Episodes

Join host Yael Eckstein as she welcomes back to the podcast Bishop Paul Lanier, Chairman of the Board for the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, to help her launch The Fellowship’s 40th Anniversary year. Bishop Lanier shares his insights on how The Fellowship for 40 years has been able to respond to the most desperate human crisis and needs — including the ongoing conflict in Ukraine — with immediacy and compassion. Bishop Lanier talks about the profound effect that being involved ...

Does your family have any special holiday traditions this time of year? Most of us do, including host Yael Eckstein, who shares her special family traditions for Hanukkah. Yael explains not only how this holiday inspires hope, faith, and light for her husband and kids, but how Hanukkah has kept the Jewish people hopeful during the darkest of times in their history. This Hanukkah, it is a time to remember all the light that God brings to our lives and how this holiday has inspired faith in those ...

Do you know how miracles happen? A miracle just takes one step of faith and God takes care of the rest! That’s what we learn in today’s special Hanukkah episode, where podcast host Yael Eckstein dives into the story of the miracle of the oil. We learn how when rededicating the Temple in ancient times, God’s people lit the menorah on faith alone because they knew they didn’t have enough pure oil for it to burn more than one day. And guess what? God performed a miracle, and the flame lasted for ei...

Hanukkah, a season of God’s light and miracles, is probably one of the most well-known Jewish holidays, primarily because of its proximity to Christmas. But do you know what miracles are remembered and celebrated during this season? Host Yael Eckstein starts a new four-part series on Hanukkah, exploring the many lessons of faith this holiday has for us. Today, Yael Eckstein tells us the miraculous story of the Maccabees, and how their courage and faith in God were a huge turning point in history...

Even since biblical times, the Jewish people have never let go of the Sabbath. As we’ve learned in our five-part series on this ancient ritual, the Sabbath is a weekly reminder to rest and reflect on how life is about connecting with God, our families, friends, communities, and ultimately, about making the world a better place. In today’s final episode, host Yael Eckstein walks us through each step of the Sabbath day to show us how relevant this biblical practice is even in modern times. And whe...

Join host Yael Eckstein as she has the incredible honor and privilege of welcoming Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the podcast. Having recently won re-election to the office he held previously for a combined 15 years, the Prime Minister is also celebrating the release of his new memoir, Bibi: My Story, already on the New York Times Bestsellers List. During this insightful conversation, Prime Minister Netanyahu talks about living a life with purpose and vision — and about the people w...

One of the most iconic and treasured rituals associated with the Jewish observance of the Sabbath is the lighting of the Shabbat candles each Friday evening at sundown. In today’s episode, host Yael Eckstein will share why this ritual is so special to her personally, and how it serves as both a powerful moment in her week as well as a deep connection to her family, her Jewish roots, and God. Listen now! For more information on today’s episode visit mybiblicalroots.org.

Have you ever noticed the irony of our modern world — we have more time-saving technology, but less time to spend on the things that really matter to us? In today’s episode, the third in a series about the Shabbat, host Yael Eckstein talks about how the ancient observance of the Sabbath — a time to relax, rethink, and reset — is exactly what we all need to combat the challenges of today’s modern world. Yael will take a closer look at the Israelites’ enslavement in Egypt, how tired and hopeless t...

Join host Yael Eckstein as she welcomes college basketball coach Bruce Pearl, who has led the Auburn Tigers to 154 wins, three Southeastern Conference championships, consecutive NCAA Tournament berths, and the program’s first ever appearance in the Final Four in 2019. While his success on the basketball court is well-documented, what might not be as well-known is his absolute dedication and love for Israel and her people. On the podcast, Yael and Coach Pearl discuss how important his Jewish fait...

What does it mean to be truly free? As Christian theologian Karl Barth wrote, “A being is free only when it can determine and limit its activity.” And in the Jewish faith, that’s what observing the Sabbath is all about. In this second episode in her five-part series on the Sabbath, host Yael Eckstein explores why setting boundaries around time and activities on the Sabbath actually frees her to focus on what’s most important — connecting with God and with each other. Join Yael as she unpacks one...

Have you ever wondered the spiritual meaning behind the Jewish tradition of keeping Shabbat (the Sabbath) holy? On today’s episode, host Yael Eckstein shares with us how grateful she is for the blessings of Shabbat — a holy day of rest — that transform her and her family every week! It’s a day to recharge spiritually, and Yael will share the amazing lessons of faith the Sabbath has for both Christians and Jews. For more information on today’s episode visit mybiblicalroots.org.

As the High Holy Days come to a close, Jews around the world spend one last day in an intense celebration with God before resuming their normal routines. Simchat Torah, which means “Rejoicing in the Torah,” is unlike any other observance that takes place in synagogue. As host Yael Eckstein describes in today’s podcast, the entire congregation — from the youngest children to the oldest adults — takes out the Torah scroll and joins in a never-ending circle of dancing and singing. The celebration m...

Do you know the one holy day that the entire world will celebrate in Messianic times? According to the prophet Zechariah, it’s the Festival of Tabernacles, or as it’s called in Hebrew, Sukkot (Zechariah 14:16.). Unity among all God’s children is a major theme of this joyous celebration that is part of the High Holy Days that Jews around the world have been observing. In continuing her series on the High Holy Days, podcast host Yael Eckstein looks to the lessons of Sukkot on practical ways to bri...

It’s been said that two of the hardest words for people to say are “I’m sorry.” Can you relate? When have you experienced needing to apologize and dreaded doing it? Or maybe, you have been hurt by someone who won’t apologize to you? In this special episode about Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, host Yael Eckstein explores how those two words relate to the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. Admitting our wrongdoings, committing to making changes, and moving forward is what the Jewish holiday of...

As America celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, host Yael Eckstein welcomes Pastor Carlos Ortiz, Church Outreach Director for the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews and a longtime and ardent pro-Israel voice to the Hispanic Christian community. Pastor Ortiz, a native of Colombia who immigrated to the U.S. in 1986, was recognized for his work in building bridges between Latin American countries in 2016 when the state of Israel named him an Ambassador ...

How many of us think about repentance as we celebrate and usher in a New Year on January 1? Probably not many! But when Jews usher in the Jewish New Year on Rosh Hashanah, the main focus is on repentance, or teshuvah, which means to “return” to God and to who we really are. The sound of the shofar, the ritual trumpet, signals this time to reflect on the past twelve months, fix any behavior that isn’t helpful, and return to God who is waiting with open arms. In this special Rosh Hashanah episode,...

Did you know that God has an alarm clock for our souls? Beginning a month before the start of the High Holy Days, the sounds of the shofar, the biblically mandated trumpet, can be heard throughout synagogues across the world, calling people to reflect, repent and return to God. On this podcast, Yael continues exploring the significance and meaning of the Jewish High Holy Days, focusing on one of the primary rituals of this holiest time on the Jewish calendar: the sounding of the shofar. Yael exp...

Today, host Yael Eckstein begins a six-part series examining the spiritual journey Jews around the world take each year during the High Holy Days and what lessons these holy observances can teach Christians and Jews about making real and lasting change. In this series, Yael will explore how the sounds of the shofar awaken the soul, how Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, teaches us about the gift of repentance, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, teaches us the power of forgiveness. We’ll disc...

We live in the so-called “selfie generation,” where our focus is often on ourselves — how we look, how many “likes” we get on social media, what we have, and what we do. The irony is that focusing on ourselves does not make us happier; rather it robs us of our joy. As the Bible teaches, what truly brings joy is giving to others. In the Jewish faith, charity is not seen as simply a good deed, but rather as a sacred obligation. It is practiced throughout the year as part of the Sabbath and Jewish ...

If we want our children to live according to godly — not worldly — values, then it is essential that we instill in them courage. Host Yael Eckstein shares on the podcast that courage is one of the most important values that she can pass down to her children. This vital trait is celebrated annually on the biblical observance of Purim, which commemorates the story of Queen Esther, whose courageous actions saved the Jewish people from certain annihilation. As Yael shares, it is faith that gave Esth...

Join host Yael Eckstein as she talks with one of the unsung heroes on the frontlines of the war in Ukraine — Ilia Golberg, Chief Security Officer for the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine. Since the beginning of the war, Ilia Golberg has been an instrumental partner with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jew (The Fellowship) in rescuing Jews from war-torn Ukraine and in providing safety and lifesaving assistance to those who remain behind. Ilia shares with Yael how the lan...

What’s the greatest distance between two points? As host Yael Eckstein shares on today’s program, it’s the distance between our head and our heart. On an intellectual level, we know what we believe, but acting on that belief is another thing. Bridging this distance is part of our life-long service to God, what Yael calls “faith-living.” Every year during the observance of Sukkot, the Festival of Tabernacles (Booths), the Jewish people practice “faith-living” by leaving the comfort of their homes...

One of the most difficult practices for any of us to learn is forgiveness —asking forgiveness from God, seeking forgiveness from others, and giving forgiveness. Yet this practice is so critical to living a healthy and happy life, and its rewards are invaluable. On today’s podcast, host Yael Eckstein shares how the Jewish observances of the High Holy Days — Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement — help equip her children to both ask God for forgiveness and to see...

What is the one thing we must teach our children if we want them to never give up and never give in when it comes to their values and beliefs? We must teach them hope. On today’s podcast, host Yael Eckstein shares how an unflagging hope in God’s promises has sustained the Jewish people through exiles and pogroms, persecution and even the Holocaust. Every year, on the Jewish observance of Tisha B’Av, this foundational principle of hope is celebrated as the Jewish people mourn the many tragedies t...