Welcome back to the Torah of Life podcast. Thanks for listening.

Yesterday was Chai Elul, an auspicious day on the Jewish calendar. The 18th of the month of Elul is the birthday of Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer, the Baal Shem Tov, who was the founder of hasidism. His birthday is celebrated every year, and given that his birthday is always very close to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, it's always nice to return to his teachings to help us prepare ourselves for the holidays. My guests today are Maggidim Yitzhak Buxbaum and Carole Forman, both masterful teachers and storytellers. I had the great privilege to be ordained by Yitzhak as a Maggid after an intensive two-year course of study. Yitzhak has helped me and so many others learn the light and fire of hasidic stories and spirituality, and I'm so glad to be have a chance to talk with Yitzhak and Carol today. I had hoped to release this episode on Chai Elul itself - we had some technical difficulties that didn't allow us to do so. Nevertheless, I'm sure you'll enjoy learning with Yitzhak and Carol.

I encourage everyone to listen to the show, and then visit www.jewishspirit.com to read more about Yitzhak and his magnificent books. For anyone wishing to grow spiritually, his Jewish Spiritual Practices is a must-read, and his other works are all on my bookshelves as well. Yitzhak and Carol also put on wonderful storytelling programs for children and adults of all ages. Please connect with them to bring them to your synagogue, school, or community. You won't regret it!

Thanks for listening to the Torah of Life podcast, your home for transformational wisdom from a Jewish lens.