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Recommended Podcasts
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Michael Eisenberg: Iran, USA, Israel: What Comes Next
We talk to Michael Eisenberg about the state of the Jewish People in Israel and the diaspora.
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Michael Olshin: Reimagining the Gap Year in Israel
We talk to Michael Olshin about the purpose of the gap year in Israel.
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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.
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Daniel Statman: Can War Be Moral? On Moral Philosophy and War
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.
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On Loss: A Spouse
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Rabbi Josh Grajower – rabbi and educator – about the loss of his wife, as well as the loss that Tisha B’Av represents for the Jewish People.
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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.
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Why 1840?
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The How and Why of Moving to Israel
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to a series of guests who have made aliyah about the practical factors involved with building a life in Israel.
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Fleur Hassan-Nahoum: ‘I am scared that in 20 years, Israel will be isolated completely’
We do our best to have transcripts available the week an episode is released.
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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.
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David Bashevkin: My Mental Health Journey
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, David Bashevkin opens up about his mental health journey.
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When a Parent Becomes Estranged
In this episode, we talk to a father and daughter who were estranged and then reunited.
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Micah Goodman: ‘I don’t want Gaza to become our Vietnam’
Micah Goodman doesn’t think Palestinian-Israeli peace will happen within his lifetime. But he’s still a hopeful person.
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Alon Shalev: How Rav Hutner Found Existential Meaning
Shalev, Author of Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner’s Theology of Meaning, talks existentialism, individualism, and more.
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Bezalel Naor: Rav Kook’s Mystical Vision of Zionism
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Bezalel Naor—author, translator, and expert on Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook—about Rav Kook’s relationship to the Land of Israel.
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Debbie Stone: Can Prayer Be Taught?
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Dr. Debbie Stone, an educator of young people, about how she teaches prayer.
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Jeremy Tibbetts: ‘Being a spiritual seeker is not in vogue’
Jeremy Tibbetts joins us to discuss the role of mysticism in daily life and how each person can find their own “piece of Torah.”
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Haviv Rettig Gur: ‘Hamas is upset the death toll in Gaza isn’t higher’
Haviv answers 18 questions on Israel.
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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.
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Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin: How Torah Gives Us Faith and Hope
We speak with Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin about their relationship to Torah.
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Elli Fischer: Can Israel Follow Jewish Law?
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Rabbi Elli Fischer— a writer, translator, and editor—about the relationship between Jewish law and the Jewish state.
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Tuvia Tenenbom: How a Secular Jew Came To Love the Haredi World
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Tuvia Tenenbom, a formerly Haredi and now secular Jew and the author of Careful, Beauties Ahead!, about how he developed a new love for Haredi religious life.
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Malka Simkovich: When Did The Jewish Diaspora Begin?
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Malka Simkovich.
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Sarah Hurwitz: Reclaiming Judaism from Shame and Blame
We speak with writer Sarah Hurwitz about what it means to be a “knowing Jew.”
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‘Don’t Wait as Long as I Did’: Seven Stories of Aliyah
A 94-year-old Holocaust survivor, a lone soldier, and more. Here are seven olim sharing their stories of aliyah.
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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.
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The Words They Left Behind
If You’re Reading These Words is a book in which all the heroes have died, yet it overflows with life.
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5 Ways Atonement Works (Even When the Text is Hard)
In Acharei Mot-Kedoshim, we learn that holiness requires moving beyond the letter of the law to its spirit.
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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.
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(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.
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‘Are Your Brothers To Go to War While You Stay Here?’: On Haredim Drafting to the IDF
A Hezbollah missile killed Rabbi Dr. Tamir Granot’s son, Amitai Tzvi, on Oct. 15. Here, he pleas for Haredim to enlist into…
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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.
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A Letter to Children Estranged From Their Parents
Children cannot truly avoid the consequences of estrangement. Their parents’ shadow will always follow.
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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…
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The Art of the Interview: The Best Three Interviewers for You to Know
As podcasts become more popular, the interview has changed from educational to artistic and demands its own appreciation.
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The Israeli Peace Activist and Religious Leader You Need to Know
Rav Froman was a complicated character in Israel and in his own home city of Tekoa, as people from both the right…
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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.
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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.
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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.
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How Jewish Communities Can Help Couples Going Through Divorce
Divorce often upends emotional and financial stability. A Jewish organization in Los Angeles offers a better way forward.
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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.
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Is Israel the Future of Judaism? Israeli and Diaspora Jews Weigh In.
Israel is clearly important to Jews. The question becomes: To what extent?
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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.
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‘The Crisis of Experience’: What Singlehood Means in a Married Community
I spent months interviewing single, Jewish adults. The way we think about—and treat—singlehood in the Jewish community needs to change. Here’s how.
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The History of Halacha, from the Torah to Today
Missing from Tanach—the Jewish People’s origin story—is one of the central aspects of Jewish life: the observance of halacha. Why?
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What Haredim Can Teach Us About Getting Off Our Smartphones
Kosher phones make calls and send texts. No Instagram, no TikTok, and no distractions. Maybe it’s time the world embraces them.
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This Might Be What Saves Us from AI
In Klara and the Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro asks us to reconsider what, if anything, separates humans from machines.
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Diving Into The World of Mysticism
Joy and meaning can be found not only despite the brokenness, but even because of the brokenness.
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Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin: How Torah Gives Us Faith and Hope
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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,…
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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…
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Matisyahu: Teshuva in the Spotlight
We talk to Matisyahu, who has publicly re-embraced his Judaism and Zionism.
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Jewish Peoplehood
What is Jewish peoplehood? In a world that is increasingly international in its scope, our appreciation for the national or the tribal…
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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.
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Is Modern Orthodox kiruv the way forward for American Jews? | Dovid Bashevkin & Mark Wildes
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Mark Wildes, founder and director of Manhattan Jewish Experience, about Modern Orthodox…
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18Forty: Exploring Big Questions (An Introduction)
18Forty is a new media company that helps users find meaning in their lives through the exploration of Jewish thought and ideas.…
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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,…
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What are Israel’s Greatest Success and Mistake in the Gaza War?
What has been Israel’s greatest success and greatest mistake?