In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast—created in collaboration with Amudim—we speak with Shais Taub, the rabbi behind the organization SoulWords, about shame, selfhood, and authenticity.
In this episode we discuss:
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God of Our Understanding by Shais Taub
Sin•a•gogue: Sin and Failure in Jewish Thought by David Bashevkin
Top 5 by David Bashevkin
“Eric Adams on Dyslexia, Trauma, and Fixing What’s Broken in Politics”
We speak with Rabbi Aaron Kotler about the beginnings of the American yeshiva world.
We speak with Professors Elisheva Carlebach and Debra Kaplan about women’s religious, social, and communal roles in early modern Jewish life.
We speak with Yehuda Geberer about the history of the yeshiva world.
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.
Ora Wiskind joins us to discuss free will, transformation, and brokenness.
We speak with Rabbis Eitan Webb and Ari Israel about Jewish life on college campuses today.
Haviv answers 18 questions on Israel.
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 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.
Dr. Chava Green joins us to discuss the role of women in the Messianic Era and seeing God in the everyday.
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we sit down with Rabbi Daniel Grama—rabbi of Westside Shul and Valley Torah High School—and his daughter Aliza—a former Bais Yaakov student and recovered addict—about navigating their religious and other differences.
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Ora Wiskind, professor and author, to discuss her life journey, both as a Jew and as an academic, and her attitude towards mysticism.
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 of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to author Bruce Feiler about family narratives.
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 Rabbi Ken Brodkin, rabbi of New Jersey’s Congregation B’nai Israel, about how he helped turn it into “the Orthodox synagogue for all Jews.”
Prof. Moshe Idel joins us to discuss mysticism, diversity, and the true concerns of most Jews throughout history.
On this episode of 18Forty, we explore the world of Jewish dating.
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, David sits down with Leah Forster, a world-famous ex-Hasidic comedian, to talk about how her journey has affected her comedy.
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.
Israel is facing several existential crises—at least three, by Netta Barak-Corren’s account.
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.
Rabbi Gil Student speaks with Rabbi Aryeh Klapper and Sofer.ai CEO Zach Fish about how AI is reshaping questions of Jewish practice.
Divorce often upends emotional and financial stability. A Jewish organization in Los Angeles offers a better way forward.
Two programs are already bridging the Orthodox and non-Orthodox divide through the timeless tradition of chavruta learning.
Perhaps the most fundamental question any religious believer can ask is: “Does God exist?” It’s time we find good answers.
These recent works examine disagreement, reinvention, and spiritual courage across Jewish history.
Parshat Terumah suggests that chesed is part of the DNA of every synagogue.
After the revelation at Sinai, Parshat Terumah turns to blueprints—revealing what it means to build a home for God.
Identity, desire, women in fiction, and more: What we’re reading before Purim.
Christianity’s focus on the afterlife historically discouraged Jews from discussing it—but Jews very much believe in it.
Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir wears the mantle of Kahane in Israel. Many Orthodox Jews welcomed him with open arms.
From verses in Parshat Bo to desert caves, tefillin emerge as one of Judaism’s earliest embodied practices.
These four forces are quietly determining what our schools prioritize—and what they neglect.
To talk about the history of Jewish mysticism is in many ways to talk about the history of the mystical community.
I’ve seen firsthand the fallout and collateral damage of the worst divorce cases–and that’s why I’m sharing methods for how we can…
Religious Zionism is a spectrum—and I would place my Hardal community on the right of that spectrum.
Children cannot truly avoid the consequences of estrangement. Their parents’ shadow will always follow.
Between early prayer books, kabbalistic additions, and the printing press, the siddur we have today is filled with prayers from across history.
A bedrock principle of Orthodox Judaism is that we received not only the Written Torah at Sinai but also the oral one—does…
Missing from Tanach—the Jewish People’s origin story—is one of the central aspects of Jewish life: the observance of halacha. Why?
After years of unsolicited advice, I now share some in return.
Kosher phones make calls and send texts. No Instagram, no TikTok, and no distractions. Maybe it’s time the world embraces them.
Dr. Judith Herman has spent her career helping those who are going through trauma, and has provided far-reaching insight into the field.
Jews from the Land of Israel prayed differently than we do today—with marked difference. What happened to their traditions?
What began as a half-hour experiment with ChatGPT turned into an unexpected confrontation with my own humanity.
What if the deepest encounter with God is found not in texts, but in a people? Rav Kook and the Lubavitcher Rebbe…
In this special Simchas Torah episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin—parents of murdered hostage Hersh…
We speak with Joey Rosenfeld about how our generation can understand suffering.
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, David Bashevkin answers questions from Diana Fersko, senior rabbi of the Village Temple Reform synagogue,…
Why did this Hasidic Rebbe move from Poland to Israel, only to change his name, leave religion, and disappear to Los Angeles?
What is Jewish peoplehood? In a world that is increasingly international in its scope, our appreciation for the national or the tribal…
We speak with Naftuli Moster about how and why he changed his understanding of the values imparted by Judaism.
Rabbanit Sarah Yehudit Schneider believes meditation is the entryway to understanding mysticism.
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, recorded live at Stern College, we speak with Rabbi Moshe Benovitz, director of NCSY Kollel,…
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Shais Taub, the rabbi behind the organization SoulWords, about shame, selfhood, and…
This series, recorded at the 18Forty X ASFoundation AI Summit, is sponsored by American Security Foundation.
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Mark Wildes, founder and director of Manhattan Jewish Experience, about Modern Orthodox…
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Rabbis Eitan Webb and Ari Israel, head of a campus Chabad and…
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