This episode explores what real personal and spiritual growth looks like through Torah, lived experience, and the story of the burning bush. The conversation focuses on how growth often comes through every day moments.

We discuss the balance between prayer and practical action, faith and responsibility, and how Judaism encourages both effort and reliance on God. The episode also examines society’s definition of success versus a spiritual one, asking how wealth, comfort, and ambition can support growth—or distract from it.

Ultimately, this episode reminds us that everyday moments and challenges are not obstacles to spiritual life, but the very places where growth happens, when we make conscious choices and stay connected to purpose.

For more insights, to bring love, meaning and joy into your life check out my book, Living Beautifully!

Forgiveness sounds noble—but what does it actually require of us? And is it even possible in situations of deep hurt or betrayal?

In this episode, Gila Ross explores forgiveness through the powerful story of Yosef and his brothers, weaving together Torah sources, human psychology, and uncomfortable real-life questions. This conversation challenges easy answers and invites us to think more honestly about accountability, repair, and healing.

• What forgiveness really means — and what it doesn’t

• Is forgiveness possible in extreme situations?

  • Yosef and his brothers as a case study

• How forgiveness is earned

Check out my book, Living Beautifully - how to bring more meaning, joy and love into your life based on the timeless wisdom of Pirkei Avot.

How do we light candles, sing songs of gratitude, spin the dreidel, and eat latkes - in the shadow of devastating loss and tragedy?

This episode begins with that tension. On one end of the world, the beautiful celebration of Chanukah at Bondi Beach was shattered by an antisemitic attack. We remember moments when Jews lit Chanukah candles in places like Bergen-Belsen, clinging to meaning when there was almost nothing left.

We reflect on the haunting video of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, and on Viktor Frankl’s insight that “those who have a why to live can bear almost any how.” Chanukah does not ask us to ignore suffering. It asks us to hold light and darkness together - to choose meaning, resilience, and hope, even when life feels unbearably fractured.

Check out my book Living Beautifully - how to bring meaning, joy and love into your life based on the timeless wisdom of Pirkei Avot. https://amzn.to/4aYmuwp