ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Ari Bergmann may be one of the most unique and iconoclastic interviewees imaginable. In many ways, he is a walking paradox: a prolific hedge fund principal who is also a prolific Torah scholar; a product of classical yeshiva institutions who embraces - and now teaches, at the Ivy Leagues no less! - academic Talmud study; a rationalist with deep appreciation for Judaism's esoteric wisdom.

Yet, to hear him tell it, there is no contradiction at all. Beyond mere "harmony" or "synthesis," Ari Bergmann insists on "consilience" - a symbiotic coupling of putative opposites that results in an "emergent experience." Certainly, his own life models this ideal, and he is bullish on others' abilities to reach this transcendent state in their own as well.

In this episode, Ari takes us through his childhood in Sao Palo, Brazil, his early education in the great Torah centers of America and Israel, his professional achievements on Wall Street, and ultimately his academic pursuits at Columbia University and beyond. Hedge Fund principal, rare Judaica collector, esoteric and exoteric Torah scholar, and now Ivy League professor...Ari has a story worth hearing and a message worth absorbing for every listener.

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ABOUT THIS PODCAST

Jews You Should Know introduces the broader community to interesting and inspiring Jewish men and women making a difference in our world. Some are already famous, some not yet so. But each is a Jew You Should Know.

The host, Rabbi Ari Koretzky, is Executive Director of MEOR Maryland (www.meormd.org), a premier Jewish outreach and educational organization. MEOR operates nationally on twenty campuses and in Manhattan; visit the national website at www.meor.org.

Please visit www.JewsYouShouldKnow.com, follow us on Twitter @JewsUShouldKnow or on Facebook.

Have feedback for the show, or suggestions for future guests? E-mail us at [email protected].

Want to support this podcast? Visit Patreon.com/JewsYouShouldKnow. A small monthly contribution goes a long way!!

A special thank you to Jacob Rupp of the Lift Your Legacy podcast for his invaluable production assistance.