Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin is an American Orthodox rabbi, writer, adjunct professor, and host of the ultra popular 1840 podcast.

We covered a lot of ground in this conversation. 

First off, we talk about a love of both of ours - the craft of comedy - and the 2 ways that the mechanics of humor relate to communicating Torah messages. 

After this - we move in to structure - Dovid blew me away - and I’m not exaggerating - with a 3 step method that he uses for every talk, every class, every presentation - and it’s based on the mechanics of how a magic trick works. 

This was by far one of the coolest things I had ever heard before - that he could take this esoteric idea - it actually got made into a book and a movie called ‘The Prestige’ - and he turned it into a templated structure that he now applies to everything he communicates to audiences everywhere. 

Then we move even deeper into the forest - where we discuss the audience/speaker relationship - how you must love them and respect them as co-creators in your presentation, but never use them to get your needs met.

And then, rounding up Act III of this episode - we discuss the boundaries of vulnerability in leadership - and how important is it for a rabbi or other leader to put on a strong front for his congregation vs revealing to them his own struggles for the sake of being relatable to the people he’s trying to help grow.

And lastly - Dovid shares his top 3 pieces of advice for new congregational leaders - to set them up for professional and personal success. 

Follow Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin at https://18forty.org/

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