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A tartalmat a Jonathan Woodward and Religion News Service biztosítja. Az összes podcast-tartalmat, beleértve az epizódokat, grafikákat és podcast-leírásokat, közvetlenül a Jonathan Woodward and Religion News Service vagy a podcast platform partnere tölti fel és biztosítja. Ha úgy gondolja, hogy valaki az Ön engedélye nélkül használja fel a szerzői joggal védett művét, kövesse az itt leírt folyamatot https://hu.player.fm/legal.
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Matt Deseno is the founder of multiple award winning marketing businesses ranging from a attraction marketing to AI appointment setting to customer user experience. When he’s not working on the businesses he teaches marketing at Pepperdine University and he also teaches other marketing agency owners how they created a software company to triple the profitability for the agency. Our Sponsors: * Check out Kinsta: https://kinsta.com * Check out Mint Mobile: https://mintmobile.com/tmf * Check out Moorings: https://moorings.com * Check out Trust & Will: https://trustandwill.com/TRAVIS * Check out Warby Parker: https://warbyparker.com/travis Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy…
Martini Judaism
Mind megjelölése nem lejátszottként
Manage series 3640798
A tartalmat a Jonathan Woodward and Religion News Service biztosítja. Az összes podcast-tartalmat, beleértve az epizódokat, grafikákat és podcast-leírásokat, közvetlenül a Jonathan Woodward and Religion News Service vagy a podcast platform partnere tölti fel és biztosítja. Ha úgy gondolja, hogy valaki az Ön engedélye nélkül használja fel a szerzői joggal védett művét, kövesse az itt leírt folyamatot https://hu.player.fm/legal.
For those who want to be shaken and stirred. Join one of American Judaism’s most prolific thought leaders and his special guests as they talk about the current state of Judaism, American culture, politics, religion, and spirituality.
…
continue reading
48 epizódok
Mind megjelölése nem lejátszottként
Manage series 3640798
A tartalmat a Jonathan Woodward and Religion News Service biztosítja. Az összes podcast-tartalmat, beleértve az epizódokat, grafikákat és podcast-leírásokat, közvetlenül a Jonathan Woodward and Religion News Service vagy a podcast platform partnere tölti fel és biztosítja. Ha úgy gondolja, hogy valaki az Ön engedélye nélkül használja fel a szerzői joggal védett művét, kövesse az itt leírt folyamatot https://hu.player.fm/legal.
For those who want to be shaken and stirred. Join one of American Judaism’s most prolific thought leaders and his special guests as they talk about the current state of Judaism, American culture, politics, religion, and spirituality.
…
continue reading
48 epizódok
Minden epizód
×"If God lived in our neighborhood, we'd throw stones through His [sic] windows." I do not know who originally said that, though I think that the original was in Yiddish. But, it's true. And, if you were to ask me whether Jewish worship has a "design flaw," I would say that this is it: almost nowhere in our services do we get to yell at God, and to protest God's actions and in-actions. We want our worship experiences to be uplifting and inspirational. But, we are missing out on the emotional richness and depth of the religious experience. Yes – joy, gratitude, uplift. But, anger and questioning are part of any healthy relationship. Where is that in our prayer experience? This is a crying shame -- and I emphasize "crying." Because crying out at God, and yelling at God, and protesting God is a distinctive part of Judaism and Jewish texts. It goes back to Abraham, who protested God's planned destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah; Moses, who protested God's threatened destruction of the Israelites at the incident of the Golden Calf; Job, who demanded justice from God; the author of the Psalms, who has a lot to say about God's actions and silence -- all the way to Tevye ("I know we are your chosen people. But, once in a while, can't You choose someone else?") to Elie Wiesel.... In fact, that is the original meaning of the term "chutzpah." It means audacity -- against, and with, God. This is the essential, sacred lesson of a new, spectacular book by Menachem Rosensaft -- "Burning Psalms: Confronting Adonai after Auschwitz.” Menachem is an attorney in New York; the founding chairman of the International Network of Children of Jewish Holocaust Survivors, and most notably, had been active in the early stages of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.…
Remember the 10th commandment? "Thou shalt not covet"? This past week, many preachers violated that commandment. They were coveting the sermon Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde delivered at the National Cathedral during a service the day after President Donald Trump's inauguration, in which she pleaded with Trump to show mercy to the most vulnerable among us. (Speaking Jewish right now: If I had been blessed with the opportunity to address the president, I would not have used the word "mercy." I would have asked him to show compassion and to do justice. But that's me). Many of my colleagues and friends have been debating: Was the bishop appropriate? Was her sermon in good taste? Did she publicly shame and humiliate the president? I have been struggling with all that as well, and now I think she was totally spot on. And not only because I agreed with her. Sure, she made President Trump a little uncomfortable. Deal with it, Mr. President. That's often what sermons are about. As my colleague and friend Rabbi Rick Jacobs notes: "The job of a religious leader is not to tell those in the pews — whether the usual parishioners or their country’s leaders — what they want to hear. Rather, the job requires clergy to speak the truth of their tradition as they understand it." Or, put differently, sometimes it is the goal of a sermon to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. To "shake and stir" them. You want to feel all good and comfortable? Go to a spa.…
It happened exactly four years ago. I am speaking of January 6, 2021 -- the attack on the US Capitol Building by supporters of Donald Trump – claiming that President Biden had stolen the election. It was, to quote Bill Kristol, our national day of shame. It was, to borrow FDR’s iconic phrase, a day that will live in infamy. There were many things that we cannot unsee, and that we cannot unhear. Among the rioters that stormed the Senate chamber was a man who provided us with one of the most memorable and disturbing images of that dark day in American history. A bare-chested, self-styled “shaman” named Jacob Chansley, was wearing a horned helmet. At a certain moment, he removed that helmet, and he led the group in prayer: "Thank you heavenly father for gracing us with this opportunity… to allow us to exercise our rights, to allow us to send a message to all the tyrants, the communists, and the globalists, that this is our nation, not theirs. We will not allow America, the American way of the United States of America to go down… In Christ's holy name, we pray." That was a demonstration of Christian nationalism -- the subject of our podcast with Amy Spitalnick, the CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) -- a powerful national voice on issues of democracy, antisemitism, extremism, and hate. In our conversation, you will learn that Christian nationalism poses three threats -- to America, to Jews and other religious minorities, and even to Christianity itself. (Many Christians themselves recognize this; check out this interview with Amanda Tyler, author of "How To End Christian Nationalism.")…
Last week, we observed the first yahrzeit (anniversary of a death) of Dr. David Ellenson -- past president of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, past provost of that institution, a professor at that institution for a generation – a teacher, a theologian, a historian of Jewish ideas, a world class thinker. Someone said that “David was always the smartest person in the room, and he never let you remember that.” If you could look up the word mensch in a dictionary, you would see David's photograph. You could meet him and never know he possessed one of the greatest Jewish minds of this generation. Simple, unpretentious, a man who made everyone feel that he was a member of their family. A man who passionately loved his own family, especially his wife, Rabbi Jacqueline Koch Ellenson, and their children, several of whom have followed David and Jackie into the rabbinate. David and I were friendly for more than fifty years; our kids are friends; our grandchildren are friends. Three generations of friendship in one family. It does not get any better than that. Please check out the podcast that we recorded in his memory. It features: Professor Arnold Eisen – former president of Jewish Theological Seminary. Rabbi Michael Marmur – associate professor of Jewish theology at HUC-JIR, Jerusalem, who had served as the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Provost at HUC-JIR, having previously been Dean of the Jerusalem campus. Elisheva Urbas – editorial director, Hadar -- an editor, writer, translator, coach, and teacher. We took a deep dive into David's life -- beginning with his formative years in the Orthodox community in Newport News, Virginia. We discussed how David's Southern Orthodox Jewish boyhood shaped him -- making him sensitive to what it means to be a cultural stranger, and imbuing within him an infectious love for clal Yisrael -- the entirety of the Jewish people.…
If you encounter someone who wants to talk about God, odds are that person isn't Jewish. Why? I am talking to a friend of mine about his experience on various dating sites. He tells me that from time to time, he will come across a profile that seems promising. And then, right there in the first paragraph, the woman will write: “Must love God.” As he scrolls down a little further, he sees that she is a Christian – and that she inevitably describes her politics as “conservative.” “I don’t get it,” he says to me. “Why is it that anyone who writes ‘must love God’ is always Christian? I’m Jewish. I love God. Do these people think that only Christians love God? And since when does ‘must love God’ mean ‘must be a Christian – and of a particular kind and political persuasion?’” That was the question that led me into a conversation with Professor Arnold Eisen, one of American Judaism’s most esteemed thinkers and personalities. From 2006 to 2020, he served as the chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America – the flagship academic institution of Conservative Judaism – where he was only the second non-rabbi to serve in that post. He is an author of many books, and a cherished teacher and public intellectual.…
Rabbi Jeff Salkin sits down with Rabbi Jonah Pesner, one of American Judaism's most prominent voices and the director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism . Together, they dive into the deeply rooted relationship between Judaism, politics, and social justice, exploring why so many Jews align with liberal causes while maintaining a vibrant spectrum of political thought within the community. From the historical and spiritual foundations of Jewish values to modern-day challenges in maintaining empathy amidst polarization, Rabbi Pesner offers insights that are both grounded in tradition and urgently relevant. The conversation spans critical topics, including: The intersection of Jewish peoplehood and universalism in shaping political priorities. The impact of October 7 and the ongoing war in Israel on Jewish voting patterns and political alliances. Rising concerns about anti-Semitism across the political spectrum and its influence on communal discourse. The role of religious institutions in fostering thoughtful, inclusive spaces for dialogue amidst deep societal divisions. As always, Rabbi Salkin keeps the conversation shaken and stirred with humor, insight, and a dash of martini wisdom. Whether you lean left, right, or somewhere in the middle, this episode will challenge you to think critically about what it means to live into the Jewish covenant in today’s world. Episode Highlights Roots of Jewish Liberalism : Rabbi Pesner reframes the stereotype, asserting that Jewish political values stem not from liberalism or conservatism but from Torah’s call to protect the widow, orphan, and stranger. Navigating Polarization : A nuanced discussion on how synagogues can become havens for respectful debate and sacred disagreement. Facing the Challenges of Anti-Semitism : Addressing the rise of anti-Semitism from both extremes and the Jewish community’s response. If you’re inspired by this episode, let’s continue the conversation: Follow Rabbi Salkin’s Martini Judaism column on Religion News Service. Rate and review the podcast on your favorite platform to amplify its reach. Share this episode with your community to spark discussions about Jewish values, politics, and the power of hope.…
On Tuesday, July 16, I and a group of rabbis traveled south from Jerusalem — to the Gaza envelope. There, we visited the places that Hamas had ravaged on Oct. 7, 2023. We visited the site of the Nova music festival, where we said kaddish for the young victims. We visited Kibbutz Nir Oz. We walked through the rubble of the burnt houses, the burnt kitchen, the places where people died, and the places where people were taken hostage. One-quarter of the residents of Nir Oz were killed or taken hostage. I have experienced many moments of pain in my Jewish life, even as I have experienced many moments of joy and exaltation. But never in my life have I encountered the memories of such sheer evil as I did at Nir Oz. I had not known at that time that I was walking in the footsteps, walking the same ground, as Alex Dancyg , of blessed memory — a proud son of Warsaw. And so it was in Warsaw on Yom Kippur that I dedicated the memorial service to his memory. Adapted from my Yizkor sermon, given on Yom Kippur, Beit Warshawa, Warsaw, Poland.…
Two of my favorite people — Abigail Pogrebin and Rabbi Dov Linzer — who have just written a new book, "It Takes Two To Torah: An Orthodox Rabbi and Reform Journalist Discuss and Debate Their Way Through the Five Books of Moses," with a foreword by Mayim Bialik. This is a book about each Torah portion, as read through their lenses, and is a series of conversations and intellectual wrestling matches.…
First, this modern Orthodox rabbi was one of the first rabbis to really touch my life and to engage me in what my Protestant colleagues would call “formation.” Rabbi Yitz Greenberg was a congregational rabbi in Riverdale, NY; the founder of the Jewish studies program at City College of New York; the creator of CLAL, the Center for Learning and Leadership – which is a think tank for Jewish pluralism and intra-Jewish conversation. I first met Rabbi Greenberg and his wife, Blu, the major Jewish feminist leader, when he engaged me to work with a bunch of modern Orthodox teenagers on a CLAL retreat. That encounter with Rabbi Greenberg, whom I would come to know as Yitz or Rabbi Yitz, changed my perception of Orthodox Jews and Orthodox Judaism. It made me more open to seeing the Jews as a unified people, and not just a discrete collection of ideologies. Yes: this Orthodox rabbi helped shape the world view of this Reform rabbi. His vision of an observant Judaism that was open to the world and freely encountered the world moved me – so much so, that decades later, I would become a regular participant in the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, founded by Rabbi Greenberg’s colleague, the late Rabbi David Hartman – also an Orthodox rabbi, and like Yitz, also a rebel. The second way in which Rav Yitz is my oldest friend in the rabbinate: he is 91 years old, and he has just published his magnum opus, his master work, the culmination of everything that he has taught for so long -- "The Triumph of Life: A Narrative Theology of Judaism." This is the book that Yitz's students -- and frankly, the Jewish world -- has been waiting for for more than a half century.…
We need to take the spiritual journey of Ana Levy-Lyons with the gravity it deserves. Truth be told: There is a shortage of rabbinical students. Jews need rabbis. Levy-Lyons obviously has the human, intellectual and spiritual skills for it. I look forward to welcoming her as a Jew, and certainly as a colleague. But there is far more to this story than is readily apparent. This is not only a story about how someone has entered Judaism. It is also a story about how someone left the Unitarian Universalists. The reason for that departure is fascinating, compelling and instructive.…
Jews have been living on an emotional roller coaster. In recent weeks, we experienced a welcome "high." Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was under serious consideration for vice president on the Democratic ticket. Then, in recent days, for many Jews, a "low" when Josh Shapiro was passed over in favor of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Jews have a right to be disappointed. But along with that disappointment, let us realize the Shapiro possibility contains two serious lessons for American Jews. First, the purpose of an election is not to make Jews (or any other ethnic group) proud. The purpose of an election is to win.…
More than forty years ago, as I prepared to ascend the pulpit for my first High Holy Days sermon as a rabbi, one of the elders of my congregation, dear old Arthur Leibowitz, pulled me aside. “Rabbi,” he said to me, “Preach the Dickens at ’em.” I said to him: “OK, Arthur. Just please don’t have any great expectations.” American Jews already know, intuitively and rationally, that they are living in the "worst of times." The rise of antisemitism, both in the United States and abroad, and the ongoing, unfolding horror of October 7 and its aftermath, makes that all abundantly clear. But, let me pull back the curtain for you, and show you that in some ways, we are living through the best of times.…
“I am running away to join the circus.” It was 2004, and my synagogue in Atlanta had welcomed Amichai Lau-Lavie as a guest speaker. Amichai had been the founder of Storahtellers, a ritual theater company, which was an innovative approach to presenting Torah in synagogue. He had come to our congregation along with what could only be described as a madcap ensemble of actors, singers and theater professionals – who also knew Torah. They dramatized the Torah portion. And, much more. The congregation was mesmerized. The next day, we had breakfast. This is what I said to him: “You are the circus, and I am running away to join you.” Those are the kind of feelings that Amichai Lau Lavie evokes. For decades, he has been one of American Judaism’s most creative, most courageous, and most outrageous, spiritual leaders. Listen to the podcast interview with him. This is his resume. Time Out called him “an iconoclastic mystic." NPR called him “a calm voice for peace." According to the New York Times, he is a “rock star.” The Jewish Week called him “one of the most interesting thinkers in the Jewish world.” Rabbi Lau-Lavie is the Co-Founding Spiritual Leader of the Lab/Shul community in NYC , where he has been living since 1998. Just recently, his colleague at Lab/Shul, Shira Kline, received a coveted Covenant Award for her contributions to Jewish education. He was ordained as a Conservative rabbi by the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in 2016 – which is the only thing conservative about him. Being a rabbi is not a career for Amichai; neither is it a calling. It is a genetic predisposition. His cousin is Rabbi David Lau , the current Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi of Israel. His uncle is Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau , the former Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi, and survived the Holocaust as a child. His brother is Rabbi Benny Lau , one of Israel's most prominent Orthodox rabbis. If Amichai did 23 and Me, the results would scream: "rabbi!" Amichai is the 39th generation of rabbis in his family. Except, he is the first one to be openly queer. Did I mention that he used to be a drag queen? His drag persona was Rebbitzen Hadassah Gross, a Holocaust survivor from Hungary, who was the widow of several rabbis. Amichai Lau-Lavie is the subject of a new movie -- Sabbath Queen , directed by Sandi DuBowski, who previously directed "Trembling Before G-d," which was the first film to shine a light on the plight of Orthodox LGBTQ persons. "Sabbath Queen" had been entered in several festivals, but had been cancelled because, well, you know. It is making its premier at the Tribeca Film Festival, where it is the only Israeli-ish film in the festival. Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie has many gifts. Chief among them is his ability to transform our views of Judaism, in which he takes us from the either/or to the both/and. He strives to be radically inclusive, even if it means dipping his toe into waters that some might find heretical. My favorite quote of his: “The Bible is the PDF, and we are working on the google doc.” As in: The biblical text might be a set text (as some might say: set in stone). But, a google doc is the result of many minds, souls, and hands writing and re-writing it -- as a communal effort. We are all working on that doc.…
I am experiencing serious FOMO. I am totally bummed that I am going to be out of the range on Monday to watch the solar eclipse. So, let's talk about Judaism and eclipses. Are there eclipses in the Bible? Most likely. It is possible that the plague of darkness during the Exodus from Egypt was a total eclipse of the sun. Likewise, when the sun stood still in the book of Joshua, that also might have been an eclipse. There are also references to solar eclipses in medieval Jewish texts, especially as they might have influenced the calculation of the new moon. But, far more compelling is the idea that God is also in eclipse. The term for that is "hester panim," the act of God concealing the Divine Presence as a way of punishing the Jewish people. To experience the hidden Presence of God was to experience great terror and anxiety: "How long, O LORD; will You ignore me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long will I have cares on my mind, grief in my heart all day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand? Look at me, answer me, O LORD, my God! Restore the luster to my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; lest my enemy say, “I have overcome him,” my foes exult when I totter" (Psalm 13: 2-5). It is dangerous — to directly experience the hidden nature of God can sear itself into your eyes, and into your soul. God chose to conceal the Divine Presence — either as a punishment for sin or because God cannot tolerate the fact of our suffering. But, here is the good news: a God Who hides is also a God who can be found. The eclipse itself is a testimony to the cycles that attend to the natural universe, the flowing of time and the placement of the planets and orbs — all imagined, all in the mind of God — as intimated in the opening words of Genesis. You have bought your eclipse glasses, haven't you? In the words of Bruce Springsteen: Mama always told me not to look into the eyes of the sunBut mama, that's where the fun is ("Blinded by the Light").…
What are the three little words that rabbis almost never, ever, say to their congregations. Hold on, because I am about to say them. God loves you. That is the topic of Rabbi Shai Held's new book, "Judaism Is About Love,"` which is also the topic of today's "Martini Judaism" podcast. Wait a second, you are saying. Isn't this supposed to be Martini Judaism -- not Martini Evangelical Christianity? Am I reading the wrong column, or has Jeff Salkin decided to convert? Neither. Let’s face it: “God loves you” is not how the world views Judaism. It’s not how Jews view Judaism and God either. We have forgotten and abandoned this sublime and comforting idea, and we are the poorer for that amnesia and abandonment. A conversation with Shai Held, regarding his new book on the topic... Our liturgy proclaims it very clearly – for starters, in the Shabbat evening liturgy: The ahavat olam prayer: "with eternal love You have loved us" – and the sign of that love? The Torah and its laws. In the Avot prayer, we chant that God will bring us redemption for the sake of our ancestors b’ahavah, in love. In the Kiddush, we chant that God gives us Shabbat b’ahavah, with love…. I like to think of Judaism as the story of a romance. Act One: God meets people. That is the patriarchal period. The Jewish people begins when God, for no apparent reason – this is how the mystics put it – God fell in love with Abraham, and with Isaac, and with Jacob. Act Two: God and people date. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the matriarchs — all have conversations with God. Act Three: During the sojourn in Egypt, God and people are out of touch. Act Four: God hears the cries of the beloved coming from Egypt. Act Five: God remembers that love. Act Six: God and the Jewish people get married at Sinai (which will happen a few weeks from now, on Shavuot). It is why on Shavuot some communities actually write a ketuba between God and the Jewish people. Act Seven: Then comes the business with the Golden Calf. A big disappointment. A bad day in the marriage. Act Eight: We endure God’s perhaps petulant or even passive-aggressive silence. For much of the later parts of the Jewish Bible, God says nothing. Act Nine: We and God re-invent our relationship over and over again. The Temple is destroyed; the Jews rebuild it; the Romans destroy it again; the Jews figure out new ways of demonstrating their love for God. When we study Torah, do you really want to know what is happening? It is as if we have entered into that romance with God. We read every word of Torah, listening to its nuances and wondering aloud and in sacred community about its meaning…. If you’ve ever been in love, you know exactly what I mean. In the Zohar, the cardinal text of Jewish mysticism, the author imagines the Torah Herself (yes, herself – in the Jewish imagination, the Torah is always feminine). The Torah is a kind of Rapunzel, waiting coquettishly in her tower while her lover tries to find her and rescue her and even ravish her. Our love affair with Torah is perhaps the closest way that we can understand our love affair with God. Where did we lose the idea that Judaism is about love? Our history has bruised us and battered us, and it has forced us to be deaf to our own beautiful traditions. To quote the late chief rabbi of Great Britain, Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks: “Once upon a time, we saw ourselves as the people that God loves. “Now, all too many of us define ourselves as the people that the world hates.” Yes, I am painfully aware of what is happening in the world right now -- and especially in this country -- with the frightening rise of antisemitism. But, the idea that we are the people whom the world hates is a pathetic distortion of our faith and our fate. Because, do you know why countless generations of Jews were able to stand up to Jew-hatred? Because no matter what befell them, they had faith in God’s love. We still do. Thank you, Shai Held, for bringing that idea back.…
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