Leap of Faith

In today’s episode of Leap of Faith, Penina speaks with Mordechai Ben Avraham, who shares his incredible story about his journey from Sufi Islam to the Kabbalah Center to ultimately becoming not just an orthodox Jew, but also a Rabbi, studying in Jerusalem. This episode will likely go down in history as one of the best Leap of Faith episodes ever – you don’t want to miss it!

Two weeks ago my husband Pinchas lost his father and we are currently in the US for the funeral and visiting with his family. This has given us time to talk and reflect about his own Journey to Torah and Judaism. Today on Leap of faith, for the first time Pinchas Taylor shares his story. Join us for this unique conversation, today on Leap of Faith.

On today’s show Penina speaks with Ron Sones who, being a computer guy and scientist, was also an atheist. He was determined not to believe anything that couldn’t be proven. But then his young adult son became religious and challenged his father to re-examine his faith. So, Ron put the Torah, and Judaism, on trial. Another fascinating episode of Leap of Faith you don’t want to miss!

In today’s episode Penina speaks with Rabbi Dovid Mark who tells the story of his journey from liberal secular Judaism to torah. During the story he talks about reaching a point where he had to stop grasping for money, trust G-d to provide it and just concentrate on doing what he was created to do. Another inspiring episode of Leap of Faith you don’t want to miss.

There’s a concept in Judaism called middah k’neged middah. Literally translated it means that one attribute draws another, or more idiomatically, measure for measure. In this episode of Leap of Faith, Penina speaks with Yaffa DaCosta, who shares her inspiring journey from a catholic descendant of hidden Spanish Jews to a Torah observant Jewish woman living in Israel. For Yaffa, the Jewish principle of middah k’neged middah was a crucial element in her belief that Judaism is the truth. Another inspiring episode of Leap of Faith you don’t want to miss!

Have you ever tried to find a pair of shoes that fit and had no luck? Finding faith can sometimes be a lot like trying to find a pair of shoes that fit, sometimes it takes a while to find the right ones.

On today’s leap of faith, Penina speaks with Rod Reuven Bryant, a former Christian Pastor, founder and director of Netiv Centers and co-host of Beyond the matrix, here on Israel News Talk Radio, who will share his incredible journey to Torah and the twist he wasn’t expecting that helped him to know what his true calling in this world is. You definitely don’t want to miss this incredible episode!

Idolatry is forbidden in the Torah, and yet so many of us have idols in our lives. In today’s episode of Leap of Faith, Penina speaks with musician Yosef Daniel about his amazing journey to Torah. In his story, he shares a watershed moment when he realized that in order to hear clearly what G-d wanted in his life, he was going to have to tear down all those idols that he was holding onto. That was the beginning of his miraculous journey to Judaism. Join Penina for yet another incredibly inspirational episode of Leap of Faith.

If you’ve ever played the game of hide and seek, you know that those who hide actually want to be found. The same is with G-d, He is hiding because He wants us to find Him!

Being a Torah Observant Jew is not easy. It’s a choice that requires sacrifices. It requires looking downright bizarre at times, to the rest of the world. Sometimes it means not only giving up everything we’ve ever known culturally, but also unfortunately, losing close friends and family connections.

Imagine growing up your whole life thinking you were someone only to discover at 20 years old that you weren’t really the person you thought you were. In this episode of Leap of Faith, Penina interviews Andrea Grinberg, renown celloist and owner of Wrapunzel, who shares her shocking discovery about who she was and her own Journey to Torah.

On Today’s Leap of Faith, Penina Speaks with writer, international speaker and creator of the Jewish Latin Princess blog and podcast, Yael Trush. Yael shares her inspirational Journey to Torah as well as some words of wisdom for those facing challenges in their own journey to Torah. Another fascinating episode of Leap of Faith you don’t want to miss!

A near-death experience!

Have you ever looked back on your life and wondered why you had to go through all the things you had to go through? Why did you have to waste so much time before you stumbled upon the truth? Today on Leap of Faith, Penina speaks with a young woman who reflects on how her journey to Torah was much like a ladder, which she had to travel - one rung at a time.

On Today’s Leap of Faith Penina speaks with Leah Aharoni, Torah teacher, business coach, Life coach and Founder/CEO of SHEvuk, a business consulting firm based in Israel. Leah shares her journey from a secular but persecuted Jewish life in the Former Soviet Union to a religious Jewish mother in Israel, as well as about finding her own voice and dedicating her life to helping others find theirs. Another incredibly inspirational episode you don’t want to miss!

It is said that those who truly seek the truth will eventually find it. Today on Leap of Faith, Penina talks with Malka Shifra Golani whose journey from the religion of Santeria to Orthodox Judaism will have you on the edge of your seat.

Barak Moore grew up in a poverty stricken and violent part of New York, but considers his upbringing as a gift which has given him a unique view of life and the world and what it means to suffer.

Have you ever created a fantasy in your mind about how something was going to turn out and in the end, it was nothing like what you imagined?

The Tosefta Sanhedrin 13:1 tells us that the Righteous of all nations have a share in the world to come – Judaism does not believe that people need to become Jewish in order to go to heaven. Today Penina will be speaking with a couple who are Noahides – righteous Gentiles who are not Jewish but love the Torah. Her guests, Jason and Cherrie Lacross will inspire you as they share their spiritual journey and talk about what it’s like to be Noahides. Another incredibly inspiring episode of Leap of Faith you won’t want to miss!

When it comes to faith, we sometimes don’t realize we overstep the balance and push people away from our faith rather than drawing them towards it. Today on Leap of Faith, Penina will be speaking with Rabbi Yitzchak Michaelson, who walked away from his Jewish faith when he was pushed over the edge by that lack of balance, and who will share with us how he came back and what he’s doing to make sure that others don’t get pushed over the edge as well

On today’s Leap of Faith Penina speaks with Jamie Geller, who shares with us about her incredible journey as a successful TV producer living in a penthouse in Manhattan to a Torah observant Jewish mother of five living in Israel. An incredibly inspiring program you do not want to miss! Jamie Geller is a former award winning tv producer and marketing executive. She is also the premier Jewish food and Lifestyle expert and the author of 6 books, including her first book called “Quick and Kosher Recipes from the Bride Who Knew Nothing.” Jamie’s website is jamiegeller.com

When your Judaism means nothing more than eating Chinese food on Christmas and you’re looking for something more, where do you turn? In today’s debut episode, get to know Leap of Faith’s host, Penina Taylor as she share’s her own spiritual journey which brought her from a secular Jew to Christianity and Messianic Judaism to Torah Judaism.

Are non-Jews who are embracing Torah like the prodigal son returning home? On Today’s Leap of Faith, Penina speaks with Jim Barfield, Director of the Copper Scroll Project, who says they are. He shares his fascinating journey to Torah as a Ger Toshav and how he got involved with the Dead Sea Scrolls and specifically the Copper Scroll Project, on another inspiring episode of Leap of Faith you won’t want to miss.

On Today’s episode of Leap of Faith, Penina will be speaking with Penina Twilley who shares her incredible journey from Christianity to Orthodox Judaism, and how her long wait felt like holding her breath. Another incredible episode you don’t want to miss!

It seems that holiness and a connection with G-d can be acquired from others. It’s like a virus – it’s contagious, only in a really good way. On today’s Leap of Faith, Penina talks with Elisheva Goldschmidt about how she was exposed to people who talked about G-d as if He were real in their lives and it made her want what they had. Eventually, she found it, but the route wasn’t as straightforward as she might have hoped. Another inspiring episode of Leap of Faith you don’t want to miss!

Leap of Faith is now a little over one year old and to celebrate, Penina has put together a special 50th episode with excerpts from many of her guests from the past year. A wisdom-packed episode of Leap of Faith you don't want to miss!

To what extent should we take our feelings into account when we make a decision. For small decisions like what I am going to eat for breakfast to much larger decisions like who I am going to marry, how great a role should my feelings about the matter effect my final decision? My mind and heart are generally the two parts of myself that I consult in any decision. Should one take a primary role over the other or do both get equal weight?

On today’s show Penina speaks with Jono Vandor, Host of Israel on My Mind, who will be sharing with us his inspiring journey from Evangelical Christianity to Torah. Jono talks about how his search for truth brought him to see things that he just couldn’t unsee, that once they took ahold of him, he had no choice but to choose a path that conformed with what he saw, no matter where that led. Another inspiring episode of Leap of Faith you don’t want to miss!

When the Sunday sermon blamed the delay of Jesus’ second coming on women wearing makeup, Angela Himsel began to wonder if God didn’t have more important things to worry about. This began her on a spiritual journey that took her from the Worldwide Church of God to Orthodox Judaism. On today’s Leap of Faith, Penina talks with Angela about her spiritual journey and how sometimes there is more than one right answer. Join Penina for another inspiring episode of Leap of Faith.

Lighting shabbat candles seems to play a big role in the stories of many women who come to Torah. Today on Leap of Faith, Penina interviews Rebbetzin Chana Bracha Siegelbaum, Founder and Director of Midreshet B’erot Bat Ayin who not only started her journey with shabbat candles but is using her own light to ignite the journeys of other women.