BEST OF: Jewish Wisdom, ft Rabbis David Wolpe, Angela Buchdahl, David Lichtenstein, Sharon Brous, and Manis Friedman

BEST OF: Jewish Wisdom, ft Rabbis David Wolpe, Angela Buchdahl, David Lichtenstein, Sharon Brous, and Manis Friedman

From Being Jewish with Jonah Platt by Jonah Platt // Jewish Identity, Culture, and Current Events

August 11, 2026 · 45 min · Season 2

About this episode

Five rabbis share their perspectives on what it means to be Jewish, tackling questions of faith, identity, and community.

What happens when five rabbis share their Jewish wisdom?  In this special BEST OF: Jewish Wisdom mashup, Rabbis David Wolpe, Angela Buchdahl, David Lichtenstein, Sharon Brous, and Manis Friedman tackle some very Jewish questions about faith, identity, meaning, Israel, and how to make sense of the world around us. Rabbi David Wolpe explores whether you need to believe in God to be Jewish, why Jewish law evolves, and why Israel remains central to modern Jewish identity. Rabbi Angela Buchdahl challenges exclusion within Judaism and shares how Jewish wisdom, joy, and community can help us face moments of crisis. David Lichtenstein dives into ritual, faith, Torah study, and finding purpose through adversity. Rabbi Sharon Brous unpacks the complicated balance between criticizing Israel, supporting Palestinians, and living up to Jewish moral responsibility. And Rabbi Manis Friedman asks whether our modern anxiety comes from a deeper sense of meaninglessness, and what it means to be “needed” by God. Five rabbis. Five perspectives. One very big question: What does it actually mean to be Jewish? MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE: 00:01:31 — Rabbi David Wolpe 00:09:18 — Rabbi Angela Buchdahl…

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Host: Jonah Platt

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