18Forty Podcast

This episode is sponsored by Eden Beit Shemesh. Contact Rina Weinberg at [email protected] for more details. 

Noam Taragin, son of our previous guest Rabbi Moshe Taragin, was seriously injured in Lebanon. We ask to pray for his quick healing: Noam Avraham ben Atara Shlomit.

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Malka Simkovich—a scholar of Jewish history, the editor-in-chief of the Jewish Publication Society, and a three-time 18Forty guest—about previous Jewish diasporas. 

We tend to think of “Israel-diaspora relations” as a modern phenomenon. But, as Dr. Simkovich reminds us, that situation existed well over 2,000 years ago, when some Jews returned to the Land of Israel following the Babylonian exile while others remained abroad. In this episode we discuss:

• What are the differences between the notions of golah, diaspora, and galut?
• Did ancient diaspora Jews have a political equivalent to “supporting Israel”? 
• How should Jews live when in a partial state of exile?

Tune in to hear a conversation about the “proto-messianic mindset” throughout Jewish history and today. 

Interview begins at 8:58.

Dr. Malka Simkovich is the director and editor-in-chief of the Jewish Publication Society and previously served as the Crown-Ryan Chair of Jewish Studies and Director of the Catholic-Jewish Studies program at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. She earned a doctoral degree in Second Temple and Rabbinic Judaism from Brandeis University and a Master’s degree in Hebrew Bible from Harvard University. She is the author of The Making of Jewish Universalism: From Exile to Alexandria (2016), Discovering Second Temple Literature: The Scriptures and Stories That Shaped Early Judaism (2018), and Letters From Home: The Creation of Diaspora in Jewish Antiquity, (2024). This is her third time speaking on 18Forty.

References:

18Forty Podcast: “Malka Simkovich: The Mystery of the Jewish People”

18Forty Podcast: “Malka Simkovich: The Secrets of Second Temple Judaism”

Letters from Home: The Creation of Diaspora in Jewish Antiquity by Malka Z. Simkovich

The Antiquities of the Jews by Josephus

The Elephantine Papyri in English: Three Millennia of Cross-Cultural Continuity and Change by Bezalel Porten

Rosh Hashanah 18b

Ben Sira

Zechariah 8:19


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This episode is sponsored by Eden Beit Shemesh. Contact Rina Weinberg at [email protected] for more details. 

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Rav Moshe Taragin, rosh mesivta at Yeshivat Har Etzion, about the interrelated missions of American and Israeli Jews—and the stake that each of us holds in the Jewish redemptive story. 

In this episode we discuss:

• How should young American Jews experience Israel in their formative years? 
• How has October 7 altered the diaspora community’s orientation toward Israeli society?
• How can we be less intimidated by the differences between frumkeit in America and Israel’s religious culture?

Tune in to hear a conversation about what it means to engage with the “front stage” of Jewish history.

Interview begins at 19:21

Rav Moshe Taragin has been a rosh mesivta at Yeshivat Har Etzion in the Gush since 1994. He has semikha from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, a BA in Computer Science from Yeshiva College, and an MA in English Literature from City University. Rabbi Taragin previously taught Talmud at Columbia University, lectured in Talmud and Bible at the IBC and JSS divisions of Yeshiva University, and served as Assistant Rabbi at the Fifth Avenue Synagogue. In addition, Rabbi Taragin currently teaches at the Stella K. Abraham Beit Midrash for Women of Yeshivat Har Etzion in Migdal Oz in Gush Etzion. He is a 1983 alumnus of Har Etzion.

References:

Reclaiming Redemption by Rabbi Moshe Taragin

Dark Clouds Above, Faith Below by Rabbi Moshe Taragin

“The Waste Land” by T. S. Eliot

Berakhot 5a

18Forty Podcast: “Yosef Bronstein: Only for Chabad? Modern Orthodoxy and the Rebbe” 

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We're taking a week off from our main podcast, but we want to share with you an episode of our new podcast, 18 Questions, 40 Israeli Thinkers, recorded on Sept. 9. Subscribe to on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to catch the latest episode every Monday. 

Until Hamas is gone, Haviv Rettig Gur says, Gaza will be unable to recover after the war.

The Times of Israel journalist and political analyst has emerged as a leading voice for the Israeli public and the Jewish world for deeper understandings of the war's developments. Haviv has covered Israeli politics — domestic and foreign — for nearly two decades and speaks internationally about Zionism, the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict, and Israel's future.

Haviv was previously the director of communications for the Jewish Agency for Israel, and currently teaches history and politics at Israeli premilitary academies.

Now, he joins us to answer 18 questions on Israel, including the country's leadership, Western media, and the Palestinian future.

Here are our 18 questions:

1. As an Israeli, and as a Jew, how are you feeling at this moment in Israeli history?
2. What has been Israel’s greatest success and greatest mistake in its war against Hamas?
3. Do you think Western media covers the Israel-Hamas War fairly?
4. What do you look for in deciding which Knesset party to vote for?
5. Which is more important for Israel: Judaism or democracy?
6. What role should the Israeli government have in religious matters?
7. Should Israel treat its Jewish and non-Jewish citizens the same?
8. Now that Israel already exists, what is the purpose of Zionism?
9. Is opposing Zionism inherently antisemitic?
10. Is the IDF the world’s most moral army?
11. If you were making the case for Israel, where would you begin?
12. Can questioning the actions of Israel’s government and army — such as in the context of this war — be a valid form of love and patriotism?
13. What do you think is the most legitimate criticism leveled against Israel today?
14. Do you think peace between Israelis and Palestinians will happen within your lifetime?
15. What should happen with Gaza and the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict after the war?
16. Where do you read news about Israel?
17. Where do you identify on Israel’s political and religious spectrum, and do you have friends on the “other side”?
18. Do you have more hope or fear for Israel and the Jewish People?

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This series is sponsored by Mira and Daniel Stokar, and this episode is sponsored by dailygiving.org.

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to musician Matisyahu Miller—known as “Matisyahu”—who has publicly re-embraced his Judaism and Zionism since October 7.

Matisyahu’s public persona has long been subject to scrutiny and analysis. Comparatively few people, though, have listened to his story in depth. In this episode we discuss:

• How has the public expression of Matisyahu’s Jewish identity ebbed and flowed throughout his life?
• Is there anything Matisyahu would change about the Orthodox community?
• How has the inwardness of Matisyahu’s Jewish identity guided him throughout his life?

Tune in to hear a conversation about what it means to be, in Matisyahu’s words, “a pnimius Yid.”

Grammy-nominated artist Matisyahu is a singer, songwriter, rapper, and alternative rock musician. He's known for his skill in blending reggae and hip hop as he provides a raw expression of his spirituality. His long and winding career consists of seven albums including chart-topping Light, Youth, Spark Seeker, Akeda, and Undercurrent with hits such as "One Day", "Sunshine", and "King Without A Crown". Through his lyrics, Matisyahu develops a personal, artistic, and sophisticated way to express the yearning for deep spiritual meaning, and as his own beliefs opened up to find more variety and depth, the desire for his performances to match the unpredictable flow of life developed as well. 

References:

The Office 

Light by Matisyahu

Akeda by Matisyahu

Holy Brother: Inspiring Stories and Enchanted Tales about Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach by Yitta Halberstam Mandelbaum

The Sabbath by Abraham Joshua Heschel

Politics Of Experience by R.D. Laing

"Spiritual Schadenfreude: The Case of Matisyahu’s Beard" by David Bashevkin

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In this special episode of the 18Forty Podcast, in honor of the anniversary of October 7, we revisit and reflect on the conversations we’ve had that have helped us process this tumultuous time. 

The past year has been long and painful, and we’ve been constantly reminded that the trajectory of Jewish history is still at stake. This makes it imperative for us to examine our lives and our relationship to God and to the Jewish People during these Ten Days of Repentance. In this episode we discuss:

• What is the role of memory in the Jewish experience, and what are the memories of October 7 that we will hold with us? 
• How has the terror attack altered the way we live and the way we understand the world?
• How have our theological and ideological beliefs developed over the past year?

Tune in to hear a conversation about what it means to be a Jew during this consequential period in the Jewish story.

Interview highlights begin at:

    Rachel Goldberg-Polin: 16:17
    Danny Brom: 23:27
    Dina: 30:23
    Jonathan Gribetz: 37:29
    Doron Perez: 46:29
    Noa Lewis: 59:22

References:

Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer

Zakhor: Jewish History and Jewish Memory by Yosef Hayim Yerushalmi

“The Man in the Arena” by Theodore Roosevelt

“Shomer Yisroel” by Omek Hadavar

18Forty Podcast: Rachel Goldberg-Polin: “A Hostage’s Mother Fighting for His Freedom”

18Forty Podcast: “The Trauma of War: Mental Health Professionals in Israel”

18Forty Podcast: “A Haredi Mother Sending Her Children To Serve”

Defining Neighbors: Religion, Race, and the Early Zionist-Arab Encounter by Jonathan Marc Gribetz

Reading Herzl in Beirut: The PLO Effort to Know the Enemy by Jonathan Marc Gribetz

18Forty Podcast: “Jonathan Gribetz: Teaching the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict”

18Forty Podcast: “Doron Perez: One Child Married, One Child Missing”

18Forty Podcast: “On Loss: Defending Israel on Oct. 7”

Ecclesiastes 3

18Forty Podcast: “Noa Lewis: How Can We Help Israel?”

Genesis 29:17

Rashi on Genesis 29:17

“Forgive Me, My King I Did Not Know You Were Also a Father” by David Bashevkin

Yoma 39b

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This series is sponsored by Mira and Daniel Stokar, and this episode is sponsored by dailygiving.org.

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. 

Sometimes, when we talk about teshuva, we’re referring to repentance for our specific sins. Another type of teshuva, as we explore, is a return to God as we celebrate our own worthiness and tzelem Elokim. In this episode we discuss:

• What is it like to participate in chagim and simchas during the process of divorce?
• How do we pick up the pieces when our plans for a perfect familial and spiritual life fall apart?
• How did fitness help improve Emmi ‘s mental and emotional health?

Tune in to hear a conversation about what it means to repeatedly return to God in times of apparent loneliness. 

Interview begins at 12:21.

References:

Chagigah 15a

As a Driven Leaf by Milton Steinberg

Sin•a•gogue: Sin and Failure in Jewish Thought by David Bashevkin

@livingemunah on Instagram 

Emunah Minute on WhatsApp

Bilvavi Mishkan Evne

18Forty Podcast: “Rav Moshe Weinberger: Can Mysticism Become a Community?”

18Forty Podcast: “Moshe and Asher Weinberger: Heart of the Fire”

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

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This series is sponsored by Mira and Daniel Stokar, and this episode is sponsored by dailygiving.org.

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.

When Tuvia Tenenbom wrote a book about Haredim in Mea Shearim, he found that all Jews—no matter how different their communities—are interconnected in more ways than we might think. In this episode we discuss:

• How did the Haredi community respond to October 7?
• What do outsiders misunderstand about Haredi Jews?
• Is humor the universal Jewish language? 

Tune in to hear a conversation about what it means to truly love the entirety of the Jewish family. 

Interview begins at 28:37.

Tuvia Tenenbom is an Israeli-American theater director, playwright, and author who is the founding artistic director of the Jewish Theater of New York. He authored several books that deal with themes of Jewish life, Jewish culture, antisemitism, and the Holocaust, including his well-known Catch The Jew!. He joins us to discuss the year he, a secular Jew, spent with the Haredi Jews of Mea Shearim. 

References:

18Forty Podcast: “Joshua Leifer and Shaindy Ort: How Progressive Activists Rediscovered Traditional Jewish Life”

Tosafot on Pesachim

Careful, Beauties Ahead! by Tuvia Tenenbo

Catch The Jew! by Tuvia Tenenbom

Works of Tuvia Tenenbom

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

This series is sponsored by Mira and Daniel Stokar, and this episode is sponsored by dailygiving.org.

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Yussie Zakutinsky, rabbi of K’hal Mevakshei Hashem in Lawrence, New York, about his vision for a Judaism that unites the entire Jewish People—no matter how wide the gaps between us. 

Since October 7, of the many schisms within the Jewish People, some have mended while others are torn anew. As a nation, we have much further to go. In this episode, we discuss:

• How can we see the divinity in Jews with whom we profoundly disagree?
• What do we mean when we say “the entirety of the Jewish People is an expression of God”?
• How can we rescue the divinity within ourselves and within one another?

Tune in to hear a conversation about, as the Baal Shem Tov described it, vanquishing the dragon and redeeming the princess—i.e., elevating the good in all the Jewish People. 

Interview begins at 20:27. 

Rabbi Yussie Zakutinsky is a rabbi and spiritual leader. He is the rabbi of K’hal Mevakshei Hashem in Lawrence, New York, and is a sought-after lecturer and leader of spiritual happenings.

References:

Mesillat Yesharim by Moses Chaim Luzzatto

Derekh Hashem by Moses Chaim Luzzatto

Avodah Zarah 9a

rabbiywilk.com

Genesis 12:5

18Forty Podcast: “Rabbi YY Jacobson: How Did the Rebbe Revolutionize Judaism?”

Works of Rav Kook

Works of Rav Tzadok HaKohen

Divrei Soferim 16

Pachad Yitzchok by Rav Yitzchok Hutner

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This series is sponsored by Mira and Daniel Stokar, and this episode is sponsored by dailygiving.org.

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Joshua Leifer and Shaindy Ort, married progressive activists who are reembracing traditional Jewish life.

Joshua and Shaindy grew up in Conservative and Yeshivish communities, respectively, but struggled to find a Jewish community as they joined left-wing circles, specifically those highly critical of Israel. 

After October 7, Joshua resigned from the anti-Zionist magazine Jewish Currents, and in August, he published Tablets Shattered: The End of an American Jewish Century and the Future of Jewish Life, which made headlines after a Brooklyn bookstore canceled Joshua’s planned talk because it included a Zionist rabbi. In this episode we discuss:

• Has October 7 changed anything for progressive Jews highly critical of Israel?
• Why do left-wing circles struggle to maintain engaged Jewish life?
• What differentiates the Israeli left from the American left?

Tune in to hear a conversation about return and renewal for progressive Jews seeking a life of traditional Jewishness.

Interview begins at 16:44.

Joshua Leifer is a journalist, editor, and translator. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The New York Review of Books, The Nation, and elsewhere, and he is the author of the new book Tablets Shattered: The End of an American Jewish Century and the Future of Jewish Life.

Shaindy Ort-Leifer is an attorney who works in the fields of strategic litigation and international law.

Joshua and Shaindy are married.

References:

Orot HaTeshuvah by Abraham Isaac HaCohen Kook

Tablets Shattered: The End of an American Jewish Century and the Future of Jewish Life by Joshua Leifer

Siddur Sefard: “Upon Arising, Upon Entering Synagogue”

Jew Vs Jew: The Struggle For The Soul Of American Jewry by Samuel G. Freedman

After Virtue by Alasdair MacIntyre

Hirsch Haggadah by Samson R. Hirsch

Arukh HaShulchan by Yechiel Michel Epstein

Kitzur Shulchan Arukh by Shlomo Ganzfried

Deuteronomy

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This episode is sponsored by Nishmat, the Jeanie Schottenstein Center for Advanced Torah Study for Women, whose Online Beit Midrash returns on Sept. 8. Women of all backgrounds can learn Talmud, Tanach, Halacha, and more from the comfort of home. For a full class schedule and registration, go here. 

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. 

Gershom Scholem, the scholar of Kabbalah and Jewish mysticism, saw a connection between the 17th-century messianic movement of Sabbateanism and the later movement of Jewish secularism. Was he right? In this episode we discuss:

• What was the impact of Sabbateanism after its messianic fervor died down? 
• How can studying Jewish history deepen one’s connection with Judaism? 
• What is Frankism, and why is it a fascination of present-day antisemitic conspiracy theorists?

Tune in to hear a conversation about what the rupture from the Sabbatean movement can teach us about the wide range of Jewish identities we see today. 

Interview begins at 17:05.

Pawel Maciejko is an associate professor of history and Leonard and Helen R. Stulman Chair in Classical Jewish Religion, Thought, and Culture at Johns Hopkins University. Between 2005 and 2016 he taught at the Department of Jewish Thought at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His first book, The Mixed Multitude: Jacob Frank and the Frankist Movement, 1755–1816, was awarded the Salo Baron Prize by the American Academy of Jewish Research and the Jordan Schnitzer Book Award by the Association for Jewish Studies.

References:

Not in the Heavens: The Tradition of Jewish Secular Thought by David Biale

Makers of Jewish Modernity: Thinkers, Artists, Leaders, and the World They Made edited by Jacques Picard, Jacques Revel, Michael P. Steinberg, and Idith Zertal 

“The Holiness of Sin” by Gershom Scholem

Mishnah Chagigah 2

Ezekiel 1

Accounting for the Commandments in Medieval Judaism by Elliot R. Wolfson

Sabbatian Heresy: Writings on Mysticism, Messianism, and the Origins of Jewish Modernity edited by Pawel Maciejko

The Mixed Multitude: Jacob Frank and the Frankist Movement, 1755-1816 by Pawel Maciejko

“The Messianic Feminism of Shabbatai Zevi and Sarah Ashkenazi” by Jericho Vincent

On Repentance and Repair: Making Amends in an Unapologetic World by Danya Ruttenberg

“A Portrait of the Kabbalist as a Young Man: Count Joseph Carl Emmanuel Waldstein and His Retinue” by Pawel Maciejko

“Gershom Scholem’s dialectic of Jewish history: the case of Sabbatianism” by Pawel Maciejko

Seforimchatter’s Sabbatai Zevi Series

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