with a forward by Rav Joey, here.

    1hr 2min
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A deeper exploration of the spiritual nature of the universe, based on Torah sources

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