The following podcast contains explicit language.

Hello and welcome to the Slate Political Gab Fest for September 21st, 2017, the Equinox edition, the Rocket Man edition.

I am David Plotz of Atlas Obscura.

I'm in New York City this week, and we're taping a day early because of the Jewish New Year holiday, which Emily and I will be observing tomorrow.

Russia Shana.

Russia Shana.

I'm just identifying it for maybe people who don't use that term, but that's okay.

That's Emily Bazelon of the New York Times Magazine.

You're in New Haven, right, Emily? I am in New Haven, yes. Hello. And then John Dickerson,

my number one favorite Face the Nation host on CBS. You're in D.C. Happy New Year. Thank you.

Thank you, Shadotovath to all our listeners who listen to this on Rosh Hashanah.

I don't think you're supposed to listen to a podcast on Rosh Hashanah.

Well, you know, if you kind of like pre-downloaded it, plus we have plenty of secular Jewish listeners out there.

David, for example, I don't think it's going to be not listening to podcasts if he has a chance.

May I ask a religious question, which is, is the secular observer of the Jewish holidays the same as the secular observer of, say, Christmas?

Or is the secular observer of the Jewish holidays doing more in observation than Christmas or vice versa?

Well, there's such a range, right?

I mean, you could have the secular observer who just, like, lights a candle or eats an apple with honey and says a blessing.

That's, like, getting into religion, right?

My father has become, I'm sorry, Paul, I'm about to hang you out to dry.

My father has become a secular observer of Yom Kippur who ostentatiously has a lunch out on Yom Kippur.

Out.

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