18Forty Podcast

Ahead of the next episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we invite you to hear David Bashevkin's appearance on 18 Questions, 40 Mystics. What does it mean to live a Judaism that fits into our lives? David Bashevkin explores the meeting point of mysticism and modernity.  The founder of 18Forty, Rabbi Dr. David Bashevkin is the director of education at NCSY as well as an instructor at Yeshiva University. He is the author of four books, and has been rejected from many prestigious fellowships and awards. Now, he joins us to answer eighteen questions with Rabbi Dr. Benji Levy on Jewish mysticism including how to embrace holiness, the purpose of prayer, and the search for meaning in an age of distraction.  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? Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 26 May 2026

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we revisit the topic of agunot by talking to Sarah Nissel and Yona Elishis, who run the Jewish Divorce Assistance Center of Los Angeles. We’re also joined by Keshet Starr, CEO of Shalom Task Force. In this episode we discuss: How do potentially amicable divorces escalate to being high-conflict? Why does adversarial divorce seem to be increasingly common in the Jewish community?  What do experts in the area of agunot think of the related social-media movements? Tune in to hear a conversation about the integrity of our marriages in the Jewish community.  Interview begins at 15:16. Keshet Starr joins at 53:20.  Sarah M. Nissel is the founding Executive Director of the Jewish Divorce Assistance Center and a visiting professor of law and religion at Pepperdine Caruso school of law, where she leads the Faith & Family Mediation Clinic. A Yale and NYU Law graduate, she previously worked in white-collar and complex litigation, served at the Innocence Project, and now lives in Los Angeles with her husband and four children. Yona Elishis is a family law mediator and Adjunct Clinical Professor at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, where she teaches in the Faith & Family Mediation Clinic in partnership with the Jewish Divorce Assistance Center of Los Angeles (JDAC). Trained at Osgoode Hall Law School, Columbia Law School, and New York University School of Law, she previously practiced family and corporate law in Toronto and New York and now lives in Los Angeles with her husband and five children. Keshet Starr is the CEO of Shalom Task Force, which works to combat and prevent domestic abuse in the Jewish community. Previously, she led the Organization for the Resolution of Agunot. She lives in Hillside, New Jersey, with her family.  References: Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage by Belle Burden See What You Made Me Do: Power, Control and Domestic Violence by Jess Hill Marriage Story (2019) Gett (2014) Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 19 May 2026

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we revisit the topic of agunot by talking to Sarah Nissel and Yona Elishis, who run the Jewish Divorce Assistance Center of Los Angeles. We’re also joined by Keshet Starr, CEO of Shalom Task Force. In this episode we discuss: How do potentially amicable divorces escalate to being high-conflict? Why does adversarial divorce seem to be increasingly common in the Jewish community?  What do experts in the area of agunot think of the related social-media movements?  Tune in to hear a conversation about the integrity of our marriages in the Jewish community.  Interview begins at 15:16. Keshet Starr joins at 53:20.  Sarah M. Nissel is the founding Executive Director of the Jewish Divorce Assistance Center and an Adjunct Professor at Pepperdine Law, where she leads the Faith & Family Mediation Clinic. A Yale and NYU Law graduate, she previously worked in white-collar and complex litigation, served at the Innocence Project, and now lives in Los Angeles with her husband and four children. Yona Elishis is a JDAC mediation consultant specializing in family law and dispute resolution. Trained at Osgoode Hall, Columbia, and NYU, she practiced family and corporate law in Toronto and New York before joining JDAC. She also runs the children’s clothing brand Matooka Kids and is raising five children. Keshet Starr is the CEO of Shalom Task Force, which works to combat and prevent domestic abuse in the Jewish community. Previously, she led the Organization for the Resolution of Agunot. She lives in Hillside, New Jersey, with her family.  References: Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage by Belle Burden See What You Made Me Do: Power, Control and Domestic Violence by Jess Hill Marriage Story (2019) Gett (2014) Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 19 May 2026

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Adam Ferziger, a historian of modern Jewish movements, about how American Jews have helped shape the evolution of Israeli Judaism. In this episode we discuss: —Why are Jewish religious boundaries in Israel often “more porous” than those in America? —Why did McDonald’s succeed in Israel while Starbucks failed? —What can Israelis take from the thick communal culture of American Judaism? Tune in to hear a conversation about Religious Zionism, American aliyah, and the emergence of a distinctly Israeli Judaism shaped by sovereignty, Hebrew culture, and modern religious life. Interview begins at 9:32. Professor Adam S. Ferziger is a historian of modern Jewish religious movements and responses to secularization. He holds the Samson Raphael Hirsch Chair at Bar-Ilan University and is a senior associate at the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies. He is the author of several influential books, including Beyond Sectarianism: The Realignment of American Orthodox Judaism, winner of the National Jewish Book Award. References: “Orthodoxy in American Jewish Life” by Charles S. Liebman Beyond Sectarianism: The Realignment of American Orthodox Judaism by Adam S. Ferziger Agents of Change: American Jews and the Transformation of Israeli Judaism by Adam S. Ferziger The Israeli Century: How the Zionist Revolution Changed History and Reinvented Judaism by Yossi Shain 18Forty Podcast: “Shayna Goldberg: Inside Israel’s Religious Zionist Community” “Conan O’Brien on Failure and Conviction” For more 18Forty: NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join CALL: (212) 582-1840 EMAIL: info@18forty.org WEBSITE: 18forty.org IG: @18forty X: @18_forty WhatsApp: join here Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 12 May 2026

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Alana Newhouse, the founder and editor-in-chief of Tablet Magazine, about why seemingly everyone is arguing about Zionism.  In this episode we discuss: —What causes spikes in antisemitism? —What is the role of rapid technological change in flattening the differences between people? —What makes Israel a model for a nation that other countries should consider following? Tune in to hear a conversation about how we can bring redemption through the Jewish People to the entire world. Interview begins at 10:00. Alana Newhouse is the founder and editor-in-chief of Tablet Magazine, which she launched in 2009 after serving as a reporter and editor at The Forward and beginning her career with publicist David Garth. An editor who writes occasional essays for The New York Times and elsewhere, she is known for “Everything Is Broken” and “Brokenism.” Raised between the Five Towns and Sheepshead Bay, she is married to journalist David Samuels and serves as president of the Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics, whose work has been recognized by The Wall Street Journal. References: Take One “Everything Is Broken” by Alana Newhouse “Zionism for Everyone” by Alana Newhouse Genesis 12:3 Pluribus Idiocracy (2006) Independence Day (1996) The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science by Norman Doidge M.D. For more 18Forty: NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join CALL: (212) 582-1840 EMAIL: info@18forty.org WEBSITE: 18forty.org IG: @18forty X: @18_forty WhatsApp: join here Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 5 May 2026

This episode is sponsored by Brett and Susan Nadritch, who support creative initiatives that strengthen our love for and connection to the People and Land of Israel, in honor of all the lone soldiers in the most recent Hesder draft, the class of Nisan 5786.  In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Michael Olshin, educational director of Yeshivat Torat Shraga in Jerusalem, about the purpose of the gap year in Israel. In this episode we discuss:  —What should our hopes and expectations be for the gap year in Israel? —How can we improve students’ Hebrew proficiency? —Is it time to reimagine what the gap year in Israel could be, with a focus on contributing to the State of Israel in addition to Torah learning? Tune in to hear a conversation about our responsibility to create a Yiddishkeit that touches the lives of the wider world. Interview begins at 14:40. Rabbi Michael Olshin is the Educational Director of Yeshivat Torat Shraga in Jerusalem, bringing over 25 years of teaching and leadership experience from roles at Yeshivat Reishit Yerushalayim, Yeshivat Shaalvim, Bet Midrash L'Torah, and youth programs including NCSY, NCSY Kollel, and Camp Mesorah. He also serves as an educator and guide with Jroots, leading educational journeys across Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Austria, and Ukraine. He lives in Bet Shemesh with his family, and his children have served in elite commando units of the Israel Defense Forces. References: If You're Reading These Words by Shlomo Kavas and Racheli Palant-Rozen A Dreamer and A Fighter: Reflections and Journal Entries by Capt Amitai Zvi Granot For more 18Forty: NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join CALL: (212) 582-1840 EMAIL: info@18forty.org WEBSITE: 18forty.org IG: @18forty X: @18_forty WhatsApp: join here Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 28 April 2026

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Michael Eisenberg—a venture capitalist and Torah scholar—about the state of the Jewish People in Israel and the diaspora.  In this episode we discuss: —What lies ahead for the Jewish People amid the war with Iran? —What can Israel and America teach one another about Jewish innovation? —What should be the religious vision for “secular” Jews in Israel? Tune in to hear a conversation about where we hope to go together, and how we can get there. Interview begins at 6:13. Michael Eisenberg is Co-Founder and General Partner at Aleph, an early-stage venture capital fund managing $850 million, where he has spent over 25 years partnering with Israeli entrepreneurs to build impactful global companies; since 2013, Aleph has invested in more than 50 startups, including Melio, Lemonade (NYSE: LMND), Bringg, JoyTunes, and Healthy.io. He writes the blog Six Kids and a Full Time Job and contributes to Calcalist and TheMarker, is the author of The Hummus Manifesto and five Hebrew books, and frequently lectures on venture capital, Israel, and entrepreneurship. He serves on the boards of Yeshivat Har Etzion and The Shomer Hachadash, and lives in Jerusalem with his wife and eight children. References: The Vanishing Jew: A Wake-Up Call From the Book of Esther by Michael Eisenberg The Tree of Life and Prosperity: 21st Century Business Principles from the Book of Genesis by Michael Eisenberg Meshekh Chokhmah, Bekhukotai For more 18Forty: NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join CALL: (212) 582-1840 EMAIL: info@18forty.org WEBSITE: 18forty.org IG: @18forty X: @18_forty WhatsApp: join here Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 18 April 2026

Our Intergenerational Divergence series is sponsored by our friends Sarala and Danny Turkel. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to a father and daughter who were estranged and then reunited. We also speak with Adam Pollock, the estrangement specialist who inspired them to reconcile.  In this episode we discuss:  Are there specific struggles that lead to estrangement in the Orthodox Jewish world?How do we handle the tension between the need to heal and the need to be right? How do we avoid regression once family members have been reunited? Tune in to hear a conversation about our essential and unchanging identities that transcend our circumstances.   Interview begins at 20:50.  Adam N. Pollock is the founder of Aaron’s Legacy, where he specializes in mediating family estrangement using a blend of ancient wisdom and modern conflict resolution techniques. Since 2015, he has helped individuals and families navigate some of their most painful relational fractures with compassion, rigor, and creativity. A former attorney and business executive, Adam brings decades of experience in negotiation, arbitration, and high-stakes decision-making to his work as an estrangement mediator. He holds a B.A. in Psychology from The George Washington University and a J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh, and is the author of Secrets From the Legal Pad (2023). References: Genesis 37:31 The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas Psalms 121 Titles by C.B. Weinfeld Rules of Estrangement: Why Adult Children Cut Ties and How to Heal the Conflict by Joshua Coleman PhD Third-Party Peacemakers in Judaism: Text, Theory, and Practice by Daniel Roth Exodus 13:19 For more 18Forty: NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join CALL: (212) 582-1840 EMAIL: info@18forty.org WEBSITE: 18forty.org IG: @18forty X: @18_forty WhatsApp: join here Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 30 March 2026

Our Intergenerational Divergence series is sponsored by our friends Sarala and Danny Turkel. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to philanthropist David Magerman and his daughter Sydney, who decided to make aliyah while on her gap year in Israel.   In this episode we discuss: What should we do with the freedom we’ve been given?What is it like to make the journey toward Orthodoxy as a family? What is it like to make aliyah when one’s family is in America?Tune in for a conversation about building bridges and pipelines across generations and geography.  Interview begins at 11:57. David Magerman is the co-founder and managing partner of Differential Ventures, a seed-stage venture capital firm focused on AI, machine learning, and data science. He holds a PhD in Computer Science from Stanford University and brings over 25 years of experience in data-driven research and innovation. Previously, he was a founding member and head of production for the equities trading group at a quantitative hedge fund.  References: A Letter in the Scroll: Understanding Our Jewish Identity and Exploring the Legacy of the World's Oldest Religion by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks The Steinsaltz Tanya Genesis 12:1 For more 18Forty: NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join CALL: (212) 582-1840 EMAIL: info@18forty.org WEBSITE: 18forty.org IG: @18forty X: @18_fortyWhatsApp: join here Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 24 March 2026

Our Intergenerational Divergence series is sponsored by our friends Sarala and Danny Turkel. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Rabbi Shaanan Gelman and his son Ziggy about the persistence of a parent-child relationship when the latter faces addiction.   In this episode we discuss:How does habitual drug use evolve into addiction?How does a parent help a child struggling with substance abuse?How do such a parent and child manage the expectations and perceptions of the outside world? Tune in for a conversation about how a parent-child relationship survives and emerges resilient from a harrowing ordeal. Interview begins at 15:05. Shaanan Gelman, rabbi of Chovevei Tzion in Chicago, holds a degree in Computer Science from Yeshiva College and received semicha from RIETS at Yeshiva University. He studied in Israel at Yeshivat Hakotel and the Gruss Institute, and later served as a Kollel Fellow in Boca Raton, where he held leadership and educational roles. He is a member of the Rabbinical Council of America’s executive board, active in the Chicago Rabbinical Council, and serves on the board of Associated Talmud Torahs of Chicago. A committed Zionist, he is active in AIPAC and has led initiatives supporting Israel. References: God of Our Understanding: Jewish Spirituality and Recovery from Addiction by Shais Taub “Being Kevin, Watching ‘Being Charlie’” by Kevin Jack McEnroe The Recovering: Intoxication and Its Aftermath by Leslie Jamison Alcoholics Anonymous: The Big BookIn the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction by Gabor Maté  Addict in the House: A No-Nonsense Family Guide Through Addiction and Recovery by Robin Barnett Psalms 37 For more 18Forty: NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join CALL: (212) 582-1840 EMAIL: info@18forty.org WEBSITE: 18forty.org IG: @18forty X: @18_forty WhatsApp: join here Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 17 March 2026

Our Intergenerational Divergence series is sponsored by our friends Sarala and Danny Turkel. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Yakov Danishefsky—a licensed clinical social worker and the author of The Attached Haggadah—about the imperfect ways in which we transmit the Jewish story.  In this episode we discuss:How do we deal with the lived reality that the Passover Seder isn’t a perfect transmission of our foundational beliefs? Why do some people try to leave Yiddishkeit while others stay in the community?What is the deeper significance of chametz and matza?Tune in for a conversation about the role of broken expectations in the story of our redemption. Interview begins at 12:29. Rabbi Yakov Danishefsky is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Sex Addiction Therapist. He is the founder of Mind Body Therapy, a private group practice in Chicago. Yakov has semicha and a Master’s in Jewish Philosophy from Yeshiva University and is a popular speaker, teacher, and author on the intersection of spirituality, philosophy, and psychology. He is the author of Attached: Connecting to Our Creator: A Jewish Psychological Approach. References: Home Is Where We Start From: Essays by a Psychoanalyst by D. W. Winnicott Reb Meilech on the Haggadah by Yisroel Besser The Attached Haggadah by Rabbi Yakov Danishefsky Attached: Connecting to Our Creator: A Jewish Psychological Approach by Rabbi Yakov Danishefsky Berakhot 3a Tzidkat HaTzadik 154 The Baderech Haggadah by Rav Judah Mischel 18Forty Podcast: Yakov Danishefsky: Religion and Mental Health: God and Us For more 18Forty: NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join CALL: (212) 582-1840E MAIL: info@18forty.org WEBSITE: 18forty.org IG: @18forty X: @18_forty WhatsApp: join here Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 10 March 2026

This week of learning is sponsored by Zachary Schreiber in honor of Tova Bashevkin, because behind every great man is an even greater woman. In this special Purim episode of the 18Forty Podcast, David Bashevkin speaks about the late, great comedian Garry Shandling in honor of his 10th yahrzeit, which is this Purim. In this episode we discuss: What does pop culture tell us about the Torah of our time?What can Garry Shalndling teach us about Purim?What does it mean to see divinity and significance within one another? Tune in for a conversation about how we find joy and inspiration in this impossible life.  References: It's Garry Shandling's Show The Larry Sanders Show The Office 30 Rock The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling “It’s Garry Shandling’s Shpiel” by David Bashevkin  “Garry Shandling's Knockout First Appearance | Carson Tonight Show” Iron Man 2 Captain America: The Winter Soldier Book of Esther For more 18Forty: NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join CALL: (212) 582-1840 EMAIL: info@18forty.org WEBSITE: 18forty.org IG: @18fortyX: @18_forty WhatsApp: join here Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 1 March 2026

This month of learning is sponsored by our dear friends Matt and Mollie Landes of Riverdale for the neshama of Dovid Yehonatan ben Yitzchak Yehuda. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Yehuda Geberer—a researcher, educator, and tour guide—about the history of the yeshiva world. In this episode we discuss: How did we get from the start of the Lithuanian yeshiva movement to the American yeshiva world of today?What were the premodern precursors to yeshivas? What effect did the Vietnam War have on the development of the American yeshiva world?Tune in for a conversation about “change in service of perpetuating the eternal.”  Interview begins at 22:43. Yehuda Geberer is a Jewish history researcher, educator, and licensed tour guide who leads heritage tours in Europe and Israel focused on the modern Jewish story. He guides at Yad Vashem, where he also interviews Holocaust survivors, lectures internationally, hosts the popular Jewish History Soundbites podcast, and writes the “For the Record” column for Mishpacha Magazine. A former Mir Yeshiva student with a business degree from Ono Academic College, he is currently studying Jewish history at Hebrew University and lives in Beit Shemesh with his family. References: Jew Vs Jew: The Struggle For The Soul Of American Jewry by Samuel G. Freedman The Jewish Self by Jeremy Kagan  Lithuanian Yeshivas of the Nineteenth Century: Creating a Tradition of Learning by Shaul Stampfer Making of a Godol by Nathan Kamenetsky Psalms 89 Jewish History Soundbites The Golden Age of the Lithuanian Yeshivas by Ben-Tsiyon Klibansky The World of the Yeshiva: An Intimate Portrait of Orthodox Jewry by William B. Helmreich Bava Batra 21a For more 18Forty: NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join CALL: (212) 582-1840 EMAIL: info@18forty.org WEBSITE: 18forty.org IG: @18forty X: @18_forty WhatsApp: join here Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 24 February 2026

This month of learning is sponsored by our dear friends Matt and Mollie Landes of Riverdale for the neshama of Dovid Yehonatan ben Yitzchak Yehuda. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Rabbi Aaron Kotler, president of the Beth Medrash Govoha and a grandson of Rav Aharon Kotler, about the beginnings of the American yeshiva world. In this episode we discuss: What is the difference between “Modern Orthodox” and “American yeshivish”?What does it mean to truly learn Torah lishmah?Why did Lakewood become the center of the yeshiva world over New York City?Tune in for a conversation about how the entire Jewish community can build on the successes of the yeshiva world.  Interview begins at 28:07. Rabbi Aaron Kotler is the president of the Beth Medrash Govoha, also known as the Lakewood Yeshiva. As Lakewood has grown, Rabbi Kotler has been active in public policy matters, serving on various boards devoted to the expansion of regional health care, transportation, housing, education, and economic development. He is the son of Rav Shneur Kotler zt”l and grandson of Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l. References: “Bret Stephens' State of World Jewry Address”  “A Moving Appeal for Kosher Food for Jewish Soldiers in the Polish Army With the Signature of Rabbi Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin” World of the Yeshiva: An Intimate Portrait of Orthodox Jewry by William B. Helmreich Field of Dreams (1989) The Talmud “Overklalified” by Avigdor Goldberger For more 18Forty: NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join CALL: (212) 582-1840 EMAIL: info@18forty.org WEBSITE: 18forty.org IG: @18forty X: @18_forty WhatsApp: join here Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 17 February 2026

This month of learning is sponsored by our dear friends Matt and Mollie Landes of Riverdale for the neshama of Dovid Yehonatan ben Yitzchak Yehuda. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Professors Elisheva Carlebach and Debra Kaplan, scholars of early modern Jewish history, about women’s religious, social, and communal roles in early modern Jewish life. In this episode we discuss: How have women’s prayer and shul-going habits changed over time? When did the women’s chevra kadisha become a Jewish institution? How did Jewish emancipation alter the structure of Jewish life and its implications for women? Tune in for a conversation about how women shaped—and were shaped by—the structures of the early modern kehillah. Interview begins at 9:13. Elisheva Carlebach is the Salo Wittmayer Baron Professor of Jewish History, Culture, and Society at Columbia University and Director of its Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies. A specialist in Early Modern European Jewish history, her work explores Jewish–Christian relations, religious dissent, conversion, messianism, and communal life. She is the award-winning author of The Pursuit of Heresy, Divided Souls, and Palaces of Time, and has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities and honors including Columbia’s Lenfest Distinguished Faculty Award. Debra Kaplan teaches early modern Jewish history at Bar-Ilan University. A social historian, she is the author of Beyond Expulsion (2011) and The Patrons and their Poor (University of Pennsylvania 2020; winner of the Rosl und Paul Arnsberg-Preis). References: “Notes Toward Finding the Right Question” by Cynthia Ozick A Woman Is Responsible for Everything: Jewish Women in Early Modern Europe by Debra Kaplan and Elisheva Carlebach Women and the Messianic Heresy of Sabbatai Zevi, 1666 - 1816 by Ada Rapoport-Albert Mothers and Children: Jewish Family Life in Medieval Europe by Elisheva Baumgarten Coming of Age in Medieval Egypt: Female Adolescence, Jewish Law, and Ordinary Culture by Eve Krakowski For more 18Forty: NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join CALL: (212) 582-1840 EMAIL: info@18forty.org WEBSITE: 18forty.org IG: @18fortyX: @18_forty WhatsApp: join here Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 10 February 2026

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Rabbis Eitan Webb and Ari Israel, head of a campus Chabad and Hillel respectively, about Jewish life on college campuses today.  In this episode we discuss:Has there been a recent Jewish awakening on college campuses?How much attention should we pay to campus antisemitism?Are Chabad and Hillel able to work together on college campuses?Tune in to hear a conversation about what comes next for Jewish students in secular colleges.  Interview begins at 18:01. Rabbi Eitan Webb co-founded the Princeton University Chabad House in 2002, with his wife Gitty. He has been a Jewish Chaplain at Princeton University since 2007. In addition to his Princeton activities, Eitan serves on the board of directors of the Chabad on Campus International Foundation, and of the Sinai Scholars Society.  Rabbi Ari Israel serves as Maryland Hillel’s Executive Director—a role he has held for more than 20 years. In addition to Rabbinic ordination, Ari has Master's degrees in Medieval Jewish History as well as Secondary Education. Ari is an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland where he teaches a Jewish Leadership course.  References: No Country for Old Men (2007) Tanya by Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi Likkutei Sichot - Volume 10 This Is My God by Herman Wouk For more 18Forty: NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join CALL: (212) 582-1840 EMAIL: info@18forty.org WEBSITE: 18forty.org IG: @18forty X: @18_forty WhatsApp: join here Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 3 February 2026

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Mark Wildes, founder and director of Manhattan Jewish Experience, about Modern Orthodox outreach. In this episode we discuss: Why aren’t more aspiring rabbis attracted to kiruv? How can we help people make the transition from outreach programs to the “real world”?How can we make the case for Shabbos for the masses? Tune in to hear a conversation about the “non-professional kiruv” of the Modern Orthodox community. Interview begins at 22:45. Rabbi Mark Wildes was ordained from Yeshiva University, but before becoming a rabbi, he received a JD from the Cardozo School of Law and a Masters in International Affairs from Columbia University. Since founding MJE 20 years ago, Rabbi Wildes has become one of America’s most inspirational and dynamic Jewish educators. He lives with his wife Jill and their children Yosef, Ezra, Judah and Avigayil on the Upper West Side where they maintain a warm and welcoming home for all. References: Stop, in the Name of God: Why Honoring the Sabbath Will Transform Your Life by Charlie Kirk The Lonely Man of Faith by Joseph B. Soloveitchik This Is My God by Herman Wouk “Is Modern Orthodox Kiruv Possible?” by Steven Gotlib For more 18Forty: NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join CALL: (212) 582-1840 EMAIL: info@18forty.org WEBSITE: 18forty.org IG: @18forty X: @18_forty WhatsApp: join here Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 27 January 2026

This podcast is in partnership with Rabbi Benji Levy and Share. Learn more at 40mystics.com. As a Chabad Hasid, Rabbi Zevi Slavin’s formative years were spent immersed in the rich traditions of Chassidut and Kabbala. This upbringing provided him with a unique lens through which he continues to learn, study, and connect with others.  Drawing on his background, Slavin created “Seekers of Unity,” a Youtube channel dedicated to exploring the philosophy and history of mysticism across diverse traditions. He founded this channel with the goal of forming a community focused on creating a more intimate world together.  Now, he joins us to answer eighteen questions with Rabbi Dr. Benji Levy on Jewish mysticism including people’s inherent divinity, tapping into the potential of modernity, and the perpetual experience of mount Sinai. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 20 January 2026

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, David Bashevkin answers questions from Diana Fersko, senior rabbi of the Village Temple Reform synagogue, about denominations and Jewish Peoplehood. In this episode we discuss: How did David become an Orthodox rabbi with an interest in the broader Jewish world?Where does David get his sense of commandedness and obligation from? How should Israel factor into our thinking about Jewish unity?Tune in to hear a conversation about what it would mean for us to speak Judaism as a “first language.” Interview begins at 29:05.  Diana Fersko is the Senior Rabbi of The Village Temple, a Reform synagogue at the heart of downtown Jewish life in New York City.  An internationally recognized author, speaker, and thought leader, she is a defining voice in the contemporary Jewish world, known for her clarity, compassion, and ability to bring Jewish tradition into meaningful dialogue with modern life. For more 18Forty: NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join CALL: (212) 582-1840 EMAIL: info@18forty.org WEBSITE: 18forty.org IG: @18forty X: @18_forty WhatsApp: join here References: “Judaism as a First Language” by Moshe Koppel Judaism Straight Up by Moshe Koppel Tzidkat HaTzadik 41 Sin•a•gogue: Sin and Failure in Jewish Thought by David Bashevkin B'Rogez Rachem Tizkor by David Bashevkin Taanit 20a Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 13 January 2026

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Diana Fersko, senior rabbi of the Village Temple Reform synagogue, about denominations and Jewish Peoplehood.  In this episode we discuss: How do we re-determine how to be Jews in America?Is there really an “education gap” between Orthodox and non-Orthodox Jews? How should we handle the question of “who is a Jew” across denominations?Tune in to hear a conversation about how we might see beyond our proverbial “three blocks." Interview begins at 22:11.  Diana Fersko is the Senior Rabbi of The Village Temple, a Reform synagogue at the heart of downtown Jewish life in New York City.  An internationally recognized author, speaker, and thought leader, she is a defining voice in the contemporary Jewish world, known for her clarity, compassion, and ability to bring Jewish tradition into meaningful dialogue with modern life.  References: View of the World from 9th Avenue Tzidkat HaTzadik 54 No Country for Old Men The Tapestry of Jewish Time: A Spiritual Guide to Holidays and Life-Cycle Events by Nina Beth Cardin A Letter in the Scroll by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks For more 18Forty: NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join CALL: (212) 582-1840 EMAIL: info@18forty.org WEBSITE: 18forty.org IG: @18forty X: @18_forty WhatsApp: join here Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 6 January 2026

Check out our new series in partnership with SHARE, 18 Questions, 40 Jewish Mystics.  In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, originally released in 2021, we talk to Rabbi Pini Dunner and Rav Moshe Weinberger about the Yabloner Rebbe and his astounding story of teshuva. The Yabloner Rebbe was a chassidishe rebbe who helped found Kfar Chassidim. He disappeared and went to Los Angeles, where he went off the derech, but he later returned to Judaism and Kfar Chassidim in a remarkable example of teshuva. Who was the Yabloner Rebbe?Why did he leave his faith?What inspired him to return?Tune in to hear a conversation about the astounding story of the Yabloner Rebbe. References: The God of Loneliness by Philip Schultz The Amazing Return of the Yabloner Rebbe by Rabbi Pini Dunner The Astonishing Story of the Yabloner Rebbe by Rabbi Pini Dunner Mavericks, Mystics & False Messiahs by Rabbi Pini Dunner Rabbi Pini Dunner Website Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 30 December 2025

Check out our new series in partnership with SHARE, 18 Questions, 40 Jewish Mystics.  In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast—created in collaboration with Amudim—we speak with Shais Taub, the rabbi behind the organization SoulWords, about shame, selfhood, and authenticity.  In this episode we discuss: How are we to deal with the pain of embodiment and individuation?How does one uncover their mission in the world and align their life with the transcendent?How can we work to reorient our desires toward the right things? Tune in to hear a conversation about the interior experience of fragmentation from Ultimate Being.  Interview begins at 10:28. Rabbi Shais Taub is a well-known figure in Jewish teachings and personal development and delivers Torah lectures and classes worldwide. He is renowned for his ability to make complex ideas accessible. He heads SoulWords.org and serves as scholar-in-residence at Chabad of the Five Towns in Long Island, New York. References: God of Our Understanding by Shais Taub Sin•a•gogue: Sin and Failure in Jewish Thought by David Bashevkin Top 5 by David Bashevkin Seinfeld: “The Soul Mate” "Eric Adams on Dyslexia, Trauma, and Fixing What's Broken in Politics” Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt For more 18Forty: NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join CALL: (212) 582-1840 EMAIL: info@18forty.org WEBSITE: 18forty.org IG: @18fortyX: @18_forty WhatsApp: join here Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 23 December 2025

Check out our new series in partnership with SHARE, 18 Questions, 40 Jewish Mystics.  In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Philip Goff—a philosophy professor who devotes much of his work to investigating the ultimate nature of reality—about consciousness, mysticism, and God.  We also hear from Rabbi Eli Rubin about the possibility of “Jewish panpsychism.” In this episode we discuss: What is the relationship between consciousness and scientific observation?How should people find purpose in their lives?How does a secular philosopher make the decision to turn to religion?Tune in to hear a conversation about whether mysticism has scientific credibility.  Interview begins at 9:22. Philip Goff is a philosophy professor at Durham University, UK, where he devotes much of his work to investigating the ultimate nature of reality. He publishes weekly interviews and articles on his Substack. Goff is known for defending panpsychism as the best available theory of consciousness; his TEDx talk, "Is there consciousness beyond the brain?" presents this view to a wider audience. His recent book, Why? The Purpose of the Universe (Oxford University Press, 2023), explores panpsychism as a middle ground between traditional belief in God and secular atheism. He is a recent convert to a form of “heretical Christianity". References: Kabbalah and the Rupture of Modernity by Eli Rubin Galileo's Error by Philip Goff My Bright Abyss by Christian Wiman The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas R. Hofstadter Tanya Chapter 2 Why? The Purpose of the Universe by Philip Goff Mind & Cosmos by Thomas Nagel Purpose in the Universe by Tim Mulgan​​ Universes by John Leslie For more 18Forty: NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join CALL: (212) 582-1840 EMAIL: info@18forty.org WEBSITE: 18forty.org IG: @18forty X: @18_forty WhatsApp: join here Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 16 December 2025

Check out our new series in partnership with SHARE, 18 Questions, 40 Jewish Mystics.  In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Alon Shalev, a research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute, about how Rav Hutner found existential meaning.In this episode we discuss: How do we find and build purpose within our short lives?What is the role of individualism and self-expression in Jewish life? How should we respond to the crisis of perceived meaninglessness in the modern world? Tune in to hear a conversation about the coming together of machshavah, nigleh, and nistar. Interview begins at 23:20. Alon Shalev is a research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem and a Research Associate at the Jonathan Sacks Institute at Bar-Ilan University. He holds a doctorate in Jewish Thought from the Hebrew University. He deals with the question of meaning in life in Jewish thought and philosophy, ethics, and political philosophy. His book Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner’s Theology of Meaning was published by Brill. Alon lives in Tzur Hadassah, and is married with three children. References: Terror in Black September: The First Eyewitness Account of the Infamous 1970 Hijackings by David Raab Pachad Yitzchak Shavuos by Rav Yitzchok Hutner Pachad Yitzchak Purim by Rav Yitzchok Hutner “Letters of Love and Rebuke From Rav Yitzchok Hutner” by David Bashevkin Berakhot Chapter 2 Between Berlin and Slobodka: Jewish Transition Figures from Eastern Europe by Hillel Goldberg Great Jewish Letters by Moshe Bamberger Proverbs 24:16 Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner’s Theology of Meaning by Alon Shalev Heidegger and Kabbalah by Elliot R. Wolfson Heidegger and His Jewish Reception by Daniel M. Herskowitz Mesillat Yesharim by Moses Chaim Luzzatto Who Is Man? by Abraham J. Heschel Halakhic Man by Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik Dr. Alon Shalev on The Podcast of Jewish Ideas Pachad Yitzchok Chanukah Rav Yitzchok Hutner For more 18Forty: NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join CALL: (212) 582-1840 EMAIL: info@18forty.org WEBSITE: 18forty.org Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 9 December 2025

This podcast is in partnership with Rabbi Benji Levy and Share. Learn more at 40mystics.com. Rav Joey Rosenfeld’s entryway into mystical thought began with the writings of Franz Kafka and Albert Camus. Discussing Jewish mysticism with Rav Joey is not just a conversation about ancient texts and ideas, but it is a journey into the soul, wherein he describes how mystical principles can transform relationships, heal trauma, and guide us in a modern world.Rav Joey Rosenfeld is a practicing psychotherapist in the field of addiction, focusing on the interface between philosophy, spirituality, and psychology. He regularly gives shiurim on Jewish philosophy, Kabbalah, and the inner workings of the human soul. Here, he sits down to discuss 18 questions on Jewish mysticism, including the various dimensions of redemption and the paradoxical nature of God. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 2 December 2025

This series is sponsored by Mira and Daniel Stokar, and this episode is sponsored by Dr. Leah Younger of Younger Psychology. In 2023, we talked to psychologist Dr. Joshua Coleman, about the nuances of familial estrangement and reconciliation. We also heard from mindset coach Jason Blau and translator Izzy Posen about how these issues play out within the Jewish community. In this episode we discuss: What strategies can be employed by families carrying the burden of strife and negativity?What are the common triggers of family estrangement, and how can those in strained relationships move forward?What is the role of family in a world of optionality?Tune in to hear a conversation about how we can make peace with the “ghosts” of our past. Interview with Joshua Coleman begins at 8:54. Interview with Jason Blau begins at 54:42. Interview with Izzy Posen begins at 1:15:42. Dr. Joshua Coleman is a psychologist in private practice and a Senior Fellow with the Council on Contemporary Families, an organization of sociologists, historians, psychologists and demographers dedicated to providing the public with the latest research and best practice findings about American families. He has written for The New York Times, The Atlantic, and other publications, and often speaks on television about issues of estrangement, relationships, and families. Dr. Coleman also writes music for television which has been used on many shows. References: “Of Ghosts and Ancestors” by Ari Berman “The Power of Vulnerability” by Brené Brown Where to Draw the Line: How to Set Healthy Boundaries Every Day by Anne Katherine Why Won't You Apologize?: Healing Big Betrayals and Everyday Hurts by Harriet Lerner The Dance of Anger: A Woman's Guide to Changing the Patterns of Intimate Relationships by Harriet Lerner Rules of Estrangement: Why Adult Children Cut Ties and How to Heal the Conflict by Joshua Coleman When Parents Hurt: Compassionate Strategies When You and Your Grown Child Don't Get Along by Joshua Coleman “The Family Reunion” by Izzy Posen Genesis 46 “הַמַּלְאָךְ" by Izzy Posen "Daddy Come Home" by The Yeshiva Boys Choir Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 25 November 2025

This series is sponsored by American Security Foundation. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, Rabbi Gil Student speaks with Rabbi Aryeh Klapper and Sofer.ai CEO Zach Fish about how AI is reshaping questions of Jewish practice. As AI simulates more and more human activities, we can’t help but wonder: Will AI replace rabbis? In this episode we discuss: —What happens when centuries of halachic process meet a radically new technology? —Can AI responsibly or accurately answer halachic questions? —What are the ethical responsibilities of those who build and deploy AI? Tune in for a conversation about the possibilities and limits of our digital tools. Panel begins at 8:36.  Rabbi Gil Student is the director of Jewish media publications and editorial communications at the Orthodox Union. Rabbi Aryeh Klapper is the dean of the Center for Modern Torah Leadership, the author of Divine Will and Human Experience, and a frequent writer on the ethical dimensions of Jewish law. Zach Fish is the creator of Sofer.ai, a cutting-edge transcription service designed for the Jewish community. References: “Rupture and Reconstruction: The Transformation of Contemporary Orthodoxy” by Haym Soloveitchik David Bashevkin on Rabbis Articles of Faith: Traditional Jewish Belief in the Internet Era by Gil Student Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 18 November 2025

This series is sponsored by American Security Foundation. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast—recorded at the 18Forty X ASFoundation AI Summit—we speak with Moshe Koppel, Malka Simkovich, and Tikvah Wiener about what the AI revolution will mean for the Jewish community. In this episode we discuss: How is AI going to change the dynamics, cadence, and rhythm of Jewish life? Should we panic about AI replacing the role of creative human work? What can Jewish and world history teach us about this moment? Tune in to hear a conversation about what AI can teach us about our own needs, especially the need for Shabbos.  Interview begins at 14:26. Dr. Moshe Koppel is a computer scientist, Talmud scholar, and political activist. Moshe is a professor of computer science at Bar-Ilan University, and a prolific author of academic articles and books on Jewish thought, computer science, economics, political science, and other disciplines. He is the founding director of Kohelet, a conservative-libertarian think tank in Israel, and he advises members of the Knesset on legislative matters.  Dr. Malka Simkovich is the director and editor-in-chief of the Jewish Publication Society and previously served as the Crown-Ryan Chair of Jewish Studies and Director of the Catholic-Jewish Studies program at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. She earned a doctoral degree in Second Temple and Rabbinic Judaism from Brandeis University and a Master’s degree in Hebrew Bible from Harvard University.  Tikvah Wiener is Founder and Co-Director of The Idea Institute, which, since 2014, has trained close to 2000  educators in project-based learning and innovative pedagogies. From 2018-2023, she was also Head of School of The Idea School, a Jewish, project-based learning high school in Tenafly, NJ. References: “Lazy Sunday - SNL Digital Short” Mechkarim Be-sifrut Ha-teshuvot by Yitzchak Ze'ev Kahane "In the Shadow of the Emperor: The Hatam Sofer’s Copyright Rulings" by David Nimmer Meta-Halakhah: Logic, Intuition, and the Unfolding of Jewish Law by Moshe Koppel Judaism Straight Up by Moshe Koppel “Yiddishkeit Without Ideology: A Letter To My Son” by Moshe Koppel @ShabbosReads For more18Forty: NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join CALL: (212) 582-1840 EMAIL: info@18forty.org WEBSITE: 18forty.org IG: @18forty X: @18_forty WhatsApp: join here Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 11 November 2025

This series is sponsored by American Security Foundation. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast—recorded at the 18Forty X ASFoundation AI Summit—we speak with ASF’s Julia Senkfor and AI researcher Cameron Berg about the relationship between artificial intelligence and antisemitism.   In this episode we discuss:  Why do large language models have an antisemitism problem? Is antisemitism inextricably embedded in Western culture? What can we do to reduce antisemitic bias in AI?Tune in for a conversation about the Jewish lives we want to create in a world that often seeks to define us negatively. Interview begins at 15:33. Julia Senkfor manages research and operations for American Security Fund. Prior to ASF, she worked as the lead researcher and subject matter expert on Iran (including Iran’s nuclear program), Lebanon, Hezbollah, Yemen, and the Houthis at the American Israel Political Action Committee (AIPAC). She earned her BA in International Affairs and minors in Middle Eastern Studies and Legal Studies from Washington University in St. Louis. Cameron Berg is an AI researcher working at the intersection of cognitive science and machine intelligence. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Yale and former Meta AI Resident, he builds systems that enhance—rather than replace—human capabilities. His work focuses on alignment, cognitive science, and the emerging science of AI consciousness, with tools and research used across Fortune 500s, startups, and public institutions. References: Inception (2010) The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) Anti-Judaism by David Nirenberg For more 18Forty: NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join CALL: (212) 582-1840 EMAIL: info@18forty.org WEBSITE: 18forty.org IG: @18forty X: @18_forty WhatsApp: join here Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 4 November 2025

This series is sponsored by American Security Foundation. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast—recorded at the 18Forty X ASFoundation AI Summit—we speak with Rabbi Eli Rubin and Rabbi Steven Gotlib about what differentiates human intelligence from artificial intelligence. In this episode we discuss: What does AI teach us about what it means to be human? What is the soul, and how do we interact with it? Should we be frightened or encouraged by the development of AI? Tune in to hear a conversation about the role of language in our humanity.  Interview begins at 16:49. Steven Gotlib is Associate Rabbi at Mekor Habracha/Center City Synagogue and Director of the Center City Beit Midrash in Philadelphia. Steven received rabbinic ordination from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, certificates in Mental Health Counseling and Spiritual Entrepreneurship, and a BA in Communication and Jewish Studies from Rutgers University. Eli Rubin, a contributing editor at Chabad.org, is the author of Kabbalah and the Rupture of Modernity: An Existential History of Chabad Hasidism and a co-author of Social Vision: The Lubavitcher Rebbe’s Transformative Paradigm for the World. 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: “Basketball: The One And Only” Genesis 7;23 Rashi on Genesis 7:23 “Remembering my chavruta: Rabbi Moshe Hauer, z”l” By Rabbi Rick Jacobs “18Forty: Exploring Big Questions (An Introduction)” 18Forty Podcast: “The Cost of Jewish Education” 18Forty Podcast: “Steven Gotlib: Some Rabbi Grapples with His Faith”  18Forty Podcast: “Eli Rubin: How Do Mysticism and Social Action Intersect” 18Forty Podcast: “Eli Rubin: Is the Rebbe the Messiah?” Torah Ohr by Shneur Zalman of Liadi Tanya by Shneur Zalman of Liadi Nefesh HaChayim by Chaim of Volozhin Guide for the Perplexed by Maimonides Halakhic Man by Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik The Conscious Mind by David J. Chalmers“ Adam, The Speaking Creature: On Humanity and Language in the Era of AI” by Eli Rubin “Toward a Jewish Theology of Consciousness” by Steven Gotlib Ludwig Wittgenstein: Philosophy in the Age of Airplanes by Anthony Gottlieb For more 18Forty: NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join CALL: (212) 582-1840 EMAIL: info@18forty.org WEBSITE: 18forty.org IG: @18forty X: @18_forty WhatsApp: join here Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 28 October 2025

This episode is brought to you by Simchat Torah Challenge, a Jewish communal project inspiring tens of thousands of Jews of all backgrounds to read the weekly parsha. The weekly English-language email newsletter and website bring Torah and insights from trusted sources. Join for free at SimchatTorahChallenge.org In this special Simchas Torah episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin—parents of murdered hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Hashem yikkom damo—about their relationship to Torah.  For two years, we’ve been struggling with the paradox of how Simchas Torah has become eternally intertwined with October 7. So, at Koren’s celebration of Rabbi Sacks’s Humash, we could think of no two better people to talk to. In this episode we discuss: How can we find redemption specifically within our exile? How can we move on when we’ve been permanently broken? How can we work to live our lives through the lens of Torah? Tune in to hear a conversation about how Torah gives us strength and hope in even the darkest times.  Interview was held on Sept. 8 and begins at 18:26.  References: 18Forty Podcast: “Chaim Saiman: Is Talmud the Jewish Constitution?” “The Inverted Halakhah of Simhat Torah” by Chaim Saiman Parshat Beha'alotcha Ezekiel 37 Genesis 32:27 The Koren Shalem Humash For more 18Forty: NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join CALL: (212) 582-1840 EMAIL: info@18forty.org WEBSITE: 18forty.org IG: @18forty X: @18_forty WhatsApp: join here Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 12 October 2025

As a hint at our next new series, we want to share with you our 2023 episode with Moshe Koppel—a computer scientist and Talmud scholar—about Torah and its intersection with artificial intelligence. In a world in which technology puts vast libraries of Torah at our fingertips, we are tasked with thinking more deeply about what essentially human abilities we bring to the enterprise of Torah and tefillah. In this episode we discuss: What computer-based innovations are on the horizon in the realm of Torah study?Will AI ever be able to reliably answer our halachic questions?Will advances in technology drastically change the experience of Shabbos observance?Tune in to hear a conversation about how AI has the potential to make our Jewish lives richer—if we use it wisely. Interview begins at 18:21. Dr. Moshe Koppel is a computer scientist, Talmud scholar, and political activist. Moshe is a professor of computer science at Bar-Ilan University, and a prolific author of academic articles and books on Jewish thought, computer science, economics, political science, and other disciplines. He is the founding director of Kohelet, a conservative-libertarian think tank in Israel, and he advises members of the Knesset on legislative matters. Dr. Koppel is the author of three sharply thought books on Jewish thought and previously joined 18Forty to talk about Halacha as Language. References: “Funes the Memorious” by Jorge Luis Borges The Mind of a Mnemonist by A.R. Luria Surfaces and Essences: Analogy as the Fuel and Fire of Thinking by Douglas R. Hofstadter & Emmanuel Sander Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R. Hofstadter Meta-Halakhah: Logic, Intuition, and the Unfolding of Jewish Law by Moshe Koppel 2001: A Space Odyssey DICTA: Analytical tools for Hebrew texts “Digital Discourse and the Democratization of Jewish Learning” by Zev Eleff Tzidkat HaTzadik: 211 by Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 6 October 2025

This series is sponsored by Mira and Daniel Stokar. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, recorded live at Stern College, we speak with Rabbi Moshe Benovitz, director of NCSY Kollel, about what makes religious change real and sustainable. In this episode we discuss: —What is the difference between behavior modification and personality development? —How does one translate yeshiva skills to a life of kedusha?  —What is the value of being less emotionally reactive to criticism? Tune in to hear a conversation about how we might do teshuva that lasts throughout the year and beyond. Interview begins at 16:00. Rabbi Moshe Benovitz has been the director of NCSY Kollel for over two decades. David Bashevkin considers him the “Lorne Michaels” of Jewish education.  References: Resisei Layla 50 Mishnah Kelim 17 Saturday Night Live Mishneh Torah, Repentance For more 18Forty: NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join CALL: (212) 582-1840 EMAIL: info@18forty.org WEBSITE: 18forty.org IG: @18forty X: @18_forty WhatsApp: join here Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 29 September 2025

This series is sponsored by Mira and Daniel Stokar. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Naftuli Moster, a former activist for major changes in Hasidic education, about how and why he changed his understanding of the values imparted by Judaism. In this episode we discuss: Why did Naftuli stop campaigning for fundamental reform in Hasidic education?Why are Jews often drawn to movements that can be counterproductive to their interests? How did October 7 make Naftuli rethink his relationship with the Jewish world? Tune in to hear a conversation about finding healthy communities in times when we feel lost.  Interview begins at 25:09. Naftuli Moster is the founder and CEO of Shtetl, a non-profit media outlet serving as a free press for the Haredi community. He formerly worked with YAFFED, an organization that pushes for reform in Haredi and Hasidic education. References: “‘Why I left Hasidic education activism’ | Naftuli Moster” Tosafot on Pesachim “The Words of the Master and the Life of the Student” by Shalom Carmy Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl Night by Elie Wiesel For more 18Forty: NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join CALL: (212) 582-1840 EMAIL: info@18forty.org WEBSITE: 18forty.org IG: @18forty X: @18_forty WhatsApp: join here Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 21 September 2025

This series is sponsored by Mira and Daniel Stokar. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Gayle Kirschenbaum—author of Bullied to Besties: A Daughter’s Journey to Forgiveness—about how she repaired her fraught relationship with her mother. At the end of the podcast, we hear from her mother, Millie, herself, now over 101 years old. In this episode we discuss:  What does a “forgiveness coach” teach her students? How can we repair relationships across generations? What does it take to try to understand the full humanity of our parents? Tune in to hear a conversation about healing, forgiveness, and teshuva through love.  Interview begins at 14:29.Gayle Kirschenbaum is an Emmy-winning TV producer, writer, photographer, coach, and speaker. She was invited to give a TED Talk called "No More Drama With Mama," about forgiveness and transforming difficult relationships into healthy ones.   References: Top 5 by David Bashevkin Bullied to Besties: A Daughter’s Journey to Forgiveness by Gayle Kirschenbaum “No More Drama With Mama” by Gayle Kirschenbaum“ Cut! She's Chewing the Scenery; A Shih Tzu and Her Stage Mother Strive for Stardom” The Godfather Part III My Nose The Nanny  You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay For more 18Forty: NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join CALL: (212) 582-1840 EMAIL: info@18forty.org WEBSITE: 18forty.org IG: @18forty X: @18_forty WhatsApp: join here Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 16 September 2025

This series is sponsored by Mira and Daniel Stokar. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with writer Sarah Hurwitz—author of the new book As a Jew: Reclaiming Our Story from Those Who Blame, Shame, and Try to Erase Us—about what it means to be a “knowing Jew.” In a time when we often feel compelled to justify our Judaism to the world, being Jewishly educated is no longer a luxury but a necessity. In this episode we discuss: What does a proud Jew professionally associated with the Democratic Party make of the state of contemporary politics? Where should one begin in trying to be an educated and involved Jew with a strong Jewish home?How can the mussar literature be a great starting point to people looking to deepen their practice? Tune in to hear a conversation about claiming for ourselves the tradition that so many try to take from us.  Interview begins at 11:14. Sarah Hurwitz served as a White House speechwriter from 2009 to 2017, first as a senior speechwriter for President Barack Obama and then as head speechwriter for First Lady Michelle Obama. She is the author of Here All Along: Finding Meaning, Spirituality, and a Deeper Connection to Life – in Judaism (After Finally Choosing to Look There) and As A Jew: Reclaiming Our Story From Those Who Blame, Shame, and Try To Erase Us.  References: As a Jew: Reclaiming Our Story from Those Who Blame, Shame, and Try to Erase Us by Sarah Hurwitz Here All Along: Finding Meaning, Spirituality, and a Deeper Connection to Life – in Judaism (After Finally Choosing to Look There) by Sarah Hurwitz The Mighty Ducks Everyday Holiness: The Jewish Spiritual Path of Mussar by Alan Morinis Mesillat Yesharim by Moses Chaim Luzzatto For more 18Forty: NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join CALL: (212) 582-1840 EMAIL: info@18forty.org WEBSITE: 18forty.org IG: @18forty X: @18_forty WhatsApp: join here Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 9 September 2025

This series is sponsored by Mira and Daniel Stokar. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Rabbi DovBer Pinson—a scholar, author, teacher, and spiritual mentor—about how we can rethink teshuva in light of the challenges we face today. In this episode we discuss: What is the difference between “lower” and “higher” teshuva? How should the Jewish world recalibrate in the face of the recent rise in antisemitism?How can we learn to be better at loving the Jewish People, including the Jews with whom we have severe disagreements? Tune in to hear a conversation about what it means to return to our eternality in a rapidly changing world. Interview begins at 8:40. Rav DovBer Pinson is a world-renowned rabbi, scholar, author, teacher, and spiritual mentor. Through his books, lectures, and seminars he has touched and inspired the lives of thousands the world over. Rav Pinson is the Rosh Kolel of the IYYUN Yeshiva/Kolel, Marah D'asra of 84 Viola, and heads The IYYUN/CHABAD Center in Brownstone Brooklyn, New York. Topics (Produced by Sofer.AI): Podcast introduction and theme — 0:14 Meeting Rav DovBer Pinson and his impact — 3:51 Life as a text: looking for confluence — 7:00 Introducing the discussion on teshuva — 8:42 Lower vs. higher levels of teshuva — 10:27 Diaspora, Israel connection, and shifting Jewish identity — 12:34 Specific focus of teshuva for the Orthodox Jew — 16:00 Modern identity collapse and reclaiming self — 17:29 Agency and free choice in Judaism — 19:20 Five dimensions of reality in Sefer Yetzirah — 20:23 Orthodox world lagging by fifty years — 22:25 Time vs. space: Mishnah acronym insight — 23:57 Worries about Orthodox commitment and packaging — 26:05 Yeshiva world as a train without an engine — 28:59 Subconscious communication across Jewish communities — 30:29 Peripheral origins vs. established Hasidic families — 31:49 Understanding the relationship with the Land of Israel — 32:51 Israel as a nation vs. a people — 34:05 Collective awareness of shared destiny — 36:16 Yeshiva League analogy and need for new language — 37:31 Taking personal responsibility for all Israel — 41:36 Tension between love for Jews and love for humanity — 43:03 Unity of Torah, God, and Israel — 45:48 Yeshiva learning without a structured curriculum — 47:37 Rebbe’s vision: every Jew as a shaliach — 49:43 Mission of Judaism beyond meritocracy — 54:22 Hope expressed in the daily prayer — 57:17 Jewish calendar holds a Guinness record — 59:08 Personal struggle with criticism over gay Jews — 60:13 Pain from establishment and public backlash — 61:21 Seeking trusted guidance to navigate criticism — 65:53 Personal teshuva: reconciling with critics — 68:53 Humility as source of creative innovation — 71:06 Current crisis as catalyst for collective change — 73:11 The Torah of the moment: Messiah and presence — 74:50 Books that pose good questions — 75:51 Future vision: every day becomes a holiday — 77:48 Great-grandfather lineage in Chabad scholarship — 80:00 Balancing Talmudic study with Chassidic heart — 81:43 Fascination with French Jewry of the 12th century — 82:54 Personal sleep schedule post-COVID — 84:16 Facing personal criticism and baggage — 90:11 Uniting through the Jewish community — 92:27 References: 18Forty Podcast: “Haym Soloveitchik: How Modernity Changed Our Relationship to God” 18Forty Podcast: “Zohar Atkins: Between Philosophy and Torah” Zohar Tanya Chapter 32 Aleinu For more 18Forty: NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join CALL: (212) 582-1840 EMAIL: info@18forty.org WEBSITE: 18forty.org IG: @18forty X: @18_fortyWhatsApp: join here Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 3 September 2025

This series is sponsored by Mira and Daniel Stokar. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Rachel Tova Ebner, translator of a new volume of the teachings of Rav Kook, about what the spirituality of Rav Kook adds to our Jewish practice and to our understanding of ourselves. As we approach Rav Kook’s yahrzeit (3 Elul), we’re directing our attention to the spiritual dimension of Yiddishkeit outlined in his works. In this episode we discuss: What does Rav Kook teach us about our yearning for God?What is the role of feelings in our inner work? What does it mean for us to change as the Torah stays the same? Tune in to hear a conversation about the paradox inherent in trying to “change the past” via teshuva.  Interview begins at 14:57. Rachel Tova Ebner grew up in Manhattan and made Aliyah to Jerusalem with her family in 1982. She is linguist and lyricist, a teacher and translator, with a Master’s degree in Hebrew from the Bernhard Revel Graduate School of Yeshiva University. Her most recent professional endeavor was to participate in the translation of the new Koren Tanach. She has three children and eleven grandchildren. Chapters (Produced by Sofer.AI): Teshuvah 0:14 Re‑examining Our Bullseye: The Conceptzia Idea 3:38 Lakewood Yeshiva’s Future and Community Burnout 6:50 Generational Mission Shifts and Klal Yisrael 8:37 Introducing Rav Kook’s Torah of Tomorrow 11:52 Translator Rachel Tova Ebner on Her Father’s Influence 15:00 Early Memories of Learning with Rabbi Bernstein 16:15 Limits on Naming and Speaking About God 21:32 The Classic Child’s Question: Is God in the Toilet? 22:46 Ikveta d'Mishicha: The Era of Messianic Footsteps 25:18 Rav Kook’s Call for New Spiritual Consciousness 26:18 Direct Encounter with God—Beyond Rabbis and Texts 28:01 Rav Kook’s Historical Context and Practical Inner Work 43:28 Compassion and Inner Work with the Soul 45:36 Rav Kook on Teshuva and Cosmic Will 47:30 Personal Metaforms: Smoking as Spiritual Symbol 50:32 Rav Kook’s Vision for Secular Israelis 52:32 Calling Artists of the Sacred in Modern Times 55:00 The Summons to Holy Consciousness Excerpt 57:01 Choosing a Rav Kook Translation for Study 62:23 Evolution as Cosmic Optimism in Rav Kook 64:13 Finding a Spiritual Path Beyond Halacha 67:08 Critique of Galut and Return to Eretz Yisrael 68:17 Personal Sleep Habits: A Goyish Schedule 70:06 Rav Kook’s Vision: Renewing the Old, Sanctifying the New 73:27 Intuition and Faith in Personal Spiritual Direction 75:09 Despair as Catalyst for Renewal in Orot Hateshuva 76:56 Closing Remarks and Sponsor Acknowledgments 80:49 Traditional Closing Prayer and Song 81:50 References: 18Forty Podcast: “Rav Judah Mischel: A Change in Progress” The Torah of Tomorrow: OneSong by Rachel Tova Ebner Renewing the Old, Sanctifying the New: The Unique Vision of Rav Kook by Marc B. Shapiro 18Forty Podcast: “Marc B. Shapiro: Where Does Orthodox Judaism Come From?” Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 26 August 2025

This series is sponsored by Mira and Daniel Stokar. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with rabbi, psychotherapist, and “translator” Joey Rosenfeld about how our generation can understand languages of mysticism, philosophy, and suffering in today’s chaotic world. In this episode we discuss:Where should we channel our spiritual work as we near two years since October 7?Will Mashiach come in our lifetime?What is the purpose of yearning and desire? Tune in to hear a conversation about how “Yiddishkeit is the guardian of deficiency.”  Interview begins at 8:49. Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld is a practicing psychotherapist in the addiction field focusing on the interface between philosophy, spirituality, and psychology. His shiurim on Jewish philosophy, Kabbalah and the inner workings of the human soul have been watched and listened to by thousands around the world and he has a dedicated following of students from the entire spectrum of the Jewish community. References: Tikkunei Zohar “The Source Of Faith Is Faith Itself” by Aharon Lichtenstein Pirkei Avot 4:2 Halakhic Man by Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik Tanya ch. 36“ Why Is There Something, Rather Than Nothing?” by Sean Carroll Mishneh Torah by Maimonides  Sippurei Maasiyot by Rebbe Nachman of Breslov  “Anthem” by Leonard Cohen For more 18Forty: NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join CALL: (212) 582-1840 EMAIL: info@18forty.org WEBSITE: 18forty.org IG: @18forty X: @18_forty WhatsApp: join here Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 19 August 2025

This episode was sponsored by Jerry and Esther Williams in honor of 18Forty and Shalom Task Force.  While we wait for the next new episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we revisit Dovid Bashevkin's 2022 deep dive into the world of dating. As we explore the realm of relationships, Dovid uses his own journey to help us find the proper framework for balancing one’s romantic, religious, and professional identities.   How can one stay connected to their religious self while simultaneously evolving?What’s Dovid’s best advice for dating and marriage?Why are we afraid to commit to no?How can we ensure that the years ahead are the best years yet? Tune in to hear a conversation on love, commitment, and commitment to commitment.  References: Shalom Task ForceThe Orchard: A Novel by David Hopen  Tehillim 27:10“ Evolving Religiously During Singlehood” on Singled Out Podcast by Zahava Moskowitz Bambi Garden State Dovid Bashevkin on Twitter “Spending the Seder Alone” by Dovid Bashevkin Solitude, A Philosophical Encounter by Philip Koch Cast Away18Forty – “Rav Moshe Weinberger: Can Mysticism Become A Community?”  “Bashert: My One and Only?” on YUConnects CandiDate Podcast “The Paradox of Choice” by Barry Schwartz “The Howard Stern Show: Actor And Comedian Aziz Ansari Visits The Show” “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” by Dovid Bashevkin Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 12 August 2025

As the 15th of Av approaches, we are returning to this episode on how different Jewish communities date to honor the Jewish "holiday of love." This episode is sponsored by Anonymous who is fond of Shalom Task Force & 18Forty.  On this episode of 18Forty, we explore the world of Jewish dating. We spoke to insiders and experts from the Chassidic community, “Yeshiva Orthodox” community, and Modern Orthodox community, looking at the commonalities and differences between each community’s approach to finding and building loving relationships. Each community emphasizes different dynamics and difficulties of the process of dating, and by considering them together and independently we can gain a greater understanding of the pressure points around love. How a community approaches dating is a test case for so many of a community’s values and vulnerabilities. In this episode, you’ll hear from representatives of each community that are intimately involved with the project of communal norms around dating, and be asked to think about your own assumptions and hopes for love. In this interview, we discussed:  How does each Jewish community approach dating, from shadchans to dating apps and everything in between? What does a community’s approach to dating tell us about the Jewish approaches to love and commitment? What can we learn from the dating practices of communities that are different from our own? Interviews start at 10:31 Dr. Yosef Sokol, one of our representatives from the yeshiva world, is a psychologist and the lead researcher of the recent study on the data behind the “shidduch crisis.” We also speak with Dr. Isaac Schechter, another author of the study, Dr. Efrat Sobolofsky, director of the YUConnects matchmaking-and-education program, and Dr. Devorah Mansdorf Agami, an endodontist who met her husband on JSwipe. References: Rabbi Mordechai Lightstone “Examining Average Age at First Marriage within Orthodox Judaism: A Large Community-Based Study” by Yosef Sokol, Naomi Rosenbach, Chayim Rosensweig, Chynna Levin, Shifra Hubner, and Isaac Schechter Bikur Cholim of Rockland CountyARRC Institute  YUConnects JSwipe Dovid Bashevkin on YUConnects CandiDate Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 5 August 2025

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Hadas Hershkovitz, whose husband, Yossi, was killed while serving on reserve duty in Gaza in 2023—about the Jewish People's loss of this beloved spouse, father, high-school principal, and soldier. In the second year of the war, we’re grappling not only with the depth of our losses, but with how to make meaning of them as we continue to live in their aftermath. In this episode, we discuss: How has the loss of Hadas’s husband sparked a renewed urgency in her dedication to uplifting the Jewish People?How do we confront the anger and blame we may feel toward others in the wake of collective tragedy?How can we cultivate the positive thoughts and spiritual clarity needed to uphold our moral responsibilities in difficult times?Tune in for a heartfelt conversation on what it means to transform Torah into a living song sung by the Jewish People. Interview begins at 30:30 References: Psalms 23 Hasidic Tales of the Holocaust by Yaffa Eliach Seinfeld: “The Bottle Deposit” “יש כאן יותר מזה" by Hanan Ben Ari  Deuteronomy 31  Arukh HaShulchan by Yechiel Michel Epstein For more 18Forty: NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join CALL: (212) 582-1840 EMAIL: info@18forty.org WEBSITE: 18forty.org IG: @18forty X: @18_fortyWhatsApp: join here Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 29 July 2025

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to author Elissa Felder and her daughter Sonia Hoffman—both of whom have experienced the loss of a child and serve on a chevra kadisha—about what the Jewish burial society teaches us about confronting death. In this episode we discuss:  How does the process of purifying a dead body work—and how is it possible to purify a dead body at all?What Kabbalistic practices are performed by chevra kadisha to bring dignity to the body and soul? How can we “normalize” discussions about grief and death? Tune in to hear a conversation about how care for the deceased is a “love story” between the Jewish People and God. Interview begins at 15:31. Elissa Felder started and actively manages Core’s community of practice for women who serve on a traditional chevrah kadisha. The knowledge she acquired through her work motivated her to write From One Life to the Next Life; The Sacred Passage after Death, a memoir about the loss of her baby son. She is the head of her local chevrah kadisha and speaks widely on this topic. Sonia Hoffman is a Limmudei Kodesh teacher at Kohelet Yeshiva in Philadelphia. She is a daughter, mother, wife and member of the Bala Cynwyd community. She is also an active member of the Philadelphia Chevra Kadisha, having started during COVID to help with this mitzvah. After the loss of their daughter in 2016, she began speaking about her experience with loss and sharing resources with the community on ways in which we can move forward after tragedy. In addition, Sonia began hosting an annual event in her daughter's memory to bring awareness to the community around the topic of infant loss and relationship with God. References: Teshuvot HaRadbaz Volume 3, 985 Torat HaAdam, Introduction  “Passing Through” by David Bashevkin Berakhot 10a “​​Reconciling Opposites: Uncommon Connections in the Halakha of Mourning” by Emanuel Feldman From One Life to the Next Life; The Sacred Passage after Death by Elissa Felder The Wild Edge of Sorrow: Rituals of Renewal and the Sacred Work of Grief by Francis Weller The Choice: Embrace the Possible by Dr. Edith Eva Eger Consolation: The Spiritual Journey Beyond Grief by Maurice Lamm Gesher Hachaim - The Bridge of Life by Rabbi Yechiel Michel Tucazinsky Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner's Theology of Meaning by Alon Shalev For more 18Forty: NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join CALL: (212) 582-1840 EMAIL: info@18forty.org WEBSITE: 18forty.org IG: @18forty X: @18_fortyWhatsApp: join here Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 22 July 2025

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Rabbi Shlomo Brody and Dr. Beth Popp, who work with Ematai, an organization focused on end-of-life care, about the process of death and how we ought to live with our own mortality.  In this episode we discuss:  How do we connect to eternity within this finite existence? What halachic issues must we consider when making end-of-life decisions?What happens to the body of someone who’s died?  Tune in to hear a conversation about how we can sanctify life in the face of mortality.  Interview begins at 18:30 Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Brody is the executive director of Ematai and a columnist for The Jerusalem Post. His first book, A Guide to the Complex: Contemporary Halakhic Debates, received a National Jewish Book Award. His newest book, Ethics of Our Fighters: A Jewish View on War and Morality, was published in 2023. A summa cum laude graduate of Harvard College, he received rabbinic ordination from the Israeli Chief Rabbinate, an MA in Jewish philosophy at the Hebrew University, and his PhD from Bar Ilan University Law School. Dr. Beth Popp is a professor on the faculty of Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, specializing in Hospice and Palliative Medicine. She has served on hospital ethics committees for most of her career and presents regularly to community groups to clarify the role of hospice and palliative care in the healthcare system. She has been extensively involved in educating rabbinic leaders about the medical aspects of serious illness and end-of-life care.  References: Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner's Theology of Meaning by Alon Shalev Pachad Yitzchak al Shavuot by Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner “Letters of Love and Rebuke From Rav Yitzchok Hutner” by David Bashevkin Halakhic Man by Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik Ethics of Our Fighters: A Jewish View on War and Morality by Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Brody A Guide to the Complex: Contemporary Halakhic Debates by Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Brody The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker Seinfeld: “The Comeback” Being Mortal by Atul Gawande Kaddish by Leon Wieseltier When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi For more 18Forty: NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join CALL: (212) 582-1840 EMAIL: info@18forty.org WEBSITE: 18forty.org IG: @18forty X: @18_fortyWhatsApp: join here Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 15 July 2025

While we await our next episode, we invite you catch up with 18 Questions, 40 Israeli Thinkers. Micah Goodman doesn't think Palestinian-Israeli peace will happen within his lifetime. But he's still a hopeful person. Named by the Jerusalem Post as one of the 50 most influential Jews, Micah is a public intellectual, writer, and author whose voice is central to the moral, political, and religious debates raging within Israel. He is the author of several best-selling books — including The Wondering Jew, Catch 67, The Dream of the Kuzari, and The Last Words of Moses — and co-host of the popular Israeli podcast Mifleget Hamachshavot. Now, he joins us to answer 18 questions on criticizing Israel, resettling Gaza, and Jewish democracy. This interview was recorded on July 6. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 8 July 2025

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Ayala Fader—an anthropologist who studies American Haredi communities and their “hidden heretics”—about the personal, familial, and communal factors that pull us toward and push us away from different Jewish communities.  In this episode we discuss:  How should we respond to the discomfort we experience when the communities we live in don’t measure up to the communities we desire?How has the internet changed Hasidic and yeshivish cultures over the past three decades? How has the surge of antisemitism and anti-Zionism affected the views of Hasidic Jews? Tune in to hear a conversation about the ways we seek out and build communities that nourish us.  Interview begins at 12:48. Ayala Fader is a professor of anthropology at Fordham University. Her research investigates contemporary North American Jewish identities and languages and engages key issues at the intersection of religion, Jewish Studies, gender, and linguistic anthropology, including language and media. She is also the founding director of the Demystifying Language Project, a partnership between academia and public high schools, housed in the New York Center for Public Anthropology at Fordham. Fader is the author of Mitzvah Girls: Bringing Up the Next Generation of Hasidic Jews in Brooklyn and Hidden Heretics: Jewish Doubt in the Digital Age.  References: “Failure Goes to Yeshivah” by David Bashevkin Mitzvah Girls: Bringing Up the Next Generation of Hasidic Jews in Brooklyn by Ayala Fader Hidden Heretics: Jewish Doubt in the Digital Age by Ayala Fader Naftuli Moster with Frieda Vizel: "Why I left Hasidic education activism" When Prophecy Fails by Leon Festinger, Henry W. Riecken, and Stanley Schachter  Jew Vs Jew by Samuel G. Freedman 18Forty Podcast: “Rav Moshe Weinberger: Can Mysticism Become a Community?” For more 18Forty: NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join CALL: (212) 582-1840 EMAIL: info@18forty.org WEBSITE: 18forty.org IG: @18forty X: @18_fortyWhatsApp: join here Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 1 July 2025

On June 29, Eden will be hosting a webinar to speak in detail about the vision for this project. In order to register please click here or email info@edenbeitshemesh.com to find out more. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, David Bashevkin moderates a debate between Rabbi Itamar Rosensweig and Rabbi Yitzchak Blau on whether morality exists independently of Judaism.  This is a recording of a live event hosted at Young Israel of Teaneck on May 4. In this episode we discuss:  What does it mean for God to be good, and who defines the “good” in the first place? Do Torah Jews base their values on halacha, or something else?Should we make any changes to halachic and moral education in the Jewish community? Tune in to hear a conversation about how halacha and morality bring order and prioritization to our chaotic and confusing lives.  Debate begins at 10:57. Rabbi Itamar Rosensweig is a professor of Jewish law and jurisprudence at Yeshiva University, a rabbinic judge and chaver beit din at the Beth Din of America, and the rav of the Shtiebel of Lower Merion. He holds a secondary appointment as an assistant professor of philosophy at Yeshiva College and serves as the chair of Jewish studies at the Sy Syms School of Business. He received his semikha, Yoreh Yoreh and Yadin Yadin, from RIETS, where he was a fellow of the Wexner Kollel Elyon and editor-in-chief of the Beit Yitzchak Journal of Talmudic and Halakhic Studies. Rabbi Yitzchak Blau is the author of Fresh Fruit & Vintage Wine: Ethics and Wisdom of the Aggada and is Tradition's associate editor. He has taught at Yeshivat Hamivtar, Yeshivat Shvilei Hatorah, and the Yeshivah of Flatbush and currently also teaches at Midreshet Lindenbaum. Rabbi Blau has a BA in English Literature from YU, an MA in Medieval Jewish History from Revel, and semikha from RIETS. Rabbi Blau lives in Alon Shevut with his wife and four children. References: "Curb Your (Shul) Enthusiasm" The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis Fresh Fruit & Vintage Wine: Ethics and Wisdom of the Aggada by Yitzchak Blau HaEmunot veHaDeot by Saadia Gaon Religion And Morality by Avi Sagi and Daniel Statman Plato's Euthyphro Genesis 9 The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky Eight Chapters by Maimonides  Halakhic Man by Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik A Theory of Justice by John Rawls For more 18Forty: NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join CALL: (212) 582-1840 EMAIL: info@18forty.org WEBSITE: 18forty.org IG: @18forty X: @18_fortyWhatsApp: join here Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 24 June 2025

On June 29, Eden will be hosting a webinar to speak in detail about the vision for this project. In order to register please click here or email info@edenbeitshemesh.com to find out more. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, David Bashevkin and historian Malka Simkovich discuss the future of technology, AI, and the Jewish People. This episode was recorded live at the Moise Safra Center as 18Forty celebrated its Fifth Anniversary with our community. We begin with words from Sruli Fruchter and Mitch Eichen delivered at the program, as well as questions from the audience to conclude. In this episode we discuss:  What is the point of academia and asking questions?Will AI replace rabbinic authority or the conversations we have on 18Forty? Is there any topic that 18Forty will never take on? Tune in to hear a conversation about what we’ve learned through the seismic shifts we’ve experienced over the past half-decade. Introduction from Sruli Fruchter begins at 9:05. Introduction from Mitch Eichen begins at 12:50. Interview begins at 17:26. Dr. Malka Simkovich is the director and editor-in-chief of the Jewish Publication Society and previously served as the Crown-Ryan Chair of Jewish Studies and Director of the Catholic-Jewish Studies program at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. She earned a doctoral degree in Second Temple and Rabbinic Judaism from Brandeis University and a Master’s degree in Hebrew Bible from Harvard University. She is the author of The Making of Jewish Universalism: From Exile to Alexandria (2016), Discovering Second Temple Literature: The Scriptures and Stories That Shaped Early Judaism (2018), and Letters From Home: The Creation of Diaspora in Jewish Antiquity, (2024). She has been a three-time guest on the 18Forty Podcast and led our Book Journey on the essence of antisemitism.  David Bashevkin is the founder and host of 18Forty. He is also the director of education for NCSY, the youth movement of the Orthodox Union, and the Clinical Assistant Professor of Jewish Values at the Sy Syms School of Business at Yeshiva University. He completed rabbinic ordination at Yeshiva University’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, as well as a master’s degree at the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies focusing on the thought of Rabbi Zadok of Lublin under the guidance of Dr. Yaakov Elman. He completed his doctorate in Public Policy and Management at The New School’s Milano School of International Affairs, focusing on crisis management.  He has published four books: Sin·a·gogue: Sin and Failure in Jewish Thought, a Hebrew work B’Rogez Rachem Tizkor (trans. In Anger, Remember Mercy), Top 5: Lists of Jewish Character and Character, and Just One: The NCSY Haggadah. David has been rejected from several prestigious fellowships and awards. References: “18Forty: Exploring Big Questions (An Introduction)” 18Forty Podcast: “Philo Judaeus: Is There a Room for Dialogue?” 18Forty Podcast: “Daniel Hagler and Aryeh Englander: Can Jews Who Stay Talk With Jews Who Left?” The Nineties: A Book by by Chuck Klosterman Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman Time Must Have a Stop by Aldous Huxley “Laughing with Kafka” by David Foster Wallace The Most Human Human: What Talking with Computers Teaches Us About What It Means to Be Alive by Brian Christian Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R. Hofstadter "Failure Comes To Yeshivah" by David Bashevkin For more 18Forty: NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join CALL: (212) 582-1840 EMAIL: info@18forty.org WEBSITE: 18forty.org IG: @18forty X: @18_forty WhatsApp: join here Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 17 June 2025

18Forty is celebrating its fifth year LIVE in NYC on June 9. Reserve your seats today! In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, David Bashevkin moderates a dialogue between Aryeh Englander—the ex-Orthodox Jew known as “Philo Judeas,” who is a moderator of the ambitious Frum/OTD Dialogue Facebook group—and Daniel Hagler, a frum surgeon and a moderator of the Facebook group Respectfully Debating Judaism.   Together, we talk about seeking meaning, uncovering religious truths, and making the most of the precious gift we call “life.” In this episode we discuss:  How do we know if Judaism is “real” and true? How is a religious commitment like a romantic one? Which is more important: Judaism being true or Judaism being useful?Tune in to hear a conversation about the ways in which we chase truth and determine how we ought to live our lives.  Interview begins at 19:29. Follow-up Hagler interview begins at 1:19:04.  References: 18Forty Podcast: “Philo Judaeus: Is There a Room for Dialogue?” Judaism on Trial: Jewish-Christian Disputations in the Middle Ages by Hyam Maccoby Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy by David J. Chalmers Tzidkat HaTzadik 41 18Forty Podcast: “Rav Moshe Weinberger: Can Mysticism Become a Community?” “Worlds Together” in Mishpacha Jewish Philosophy as a Guide to Life: Rosenzweig, Buber, Levinas, Wittgenstein by Hilary Putnam No Country for Old Men (2007) Slate Star Codex Eruvin 13b How Judaism Became a Religion: An Introduction to Modern Jewish Thought by Leora Batnitzky 18Forty Podcast: “Malka Simkovich: The Mystery of the Jewish People” A Letter in the Scroll: Understanding Our Jewish Identity and Exploring the Legacy of the World's Oldest Religion by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky Kiddushin 30a Leviticus 10:16 For more 18Forty: NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join CALL: (212) 582-1840 EMAIL: info@18forty.org WEBSITE: 18forty.org IG: @18forty X: @18_fortyWhatsApp: join here Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 27 May 2025

18Forty is celebrating its fifth year LIVE in NYC on June 9. Reserve your seats today! In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, David Bashevkin moderates a dialogue between Aryeh Englander—the ex-Orthodox Jew known as “Philo Judeas,” who is a moderator of the ambitious Frum/OTD Dialogue Facebook group—and Daniel Hagler, a frum surgeon and a moderator of the Facebook group Respectfully Debating Judaism.   Together, we talk about seeking meaning, uncovering religious truths, and making the most of the precious gift we call “life.” In this episode we discuss:  How do we know if Judaism is “real” and true? How is a religious commitment like a romantic one? Which is more important: Judaism being true or Judaism being useful?Tune in to hear a conversation about the ways in which we chase truth and determine how we ought to live our lives.  Interview begins at 19:29. Follow-up Hagler interview begins at 1:19:04.  References: 18Forty Podcast: “Philo Judaeus: Is There a Room for Dialogue?” Judaism on Trial: Jewish-Christian Disputations in the Middle Ages by Hyam Maccoby Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy by David J. Chalmers Tzidkat HaTzadik 41 18Forty Podcast: “Rav Moshe Weinberger: Can Mysticism Become a Community?” “Worlds Together” in Mishpacha Jewish Philosophy as a Guide to Life: Rosenzweig, Buber, Levinas, Wittgenstein by Hilary Putnam No Country for Old Men (2007) Slate Star Codex Eruvin 13b How Judaism Became a Religion: An Introduction to Modern Jewish Thought by Leora Batnitzky 18Forty Podcast: “Malka Simkovich: The Mystery of the Jewish People” A Letter in the Scroll: Understanding Our Jewish Identity and Exploring the Legacy of the World's Oldest Religion by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky Kiddushin 30a Leviticus 10:16 For more 18Forty: NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join CALL: (212) 582-1840 EMAIL: info@18forty.org WEBSITE: 18forty.org IG: @18forty X: @18_fortyWhatsApp: join here Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Transcribed - Published: 27 May 2025