Judaism Unbound

ASHERAH is a new journal of Jewish liturgy — past, present, and future. Its name comes from an ancient goddess, related to a tree of the same name, and its first issue kicks off with a provocative quotation from Abraham Joshua Heschel: "Prayer is meaningless unless it is subversive." Shaul Magid, Asherah's founder, and Lila Rimalovski, one of its co-editors, join Lex Rofeberg and Miriam Terlinchamp for a conversation about weaving tradition and subversion seamlessly together, in artistic and linguistic forms.

Looking for an intro to Judaism course? The UnYeshiva's gotchya covered, via our course Judaism Inbound: An Introduction to Judaism for Everyone. Head to JudaismUnbound.com/2026-courses/p/inbound-9-26 to learn more! Financial aid is available for all who need it.

On this final episode of Shabbat Dinner Party, we have the real dinner.

First, Neil Spears talks about how when we go somewhere over and over, we become known. 

Then, Gefelteria’s Jeffrey Yoskowitz and Liz Alpern put the final touches on their Shabbat dinner, and teach us about a dinnertime ritual where everyone touches the challah and we connect to break bread together. 

Finally, Kate works up the courage to have a real-life Shabbat dinner table. 

Shabbat Dinner Party is a production of Judaism Unbound. Senior Producer is Joey Taylor, and Executive Director is Miriam Terlinchamp. This episode was mixed by Justin Newton.

Send us your comments, recipes, and Shabbat thoughts: [email protected]

Resources:

Elul is the 12th and final month of the Jewish calendar year. Elul Unbound is a Judaism Unbound initiative all about making Elul meaningful, through creative digital modalities. In this conversation, Lex Rofeberg and Wendie Bernstein Lash ask what the Torah portion Nitzavim (from Deuteronomy, meaning "standing") can teach us about what it means to gather en masse -- with other Jews on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, or as a broader community beyond just Jews. This Elul episode is the fourth and final conversation in a series of four episodes being released as part of Elul Unbound 2026.
--------------------------------------
Looking for an intro to Judaism course? The UnYeshiva's gotchya covered, via our course Judaism Inbound: An Introduction to Judaism for Everyone. Head to JudaismUnbound.com/2026-courses/p/inbound-9-26 to learn more! Financial aid is available for all who need it.

To check out all our Elul bonus episodes from previous years, which can still be relevant to your experience of Elul this time around, click here. Join our bi-weekly journey through Elul Unbound 2026 by signing up at this link, and sign up for our Elul Unbound Shabbat gatherings here, where we will be forging our kavanot (intentions) for the new year in real time with fellow Unbounders.

On this episode of Shabbat Dinner Party, we return to the imaginary Shabbat Dinner Table.

Neil Spears talks about how to rid ourselves of the ‘tyranny of always having to produce.’ Gefelteria’s Jeffrey Yoskowitz and Liz Alpern return to the kitchen to teach Kate how to braid challah, a centerpiece of the Shabbat dinner table that carries layers of memory from the ancient practice of setting aside a portion of dough as an offering to the two loaves that recall the double portion of manna gathered before Shabbat in the wilderness. 

Finally, Comedian and Writer Eliot Glazer talks about how Judaism’s become more complicated in the past few years, and how we think about the spiritual-but-not-religious perspective. 

Shabbat Dinner Party is a production of Judaism Unbound. Senior Producer is Joey Taylor, and Executive Director is Miriam Terlinchamp. This episode was mixed by Justin Newton.

Send us your comments, recipes, and Shabbat thoughts: [email protected]

Resources:

Elul is the 12th and final month of the Jewish calendar year. Elul Unbound is a Judaism Unbound initiative all about making Elul meaningful, through creative digital modalities. In this conversation, Lex Rofeberg and Wendie Bernstein Lash explore questions of who/what God is, and how Elul might be a perfect time to explore questions around divinity. This Elul episode is the third in a series of four that are being released as part of Elul Unbound 2026.

To check out all our Elul bonus episodes from previous years, which can still be relevant to your experience of Elul this time around, click here. Join our bi-weekly journey through Elul Unbound 2026 by signing up at this link, and sign up for our Elul Unbound Shabbat gatherings here, where we will be forging our kavanot (intentions) for the new year in real time with fellow Unbounders.

On this episode of Shabbat Dinner Party, we return to the imaginary Shabbat Dinner Table.

Neil Spears talks about how to have Shabbat dinner with a purpose, and why it can feel so hard to enter new Jewish spaces. Gefilteria’s Jeffrey Yoskowitz and Liz Alpern return to the kitchen to prep challah and talk about how there’s no such thing as a Bad Jew; what matters is that we’re on our own journeys, with an interest in learning.

Finally, Hana Mendel talks about building her own Manhattan Shabbat practice and how, after trial and error, she found what she calls a “Shabbat of Peace.”

Shabbat Dinner Party is a production of Judaism Unbound. Senior Producer is Joey Taylor, and Executive Director is Miriam Terlinchamp. This episode was mixed by Justin Newton.

Send us your comments, recipes, and Shabbat thoughts: [email protected]

Resources:

Elul is the 12th and final month of the Jewish calendar year. Elul Unbound is a Judaism Unbound initiative all about making Elul meaningful, through creative digital modalities. In this conversation, Lex Rofeberg and Wendie Bernstein Lash explore what it means to enter a "Thurs-Year" (a "Thursday" of years in the Shmita cycle, as a 5th year out of seven overall). This Elul bonus episode is the second in a series of four that will be released as part of Elul Unbound 2026.

To check out all our Elul bonus episodes from previous years, which can still be relevant to your experience of Elul this time around, click here. Join our bi-weekly journey through Elul Unbound 2026 by signing up at this link, and sign up for our Elul Unbound Shabbat gatherings here, where we will be forging our kavanot (intentions) for the new year in real time with fellow Unbounders.

Shabbat Dinner Party, an auditory exploration through a Shabbat dinner, returns to the appetizer table, the kitchen, and the dinner table to go through all things Shabbat dinner.

In this episode, Neil Spears talks about how Shabbat could be the perfect antidote to burnout through the act of guarding and remembering. The Gefilteria’s Jeffrey Yoskowitz and Liz Alpern talk about their personal approach to Shabbat and religion, and how resting by yourself is different than resting in community. 

Finally, writer and comedian H. Alan Scott talks about how working on several different creative projects doesn’t mean you can’t rest on Shabbat. 

Shabbat Dinner Party is a production of Judaism Unbound. Senior Producer is Joey Taylor, and Executive Director is Miriam Terlinchamp. This episode was mixed by Justin Newton.

Send us your comments, recipes, and Shabbat thoughts: [email protected]

Resources:

Elul is the 12th and final month of the Jewish calendar year. Elul Unbound is a Judaism Unbound initiative all about making Elul meaningful, through creative digital modalities. In this conversation, Lex Rofeberg and Wendie Bernstein Lash kick off this year's Elul Unbound experience. This Elul bonus episode is the first in a series of four that will be released as part of Elul Unbound 2026.

To check out all our Elul bonus episodes from previous years, which can still be relevant to your experience of Elul this time around, click here. Join our bi-weekly journey through Elul Unbound 2026 by signing up at this link, and sign up for our Elul Unbound Shabbat gatherings here, where we will be forging our kavanot (intentions) for the new year in real time with fellow Unbounders.

Welcome to Shabbat Dinner Party, an auditory exploration through a Shabbat dinner. In this episode, we meet resident Shabbat expert Neil Spears, Gefilteria’s Jeffrey Yoskowitz and Liz Alpern, and comedian Mike Liebenson. 

Resources:

Shabbat Dinner Party is a production of Judaism Unbound. Senior Producer is Joey Taylor, and Executive Director is Miriam Terlinchamp. This episode was mixed by Justin Newton.

Send us your comments, recipes, and Shabbat thoughts: [email protected]