This series is sponsored by Mira and Daniel Stokar.

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In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to rabbi, attorney, and professor Shlomo Pill about how Torah and teshuva have helped him handle his struggle with addiction.

In this episode we discuss:

—How do we bring ourselves to do teshuva when things outwardly appear to be going well?
—How can we give our children Jewish tools for processing, explaining, and coming to terms with life’s difficulties?
—How can Torah help us in the inner work of overcoming our negative impulses?

Interview begins at 4:53.

Tune in to hear a conversation about addiction, teshuva, and the ways Torah can help us make sense of life’s struggles and find a path toward growth.

Rabbi Dr. Shlomo C. Pill is a rabbi, attorney, and law professor whose scholarship focuses on Jewish, Islamic, and American law, religious liberty, and the relationship between religious traditions and the American legal system. He is an Assistant Professor of Law at Texas Southern University’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law and previously taught at Emory University. He is the co-author of Setting the Table: An Introduction to the Jurisprudence of Rabbi Yechiel Michel Epstein’s Arukh Hashulchan and is also the founder of Beis Midrash Nishmas HaTorah in Houston, where he teaches Torah and Penimiyus haTorah.

References:

Tzidkat HaTzadik 154

Story of Our Lives: An Epic Quest for the Soul of our Tradition by Yaakov Klein

Attached by Yakov Danishefsky

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In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we return to the topic of teshuva by talking to Mendel Horowitz, a Jerusalem-based psychotherapist, researcher, and author who introduces us to the notion of having a Good Enough Elul.

You can learn more about the Good Enough Elul initiative here and read Mendel's article on psychodynamic therapy here.

In this episode we discuss:

—What is the nature of the inner work we do over Elul?
—How do our psychological and religious work overlap and interact?
—How can we detach ourselves from external expectations and learn how to live comfortably in pursuit of our purest desires?

Interview begins at 27:00.

Tune in to hear a conversation about how we discover our most essential selves.

Mendel Horowitz, M.S., is a Jerusalem-based psychotherapist, researcher, and author certified by the International Board for Certification of Group Psychotherapists. His research interests include group therapy and the intersection of masculinity, loneliness, and faith. He is a founding member of United Hatzalah’s Psychotrauma & Crisis Response Unit and a member of the Public Outreach Committee of the American Group Psychotherapy Association. His essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Jerusalem Post, JTA, The Forward, and the Jewish Journal, among other publications, and his professional writing has appeared in the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy.

References:

Tur

Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer

Song of Songs 6:3

Psychoanalysis: The Impossible Profession by Janet Malcolm

The Examined Life: How We Lose and Find Ourselves by Stephen Grosz

"I'm a Psychodynamic Therapist. Here's What That Means." by Mendel Horowitz

Good Enough Elul on 18Forty

"Good Enough Elul: What This Is and Is Not" by Mendel Horowitz 

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This episode is sponsored by Dina and Daniel Heiss, in honor of the 10th yahrzeit of Dina’s father, Zev Yehudah ben HaRav Yisrael Michel. May his neshama have an aliya. 

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to author and theoretical physicist Berel Leib Epstein about rational reasons to choose to believe in Judaism and live a Jewish life.

In this episode we discuss:

—In a time without clear and open revelation and miracles, how do we find God in the modern world? —How is Kabbalah like quantum mechanics?
—Why is it worth discussing reasons to believe in God in the first place?

Interview begins at 11:40.

Tune in to hear a conversation about how we find truth and build meaning in our lives.

Dr. Berel Leib Epstein is a theoretical physicist with a background in nonlinear optics and laser physics. After studying under Dr. Phillip Sprangle at the University of Maryland, he joined the Johns Hopkins Physics Laboratory, working on innovative research projects aimed at maintaining America’s technological edge in defense. Berel lives with his wife and children in Baltimore, Maryland, where he also learns in Yeshivas Ner Yisroel.

References:

Emunah and Physics: A Jewish Resolve by Dr. Berel Leib Epstein

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While we await the next installment of the 18Forty Podcast, we invite you to enjoy this episode from our serires 18 Questions, 40 Mystics. 

In this insightful conversation, Rabbi YY Jacobson presents Jewish mysticism as a dynamic framework for consciousness and connection rather than abstract theology. He passionately and clearly illustrates how faith and, ultimately, surrender can redefine how we see ourselves, our pain, and the world around us. 

Before the Lubavitcher Rabbi’s passing, Rabbi Jacobson served as one of his oral scribes. As a close disciple of the Rabbi, he developed a strong foundation in the world of Chassidut [Hasidism] and Jewish mysticism. Now, Rabbi Jacobson is a world-renowned speaker and scholar.

He now joins us to answer eighteen questions with Rabbi Dr. Benji Levy on Jewish mysticism including how Torah is the map of reality, how spirituality should inform your relationships, and the function of humility in religious growth. 

Here are our questions: 
What is Jewish mysticism?
How were you introduced to Jewish mysticism?
In an ideal world, would all Jews be mystics?
What do you think of when you think of God?
What is the purpose of the Jewish people?
How does prayer work?
What is the goal of Torah study?
Does Jewish mysticism view men and women the same?
Should Judaism be hard or easy?
Why did God create the world? 
Can humans do something that is against God’s will?
What do you think of when you think about Moshiach?
Is the State of Israel part of the final redemption?
What is the greatest challenge facing the world today?
How has modernity changed Jewish mysticism?
What differentiates Jewish mysticism from the mysticism of other religions? 
Does one need to be religious to study Jewish mysticism?
Can mysticism be dangerous?
How has Jewish mysticism affected your relationships with yourself and with others?
What is a Jewish teaching that you always take with you?


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In our annual Tisha B'Av episode of the 18Forty Podcast on the theme of loss, we speak with Rabbi Shalom Rosner, who delivered a widely shared eulogy for Eliyahu Moshe ("Eli Mo") Zimbalist, who was killed early in the Gaza war. We also speak with Eli Mo's mother, Sara Zimbalist.

In this episode we discuss:

—How do we hold the personal experience of loss together with the larger national narrative?
—How does the experience of loss change with the passing of time?
—What is the significance of this time in Jewish history?

Interview with Rabbi Rosner begins at 27:09.
Interview with Sara Zimbalist begins at 1:18:10

Tune in to hear a conversation about what continues to ache in the collective heart of the Jewish People—and how we manage to continue to cultivate gratitude.

Rabbi Shalom Rosner is the Rosh Beis Medrash of the English-speaking program at JCT Machon Lev and the rabbi of the Nofei Hashemesh community in Beit Shemesh. A musmach of RIETS and graduate of Yeshiva University, he is widely known for his online Daf Yomi and other Torah shiurim, followed by thousands of learners worldwide. Renowned for his clarity in teaching complex sugyot, Rabbi Rosner has taught at Yeshiva University, Yeshivat Reishit Yerushalayim, and Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh.

References:

Numbers 14

Taanit 29a

Lamentations 2

Sanhedrin 104b 

Exodus 1:15 with Rashi

Eliyahu Moshe Zimbalist eulogy by R’ Shalom Rosner

Shabbat 33b

Seder HaYom by Moshe ben Machir

Lamentations 3

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In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Jewish communal executive Carmi Schwartz about lessons he’s learned in his 90-plus years as a member and leader of the Jewish community. 

In this episode we discuss: 

—What draws a professional to Jewish communal work rather than business pursuits or Torah scholarship?
—How does one imbue organizational and Zionist work with religious Jewish content?
—What has it been like to directly witness the Jewish community’s tensions around driving on Shabbat, patrilineal descent, and recognition of non-Orthodox conversions?

Interview begins at 10:20.

Tune in to hear a conversation about all of the forks in the road that brought us to this moment in American Jewish history.

Carmi Schwartz is a longtime leader in the North American Jewish federation system. He served as Executive Vice President of the Council of Jewish Federations (CJF), one of the organizations that later merged into today's Jewish Federations of North America. Earlier in his career, he held leadership positions with Jewish federations in Metropolitan New Jersey, Baltimore, Utica, Miami, and Montreal.

References:

No Country for Old Men (2007)

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In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Jenna Weissman Joselit, a professor of Jewish studies and history, about the everyday expressions of Judaism that reinforce the identity and distinctiveness of the Jewish People. 

In this episode we discuss:

—What consequential institutional decisions shaped the trajectory of American Judaism?
—What overlooked personalities and phenomena contributed to the development of American Judaism?
—What is the role of the tallis in American Jewish aesthetics?

Interview begins at 10:42.

Tune in to hear a retrospective reflection on modern Jewish life and culture.

Jenna Weissman Joselit is the Charles E. Smith Professor of Judaic Studies and Professor of History at The George Washington University. She specializes in the history and culture of America’s Jews, U.S. cultural history, and the relationship between material culture and identity. She is the author of Set in Stone: America’s Embrace of the Ten Commandments, The Wonders of America: Reinventing Jewish Culture, 1880–1950, which received the National Jewish Book Award in History, and A Perfect Fit: Clothes, Character, and the Promise of America. She writes a monthly column on American Jewish culture for Tablet and has been a frequent contributor to the Jewish Review of Books, The New Republic, TNR Online, Gastronomica, and the Forward.

References:

American Judaism: A History by Jonathan D. Sarna

Mordecai M. Kaplan: Restless Soul by Jenna Weissman Joselit

New York's Jewish Jews: The Orthodox Community in the Interwar Years by Jenna Weissman Joselit

Our Gang : Jewish Crime and the New York Jewish Community, 1900-1940 by Jenna Weissman Joselit

Set in Stone: America's Embrace of the Ten Commandments by Jenna Weissman Joselit

Jenna Weissman Joselit in Tablet

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In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to historian Zev Eleff about what 250 years of Jewish life in America can teach us about religion, identity, and the future of American Judaism.

In this episode we discuss:

—Why did colonial Jews support the American Revolution despite knowing the dangers of opposing those in power?
—How did Jewish denominations and institutions as we know them emerge in America, and what roles did Zionism and U.S. immigration policy play in this?
—Where are we headed on our American Jewish journey, and what have we learned along the way?

Tune in to hear a conversation about the intersection of the Jewish story and American exceptionalism.

Interview begins at 11:00.

Rabbi Dr. Zev Eleff is the president of Gratz College. Zev is the author and editor of nine books and more than 50 scholarly articles in the fields of Jewish Studies and American Religion, including Modern Orthodox Judaism: A Documentary History, Dyed in Crimson: Football, Faith, and Remaking Harvard’s America, and Authentically Orthodox: A Tradition-Bound Faith in American Life. His research focuses on American Jewish history, sports, and Modern Orthodox history.

References:

Jeremiah 29:7

The Greatest of All Time: A History of an American Obsession by Zev Eleff

Authentically Orthodox: A Tradition-Bound Faith in American Life by Zev Eleff

18Forty Podcast: “Zev Eleff: Is This the End of American Judaism?”

American Judaism: A History by Jonathan D. Sarna

The Rag Race: How Jews Sewed Their Way to Success in America and the British Empire by Adam D. Mendelsohn

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In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Elana Moskowitz, an educator at Michlelet Mevasseret Yerushalayim, about how her American Jewish upbringing shaped her life and worldview.

Moskowitz grew up Orthodox in America in the 1990s—alongside her brother David Bashevkin—before moving to Israel and joining a Haredi community in Jerusalem. 

In this episode we discuss: 

—What is the unique new contribution of American Judaism to the Jewish story? 
—What have been the successes and failures of Judaism on American shores? 
—How do familial and institutional influences shape the lives we believe we ought to lead?

Tune in to hear an inside conversation about the Bashevkin family and what it means to live in a medina shel chesed.

Interview begins at 19:40. 

Mrs. Elana Moskowitz grew up in New York and earned her B.Ed in English from Michlalah Jerusalem College. She is a passionate and energetic educator who has been teaching and mentoring in various seminaries in Eretz Yisrael for the past 25 years. She currently teaches at Michlelet Mevasseret Yerushalayim (MMY) where she heads their second-year program. In addition to guest lecturing for both Anglo and Israeli-American women, Elana is a writer for Mishpacha magazine where she develops and contributes Torah content. She lives with her husband and children in Yerushalayim.

References:

"Thank You from an American Jewish Child" by David Bashevkin

“An apology from your American Jewish parents” by David Magerman

“A Kosher Home” by Elana Moskowitz

“​​The Grandfather I Thought I Knew” by Elana Moskowitz

"Sounds of My Childhood” by Elana Moskowitz

Reb Mendel and His Wisdom by Yisroel Greenwald

“When life is like weaving a quilt” with Frieda Vizel

“Yiddishkeit Without Ideology: A Letter To My Son” by Moshe Koppel

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In this annual debate episode of the 18Forty Podcast, David Bashevkin moderates a discussion on finances within the Orthodox Jewish community. 

The specific resolution is: The current state of semachot in our community and the level of spending on them, as well as extravagance in lifestyle in general, is problematically excessive and should be significantly curtailed.

Rabbi Larry Rothwachs defends the affirmative, while Dr. Leslie Ginsparg Klein argues the negative.

In this episode we discuss:

—Are extravagant weddings a detriment to the Jewish community, or do the benefits outweigh the negative externalities?
—What should the Jewish community spend more and less money on?
—Could financial education in Jewish schools alleviate cultural financial pressures?

Tune in to hear a conversation about what we desire as a community and how we can attain it.

Debate begins at 6:17.

Rabbi Larry Rothwachs is a rabbi, therapist, and educator who has led Congregation Beth Aaron in Teaneck, New Jersey since 2002. A longtime teacher and leader within Yeshiva University and RIETS, he currently serves as Director of Professional Rabbinics at RIETS, head rabbi of Camp Morasha, and founding rabbi of Meromei Shemesh, a new community in Ramat Beit Shemesh. He lives with his wife, Chaviva, and their family.

Dr. Leslie Ginsparg Klein is Dean and Chief Academic Officer of Gratz College and a scholar of Jewish education and history. Formerly Academic Dean at the Women’s Institute of Torah Seminary & College, she is a widely sought speaker on Jewish history, Tanakh, leadership, and communication. She earned her Ph.D. from New York University researching Orthodox girls’ education and the Bais Yaakov movement, and lives in Baltimore with her family.

References:

18Forty Podcast: “A Debate Between Yitzchak Blau & Itamar Rosensweig: Does Morality Exist Outside of Judaism?”

Eruvin 13b

Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life by Luke Burgis

The Index Card: Why Personal Finance Doesn't Have to Be Complicated by Helaine Olen and Harold Pollack

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In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, David Bashevkin responds to listeners’ feedback and comments, in conversation with Denah Emerson.

In this episode we discuss:

—Should every Jew be Orthodox?
—Is the gap year in Israel “just a business”?
—How does one develop their own Jewish identity at a phase in life when it’s no longer mediated by institutions?

Tune in to hear what the 18Forty community has been thinking about regarding the conversations we’ve shared.

Voicemails begin at 9:40.

David Bashevkin is the founder and host of 18Forty. He is also the Clinical Assistant Professor of Jewish Values at Yeshiva University’s Sy Syms School of Business. He completed rabbinic ordination at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, a master’s degree at the Bernard Revel Graduate School, and his doctorate in Public Policy and Management at The New School’s Milano School of International Affairs. He has published four books, including Sin·a·gogue: Sin and Failure in Jewish Thought and a Hebrew work, B’Rogez Rachem Tizkor (trans. In Anger, Remember Mercy).

References: 

18Forty Podcast: “Michael Eisenberg: Iran, USA, Israel: What Comes Next”

Genesis 15

18Forty Podcast: “Michael Olshin: Reimagining the Gap Year in Israel”

18Forty Podcast: “Diana Fersko: An Orthodox Rabbi Interviews a Reform Rabbi”

18Forty Podcast: “Dovid Bashevkin: A Reform Rabbi Interviews an Orthodox Rabbi”

How Judaism Became a Religion: An Introduction to Modern Jewish Thought by Leora Batnitzky

“The Future Is Sephardic” by Mijal Bitton

Joshua 7

18Forty Podcast: “Mark Wildes: Is Modern Orthodox Outreach the Way Forward?”

18Forty Podcast: “Elisheva Carlebach & Debra Kaplan: The Unknown History of Women in Jewish Life”

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