Honey From The Rock
Honey From The Rock
Podcast Description
Join host Bill Lipsey for inspiring conversations with Israel's most innovative spiritual leaders and entrepreneurs. Discover how the Honey Foundation is reshaping Israeli society by empowering diverse Jewish expression and building meaningful communities. From groundbreaking rabbis to community changemakers, each episode explores how spiritual entrepreneurship is creating a more open, connected Israel—for the benefit of Jews everywhere.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
Explores themes of spiritual entrepreneurship, evolving Jewish identity, and community building with episodes highlighting topics such as bridging secular and religious experiences, parenting during wartime, and integrating arts into Jewish life. For example, listeners can expect episodes that discuss the journey of Rabbi Elisha Wolfin from secular kibbutz upbringing to rabbinical leadership and Rabbi Ayala Deckel's role in supporting families during crisis.
Join host Bill Lipsey for inspiring conversations with Israel’s most innovative spiritual leaders and entrepreneurs. Discover how the Honey Foundation is reshaping Israeli society by empowering diverse Jewish expression and building meaningful communities. From groundbreaking rabbis to community changemakers, each episode explores how spiritual entrepreneurship is creating a more open, connected Israel—for the benefit of Jews everywhere.
In this powerful episode, Bill sits down with Rabbi Nissimi Naim Naor—a unique figure who serves as rabbi, chef, healer, and officer in the IDF reserves. Their conversation explores the intersections of faith, food, trauma, and community healing in Israel.
Rabbi Nissimi Naim Naor uses cooking as a form of therapy and connection. His life's work focuses on trauma recovery and emotional wellness, in military reserves and as a civilian rabbi.
A Personal Journey of Faith
Beginning with his Tel Aviv roots through building a multidimensional rabbinate in Jerusalem, and in Jewish communities in North America, Rabbi Nissimmi shares how life’s challenges—including his wife’s illness and the COVID-19 crisis—deepened his understanding of faith, healing, and purpose.
Redefining Rabbinical Leadership
Breaking from traditional expectations, Rabbi Nissimmi integrates trauma care, emotional support, and community building into his work—both in and beyond the synagogue.
Healing Through Food and Media
We discuss his Channel 11 program where cooking becomes a tool for processing grief and restoring connection, revealing how nourishment can be spiritual and therapeutic.
Service and Sacrifice in Uniform
Rabbi Nissimmi reflects on his role as a casualty notification officer in the IDF, sharing the emotional and spiritual weight of delivering news of loss—and the sacred duty embedded in that role.
Parenting and Resilience Amid Crisis
Raising children in times of national trauma, Rabbi Nissimmi speaks to the balance between protecting innocence and preparing for harsh realities—anchored in hope and faith.
The Power of Community
We reflect on how communal bonds enable healing, foster resilience, and help individuals navigate collective trauma through shared experience and sacred presence.
To watch videos of Rabbi Nissimmi's healing through cooking with bereaved families on the Kan Channel 11 network:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4K4gIA0v0s
FOLLOW THE HONEY FOUNDATION:
Website: https://honeyfoundationforisrael.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.honeyfoundation/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/honeyfoundationforisrael
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8BZXaMlyuM&list=PLBvWXVThJky8dAsjPV6TwHsj606qBfkal
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