18Forty Podcast

18Forty

Helping you find meaning in life through the exploration of Jewish thought and ideas.

  • 1 hour 21 minutes
    Haviv Rettig Gur: 'Hamas Is Upset That the Death Toll in Gaza Isn’t Higher' (18 Questions, 40 Israeli Thinkers)
    We're taking a week off from our main podcast, but we want to share with you an episode of our new podcast, 18 Questions, 40 Israeli Thinkers, recorded on Sept. 9. Subscribe to on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to catch the latest episode every Monday. 

    Until Hamas is gone, Haviv Rettig Gur says, Gaza will be unable to recover after the war.

    The Times of Israel journalist and political analyst has emerged as a leading voice for the Israeli public and the Jewish world for deeper understandings of the war's developments. Haviv has covered Israeli politics — domestic and foreign — for nearly two decades and speaks internationally about Zionism, the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict, and Israel's future.

    Haviv was previously the director of communications for the Jewish Agency for Israel, and currently teaches history and politics at Israeli premilitary academies.

    Now, he joins us to answer 18 questions on Israel, including the country's leadership, Western media, and the Palestinian future.

    Here are our 18 questions:
    1. As an Israeli, and as a Jew, how are you feeling at this moment in Israeli history?
    2. What has been Israel’s greatest success and greatest mistake in its war against Hamas?
    3. Do you think Western media covers the Israel-Hamas War fairly?
    4. What do you look for in deciding which Knesset party to vote for?
    5. Which is more important for Israel: Judaism or democracy?
    6. What role should the Israeli government have in religious matters?
    7. Should Israel treat its Jewish and non-Jewish citizens the same?
    8. Now that Israel already exists, what is the purpose of Zionism?
    9. Is opposing Zionism inherently antisemitic?
    10. Is the IDF the world’s most moral army?
    11. If you were making the case for Israel, where would you begin?
    12. Can questioning the actions of Israel’s government and army — such as in the context of this war — be a valid form of love and patriotism?
    13. What do you think is the most legitimate criticism leveled against Israel today?
    14. Do you think peace between Israelis and Palestinians will happen within your lifetime?
    15. What should happen with Gaza and the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict after the war?
    16. Where do you read news about Israel?
    17. Where do you identify on Israel’s political and religious spectrum, and do you have friends on the “other side”?
    18. Do you have more hope or fear for Israel and the Jewish People?


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    15 October 2024, 7:53 am
  • 1 hour 18 minutes
    Matisyahu: Teshuva in the Spotlight [Teshuva IV 5/5]
    This series is sponsored by Mira and Daniel Stokar, and this episode is sponsored by dailygiving.org.

    In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to musician Matisyahu Miller—known as “Matisyahu”—who has publicly re-embraced his Judaism and Zionism since October 7.

    Matisyahu’s public persona has long been subject to scrutiny and analysis. Comparatively few people, though, have listened to his story in depth. In this episode we discuss:

    • How has the public expression of Matisyahu’s Jewish identity ebbed and flowed throughout his life?
    • Is there anything Matisyahu would change about the Orthodox community?
    • How has the inwardness of Matisyahu’s Jewish identity guided him throughout his life?
    Tune in to hear a conversation about what it means to be, in Matisyahu’s words, “a pnimius Yid.”

    Grammy-nominated artist Matisyahu is a singer, songwriter, rapper, and alternative rock musician. He's known for his skill in blending reggae and hip hop as he provides a raw expression of his spirituality. His long and winding career consists of seven albums including chart-topping Light, Youth, Spark Seeker, Akeda, and Undercurrent with hits such as "One Day", "Sunshine", and "King Without A Crown". Through his lyrics, Matisyahu develops a personal, artistic, and sophisticated way to express the yearning for deep spiritual meaning, and as his own beliefs opened up to find more variety and depth, the desire for his performances to match the unpredictable flow of life developed as well. 

    References:


    The Office 

    Light by Matisyahu

    Akeda by Matisyahu

    Holy Brother: Inspiring Stories and Enchanted Tales about Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach by Yitta Halberstam Mandelbaum

    The Sabbath by Abraham Joshua Heschel

    Politics Of Experience by R.D. Laing

    "Spiritual Schadenfreude: The Case of Matisyahu’s Beard" by David Bashevkin

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    8 October 2024, 10:35 am
  • 1 hour 21 minutes
    The Memories We Hold: How October 7 Has Forever Changed Us
    In this special episode of the 18Forty Podcast, in honor of the anniversary of October 7, we revisit and reflect on the conversations we’ve had that have helped us process this tumultuous time. 

    The past year has been long and painful, and we’ve been constantly reminded that the trajectory of Jewish history is still at stake. This makes it imperative for us to examine our lives and our relationship to God and to the Jewish People during these Ten Days of Repentance. In this episode we discuss:

    • What is the role of memory in the Jewish experience, and what are the memories of October 7 that we will hold with us? 
    • How has the terror attack altered the way we live and the way we understand the world?
    • How have our theological and ideological beliefs developed over the past year?
    Tune in to hear a conversation about what it means to be a Jew during this consequential period in the Jewish story.

    Interview highlights begin at:

        Rachel Goldberg-Polin: 16:17
        Danny Brom: 23:27
        Dina: 30:23
        Jonathan Gribetz: 37:29
        Doron Perez: 46:29
        Noa Lewis: 59:22

    References:


    Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer

    Zakhor: Jewish History and Jewish Memory by Yosef Hayim Yerushalmi

    The Man in the Arena” by Theodore Roosevelt

    Shomer Yisroel” by Omek Hadavar

    18Forty Podcast: Rachel Goldberg-Polin: “A Hostage’s Mother Fighting for His Freedom

    18Forty Podcast: “The Trauma of War: Mental Health Professionals in Israel

    18Forty Podcast: “A Haredi Mother Sending Her Children To Serve

    Defining Neighbors: Religion, Race, and the Early Zionist-Arab Encounter by Jonathan Marc Gribetz

    Reading Herzl in Beirut: The PLO Effort to Know the Enemy by Jonathan Marc Gribetz

    18Forty Podcast: “Jonathan Gribetz: Teaching the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict

    18Forty Podcast: “Doron Perez: One Child Married, One Child Missing

    18Forty Podcast: “On Loss: Defending Israel on Oct. 7

    Ecclesiastes 3

    18Forty Podcast: “Noa Lewis: How Can We Help Israel?

    Genesis 29:17

    Rashi on Genesis 29:17

    Forgive Me, My King I Did Not Know You Were Also a Father” by David Bashevkin

    Yoma 39b

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    7 October 2024, 4:09 am
  • 1 hour 14 minutes
    Emmi Polansky: Finding Agency as a Single Mother [Teshuva IV 4/5]
    This series is sponsored by Mira and Daniel Stokar, and this episode is sponsored by dailygiving.org.

    In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Emmi Polansky, known on social media as @livingemunah, about her journey finding agency as a single mother. 

    Sometimes, when we talk about teshuva, we’re referring to repentance for our specific sins. Another type of teshuva, as we explore, is a return to God as we celebrate our own worthiness and tzelem Elokim. In this episode we discuss:

    • What is it like to participate in chagim and simchas during the process of divorce?
    • How do we pick up the pieces when our plans for a perfect familial and spiritual life fall apart?
    • How did fitness help improve Emmi ‘s mental and emotional health?
    Tune in to hear a conversation about what it means to repeatedly return to God in times of apparent loneliness. 

    Interview begins at 12:21.

    References:


    Chagigah 15a

    As a Driven Leaf by Milton Steinberg

    Sin•a•gogue: Sin and Failure in Jewish Thought by David Bashevkin

    @livingemunah on Instagram 

    Emunah Minute on WhatsApp

    Bilvavi Mishkan Evne

    18Forty Podcast: “Rav Moshe Weinberger: Can Mysticism Become a Community?

    18Forty Podcast: “Moshe and Asher Weinberger: Heart of the Fire

    Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

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    30 September 2024, 5:05 pm
  • 1 hour 33 minutes
    Tuvia Tenenbom: How a Secular Jew Came To Love the Haredi World [Teshuva IV 3/5]
    This series is sponsored by Mira and Daniel Stokar, and this episode is sponsored by dailygiving.org.

    In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Tuvia Tenenbom, a formerly Haredi and now secular Jew and the author of Careful, Beauties Ahead!, about how he developed a new love for Haredi religious life.

    When Tuvia Tenenbom wrote a book about Haredim in Mea Shearim, he found that all Jews—no matter how different their communities—are interconnected in more ways than we might think. In this episode we discuss:

    • How did the Haredi community respond to October 7?
    • What do outsiders misunderstand about Haredi Jews?
    • Is humor the universal Jewish language? 
    Tune in to hear a conversation about what it means to truly love the entirety of the Jewish family. 

    Interview begins at 28:37.

    Tuvia Tenenbom is an Israeli-American theater director, playwright, and author who is the founding artistic director of the Jewish Theater of New York. He authored several books that deal with themes of Jewish life, Jewish culture, antisemitism, and the Holocaust, including his well-known Catch The Jew!. He joins us to discuss the year he, a secular Jew, spent with the Haredi Jews of Mea Shearim. 

    References:


    18Forty Podcast: “Joshua Leifer and Shaindy Ort: How Progressive Activists Rediscovered Traditional Jewish Life

    Tosafot on Pesachim

    Careful, Beauties Ahead! by Tuvia Tenenbo

    Catch The Jew! by Tuvia Tenenbom

    Works of Tuvia Tenenbom

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    24 September 2024, 7:32 am
  • 1 hour 38 minutes
    Yussie Zakutinsky: Connecting to a Disconnected Jewish People [Teshuva IV 2/5]
    This series is sponsored by Mira and Daniel Stokar, and this episode is sponsored by dailygiving.org.

    In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Yussie Zakutinsky, rabbi of K’hal Mevakshei Hashem in Lawrence, New York, about his vision for a Judaism that unites the entire Jewish People—no matter how wide the gaps between us. 

    Since October 7, of the many schisms within the Jewish People, some have mended while others are torn anew. As a nation, we have much further to go. In this episode, we discuss:
    • How can we see the divinity in Jews with whom we profoundly disagree?
    • What do we mean when we say “the entirety of the Jewish People is an expression of God”?
    • How can we rescue the divinity within ourselves and within one another?
    Tune in to hear a conversation about, as the Baal Shem Tov described it, vanquishing the dragon and redeeming the princess—i.e., elevating the good in all the Jewish People. 

    Interview begins at 20:27. 

    Rabbi Yussie Zakutinsky is a rabbi and spiritual leader. He is the rabbi of K’hal Mevakshei Hashem in Lawrence, New York, and is a sought-after lecturer and leader of spiritual happenings.

    References:


    Mesillat Yesharim by Moses Chaim Luzzatto

    Derekh Hashem by Moses Chaim Luzzatto

    Avodah Zarah 9a

    rabbiywilk.com

    Genesis 12:5

    18Forty Podcast: “Rabbi YY Jacobson: How Did the Rebbe Revolutionize Judaism?

    Works of Rav Kook

    Works of Rav Tzadok HaKohen

    Divrei Soferim 16

    Pachad Yitzchok by Rav Yitzchok Hutner

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    17 September 2024, 7:30 am
  • 1 hour 55 minutes
    Joshua Leifer and Shaindy Ort: How Progressive Activists Rediscovered Traditional Jewish Life [Teshuva IV 1/5]
    This series is sponsored by Mira and Daniel Stokar, and this episode is sponsored by dailygiving.org.

    In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Joshua Leifer and Shaindy Ort, married progressive activists who are reembracing traditional Jewish life.

    Joshua and Shaindy grew up in Conservative and Yeshivish communities, respectively, but struggled to find a Jewish community as they joined left-wing circles, specifically those highly critical of Israel. 

    After October 7, Joshua resigned from the anti-Zionist magazine Jewish Currents, and in August, he published Tablets Shattered: The End of an American Jewish Century and the Future of Jewish Life, which made headlines after a Brooklyn bookstore canceled Joshua’s planned talk because it included a Zionist rabbi. In this episode we discuss:

    • Has October 7 changed anything for progressive Jews highly critical of Israel?
    • Why do left-wing circles struggle to maintain engaged Jewish life?
    • What differentiates the Israeli left from the American left?
    Tune in to hear a conversation about return and renewal for progressive Jews seeking a life of traditional Jewishness.

    Interview begins at 16:44.

    Joshua Leifer is a journalist, editor, and translator. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The New York Review of Books, The Nation, and elsewhere, and he is the author of the new book Tablets Shattered: The End of an American Jewish Century and the Future of Jewish Life.

    Shaindy Ort-Leifer is an attorney who works in the fields of strategic litigation and international law.

    Joshua and Shaindy are married.

    References:

    Orot HaTeshuvah by Abraham Isaac HaCohen Kook

    Tablets Shattered: The End of an American Jewish Century and the Future of Jewish Life by Joshua Leifer

    Siddur Sefard: “Upon Arising, Upon Entering Synagogue”

    Jew Vs Jew: The Struggle For The Soul Of American Jewry by Samuel G. Freedman

    After Virtue by Alasdair MacIntyre

    Hirsch Haggadah by Samson R. Hirsch

    Arukh HaShulchan by Yechiel Michel Epstein

    Kitzur Shulchan Arukh by Shlomo Ganzfried

    Deuteronomy

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    10 September 2024, 9:05 am
  • 1 hour 12 minutes
    Pawel Maciejko: Sabbateanism and the Roots of Secular Judaism [Denominations: Bonus]
    This episode is sponsored by Nishmat, the Jeanie Schottenstein Center for Advanced Torah Study for Women, whose Online Beit Midrash returns on Sept. 8. Women of all backgrounds can learn Talmud, Tanach, Halacha, and more from the comfort of home. For a full class schedule and registration, go here

    In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to historian and professor Pawel Maciejko about the false messiah Sabbatai Zevi, Sabbateanism, and the roots of Jewish secularism. 

    Gershom Scholem, the scholar of Kabbalah and Jewish mysticism, saw a connection between the 17th-century messianic movement of Sabbateanism and the later movement of Jewish secularism. Was he right? In this episode we discuss:

    • What was the impact of Sabbateanism after its messianic fervor died down? 
    • How can studying Jewish history deepen one’s connection with Judaism? 
    • What is Frankism, and why is it a fascination of present-day antisemitic conspiracy theorists?
    Tune in to hear a conversation about what the rupture from the Sabbatean movement can teach us about the wide range of Jewish identities we see today. 

    Interview begins at 17:05.

    Pawel Maciejko is an associate professor of history and Leonard and Helen R. Stulman Chair in Classical Jewish Religion, Thought, and Culture at Johns Hopkins University. Between 2005 and 2016 he taught at the Department of Jewish Thought at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His first book, The Mixed Multitude: Jacob Frank and the Frankist Movement, 1755–1816, was awarded the Salo Baron Prize by the American Academy of Jewish Research and the Jordan Schnitzer Book Award by the Association for Jewish Studies.

    References:

    Not in the Heavens: The Tradition of Jewish Secular Thought by David Biale

    Makers of Jewish Modernity: Thinkers, Artists, Leaders, and the World They Made edited by Jacques Picard, Jacques Revel, Michael P. Steinberg, and Idith Zertal 

    The Holiness of Sin” by Gershom Scholem

    Mishnah Chagigah 2

    Ezekiel 1

    Accounting for the Commandments in Medieval Judaism by Elliot R. Wolfson

    Sabbatian Heresy: Writings on Mysticism, Messianism, and the Origins of Jewish Modernity edited by Pawel Maciejko

    The Mixed Multitude: Jacob Frank and the Frankist Movement, 1755-1816 by Pawel Maciejko

    The Messianic Feminism of Shabbatai Zevi and Sarah Ashkenazi” by Jericho Vincent

    On Repentance and Repair: Making Amends in an Unapologetic World by Danya Ruttenberg

    A Portrait of the Kabbalist as a Young Man: Count Joseph Carl Emmanuel Waldstein and His Retinue” by Pawel Maciejko

    Gershom Scholem’s dialectic of Jewish history: the case of Sabbatianism” by Pawel Maciejko

    Seforimchatter’s Sabbatai Zevi Series

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    3 September 2024, 8:36 am
  • 2 hours 22 minutes
    On Loss: Defending Israel on Oct. 7
    In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak to the Perez family, whose son Daniel, Hashem yikkom damo, was killed defending Israel and the Jewish People on October 7. 

    We’re joined by Daniel’s father, Doron; his mother, Shelley; and his siblings, Shira, Adina, and Yonatan, to hear about Daniel’s courageous life and the unfathomable loss endured by his family and the Jewish People. In this episode we discuss:
    • What does living a life of sanctity and purpose mean, especially in the face of terror and tragedy? 
    • How did Daniel’s siblings cope with the loss of their beloved brother? 
    • Amid the absence of loss, how can we find the presence of purpose?
    Tune in to hear a conversation about the clarity of mission that might help us heal from the trauma of October 7.

    Interview begins at 28:00.

    References:

    Jerusalem Talmud Berakhot 2:4 

    Parshat Sh'lach

    Shuvi V'nechze Al H'torah by Rabbi Moshe Shapiro

    Peri Tzadik by Rav Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin

    Jerusalem Talmud Berakhot 1:1

    Psalms 121

    Brother” by Kodaline

    Ezekiel 16:6

    The Bayit in every Bayit

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    11 August 2024, 9:00 am
  • 59 minutes 27 seconds
    Yehoshua Pfeffer: 'The army is not ready for real Haredi participation' (18 Questions, 40 Israeli Thinkers)
    We're taking a week off from our main podcast, but we want to share with you an episode of our new podcast, 18 Questions, 40 Israeli Thinkers  Subscribe to on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to catch the latest episode every Monday. 

    The Israeli government’s draft of Haredi men is no simple matter—but Yehoshua Pfeffer has some ideas for moving forward.

    Rabbi Yehoshua Pfeffer is a Haredi social thinker and activist intimately involved in Haredi affairs. He heads the Iyun Institute—which operates programs and publications in the Haredi space—is the founding editor of Tzarich Iyun journal, and serves on the executive board of Netzah Yehuda, which serves Haredi soldiers in the IDF.

    While also teaching as a professor at Hebrew University’s law school, he is the rabbi of Ohr Chadash in Ramot Bet, Jerusalem. Yehoshua’s life is guided by his convictions.
    Now, he sits down with us to answer 18 questions on Israel, including the Haredi draft, Israel as a religious state, Messianism, and so much more.

    This interview was held on July 2.

    Here are our 18 questions:

    1. As an Israeli, and as a Jew, how are you feeling at this moment in Israeli history?
    2. What has been Israel’s greatest success and greatest mistake in its war against Hamas?
    3. What do you look for in deciding which Knesset party to vote for?
    4. Which is more important for Israel: Judaism or democracy?
    5. Should Israel be a religious state?
    6. Do you think the State of Israel is part of the final redemption?
    7. Is Messianism helpful or harmful to Israel?
    8. Should Israel treat its Jewish and non-Jewish citizens the same?
    9. Should all Israelis serve in the army?
    10. Now that Israel already exists, what is the purpose of Zionism?
    11. Is opposing Zionism inherently antisemitic?
    12. If you were making the case for Israel, where would you begin?
    13. Can questioning the actions of Israel’s government and army — even in the context of this war — be a valid form of love and patriotism?
    14. What do you think is the most legitimate criticism leveled against Israel today?
    15. Do you think peace between Israelis and Palestinians will happen within your lifetime?
    16. Are political and religious divides a major problem in Israeli society?
    17. Where do you identify on Israel’s political and religious spectrum, and do you have friends on the “other side”?
    18. Do you have more hope or fear for Israel and the Jewish People?


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    6 August 2024, 7:30 am
  • 1 hour 43 minutes
    Eli Rubin: Is the Rebbe the Messiah? [Mysticism II 4/4]
    In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Eli Rubin—a scholar, Lubavitcher Hasid, and author of the forthcoming book Kabbalah and the Rupture of Modernity: An Existential History of Chabad Hasidism—about life’s big cosmic questions.

    Chabad and the Rebbe are so ubiquitous in Jewish life that we tend to overlook Chabad’s underlying philosophy. Here, we take the time to look under the hood of the Mitzvah Tank. In this episode we discuss:

    • At its core, what is Hasidism about, and how did the Rebbe implement these essentials in a new time and a new land? 
    • What should we picture when we imagine moshiach? 
    • Has Chabad splintered off from mainstream Judaism the way some have feared?
    Tune in to hear a conversation about what it means to want moshiach now. 

    Interview begins at 11:27. 

    Eli Rubin, a contributing editor at Chabad.org, is the author of Kabbalah and the Rupture of Modernity: An Existential History of Chabad Hasidism (forthcoming from Stanford University Press). He was a co-author of Social Vision: The Lubavitcher Rebbe's Transformative Paradigm for the World (Herder and Herder, 2019). He studied Chassidic literature and Jewish Law at the Rabbinical College of America and at Yeshivot in the UK, the US and Australia, and received his PhD from the Department of Hebrew and Jewish Studies, University College London.

    References:


    Kabbalah and the Rupture of Modernity: An Existential History of Chabad Hasidism by Eli Rubin

    Social Vision: The Lubavitcher Rebbe's Transformative Paradigm for the World by Philip Wexler, Eli Rubin, and Michael Wexler

    18Forty Podcast: “Eli Rubin: How Do Mysticism and Social Action Intersect

    Tanya, Part I; Likkutei Amarim 32

    Tanya, Part I; Likkutei Amarim 36

    Open Secret: Postmessianic Messianism and the Mystical Revision of Menahem Mendel Schneerson by Elliot R. Wolfson

    Mishneh Torah, Kings and Wars 12

    Eruvin 13b

    The Rebbe, the Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference by David Berger

    The Messiah Problem by Chaim Rapoport

    Iggeret HaKodesh: Epistle 27

    Engaging the Essence: The Philosophy of the Lubavitcher Rebbe by Rabbi Dr. Yosef Bronstein

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    30 July 2024, 7:30 am
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