Extended Kiddush

27 May 2025

Back from a holiday weekend, our fearless hosts report out on last week’s events and their holiday travels across the northeast as Marissa reviews the Founders’ Lunch last Wednesday, Logan gets ready for the next Chai Lights, and Dan makes ready for the Annual Meeting on June 9. Dan drops some knowledge about the census in this week’s Torah portion and how the numbers can be explained, Logan reports out about Jewish Brooklyn, and Marissa prepares to open an ice cream shop in Sudbury (maybe).

We’ve also got John Legg surprising us with Frank Sinatra and sea shanties, Dan crashing Boston Calling after a Fenway rainout (among other events), rumors of walk-up music for Chai Heat 1, and don’t miss the world premiere of a song about… us.

S1:E7- 266 Chairs

20 May 2025
After a week off, we’re back together to talk about updates from recent TST events, the debut of our new podcast trucker hats, tales from Logan’s curling tournament, and some kvelling as Dan’s oldest kid graduated from Brandeis last weekend. Dan teaches about how the Tochecha (the “rebuke” in this week’s Torah portion) is kind of like a parent-teacher conference, John Legg talks about his encounter with a snapping turtle, Logan drops some very niche Biblical trivia knowledge, Marissa reviews Jewish Heritage Night at Fenway and we talk about the new Sox City Connect jerseys, and we’ve ongoing dialogue with the Postal Service about the TST mailbox. And yes, it wouldn’t be an XK episode without a bonus track, this one in advance of Yom Yerushalayim on Monday. See you next week!

S1:E6- Pod Merch

6 May 2025

With gloomy weather, a Celtics loss, and a Chai Heat loss weighing heavily on us, we needed a pod to lift the mood this week… and we did it. In this week’s episode we’ve got our Ordering Era in full bloom, bricks on the community pathway selling like hotcakes, a big Shabbat on tap both Friday night and Saturday, a big birthday celebration around the corner, and we’ve got pickleball in the Chickami Dome! Dan hands out some trivia about the number of verses, words, and letters in the Torah, John drops some knowledge about metal lathes and talks about getting a new dog, and we get ready to ready Holocaust survivor Kati Preston next Wednesday. Also: Logan preps for a visitor from France, Marissa gets ready for a week off, and a Brandeis graduation is around the corner for Dan.

Stick around for this week’s bonus track, which channels the spring rain here into a tune about a rainy day on Mount Gilboa- which Dan hiked on a muddy April morning a few years ago.

S1:E5- Home Alone29 April 2025

As we prepare to hit a busy few weeks at TST, we’re back with a whirlwind tour of upcoming programs, weekend activities, a 90th birthday party, and a wedding on the Cape. We recap a nail-biting softball victory for Chai Heat 1, ask John Legg four more questions and wonder if he’s actually a spy, and express concern that Logan is again at home without his parents for a few weeks. Dan drops some Jewish calendar trivia and angles for an invitation to lunch at the Dudley Chateau, Marissa breaks up a fight in the studio (sort of), and we spread the good word about the new fancy water stations in the building. And, of course, we’ve got another world premiere bonus track from the AI jukebox after the outro- this time a girl-band Hebrew smash hit about springtime. See you in May!

22 April 2025

After an action-packed Patriots-Day-and-end-of-Passover weekend, we are back with a vacation week podcast full of goodness… and a little sadness. We reflect on the funerals in the community last week, upcoming events at TST, and give an exciting update about the annual membership mailing. We’ve also got news about the community brick pathway, a May 9 Reyim dinner, and some positive plumbing work in the building. Not to be missed: John Legg talks about the re-enactment on Monday and his 15 hours in Concord; Marissa gets stuck on the T; Logan heads to Jersey again; Dan sits at the Pesky Pole for a Sox game. We also talk about psalteries and sistra in this week’s Haftarah reading and a wide range of shows on Hulu that we are watching. Our jukebox selection this week is, of course, a Hebrew country pop song about the Omer. See you next week!

15 April 2025

We’re back this week with a recap of Passover weekends across three states, reports from recent TST events, a review of the Chai-Lights readership count, an official counting of the Omer, and a discussion of the next steps for the Cricut Task Force. Dan quizzes Logan and Marissa about kosher animals, John Legg answers Four Questions (at least), Logan prepares for Jury Duty, and Marissa gets ready to watch the Marathon. We also talk about how Logan’s hasty exit from New Jersey mirrors that of the Israelites leaving Egypt, hear about Marissa’s unofficial Masters watch party on her flight home, and Dan geeks out about Colonial history in Bedford. Make sure to stick around for this week’s bonus track: a banger of a Hebrew song about the barley harvest right after the outro. See you next week

Things are certainly heating up as we get ready for Passover. Join us this week as we review the Shabbat pizza dinner and the Women’s Seder and get ready for our Passover celebrations across three states. Marissa gives an important update about the Mah Jong cards, Dan celebrates his impulse purchase of an Alex Bregman jersey, Logan impresses us with his knowledge of spools, and John considers a Camp Chickami landing strip. Stick around for Rumpelstiltskin, Shabbat HaGadol, the office AI Music Festival, and more. Chag Sameach!

NOT AN APRIL FOOL'S JOKE! Dan, Marissa, and Logan kick off the podcast with a review of TST events, Four Questions with John Legg, a review of the current Task Forces and Working Groups, lunch planning, some learning about Maror, and predictions about the upcoming softball opening game on April 6. Stick around for a crime-fighting moment from Dan, Marissa's top secret plans for Passover, and Logan bringing Timeguessr to the TST office. Enjoy!