What if the holiday that looks the most like a carnival is actually hiding the most profound questions in Judaism? Professor Tanya White, Bar-Ilan University professor, host of the Books and Beyond podcast, and one of the most engaging Jewish educators alive, joins Jay and ChayaLeah to unpack the Book of Esther like you've never heard before.

We explore why God's name doesn't appear once in the Megillah (and what that means for us today), the concept of "radical seeing" and the stunning parallel between Purim and our post-October 7th world.

ChayaLeah opens up about Esther's loneliness and sacrifice, Jay brings a story about a Cold War spy finding God in his daughter's ear, and Tanya shares an "invisible string" that will genuinely move you. This is the Purim episode you didn't know you needed.

Where to find Tanya-

Torah Chat on WhatsApp

TanyaWhite.org

Books and Beyond Podcast

Tanya’s Instagram

Books & articles we discussed-

• The Invisible String by Patrice Karst: the children’s book Tanya shares the beautiful “invisible string” story from

• Why Grow Up? by Susan Neiman: philosopher’s book on the problem of evil that Tanya references in discussing adversity and resilience

• Rav Soloveitchik’s concept of “fate to destiny”: consider linking to Kol Dodi Dofek or a summary essay

• God in Search of Man by Abraham Joshua Heschel: Heschel’s concept of “radical amazement”

• Witness by Whitaker Chambers: his memoir is where the famous “daughter’s ear” moment comes from

Was Theodor Herzl a secular visionary or a spiritual seeker? A hero or a heretic? On the 130th anniversary of his landmark manifesto Der Judenstaat, Professor Gil Troy, presidential historian, Zionist scholar, and editor of The Zionist Ideas, sits down with Jay and ChayaLeah for a conversation that covers all of it: Herzl's complicated relationship with Judaism, why he was persona non grata in Haredi education, the emotional power of standing at his grave on Mount Herzl, and why Professor Troy’s concept of "identity Zionism" speaks directly to Jewish students navigating hostile campuses today. Along the way, the hosts bring their signature mix of head and heart, Jay digs into the intellectual history while ChayaLeah shares what it was like to discover Herzl as an adult after growing up Chabad, where his picture wasn't exactly hanging on the wall. It's a timely, moving, and surprisingly fun deep dive into the father of modern Zionism.

To learn more about Professor Troy’s work, you can find it at his website GilTroy.com

A selection of works:

• To Resist the Academic Intifada: Letters to my Students on Defending the Zionist Dream

• The Zionist Ideas: Visions for the Jewish Homeland: Then, Now, Tomorrow

• The Essential Guide to October 7th and its Aftermath: Facts, Figures, History

  
  

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On to the show…

In honor of Valentine's Day, the edJEWcation crew tackles the big questions:

• What does Judaism really say about love and marriage?

• How do Jewish dating traditions actually work?

• And can you have a successful partnership while maintaining independence?

The rabbi shares his own marriage story (spoiler: they got engaged after three weeks), explains why looking for perfection is a recipe for disaster, and breaks down the difference between lust, romantic love, and companionate love. CL challenges the Hollywood myth that your spouse needs to fulfill every single role in your life, while Jay keeps everyone honest about balancing independence with intimacy.

From Talmudic wisdom about choosing partners to practical advice about not developing an "office wife," this episode offers refreshing perspectives on Jewish relationships that are equal parts traditional insight and modern realism. Whether you're single, dating, or been married for decades, this conversation will make you rethink what love really means and no, it's not just butterflies and Valentine's candy.

Make sure to subscribe to our substack to keep up to date on the latest edJEWcation episodes and events

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The Tucker Carlson situation has everyone asking the same question: when a friend goes off the deep end morally, do you stay loyal or cut them loose? We dig into this through a Jewish lens, from Talmudic principles to modern media ethics, and get surprisingly personal about struggles with Chabad identity and navigating between Orthodox and liberal Jewish worlds. Also in this episode:

• Why there are 20 Christian Bible study groups on one college campus
• The Gene Wilder/Mel Brooks origin story
• Joe Rogan's hilariously wrong guess about Jewish demographics
• A brutally honest discussion about how we justify breaking our own values (yes, including the hypothetical In-N-Out burger scenario).

What do you do when Jewish law meets real life, and real life is messy, terrifying, or morally impossible?

In this episode, we dive into rabbinic responsa: the centuries-old Jewish tradition of posing urgent, practical, and often heartbreaking questions to Rabbis. From ancient debates about matzah to modern dilemmas involving technology, medicine, and identity, responsa form Judaism’s living case law.

We explore how this system developed from Moses and the Sanhedrin, through the Talmud, medieval Spain, Soviet Russia, and even Auschwitz, where a single question forced a rabbi and a father to confront the most agonizing moral choice imaginable.

Along the way, we laugh a little, debate, and uncover why Jews have always believed that how you ask a question can matter just as much as the answer.

Jewish law, moral philosophy, historical survival, and one very uncomfortable Pesach pastry, all in one episode.

To subscribe to the edjEWcation podcast, click here:Subscribe to The edJEWcation Podcast

This episode is a recording of our second edJEWcation Zoom.

Instead of a formal topic or text, we opened up the (virtual) doors and invited our listeners into a live edJEWcation Beit Midrash. What followed was an honest, unscripted conversation about being Jewish right now: how it feels, how we respond, what we’re afraid of, and why community matters more than ever.

There are no hot takes here. No definitive answers. Just Jews doing what Jews have always done — talking, questioning, disagreeing, supporting one another, and refusing to face the moment alone.

If you’ve been struggling to put words to how you’re feeling, this conversation might help you feel a little less alone.

Remember to subscribe to edJEWcation for all our latest updates here

In the fourth installment of the edJEWcation book club, we discuss The True Believer by Eric Hoffer

Written in 1951 by a longshoreman with an unsettling grasp of human psychology, The True Believer asks a simple question with terrifying implications: why do ordinary people become fanatics?

In this edJEWcation Book Club episode, we dig into Eric Hoffer’s timeless analysis of mass movements, self-hatred, humiliation, certainty, and the seductive power of belonging. From Nazism and Communism to campus encampments, TikTok activism, and online extremists, we debate whether Hoffer was describing history or diagnosing our present.

We wrestle with uncomfortable questions:

• Is hatred easier to organize than love?

• Are today’s movements real revolutions or just cosplay with slogans?

• Why do people crave certainty so badly?

• Why do some religions help people lead meaningful lives, and others turn them into fanatics?

Along the way, we talk loneliness, social media, male humiliation, Holocaust jokes in unexpected places, and why not knowing might be the most Jewish answer of all.

Plus: a surprise detour into Marty Supreme, Timothy Chalamet, and why humiliation might be the hidden engine of fanaticism.

Read the book. Question everything. And maybe, just maybe, turn your phone off.

If you haven’t already, remember to subscribe by clicking the link below:

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Why do Jews fast, and what is fasting actually supposed to do?

In this episode of edJEWcation, we dive into the 10th of Tevet, one of the lesser-known Jewish fast days, and use it as a gateway to explore the deeper meaning of Jewish fasting, repentance, and communal responsibility. The Rabbi walks us through the historical origins of the fast, the siege of Jerusalem that led to the destruction of the First Temple, while Jay asks the questions many people are thinking but rarely ask.

Along the way, we unpack:

• What the 10th of Tevet commemorates and why it still matters

• How Jewish fast days differ from Yom Kippur

• Maimonides’ radical idea that tragedy demands introspection, not dismissal

• Whether suffering is “random” or spiritually meaningful

• How fasting connects to modern events, including October 7th

• Why Judaism emphasizes action, mitzvot, and responsibility over asceticism

We also zoom out to the weekly Torah portion, exploring Jacob’s final words to his sons, leadership failures, anger vs. passion, and what it means to be accountable, not just historically, but right now.

This is not an episode about being hungry. It’s an episode about meaning, memory, and what Jews are supposed to do with history.

📖 Topics include: Jewish fasting, the 10th of Tevet, destruction of the Temple, repentance in Judaism, Rambam on suffering, Jewish theology, Torah commentary, and Jewish responses to tragedy.

Friendly reminder to subscribe to edJEWcation on Substack so you can be included in all the happenings about the podcast and join our next monthly Zoom call.

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In this episode of edJEWcation, we unpack Kings II, one of the wildest books in the Hebrew Bible, through the lens of Jewish history, Biblical storytelling, and modern meaning.

From the dramatic transition from Elijah to Elisha, to miracles that feel both supernatural and surprisingly practical, we explore Hebrew Bible stories that center on prophets, power, faith, and moral responsibility. Along the way, we discuss why salvation in the Bible so often comes from underdogs and outcasts, including one of the most unlikely heroes in all of Scripture.

The conversation widens to tackle antisemitism, Israel’s place in world attention, collective Jewish trauma, and what Biblical history teaches us about societies that lose their moral compass. Why does the world obsess over Israel? Why do prophets speak uncomfortable truths? And why does the Bible keep choosing the people everyone else ignores?

Blending Torah learning, Biblical history explained, cultural commentary, and a healthy dose of edJEWcation banter, this episode connects ancient texts to the questions people are asking right now about faith, meaning, and identity.

As promised, we hosted our first edJEWcation Zoom call on the 3rd night of Chanukkah this week, and a great time was had by all. We got the light the menorah with the Rabbi, had some great questions, and got to do some deep Jewish philosophizing.

We opened the first Zoom to all our listeners, and we may keep it that way for a little while, but eventually it will be exclusively for paid members of the edJEWcation community.

We’ll let you know the date for our January call soon, and we hope to see you all there!

Chag Chanukah Sameach everyone!