18Forty Podcast

This episode is sponsored by Dina and Daniel Heiss, in honor of the 10th yahrzeit of Dina’s father, Zev Yehudah ben HaRav Yisrael Michel. May his neshama have an aliya. 

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to author and theoretical physicist Berel Leib Epstein about rational reasons to choose to believe in Judaism and live a Jewish life.

In this episode we discuss:

—In a time without clear and open revelation and miracles, how do we find God in the modern world? —How is Kabbalah like quantum mechanics?
—Why is it worth discussing reasons to believe in God in the first place?

Interview begins at 11:40.

Tune in to hear a conversation about how we find truth and build meaning in our lives.

Dr. Berel Leib Epstein is a theoretical physicist with a background in nonlinear optics and laser physics. After studying under Dr. Phillip Sprangle at the University of Maryland, he joined the Johns Hopkins Physics Laboratory, working on innovative research projects aimed at maintaining America’s technological edge in defense. Berel lives with his wife and children in Baltimore, Maryland, where he also learns in Yeshivas Ner Yisroel.

References:

Emunah and Physics: A Jewish Resolve by Dr. Berel Leib Epstein

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While we await the next installment of the 18Forty Podcast, we invite you to enjoy this episode from our serires 18 Questions, 40 Mystics. 

In this insightful conversation, Rabbi YY Jacobson presents Jewish mysticism as a dynamic framework for consciousness and connection rather than abstract theology. He passionately and clearly illustrates how faith and, ultimately, surrender can redefine how we see ourselves, our pain, and the world around us. 

Before the Lubavitcher Rabbi’s passing, Rabbi Jacobson served as one of his oral scribes. As a close disciple of the Rabbi, he developed a strong foundation in the world of Chassidut [Hasidism] and Jewish mysticism. Now, Rabbi Jacobson is a world-renowned speaker and scholar.

He now joins us to answer eighteen questions with Rabbi Dr. Benji Levy on Jewish mysticism including how Torah is the map of reality, how spirituality should inform your relationships, and the function of humility in religious growth. 

Here are our questions: 
What is Jewish mysticism?
How were you introduced to Jewish mysticism?
In an ideal world, would all Jews be mystics?
What do you think of when you think of God?
What is the purpose of the Jewish people?
How does prayer work?
What is the goal of Torah study?
Does Jewish mysticism view men and women the same?
Should Judaism be hard or easy?
Why did God create the world? 
Can humans do something that is against God’s will?
What do you think of when you think about Moshiach?
Is the State of Israel part of the final redemption?
What is the greatest challenge facing the world today?
How has modernity changed Jewish mysticism?
What differentiates Jewish mysticism from the mysticism of other religions? 
Does one need to be religious to study Jewish mysticism?
Can mysticism be dangerous?
How has Jewish mysticism affected your relationships with yourself and with others?
What is a Jewish teaching that you always take with you?

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In our annual Tisha B'Av episode of the 18Forty Podcast on the theme of loss, we speak with Rabbi Shalom Rosner, who delivered a widely shared eulogy for Eliyahu Moshe ("Eli Mo") Zimbalist, who was killed early in the Gaza war. We also speak with Eli Mo's mother, Sara Zimbalist.

In this episode we discuss:

—How do we hold the personal experience of loss together with the larger national narrative?
—How does the experience of loss change with the passing of time?
—What is the significance of this time in Jewish history?

Interview with Rabbi Rosner begins at 27:09.
Interview with Sara Zimbalist begins at 1:18:10

Tune in to hear a conversation about what continues to ache in the collective heart of the Jewish People—and how we manage to continue to cultivate gratitude.

Rabbi Shalom Rosner is the Rosh Beis Medrash of the English-speaking program at JCT Machon Lev and the rabbi of the Nofei Hashemesh community in Beit Shemesh. A musmach of RIETS and graduate of Yeshiva University, he is widely known for his online Daf Yomi and other Torah shiurim, followed by thousands of learners worldwide. Renowned for his clarity in teaching complex sugyot, Rabbi Rosner has taught at Yeshiva University, Yeshivat Reishit Yerushalayim, and Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh.

References:

Numbers 14

Taanit 29a

Lamentations 2

Sanhedrin 104b 

Exodus 1:15 with Rashi

Eliyahu Moshe Zimbalist eulogy by R’ Shalom Rosner

Shabbat 33b

Seder HaYom by Moshe ben Machir

Lamentations 3

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In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Jewish communal executive Carmi Schwartz about lessons he’s learned in his 90-plus years as a member and leader of the Jewish community. 

In this episode we discuss: 

—What draws a professional to Jewish communal work rather than business pursuits or Torah scholarship?
—How does one imbue organizational and Zionist work with religious Jewish content?
—What has it been like to directly witness the Jewish community’s tensions around driving on Shabbat, patrilineal descent, and recognition of non-Orthodox conversions?

Interview begins at 10:20.

Tune in to hear a conversation about all of the forks in the road that brought us to this moment in American Jewish history.

Carmi Schwartz is a longtime leader in the North American Jewish federation system. He served as Executive Vice President of the Council of Jewish Federations (CJF), one of the organizations that later merged into today's Jewish Federations of North America. Earlier in his career, he held leadership positions with Jewish federations in Metropolitan New Jersey, Baltimore, Utica, Miami, and Montreal.

References:

No Country for Old Men (2007)

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In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Jenna Weissman Joselit, a professor of Jewish studies and history, about the everyday expressions of Judaism that reinforce the identity and distinctiveness of the Jewish People. 

In this episode we discuss:

—What consequential institutional decisions shaped the trajectory of American Judaism?
—What overlooked personalities and phenomena contributed to the development of American Judaism?
—What is the role of the tallis in American Jewish aesthetics?

Interview begins at 10:42.

Tune in to hear a retrospective reflection on modern Jewish life and culture.

Jenna Weissman Joselit is the Charles E. Smith Professor of Judaic Studies and Professor of History at The George Washington University. She specializes in the history and culture of America’s Jews, U.S. cultural history, and the relationship between material culture and identity. She is the author of Set in Stone: America’s Embrace of the Ten Commandments, The Wonders of America: Reinventing Jewish Culture, 1880–1950, which received the National Jewish Book Award in History, and A Perfect Fit: Clothes, Character, and the Promise of America. She writes a monthly column on American Jewish culture for Tablet and has been a frequent contributor to the Jewish Review of Books, The New Republic, TNR Online, Gastronomica, and the Forward.

References:

American Judaism: A History by Jonathan D. Sarna

Mordecai M. Kaplan: Restless Soul by Jenna Weissman Joselit

New York's Jewish Jews: The Orthodox Community in the Interwar Years by Jenna Weissman Joselit

Our Gang : Jewish Crime and the New York Jewish Community, 1900-1940 by Jenna Weissman Joselit

Set in Stone: America's Embrace of the Ten Commandments by Jenna Weissman Joselit

Jenna Weissman Joselit in Tablet

For more 18Forty:
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