Kotzk Podcast 068: Tashlich, water and 'bribing' demons (Kotzk blog 525)

texts, of demons and spirits inhabiting bodies of water, and how they can be manipulated by knowledgeable practitioners. These texts may relate to the notion of Tashlich originally being instituted to bribe the Satan into not revealing human sins before G-d.

Radical Rabbinic models of universalism (Kotzk blog 523)

This episode explores four radical rabbinic approaches to universalism from the sixteenth century to R. Adin Steinsaltz.

Editing Jewish texts: Between reverence and revision (Kotzk blog 524)

This episode examines how Isaac Benjacob's edition of 'Shem haGedolim' by the Chida, completely reworks the ethos of the original work. Benjacob's editorial methodology is then highlighted against that of Maimonides.

Italian letters: The battle over the Zohar (Kotzk Blog 522)

This episode explores the recently translated - and highly charged - correspondence between two nineteenth century Italian rabbis on the authenticity and importance of the Zohar.

Confronting or Escaping? -Beyond the "Back of the Wagon of the Baal Shem Kotzk Blog 521

This episode challenges the widespread belief that the Baal Shem Tov offered a straightforward, one-step path to joy. Rather than promoting effortless happiness, he appears to have called for profound and often unsettling introspection—urging individuals to confront their deepest fears and vulnerabilities. Joy, in his view, was not guaranteed, but perhaps only attainable through a rigorous inner journey.

'Creating' sacred sites: Who is buried there, and does it matter? (Kotzk Blog: 520)

This episode examines the sometimes-spontaneous emergence of burial sites attributed to Sages and biblical figures, raising the question of whether historical accuracy should play a role in how such sacred spaces are recognized.

When rabbis dared to challenge the Divine: The case of Midrash Tehillim (Kotzk Blog: 519)

This episode—based extensively on the research by Professor Dov Weiss[1]— examines the rise and decline of rabbinic protest theology. It looks at the audacious attempts by some Mishnaic rabbis to defy a general ethos of protest prohibition, particularly upheld by the schools of R. Akiva and R. Elazar. By tracing the gradual evolution of rabbinic protest theology through the Talmudic period to its peak in post-Talmudic times, Weiss maps a distinct theological arc that eventually waned and merged into modern times as a subdued tradition.

Messianic Immunity—The Perfect Storm: The case of R.

This episode—based extensively on the research by Professor Abraham Ofir Shemesh(1) examines an extreme case of messianic immunity. In the sixteenth century, a medical doctor, haRofeh, under the influence of the *Sabbatian* messianic movement of Shabbatai Tzvi, felt he could administer harmful drugs to non-Jews in order to kill them. Because he believed he was living in the stirrings of the messianic era, he also believed he could do so with impunity—if not hasten the full awakening of the messianic age as he saw it unfolding before his very eyes.

A historical context to Midrashim (Kotzk blog 517)

This episode—based extensively on the research by Professor Gary Porton [1](https://d.docs.live.net/cf7c519617ad128d/Documents/KOTZK%20BLOG%20517.docx#_ftn1) — investigates the historical conditions that may have fostered the complex and often elusive evolution of *Midrash*. *Midrashim* are the creative and often fanciful interpretations of the biblical text that dramatically expand its plain meaning. While some adopt a literal approach to the interpretation of *Midrashim,* others opt for an allegorical methodology. Based on a reading of *Talmudic* texts, Porton suggests a more diachronic or historical approach based on how and where *Midrashim* were first taught.

When Midrash is too much for the Midrash (Kotzk blog 516)This episode—based extensively on the research by Rabbi Dr Zvi Ron—examines various Midrashim that have been rejected by an unofficial form of collective rabbinic consensus. These include Midrashim from lesser known sources as well as, surprisingly, those from classical Midrashic sources such as Mechilta, Sifra, Sifri, Midrash Raba and Midrash Tanchuma