Please tell us, in 2-3 sentences, about yourself
I am a trained educator as well as an addictions professional and currently serve as a motivational speaker, relationships coach and Torah educator.
My mission in life is to help other women Live on Purpose and with intention, by rediscovering the genius and joy of Judaism.
I offer education, tools and techniques, through the wisdom of Torah, that enables them to make choices that will lead them to becoming their healthiest and happiest selves. I empower them to become leaders- both in their own lives as well as within their communities and beyond.
You are the wife of a Rabbi and your kids have a dad that everyone looks up to. You are also an independent thinker and observant. How do you balance all of that?
My kids and I are extremely proud and supportive of my husband and his stature, just like they are also proud of who I am and what I do. (Well, mostly. They’re teenagers after all and they have their cringe moments as we fulfill our jobs by embarrassing them with our corny jokes) The way we maintain a healthy balance is that we all work together as a team. It’s not community vs family, it’s family WITH community. Our kids come to our classes, they are all involved in our programming and planning and hosting. We all work together using our individual strengths to create a solid team.
Let's talk about social media. We've been fans of your account for a long time. We love how engaging your posts are, how you have been able to consistently grow your following, and create new content all of the time. You're able to reach thousands of people and adapt to a very modern way of communicating while still maintaining religious observances, has that been challenging? What's the secret to your success?
Oh thank you! I really appreciate that you enjoy my content. There are definitely challenges that I face on a daily basis regarding my online presence.
First of all, my family is my priority and then comes community and clients and speaking engagements and just being there for people who reach out for help or advice or comfort.
That leaves very little time to dedicate to social media so as much as I try to give to my online community, it’s only a fraction of what I actually want to give. I try to be diverse in my expression by educating through the spoken word as well as comedy skits and even music. I’m a singer and songwriter and try to inspire people through using all the talents that God blessed me with.
But my hours in the day and physical and emotional resources are limited by my humanness and so I just do whatever I can do.
Another challenge I encounter is the negative influence that can come out of social media.
There’s a strong pull towards the external, towards drama, politics, pettiness, unhealthy relationships and mindsets and attitudes, and the most dangerous of all- the movements or campaigns that LOOK good to the consumer but in reality stem from unhealthy emotional needs or negative agendas disguised as kindness or goodness.
So I try to remain independent online as I offer myself as a relatable human who has things to share while maintaining healthy boundaries and privacy and checking in with myself every time a new trend pops up to make sure that’s a trend or movement or hashtag that is aligned with my beliefs and core values.
The impression is that women in Judaism are wives and mothers, brought up to take care of the family. You come across as a self-determining person and we're in the age of empowerment. Does the Torah say anything about all of this? What message do you give your daughters and the women who follow you?
I actually don’t see a contradiction here. The Torah finds independence and empowerment in taking care of our families. Is motherhood not empowering? Is community work not empowering? They both are. And they can coexist.
The Torah never makes these distinctions between being a self determining woman and a domestic woman.
WHAT you do day to day doesn’t define you; it’s HOW you do it. Your personality goes way beyond that. The fact that modern society has created a division between these two things is where the problem begins.
A woman, just like a man is always doing what she has to do and we should always be aware in the moment of what the right thing is in every situation and we bring all of our talents and characteristics into doing that thing wholeheartedly. There should be no contradiction here at all!
In the Torah, woman is referred to by two names: Isha and Em. “Em” means mother and alludes to the nurturing side of the woman. “Isha” means woman and suggests a feminine proactive, constructive power.
We have full access to both and we as women are the most powerful when we use our entire selves to Serve Hashem and when we shine our lights into His world.
We're Jewish so we gotta talk about food - what's your favorite Passover dish?
My favorite dish is one that I don’t have to make and I just get to eat 😜 But being that I do all the cooking and hosting there will not be much of that, so my favorite Pesach dish is probably charoset with cream cheese on matzah! Yummmm I can eat that all Pesach long!
