Human & Holy
I Imagined Myself in the Sukkah | Shoshana Judelman
Get a free download of Human & Holy's conversation cards for your Sukkah by becoming a monthly supporter of Human & Holy at humanandholy.com ❤️ * * * * * * * The sukkah is called the "shade of faith," but what happens when we sit inside it and feel nothing? What if we are entering Sukkos feeling more tapped into the uncertainty of life's winds, than the certainty of G-d's hug? Today, we explore Sukkos as a full-body experience of faith, absorbed simply by showing up to be there. Shoshana shares how she envisioned herself in the Sukkah's embrace when she was curled up inside the radiation machine for cancer treatment, and teaches the deeper Torah behind how we can carry the Sukkah's lingering touch through the inevitable joy, uncertainty, illness and hiddenness that we experience in daily life. * * * * * * * Shoshana Judelman is passionate about learning and growing through Chassidus. She is the founder of Nekaveh Lecha women’s seminary. She gives shiurim in Chassidus for women across Israel and in Midreshet Rachel V’Chaya in Jerusalem. Her shiurim can be found on Spotify and SoundCloud (Shiurim with Shoshana Judelman). Shoshana is also a guide at Yad Vashem and leads journeys to Poland and other countries for JRoots. She can be contacted at shoshanaj613@gmail.com To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor. Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨ Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts. * * * * * * * TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 — Introduction 01:48 — Welcome to Human & Holy 02:24 — Why Sukkos is Shoshana’s favorite holiday 03:25 — Entering the sukkah and reenacting the Clouds of Glory 05:17 — How lockdown changed the way Shoshana’s family celebrates Sukkos 06:19 — Intellectual versus embodied knowing 08:27 — Why do we celebrate Sukkos after Yom Kippur? 09:09 — The Golden Calf and the departure of the Clouds of Glory 10:21 — Yom Kippur, forgiveness and returning to relationship with Hashem 11:39 — The deeper embrace that follows rupture and repair 13:09 — Sukkos as a bridge between Yom Kippur and ordinary life 15:50 — A mitzvah rooted in presence rather than constant action 16:36 — Learning to see life through the lens of Hashem’s reality 18:00 — Building a reservoir of emunah for a random Tuesday in February 20:11 — The storm that destroyed Shoshana’s sukkah 22:42 — How the community rebuilt the sukkah within hours 24:00 — What a temporary structure teaches us about uncertainty 25:22 — The sukkah as the shelter of trust and haven of faith 27:33 — When it feels as though the Clouds of Glory have holes 28:02 — Life as a spiritual training ground 30:25 — Can painful experiences really be understood as expressions of love? 31:31 — Turning the sukkah into an “emunah gas station” 33:19 — Receiving a breast cancer diagnosis shortly before Sukkos 35:53 — Carrying the sukkah’s embrace into treatment 37:11 — Did Shoshana feel Hashem’s presence during radiation? 38:31 — The different “flavors” of Hashem in celebration and hiddenness 39:30 — “I don’t like it, but I know that this is also You” 40:55 — Practical ways to experience the sukkah more deeply 41:25 — The spiritual meaning of the arba minim 43:34 — Drawing embodied knowledge into the heart 44:28 — Bringing Divine love into our eyes, speech, posture and emotions 47:11 — How deeper Torah transforms our experience of a mitzvah 48:54 — Slowing down and using imagination while shaking the lulav 50:04 — Spending more time in the sukkah without pressuring ourselves to feel 52:11 — Shoshana’s message: believe that you can grow and change 53:05 — Growth is happening even when we cannot see it 54:02 — Carrying hope into the new year 55:00 — Closing and ways to support Human & Holy
