Shofar, So Good!

In this episode, host Kate Mishkin explores the Rosh Hashanah atonement ritual of tashlich, tells us what Judaism says about repentance and forgiveness — during the High Holidays and year-round — and gets some practical advice for saying "I'm sorry" from Jewish experts on apologies.
Further reading and resources:
• Tashlich, the Symbolic Casting Off of Sins (My Jewish Learning)
• Teshuva, Or Repentance (My Jewish Learning)
• The 10 Days of Repentance (My Jewish Learning)
• Sorry, Not Sorry: The Real Path to an Apology (At the Well)
• 6.5 Steps to a Good Apology (Sorry Watch)
• Pirkei Avot on Appeasing an Angry Person (Sefaria)
• How To Repent: Teshuva In 7 Steps (Rabbi Seth Goldstein on TikTok)
• Sorry, Sorry, Sorry: The Case for Good Apologies by Marjorie Ingall and Susan McCarthy
• Getting to Sorry: The Art of Apology at Work and at Home by Marjorie Ingall and Susan McCarthy
• Jewish Broadcasting Service
• Nashuva
Credits:
• Writer/producer: Kate Mishkin
• Story producer: Gabrielle Birkner
• Fact-checking: Rachel Scheinerman
• Sound design/mixing: Jonathan Shifflett of Studio Phonic
• Interstitial music: Written and performed by Nan Schwartz
• Outro music: "Swirls & Eddies," written and performed by Grace Corsi
• Art direction: Grace Yagel
Shofar, So Good! is a podcast from My Jewish Learning, a division of 70 Faces Media. Ami Eden is the CEO of 70 Faces Media, and Rebecca Phillips is the publisher.
This podcast was originally developed in the Jewish Writers Institute Digital Storytellers Lab and produced with support from Maimonides Fund. Special thanks to Rebecca Friedman.

In this episode, host Kate Mishkin explores the role of the chevra kadisha, or Jewish burial society. She talks with volunteers who ensure that dead bodies are ready for burial according to Jewish tradition. Their work, Kate discovered, is physical, emotional and surprisingly life-affirming.
Further reading and resources:
• Tahara, Preparing the Body for Burial (My Jewish Learning)
• How To Form A Chevra Kadisha (My Jewish Learning)
• Email mini-course: A Jewish Journey Through Grief (My Jewish Learning)
• Kavod v'Nichum
Credits:
• Writer/producer: Kate Mishkin
• Story producer: Gabrielle Birkner
• Fact-checking: Rachel Scheinerman
• Sound design/mixing: Jonathan Shifflett of Studio Phonic
• Interstitial music: Written and performed by Nan Schwartz
• Outro music: "Swirls & Eddies," written and performed by Grace Corsi
• Art direction: Grace Yagel
Shofar, So Good! is a podcast from My Jewish Learning, a division of 70 Faces Media. Ami Eden is the CEO of 70 Faces Media, and Rebecca Phillips is the publisher.
This podcast was originally developed in the Jewish Writers Institute Digital Storytellers Lab and produced with support from Maimonides Fund. Special thanks to Rebecca Friedman.

In Episode 3, Shofar, So Good! host Kate Mishkin delves into havruta learning, the Jewish tradition of studying Torah in pairs. The goal of this paired endeavor: arguing "for the sake of heaven." Kate explores what exactly that means, teaches us about Jewish history's most famous study partners, and learns how AI is changing havruta learning. Then, Kate and her dad become havrutas.
Further reading and resources:
• Havruta: Learning in Pairs (My Jewish Learning)
• Project Zug
• Whole and Broken Tablets: Aging in Rabbinic Literature (Project Zug)
• Beit Midrash Research Project (Brandeis University)
• Words as Weapons: The Story Of Rabbi Yochanan And Resh Lakish (Exploring Judaism)
• AI on Sefaria
• Ohrbit.ai
Credits:
• Writer/producer: Kate Mishkin
• Story producer: Gabrielle Birkner
• Fact-checking: Rachel Scheinerman
• Sound design/mixing: Jonathan Shifflett of Studio Phonic
• Interstitial music: Nan Schwartz
• Art direction: Grace Yagel
• Outro music: "Swirls & Eddies," written and performed by Grace Corsi
Shofar, So Good! is a podcast from My Jewish Learning, a division of 70 Faces Media. Ami Eden is the CEO of 70 Faces Media, and Rebecca Phillips is the publisher.
This podcast was originally developed in the Jewish Writers Institute Digital Storytellers Lab and produced with support from Maimonides Fund. Special thanks to Rebecca Friedman.

In this episode, host Kate Mishkin visits a mikveh, or Jewish ritual bath, in Los Angeles. She examines the origins and evolution of mikveh immersion — and how, in some circles, the ritual is stretching itself to adapt.
Further reading and resources:
• What is a Mikveh? (My Jewish Learning)
• The Mikveh's Significance in Traditional Conversion (My Jewish Learning)
• Non-Traditional Uses for Mikveh (My Jewish Learning)
• A Detailed Explanation of Niddah, or "Family Purity" Laws (My Jewish Learning)
• Mayyim Hayyim Community Mikveh
• Mass Center for Jewish Journeys — Community Mikveh
• ImmerseNYC
• Adina Blaustein, Yoetzet Halakhah
• Dr. Jordana Topp, Yoetzet Halakhah
• Miriam Ezagui on TikTok
Credits:
• Writer/producer: Kate Mishkin
• Story producer: Gabrielle Birkner
• Fact-checking: Rachel Scheinerman
• Sound design/mixing: Jonathan Shifflett of Studio Phonic
• Interstitial music: Nan Schwartz
• Art direction: Grace Yagel
• Outro music: "Swirls & Eddies," written and performed by Grace Corsi
Shofar, So Good! is a podcast from My Jewish Learning, a division of 70 Faces Media. Ami Eden is the CEO of 70 Faces Media, and Rebecca Phillips is the publisher.
This podcast was originally developed in the Jewish Writers Institute Digital Storytellers Lab and produced with support from Maimonides Fund. Special thanks to Rebecca Friedman.

In this episode of Shofar, So Good! host Kate Mishkin explores the origins, formula, and meanings behind Jewish blessings — and considers why the Talmud prescribes saying 100 blessings a day. She hears what happens when scientists try to measure whether saying Jewish blessings makes us happier and more grateful. The results: Not what the researchers expected.
Further reading and resources:
• "Jewish Prayer Has Become My Favorite Morning Ritual" by Avie Herman (Kveller)
• A guide to common Jewish blessings (My Jewish Learning)
• "The Happiness Prayer: Ancient Jewish Wisdom for the Best Way to Live Today" by Rabbi Evan Moffic
• Rabbi Meir on daily blessing obligations (Sefaria)
• Sinai & Synapses
• The Social Emotions Lab at Northeastern University
Credits:
• Writer/producer: Kate Mishkin
• Story producer: Gabrielle Birkner
• Fact-checking: Rachel Scheinerman
• Sound design/mixing: Jonathan Shifflett of Studio Phonic
• Interstitial music: Written and performed by Nan Schwartz
• Outro music: "Swirls & Eddies," written and performed by Grace Corsi
• Art direction: Grace Yagel
Shofar, So Good! is a podcast from My Jewish Learning, a division of 70 Faces Media. Ami Eden is the CEO of 70 Faces Media, and Rebecca Phillips is the publisher.
This podcast was originally developed in the Jewish Writers Institute Digital Storytellers Lab and produced with support from Maimonides Fund. Special thanks to Rebecca Friedman.