This week on edJEWcation, we dive into one of the most famous and scandalous stories in the entire Bible: King David, Bathsheba, and Uriah. Was David guilty of adultery, deception, and murder? Or was he fulfilling a divine destiny with Bathsheba? The Rabbi breaks down the clash between text, commentary, and morality, while Jay and ChayaLeah wrestle with the very human side of the story.

We cover:

• Why this episode of David’s life would never make it into a fourth-grade Hebrew school curriculum

• Whether power corrupted Israel’s greatest king or if he was simply following the “letter of the law”

• Why Uriah the Hittite might be the unsung hero of the story

• How this cautionary tale shaped Solomon’s birth and the future of the Davidic line

• And what it means when even the Bible’s greatest figures can fail so spectacularly

It’s love, lust, power, politics—and a reminder that nobody, not even a king, is above God’s law.

This week on edJEWcation, we’ve doubled the rabbis and turned up the volume. ChayaLeah invites her friend Rabbi Daniel Levine to go head-to-head (in the nicest, most Jewishly passive-aggressive way possible) with her father. The topic? What’s gone wrong with Jewish education and how to fix it, without losing our kids to boredom, bagels-only Judaism, or anti-Israel campus mobs.

We cover:

• Why Hebrew school might be the Blockbuster Video of Jewish education

• Rituals vs. ideas: Which one actually keeps Judaism alive?

• The “mimetic tradition” and why your bubbe’s kitchen might have been a better classroom than Hebrew school

• How Israel got separated from Judaism in some circles and why that makes zero sense

• Whether the “why” or the “how” matters more in bringing people back to Jewish life

Plus: the pepperoni pizza Passover story you didn’t know you needed, why motion beats emotion, and how chicken soup can do more for Jewish continuity than a thousand PowerPoints.

Links to Rabbi Daniel’s content:

• JLife with Daniel

• Rabbi Daniel Levine - YouTube

This week on edJEWcation, Jay and ChayaLeah kick the Rabbi off the mic and dive deep into a little-known but wildly important post-Holocaust document: the Harrison Report.

After hearing disturbing rumors that Jewish survivors were being kept behind barbed wire alongside former Nazis (yes, really), President Truman sent Earl Harrison: lawyer, non-Jew, and moral compass, to investigate.

What he found was horrifying: Jews still wearing concentration camp uniforms, starving on moldy bread, living next to their former tormentors. And no one—not the Americans, not the Britshad any idea what to do with them.

We break down:

• How the Allies “liberated” Jews into open-air prisons

• Why Truman got mad and Eisenhower actually did something

• The British refusal to let Jews into Palestine—even after the Holocaust

• The moral cowardice of world leaders who knew better and did worse

• The astounding resilience of Jews in the DP camps (spoiler: 50,000 babies born in the American zone alone)

Plus: family stories, the politics of guilt, and why social media would have hated Earl Harrison.

This is one of those stories that should be common knowledge but isn't. So we’re fixing that.

Rate, subscribe, and send us your five-star outrage. Or don’t. But we’ll judge you if you don’t.

Links:

• The final Harrison Report

• Letter between Elie Wiesel and the Rebbe about fatherhood

This week on edJEWcation, we return to the Book of Samueland things are getting biblical in the worst way. Saul’s kingship is off to a promising start: he wins battles, his son Jonathan shows promise, and even the livestock is plentiful. What could go wrong?

Everything.

We dive into Saul’s fateful mistakes impatience, misplaced piety, and a tragic inability to just do what he’s told. Rabbi breaks down the spiritual calculus of fasting before battle, the moral complexity of annihilating Amalek, and why “obedience is better than sacrifice” remains one of the Torah’s hardest pills to swallow (kosher or not).

We also cover:

• Why lighting Shabbos candles in Kauai feels like being the last Jew on Earth

• If you mess up twice, God’s out of second chances

• Rashi's wild theory about Amalekite animal shapeshifters

• The tragic arc of Saul: from lost donkeys to lost destiny

• And yes… Megan Thee Stallion may or may not be showing up in the next chapter

Plus, we go full sociological as we talk mimetic desire, kosher coffee cups, and why we’re all just trying to be the cool girl in high school except with halacha.

Tune in for the drama, stay for the Torah, and remember: sometimes the real Amalek is the self-doubt we picked up on Instagram.

This week on edJEWcation, we’re going full Nine Days mode, which means no meat, no music, no manicures, and absolutely no Martha Stewart-level Shabbat table décor.

ChayaLeah and Jay kick things off with a discussion on Bob Dylan’s Orthodox daughter, Paul McCartney’s politics (or lack thereof), and why Regina Spektor just became the patron saint of Jewish pride at concerts. But don’t worry it’s not just a classic edJEWcation tangent-fest (well, it is, but on purpose). Because all this music talk was really just a smooth setup for the Nine Days of Av: the annual Jewish crash course in grief, restraint, and self-discipline.

We break down the very real (and very weird) laws of the Nine Days: no laundry, no showers, no wine, no weddings, and definitely no binge-watching Welcome Back, Kotter. We explore what these restrictions are trying to teach us, and why Judaism demands personal sacrifice if we’re serious about rebuilding what was lost.

Then we zoom out: what does it mean to truly mourn a 2,000-year-old temple? Why is Judaism more than just theoretical ideals? And can giving up Instagram for nine days actually make you a better Jew or at least a more present human being?

Highlights include:

🧼 The halachic logic behind skipping showers (it’s grosser than you think)

📵 Why social media might be worse than smoking and what that means for our kids

🕯️ How one Shabbat dinner (without screens) could be the mental health revolution America’s been waiting for

🎧 And yes… Jewish a cappella is allowed. But should it be?

Whether you're observing the Nine Days or just looking to unplug and reconnect, this episode is a call to swap comfort for meaning and to consider that maybe, just maybe, the messiah won’t arrive until we’re all a little more willing to go without Spotify.

In this week’s edJEWcation bonus episode, Jay ditches Montreal, loses his tefillin (almost), and gains a crash course in the most Hamish transit option known to mankind: Hyman’s bus. We then pivot—seamlessly, obviously—from gefilte-fish-scented buses to one of the most dramatic political moments in Tanakh: the Israelites demanding a king.

Why did God get so cranky about the request for a king when He literally told them they’d have one? What makes a king kosher? And does asking nicely actually matter to God—or is He just like the rest of us with a fragile ego and a long memory?

We unpack the tragedy of Saul, the responsibilities of a Jewish monarch, and the eternal struggle between libertarian fantasy and Torah reality. Also: the Pope, the president of Iran, Tucker Carlson’s missing follow-up questions, and the underrated importance of being short and handsome in ancient Israel.

This week on edJEWcation, we dive into the opening chapters of the Book of Samuel—because nothing says Jewish tradition like a barren woman, a holy ark, and a plague of hemorrhoids.

Before we get biblical, we briefly address our deep concern over Brad Pitt's Zionism (verdict: our gut says yes) and tackle a listener question about antisemitism. Rabbi’s answer? Retreat is never the answer. Jewish pride is. And if you're not sure what you're proud of—educate yourself.

Then we jump into the emotional story of Hannah, her desperate prayer, and the miraculous birth of Samuel. We unpack why her story is read on Rosh Hashanah, what it teaches us about how to pray, and how it reshapes our relationship with God (spoiler: it’s not transactional, and He doesn’t want your golden mouse).

We follow Samuel’s unlikely rise as a prophet, his tragic start under Eli’s failing leadership, and the catastrophic decision to bring the Ark into battle. What happens next? The Philistines steal it—and in return, they get divine payback in the most uncomfortable way imaginable.

Other highlights include:

• The Torah’s recurring theme of infertility and what it teaches us about divine purpose

• The difference between monotheistic prayer and pagan appeasement

• Why being a proud Jew matters more than a PR campaign

• The theological implications of airport pickups at 1:15am

Next week, we’ll crown a king and ask: did Judaism really need a monarchy, or were we doing just fine with prophets and judges?

This week on edJEWcation, ChayaLeah returns from an impromptu war-zone detour with 40 Birthright students, a cruise ship, and a newfound appreciation for bomb shelters. What started as a sunny student trip to Israel turned into a harrowing 12-day ordeal as Iran launched a massive missile attack, Ben-Gurion shut down, and Birthright scrambled to evacuate thousands.

We unpack her experience taking shelter from missiles in Jerusalem, fleeing to Cyprus by boat, partying awkwardly at sea, and witnessing the awe-inspiring kindness of Chabad communities in Cyprus, Germany, and beyond. Along the way, we discuss Psalms, summer camp, and the Rebbe's unapologetic views on peace, war, and Israeli security.

Also in this episode:
🕍 Why the Rebbe said “not one inch”
🚢 The kosher cruise ship evacuation no one saw coming
🍝 How Chabad fed 600 stranded Jews with potatoes, joy, and extension cords
🕊️ A hot take on anti-war platitudes from the Pope
🔥 Did the war feel… messianic? And what does that even mean?
🏕️ Plus, a plug for Jewish summer camps, homesick kids, and the power of watermelon by the lake

If you’ve ever wondered what it means to be part of the Jewish people—or how to explain to your kids why the IDF deserves a L’Chaim—this one’s for you.

With ChayaLeah on her reverse Exodus from Israel and an interview that fell through this week, we are re-running our episode about the Jewish perspective on happiness from a few months ago, because we couldn't all use that right now?

However, this one comes with an extended director's cut that includes Jay's commentary on current events in Israel.

What more could you ask for at the moment?

Enjoy and see you all next week.

This week on edJEWcation, we conclude our epic journey through the Book of Judges—and let's just say, we didn’t exactly end on a high note. Join us as we unpack two of the wildest, most uncomfortable stories you (probably) never learned in Hebrew school: the idol of Micah and the tragedy of the concubine in Givah.

Along the way, we uncover shocking details like why Moses’ own grandson ends up running an idol-worshipping pop-up shul and how Israel’s first civil war unfolded in the most disastrous fashion imaginable. (Spoiler: cutting people into pieces is involved.)

We wrestle with timeless questions like:

• Why are these messy stories in the Bible to begin with?

• What happens to a society when there’s no leadership?

• And can grab yourself a wife really be a legitimate dating strategy?

Plus, we draw some uncomfortable parallels between the lawlessness of ancient Israel and the fractured, frayed world we live in today.

It’s the kind of Torah study that makes you laugh, cry, and maybe want to reread the fine print on your ketubah.