Political tensions, anxiety, and loneliness are on the rise.

But problems like these aren't new, and the solutions don't have to be either.

For thousands of years, societies have asked questions about how to live, thrive, and love.

And it was spiritual traditions that offered wisdom and tools to help people find their way.

Tools that science is now discovering offer real benefits. Join me, Dave

Desteno, to explore how we can all use this wisdom, whatever our beliefs. Listen to How God

Works from PRX, wherever you listen to podcasts. Hey, Josh.

Hey, Rabbi, and shalom listeners.

And welcome back to chutzpah, ancient texts from modern times.

Episode 40, a milestone episode, a round number. I know. 40's a big number in the Jewish tradition. Right. Yes. Yes. Do you know some of the 40s, or is that exactly the kind of Hebrew school question that you hate when I ask you? No, I don't mind. I know that you're supposed to be 40 before you study Kabbalah. Isn't that right?

And I think you're probably also supposed to have mastered all of Torah. Is that the idea?

In order to study Kabbalah Jewish mysticism are three things technically that you need.

You're supposed to be married, they say, but that's like a euphemism for like understanding the intricacies of intimacy.

And you're supposed to have mastered all of the Torah.

You're supposed to, well, you're supposed to be a man.

And you're also supposed to be at least 40 years old.

You have to have gained not just some knowledge, but some wisdom.

So that's not the one I was thinking of, but I do like that one.

What other 40s do you have? Well, let's see. There are the 40 years that the Israelites spent in the

desert, the 40 days that Moses spent on top of Mount Sinai each time that he went up.

We do like 40. No, no, I mean a mikva,

like a ritual bath, has to be filled with 40 say oat, 40 say as is 200 gallons of water.

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