18Forty Podcast

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we sit down with Rabbi David Aaron, author, thinker, and educator, to discuss what God is and isn’t.

People often think of God as a powerful, heavenly figure giving commandments, but to Rabbi Aaron, God is more of an experience of awe or good that morally inspires. This experience is impacted by our past experiences, often most prominently by those involving our parents. Rabbi Aaron thinks that many atheists are truly believers and would connect to their faith through therapy, not philosophy.

- What is and isn’t God?
- What does it mean to believe in God, and what does it mean to be an atheist?
- Why do people believe in God?
- How does one find and experience God?

Tune in to hear Rabbi David Aaron discuss his views on God and how the subject should be taught in our education.

References:
Tzidkas HaTzadik by Rav Tzadok
The Secret Life of God by Rabbi David Aaron
Getting the Love You Want by Harville Hendrix
Seeing God by Rabbi David Aaron
Ahavas Tzedek

For more, visit https://18forty.org/topics/god.

Rabbi David Aaron is an educator, thinker, and writer, who has put the dynamic God at the center of his life’s work. Uncompromisingly lucid, David puts the deepest and most pressing questions of Jewish theology in human terms. He received his rabbinic ordination from Yeshivat ITRI and is the Dean & Founder of Isralight (an international organization and center for Jewish learning in Jerusalem’s Old City) and Yeshivat Orayta (which offers a 1 to 2 year program for high school graduates). David is the author of eight books, including Endless Light, Seeing G-d, Love is My Religion, The Secret Life of G-d, Inviting G-d In, Living a Joyous Life and The God Powered Life. Listen to David to hear how Jewish theology can be a personal endeavor.

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In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we sit down for a special session with our host, David Bashevkin, to discuss one of the podcast’s first topics: going off the derech.

There are many preconceptions that come with leaving one’s religious life. People often claim to know the precise psychological reasons that caused someone to leave and what kind of life they’re currently living. There are always reasons, but these reasons can be varied and unexpected, and can lead people to very different places. Some don’t even think of themselves as having left, as they have found a different derech that works for them.

-Why do people leave religion?
-Where do people go instead?
-What struggles do people experience in leaving their old communities?
-How does the desire for community manifest in trying to build a new life?

Tune in to hear David reflect on his conversations with past podcast guests about this phenomenon of leaving one’s religious community, or going OTD.

References:
Shulem Deen interview - http://18forty.org/otd/#deen
Philo Judaeus interview - http://18forty.org/otd/#judaeus
Kelsey Osgood interview - http://18forty.org/otd/#osgood
Judaism and the Twice-Born by Kelsey Osgood
All Who Go Do Not Return by Shulem Deen

For more, visit https://18forty.org/otd.

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In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we sit down for a special podcast with our host, David Bashevkin, to review the first topic that 18Forty covered: Talmud.

Though Judaism has many facets to its practice, Talmud study has long been one of its hallmarks. It is a sprawling text with many commentaries, and so can be analyzed from any number of perspectives. This episode highlight three: those of Ari Bergmann, Chaim Saiman, and Michelle Chesner. From its historical formation to its ideas to its format, the Talmud was analyzed at length for its 18Forty topic, and this episode highlights some of the key questions raised.

-How was the Talmud written?
-What should one make of the often confusing mix of ideas it presents?
-Does the text format itself hold any significance?
-Is Talmud study useful for anything besides Talmud study?
-What similarities does it have to other fields of knowledge?

Tune in to hear David review and reflect on his past conversations with podcast guests about the Talmud.

References:
Ari Bergmann interview - http://18forty.org/talmud/#bergmann
Chaim Saiman interview - http://18forty.org/talmud/#saiman
Michelle Chesner interview - http://18forty.org/talmud/#chesner
Take One podcast - https://www.tabletmag.com/podcasts/take-one
Legal Theology: The Turn to Conceptualism in Nineteenth-Century Jewish Law by Chaim Saiman
Nomos and Narrative by Robert Cover
Jewish Thought: A Process, Not a Text by David Bashevkin
Arba-ah Turim by Jacob Ben Asher
Halakhah: The Rabbinic Idea of Law by Chaim Saiman

For more, visit https://18forty.org/talmud/.

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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.

Though humanity’s history is long and rich, it’s only recently that the world has begun to look like we’re used to. From the renaissance to the scientific and industrial revolutions, technology and information seem to be progressing at an exponential rate. Judaism, along with all tradition, had to contend with modernity as we now know it for the first time. Most of modern Jewry has been affected in some way or another by this modernization of its members.

-What historical significance does the year 1840 have?
-What challenges did it bring for Judaism and other traditions?
-How did Judaism respond to those challenges?
-And in the end, how does modern Judaism differ from its other historical iterations?

Tune in to hear David share why the year 1840 holds such significance for him, and how he feels its effects in his life.

References:
The Europeans Review - https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/28/books/review/the-europeans-orlando-figes.html
Israel Bartal article - https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10835-005-5978-7
Zohar
The Europeans by Orlando Figes
Jewish Continuity in America - Abraham J. Karp
Zichron Yaakov by Rabbi Yaakov Lipschutz
Sapiens by Yuval Harari

For more, visit https://18forty.org/why-1840.

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In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we sit down with Eli Rubin – writer and researcher at chabad.org – to think about the stereotypes associated with social justice and vision, and how those seeming boundaries have been transcended.

Social reform requires that one embrace at least some change, leading some to think that it is antithetical to conservative worldviews. While the compatibility of Judaism and social justice movements is not guaranteed, it is often the case, even in some of what are seen as the more right-wing parts of modern Judaism. The modern history of social justice involves figures ranging from Rabbi AJ Heschel to the Lubavitcher Rebbe, and challenges some common assumptions.

-Has social justice been associated with mysticism and/or rationalism?
-What might social justice, or tikkun olam, mean within Judaism?
-What have various historical figures interpreted it to mean?
-What association does the Lubavitcher Rebbe have with social justice?

Tune in to hear Eli Rubin share his views on the historical relationship between social justice and the Torah.

References:
Social Vision: The Lubavitcher Rebbe's Transformative Paradigm for the World by Philip Wexler, Michael Wexler, and Eli Rubin
To Heal the World? - Jonathan Neumann
Hasidism Beyond Modernity - Naftali Loewenthal

For more, visit https://18forty.org/socialjustice/#rubin.

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In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Rivka Press Schwartz – Shalom Hartman Institute Fellow, SAR Associate Principal, and Princeton PhD – to think about ways in which social justice can be incorporated into Orthodox education systems.

History has seen many hierarchical class systems that benefit some to the detriment of others. The Jewish people have not often been the beneficiaries, yet we enjoy much economic and social success in much of the world today. Dr. Press Schwartz thinks that while this success is in part due to our own willpower, certain fluke historical factors have played in our favor, giving us a leg up. She believes that the Torah is compatible with a social view that involves recognizing social privileges and attempting to mitigate them.

-What is privilege?
-How privileged have the Jewish people been throughout history?
-What, if anything, should be done when privileges are identified?
-What does the Torah have to say about this?

Tune in to hear Dr. Rivka Press Schwartz share her views on the Torah, the Jewish people, privilege, and broader social justice.

References:
Dr. Press Schwartz article "Privilege, Perspective, and Modern Orthodox Youth" - https://18forty.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/privilege-perspective-press-schwartz.pdf
Dr. Press Schwartz and David Bashevkin Twitter Exchange - https://twitter.com/DBashIdeas/status/1283400224191504389
Yuval Levin election day NYT op ed - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/03/opinion/2020-election.html
A Time to Build by Yuval Levin
The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein

For more, visit https://18forty.org/socialjustice/#pressschwartz.

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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.

The Torah serves as a moral guidebook for many, with some citing the avos as exemplifying generosity, even towards those they didn’t know. One might therefore expect that those most engrossed in Torah learning would fight on the front lines for social justice issues, but many make the opposite association. It seems that there may be more to morality than studying Halakhah alone.

-What kind of morality does Halakhah espouse?
-Why is the Beit Midrash not typically associated with social justice if the Torah is our moral guidebook?
-Is Halakhah the only element to the picture the Torah paints of morality, or is there more?
-And as Halakhah is mostly immutable, to what degree, and in what fashion, can the Torah evolve in response to the times?

Tune in to hear Rabbi Jeremy Wieder share his ideas about the Torah’s view on social justice.

References:
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks interview with Tim Ferriss - https://tim.blog/2020/08/26/rabbi-lord-jonathan-sacks-2/
Rabbi Sacks interviews with David Bashevkin - https://ncsy.org/remembering-rabbi-sacks/
To Heal a Fractured World by Rabbi Sacks
Social Vision by Philip Wexler
There Shall Be No Needy by Rabbi Jill Jacobs

For more, visit https://18forty.org/socialjustice/#wieder.

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In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we sit down with Rabbi Meir Triebitz – Rosh Yeshiva, PhD, and expert on matters of science and the Torah – to discuss what kind of science we can learn from the Torah.

The Torah, and especially the Talmud, addresses a wide subject matter including theology, morality, metaphysics, and science. It is sometimes said to contain all knowledge – meaning that we could learn anything from the Torah, which seems to imply that all of the Torah’s scientific claims are true. Some welcome this perspective, while others object to it.

-What is the Torah’s subject matter?
-Does it contain irreconcilable scientific claims?
-Should a statement’s subject matter change how we interpret it?
-What if we aren’t supposed to interpret a statement as scientifically true, but our Halakhah today is in some way predicated on the statement being true?
-And does our not interpreting a statement literally mean it isn’t true, or just that we can’t understand it?

Tune in to hear Rabbi Meir Triebitz discuss his perspective on these age-old science and Torah questions.

For more, visit https://18forty.org/science/#triebitz.

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In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we sit down with Rabbi David Fohrman - author, lecturer, and founder of the Aleph Beta Academy - to discuss in what genre the Torah is meant to be, and how that should influence the way we think about it.

There are many approaches one could take when confronted with science that seem to contradict parts of the Torah. Some, including Nathan Aviezer, orchestrate elaborate readings of the beginning of Bereishis in accordance with Biblical concordism. Some, like Natan Slifkin, feel comfortable reading the pesukim metaphorically, feeling less need to provide literal reconciliations. Rabbi David Fohrman feels that many people could benefit from thinking more about how the Torah and science coexist, particularly the words of the first few chapters in Bereishis.

- In what genre is the Torah?
- How should we treat its content?
- Does it ever try to teach us empirical facts about the world, or is it trying to give perspective on life?
- What other kinds of patterns should we look for in the Torah?

Tune in to hear Rabbi David Fohrman discuss the many ways in which we could think about the pesukim in the Torah.

For more, visit https://18forty.org/science/#fohrman.

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In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we sit down with Professor Allison Coudert, of the Department of Religious Studies at UC Davis, to discuss the historical interplay of science with religion, and specifically with Kabbalah.

During a 1917 lecture talking about the rational mindset underlying science, Max Weber famously declared that “This means that the world is disenchanted.” Though this sentiment has permeated the public consciousness, Allison thinks the real story is more complicated. She thinks that science and enlightenment philosophy only heightened the magic we humans could experience, and that enlightenment movements have done so historically. In her mind, religion and science aren’t opponents, as they’re so often framed, but engage in a mutually-beneficial relationship, each inspiring and strengthening the other.

- What has the historical interplay of science and religion been?
- What influence has Kabbalah specifically had on scientists’ thought?
- What connotations do the words “modernity” and “enlightenment” tend to evoke in listeners?
- And are these evocations justified?

Tune in to hear Allison Coudert discuss the influence that Jewish thought has had since the Scientific Revolution.

For more, visit https://18forty.org/science/#coudert.

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