Best Tzvi Zucker Podcasts (2024)

1
#17 Unintelligent Design 1:06:34

3+ y ago1:06:34

1:06:34

We discuss free will, providence, intelligent design and evolution, chaos, lag ba'omer, and feature callbacks to episodes 8 and 9. This is a more rambling episode, as Tzvi had a migraine during recording, and Meir Simcha carried the load here. We would love for y'all to comment, critique, and share. FQqA3HwOO466aquAjiPg…

1
#16 What to Die For / What to Live For 1:04:58

3+ y ago1:04:58

1:04:58

Episode 16 starts with some ruminations on Israel's 70th birthday, specifically zooming in on Israel's marking of Memorial Day and Independence Day back to back and comparing it to the United States. We talk about our experiences of both, but continue on to discuss the difference between having something to die for versus having something to live f…

1
#15 Freedom through Words - Intro to Pesach (Passover) 1:01:43

3+ y ago1:01:43

1:01:43

This episode is an overview of Passover - what is being celebrated, why, and how. We discuss the oddly universal celebration of our little nation's holiday commemorating its emancipation, the themes and imagery of the holiday, and we go back to place issues discussed in Episode 12b (freedom and liberty) in the Passover milieu. Ultimately, this is a…

1
#14 Education, Religion, Ideology 50:25

3+ y ago50:25

50:25

Sarah returns as a special guest. We discuss our personal connections with books in the bible, and segue into a conversation about education within religion. We compare belief and ideology, talk about the effects of religious education on faith, and end with a discussion on the shortcomings of modern "classical liberal" ideology in giving a society…

1
#13 Randomness - More on Esther and Purim 1:13:58

3+ y ago1:13:58

1:13:58

We discuss randomness (with a meandering random way of getting to it), then explain how the random nature of the universe is what gives us choice. Choice is the bedrock of freedom, and liberty. We then discuss the differences between the two, the need for limitations, and end up back in different views of randomness - the postmodern version, and th…

1
#12 The Book of Esther 1:05:31

3+ y ago1:05:31

1:05:31

In honor of the upcoming holiday of Purim...here is Episode 12a of the Holy Madness! Join us as we explore a little bit about the holiday, and do a quick overview of the central book about it - the Book of Esther. We tease out the farcical tone it is written in, identify many of its comedic elements, and identify some of its main themes. (Those the…

1
#11 Social Justice Worshippers 1:12:25

3+ y ago1:12:25

1:12:25

Join us as we explore the odd parallels between the postmodern "social justice" beliefs system and religion. We visit economics and financial markets, black swans, epistemology, facts and "alternative facts", how people form their beliefs, and sink our teeth into the difference between faith and love. We discuss Popper, Taleb, Wittgenstein, Tertull…

1
#10 The New Year of the Fruit Trees - Tu BiShvat 1:03:10

3+ y ago1:03:10

1:03:10

Happy Tu B'Shvat to those celebrating or not! This epsiode takes a good look at Tu B'Shvat the holiday, tracing it from the Mishna to modern day. Along the way we discuss the halachot (Jewish Law) of produce, why Man likes tree metaphors so much, what the Tree of Knowledge actually was, means and ends (which justifies which?), Spinoza and Plato, an…

1
#9 Betting Against Pascal 1:03:57

3+ y ago1:03:57

1:03:57

Why Tzvi won't convert to Christianity, Pascal's Wager, sin, salvation, the afterlife and the world to come, Christian music (again), community, prayers, and more.By Tzvi Zucker and Meir Simchah Panzer

1
#8 The Pursuit of Happiness 1:05:52

3+ y ago1:05:52

1:05:52

It's Episode 8 as the Holy Madness continues, this time welcoming special guest Adam K into the studio to discuss happiness! Listen in as we question, what is happiness? How do people find it? Is it worth looking for? Where would be a good place to start finding it? Why care about happiness at all? Can you be happy without G-d? Can you be happy wit…

1
#7 Iran, And Here I Am 1:11:36

3+ y ago1:11:36

1:11:36

Oh my, we've done it again! Another fantastic episode, this time about Iran/Persia, exile, redemption, identity, and way, way more. (This episode was recorded during the protests taking place in Iran in 2018.) We discuss Iran as a country (taking care to avoid politics as always), its history, and the Jewish People's history with Persia - and that …

1
#6 Prayer - Where Are You Now 1:00:28

3+ y ago1:00:28

1:00:28

Episode 6 is finally here, and with a special guest in the studio! Sarah joins us in our meandering exploration of prayer. We go through some Facebook comments on Meir Simcha's post on prayer, discuss different conceptions of prayer, introduce theme music for one avid listener (and commenter), and suggest a paradigm shift on what prayer really migh…

1
#5 Jerusalem is calling 1:06:38

3+ y ago1:06:38

1:06:38

[Holy Madness is no longer in production, but check out Meir-Simchah's new shows Two Christians And A Jew and the Artifact Podcast with Nachliel Selavan. You can connect with us on Twitter: @TzviZucker and @MeirSimchah.] Join us as we take a look at Jerusalem, moving from sacred cities and divided cities in general to Jerusalem in particular, and e…

1
#4 Find the light, or become it? 1:06:11

3+ y ago1:06:11

1:06:11

[Holy Madness is no longer in production, but you may enjoy Meir-Simchah's new shows Two Christians And A Jew and the Artifact Podcast with Nachliel Selavan. You can connect with us on Twitter: @TzviZucker and @MeirSimchah.] Grab some latkes and/or eggnog and join us for our fourth episode, where we discuss winter light festivals, light and darknes…

1
#3 If I'm not for myself, who will be? 1:03:37

3+ y ago1:03:37

1:03:37

[Holy Madness is no longer in production, but you may enjoy Meir-Simchah's new shows Two Christians And A Jew and the Artifact Podcast with Nachliel Selavan. You can connect with us on Twitter: @TzviZucker and @MeirSimchah.] Join us as we talk about the German migrant issue, teasing apart the political talking points to get into the heart of the ma…

1
#2 Why do bad ideas happen to good people? 1:38:41

3+ y ago1:38:41

1:38:41

[Holy Madness is no longer in production, but check out Meir-Simchah's new shows Two Christians And A Jew and the Artifact Podcast with Nachliel Selavan. You can connect with us on Twitter: @TzviZucker and @MeirSimchah.] Where else can you find an earnest discussion of Richard Dawkins, sin and mistakes, evolution, paradigm shifts, and Torah, that i…

1
#1 Anomie, Israel, Palestine 1:33:57

4y ago1:33:57

1:33:57

[Holy Madness is no longer in production, but you might enjoy Meir-Simchah's new shows Two Christians And A Jew and the Artifact Podcast with Nachliel Selavan. You can connect with us on Twitter: @TzviZucker and @MeirSimchah.] Join us as we discuss a news article about the horrors of daily life in Gaza, and tackle some points about Israel-Palestine…