In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Rabbi Etan Epstein, the founder of The 300 Club, a program of committing to learning Torah for five minutes a day.
We also speak with two participants in the program, Richard Weissberg and Susan Sorosky.
In this episode we discuss:
—How does one begin a path of Torah learning?
—How can we avoid burning out and maintain consistency on our learning journey?
—Why are Torah and repentance so intertwined together?
Interviews begin at 8:56.
Tune in to hear a conversation about how the process of interpretation of Torah is a mirror image of a process of interpretation of the self.
Rabbi Etan Epstein studied at Yeshivat Shaalvim after graduating from Ramaz, before earning his B.A. from Yeshiva University and spending three years at Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood. He then spent seven years studying at the Brisker Kollel in Israel, developing a deep expertise in analytical Torah learning. After returning to the U.S. in 2016, Rav Etan settled in Monsey and founded the New Rochelle Torah Center, where he became known for his thoughtful, engaging, and inspiring classes. In 2023, he founded the 300 Club, dedicated to helping every Jew experience the depth and beauty of Torah every day, five minutes at a time.
For more 18Forty:
NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join
Sign up for Talmud Daily
CALL: (212) 582-1840
EMAIL: info@18forty.org
WEBSITE: 18forty.org
IG: @18forty
X: @18_forty
WhatsApp: join here
We try to make transcripts available the week a podcast it released. Thank you for your patience!
“Mirror, Mirror of The Fall” by Maureen Dowd
We talk to Tania Friedlander about how her husband’s Parkinson’s diagnosis challenged her expectations and taught her to become capable of more.
As a Haredi woman of the Israeli left, Nechumi Yaffe lives between a few different worlds—and she feels at home in Israel’s new “Religious Left” movement.
We talk to Ben and Yael de Toledo about doing teshuva by returning to community.
The true enemy in Israel’s current war, Einat Wilf says, is what she calls “Palestinianism.”
We talk to Rabbi Shlomo Pill about how Torah and teshuva have helped him handle his struggle with addiction.
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Liel Leibovitz and Lisa Ann Sandell about what happens when one partner wants to increase their religious practice.
Rabbi Yehoshua Pfeffer answers 18 questions on Israel, including the Haredi draft, Israel as a religious state, Messianism, and so much more.
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we sit down for a special podcast with our host, David Bashevkin, to discuss the podcast’s namesake, the year 1840.
In this episode, David and special guest, Michelle Chesner, Columbia University’s Norman E. Alexander Librarian for Jewish Studies, discuss how the formatting of sacred Jewish texts has developed throughout Jewish history and impacted religious Judaism.
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we sit down with conservative journalist and cultural commentator, Bethany S. Mandel, to talk about the entrances and exits of her life, reconstructing Jewish identity, and creating a Jewish home outside of the Jewish community.
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we sit down with Rav Moshe Weinberger, rabbi and educator, to discuss the role of mysticism in modern-day Judaism.
We talk to Mendel Horowitz, who introduces us to the notion of having a “good-enough Elul.”
David Bashevkin discusses how to embrace holiness, the purpose of prayer, and the search for meaning in an age of distraction.
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, David Bashevkin opens up about his mental health journey.
In this episode, we talk to a father and daughter who were estranged and then reunited.
In this special Purim episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we bring you a recording from our live event with the comedian Modi, for our annual discussion on humor.
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Frieda Vizel—a formerly Satmar Jew who makes educational content about Hasidic life—about her work presenting Hasidic Williamsburg to the outside world, and vice-versa.
Shlomo Pill explains how mysticism is the soul of the Torah and prayer is the avenue through which we recognize God’s role in reality.
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Rabbi Menachem Penner—dean of RIETS at Yeshiva University—and his son Gedalia—a musician, cantor-in-training, and member of the LGBTQ community—about their experience in reconciling their family’s religious tradition with Gedalia’s sexual orientation.
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Aliza and Ephraim Bulow, a married couple whose religious paths diverged over the course of their shared life.
Haviv answers 18 questions on Israel.
Elliot Wolfson joins us to discuss the mechanics of prayer, the constant recreation of time, and Pardes.
Victoria Hanna, known for her kabbalistic rap, explains how the human body can be a place for divine revelation.
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Lizzy Savetsky, who went from a career in singing and fashion to being a Jewish activist and influencer, about her work advocating for Israel online.
What can Rashi’s reading of Shir HaShirim teach us about antisemitism, Jewish identity, and the sources of resilience in a post-Oct. 7…
Perhaps the most fundamental question any religious believer can ask is: “Does God exist?” It’s time we find good answers.
In Nitzavim-Vayelech, Moshe makes a covenant with those who were there—and those who had not yet arrived.
A bedrock principle of Orthodox Judaism is that we received not only the Written Torah at Sinai but also the oral one—does…
Books are not only how one acquires wisdom, but how to reach ever-deeper depths in the world as well.
Christianity’s focus on the afterlife historically discouraged Jews from discussing it—but Jews very much believe in it.
To talk about the history of Jewish mysticism is in many ways to talk about the history of the mystical community.
Children cannot truly avoid the consequences of estrangement. Their parents’ shadow will always follow.
From verses in Parshat Bo to desert caves, tefillin emerge as one of Judaism’s earliest embodied practices.
Children don’t come with guarantees. Washing machines come with guarantees.
From Freud through today, our desire to heal asks us to consider why we care so badly—and maybe if it’s hindering the…
I consider the Rebbe to be my personal teacher, and I find this teaching particularly relevant for us now.
Is teshuva about changing ourselves, or is it about accepting who we are? For this paradox, Rav Shagar says, it’s both.
Rav Froman was a complicated character in Israel and in his own home city of Tekoa, as people from both the right…
Kosher phones make calls and send texts. No Instagram, no TikTok, and no distractions. Maybe it’s time the world embraces them.
My family made aliyah over a decade ago. Navigating our lives as American immigrants in Israel is a day-to-day balance.
The “way” of myself and other formerly Reform Jews is unclear, but our desire for spiritual growth is sincere.
Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir wears the mantle of Kahane in Israel. Many Orthodox Jews welcomed him with open arms.
Talking about the “Haredi community” is a misnomer, Jonathan Rosenblum says, and simplifies its diversity of thought and perspectives. A Yale-trained lawyer…
We talk to Tania Friedlander about how her husband’s Parkinson’s diagnosis challenged her expectations and taught her to become capable of more.
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Ben and Yael de Toledo, founders of Pnima Jerusalem, a soulful community…
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Shais Taub, the rabbi behind the organization SoulWords, about shame, selfhood, and…
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…
On this 18Forty panel, we speak with Alex Jakubowski of Lightning Studios, Sara Wolkenfeld of Sefaria, and Ari Lamm of BZ Media…
What is Jewish peoplehood? In a world that is increasingly international in its scope, our appreciation for the national or the tribal…
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Diana Fersko, senior rabbi of the Village Temple Reform synagogue, about denominations…
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, recorded live at Stern College, we speak with Rabbi Moshe Benovitz, director of NCSY Kollel,…
In a disenchanted world, we can turn to mysticism to find enchantment, to remember that there is something more under the surface…
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, David Bashevkin answers questions from Diana Fersko, senior rabbi of the Village Temple Reform synagogue,…
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Mark Wildes, founder and director of Manhattan Jewish Experience, about Modern Orthodox…
A free 40-week journey through the Talmud. No Hebrew or background required. 7,000+ people have already signed up — join us.
