18Forty Podcast

This podcast is in partnership with Rabbi Benji Levy and Share. Learn more at 40mystics.com.As a Chabad Hasid, Rabbi Zevi Slavin’s formative years were spent immersed in the rich traditions of Chassidut and Kabbala. This upbringing provided him with a unique lens through which he continues to learn, study, and connect with others. Drawing on his background, Slavin created “Seekers of Unity,” a Youtube channel dedicated to exploring the philosophy and history of mysticism across diverse traditions. He founded this channel with the goal of forming a community focused on creating a more intimate world together. Now, he joins us to answer eighteen questions with Rabbi Dr. Benji Levy on Jewish mysticism including people’s inherent divinity, tapping into the potential of modernity, and the perpetual experience of mount Sinai.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Diana Fersko, senior rabbi of the Village Temple Reform synagogue, about denominations and Jewish Peoplehood. In this episode we discuss:How do we re-determine how to be Jews in America?Is there really an “education gap” between Orthodox and non-Orthodox Jews? How should we handle the question of “who is a Jew” across denominations?Tune in to hear a conversation about how we might see beyond our proverbial “three blocks."Interview begins at 22:11. Diana Fersko is the Senior Rabbi of The Village Temple, a Reform synagogue at the heart of downtown Jewish life in New York City. An internationally recognized author, speaker, and thought leader, she is a defining voice in the contemporary Jewish world, known for her clarity, compassion, and ability to bring Jewish tradition into meaningful dialogue with modern life. References:View of the World from 9th AvenueTzidkat HaTzadik 54No Country for Old MenThe Tapestry of Jewish Time: A Spiritual Guide to Holidays and Life-Cycle Events by Nina Beth CardinA Letter in the Scroll by Rabbi Jonathan SacksFor more 18Forty:NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/joinCALL: (212) 582-1840EMAIL: info@18forty.orgWEBSITE: 18forty.orgIG: @18fortyX: @18_fortyWhatsApp: join hereBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Check out our new series in partnership with SHARE, 18 Questions, 40 Jewish Mystics. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast—created in collaboration with Amudim—we speak with Shais Taub, the rabbi behind the organization SoulWords, about shame, selfhood, and authenticity. In this episode we discuss:How are we to deal with the pain of embodiment and individuation?How does one uncover their mission in the world and align their life with the transcendent?How can we work to reorient our desires toward the right things? Tune in to hear a conversation about the interior experience of fragmentation from Ultimate Being. Interview begins at 10:28.Rabbi Shais Taub is a well-known figure in Jewish teachings and personal development and delivers Torah lectures and classes worldwide. He is renowned for his ability to make complex ideas accessible. He heads SoulWords.org and serves as scholar-in-residence at Chabad of the Five Towns in Long Island, New York.References:God of Our Understanding by Shais TaubSin•a•gogue: Sin and Failure in Jewish Thought by David BashevkinTop 5 by David BashevkinSeinfeld: “The Soul Mate”"Eric Adams on Dyslexia, Trauma, and Fixing What's Broken in Politics”Unbreakable Kimmy SchmidtFor more 18Forty:NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/joinCALL: (212) 582-1840EMAIL: info@18forty.orgWEBSITE: 18forty.orgIG: @18fortyX: @18_fortyWhatsApp: join hereBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Check out our new series in partnership with SHARE, 18 Questions, 40 Jewish Mystics. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Alon Shalev, a research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute, about how Rav Hutner found existential meaning.In this episode we discuss:How do we find and build purpose within our short lives?What is the role of individualism and self-expression in Jewish life? How should we respond to the crisis of perceived meaninglessness in the modern world? Tune in to hear a conversation about the coming together of machshavah, nigleh, and nistar.Interview begins at 23:20.Alon Shalev is a research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem and a Research Associate at the Jonathan Sacks Institute at Bar-Ilan University. He holds a doctorate in Jewish Thought from the Hebrew University. He deals with the question of meaning in life in Jewish thought and philosophy, ethics, and political philosophy. His book Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner’s Theology of Meaning was published by Brill. Alon lives in Tzur Hadassah, and is married with three children.References:Terror in Black September: The First Eyewitness Account of the Infamous 1970 Hijackings by David RaabPachad Yitzchak Shavuos by Rav Yitzchok HutnerPachad Yitzchak Purim by Rav Yitzchok Hutner“Letters of Love and Rebuke From Rav Yitzchok Hutner” by David BashevkinBerakhot Chapter 2Between Berlin and Slobodka: Jewish Transition Figures from Eastern Europe by Hillel GoldbergGreat Jewish Letters by Moshe BambergerProverbs 24:16Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner’s Theology of Meaning by Alon ShalevHeidegger and Kabbalah by Elliot R. WolfsonHeidegger and His Jewish Reception by Daniel M. HerskowitzMesillat Yesharim by Moses Chaim LuzzattoWho Is Man? by Abraham J. HeschelHalakhic Man by Rabbi Joseph B. SoloveitchikDr. Alon Shalev on The Podcast of Jewish IdeasPachad Yitzchok Chanukah Rav Yitzchok HutnerFor more 18Forty:NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/joinCALL: (212) 582-1840EMAIL: info@18forty.orgWEBSITE: 18forty.orgBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

This series is sponsored by Mira and Daniel Stokar, and this episode is sponsored by Dr. Leah Younger of Younger Psychology.In 2023, we talked to psychologist Dr. Joshua Coleman, about the nuances of familial estrangement and reconciliation. We also heard from mindset coach Jason Blau and translator Izzy Posen about how these issues play out within the Jewish community. In this episode we discuss:What strategies can be employed by families carrying the burden of strife and negativity?What are the common triggers of family estrangement, and how can those in strained relationships move forward?What is the role of family in a world of optionality?Tune in to hear a conversation about how we can make peace with the “ghosts” of our past. Interview with Joshua Coleman begins at 8:54.Interview with Jason Blau begins at 54:42.Interview with Izzy Posen begins at 1:15:42.Dr. Joshua Coleman is a psychologist in private practice and a Senior Fellow with the Council on Contemporary Families, an organization of sociologists, historians, psychologists and demographers dedicated to providing the public with the latest research and best practice findings about American families. He has written for The New York Times, The Atlantic, and other publications, and often speaks on television about issues of estrangement, relationships, and families. Dr. Coleman also writes music for television which has been used on many shows. References:“Of Ghosts and Ancestors” by Ari Berman“The Power of Vulnerability” by Brené BrownWhere to Draw the Line: How to Set Healthy Boundaries Every Day by Anne Katherine Why Won't You Apologize?: Healing Big Betrayals and Everyday Hurts by Harriet LernerThe Dance of Anger: A Woman's Guide to Changing the Patterns of Intimate Relationships by Harriet LernerRules of Estrangement: Why Adult Children Cut Ties and How to Heal the Conflict by Joshua ColemanWhen Parents Hurt: Compassionate Strategies When You and Your Grown Child Don't Get Along by Joshua Coleman“The Family Reunion” by Izzy PosenGenesis 46“הַמַּלְאָךְ" by Izzy Posen"Daddy Come Home" by The Yeshiva Boys ChoirBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

This series is sponsored by American Security Foundation.In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast—recorded at the 18Forty X ASFoundation AI Summit—we speak with Moshe Koppel, Malka Simkovich, and Tikvah Wiener about what the AI revolution will mean for the Jewish community.In this episode we discuss:How is AI going to change the dynamics, cadence, and rhythm of Jewish life? Should we panic about AI replacing the role of creative human work? What can Jewish and world history teach us about this moment? Tune in to hear a conversation about what AI can teach us about our own needs, especially the need for Shabbos. Interview begins at 14:26.Dr. Moshe Koppel is a computer scientist, Talmud scholar, and political activist. Moshe is a professor of computer science at Bar-Ilan University, and a prolific author of academic articles and books on Jewish thought, computer science, economics, political science, and other disciplines. He is the founding director of Kohelet, a conservative-libertarian think tank in Israel, and he advises members of the Knesset on legislative matters. Dr. Malka Simkovich is the director and editor-in-chief of the Jewish Publication Society and previously served as the Crown-Ryan Chair of Jewish Studies and Director of the Catholic-Jewish Studies program at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. She earned a doctoral degree in Second Temple and Rabbinic Judaism from Brandeis University and a Master’s degree in Hebrew Bible from Harvard University. Tikvah Wiener is Founder and Co-Director of The Idea Institute, which, since 2014, has trained close to 2000 educators in project-based learning and innovative pedagogies. From 2018-2023, she was also Head of School of The Idea School, a Jewish, project-based learning high school in Tenafly, NJ.References:“Lazy Sunday - SNL Digital Short”Mechkarim Be-sifrut Ha-teshuvot by Yitzchak Ze'ev Kahane"In the Shadow of the Emperor: The Hatam Sofer’s Copyright Rulings" by David NimmerMeta-Halakhah: Logic, Intuition, and the Unfolding of Jewish Law by Moshe KoppelJudaism Straight Up by Moshe Koppel“Yiddishkeit Without Ideology: A Letter To My Son” by Moshe Koppel@ShabbosReadsFor more18Forty:NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/joinCALL: (212) 582-1840EMAIL: info@18forty.orgWEBSITE: 18forty.orgIG: @18fortyX: @18_fortyWhatsApp: join hereBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

This series is sponsored by American Security Foundation.In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast—recorded at the 18Forty X ASFoundation AI Summit—we speak with Rabbi Eli Rubin and Rabbi Steven Gotlib about what differentiates human intelligence from artificial intelligence.In this episode we discuss:What does AI teach us about what it means to be human? What is the soul, and how do we interact with it? Should we be frightened or encouraged by the development of AI? Tune in to hear a conversation about the role of language in our humanity. Interview begins at 16:49.Steven Gotlib is Associate Rabbi at Mekor Habracha/Center City Synagogue and Director of the Center City Beit Midrash in Philadelphia. Steven received rabbinic ordination from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, certificates in Mental Health Counseling and Spiritual Entrepreneurship, and a BA in Communication and Jewish Studies from Rutgers University.Eli Rubin, a contributing editor at Chabad.org, is the author of Kabbalah and the Rupture of Modernity: An Existential History of Chabad Hasidism and a co-author of Social Vision: The Lubavitcher Rebbe’s Transformative Paradigm for the World. He studied Chassidic literature and Jewish Law at the Rabbinical College of America and at yeshivot in the UK, the US and Australia, and received his PhD from the Department of Hebrew and Jewish Studies, University College London.References:“Basketball: The One And Only”Genesis 7;23Rashi on Genesis 7:23“Remembering my chavruta: Rabbi Moshe Hauer, z”l” By Rabbi Rick Jacobs“18Forty: Exploring Big Questions (An Introduction)”18Forty Podcast: “The Cost of Jewish Education”18Forty Podcast: “Steven Gotlib: Some Rabbi Grapples with His Faith” 18Forty Podcast: “Eli Rubin: How Do Mysticism and Social Action Intersect”18Forty Podcast: “Eli Rubin: Is the Rebbe the Messiah?”Torah Ohr by Shneur Zalman of LiadiTanya by Shneur Zalman of LiadiNefesh HaChayim by Chaim of VolozhinGuide for the Perplexed by MaimonidesHalakhic Man by Rabbi Joseph B. SoloveitchikThe Conscious Mind by David J. Chalmers“Adam, The Speaking Creature: On Humanity and Language in the Era of AI” by Eli Rubin“Toward a Jewish Theology of Consciousness” by Steven GotlibLudwig Wittgenstein: Philosophy in the Age of Airplanes by Anthony GottliebFor more 18Forty:NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/joinCALL: (212) 582-1840EMAIL: info@18forty.orgWEBSITE: 18forty.orgIG: @18fortyX: @18_fortyWhatsApp: join hereBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.