18Forty Podcast

This episode is sponsored by the podcast Women Talking Mitzvot.In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, David Bashevkin answers questions from Diana Fersko, senior rabbi of the Village Temple Reform synagogue, about denominations and Jewish Peoplehood.In this episode we discuss:How did David become an Orthodox rabbi with an interest in the broader Jewish world?Where does David get his sense of commandedness and obligation from? How should Israel factor into our thinking about Jewish unity?Tune in to hear a conversation about what it would mean for us to speak Judaism as a “first language.”Interview begins at 29:05. 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.For more 18Forty:NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/joinCALL: (212) 582-1840EMAIL: [email protected]: 18forty.orgIG: @18fortyX: @18_fortyWhatsApp: join hereReferences:“Judaism as a First Language” by Moshe KoppelJudaism Straight Up by Moshe KoppelTzidkat HaTzadik 41Sin•a•gogue: Sin and Failure in Jewish Thought by David BashevkinB'Rogez Rachem Tizkor by David BashevkinTaanit 20aBecome 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: [email protected]: 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, originally released in 2021, we talk to Rabbi Pini Dunner and Rav Moshe Weinberger about the Yabloner Rebbe and his astounding story of teshuva.The Yabloner Rebbe was a chassidishe rebbe who helped found Kfar Chassidim. He disappeared and went to Los Angeles, where he went off the derech, but he later returned to Judaism and Kfar Chassidim in a remarkable example of teshuva.Who was the Yabloner Rebbe?Why did he leave his faith?What inspired him to return?Tune in to hear a conversation about the astounding story of the Yabloner Rebbe.References:The God of Loneliness by Philip SchultzThe Amazing Return of the Yabloner Rebbe by Rabbi Pini DunnerThe Astonishing Story of the Yabloner Rebbe by Rabbi Pini DunnerMavericks, Mystics & False Messiahs by Rabbi Pini DunnerRabbi Pini Dunner WebsiteBecome 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: [email protected]: 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 Philip Goff—a philosophy professor who devotes much of his work to investigating the ultimate nature of reality—about consciousness, mysticism, and God. We also hear from Rabbi Eli Rubin about the possibility of “Jewish panpsychism.”In this episode we discuss:What is the relationship between consciousness and scientific observation?How should people find purpose in their lives?How does a secular philosopher make the decision to turn to religion?Tune in to hear a conversation about whether mysticism has scientific credibility. Interview begins at 9:22.Philip Goff is a philosophy professor at Durham University, UK, where he devotes much of his work to investigating the ultimate nature of reality. He publishes weekly interviews and articles on his Substack. Goff is known for defending panpsychism as the best available theory of consciousness; his TEDx talk, "Is there consciousness beyond the brain?" presents this view to a wider audience. His recent book, Why? The Purpose of the Universe (Oxford University Press, 2023), explores panpsychism as a middle ground between traditional belief in God and secular atheism. He is a recent convert to a form of “heretical Christianity".References:Kabbalah and the Rupture of Modernity by Eli RubinGalileo's Error by Philip GoffMy Bright Abyss by Christian WimanThe Varieties of Religious Experience by William JamesGödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas R. HofstadterTanya Chapter 2Why? The Purpose of the Universe by Philip GoffMind & Cosmos by Thomas NagelPurpose in the Universe by Tim Mulgan​​Universes by John LeslieFor more 18Forty:NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/joinCALL: (212) 582-1840EMAIL: [email protected]: 18forty.orgIG: @18fortyX: @18_fortyWhatsApp: join hereBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.