Hi everyone! Welcome back to another episode of The Chai on Life Podcast. I’m Alex Segal and today, I am speaking with Rivka Lerner. Originally from Switzerland, she works as a software developer and coach as well as a kallah teacher, but her love is in teaching and discussing profound ideas with Jews from all walks of life.

After teaching with her husband Rabbi Simi Lerner in London for a few years, Rivka came back to Israel long term, and is now an educator in Tel Aviv for the anglo community, as well as in Midreshet Rachel V’Chaya. Above all else, a mother to her awesome four boys.

I love this episode so much. We are really going deep into Purim. While Jews have never really had it “easy” this is a particularly tough time for the Jewish people everywhere and it feels a bit strange to be focused on joy when there is so much devastation around us. We talk about that. We speak about what happiness really means, how you can redefine it for yourself and how you can truly feel it this Purim.

We also speak really practically about what Purim can look like for you. Is it super overwhelming? Do you not really like it as much as you feel like you “should”? Do you feel like you’re missing out on that joy? We speak about ways you can access it and how you can transform your preparation and day even in just a few conversations that can be really life-changing.

We talk about the megillah, parts of the megillah you may not have noticed before and intentions about the megillah that can change your experience while listening to it.

At the end we speak about the comparison between Purim and Yom Kippur, or Yom HaKipppurim and what it really means that Yom Kippur is a day “like” Purim.

There is so much depth in this episode, it is so rich with meaning and wisdom and profound takeaways and I am so excited for you to hear it and G-d willing for it to enrich your holiday this year in new ways.

If there is someone you want to see on The Chai on Life Podcast, email me at alex@chaionlifemag.com or send me a DM @chaionlifemag. Thanks again, see you next week!

Hi everyone! Welcome back to another episode of The Chai on Life Podcast — but not just any episode, the one year anniversary episode!

I am so proud of how far we've come and how far I've come personally on this journey to building Chai on Life. I have learned so much from so many absolutely incredible women and it has all changed my life for the better.

In this episode, I reflect on some of the behind-the-scenes things that have been going on for me throughout the past year as well as go through some of my favorite moments from the last 42 episodes. I share what has stuck with me, what I'm still doing, how I have changed from the teachings and more.

A special thank you to all of you who have listened, supported and been there along the way. The chizuk means everything. Another special thank you to all the amazing guests because it's your wisdom that is helping us all become more Chai on Life!

Also, enter the giveaway! To do so, all you have to do is write a review for the podcast and send me a screenshot of it and then I will choose someone randomly from that to win a $150 Amazon gift card. If you've already rated and reviewed, that counts too and can be used to enter! My email is alex@chaionlifemag.com or you can DM me on Instagram @chaionlifemag.

Here, the episodes mentioned in the podcast for easy access to go back and listen!

1. Rivkah Fox on All Things Dating
2. Frum Minimalism: Meet the Woman Who Decluttered Her Entire Home For Good
3. Debbie Greenblatt: Secrets to Building a More Connected Marriage
4. Chana Deutsch: How to Articulate Your Needs, Wants and Desires to Create More Love in Your Marriage
5. Miriam Goldberg: A Deep Dive Into the Mystical World of Mikvah
6. Leora Blumenthal: Simplify Your To-Do List and Feel Like a Queen
7. Hilla Aboody: Strengthening Ourselves Through the Three Weeks, Nine Days and Tisha B'Av
8. Danielle Renov of Peas Love N Carrots: Building Bitachon, Choosing Happiness and Sharing Her Life with Others
9. Faigy Blumstein: Is Cheshvan the Month of Moshiach? Gaining More Clarity
10. Rivka Segal: Transform Your Tehillim Experience

As always, if there is a guest you want to see or a topic you want covered, you can always reach out. Thanks so much for listening, see you next week!

Hi everyone, welcome back to another episode of The Chai on Life Podcast. I’m Alex Segal, and today I am speaking with Raquel Kirszenbaum, a well-known teacher in Israel and now author of the book, “Stop hurting, Start Healing.”

The book is based on her personal journey which has been really fraught with hardship in many ways. The goal is to show that those difficulties do not define her. In her book, she details the emunah that she had to draw on to overcome those challenges and hard relationships. She hopes in her vulnerability, she can help others feel seen, heard and understood; to accept, forgive, let go and strive for greatness.

She is a baal teshuva herself. She was born in Venezuela and moved to Panama when she was six. After high school, she went to Israel and that started to change her life.

In our conversation, she speaks more about that backstory — she then got married and after struggling for many years had children but things unfortunately didn’t turn out in her marriage as hoped.

She doesn’t go into the details of everything that happened as a way to respect her kids and still respect her ex-husband which is astounding, and which of course, I completely respect. For context in the episode, she was in a very difficult marriage yet stayed in it believing it would get better when all of a sudden, something occurred and he left the home. So overnight essentially, she was divorced and became a single mother.

Of course, this is heavy stuff. This episode gets REAL, it gets really deep. She really takes us there into all of her emotions, the trauma of going through a divorce that happened so suddenly. The pain and challenge of being fully alone as a single mother with little to no family help around her. Helping her kids through their own traumas as they cope with losing their father from their lives at the same time as she lost her husband.

She speaks about how others can also help in a real way that is dignified and respectful which I think is such an important topic to discuss. Everyone has challenges in life, and some are objectively harder than others. It’s an important reminder to look around, remember who needs help, even if it’s just something super small and how something so little can make a huge difference in someone else’s world.

While our interview is heavy, I really came out of it feeling inspired. Raquel is such a beacon of strength. She has fought for her relationship with Hashem and continues to regularly. She does not let her challenges define her, rather she is using them to propel her to an even higher level of greatness.

Follow Raquel on Instagram.

Email Raquel at raqueldidio@gmail.com.

Get her book, "Stop Hurting, Start Healing."