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    WHY 18
    Forty

    The year 1840 was a turning point: the Industrial Revolution peaked, the Damascus Affair sparked Jewish unity, and modernity opened new paths for enlightenment. Mystics called it the moment that “the gates of wisdom would open.” For us, 1840 is a symbol of how global upheaval can lead to a reimagined world. Today, we face another “1840 moment”—troubled by tech disruption, mental health crises, and declining faith—that calls for bold questions, timeless sensitivity, and modern sensibilities. That’s what 18Forty is here to explore.

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Rivka Bennun Kay

Rivka Bennun Kay

  • Books, Books, Books

    The Best Book to Understand Empathy

    How does empathy work against incomprehensible pain and suffering?
  • Artificial Intelligence

    What to Read If You’re Thinking About AI, the Soul, and the Future

    The essential reading list for anyone wondering what makes us human.
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    13 Books You Should Read This Fall

    From the challenges of Algospeak to the nature of doubt, here’s what the I Read This Over Shabbos community has been reading lately.
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    What the 18Forty Team is Reading After the Holidays

    Jewish women in modernity, Jewish anti-literature, and the fight against darkness
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    The Case for Reading the Parsha Twice Each Week

    Shnayim Mikra, as it’s known, gives rhythm to our lives.
  • Books, Books, Books

    What I’m Reading in the Sukkah This Year

    On prayer, time, and resilience—my reading companions in my impermanent home.
  • Teshuva

    Me and My Homeless Prayers

    On the holiest days of the year, my prayers wander between traditions, suspended between inheritance and personal choice.
  • Teshuva

    What the 18Forty Team is Reading to Think About Teshuva

    Tanya, Agnon, Emerson—and more!
  • God

    When the Torah of God Meets the Torah of Man

    Learning Rav Kook on vacation taught me the art of reading Torah like poetry: slowly and with patience.
  • Teshuva

    ‘Purify Our Hearts to Serve You in Truth’: Rav Amital’s Guide to Elul

    Teshuva, Rav Amital teaches, is about compassion towards others and honesty with ourselves.
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    What the 18Forty Team is Reading This Month

    Talmudic tales, feminist philosophy, contemporary fiction—and so much more!
  • Romance & Commitment

    Nine Books You Should Read to Think About Love, Relationships, and Commitment

    They cover healthy relationships, conflict-resolution, wholeness, and so much more.
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DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY AND LEGACY OF PHILIP EICHEN, EPHRAIM FISHEL BEN MORDECHAI Z”L AND ROSLYN EICHEN, RAZEL BAT GERSHON, Z”L

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