Ask Eve (Lauren’s version)

Today we welcome Sharone to the Garden to talk about a side of Judaism we don’t always hear about: what happens when serving Hashem doesn’t feel good?We get into what it actually means to “fear God,” and why our relationship with Hashem can’t only be built on love, inspiration, and doing the mitzvot that make sense to us or make us feel good.Sharone and I both share our experiences of not growing up religious and what we learned as we became more observantespecially the realization that a real relationship with the Creator is sometimes built in the moments of struggle. It’s easy to do something when you understand it, agree with it, or enjoy it. But what about when you don’t?Sometimes Hashem’s love language is different than yours. And just like any real relationship, there are things you do for the sake of the relationship not because they’re convenient or comfortable, but because the relationship means more to you than the discomfort.Join us in the Garden as we get into love, fear, struggle, obedience, and what it really means to build an authentic relationship with Hashem.Follow us on Instagram and Tiktok @evesgardeners to stay up to date and for more opportunities for growth. 

Today we welcome Lauren back to the Garden for another Ask Eve — Lauren’s Version.This time, we’re taking all the spicy, unhinged, and trending topics everyone’s already talking about and asking: but what does Judaism have to say about it?Lauren’s asking the questions, we definitely don’t agree on everything, and nothing is off the table. From foot fetishes and dating to Sydney Sweeney’s conversion, pop culture, relationships, and everything happening in culture right now — we’re getting into it all from a Jewish perspective.Come hang with us in the Garden for the conversations you probably weren’t expecting to hear on a Jewish podcast. 🌷Follow us on Instagram and Tiktok @evesgardeners to stay up to date and for more opportunities for growth. 

Today we welcome Gil to the Garden! 🌱Gil is the chef and owner behind the kosher restaurant phenomenon à la Carte in South Florida, along with several other concepts that have taken off in the area. But his journey into the kosher food world didn’t start out so kosher.We get into where his passion for food began, why food is so deeply rooted in Jewish culture, and his journey from opening non-kosher restaurants in Tel Aviv to making the decision to go fully kosher when he came to America.We also get into the kosher restaurant industry as a whole—why the standard has been what it’s been, the problems he noticed coming into it from the non-kosher world, and how he believes kosher dining can be completely elevated.And of course, we talk about the business decision that makes absolutely no sense on paper: closing a restaurant every Shabbat and Jewish holiday—and why Gil says it’s actually brought more blessing, not less.From food and business to faith, Shabbat, and the future of kosher dining, welcome back to the Garden. 🌱 Follow us on Instagram and Tiktok @evesgardeners to stay up to date and for more opportunities for growth. 

Welcome back to the Garden for another solo Ask Eve episode! We’re getting into all the questions we didn’t get to last time from motherhood and my own journey becoming a mom, to religious growth, modesty, and figuring out how to balance the spiritual and secular worlds.I’m sharing my personal experience with finding that balance, how my modesty journey started, and my advice for anyone who’s thinking about taking that step themselves.Basically, we’re talking motherhood, growth, tzniut, and navigating what it looks like to be a Jewish woman in the modern world. Grab your coffee and come hang in the Garden. 🌷Follow us on Instagram and Tiktok @evesgardeners to stay up to date and for more opportunities for growth. 

Welcome back, Gardeners. We’re officially BACK in the Garden after a much-needed (and slightly longer than expected) break.To ease us back in, we’re kicking things off with an Ask Eve episode, answering your anonymous questions from Instagram. We got so many submissions that we couldn’t possibly fit them all into one episode, so consider this Part 1.We start with a little life catch-up, then get into everything from dating, marriage and relationship advice to personal questions, spirituality, prayer, your relationship with Hashem, and growing in your Judaism.Basically, you asked and we answered. And it felt like the perfect way to reopen the gates to the Garden.Stay tuned for Part 2. We’re so back.Follow us on Instagram and Tiktok @evesgardeners to stay up to date and for more opportunities for growth. 

Today we welcome Andrea to the garden to dive into her journey toward Judaism, faith, healing, and finding a deeper relationship with Hashem.Andrea shares her very unique and personal story of going from living a more traditional, culturally Jewish life to truly taking her relationship with Judaism and spirituality seriously, and the unexpected experiences that led her there.We also get into a very raw conversation surrounding mental health, therapy culture, anxiety, depression, medication, and the modern world’s obsession with romanticizing struggle. Andrea opens up about her experience going in and out of therapy, being on and off medication, and how despite trying so many external solutions, she eventually realized she needed to do much deeper inner and soul work to uncover the root of what she was feeling.This episode is not anti-therapy or anti-medication, but rather a conversation about the importance of not turning suffering into an identity, and how healing often requires emotional, spiritual, and personal accountability alongside everything else. We discuss the ways social media and modern culture can sometimes glamorize anxiety and depression, and how constantly feeding those narratives can make people feel even more trapped inside them.Most importantly, Andrea shares how strengthening her relationship with Hashem completely transformed the way she viewed herself, her purpose, and her healing journey.This was such a fascinating, vulnerable, thought-provoking conversation and one I know so many of you will connect to.Follow us on Instagram and Tiktok @evesgardeners to stay up to date and for more opportunities for growth. 

Today we welcome Jared Firestone to the garden.From dream to ice track, Jared takes us inside his journey to becoming an Olympic skeleton athlete, yes headfirst down an icy track at insane speeds. We get into what sparked the dream, how he actually made it happen, and the real behind the scenes of chasing something that feels almost impossible.This episode is not just about sports. It is about what it looks like when you refuse to give up even when your body is pushed to the limit, your mind is doubting you, and the people around you are not always cheering you on. Jared opens up about the physical grind, the mental battles, and the moments where it would have been so easy to quit.And then there is the part we love in the garden, the hashgacha pratit. The divine timing, the this cannot be a coincidence moments, the doors that opened exactly when they needed to. It is one of those stories that reminds you that when something is meant for you, no obstacle can actually block it.If you have ever had a dream that feels too big, too unrealistic, or too far gone, this episode is your sign to keep going.Follow us on Instagram and Tiktok @evesgardeners to stay up to date and for more opportunities for growth. 

Today we welcome Gedale Fenster to the garden to talk about the true definition of freedom.And spoiler: it’s probably not what you think.We get into the idea that addiction isn’t just drugs or alcohol, it can be your phone, your habits, your impulses, your need for validation… anything that’s quietly running your life. Because when you can’t stop something, you’re not in control, it’s controlling you. And that’s not freedom, that’s slavery.We unpack the uncomfortable truth that doing “whatever you want” isn’t freedom it’s actually the fastest way to become a slave to your desires. True freedom is discipline. It’s self-control. It’s having the strength to choose what’s good for you, not just what feels good in the moment.Then we tie it all back to Pesach, because leaving Egypt isn’t just a story we remember once a year, it’s a blueprint. Every single one of us has our own “Egypt” the things we’re stuck in, the patterns we can’t break, the habits that own us, and Pesach is our invitation to finally walk out.We also get into why the “normal” addictions might actually be the scariest ones… because they don’t look dangerous enough to stop.And yes, it turns into a bit of a personal therapy session (for me 😅), where Gedale gives real, practical tools on how to actually break free from the things that aren’t serving you.Oh, and we also talk about what any of this has to do with not eating bread. Because somehow… everything is connected!Consider this your official Seder pregame.Follow us on Instagram and Tiktok @evesgardeners to stay up to date and for more opportunities for growth. 

Today we welcome Jamie Geller to the Garden to talk all things Shabbat 🤍✨We get into what makes Shabbat so beautiful, where its laws come from, and why this weekly pause has become one of the most meaningful mitzvot in our lives, even for those of us who didn’t grow up fully keeping it. From personal journeys to practical insights, we share how Shabbat transformed the way we think about time, work, and what really matters.We also dive into the deeper idea of letting go of control, how choosing not to work for one day a week is actually the ultimate expression of emunah, trusting that our parnassah is in Hashem’s hands.Warning: this episode might make you want to keep Shabbat 💫Follow us on Instagram and Tiktok @evesgardeners to stay up to date and for more opportunities for growth. 

Today we welcome Hannah Eskenazi to the Garden to talk about a topic that I’ve been pushing off for someone extremely special. Today we are finally talking all things MODESTY!I’ve touched on this before, but in this episode we go all the way in.We talk about what modesty actually means to us, how our journeys with it looked, and what it feels like being modest in a world that constantly tells women that their value is in their bodies.We get into high school memories, puberty insecurities, eating disorders, body dysmorphia, and the unspoken pressure girls feel the moment they realize they’re being perceived.We talk about hiddenness. Privacy. Intimacy.About how keeping certain things sacred doesn’t make them smaller... it makes them stronger.How modesty isn’t about being less attractive.It’s about not reducing yourself to your appearance in the first place.It’s about protecting your peace.Protecting your intimacy.Protecting your inner world from outside noise, outside judgment, and outside negativity.What if modesty isn’t oppression?What if it’s protection?If you’ve ever questioned modesty, struggled with it, felt resistant to it, or wondered if there’s something deeper there, this episode is for you.Welcome to the garden.Follow us on Instagram and Tiktok @evesgardeners to stay up to date and for more opportunities for growth.