This series is sponsored by our friends Mira and Daniel Stokar.
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to an anonymous guest about infidelity and its consequences and aftermath. Additionally, we receive the expertise of clinical psychologist Dr. Malika Bhowmik, on re-establishing intimacy after violations of trust.
We love to tell teshuva stories that have perfect and happy endings, but sometimes the most meaningful teshuva does not fix all of one’s problems immediately. In this episode we discuss:
Tune in to hear a conversation about how we can strengthen our essential relationships and revitalize the excitement, joy, and sweetness of our religious lives.
Interview with our anonymous guest begins at 16:10.
Interview with Dr. Bhowmik begins at 1:49:00.
Dr. Malika Bhowmik is a clinical psychologist in private practice, where she works with individuals and couples. Dr. Bhowmik received her doctorate in clinical psychology at the Graduate Center at City University of New York, where she wrote her dissertation on “A Grounded Theory Investigation of the Subjective Responses From Partners in Couples Where Infidelity Has Occurred.” Dr. Bhowmick was mentored by Esther Perel, LMFT, one of the most acclaimed thinkers and therapists on relationships, especially after crisis.
References:
Sin•a•gogue: Sin and Failure in Jewish Thought by David Bashevkin
ברגז רחם תזכור by David Bashevkin
Sexaholics Anonymous: White Book
Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find—and Keep—Love by Amir Levine and Rachel Heller
Single On Purpose: Redefine Everything. Find Yourself First by John Kim
Mating in Captivity by Esther Perel
After the Affair: Healing the Pain and Rebuilding Trust When a Partner Has Been Unfaithful by Janis A. Spring
The State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity by Esther Perel
We talk to Alana Newhouse about why seemingly everyone is arguing about Israel.
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.
Rabbi Simon Jacobson joins us to discuss Jewish mysticism and redemption.
We talk to Adam Ferziger about how American Jews have helped shape the evolution of Israeli Judaism.
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we sit down with Rabbi Jeremy Wieder – rosh yeshiva, PhD, Bible professor, and passionate Orthodox moral voice – to discuss what the Torah has to say about social justice.
In this episode, we talk to a father and daughter who were estranged and then reunited.
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Rabbi Pini Dunner and Rav Moshe Weinberger about the Yabloner Rebbe and his astounding story of teshuva.
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.
We talk to Michael Olshin about the purpose of the gap year in Israel.
Devori Nussbaum joins us to discuss Hasidism, psychotherapy, and the growth of the soul.
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.
How can our generation understanding mysticism, philosophy, and suffering in today’s chaotic world?
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we sit down with Joey Rosenfeld, social worker and kabbalist, to talk about the differences between mysticism and rationalism and the roles they should play in our lives.
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 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.
We talk to Michael Eisenberg about the state of the Jewish People in Israel and the diaspora.
We talk to Rabbi Shaanan Gelman and his son Ziggy about the persistence of a parent-child relationship when the latter faces addiction.
The true enemy in Israel’s current war, Einat Wilf says, is what she calls “Palestinianism.”
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Emmi Polansky, known on social media as @livingemunah, about her journey finding agency as a single mother.
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we discuss parental alienation.
We speak with Rabbi Aaron Kotler about the beginnings of the American yeshiva world.
Haviv answers 18 questions on Israel.
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Daniel Statman, a professor of philosophy at the University of Haifa, about what it means to wage a moral war.
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we sit down with Laura E. Adkins, the JTA’s opinion editor and an adjunct professor of journalism at Stern College for Women, to talk about how she stays grounded while engaging with so many disparate viewpoints.
Perhaps the most fundamental question any religious believer can ask is: “Does God exist?” It’s time we find good answers.
On slowing down, paying attention, and what to read while the world wakes up
At the conclusion of Vayikra, the Torah asks us to imagine a life built on rest, responsibility, and a covenant that will…
This Sukkot, I am reminded that bringing new life into a hostile world is not naïveté—it’s resistance.
Joy and meaning can be found not only despite the brokenness, but even because of the brokenness.
I have lived with hearing loss for decades. This is what it’s taught me about community, human ability, and the art of…
Children don’t come with guarantees. Washing machines come with guarantees.
Children cannot truly avoid the consequences of estrangement. Their parents’ shadow will always follow.
My family made aliyah over a decade ago. Navigating our lives as American immigrants in Israel is a day-to-day balance.
From verses in Parshat Bo to desert caves, tefillin emerge as one of Judaism’s earliest embodied practices.
Rav Froman was a complicated character in Israel and in his own home city of Tekoa, as people from both the right…
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.
This Yom Kippur, we look into the life of Rabbi Hillel Zeitlin to learn about religious change and devotion over time.
I consider the Rebbe to be my personal teacher, and I find this teaching particularly relevant for us now.
Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir wears the mantle of Kahane in Israel. Many Orthodox Jews welcomed him with open arms.
A Hezbollah missile killed Rabbi Dr. Tamir Granot’s son, Amitai Tzvi, on Oct. 15. Here, he pleas for Haredim to enlist into…
Kosher phones make calls and send texts. No Instagram, no TikTok, and no distractions. Maybe it’s time the world embraces them.
If You’re Reading These Words is a book in which all the heroes have died, yet it overflows with life.
A 94-year-old Holocaust survivor, a lone soldier, and more. Here are seven olim sharing their stories of aliyah.
Yes, the Israeli army needs Jews to draft, but more than that, Jews need to experience what it means to serve.
Their motivations are not ideological extremism but a basic survival instinct to protect their families from the past’s failed paradigms.
Israel is clearly important to Jews. The question becomes: To what extent?
What is the Zohar — and why has it captivated mystics, scholars, and seekers for nearly a thousand years?
Rabbanit Sarah Yehudit Schneider believes meditation is the entryway to understanding mysticism.
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, David Bashevkin answers questions from Diana Fersko, senior rabbi of the Village Temple Reform synagogue,…
We speak with Joey Rosenfeld about how our generation can understand suffering.
We speak with Naftuli Moster about how and why he changed his understanding of the values imparted by Judaism.
18Forty helps users find meaning through the exploration of Jewish thought and ideas.
On this 18Forty panel, we speak with Alex Jakubowski of Lightning Studios, Sara Wolkenfeld of Sefaria, and Ari Lamm of BZ Media…
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, we speak with Mark Wildes, founder and director of Manhattan Jewish Experience, about Modern Orthodox…
Support Jewish explorations today by supporting 18Forty. Your partnership makes our work possible.
Donate today.
