Welcome to Alef Bet, a journey through ancestral Jewish wisdom, reimagined for right now.
This is a podcast for anyone and everyone. Whether you’re Jewish, Jew-ish, or Jew-curious, this is your starting point - no prior knowledge required. Just bring your questions and explore what it means to get to know, embrace, or wrestle with Jewish wisdom during these turbulent times.
Alef Bet is hosted by Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie, a descendant of thirty-nine generations of rabbis. He has been teaching Jewish texts for most of his adult life, had a career as a drag queen, and founded Lab/Shul, a New York City-based, God-optional, experimental Jewish community.
Alef Bet has twenty-two episodes, one for every letter of the Hebrew alphabet, alef to tav. You can start listening at any point since each episode is about one big Jewish concept that matters in our life right now. We’ll dig through layers of our sacred and secular soil, reveal secrets, and ask tough questions about who we are, how we got here, and what will help us grow and evolve.
Twenty-first century Judaism builds on 3,000 years of conversations, questions, and challenges. It’s on us to talk back to the toxic and traumatic texts and tools we’ve inherited, reclaim our inner wisdom, and reimagine the repair that we need to heal, help, and hope.
However you show up, that’s the perfect way to be here.
