Hear from a rosh yeshiva, a former Jerusalem mayor, a Times of Israel analyst, and more.
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In this special episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Professor Jonathan Haidt about the late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks in honor of his yahrtzeit.
Rabbi Yaakov Klein joins us to discuss the soul of God, Jewish particularism, and personal identity.
We speak with Rabbi Aaron Kotler about the beginnings of the American yeshiva world.
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.
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 mark the yahrtzeit of Rav Ezra Dovid Halevi Neuberger with remembrances from Dovid Bashevkin and David Fohrman.
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.
In this edition of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to David’s rebbe, Rav Yisroel Kaminetsky, longtime principal of DRS Yeshiva High School, about the state of Jewish education in America.
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 pivot to Intergenerational Divergence by talking to Rachel Yehuda, a professor of psychiatry and neuroscience, about intergenerational trauma and intergenerational resilience.
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, we talk to a father and daughter who were estranged and then reunited.
Efraim Palvanov answers questions on misinformation, prayer as self-reflection, and every Jew’s role in bringing Mashiach.
We talk to Rabbi YY Jacobson about how each of us can experience redemptive consciousness by feeling Hashem’s infinite love and presence in this moment.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Marika Feuerstein about the life of her grandfather, Aaron Feuerstein.
Israeli musician and mystic Ricka Razel joins us to discuss gratitude, joy, and the difference between men and women.
Rabbi Manis Friedman discusses the nature of prayer, the challenge of ignorance, and the evolution of mystical teachings.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not surprise Anshel Pfeffer over the last 17 months of war—and that’s the most disappointing part.
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Talia Khan—a Jewish MIT graduate student and Israel activist—and her father, an Afghan Muslim immigrant, about their close father-daughter relationship despite their ideological disagreements.
Perhaps the most fundamental question any religious believer can ask is: “Does God exist?” It’s time we find good answers.
The 18Forty guide to making meaning on Shabbos, part II
In today’s world, Rabbi Sacks’ message feels more urgent than ever: that God continues to believe in humanity.
In the age of social media, every experience needs a narrative arc. Judaism offers a different way to make meaning.
Joy and meaning can be found not only despite the brokenness, but even because of the brokenness.
The 18Forty guide to making meaning on Shabbos, part I
My family made aliyah over a decade ago. Navigating our lives as American immigrants in Israel is a day-to-day balance.
I consider the Rebbe to be my personal teacher, and I find this teaching particularly relevant for us now.
Children don’t come with guarantees. Washing machines come with guarantees.
Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir wears the mantle of Kahane in Israel. Many Orthodox Jews welcomed him with open arms.
Rav Froman was a complicated character in Israel and in his own home city of Tekoa, as people from both the right…
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.
A 94-year-old Holocaust survivor, a lone soldier, and more. Here are seven olim sharing their stories of aliyah.
From Freud through today, our desire to heal asks us to consider why we care so badly—and maybe if it’s hindering the…
Yes, the Israeli army needs Jews to draft, but more than that, Jews need to experience what it means to serve.
If You’re Reading These Words is a book in which all the heroes have died, yet it overflows with life.
A personal return to the poems that taught me how to imagine America
Between early prayer books, kabbalistic additions, and the printing press, the siddur we have today is filled with prayers from across history.
Their motivations are not ideological extremism but a basic survival instinct to protect their families from the past’s failed paradigms.
A Hezbollah missile killed Rabbi Dr. Tamir Granot’s son, Amitai Tzvi, on Oct. 15. Here, he pleas for Haredim to enlist into…
As America grows lonelier, Rav Soloveitchik’s vision of the self offers a challenge to Emersonian self-reliance.
Dr. Judith Herman has spent her career helping those who are going through trauma, and has provided far-reaching insight into the field.
From Avraham’s mission to Rivka’s generosity, Parshat Chayei Sarah outlines a relationship rooted in values, agency, and mutual respect.
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Shais Taub, the rabbi behind the organization SoulWords, about shame, selfhood, and…
Today, we’re sharing an episode of our program Talmud Daily featuring Michelle Margolis, the Norman E. Alexander Librarian for Jewish Studies at…
In this episode, Liel Leibovitz reflects on falling in love with the Talmud precisely because it is so difficult—and on how its…
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Rav Judah Mischel, executive director of Camp HASC and author of the…
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Rabbi Dr. Ari Lamm, co-founder and president of SoulShop Studios, about doing…
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, David Bashevkin answers questions from Diana Fersko, senior rabbi of the Village Temple Reform synagogue,…
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 Rabbi YY Jacobson, one of the foremost online teachers of Torah, about…
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Diana Fersko, senior rabbi of the Village Temple Reform synagogue, about denominations…
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In a disenchanted world, we can turn to mysticism to find enchantment, to remember that there is something more under the surface…
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