Best Shalom Hartman Institute Podcasts (2024)

1
Finding Joy in Crisis 31:28

9d ago31:28

31:28

In times of great tragedy, joy can feel out of place, or even inappropriate. However, when tragedy becomes a consistent part of our lives, we must learn to survive and continue to live through it. On this episode of TEXTing, Elana Stein Hain and Yonah Hain explore a text from Tosefta Sotah and discuss how to muster joy when tragedy seems to have no…

1
Remembering and Forgetting: The High Holidays as a Time of Solidarity 54:20

23d ago54:20

54:20

During the High Holiday season, the focus of the Jewish people turns to the millenia of shared history and tradition reflected in the Days of Awe. In a session given by Elana Stein Hain for A Day of Learning for Our Hostages, Elana explores the connection between solidarity and memory, and the pieces of our tradition that bind us even across our di…

1
What’s Your Fish? 30:49

1M ago30:49

30:49

When you feel like running away, where do you go to see things from a new perspective? In this episode of TEXTing, Elana Stein Hain and Yonah Hain explore the story of Jonah and the fish — the story traditionally read as haftorah on Yom Kippur afternoon — through the lens of Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, Chapter 10, Section 9. Through this powerful midra…

1
Living with Dissonance 44:04

2M ago44:04

44:04

The parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin z”l did everything they could to rescue their son and the other hostages taken by Hamas on October 7 but in the end, they were unable to prevent his murder along with five other hostages. In this special episode, Elana Stein Hain turns to a midrash in Sifrei Bamidbar to consider how to grieve this tremendous loss…

1
Spiraling Upwards 39:02

2M ago39:02

39:02

History repeats itself, but are we doomed to relive the mistakes of the past? In this episode Elana Stein Hain and Christine Hayes explore cycles of life, destruction, and redemption through the lens of Tisha B’Av Kinot (liturgical poetry), Kohelet (Ecclesiastes), and Devarim (Deuteronomy), and ask whether we could—or should—break out of them. Epis…

1
A Foundation for Hope 36:38

3M ago36:38

36:38

Living through crisis propels us to reflect on historical crises and consider the consequences of our behavior on future generations. As Tisha B’av approaches, Elana Stein Hain and Leora Batnitzky study a text from Jeremiah (Yirmiyahu) chapter 32 about how we process cataclysmic events and imagine a future beyond them. Episode Source Sheet You can …

1
TEXTing Live: The Rabbinic Panopticon 1:05:52

3M ago1:05:52

1:05:52

The world has changed dramatically over the past millennium, yet the challenges we face concerning how we exist in public, and who we allow to shape our world view, is a tale as old as time. On this episode of TEXTing, recorded live at Hartman’s Rabbinic Torah Seminar in Jerusalem, Elana Stein Hain and Christine Hayes explore texts about rabbinic ‘…

1
Another Way 30:06

4M ago30:06

30:06

Everyone does things that they regret sometimes but expressing that regret can often be a challenge. On this episode of TEXTing, Elana Stein Hain and Yonah Hain examine a text from Shemot Rabbah to discover how we can meaningfully express our regrets and make amends. Episode Source Sheet You can now sponsor an episode of TEXTing. Click HERE to lear…

1
Dara Horn, People Love Dead Jews 56:27

4M ago56:27

56:27

Dara Horn is an American novelist, essayist, and professor of literature. She has a Ph.D. in comparative literature in Hebrew and Yiddish from Harvard University. Dara is the author of five novels and in 2021 released a nonfiction essay collection titled People Love Dead Jews, which was a finalist for the 2021 Kirkus Prize in nonfiction.I spoke wit…

1
Keeping Memory Alive 30:30

4M ago30:30

30:30

What is so painful about forgetting? The Jewish people rely on collective memory to keep traditions and communities alive, so a loss of memory is equivalent to a loss of connection. On this episode of TEXTing, Elana Stein Hain and Leora Batnitzky examine a passage from the Sifrei Devarim (Midrash on the Book of Deuteronomy), chapter 48, and explore…

1
Between a Rock and a Hard Place 32:25

5M ago32:25

32:25

The rise of antisemitism on both the right and the left has the Jewish people caught on the center line of a high-stakes tennis match. On this episode of TEXTing, Elana Stein Hain and Yonah Hain explore a Talmudic passage from Tractate Yoma 10a, to discuss how we maintain agency during troubling times, and how we look to the future when we can’t ye…

1
In the Face of Change 33:30

5M ago33:30

33:30

Major moments of change, as Israelis and Jews around the world have experienced over the course of this past year, impose a daunting uncertainty about the future. On this episode of TEXTing, Elana Stein Hain and Christine Hayes dive into a story from Vayikra (Leviticus) Rabbah 29:2 that explores the complicated relationship that we have with both c…

1
A Fish out of Babylon 36:11

6M ago36:11

36:11

What does it mean to feel out of place? When is discomfort something to work through, and when does it indicate that a change is needed? On this episode of TEXTing, Elana Stein Hain and special guest Shlomo Zuckier explore two stories of misfits, mistreatment, and the search for belonging, from the Jerusalem Talmud in Tractate Berachot, and how the…

1
From Where I Sit 29:42

6M ago29:42

29:42

Our political landscape and personal relationships are rife with misunderstandings and miscommunications. On this episode of TEXTing, Elana Stein Hain and Yonah Hain dive into a story from Nedarim 66b about a series of miscommunications between a Talmudic married couple to understand the difference between miscommunications and conflicting viewpoin…

1
Controlling Chaos 34:54

7M ago34:54

34:54

How do we understand the role of chaos in our lives, which feels so omnipresent right now? How can we defend against the mayhem? On this episode of Texting, Elana Stein Hain and Leora Batnitzky examine two passages from the Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmuds and explore the surprising ways that chaos can be contained. This episode of TEXTing is spons…

1
Pride and Shame 34:09

7M ago34:09

34:09

In excess, both pride and shame can be destructive forces, yet to cultivate a healthy ego, one needs a moderate dosing of each. In this episode of Texting, Elana Stein Hain and Christine Hayes unpack tractate Yoma page 22b, which highlights the tension between the need to stand up for oneself and the imperative to be magnanimous and forgiving. What…

1
Living with Contradiction 29:34

7M ago29:34

29:34

Right now, Jews are struggling to live with conflicting feelings— loyalty and dissent, compassion and rage, fear and hope. In this episode of TEXTing, Elana Stein Hain and Leora Batnitzky turn to an ancient text—Kohelet (Ecclesiastes)—as well as rabbinic interpretations, to consider how we might live and thrive amidst contradiction. Episode Source …

1
Code-switching 27:25

8M ago27:25

27:25

Many Jews have found themselves frequently code-switching, altering their speech to fit in, during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. In this episode of Texting, Elana Stein Hain and Yonah Hain take a close look at an instance of code switching in the rabbinic Midrash, Pesikta DeRav Kahana 4:7-8, and what it can tell us about communicating with differen…

1
To Laugh or to Cry? 29:51

8M ago29:51

29:51

As the rabbis of the Talmud faced exile and marginalization, they sometimes turned to humor and satire to cope with the challenges they faced. On this episode of TEXTing, Elana Stein Hain and Christine Hayes examine a passage from Talmud Bavli Bekhorot 8b-9a that preserves how the rabbis satirized the Roman cultural sphere—and consider what we can …

1
Individuals in a Time of Communal Tragedy 29:29

9M ago29:29

29:29

In times of war, personal tragedy tends to be subsumed by a collective sense of loss and grief. Borrowing a metaphor from a rabbinic passage about the spread of wildfire in Bava Kamma 60a-60b, Elana Stein Hain and Leora Batnitzky, a professor of philosophy and Jewish studies at Princeton University, explore human interconnectedness as it relates to…

1
Critiquing Power 32:43

9M ago32:43

32:43

How do we relate to power today beyond the binary narrative of oppressor and oppressed? In this episode of TEXTing, Elana Stein Hain and Yonah Hain examine a passage from the Talmud in tractate Sanhedrin that explores what it means to challenge those who hold power. Through the classic rabbinic reading of the story of the rebellion of Korach from N…

1
Loss and Uncertainty 30:45

10M ago30:45

30:45

Since the devastation on October 7 and throughout the subsequent Israel-Hamas War, Israelis and Jews worldwide have endured tremendous loss and deep uncertainty. In the first episode of TEXTing, a podcast devoted to the exploration of Jewish texts in relation to current events, Elana Stein Hain and Christine Hayes turn to the Talmud in tractate Hag…

1
Donniel Hartman, President of the Shalom Hartman Institute 53:51

1+ y ago53:51

53:51

Donniel Hartman is the President of the Shalom Hartman Institute, a Jewish research and education institute based in Jerusalem, Israel that offers pluralistic Jewish thought and education to scholars, rabbis, educators, and Jewish community leaders in Israel and North America. He’s the author of three books, the Boundaries of Judaism, Putting God S…

1
Yossi Klein Halevi on American Jews and the State of Israel 46:52

2y ago46:52

46:52

Yossi Klein Halevi is a Senior Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. He is the author of the New York Times bestselling book, Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor and Like Dreamers which won the Jewish Book Council’s Book of the Year. You can see Yossi’s op-eds in the New York Times, Los Angles Times and other leading newspapers.I sat …

1
BONUS: The Path to Heretic in the House 52:30

2y ago52:30

52:30

Here's a conversation from a different podcast by the Shalom Hartman Institute called Identity/Crisis, Hosted by Yehuda Kurtzer. In this episode, he interviews Naomi Seidman on the making of Heretic in the House, and some of the ideas behind it.By Shalom Hartman Institute of North America

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Episode 4: "You're So Brave" 39:33

2y ago39:33

39:33

The crucial moment in so many stories about leaving the Orthodox community is the decision itself, which is frequently portrayed as a painful and heroic act, one that requires tremendous willpower. But leaving rarely works this way; instead, it is a messy and gradual process, one that can leave scars on both the leaver and their community. This epi…

1
Episode 3: Nebekh 40:32

2y ago40:32

40:32

The secular world has a narrative about what it means to leave Orthodox Judaism. The Orthodox world has a narrative, too, one that treats those who leave as pitiful people who were dealt a bad hand in life. This story is so deeply ingrained that even those who leave take it with them, whether they want to or not. What does it mean to shed that self…

1
Episode 2: Shunning 44:04

2y ago44:04

44:04

There’s a widespread notion that people who leave Orthodox communities are typically shunned, completely cut off from their families. Even those who leave Orthodox communities believe this. The truth is that it’s not true—but what really happens may not be any less painful. Episode Credits: Written by Naomi Seidman and Produced by M. Louis Gordon. …

1
Episode 1: Telling the Tale 28:19

2y ago28:19

28:19

One of the deep ironies of leaving Orthodox Judaism is that people ask you to tell the story of your exit over and over again. Some people who left even make their living telling that story. Why do people who have no connection to Orthodox Judaism find these stories so interesting, and why does telling the story feel false even when it’s completely…

1
Introducing: Heretic in the House 1:49

2y ago1:49

1:49

By Shalom Hartman Institute of North America

1
Rabbi David Aaron, Author of The Secret Life of God 53:53

2+ y ago53:53

53:53

Rabbi David Aaron, a visionary educator and author is the founder of Isralight and the Rosh Yeshiva of Orayta in the old city of Jerusalem, Israel. He is the author of multiple best-selling books including Endless Light, Seeing G-d, Love is My Religion, The Secret Life of G-d, Inviting G-d In, Living a Joyous Life and The God Powered Life published…

1
Ruth Wisse, Moral Self Confidence, Jews & Power, Free as a Jew 46:53

3y ago46:53

46:53

Ruth Wisse is the recently retired Professor of Yiddish and Comparative Literature at Harvard University, currently a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Tikvah Fund. Ruth is known for what she calls “moral self-confidence.” Ruth was top on my list of guests from the start and it took time and patience to get her on the podcast. She recently release…

1
Dov Lipman, Former Knesset Member 55:35

3+ y ago55:35

55:35

Dov Lipman is a former Knesset member from the Yesh Atid party. He was the first American immigrant to be elected to the Knesset in 30 years. He became well known in Israel for his role in combating religious extremism in Beit Shemesh. Dov is an author of seven books about Zionism, Judaism and Israel and a sought after international speaker.I sat d…

1
Shmuel Rosner, Israeli Judaism 54:04

4y ago54:04

54:04

Shmuel Rosner is a senior fellow at The Jewish People Policy Institute, a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times, the Senior Political Editor for the Jewish Journal, a columnist for Israel’s Maariv, and the chief non-fiction editor for Israel’s largest Publishing House, Kinneret-Zmora-Dvir. He was previously a columnist for The Jerusale…

1
Einat Wilf, The War of Return 55:39

4+ y ago55:39

55:39

Einat Wilf is the co-author of the Israeli best selling book, The War of Return: How Western Indulgence of the Palestinian Dream Has Obstructed the Path to Peace. She is a leading intellectual and original thinker on matters of foreign policy, economics, education, Israel and Zionism. She was a member of the Israeli Parliament from 2010-2013, where…

1
Eric Yoffie, Former Head of the Reform Movement 1:07:05

4+ y ago1:07:05

1:07:05

Rabbi Eric Yoffie served as the President of the Union for Reform Judaism, the congregational arm of the Reform Movement in North America from 1996 to 2012. Yoffie received his rabbinical ordination from the Hebrew Union College in 1974 and served in many high-level roles until being elected the President of the Union for Reform Judaism.This was a …

1
Mimi Feigelson, Orthodox Female Rabbi 1:04:52

4+ y ago1:04:52

1:04:52

Mimi Feigelson—also known as Reb Mimi—is the Mashpiah Ruchanit—Spiritual Mentor—of the Schechter Rabbinical School in Jerusalem where she also teaches Talmud and Chassidic Thought. She served in the same position for 16 years at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in Los Angeles.Born in the United States, Mimi moved to Israel at age 8 and began …

1
Daniel Gordis, The Rift Between American Jews and Israel 1:03:49

5y ago1:03:49

1:03:49

Daniel Gordis is Senior Vice President and the Koret Distinguished Fellow at Shalem College. The author of more than ten books, Gordis is a columnist for Bloomberg Opinion and writes regularly for the Jerusalem Post. Gordis’ history of the State of Israel, entitled Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn, received the 2016 National Jewish Book…

1
Jonathan Tobin, editor in chief of JNS, the Jewish News Syndicate 51:13

5y ago51:13

51:13

Jonathan Tobin is an American journalist and editor in chief of JNS.org, the Jews News Syndicate which provides news, opinions and analysis on Israel and the Jewish World for nearly 100 print newspapers and digital publications.He has a daily column on JNS and is also a contributing writing to the National Review, the New York Post, The Federalist,…

1
Tovia Singer, Judaism’s Response to Christian Missionaries 1:00:50

5y ago1:00:50

1:00:50

Rabbi Tovia Singer is the founder and director of Outreach Judaism, an international organization dedicated to countering fundamentalist Christian groups and cults who specifically target Jews for conversion. A world renown speaker, Rabbi Singer addresses over 100 audiences a year. His numerous YouTube videos are viewed by millions of people every …

1
Natan Sharansky, Israeli politician & human rights activist 49:46

5y ago49:46

49:46

My conversation with Natan Sharansky about his time in the Soviet Union, American and Israeli Jews, the Kotel agreement, aliyah, peace with the Palestinians and how to live a meaningful life. Natan Sharansky is the author of Fear No Evil and The Case For Democracy which was a New York Times Best Seller. He is a former Knesset member and minister an…

1
Yehuda Kurtzer, President of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America 1:00:16

5+ y ago1:00:16

1:00:16

Yehuda Kurtzer is the President of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America. Yehuda is a leading thinker and author on the meaning of Israel to American Jews, on Jewish history and Jewish memory, and on questions of leadership and change in American Jewish life.He is the author of Shuva: The Future of the Jewish Past, which offers new thinking…

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Nathan Lopes Cardozo, Dutch-Israeli Rabbi, Philosopher & Scholar of Judaism 53:18

5+ y ago53:18

53:18

Nathan Lopes Cardozo is a Dutch-Israeli rabbi, philosopher, and scholar of Judaism. A sought-after lecturer on the international stage for both Jewish and non-Jewish audiences, Cardozo is known for his original and often controversial insights into Judaism. He’s the author of 13 books and the founder of the David Cardozo Academy.I sat down with Rab…

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Michael Oren, Historian, Politician, Former Ambassador to the United States for Israel 44:53

5+ y ago44:53

44:53

My conversation with former Israeli Ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren. We discussed American Israel Jewish relations, the Kotel agreement, peace with the Palestinians, his time as ambassador and much more.By Barak Hullman