More to the Story with Lea Rubashkin-Wolff

Behar-Bechukosai: Returning to Alignment

In this episode of More to the Story, I speak about the double Parsha of Behar-Bechukosai which tells of the mitzvah of Shemitah, the commandment to let the land rest. I talk about the force of productivity, survival, and financial striving, what I describe as “the river” that so many of us get pulled into, and how Shabbos, Shemitah, and the feminine energy all come to interrupt that flow and remind us to step back into alignment. I reflect on rest as an act of faith, the willingness to loosen our grip and remember where our sustenance truly comes from. I also speak about Yovel, the year when slaves go free and land returns to its rightful owner, and what it means to reclaim the parts of ourselves we may have handed over to fear, shame, overwork, or control. I speak about the blessings and consequences described in details in Bechukosai, and how I no longer experience them as punishments from G-d, but as the natural spiritual consequences of alignment or disconnection. Lea Subscribe to the More to the Story Podcast: www.youtube.com/@MTTSPodcast ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Listen to the More to the Story Podcast: Apple Podcasts | https://shorturl.at/JtdA9 Spotify | https://shorturl.at/DF2Ro

Emor: Making Room for the Parts That Cannot Serve

In this episode, I reflect on Parshas Emor and the laws of the Kohanim, the priests who were asked to live with a higher level of awareness, purity, and service. I speak about the Kohen who had a blemish and was not able to serve in the same way as the others, but was still given a holy role through eating from the offerings. For me, this opens a deeper question about the parts of us that feel disqualified, limited, or wounded, and whether those places might still carry a mission of their own. I also explore the festivals in this Parsha, the role of joy, receiving, marriage, safety, and what it means to create rituals that allow more light to enter our homes and bodies. If there is a part of you that feels too blemished to belong, this episode is an invitation to see that it may still be part of the offering. Lea Below is the link to the series of classes on the Mamar of the Tzemach Tzedek taught by Rabbi YY Jacobson "Kohen Baal Mum”, mentioned in this week’s episode: https://www.theyeshiva.net/jewish/category/1697/series/chassidus-morning-class-series/derech-mitzvosecha-kohen-baal-mum Subscribe to the More to the Story Podcast: www.youtube.com/@MTTSPodcast ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Listen to the More to the Story Podcast: Apple Podcasts | https://shorturl.at/JtdA9 Spotify | https://shorturl.at/DF2Ro

Acharei-Kedoshim: Facing Darkness, Choosing Holiness

In this episode, I discuss Parshas Acharei Mos-Kedoshim, which name indicates the shift from “after death” into holiness. I speak about desire, how powerful it is, and what happens when it isn’t held with awareness. The Torah offers very clear boundaries, and I’m beginning to understand them not as punishment, but as protection - a way of preserving life and keeping us aligned with something higher. I also reflect on the tension between longing for closeness to G-d and the responsibility to stay grounded in this world, and what it means to bring holiness into our everyday lives, not just in sacred moments, but in how we speak, relate, and show up. This Parsha also brings up difficult realities around sexuality. I touch on the places we don’t usually speak about - harm, silence, and the ways darkness can exist within individuals and communities. For me, this is part of the work: not looking away, but learning how to face what’s real while still believing in healing, accountability, and the possibility of return. Because holiness isn’t created by avoiding what’s broken, but by meeting it with truth, clarity, and the courage to transform it. Lea Subscribe to the More to the Story Podcast: www.youtube.com/@MTTSPodcast ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Listen to the More to the Story Podcast: Apple Podcasts | https://shorturl.at/JtdA9 Spotify | https://shorturl.at/DF2Ro

Tazria–Metzora: The Protection of the Mikvah

In this episode of More to the Story, I reflect on the Parsha of Tazria–Metzora and the way the Torah describes a process where something internal begins to reveal itself externally in the body, in the home, and in the life a person is living. I speak about how we often respond to what surfaces by trying to manage or fix what is visible, without turning toward what is actually being revealed beneath it. The Parsha offers a different framework, one that sees this exposure not as punishment, but as a blessing and part of a process that brings what is out of alignment into view. The Torah then speaks about the purity of the mikvah for certain circumstances. I speak about the mitzvah of mikvah and the process of the female cycle, not only as a halachic structure, but as a rhythm of return. A space where a woman is held, where what has been carried can be released, and where there is a sense of protection of not taking in what does not belong, of creating a boundary from negative energy, and re-entering from a place of clarity and connection. This Parsha becomes an invitation to move through the process as it’s given, to see, to recognize, and to continue toward alignment. Lea Subscribe to the More to the Story Podcast: www.youtube.com/@MTTSPodcast ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Listen to the More to the Story Podcast: Apple Podcasts | https://shorturl.at/JtdA9 Spotify | https://shorturl.at/DF2Ro

Tzav: Keeping the Fire Alive in a Numb World

In this episode, I reflect on Parshas Tzav, Shabbos Hagadol, and the days leading into Pesach. I speak about the fire on the alter that could never go out, what it means in our own lives to stay alive and connected, and why numbness is often more dangerous than struggle. I explore the idea of the ashes we carry from what we’ve been through, and how even what feels burned or lost still holds something holy. I also speak about Egypt as an inner state: the beliefs and patterns that tell us we are stuck, that things cannot change, and that this is just how it is. This week is not only about waiting for miracles. It is about becoming someone who can hold them. I reflect on the role of women in redemption, and what it means to live with enough faith, presence, and openness to allow something new to be born. If there is a place in your life that feels shut down, this episode is an invitation to return to your fire. Lea Subscribe to the More to the Story Podcast: www.youtube.com/@MTTSPodcast ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Listen to the More to the Story Podcast: Apple Podcasts | https://shorturl.at/JtdA9 Spotify | https://shorturl.at/DF2Ro