Ever since I was a child, my Jewish identity has been front and center in my life.
Though I was born in the Soviet Union, where learning and practicing Torah was banned and being Jewish was a "handicap," I insisted on connecting in every way I could to our heritage. In the Jewish village of my grandfather, I'd pick up words in Yiddish exchanged by his friends. At nights, I would fall asleep listening to clandestine broadcasts of the Israeli radio in Russian on my father's old transistor. And when I was 12, my mother took me into a snow-covered forest, far from prying ears, and taught me everything she knew about Judaism and Israel.
After years of wanting to learn more about Judaism, my opportunity came shortly after the fall of Communism. When the first shipment of translated siddurim and chumashim arrived in Russia, I got a set. Reading the stories of the chumash and learning the halachot in the siddur sparked a life-long love of Torah learning that I have been privileged to continue ever since.
Yet it was my encounter with the teachings of the chassidut that has had the most profound impact on my life. The holy teaching of the Baal Shem Tov and the Baal Hatanya removed the veil that had covered my eyes and showed me a whole new dimension to this world, the divine underpinning that makes everything not what it seems to be. The writings of the Netivot Shalom charted my path towards finding my God-given life mission and helping hundreds of other women find theirs. The words of Rabbi Nachman have encouraged me to talk my heart out to Hashem, knowing with absolute certainty that He is listening.
Learning and teaching chassidut transformed Torah learning from an intellectual pursuit into a journey of the heart and the soul. I started seeing and hearing more clearly than ever before how Hashem was speaking to me both in the outer and inner worlds. My life and experiences gained meaning and made sense, even if I do not always understand Hashem's plan.
Connecting the teachings of the chassidut with coaching tools has helped me access deep and powerful insights for myself and my students. I became aware of feeling connected to Hashem and His world. I feel guided by Him to spread His Torah and give more women access to these empowering teachings.
Today it is my greatest joy to share what I have learned with other spiritually-minded women like you.
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