In August 2021, New Rochelle resident Vera Kessler participated in one of Rabbi Aryeh Nivin’s professional development chaburas. She explained: “The class challenges you to figure out what your life’s purpose is. It goes to all these different areas of life, your relationships, your financial situation, your spiritual situation. It helps you figure out how to grow and how to improve in all areas. The main thing is your direction.”

Kessler revealed that she was working on trying to figure out what her yearly direction was going to be. The class had different prompts to help students figure things out. “Imagine you’re a multi-millionaire who didn’t have to worry about driving kids to school, cooking, daily chores, paying bills or making money. What would you do with your unlimited time and unlimited money? I would learn Torah and teach Torah to other women. How am I going to do that?”

Prior to COVID, Kessler hosted discussion groups for women at her home. Last fall, she attended Machon Yehudis in Brooklyn via Zoom for four months, learning Torah to teach Torah. Due to family commitments, she couldn’t continue in seminary. “I decided to do a podcast,” she said, “a great idea, but I had no idea how to do a podcast.”

Kessler described herself as not technically inclined, but she did a lot of research and learned how to create and upload a podcast. Her next challenge was whom to interview. “I texted my friend Sarra Lorbert for recommendations and references of rebbetzins. She texted her seminary friends who came up with names and phone numbers.

“I reached out to the rebbetzins, and I had my first interview for the following week,” Kessler said. “Once I started, I just kept going.” She called her creation “America’s Top Rebbetzins,” and it features powerful interviews with inspiring rebbetzins who share words of wisdom designed to instill purpose in our lives. Each woman offers her own unique insights on living a life filled with clarity and meaning. On February 28 YINR Rebbetzin Abby Fink was interviewed on the importance of Jewish community.

The interviews are pre-recorded, then uploaded to the podcasting apps of Google, Apple and Spotify. “I also started ‘America’s Top Rebbetzins’ on YouTube for those who not only want to hear the rebbetzins but see them as well. Topics include relationships, dating, parenting, shalom bayit, the Tanya, self-care, near-death experiences, acceptance, gratitude and achieving happiness. To date, Kessler has created 66 podcasts of 22 to 59 minutes.

Kessler said the podcasts have been “very well received and a lot of positive feedback. Women have told me it is a really great way to learn; ‘I can just put it on in the car as I am doing carpool, or I listen to you while I am cooking or while I am doing laundry. It is just an easy way to learn Torah’. A lot of women have been inspired to learn Torah by what I am doing.”

Kessler is touched as she explained: “The rebbetzins were so open and sharing of their personal stories and Torah insights. My favorite part of any interview is their sharing stories about themselves, and sometimes about people in the community. They’ve been open about their own struggles that they personally have overcome. I think many listeners relate to some rebbetzins who have struggled with miscarriage and having children.”

Kessler shared one specific story of a rebbetzin who lived in what she considered a terrible place for many years. Her husband had recently gotten a job offer that would take them back to that terrible place. “She was crying all night to Hashem, trying to figure out that even though the job was a wonderful opportunity, she did not want to go back. At the end of the night, she got to a place of accepting life’s circumstances and just being grateful. Once the rebbetzin reached a level of acceptance, the husband was offered another job in a much better location.

“Rebbetzins struggle with many of the same things that we struggle with,” Kessler said. “It was eye opening to see just how relatable they really are.”

As the mother of three children, she hopes she has inspired them, “that they can follow their dreams, and nothing is impossible. I didn’t think I would make a podcast, and I did it! With enough perseverance, with enough determination and enough drive at fulfilling your purpose in life, you can do anything.”

To learn more, search for “America’s Top Rebbetzins” on any of the podcast apps, YouTube or Facebook.

By Judy Berger