Dr. Nehama Leibowitz was one of the most influential scholars and commentators on the Torah, and shaped the trajectory of Bible study. Justin is joined by Professor Smadar Rosensweig, a world-renowned Jewish educator and lecturer in Tanakh from Stern College for Women at Yeshiva University to explore Leibowitz’ personality, impact and legacy. 2
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Lag B’Omer commemorates the yahrtzeit of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, traditionally considered the author and primary subject of the Zohar, the masterpiece of Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism. Justin is joined by scholar and educator Dr. Daniel Matt, who spent 18 years creating the definitive award-winning translation of the Zohar. 1
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Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, the leading thinker of religious Zionism, was one of the most influential figures in Israeli history. Justin is joined by Rabbi Zev Reichman, the leader of East Hill Synagogue in Englewood, NJ, for an exploration of the thought and influence of Rav Kook and how so many of his ideas were […]
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Enjoy part two of a full-ranging interview on Avi Weiss’ childhood, Israel, activism, legacy, and family changes. Rabbi Avi Weiss is founder of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, Yeshivat Chovevei Torah and co-founder of Yeshivat Maharat. He is the author of many books, including the newly released, “Torat Ahava – Loving Torah,” a thematic commentary […]
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Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Jacobson grew up at the feet of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, and has since become one of America’s premier Jewish scholars in Torah and Jewish mysticism, and one of the most sought after speakers in the Jewish world today, Rabbi YY shares what he learned from the rebbe, as well as insights […]
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How might the future of technology shape Jewish life, and how might Jewish life shape the future? Justin is joined by scholar and futurist David Zvi Kalman, a leading thinker on the intersection of Jewish history and the history of technology, and of Judaism and artificial intelligence. Dr. Kalman is a research fellow at the […]
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Justin is joined by “God-expert” and Kabbalist Rabbi David Aaron, author of The Secret Life of God, to discuss the divine in the context of Purim, as well as to explore ways to think about God today, and particularly after October 7. 55
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Justin is joined by Torah teacher and sociologist of American Jews Mijal Bitton to explore who or what is Amalek, the evil tribe that attacked Israel from behind in the desert and launched millennia of antisemitism, and how do we think about Amalek this year in particular and what are our obligations. 35
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Justin draws lessons about the “post-war” Jewish community from the Purim story and the rituals of giving gifts to our neighbors and the poor, and shares one key strategy for building that community. 47
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In the first in a series of conversations on Purim, Justin Pines is joined by Erica Brown, author of Esther: Power, Fate and Fragility in Exile, and the Vice Provost for Values and Leadership at Yeshiva University, to discuss themes of Purim as they relate to our world today. 83
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