The Rabbi's Husband

David Cygielman, founder and CEO of Moishe House, is Mark’s guest on the podcast today. David has been a non-profit innovator since high school when he started ‘Feed the Need’, a nationally recognized homeless feeding organization, and, in 2006, he helped establish Moishe House to be part of building something that would have a real impact on the global Jewish community and beyond. The passage he has chosen to discuss is one which Mark would never have known existed otherwise, Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7:7.

They begin with David describing the origins of Moishe House and the work it continues to do today, and then moving on to summarizing the passage and the reasons why he chose it. He and Mark then explore the lessons the passage teaches, how it is manifest in the world today, and how its wisdom is applicable to Moishe House residents and other young people. As with all guests, David draws the episode to a close by offering the lessons he has learned about mankind. This is a passage whose very theme of continuing to learn and gain wisdom by surrounding yourself with others who will share their ideas and knowledge with you, constitutes a brilliant example of the importance and value of not just this episode, but of the entire Rabbi’s Husband podcast series as a whole.

Episode Highlights:

Quotes:

“In addition to being roommates and having full-time jobs or being in graduate school, they’re turning their homes into community centers.”

“They should be coming to him, because he was the best student.”

“He had forgotten even the simple stuff.”

“It’s that humility to be humble and to be with the people that you surround yourself with, is what matters much more than where you physically are.”

“If you stay on vacation, the life as you know it will disintegrate.”

“It’s actually the work and the stress that is the meaning.”

“It’s who you’re with rather than where you are…it’s a deeply important Jewish teaching.”

“You cannot retire, you must rewire.”

“It’s the atmosphere you create that is paramount to the outcome that you’re going to have much more so than the physical space.”

“It’s more about their practice than it is about their denomination.”

“Maybe the key to happiness is having low expectations.”

“When you give people the opportunity to be really fully responsible for their own success or failure, they will do incredibly well.”

Ecclesiastes Rabbah

Rabbi Yochanan had five disciples, and as long as he lived they sat before him. When he died, they went to Yavneh. Rabbi Elazar ben Arach, however, joined his wife at Dyomset, a place of good water and beautiful scenery. He waited for them to come to him but they didn't. When they didn't come, he wanted to go to them, but his wife did not let him. "Who needs who" she asked. "They need me" he answered. She said to him: "In the case of a food container and mice, does the food go to the mice or do the mice go to the food?" He listened to her, and remained there until he forgot his learning. After a while they came and asked him "Which is better to eat along with a 'relish,' wheat bread or barley bread?" But he couldn't answer.

Links:

The Rabbi’s Husband homepage: http://therabbishusband.com/

Mark’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/markgerson?lang=en

Mark is delighted to welcome the President and CEO of the Hadar Institute, Rabbi Elie Kaunfer, to today’s episode. In addition to his work with this great institution of adult jewish learning in the world, Elie has also been named one of the top fifty Jewish leaders by The Forward, and one of Newsweek's top fifty rabbis. When asked to guest on the podcast to discuss prayer, the topic of his upcoming book, Elie chose Genesis 15:1-8 to discuss with Mark.

He begins the conversation by summarizing the passage, and sharing why it is meaningful for him. He and Mark then explore the complexities of Abraham’s relationship with God, the promises that God made to Abraham, and the lessons to be learned from the reference to stars in the passage as well as Abraham’s struggle with faith. Elie then explains what this passage has to do with prayer, offers his advice to those who, like Mark, are unable to connect to God through prayer, and reviews Judaism’s emphasis on the communal aspect of prayer. Elie concludes the episode by offering a glimpse into his upcoming book, as well as the lessons he has learned about mankind. As Mark notes, he always learns so much from his conversations with Elie, particularly about the multiple meanings that can come from the same text, and today is your opportunity to do the same during this fascinating and informative examination of this highly important biblical passage.

Episode Highlights:

Quotes:

“It’s a different window into Abraham’s relationship with God that’s actually much more complex than blind faith.”

“It’s not that you’re just going to have one child, you’re going to have so many children, it’s going to be as numerous as the stars in the sky.”

“There can be many truths emanating from the same passage.”

“If you want to find your way in the darkness, you need to use the stars.”

“There’s some connection between stars and angels, you know, the heavenly beings that you see when you look up in the sky.”

“God’s sort of in league with us, providing us some sort of comfort and protection that allows us to express our doubts.”

“I’ve never had a meaningful prayer experience in my life…it’s just never done anything for me, and I’m blaming myself.”

“There’s an artistry to the prayer book itself…it’s really a book of poetry.”

“A lot of prayer is about trying to connect to a God who feels distant.”

“There’s sort of a communal responsibility that gets heightened when you are with other people in a prayer setting.”

“If you will it, it is no dream.”

“Although people present often as cynical, I think, underneath, people are really yearning for deep connection.”

“The secret of the Torah is not that you can begin, but that you can begin again.”

Genesis 15:1-8 - https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.15.1-8?lang=en&with=all&lang2=en

Links:

The Rabbi’s Husband homepage: http://therabbishusband.com/

Mark’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/markgerson?lang=en

Welcome to the 70th episode of the Rabbi’s Husband podcast, a significant milestone, particularly as 70 is the Jewish number of completion. And, although the podcast is far from complete, such a special occasion does deserve an equally special guest, so today Mark is delighted to welcome his favorite guest of all time, the Rabbi herself, Mark’s wife Rabbi Erica Gerson. The passage that Erica has chosen to discuss today is one that she absolutely loves, Genesis 32.

Erica begins by sharing her reason for choosing this passage as well as an extensive summary of it, and the significance of Jacob having his name changed within it. She and Mark go on to examine the fact that Jacob continues to be referred to by both names, how that relates to the many identities that each of us hold throughout our lives, and the importance of wrestling a blessing out of a struggle as well as continually wrestling with God. Erica also discusses the lessons she has learned through her deep engagement with Christians over the past two decades that leads to a further discussion about being truly open to the call of God, and walking in His ways. Today’s episode is no less than a contemplation on what it means to be a good Jew, providing further insight into the eternal wisdom and guidance of the greatest book ever written.

Episode Highlights:

Quotes:

“I think it’s really the essence of what it is to be Jewish.”

“I just love that our name is Yisra'el - the people who wrestle with God.”

“A Jew does not leave a struggle without a blessing.”

“This is his moment of transformation.”

“This blessing is that he’s learning to stop running.”

“He got the ultimate blessing – he was able to transform himself.”

“We can transform, we can reach a new stage in our development, but what happened and who we were before is always with us.”

“Everyone has these multiple facets to their personality.”

“We acknowledge the pain that it brings, but we still find a way to also find the blessing.”

“As long as you’re still wrestling, you’re doing the right thing.”

“God loves every argument.”

“We have the inheritance of this mantle that we are to wrestle with God, and that’s what it means to be a good Jew.”

“It’s been a really life-changing experience to get to know Christian medical missionaries who have dedicated their lives to serving the African poor.”

“You can have meaningful holy ground where you overlap with people and can be in service, and it doesn’t mean you have to agree on everything.”

“There are blessings in our everyday life because of the interactions that we come to in the way that we - well, for them, that they bless the Jewish people - but, for me, in the way I can interact with them and also do God’s will.”

“There’s nothing abstract about faith. It’s all very personal and very practical.”

“It’s a blessing to be married to you, and to have such friends that we’ve been able to bring into our home together.”

Genesis 32 - https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.32.1-33?lang=en&with=all&lang2=en

Links:

The Rabbi’s Husband homepage: http://therabbishusband.com/

Mark’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/markgerson?lang=en

Mark is delighted to welcome Pastor Samuel Rodriguez, President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC), to the podcast today. In addition to his work in leading the world’s largest Hispanic Christian organization, Pastor Rodriguez is also a producer, best-selling author, civil rights activist, and television personality, who is widely regarded as one of America’s most influential voices. He has chosen a passage that Mark had not seen before, Psalms 89:15, to discuss today.

Pastor Rodriguez begins by summarizing the selected passage and sharing its meaning, in particular its emphasis upon the four qualities of righteousness, justice, truth and love. He and Mark then engage in an extensive analysis of these four qualities and how they are crucial to addressing so many issues in society, especially these days. They also look at the concepts of reconciling the messages of Billy Graham and Dr. King, the meaning of a beautiful orthodoxy, and the younger generation’s perspective on the four qualities. Pastor Rodriguez concludes their conversation by offering both the lessons he has learned about mankind, and his advice for future generations. In this fascinating discussion, Pastor Samuel Rodriguez reveals the extraordinary lessons and amazing applications of this passage to very real present day challenges, demonstrating yet again the eternal guidance that the Bible so richly provides.

Episode Highlights:

Quotes:

“If our communities would be built on righteousness and justice, truth and love, we would literally change the world.”

“These are the four qualities that are needed to govern, broadly defined, a complicated society.”

“I believe that biblical antidote is something we should be embracing now.”

“Righteousness is vertical, justice is horizontal.”

“Justice is not a political term to be exploited, it is a prophetic term to be lived out.”

“Justice is just righteousness applied.”

“Right now, I believe there is an assault on truth.”

“I would argue that we’re currently seeing the fulfillment of a Malcolm X movement rather than a Dr. King movement.”

“It is impossible to know God without first going through truth and love.”

“This is what the millennial and younger generation are yearning for.”

“Let’s reintroduce the four concepts that may very well serve as the catalyst for a movement that could transform this broken world.”

“The opposite is anarchy, it is chaos…we are this far away from things breaking out negatively, and we can prevent it by building a firewall of righteousness and justice, truth and love.”

“Over 90% of humanity never gets into the Promised Land.”

“Live a holy, healed, healthy, happy, humble, hungry, honoring life, and with that life you can change the world.”

Psalms 89:15 Righteousness and justice are the base of Your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness stand before You. https://www.sefaria.org/Psalms.89.15?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en

Links:

The Rabbi’s Husband homepage: http://therabbishusband.com/

Mark’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/markgerson?lang=en

Rabbi Levi Welton is Mark’s very special guest on the podcast today. As a modern exemplar of the ancient Rabbis who held occupations, Levi not only works as the spiritual leader of Lincoln Park Jewish Center, but also as a healer for low-income patients in NYC, and as a chaplain in the United States Air Force. The passage he has chosen to discuss is Exodus 5:22.

Levi begins the discussion with his summary of the passage, why it is his favorite, and the lesson that God wants us to take away from it. He and Mark then explore many of the concepts which flow out of this rich passage such as biblical humility, challenging God, the nature of truth, and God as King rather than Judge. They also examine the relevance of this passage today, the biblical stories of Jonah, the Flood, and the Tower of Babel, as well as the passage’s perspective on social activism and an approachable God. At the conclusion, Levi shares the lessons about mankind which he has learned which, in turn, lead to a fascinating discussion about pastoring to non-Jews in his role as Air Force chaplain. This conversation, which quickly expands to touch on so many aspects of both the Torah and of society today, demonstrates yet again how ‘one biblical passage can yield so much wisdom’, providing invaluable lessons and guidance for all.

Episode Highlights:

Quotes:

“This is a mortal human arrogantly accusing God of evil.”

“Moses is talking about evil done to ‘the other’.”

“Stop thinking about what you need, and think what you’re needed for.”

“He’s very confident, he’s very aware of his great gifts, but always sublimates himself to his principles and thinks very little, if ever, about himself.”

“Whatever God presents to him in that moment, Moses is open to doing what the moment requires.”

“If you’re a guarantor for somebody else, you must be richer than everybody else in something, so go identify what that thing is.”

“One of the great things about Judaism is it’s one long ongoing conversation.”

“There’s only two different types of men in the world – the decent man and the indecent man.”

“Being a person of service, not a servant, but a person of service, opens you up to changing their lives.”

“We’re not satisfied with being an animal…this human condition is constantly striving for more.”

“The uniform unites the people regardless of their diversity, because they’re all a person of service…that creates an interesting safe place – container – for conversations which sometimes I don’t see out in the large public.”

“If you could confess to your friend, or to your spouse, to whoever it is that you trust, and create that space where you could talk about the things that are holding you down…you could become open to your greatness.”

“People come to me as a Chaplain, and a lot of times I’m not even talking about anything to do with religion.”

“It’s the Chaplain’s role, which is a very important role in the military, is the spiritual resiliency that goes into creating a warrior.”

“Be that light to the nations.”

Exodus 5:22 Then Moses returned to the LORD and said, “O Lord, why did You bring harm upon this people? Why did You send me? https://www.sefaria.org/Exodus.5.22?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en

Links:

The Rabbi’s Husband homepage: http://therabbishusband.com/

Mark’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/markgerson?lang=en

Mark is delighted to welcome Phyllis Costanza, Head of UBS in Society and CEO of the UBS Optimus Foundation, to the podcast today. In her role, Phyllis applies an investment-based approach which makes it simpler for clients and their families to manage their philanthropy in order to tackle some of the world's most pressing social and environmental issues. Mark’s African Mission Healthcare is one of the only 5% of charities that applied to work with Phyllis’ organization to have been approved, and he feels truly blessed that they are in partnership together. The passage Phyllis has chosen to discuss today is Deuteronomy 16:20.

Phyllis begins by sharing her summary of the passage and the meaning it holds for her, which leads to an extensive analysis of the different theories regarding the repetition of the word ‘justice’ within it. Paired with this discussion is their exploration of how this passage resonates with Phyllis’ work with Optimus and the rigorous selection process they use when considering charities and in guiding philanthropists. Woven throughout is the notion that philanthropy done with love will always be the most successful and that the potential exists for actually making situations worse when love and rigor are absent. Phyllis also shares her lessons about mankind which reveal precisely who make up the most generous donors, and she offers details regarding the challenge of having to reject charities for the sake of upholding her organization’s rigorous selection process.

Episode Highlights:

Quotes:

“This absolutely applies to social justice.”

“The Torah, as we know, is an incredibly concise document. Every single word counts in the Torah.”

“We say it twice because it is so damned important.”

“We should expect there to be justice, but…don’t count on it. It is up to each and every one of us to make sure that we live our lives justly, but that we also call out injustices wherever we see them. And we have an obligation to do this.

“Your means have to be just and your ends have to be just. And it’s not one or the other, it’s both.”

“We see it right now…how this pandemic has really underscored some great injustices.”

“The work of a good person is never done.”

“No one ever started a successful business by not talking to the customers.”

“It’s actually sort of an arrogant sense of superiority, you know, which is the ultimate injustice.”

“It matters that we’re trying to do the absolute best thing that we can with your money because we have an obligation to do that, and that is the just thing to do.”

“When one does philanthropy with love, they’re going to welcome the rigor that you apply.”

“It’s the love of God that inspires so much of this kind of giving.”

“Generosity comes in incredible ways.”

“We’re not here simply to help you, we’re here to catalyze the work that you’re doing so that we can bring our other wealthy clients on board to help solve this problem.”

Deuteronomy 16:20 Justice, justice shall you pursue, that you may thrive and occupy the land that the LORD your God is giving you. https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.16.20?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en

Links:

The Rabbi’s Husband homepage: http://therabbishusband.com/

Mark’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/markgerson?lang=en

Bret Stephens, one of the United States’ great public intellectuals over the past two decades, joins Mark for the podcast today. Among his many achievements, Bret has been the editor in chief of The Jerusalem Post, editor at Commentary magazine, editorialist at The Wall Street Journal, and currently has a column in The New York Times. He has chosen a passage which is often overlooked in biblical commentary, Genesis 14, to discuss with Mark today.

Their conversation begins with Bret sharing the story behind being cited in Leon Kass’ book about Genesis, and his extensive summary of the selected text. Throughout this summary, he and Mark demonstrate how the passage presents the foundation of a Jewish philosophy of a just war and international engagement, discuss a selection of applicable analogies, explore its moral and geopolitical purpose, and review Abram’s declaration of independence. The episode concludes with Bret explaining the argument the passage makes against Jewish pacifism and for the moral use of power, and then offering the lessons he has learned about mankind. As Bret states, this text ‘is telling us things that are relevant…to our ideas about what politics and foreign policy ought to be about, and why it’s useful to have a foreign policy that is rooted in a moral concept rather than in a material one’ – a ‘continuing and eternal implication’ that is of paramount importance throughout the country and, indeed, the world, these days.

Episode Highlights:

Quotes:

“I am to Torah scholarship what John Belushi was to sobriety.”

“It is among the most political of chapters in Genesis.”

“That’s probably my proudest boast intellectually, that Leon Kass cited something I had written as an undergraduate.”

“This is really the story of the genesis…of a Jewish concept of foreign policy, a Jewish concept of a just war.”

“The is the first time the word Hebrew is used in the Bible.”

“There is politics taking place, and there is a strategic quandary, and there’s also a moral quandary, and Abram has to think about how he resolves this.”

“It’s not exactly the raid on Entebbe, but it’s close.”

“This is an extraordinary victory against overwhelming odds, prefiguring…so many of Israel’s wars.”

“Abram is mentored and learns about God from a gentile.”

Genesis 14 https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.14?lang=bi&aliyot=0

Mark’s friend, Senator Marco Rubio, joins him on the podcast today. The son of Cuban immigrants, Marco grew up in Miami and Las Vegas, entered public service as a City Commissioner, and was elected to the United States Senate in 2010. In his current role, he has become a leader on a variety of issues from United States support of Israel to immigration to Latin America, earning himself the title of a ‘virtual Secretary of State for Latin America’ from The New York Times. Having known him for ten years now, Mark considers him to be exceedingly well informed on any topic, and recommends that anyone who has anything cynical to say about politicians really should meet Marco. The passage he has chosen today is Proverbs 3:5-6.

Marco begins their discussion by sharing his summary of the passage, his reasons for selecting it, and examining some of the key words from it as well as their translation. He and Mark then explore the themes within the passage such as trusting and leaning on the Lord and rationalization and accountability, and how these themes are experienced in society today. They also look at the difference between human and Godly understanding, the differing attitudes towards those with greater responsibility in our world, and the foundation the Bible provides for current laws and policies. Marco concludes the discussion by offering his practical advice derived from the passage, the ways in which he and his colleagues enhance their understanding of the Bible, and the lessons he has learned about mankind. As Mark states, in today’s episode, Marco shares ‘so many enduring observations…from four lines of a magnificent proverb’, and together they surface its many lessons and practical applications.

Episode Highlights:

Quotes:

“Just be able to speak knowledgeably about any topic for four minutes and you’ll fool them all.”

“I think it’s the first lesson of Judaism, and obviously it becomes the first lesson of Christianity.”

“If you go through the Ten Commandments as they were handed down, why would you believe any of them if you don’t trust in the source of those commandments?”

“It’s a guide book from the manufacturer.”

“Don’t lean on your own understanding, because you’re going to fool yourself if you give yourself the chance. Instead, trust in the Lord with all your heart.”

“Time and again, no matter how much the Lord has proven Himself, we constantly find reason to doubt that He’ll do it again.”

“Very few bad people actually think they’re bad people…they just think of these fantastic justifications to do what they really should know is bad.”

“If you have to sneak it in, then that means there’s something wrong with it.”

“You can’t apply something you don’t understand.”

“We live in the world of the Bible.”

“What we all have in common is that we have something special about us…and…everyone wants to matter.”

“Identify the gift that God has given you, and apply it to something meaningful.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And do not rely on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths smooth. https://www.sefaria.org/Proverbs.3.5-6?lang=bi

Links:

The Rabbi’s Husband homepage: http://therabbishusband.com/

Mark’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/markgerson?lang=en

Jim Copland, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and director of Legal Policy, joins Mark for today’s episode. During his storied career, Jim has testified before Congress as well as state and municipal legislatures, and his writing has appeared in a variety of publications such as the Harvard Business Law Review and Yale Journal on Regulation, the Wall Street Journal, and USA Today. He is also the author of The Unelected: How an Unaccountable Elite is Governing America, his latest book, which was released in September. The text he has chosen to discuss with Mark today is Numbers 12.

Jim starts the conversation by summarizing the passage, its significance for him, and then he and Mark explore some differing interpretations of Moses’ marriage to a Cushite woman. They also discuss lessons about engaging in lashon hara, the difference between gossiping and rebuking that the text teaches, and the relevance of the entire text for today’s criminal justice system. Jim offers the lessons he has learned about mankind, including the hope to be found in the fact that God entrusts us with the law, the original sin of America, and what he has learned from his interracial marriage.

Episode Highlights:

Quotes:

“A challenge, to some degree, of Moses’ authority.”

“He married an outsider.”

“The gematria for ‘Cushite’ and the gematria for ‘beautiful of appearance’ is the same, 736. So, the biblical author…is clearly associating Cushite with beautiful appearance.”

“They speak out about Moses behind his back…they’re gossiping about Moses which is a great Jewish sin.”

“It’s in their failure to address Moses directly, it’s in their failure to rebuke him in a way that he can learn from, that they failed and they are punished.”

“The Bible is insistent on rebuking.”

“This is the, kind of, canonical, biblical expression of lashon hara, of gossiping.”

“Here you see Moses challenging God.”

“There’s no distinction in the Bible between a sin against God and a sin against another person. A sin against a person is a sin against God.”

“Man is fundamentally good, but man is also fundamentally fallen and…I think our law embodies that.”

Numbers 12 - https://www.sefaria.org/Numbers.12?lang=bi&aliyot=0

Links:

The Rabbi’s Husband homepage: http://therabbishusband.com/

Mark’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/markgerson?lang=en

Today’s edition of the podcast is the first to not involve a discussion of a biblical verse, but is instead a special discussion with returning guest, Ambassador Michael Oren, regarding his new book The Night Archer: and Other Stories. In addition to having served as Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Michael counts serving as a Member of Knesset and as Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, among his many achievements. This book marks his first collection of short stories, and to make today’s episode even more special, the first 50 listeners to email [email protected] will receive a copy absolutely free!

The episode begins with an acknowledgment of Israel’s recent peace agreements in the Middle East, the hacking of Michael’s Facebook page, and his overview of his collection of short stories in The Night Archer. The remainder of the podcast is devoted to a series of questions for Michael supplied by a number of contributors regarding his book, writing, and Israel. Providing in-depth and extensive responses, Michael shares summaries of some of his stories, what inspired them, his writing process and discipline, his editing process, how writing the book has changed him, and his hopes for it in the future. He also reflects upon the difference of writing fiction as opposed to history, giving up his American citizenship, the nature of heroism, the Jewish nature of his book, inspiring the love of Israel in young people, and gratitude. As Mark notes, The Night Archer is a ’really beautiful book’ whose 51 short stories reveal so much about their author. You will most assuredly enjoy today’s very special edition of The Rabbi’s Husband as it introduces you to the unique opportunity of glimpsing the soul of this undeniably accomplished and evolving man of action.

Quotes:

“Grateful for this moment to be alive. This moment in Jewish history - it’s very special.”

“I decided to write 51 stories that are completely different – every one.”

“I want to be able to say something in each story that is essential about the human condition.”

“Every single story…is a revelation for me.”

“I have no memory of writing any of these stories, because it’s a spiritual experience, and it’s a meditative experience.”

“What’s in this book is me, the central part of me, and the people who read it…I will be inviting into my soul.”

“History writing, when it’s at its best…reads like a novel.”

“Right now, I look at what’s going on in America, and it’s heartbreaking to me.”

“I believe that America is for humanity a last best hope…the noblest experiment that modernity has produced.”

“Short stories are singularly Jewish.”

“Freedom is a hallowed Jewish concept.”

“We celebrate the holiday of freedom by having extra restrictions put on us…it’s the paradox of Jewish freedom.”

“I have to say in 3 pages what a novelist says in 300.”

“Being free incurs responsibility.”

“We have the ineffable privilege to be alive at a time in Jewish history where Jews have the ability to screw up in a sovereign, free environment.”

Links:

The Rabbi’s Husband homepage: http://therabbishusband.com/

Mark’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/markgerson?lang=en

The Night Archer: https://michaeloren.com/new-book