We're in the Hebrew month of Av, traditionally a time of accessing heartbreak. Rabbi Shir Meira Feit offers guidance for navigating what they describe as "the squeeze" — honoring grief not by forcing joy away, but by sitting with contraction with honesty and curiosity. They teach we can trust that life's constrictions may serve as a doorway to expansion, just as birth pangs signal the start of some thing wondrous, or the narrow part of a shofar moves into a wider opening. Join Rabbi Shir Meira Feit for music and a meditation on holding grief and joy, allowing one to flow into the other.
The meditation featured in this episode originally took place during the IJS Daily Online Meditation Sit on July 16th, 2026. To join these FREE daily meditations live, sign up here.
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