The Motivation Congregation Podcast

Elul is meant to awaken us—not overwhelm us. Yet for many people, the sound of the shofar and the approach of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur can trigger anxiety, perfectionism, and the crushing feeling that we must change our entire lives overnight. In this rebroadcast, we sit down with licensed psychotherapist and clinical social worker Mordechai Weiss to explore a healthier, Torah-centered approach to Elul and teshuvah. How can we distinguish genuine yirat Shamayim—awe of Heaven—from unhealthy

Elul doesn't have to be a month of vague pressure and guilt. Rabbi Hillel Eisenberg joins The Motivation Congregation to make teshuva painfully practical: stop collecting inspiration and start doing the work — paper, pen, and one brutally honest question, "Why does this keep happening?" That single shift turns Elul from intimidating to actionable, and makes Selichos, tefillah, and real change feel possible again heading into Rosh Hashanah. We also trace how Rabbi Eisenberg built his voice — f...

Excuses can sound smart, compassionate, even responsible, until you realize they’re costing you your life. As Elul arrives and Rosh Hashanah gets closer, we challenge the most common habit we all share: explaining away the gap between what we hoped to do and what we actually did. We bring it back to a simple, uncomfortable question we’ll all face: what did we do with the time, talents, energy, and money we were given this past year? We also push back on the popular idea that modern life makes s