From the Inside Out: With Rivkah Krinsky and Eda Schottenstein

Send us Fan Mail
Rachel Goldberg-Polin on Faith, Grief, and Meaning After Hersh’s Captivity | From the Inside Out

Hosts Rivkah Krinsky and Eda Schottenstein interview educator and author Rachel Goldberg-Polin about her book When We See You Again, her family’s life in Jerusalem, and the loss of her son Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was taken hostage from the Nova Music Festival on October 7 and later murdered after 328 days in captivity. Rachel recounts her path into Orthodox Jewish life starting in eighth grade at an Orthodox day school, describes how tefillah and Torah have sustained her, and shares how Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning—relayed to her through released hostage Or Levy—became a tool for enduring suffering by finding purpose. She discusses Modeh Ani, trust in Hashem amid uncertainty, grief as an expression of love, “toxic positivity” versus “tragic optimism,” and verses and teachings that frame this world as a hallway to the next.

EPISODE SPONSORS

Colel Chabad 
Colel Chabad is one of Israel’s oldest continuously operating charities, supporting families with food security, widows & orphans, and emergency relief.  
Their Pushka (Charity Box) App makes it easy to turn inspiration into action with simple daily giving—small “micro-donations” that add up to real impact over time. To join thousands of daily givers, download the Pushka App on iOS or Android and start giving today: https://pushkapp.cc/Inside 
Discover and donate to Colel Chabad here: https://colelchabad.org/

 OKclarity.com
Finding the right therapist or coach can be one of the most challenging parts of seeking help — even with a great referral, the person isn't always the right fit. That's where OKclarity.com comes in. OKclarity.com is an online platform featuring hundreds of Jewish therapists, psychiatrists, coaches, nutritionists, and support groups, where you actually get to meet the person through videos and introductions before deciding whether to move forward with a first session. More than 10,000 people have already benefited from OKclarity.com, and it's not just a directory for those seeking help — if you're a mental health practitioner, therapist, or coach, you can list yourself on the platform too, so the people who need you can find you. Visit OKclarity.com today: https://go.jcn.io/OtfUxl

Shefa Living & Yeshiva of Glade Valley:
Shefa Living is a warm, growing Jewish community nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina — offering families the rare combination of natural beauty, affordable living, and authentic Torah life, all in one place. At the heart of the community is Yeshiva of Glade Valley, a school built on the understanding that every child is created with a unique soul, unique strengths, and unique needs. With small classrooms, close rebbe and morah relationships, strong Torah values, and a deep focus on emotional balance, confidence, and creativity, it's a place where children can truly feel seen — and where families can breathe a little deeper. Learn more here: https://yeshivagv.com/

GUEST BIO
Rachel Goldberg-Polin
Rachel Goldberg-Polin is an educator, mother, and author of the #1 New York Times bestseller When We See You Again. Born in Chicago and now based in Jerusalem with her husband Jon and their daughters, Rachel became a voice that moved millions during the 328 days her son Hersh was held hostage in Gaza after being taken from the Nova Music Festival on October 7th. Hersh was murdered in captivity alongside five other hostages. Through her writing and speaking, Rachel continues to share the rare wisdom, faith, and tragic optimism she has carried through unimaginable loss — opening up something in the souls of everyone she touches.
You can find Rachel’s new book here: https://a.co/d/0hhTa1wK 

CHAPTERS

00:00 Meet Rachel Goldberg-Polin
01:59 Tzedakah and Opening Blessing
02:59 Choosing Torah and Mitzvot
06:01 First Day at Orthodox School
09:13 Learning Shabbat and Davening
11:51 Always Learning Jewish Wisdom
13:17 Hersh and Frankl in Captivity
20:16 Sponsor Break OkClarity
21:37 Trusting Hashem Without Answers
26:38 Modeh Ani After October 7
34:56 Broken Heart and Kintsugi
39:57 Living With Loss and Telling Truth
42:58 Book Not a Memoir
43:37 Hallway to Next World
46:11 Living Without Answers
46:57 Nova Festival Chesed
48:43 One Act of Kindness
52:26 Love Stronger Than Death
54:58 Finding Joy After Loss
59:13 Broken but Still Me
01:02:33 Toxic Positivity Antidote
01:04:55 Hashem Gives and Takes
01:07:14 Thank God I Believe
01:07:59 God Doesnt Ask Us
01:12:13 Closing Quotes and Blessings

COMMUNITY
Join the Community! Connect with us on socials to discuss Episode 101, share insights, and continue the conversations you want to have:
💫 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/fromtheinsideout.podcast/ 
💫 Whatsapp: https://chat.whatsapp.com/L0W4PRglR5B4kC 
💫 YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@FromTheInsideOutPodcast?sub_confirmation=1

Send us Fan Mail

Link for Miami Live Podcast Event:

https://www.theshul.org/form/WCshavuos5786

Sefirar HaOmer as a Path of Alignment, Growth, and Relationship
In this episode of From The Inside Out Podcast with Rivkah and Eda, we interview  Rivkah Mazal Tauber, recommended by Rivky Kaplan, who co-created a Sefira journal. 
Rivka, who describes starting an Omer WhatsApp group that transformed her and explains Sefirat HaOmer as a step-by-step journey from Egypt to Matan Torah. She unpacks “Omer” (manna measure, barley offering, forgotten sheaf for the needy) as receiving from God, returning to God, and giving to others, and defines “Sefirah” as counting, story, and shining, framing the Sefirot as divine vessels and soul powers. Using building a business, she maps Keter through Malchut and applies the framework to relationships, procrastination, balancing effort with surrender, and the 49-day count leading to an uncountable 50th, emphasizing that simply counting fulfills the mitzvah and that God meets us in our humanity.

Join us for a beautiful Pre-Shavuos evening on Wednesday, May 13 at the Shul Bal Harbor. Don’t miss this meaningful conversation and a delicious cheesecake bar!
Plus, enter a raffle for a chance to win a color analysis session.
RSVP and find more details here: https://www.theshul.org/form/WCshavuos5786

EPISODE SPONSORS

Colel Chabad 
Colel Chabad is one of Israel’s oldest continuously operating charities, supporting families with food security, widows & orphans, and emergency relief.  
Their Pushka (Charity Box) App makes it easy to turn inspiration into action with simple daily giving—small “micro-donations” that add up to real impact over time. To join thousands of daily givers, download the Pushka App on iOS or Android and start giving today: https://pushkapp.cc/Inside 
Discover and donate to Colel Chabad here: https://colelchabad.org/

 
Yakira Bella 
Yakira Bella is the go-to for trendy, modest women’s fashion that still feels current—think playful-but-polished pieces, elevated basics, and outfits that actually work for real life (day-to-day, Shabbos, events, everything in between). Their collections balance tasteful + bold, with a steady stream of new arrivals and best sellers so you can refresh your wardrobe without overthinking it. If you’re looking for modestwear that’s stylish, wearable, and affordable, Yakira Bella is absolutely worth checking out.  

Visit https://yakirabella.com/ and follow along at https://www.instagram.com/yakirabellaofficial/

GUEST BIO

Rivka Mazal Tauber
Rivka Mazal Tauber is an experienced educator, skilled writer, and team leader based in Yerushalayim, with a passion for connecting people to ideas and experiences that awaken the soul. She teaches at Mayanot and has a particular gift for making the mystical tangible — most recently through her Sefirat HaOmer journey, which began as a
COMMUNITY
Join the Community! Connect with us on socials to discuss Episode 101, share insights, and continue the conversations you want to have:
💫 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/fromtheinsideout.podcast/ 
💫 Whatsapp: https://chat.whatsapp.com/L0W4PRglR5B4kC 
💫 YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@FromTheInsideOutPodcast?sub_confirmation=1

Send us Fan Mail
Dr. Edith Eger: Holocaust Survivor on Choice, Freedom, and Healing From the Inside Out

In this episode of From The Inside Out with Rivkah Krinsky & Eda Schottenstein, we're re-releasing an early, cherished interview after Dr. Edith Eger’s death, honoring the Auschwitz survivor, psychoanalyst, and author of The Choice, who taught that while we can’t control circumstances, we can choose our response. Eger recounts liberation after being left for dead, the loss of her parents and first love, guilt about her mother’s death, and how returning to Auschwitz helped her forgive herself. She discusses Viktor Frankl’s influence, finding purpose, sharing rather than hoarding, and distinguishing distress from stress. Eger offers guidance on self-love as self-care, expression as an antidote to depression, revisiting trauma, responding instead of reacting, compassionate listening with children, and building relationships through responsibility, growth, and hope, insisting hate keeps us imprisoned and that love is shown through actions.

00:00 Tribute to Edith
02:11 Meeting Edith Again
02:30 Liberation and Legacy
03:53 Frankl and Purpose
05:19 Dancing to Survive
05:54 First Love Lost
07:27 Rescued from Death
08:10 Joy and Growth Mindset
11:35 Guilt and Forgiveness
12:17 Faith and Sharing Bread
14:57 Have Tos and Hope
17:30 New Books and Recipes
19:24 Wisdom and Self Love
21:02 Secrets and Expression
21:46 Kind Words Only
22:48 Choices After Trauma
23:40 Speak Your Truth
24:55 Evolving Beyond Fear
27:08 Mind Freedom in Auschwitz
29:57 Forgiveness and Freedom
31:06 Validate Feelings at Home
34:45 Marriage Lessons Twice
37:41 Respond Don’t React
39:45 Legacy and Final Yeses
COMMUNITY
Join the Community! Connect with us on socials to discuss Episode 101, share insights, and continue the conversations you want to have:
💫 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/fromtheinsideout.podcast/ 
💫 Whatsapp: https://chat.whatsapp.com/L0W4PRglR5B4kC 
💫 YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@FromTheInsideOutPodcast?sub_confirmation=1

Send us Fan Mail
Welcome to a new season of From The Inside Out Podcast with Rivkah and Eda! 
In this time focused on turning inspiration into action during the 49 days from Pesach to Shavuot, we welcome Rabbi Dr. Laibl Wolf. Wolf, a Melbourne-based spiritual teacher blending Chassidus/Kabbalah with psychology, shares his journey from law studies to becoming the first Chabad emissary at the University of Wisconsin in 1969, and later returning to Melbourne at the Rebbe’s directive. He explains the Omer as a yearly “spiral” of spiritual energy for sequential introspection, contemplation, improvement, and change through 49 emotional “shades” of the sefirot, describing how mind guides emotion, how tools can be used by the godly or animal soul, and offering practical examples on balancing chessed and gevurah, managing impulsivity and anger, cultivating positivity (Tracht Gut; Gam Zu Letovah), and Emunah vs. Bitachon, concluding with a guided Modeh Ani meditation.

EPISODE SPONSORS
Yakira Bella 
Yakira Bella is the go-to for trendy, modest women’s fashion that still feels current—think playful-but-polished pieces, elevated basics, and outfits that actually work for real life (day-to-day, Shabbos, events, everything in between). Their collections balance tasteful + bold, with a steady stream of new arrivals and best sellers so you can refresh your wardrobe without overthinking it. If you’re looking for modestwear that’s stylish, wearable, and affordable, Yakira Bella is absolutely worth checking out. 
Visit https://yakirabella.com/ and follow along at https://www.instagram.com/yakirabellaofficial/

Shefa Living
If you’ve been craving more space, more calm, and more community, Mountain View by Shefa Living is a master-planned Frum community in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, designed for families who want a slower, more connected pace of life. As shared in the episode, the vision includes community infrastructure like a shul, mikvah, women’s wellness center, and a K–12 yeshiva—all built around wholesome, joyful Torah living. Learn more (and explore whether it’s a fit for your family) at ShefaLiving.com. 
GUEST BIO
Rabbi Laibl Wolf
Rabbi Laibl Wolf is a world-renowned spiritual teacher, author, and counselor who has spent over five decades translating the wisdom of Kabbalah and Chassidus into practical tools for modern living. Personally directed by the Lubavitcher Rebbe in 1969 to pioneer Chabad outreach on American college campuses, Rabbi Wolf is now based in Melbourne, Australia, where he serves as a global lecturer, meditation teacher, and mashpia. Through his daily Tanya and Chitas classes, guided meditations, and worldwide speaking engagements, he helps people cultivate emotional mastery, Emunah, and Bitachon through the map of the Sefirot.
Find more resources and tools at: laiblwolf.com 

CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
05:25 Rabbi Wolf Journey
07:39 Campus Shlichus 1969
11:05 Omer Spiritual Spiral
13:13 49 Emotions Map
17:55 One Emotion At Time
22:38 Souls And Sefirot
24:54 Chessed Misused
27:58 Practice Into Instinct
30:06 Sponsor Break
30:55 Morning Preparation
32:54 Tanya Meditation Tool
35:10 From Mind To Action
41:26 Slowing Impulses
45:02 Anger Is Manufactured
49:49 Chassidus Vs Empty Mind
51:45 Healing And Positivity
56:30 Mind Body Connection
57:37 Cell Stress Explained
01:00:11 Sponsor Mountain View
01:01:19 Choosing Positive Outlook
01:05:35 Thoughts Affect Others
01:08:32 Emunah Versus Bitachon
01:15:50 Commitment Beyond Logic
01:21:37 Love Commitment Practice
01:27:46 Sefiro
COMMUNITY
Join the Community! Connect with us on socials to discuss Episode 101, share insights, and continue the conversations you want to have:
💫 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/fromtheinsideout.podcast/ 
💫 Whatsapp: https://chat.whatsapp.com/L0W4PRglR5B4kC 
💫 YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@FromTheInsideOutPodcast?sub_confirmation=1

Send us Fan Mail
Finding Inner Freedom on Pesach: Rabbi YY Jacobson on Shame, Surrender & Redemptive Consciousness

This episode is dedicated in memory of Rivkah’s grandfather Mr. Max New, OB"M.

In this episode of From The Inside Out Podcast with Rivkah and Eda, we welcome Rabbi YY Jacobson to discuss why many people lack inner freedom even in good external conditions, emphasizing that freedom requires disciplined inner work: noticing one’s “Egypt,” pausing before reacting, cultivating curiosity, prayer, support systems, and being truly seen. Jacobson explores destructive vs. holy shame, Tanya’s model of distinguishing animal and divine consciousness, surrendering control to God without surrendering to abuse, and experiencing embodied oneness as redemptive consciousness. He also contrasts revealed and hidden miracles (Pesach vs. Purim), reflects on current events and collective resilience, and highlights softening the heart, authenticity, and non-transactional relationships.

EPISODE SPONSORS
Colel Chabad 
Colel Chabad is one of Israel’s oldest continuously operating charities, supporting families with food security, widows & orphans, and emergency relief.  
Their Pushka (Charity Box) App makes it easy to turn inspiration into action with simple daily giving—small “micro-donations” that add up to real impact over time. To join thousands of daily givers, download the Pushka App on iOS or Android and start giving today: https://pushkapp.cc/Inside 
Discover and donate to Colel Chabad here: https://colelchabad.org/

Shefa Living
If you’ve been craving more space, more calm, and more community, Mountain View by Shefa Living is a master-planned Frum community in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, designed for families who want a slower, more connected pace of life. As shared in the episode, the vision includes community infrastructure like a shul, mikvah, women’s wellness center, and a K–12 yeshiva—all built around wholesome, joyful Torah living. Learn more (and explore whether it’s a fit for your family) at ShefaLiving.com. 
 
Yakira Bella 
Yakira Bella is the go-to for trendy, modest women’s fashion that still feels current—think playful-but-polished pieces, elevated basics, and outfits that actually work for real life (day-to-day, Shabbos, events, everything in between). Their collections balance tasteful + bold, with a steady stream of new arrivals and best sellers so you can refresh your wardrobe without overthinking it. If you’re looking for modestwear that’s stylish, wearable, and affordable, Yakira Bella is absolutely worth checking out.  

Visit https://yakirabella.com/ and follow along at https://www.instagram.com/yakirabellaofficial/

GUEST BIO
Rabbi YY Jacobson 
Rabbi YY Jacobson is a Brooklyn-born rabbi, lecturer, and teacher known for making Torah, Chassidus, and Jewish psychology deeply accessible and emotionally resonant. He is the founder of TheYeshiva.net and has spent decades teaching in communities, schools, and universities around the world. He is especially known for his classes on the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s teachings, Tanya, relationships, emotional healing, and personal growth. 
You can find Rabbi YY’s classes and hear more of his wisdom here: https://www.theyeshiva.net/ 

CHAPTERS
00:00 Welcome, Dedication, and Pesach Presence
06:17 Introducing Rabbi YY Jacobson
09:06 What True Freedom Really Means
17:30 Shame, Awe, and Understanding Your Inner Egypt
20:32 Tanya, Two Souls, and the Freedom to
COMMUNITY
Join the Community! Connect with us on socials to discuss Episode 101, share insights, and continue the conversations you want to have:
💫 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/fromtheinsideout.podcast/ 
💫 Whatsapp: https://chat.whatsapp.com/L0W4PRglR5B4kC 
💫 YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@FromTheInsideOutPodcast?sub_confirmation=1