Sivan Rahav-Meir has been on Israeli television since age six, and became religious at fifteen after a chance encounter with three girls who simply said, "Bo l'Shabbat." In this conversation recorded in Jerusalem, Sivan shares how she's channeled three decades of journalism skills toward teaching Torah, why she sees a massive post-October 7th hunger for practical Jewish doing (not just inspiration), and why she believes Jewish identity is our real protection.
She's candid about the gap between her public influence and her private reality, and how she is guided by the Lubavitcher Rebbe's paradox: always happy, but never satisfied. She notes the Jewish world's blindspot as the 85% of unaffiliated Jews outside the organized community bubble, and calls every connected Jew to the same simple shlichut that changed her life: invite someone in.
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Sivan Rahav-Meir is a media personality and lecturer. Married to Yedidya, the mother of five. Lives in Jerusalem. Went on shlichut with her family 2019-2020, when she served as World Mizrachi's Shlicha to North America.
She works for Israel TV news, writes a column for Yediot Aharonot newspaper, and hosts a weekly radio show. Her lectures on the weekly Torah portion are attended by hundreds and the live broadcast attracts thousands more listeners throughout the world. Sivan lectures in Israel and overseas about her personal story. the Jewish world since 10/7, Judaism and new media.
She was voted by Globes newspaper as most popular female media personality in Israel and by the Jerusalem Post as one of the 50 most influential Jews in the world.
Learn more at www.sivanrahavmeir.com Find her podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/show/6OlPTHjKBnNwDrNNalxD9jFollow her on instagram @sivanrahavmeir
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[00:00] Introduction
[02:04] Welcome Sivan
[04:00] The problem with news media
[05:10] The role of Torah in making sense of chaos
[06:42] Sivan's origin story
[07:50] The two words that changed my life
[10:05] Building a relationship with Shabbat gradually
[11:00] My personal political transformation
[13:20] Political peace and inner peace
[13:53] Communicating Torah accessibly
[15:30] Using professional skills in a holy direction
[16:45] What has changed after October 7th?
[17:30] People want something tangible
[18:39] Responding to the enemey
[20:10] Omar Shemtov's testimony from the tunnels
[20:56] Why Sivan doesn't call herself a Rebbetzin
[24:30] Where does her energy come from?
[25:00] The real Avodat Hashem happens in my home
[26:15] "Always happy, but never satisfied"
[28:10] Resilience & drive as a framework that doesn't contradict joy
[28:45] The private work of a public person: young motherhood and the test of patience
[31:30] Immediate gratification culture vs. long-term spiritual investment
[32:10] If you didn't post it, did it happen?
[33:00] Sivan's own social media guidelines
[36:00] What worries Sivan about the Jewish world
[37:00] Building Jewish identity from within
[41:10] Our blindspot: the 85% of unaffiliated Jews outside the "bubble"
[44:00] Israeli expats in America
[45:30] What I want my legacy to be
[46:10] Self love as the basis for loving another
[48:30] How Sivan remembers thinks about her connections
[50:45] Favorite verse in Tanach
[51:00] One book everyone should read
[51:20] How I nourish myself
[51:55] A daily habit that can transform your life
[52:15] My message to the Jewish world
[53:30] Closing
[54:15] Host outro
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