Begin exploring
today’s
biggest Jewish
questions…
×
What Garry Shandling’s Jewish Comedy Teaches About Purim
David Bashevkin speaks about the late, great comedian Garry Shalndling in honor of his 10th yahrzeit, which is this Purim.
Summary
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:
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.
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
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
Recommended Podcasts
podcast
Shaanan Gelman & His Son: When a Child Becomes Addicted
We talk to Rabbi Shaanan Gelman and his son Ziggy about the persistence of a parent-child relationship when the latter faces addiction.
podcast
Modi Rosenfeld: A Serious Conversation About Comedy
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.
podcast
Elisheva Carlebach & Debra Kaplan: The Unknown History of Women in Jewish Life
We speak with Professors Elisheva Carlebach and Debra Kaplan about women’s religious, social, and communal roles in early modern Jewish life.
podcast
Menachem Penner & Gedalia Robinson: A Child’s Orientation
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.
podcast
Pawel Maciejko: Sabbateanism and the Roots of Secular Judaism
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to historian and professor Pawel Maciejko about the false messiah Sabbatai Zevi, Sabbateanism, and the roots of Jewish secularism.
podcast
Haviv Rettig Gur: ‘Hamas is upset the death toll in Gaza isn’t higher’
Haviv answers 18 questions on Israel.
podcast
When a Parent Becomes Estranged
In this episode, we talk to a father and daughter who were estranged and then reunited.
podcast
Yakov Danishefsky: Religion and Mental Health: God and Us
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Yakov Danishefsky—a rabbi, author and licensed social worker—about our relationships and our mental health.44
podcast
The Dardik Family: A Child Moves Away From Zionism
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Judah, Naomi, and Aharon Akiva Dardik—an olim family whose son went to military jail for refusing to follow to IDF orders and has since become a ceasefire activist at Columbia University—about sticking together as a family despite their fundamental differences.
podcast
Einat Wilf: ‘Jews Are Never Allowed To Win, and Arabs Are Never Allowed to Lose’
The true enemy in Israel’s current war, Einat Wilf says, is what she calls “Palestinianism.”
podcast
Yoni Rosensweig: How Does Mental Health Affect Halacha?
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Yoni Rosensweig, rabbi of the Netzah Menashe community in Beit Shemesh, about the intersection between mental health and halacha.
podcast
Moshe Koppel, Malka Simkovich, and Tikvah Wiener: Is AI the New Printing Press?
We speak with Moshe Koppel, Malka Simkovich, and Tikvah Wiener about what the AI revolution will mean for the Jewish community.
podcast
Aaron Kotler: Inside the Lakewood Yeshiva
We speak with Rabbi Aaron Kotler about the beginnings of the American yeshiva world.
podcast
David & Sydney Magerman: When a Child Makes Aliyah
We talk to David Magerman and his daughter Sydney, who decided to make aliyah while on her gap year in Israel.
podcast
Shlomo Katz: ‘Today’s idol worship is self-persecution’
Shlomo Katz joins us to discuss the challenge of technology, Torat Eretz Yisrael, and the true purpose of the Jewish People.
podcast
Yehudis Golshevsky: ‘The root of all prophecy is spiritual imagination’
Yehudis Golshevsky joins us to discuss gender roles, the State of Israel, and the interconnectedness of all things.
podcast
Rabbi David Fohrman: Does the Torah Teach Science?
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we sit down with Rabbi David Fohrman – author, lecturer, and founder of the Aleph Beta Academy – to discuss in what genre the Torah is meant to be, and how that should influence the way we think about it.
podcast
Rachel Yehuda: Intergenerational Trauma and Healing
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we pivot to Intergenerational Divergence by talking to Rachel Yehuda, a professor of psychiatry and neuroscience, about intergenerational trauma and intergenerational resilience.
podcast
Lizzy Savetsky: Becoming a Jewish Influencer and Israel Advocate
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.
podcast
Why 1840?
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.
podcast
Anita Shapira: ‘You cannot wipe out Hamas’
Leading Israel historian Anita Shapira answers 18 questions on Israel, including destroying Hamas, the crisis up North, and Israel’s future.
podcast
A Debate Between Yitzchak Blau & Itamar Rosensweig: Does Morality Exist Outside of Judaism?
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.
podcast
Bruce Feiler: The Stories That Bind Us
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to author Bruce Feiler about family narratives.
Recommended Articles
Essays
3 Arguments for God’s Existence
Perhaps the most fundamental question any religious believer can ask is: “Does God exist?” It’s time we find good answers.
Essays
Why God Cares What You Eat (And Why That’s Not the Point)
In Parshat Shemini, the Torah’s dietary laws are not just food rules, but a system for shaping the self.
Essays
Learning to Farbreng with Rabbi Steinsaltz
This Pesach, Rabbi Steinsaltz helped me rediscover the art of a good farbrengen—and the responsibility that comes after it.
Essays
A Letter to Children Estranged From Their Parents
Children cannot truly avoid the consequences of estrangement. Their parents’ shadow will always follow.
Essays
(What) Do Jews Believe About the Afterlife?
Christianity’s focus on the afterlife historically discouraged Jews from discussing it—but Jews very much believe in it.
Essays
How Archaeology Rewrote the History of Tefillin
From verses in Parshat Bo to desert caves, tefillin emerge as one of Judaism’s earliest embodied practices.
Essays
How the Damascus Affair Created Modern Jewish Solidarity
In 1840, a blood libel in Damascus transformed a local accusation into an international Jewish crisis.
Essays
A Letter to Parents of Intergenerational Divergees
Children don’t come with guarantees. Washing machines come with guarantees.
Essays
Judith Herman Is Giving Voice to Survivors
Dr. Judith Herman has spent her career helping those who are going through trauma, and has provided far-reaching insight into the field.
Essays
A History of Jewish Belonging
In Parshat Vayikra, we are reminded that communal belonging lies at the heart of religious identity.
Essays
Is Judaism Fundamentally Zionist?
God promised the Land of Israel to the Jewish People, so why are some rabbis anti-Zionists?
Essays
Why Is Meir Kahane Making a Comeback Among Orthodox Jews?
Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir wears the mantle of Kahane in Israel. Many Orthodox Jews welcomed him with open arms.
Essays
A Brief History of Jewish Mysticism
To talk about the history of Jewish mysticism is in many ways to talk about the history of the mystical community.
Essays
Edmond Jabès Had Questions—and He Learned to Live With Them
As the holiday of Passover approaches, we take a look into a man whose life was marked by questions: Edmond Jabès.
Essays
The Hardal Community Explained: Torah, Am Yisrael, and Redemption
Religious Zionism is a spectrum—and I would place my Hardal community on the right of that spectrum.
Essays
His Ladder Will Take You to the Zohar
Are you a fan of Kabbalah and the Zohar? Thank Rav Yehuda Leib HaLevi Ashlag.
Essays
Your Guide to Reading Rav Kook
I’d advise reading Rav Kook as you would read a poem, with an eye less to the argument or claim he is…
Essays
AI Has No Soul—So Why Did I Bare Mine?
What began as a half-hour experiment with ChatGPT turned into an unexpected confrontation with my own humanity.
Essays
The Siddur Has a Lot of Prayers. Where Did They Come From?
Between early prayer books, kabbalistic additions, and the printing press, the siddur we have today is filled with prayers from across history.
Essays
Between Modern Orthodoxy and Religious Zionism: At Home as an Immigrant
My family made aliyah over a decade ago. Navigating our lives as American immigrants in Israel is a day-to-day balance.
Essays
Rabbi Eliezer Berkovits’ Complicated Portrait of Faith
Meet a traditional rabbi in an untraditional time, willing to deal with faith in all its beauty—and hardships.
Essays
Diving Into The World of Mysticism
Joy and meaning can be found not only despite the brokenness, but even because of the brokenness.
Essays
Vayikra and the Shape of Sacrifice
If God has no need for offerings, why does the Torah devote an entire book to them—and what does that reveal about…
Essays
How the Lubavitcher Rebbe Teaches Us to Transcend Ourselves
I consider the Rebbe to be my personal teacher, and I find this teaching particularly relevant for us now.
Recommended Videos
videos
An Orthodox Rabbi Interviews a Reform Rabbi | Dovid Bashevkin & Diana Fersko
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Diana Fersko, senior rabbi of the Village Temple Reform synagogue, about denominations…
videos
Moshe Benovitz: Why Religious Change Doesn’t Always Last
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, recorded live at Stern College, we speak with Rabbi Moshe Benovitz, director of NCSY Kollel,…
videos
A Reform Rabbi Interviews an Orthodox Rabbi | Dovid Bashevkin & Diana Fersko (Part 2)
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, David Bashevkin answers questions from Diana Fersko, senior rabbi of the Village Temple Reform synagogue,…
videos
Moshe Gersht: ‘The world of mysticism begs for practicality’
Rabbi Moshe Gersht first encountered the world of Chassidus at the age of twenty, the beginning of what he terms his “spiritual…
videos
Moshe Weinberger: ‘The Jewish People are God’s shofar’
In order to study Kabbalah, argues Rav Moshe Weinberger, one must approach it with humility.
videos
Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin: How Torah Gives Us Faith and Hope
In this special Simchas Torah episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin—parents of murdered hostage Hersh…
videos
A Vulnerable Conversation About Shame, Selfhood, & Authenticity with Shais Taub & David Bashevkin
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Shais Taub, the rabbi behind the organization SoulWords, about shame, selfhood, and…
videos
Intergenerational Divergence
videos
Jewish Peoplehood
What is Jewish peoplehood? In a world that is increasingly international in its scope, our appreciation for the national or the tribal…
videos
We Asked Jews About AI. Here’s What They Said.
This series, recorded at the 18Forty X ASFoundation AI Summit, is sponsored by American Security Foundation.
videos
Zevi Slavin: ‘To be a mystic is to be human at its most raw’
As a Chabad Hasid, Rabbi Zevi Slavin’s formative years were spent immersed in the rich traditions of Chassidut and Kabbala.
