Extended Kiddush

S1:E28- 5-Star Rating

6 January 2026

Happy New Year! We kick off 2026 with a back-to-work podcast that features quite a grab-bag of topics. We’ve got a review of vacation, a requiem for MTV, and some surprising information about what Moses’ name actually means. We also get excited for Marc Baker’s visit tomorrow, our book event next Wednesday, a first-of-its-kind Yeladim Tu B’Shevat/Havdalah combo this Saturday, and a whole lot of events coming up. Dan gets sad that there are not more Stranger Things fans at TST, Talia surprisingly opts for the large-print Mah Jongg card, and Marissa remembers the weekend storm that almost flooded her B Mitzvah . Finally, we take an unexpected detour into the songs of Simon & Garfinkel and jukebox musicals, drop a bonus track about coming back to work, and somehow almost meet Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

23 December 2025

This week, we finish up the year with a last-minute podcast before Marissa jets off to Florida. We review assorted holiday gift swaps, Marissa’s pilgrimage to Marblehead, and Dan’s proud Jewish moment at a Bruins game. We also review the Chanukah tarantella that was performed at services on Friday night, the hilarity of the staff Chanukah celebration, and admire the amazing photos from the Bring-Your-Own-Menorah situation. We finish up by taking a look back at some of our favorite moments from this year on the show, and have another moment when we lose our minds over… almonds. Enjoy the bonus track, and see you in 2026!

S1:E26- I Was Only Right This Week

15 Dec 2025

Chanukah is here, and so are we for our penultimate podcast of 2025. We review a long list of recent events, Talia’s weekend trip to Aruba, and our successful world (or TST) record for indoor pizza that we set on December 5. We also get quizzed on a range of obscure Jewish traditions related to Chanukah candle-lighting, discuss the new teas at the coffee bar (and how do you pronounce “pekoe”?), and prepare for an almost-filled-up blood drive on Saturday. Talia gives a report from the Lego Menorah event, Dan talks about the TST Chanukah lighting on Route 20, and Marissa basks in the afterglow of another full sanctuary last Friday night. We’ve also got Dan’s father’s 80th birthday, Marissa’s upcoming trip to Florida, and a Chanukah Europop boy-band bonus track. Chag Sameach!

S1:E25- We Bought A Ladder

5 December 2025

We’ve got a full house today as Jenna and Renata join us for a just-before-Shabbat episode full of action. We recap Thanksgiving and review our musical highlights from the day, discover our cultural blindspots (i.e. who hasn’t seen Harry Potter, The Wizard of Oz, The Godfather, Toy Story, and The Sound of Music), and have polite disagreements about lip syncing. We also talk about TST’s recent purchases of a ladder (for The Lego Menorah) and a new office chair (for our newest employee), review this week’s events, and prepare to smash the indoor record for pizza on Consecration Shabbat. We also do some PG-13 learning about mandrakes, get ready for a bevy of Chanukah activities, and prepare for various other events… like the TST Blood Drive, the Reyim Dinner, and, of course, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. And, as always, a bonus track to get you ready for the Festival of Lights.

S1:E24- A Small, Sour Thing

25 Nov 2025

We had a great time today in our final episode before Thanksgiving. Talia and Marissa reflect on “Wicked: For Good”, Dan gets back in touch with Israeli music, and we recap a festive Friday and weekend here at TST. We also debut “Times We Were Wrong This Week” as a segment, do some deep learning about cranberries and the blessings we might say over them (spoiler alert: there are at least three options), and have an eye-opening chat with John Legg. We look ahead at December, which is packed with events, as usual, and also give some final updates about our plans for the next few days. Most importantly, if you’ve ever wondered what our names might look like with some colonial flair, this episode is for you. Make sure to check out our bonus track about, what else- cranberries. Happy Thanksgiving!

S1:E23

20 November 2025

All Sliced Up

Life comes at us fast- we blinked and 23 days went by without a podcast. We are back this week with a recap of a whole bunch of TST events, learn about Jacob and Esau, talk to John Legg about 3D printing, and go deep on Thanksgiving. Talia preps for Wicked For Good, Dan gets into some cranberry minutiae, and Marissa expands her footprint at home. We also celebrate the completion of the ELC outdoor classroom and community brick pathway, look at “Hineni” in the Jewish tradition, and break the indoor record for community pizza dinner attendance. Stick around for a Thanksgiving-fueled bonus track

28 October 2025

S1:E22- 100 is the new 50

Fresh off the plane from Atlanta, Marissa is back from the Civil Rights Trip and is ready to update us on that amazing experience and her first time at Buc-ee’s. We catch up on pre-Thanksgiving activities, Dan’s acorn squash, and “Nobody Wants This”, Talia gives us the latest on the bricks for the community pathway, and we hear firsthand about Mussar from the newest Mussarnik. We learn about the secret plagues of Lech Lecha and King Melchitzedek, Dan prepares to go to Israel, and we get ready for a gauntlet of November events. Also: The Dybbuk, the Reyim Dinner, and the closure of the Friendly’s in Pembroke. Stick around for a K-Pop inspired Hebrew song about the community pathway, of course.

15 October 2025

As XK celebrates its 21st birthday (of sorts), we also celebrate the return of the live hostages, the end of the holidays of Tishrei here at TST, and, of course, the release of the new album from Taylor Swift. We actually crown a Yom Kippur champion (no spoilers here), review the excitement of October 5 with the food drive, Sukkah building and softball bbq, and get ready for even more events coming up. We also celebrate the 95th birthday of Marissa’s Nana, learn some new things from Bereshit, and get ready for Rabbi Lisa’s class and Mussar kicking off next week. Stick around for a recording of the choir singing “Pitchu Li” from Yom Kippur morning and a next-gen audio track using an advanced model about the return of the hostages.

S1:E20- Who Won Rosh Hashanah?

9.25.25

While basking in the glory of a Rosh Hashanah well-celebrated, Dan, Marissa, and Talia are back with what can only be described as the Best. Pod. Ever. We review recent events like the Sept. 20 social night at TST, Dan’s day at Gillette with Talia’s husband, the Red Sox on the cusp of making the playoffs, and (finally) Jenna Brockman coming to temple. We also do a first-ever “Who Won Rosh Hashanah?” bracket featuring 16 holiday highlights going head-to-head (we could not crown a single winner, so we had FOUR champions), do a little bit of learning, and marvel at Talia saying yes to everything. Dan also attempts to discuss the "6-7" craze and fails spectacularly. Stick around for a little Rosh Hashanah bonus track. SHANA TOVAH!!!

S1:E19- Shofar, So Good

9.9.25

Some weeks we are too busy to podcast, and other weeks we are too busy to podcast but do it anyway- you can guess what kind of week this was! Today we welcome Marissa back to the pod and hear about her time away, and then launch into a review of a very busy week here at TST. The opening of the ELC, a pizza dinner for 200 people, Natick Days, the first Sunday of Hineni, and the Board Kallah all took place within just five days. We do some learning about the shofar, including the famous “interrupting shofar” from the Talmud, ask birthday girl Talia Hirsh four questions, and get jazzed for a fall full of programming here at the temple. Also, as usual, a bonus track about the shofar with a K-Pop vibe. See you next week for Episode 20!