In honor of the upcoming holiday of Purim...here is Episode 12a of the Holy Madness! 

Join us as we explore a little bit about the holiday, and do a quick overview of the central book about it - the Book of Esther. We tease out the farcical tone it is written in, identify many of its comedic elements, and identify some of its main themes. (Those themes will be more fully explored in episode 12b.)

We humbly suggest you read the book along with us!

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The Book Of Esther (Episode 12a)

Holy Madness is a culture, religion, and spirituality podcast for thinkers. There are precious few people who believe, ask questions, think critically, and care about G-d. If you're here, you're probably one of them. It isn't easy, wandering through this life as a thinking believer (or as a believing thinker, for that matter). Join the Holy Madness - you aren't alone.

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Holy Madness comes to you live from shutdown and shut-in Jerusalem with some cutting questions and good thoughts before Pesach in the time of coronavirus.

Redemption: Where You Go Depends On Who You Follow

Living in a Bubble World

This episode starts off light and then drills into experiential aspects of the three weeks between the fast of the 17th of the month Tammuz and the fast of the 9th of the month of Av. We discuss that summertime sadness, living in a bubble, preppers (who think they'll make it when the whole system goes down), and what difference your awareness makes. We talk Kohelet (Ecclesiastes), and Tzvi brings out the difference between wisdom and Torah. Tzvi talks about how people are talking about "Off the Derekh" kids, a big assumption in the yeshiva system, and the big problem in Holy Madness - The Show. His "beautiful sad music" faces off against Meir-Simchah's "emo parody" (there's no actual music in the episode, so don't hesitate to listen to it during the nine days). We introduce Eicha (Lamentations), which we'll be reading shortly. Meir-Simchah asks what are the big breakdowns today, and we wind up talking about what gives us hope.

If you want to take a short but deep dive into Tisha B'Av, check out this recent bit of Extra Madness, a talk that Meir-Simchah gave at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York, https://soundcloud.com/holymadnesstheshow/extra-madness-meir-simchah-on-tisha-bav-at-omega-institute-5777.

Please subscribe to the podcast on SoundCloud or your favorite app, share it with all the exceptional people you know who may enjoy it, and connect with us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/holymadness.theshow/ or Twitter @holymadnessshow.

This episode includes call brief call-backs to previous episodes "2. Why Do Bad Ideas Happen to Good People?" https://holymadness.org/blog/podcast-episodes/why-do-bad-ideas-happen-to-good-people-season-1-episode-2/), "4. Find the Light or Become It?" https://holymadness.org/blog/podcast-episodes/find-the-light-or-become-it-season-1-episode-4/, and 11. Social Justice Worshipers https://holymadness.org/blog/podcast-episodes/social-justice-worshipers-season-1-episode-11/.

Living in a Bubble World (Episode 26)

This is a mind-blowing, impromptu talk on Tisha B'Av, the day the Temple was destroyed. It was given by Meir-Simchah at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York, 2017. All the main ideas come from Meir-Simchah's rabbi (a fact noted before the recording started), who has some of his works available here http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/ravmatis. Sorry about the audio quality - it was impromptu.

If you find this talk enlightening, please share it with friends, subscribe to the podcast, connect with us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/holymadness.theshow/ and/or Twitter @holymadnessshow, check out additional content at holymadness.org.

Extra Madness: Meir-Simchah on Tisha BAv at Omega Institute (5777)

Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein joins us to talk about God vs. gods, his wonderful book about idolatry in the development of Torah. (Throughout the episode, we use the Hebrew term for idolatry, avodah zarah, literally, 'foreign worship' or 'alien work'. If you didn't know the term before, you will by the end of the episode.)

Is Hinduism idolatry? Is Christianity? Are ideologies idolatries? ... and why the religious and anti-religious might suggest they are and what they get wrong... (Do we need to revisit our take on Social Justice Worshipers? https://holymadness.org/blog/podcast-episodes/social-justice-worshipers-season-1-episode-11/)

We discuss the sensual draw of alien worship, worshiping the poop god, and famous places of worship, including the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Sistine Chapel, the Western Wall, May poles, and Meron.

Tzvi asks a pointed and loaded question about Ultra-Orthodoxy. Meir-Simchah differentiates avodah from Torah, and Torah from religion. Rabbi Reuven discusses how Molech might have survived into modernity, conjectures that living with morality demonstrates freedom from idolatry, and suggests that Christianity and Islam pave the path to ultimate redemption.

Some glowing recommendations:

Buy Rabbi Reuven's book G-d Versus Gods: Judaism in the Age of Idolatry - https://amzn.to/2ZZ6LWb

Buy his first book, Lashon HaKodesh: History, Holiness, & Hebrew (English, Hebrew and Aramaic Edition) https://amzn.to/32142gP

And subscribe to his email series illuminating apparent synonyms' deep differences in the Torah: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/whats-in-a-word

Subscribe to Holy Madness here, get more at holymadness.org, and follow us on Twitter: @holymadnessshow, and on Facebook: www.facebook.com/holymadness.theshow/.

Intro music by bensound.com, outro music written, performed, & mixed by Meir-Simchah.

GOD vs. gods, with Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein (Episode 25)

What's the place of reason in religion? Among the most reasonable human beings alive, Rabbi Josh Yuter joins the Holy Madness to discuss rabbinic authority, being a community rabbi, Torah law, getting free of ideologies through the caring application of reason.

For more on his thoughts about religious politics and rabbinic recognition - a subject he's been writing about for over 15 years - including an MA thesis - read this blog essay: https://joshyuter.com/2019/06/24/judaism/religious-politics-and-rabbinic-recognition/. There's much more there too.

You can get Rabbi Josh on Twitter: @JYuter,, and get Holy Madness at holymadness.org, on Twitter: @holymadnessshow, and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/holymadness.theshow/.

Intro music by bensound.com, outro music written, performed, & mixed by Meir-Simchah.

The Book Of Esther (Episode 12a)

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