Good Faith Effort

February 2021 is both Black History Month and the month during which Jews celebrate the holiday of Purim. So it’s a month during which both the Black and Jewish communities in America will reflect on a past marked both by deep pain and injustice, and courage in the face of oppression. What can we teach each other about this process? And what can we, together, teach America? This week, Rabbi Lamm speaks with Van Lathan of The Ringer and the Higher Learning podcast about all of this and more in a fun, fascinating, raw and powerful conversation.

Topic Index:

3:11 - What divides and unites the Jewish and Black communities in America?

11:36 - Bringing authentic culture out into the mainstream.

14:33 - No other cultural tradition is as born and made in America as Black American culture.

19:00 - What can Jewish culture do for America?

23:17 - If you want the wildest, blockbuster stories you’ve ever heard. Read the Bible.

26:26 - Is it even possible to tell the American story as a whole in a way that both faces up to our sins and evils and also brings us together around a common American purpose and destiny? Van thinks so, but it’s hard!

36:13 - Van explains why idol worship is a major problem in American society, and how we need to find a way to fight it.

43:40 - One of the most radical innovations in the Bible is: heroes are and always will be imperfect!

49:01 - ›Is there any way for us to bring a sense of objective virtue into our most powerful public institutions in America, whether the market, the state, or pop culture? Van argues that it’s possible, but we need to redefine everything our culture assumes about right and wrong.

One of the great blessings of the digital age is that we can connect to more people, and have access to more information, than any other time in history. So our core challenge today is not letting this embarrassment of riches overwhelm us. Yes, we can know anything we want to know, but is knowledge the same thing as wisdom? Yes, we can connect to anyone in the world, but is a retweet the same as a real relationship? How do we make sure we’re committing to the ideas and people that will actually enrich our lives, and help us enrich the lives of others? This week, Rabbi Lamm spoke about all this with leading author and pastor Van Moody, of the Worship Center in Birmingham, Alabama.

On today's installment: The Song of Songs, and growing closer to God by loving those who are radically different from you.

This week people all over America and the world will start planning for St. Valentine's Day. You might not expect a Rabbi to care. Instead, we decided to drop four special episodes each covering a different angle on love, the Bible, and, of course, the Beatles. Sign up for more events here: https://thejoshuaproject.com/love

On today's installment: David and Bathsheba, and the value of healthy self-love.

This week people all over America and the world will start planning for St. Valentine's Day. You might not expect a Rabbi to care. Instead, we decided to drop four special episodes each covering a different angle on love, the Bible, and, of course, the Beatles. Sign up for more events here: https://thejoshuaproject.com/love

Nowadays, it’s common to think of Silicon Valley and traditional religion as the new Athens vs. Jerusalem. But in many ways this betrays a failure of imagination. These are the only two major forces, certainly in American life, with ambitious visions — which seem crazy to everyone else — for transforming the world that is into the world that ought to be. So what are the factors driving these two things apart, which ones might be bringing them together, and what’s the best way to move forward? This week, Rabbi Ari Lamm speaks about all this with the amazing Katherine Boyle, partner at General Catalyst.

On today's installment: Jeremiah, the end of days, and the love of family and community.

This week people all over America and the world will start planning for St. Valentine's Day. You might not expect a Rabbi to care. Instead, we decided to drop four special episodes each covering a different angle on love, the Bible, and, of course, the Beatles. Sign up for more events here: https://thejoshuaproject.com/love

On today's installment: Jacob, Rachel, and love that runs deeper than mere attraction and romance.

This week people all over America and the world will start planning for St. Valentine's Day. You might not expect a Rabbi to care. Instead, we decided to drop four special episodes each covering a different angle on love, the Bible, and, of course, the Beatles. Sign up for more events here: https://thejoshuaproject.com/love

The Exodus is justly celebrated as the earliest triumph for freedom in human history. But as everyone from the American founders, to Frederick Douglass, to Cecil B. DeMille understood, the story of Israel’s freedom—and the American freedom modeled on it—would be incomplete without the Ten Commandments. Because what the Revelation at Sinai introduced to civilization was the idea that there is no lasting freedom without obligation. So this week, Rabbi Lamm spoke with Nellie Bowles of the New York Times about unchosen obligations, converting to Judaism, and why what America needs right now is…tradition!

For some, “almost” doesn’t count. But America takes the mantle of being “an almost chosen people” with pride. So what sort of obligations come with being “almost” chosen? This week Rabbi Lamm speaks to the CEO of the Christian Broadcast Network, Gordon Robertson, about identifying the ways we can follow in the footsteps of the Biblical chosen people.

Whether the challenges we’re facing are personal, communal or even national, how do we make sure we each take an active role in addressing them, while at the same time realizing that we can’t do everything on our own, and that we need the support of a community to get us through? This week Rabbi Lamm speaks to cancer survivor, legendary healthcare advocate, and Host of the Out Of Patients podcast, Matthew Zachary, about doing just that.

Along the way they talk about everything from the Exodus from Egypt, to 90s pop culture, to what’s missing in the era of social media.