Episode 11: Progress without Purpose

Episode 11: Progress without Purpose

From The Shema Podcast for the Perplexed by Dan Kullman

April 29, 2026 · 33 min · Season 7 · Episode 242

About this episode

This episode explores the relationship between progress and personal purpose with insights from Rabbi Michael Cohen and Rav Dessler.

In a world that feels more advanced than ever, why does everything also feel more unstable? In this episode, we learn from Rabbi Michael Cohen as we explore a powerful insight from Rav Dessler that challenges the assumption that progress leads to improvement, and instead reveals how our intelligence, success, and achievements can either elevate us or quietly pull us off course. This conversation will help you think more clearly about your own life, not just what you’re building, but what it’s doing to you, and whether your efforts are aligning you with truth or simply amplifying what’s already inside. We also examine what it means to live in a generation that has rebuilt so much, while asking the deeper question of whether something more subtle still needs rebuilding within ourselves. Join the Conversation! Be part of our growing community—join the Shema Podcast for the Perplexed WhatsApp group to share feedback, discuss episodes, and suggest future topics. Click here to sign up . Connect with Rabbi Michael Cohen Reach out to Rabbi Michael Cohen to learn more about his one-on-one coaching work, where he applies the teachings of Strive for Truth to help individuals untangle inner…

People in this episode

Host: Dan Kullman

Guest: Rabbi Michael Cohen

Topics covered

  • progress
  • purpose
  • self-improvement
  • spirituality
  • inner confusion

Keywords

  • progress
  • purpose
  • Rabbi Michael Cohen
  • Rav Dessler
  • self-improvement
  • spirituality
  • inner confusion

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