This series is sponsored by Mira and Daniel Stokar.

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Rabbi YY Jacobson, one of the foremost online teachers of Torah, about how each of us can experience redemptive consciousness by feeling Hashem's infinite love and presence in this moment.

In this episode we discuss:

—Why has there been a shift in the way we approach publicly sharing Torah?
—What is the nature of the Torah approach to vulnerability?
—What are we trying to achieve with our own teshuva?

Interview begins at 5:02.

Tune in to hear a conversation about the pain of existing seemingly separately from the Divine.

Rabbi YY Jacobson is a Chabad rabbi, teacher, and scholar of Torah and Jewish mysticism. He is the founder and dean of TheYeshiva.net, where his classes reach thousands of students around the world. A sought-after speaker, Rabbi Jacobson draws on Torah, Chassidic thought, Kabbalah, and Jewish philosophy to explore contemporary questions of faith, spirituality, relationships, and Jewish life.

References:

The Dance of Teshuva by David Ebner

Likkutei Torah

Ben Porat Yosef

The Trauma of Everyday Life by Mark Epstein M.D.

To Live with an Open Heart: Tanya through the eyes of a Psychotherapist by Devorah Leah Nussbaum

Talmud Daily

Tzidkat HaTzadik

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This series is sponsored by Mira and Daniel Stokar.

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In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Rabbi Etan Epstein, the founder of The 300 Club, a program of committing to learning Torah for five minutes a day.

We also speak with two participants in the program, Richard Weissberg and Susan Sorosky. 

In this episode we discuss:

—How does one begin a path of Torah learning?
—How can we avoid burning out and maintain consistency on our learning journey?
—Why are Torah and repentance so intertwined together?

Interviews begin at 8:56.

Tune in to hear a conversation about how the process of interpretation of Torah is a mirror image of a process of interpretation of the self.

Rabbi Etan Epstein studied at Yeshivat Shaalvim after graduating from Ramaz, before earning his B.A. from Yeshiva University and spending three years at Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood. He then spent seven years studying at the Brisker Kollel in Israel, developing a deep expertise in analytical Torah learning. After returning to the U.S. in 2016, Rav Etan settled in Monsey and founded the New Rochelle Torah Center, where he became known for his thoughtful, engaging, and inspiring classes. In 2023, he founded the 300 Club, dedicated to helping every Jew experience the depth and beauty of Torah every day, five minutes at a time.

References:

“Mirror, Mirror of The Fall” by Maureen Dowd

The 300 Club

Mesillat Yesharim

Sefer HaChinukh

Psalms 27

Lamentations 3

Pirkei Avot

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This series is sponsored by Mira and Daniel Stokar.

Join Talmud Daily! A new free program from 18Forty. Ten-minute episodes a day (video + audio). Plain English. No prior knowledge assumed. No Hebrew required. Join here: Talmuddaily.org

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Tania Friedlander, leadership-and-performance coach, attorney by training, and former champion athlete, about how her husband’s Parkinson’s diagnosis challenged her expectations and taught her to become capable of more.

In this episode we discuss:

—What does it mean to make our expectations a central focus of our teshuva?
—How do we increase our capacity to handle the life we have?
—How can we embrace both the joy and pain that accompany the challenges of life?

Interview begins at 11:42.

Tune in to hear a conversation about taking on challenges head-on and finding the capacity to meet life as it comes.

Tania Friedlander is a leadership and performance coach, attorney by training, and former champion athlete. A Professional Certified Coach and Gallup Certified Global Strengths Coach, she works with executives and emerging leaders to leverage their strengths, overcome challenges, and achieve their professional and personal goals.

References:

Tanya

Rabbanit Rachelle Fraenkel on the 18Forty Podcast

I'm Not Alone by Riva Pomerantz

Loving Someone Who Has Dementia by Pauline Boss

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

Chop Wood Carry Water by Joshua Medcalf

Likutei Moharan, Part II 23:1

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This series is sponsored by Mira and Daniel Stokar.

Join Talmud Daily! A new free program from 18Forty. Ten-minute episodes a day (video + audio). Plain English. No prior knowledge assumed. No Hebrew required. Join here: Talmuddaily.org.

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Ben and Yael de Toledo, founders of Pnima Jerusalem, a soulful community in Jerusalem, about doing teshuva by returning to community.

In this episode we discuss:

—What are the ingredients necessary for finding and building a community?
—How does one emotionally handle integrating into the Torah world without the benefit of a yeshiva background?
—How should Torah-centered communities relate to the full spectrum of Jews?

Interview begins at 6:16.

Tune in to hear a conversation about letting go of barriers, having faith in oneself, and creating space for Jewish life to thrive.

Rabbi Ben de Toledo is a Jewish educator and community builder, and a founder of Pnima Jerusalem. He and his wife, Yael, previously served as the founding rabbinic couple-in-residence at the Moses Ben Maimon Synagogue at the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi.

Yael de Toledo is a Jewish educator and musician who teaches Torah and music and studies at the Shirat HaLeviim Music Academy. She helped found Pnima Jerusalem with her husband, Rabbi Ben de Toledo.

References:

Listening to God: Inspirational Stories for My Grandchildren by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin

Netivot Shalom

The Sabbath by Abraham Joshua Heschel

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This series is sponsored by Mira and Daniel Stokar.

Join Talmud Daily! A new free program from 18Forty. Ten-minute episodes a day (video + audio). Plain English. No prior knowledge assumed. No Hebrew required. Begins August 24, 2026. Join here: Talmuddaily.org

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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Join Talmud Daily! A new free program from 18Forty. Ten-minute episodes a day (video + audio). Plain English. No prior knowledge assumed. No Hebrew required. Begins August 24, 2026. Join here: Talmuddaily.org

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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