Yiscah Smith, at The Blogs

Yiscah Smith

May 22, 2026, 11:19 AM

After decades as an Orthodox man, I finally became the religious woman I was born to be

My journey as a trans woman helps me help students encounter a deeper part of themselves, the Divine spark within

Sep 27, 2015, 6:47 AM

I have! Spiritually I mean. For most of my life I wandered in my own personal wilderness. I lived in one temporary dwelling after the next, never feeling at home -- with me nor the world around me. The sense...

Sep 18, 2015, 3:30 PM

Teshuva – return – but to whom? Where to?

With Yom Kippur soon upon us, the practice of Teshuva -- return -- usually receives more attention than usual. I am referring to a spiritual moment when one intentionally directs one’s thoughts, speech, and deeds in a way that allows an encounter...

Sep 12, 2015, 11:53 PM

A reflection on Rosh Hashanah: Who is judging and what is being judged?

I’ve been reflecting on the theme of judgment during Rosh HaShanah and its relationship to the “mitzah of the day” – the blowing of the Shofar. I’ve been aware of a stirring within to reach a new understanding, to...

Aug 3, 2015, 8:10 PM

The Paradox of Light and Darkness in Jerusalem

Thur, 30 JUL 2015 – It’s around 5:15 and I just finished teaching the last of several classes at the Conservative Yeshiva’s 2015 Summer Program. As a matter of fact, this class, spiritual insights into the weekly Torah portion, concluded...

About Me

Yiscah teaches at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, Applied Jewish Spirituality (AJS) and the Institute for Jewish Spirituality (IJS) and travels the globe sharing her ideas that are both spiritual texts supported and creative as well. Her newest book, Planting Seeds of the Divine: Torah Commentaries to Cultivate Your Spiritual Practice, was recently published by the Jewish Publication Society (JPS) and the University of Nebraska Press (UNP).