Jewish Ideas to Change the World

Epizode

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  What Does the Mishna Teach Us About the People Who Wrote It? 11.09.2026 46min

  A virtual event presentation by Rabba Aliza Libman BaronofskyThe class was co-sponsored by Temple Emanuel. About The Event:The Mishnah was written during a time period that included the destruction of the Second Temple and the Bar Kochba Revolt. The 63 tractates of the Mishnah include the rabbis’ origin story for rabbinic Judaism and many clues about the world it was written in. We’ll explore Mishnahs that give us explicit information about the early rabbinic period as well as hints about the groundbreaking changes happening in the Jewish world at the time.*Source Sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-XZetmWV3B5xwdGqpuD_iMMCIn2N0BgmC4sLL0XsO4Y/edit?usp=sharingAbout The Speaker:Rabba Aliza Libman Baronofsky is a career educator who teaches Jewish text and mathematics at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School. In the summer, she works as a teacher and Rabba at Camp Yavneh in Northwood, NH. She is the host of the podcast “Mishna Accomplished.” ★ Support this podcast ★
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  Antisemitism, Anti-Zionism, Anti-Israelism 10.09.2026 59min

  A virtual presentation by Dr. Marc DollingerThe event is co-sponsored by Temple SolelAbout The Event:One of the thorniest questions in contemporary American Jewish life, the boundaries between anti-Israelism, anti-Zionism, and antisemitism are now the subject of university policy debates as well as proposed state and federal action. This presentation offers historical background on each category, outlining the points of debate in this highly contentious subject.About The Speaker:Dr. Marc Dollinger holds the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Endowed Chair in Jewish Studies and Social Responsibility at San Francisco State University. Dr. Dollinger currently serves on the executive board of the Union for Reform Judaism. He is also board president of URJ Camp Newman. Professor Dollinger has spoken about his research with the CEO of the NAACP on CNN as well as the CNN podcast “Silence Is Not an Option,” the PBS docu-series Black and Jews: An Interwoven Alliance, the NFL Network, ESPN, and Germany’s National Public Radio. Just for fun, Dr. Dollinger helped actress Helen Hunt learn about her Jewish roots on the prime-time NBC show, “Who Do You Think You Are?” ★ Support this podcast ★
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  Smashing Idols: From the Patriarchs to the Present 10.09.2026 1h 4min

  A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Marc Gitler About The Event: From Abraham shattering his father’s idols to the challenges we face today, the Jewish tradition has always called us to question what our society holds sacred. Rabbi Gitler explores how the ancient practice of “smashing idols” speaks directly to our modern moment: the false certainties, distractions, and misplaced values that shape contemporary life. Together we’ll draw on Torah, commentary, and Jewish thought to ask what idols we might need to smash today. Source Sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Qz6y4-E-JdzN90pny_JBN1AUwFwniAmerJnwIUF_vu8/edit?usp=sharingAbout The Speaker: Rabbi Marc Gitler serves as Senior Jewish Educator for Valley Beit Midrash and is the visiting Rabbi of Aish SanDiego. A recipient of the Wexner Fellowship, he was ordained at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. He founded Fast for Feast and lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife Sarah and their four children. ★ Support this podcast ★
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  A Rashi on the Declaration of Independence 08.09.2026 50min

  A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Jack Riemer About The Event: In this class, we will compare and contrast the Declaration of Independence with Jewish statements that are similar to it and explore how Rashi might have interpreted some of the key phrases in the Declaration. About The Speaker: Rabbi Jack Riemer is now retired after serving as the spiritual leader of congregations in Ohio, California, and Florida. He is the author of six books of Jewish thought and of a three-volume commentary on the High Holy Day prayerbook. ★ Support this podcast ★
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  The World is Informational: Kabbalah and AI 31.08.2026 52min

  A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Dr. Alan Brill The event was co-sponsored by BMH-BJ About The Event: The 21st-century Kabbalistic approaches to AI offer optimistic, utopian approaches based on the writings of Sefer Yetzirah and Rabbi Isaac Luria. Secular innovators of AI at MIT who see the world as informational and AI as creativity; authors in Jewish thought who see the world as the Lurianic network; and rabbis who treat the new informational era as the unfolding of the divine mind and even a messianic fulfillment. About The Speaker: Rabbi Prof. Alan Brill is the Cooperman/Ross Chair for Jewish-Christian Studies at Seton Hall University. Brill is an expert on Jewish thought and interfaith relations. He is the author of many books, including Judaism and World Religions: Christianity, Islam, and Eastern Religions (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012), Judaism and Other Religions: Models of Understanding (Palgrave Macmillan, 2010). Brill received a Fulbright Senior Scholar Award at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. He was a keynote speaker at the R-20 conference held in Indonesia. This research produced his recent volume, Rabbi on the Ganges: A Jewish-Hindu Encounter (Lexington Books, 2019). His recently published book is A Jewish Trinity: Contemporary Christian Theology Through Jewish Eyes (Fortress Press, 2025). ★ Support this podcast ★
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  Beyond Either/Or: Jewish Nestedness Can Heal a Fractured World 28.08.2026 52min

  A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Natan Margalit About The Event: Either/Or dilemmas such as Universal versus Tribal, Us versus Them, Culture versus Nature, and more only keep us stuck in conflict and confusion. But Judaism’s core mode of thought is not either/or; it’s nested, fractal, and leads us to the kinds of both/and solutions that we need today. We’ll explore the ways that Jewish wisdom of nestedness in our traditions, rituals, and texts can lead us to hold the complexity of Jewishness and universal values, of human progress and caring for the natural world, and of finding the balance between individual freedom and communal bonds. About The Speaker: Natan Margalit was raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. As a young adult, he lived for twelve years in Israel and received rabbinic ordination at The Jerusalem Seminary in 1990. He earned a Ph.D. in Talmud from UC Berkeley in 2001. Natan has taught at Bard College, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, and the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College. He is currently the Dean of Faculty and a member of the Va’ad (steering committee and core faculty) of the Aleph Ordination Program, and serves as chair of its Rabbinic Texts department. Natan is the author of The Pearl and the Flame: A Journey into Jewish Wisdom and Ecological Thinking. He is the founder of Organic Torah, fostering holistic thinking about Judaism, the environment, and society, which is a program of Aleph: Alliance for Renewal. ★ Support this podcast ★
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  The Torah’s Ritual Response to an Unsolved Murder 17.08.2026 55min

  A virtual class presentation by Rabbi Dr. Martin Lockshin The event was co-sponsored by Congregation Or Tzion About The Event: Exploring Deuteronomy 21:1–9 and its rich history of interpretation. This powerful passage appears in that week’s Torah reading, offering a timely opportunity to engage with it more deeply. About The Speaker: Martin Lockshin is a University Professor Emeritus at York University and lives in Jerusalem. He received his Ph.D. in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies from Brandeis University and his rabbinic ordination in Israel while studying in Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav Kook. Among Lockshin’s publications is his four-volume translation and annotation of Rashbam’s commentary on the Torah. ★ Support this podcast ★
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  Order in the Court! Cross-Examining Fate, Forgiveness, and Forever 14.08.2026 1h 3min

  An event presentation by Rabbi Ian (Haim) PearThe event is co-sponsored by Temple ChaiAbout The Event:What is life’s most important lesson? Is true forgiveness possible? Can humans really change? If God is kind, why terrorize humanity with the fear of death? Join us for a fascinating book talk on The Day the Devil Went on Trial by Rabbi Ian (Haim) Pear. Praised by Dr. Russ Roberts—President of Shalem College, Fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution, and host of the popular podcast EconTalk—as “a wise and entertaining exploration of the challenges of being human … profound and provocative,” the book offers fresh insights into these timeless questions. In this engaging talk, Rabbi Pear brings the book’s ideas to life with wisdom, humor, and insight. Covering a presentation in Jerusalem, the Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) remarked that it was “amazing how the topic of death and dying could be presented with such humor and insight.”About The Speaker:Ian (or Haim) Pear is a Rabbi, Special Envoy for Jerusalem’s English-speaking community, and aspirational farmer.  He is the founder of Shir Hadash, a popular Jerusalem-based synagogue, Educational Institute, and Community Center, as well as a lecturer on Israeli and Jewish law, environmentalism in Israel, and Spiritual Diplomacy.  He previously worked for Laster and Goldman, an Israeli environmental law firm, as the Director of Hillel at Tel Aviv University, and as a Holocaust legal claims researcher for the JDC.  Rabbi Pear received his ordination from Yeshiva University and holds law degrees from Hebrew University (LLM, with a focus on Mishpat Ivri) and NYU School of Law (JD, with a concentration in international law), and a degree in International Law, Politics and Security from Georgetown University’s School for Foreign Service.  He has authored three books, including his most recent novel, The Day the Devil went on Trial, whose contents are the focus of this talk. ★ Support this podcast ★
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  The Jewish World of Alexander Hamilton 07.08.2026 57min

  A virtual class presentation by Dr. Andrew Porwancher About The Event: Professor Porwancher debunks a string of myths about the origins of this founding father to arrive at a startling conclusion: Hamilton was probably raised Jewish in his Caribbean youth. With a detective’s persistence and a historian’s rigor, Porwancher reveals the untold story of our most enigmatic founding father and its revolutionary consequences for understanding the republic he fought to create. About The Speaker: Andrew Porwancher is a Chaplik Professor of Israel and Diaspora Studies at the University of Texas. He previously held fellowships at Harvard, Oxford, and Princeton, and earned his PhD at Cambridge. His book, The Jewish World of Alexander Hamilton, was published by Princeton and received the Journal of the American Book-of-the-Year Award. ★ Support this podcast ★
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  Soul Train: Learning the Words of the Jewish Heart 03.08.2026 1h 3min

  A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Jeff Salkin The event was co-sponsored by BMH-BJ About The Event: No, “Soul Train” isn’t just a retro music show—it’s about training our souls to rediscover the sacred power of Jewish prayer. Rabbi Jeff Salkin will help us explore the deeper meaning of the siddur; why prayer can feel distant for modern Jews; and how it can become relevant, moving, and even transformative. Based on his new book “Inviting God In: A Guide to Jewish Prayer” (CCAR Press). About The Speaker: Rabbi Jeff Salkin is a noted writer and author. He has discussed the American political scene on CNN and the BBC. His column, “Martini Judaism: For Those Who Want to be Shaken and Stirred,” published by the Religion News Service, has won several awards for best religion column of the year, and is also an award-winning podcast. He has been a commentator on the American political scene on CNN and the BBC; his essays have appeared in the Washington Post, Commentary, the Wall Street Journal, Tablet, and Forward. He is the author of twelve books on such diverse topics as b’nai mitzvah, masculinity, Israel, interfaith relations, the spirituality of career, and Judaism as counter-culture. His most recent book is Inviting God In: A Guide to Jewish Prayer, which will teach Jews how to find meaning in the worship experience. His other recent book is Tikkun Ha’Am: Repairing Our People – Israel and the Crisis of Liberal Judaism – the first book to predict the post-October 7 era of American Judaism. Reviewers have called the book “daring” and “controversial.” After a distinguished career as a congregational rabbi, Rabbi Salkin co-founded and co-directs “Wisdom Without Walls: an online salon for Jewish ideas,” a program that engages Jews in Zoom conversations with significant Jewish thinkers about American Judaism, post-October 7. Rabbi Salkin currently lives in Montclair, New Jersey, and devotes his time to his family, friends, and consuming vast quantities of coffee ★ Support this podcast ★
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  “AI, Deepfakes, and the Future of Human Trust” — Can We Still Know What’s Real? 30.07.2026 51min

  An event presentation by Rabbi Marc GitlerThe event was co-sponsored by BMH-BJAbout The Event:Session 4: “AI, Deepfakes, and the Future of Human Trust” — Can We Still Know What’s Real?A culminating discussion about artificial intelligence, synthetic media, and epistemic crisis. If images, voices, and texts can all be fabricated convincingly, what happens to testimony, evidence, and trust?*Source Sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sF_YM9vOxpqQ8rqJtlJvtoAGYjD-XZd7CNht5t588NI/edit?usp=sharingAbout The Speaker:Rabbi Marc Gitler serves as Senior Jewish Educator for Valley Beit Midrash and is the visiting Rabbi of Aish SanDiego. A recipient of the Wexner Fellowship, he was ordained at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. The founder of Fast for Feast, he lives in Denver, Colorado with his wife Sarah and their four children. ★ Support this podcast ★
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  A Cry for Wholeness From the Void: Bridging Zionism and Diasporism 29.07.2026 39min

  A virtual event presentation by Rabbi David Jaffe About The Event: What is at stake in bridging the growing divide in our North American Jewish community between people who feel strongly connected to the project of Jewish self-determination in our ancient homeland, A.K.A “Zionism,” and the growing movement of Diasporism, that decentralizes the role of Jewish statehood in Jewish life. How might we bridge this divide? We turn to the wisdom of Rabbi Avraham Isaac HaCohen Kook for guidance. About The Speaker: Rabbi David Jaffe is the Founder and Executive Director of Kirva, a national education and training organization that integrates Mussar and Chassidic wisdom and practice with the work of social change. He is the author of Changing the World from the Inside Out, winner of the National Jewish Book Award. ★ Support this podcast ★
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  Are We Idolaters? Yeshayahu Leibowitz on Jewish Spirituality and Jewish Politics 27.07.2026 57min

  A virtual event presentation by Dr. Samuel Fleischacker About The Event: We will take a look at some of the religious and political writings of the Israeli chemistry professor, philosopher, Torah-commentator, and gadfly, Yeshayahu Leibowitz. Our focus will be Leibowitz’s conception of idolatry: what idolatry is, for him; how halakha enables us to struggle against it; and the special danger it poses when it shows up as nationalism, including Jewish nationalism. *Source Sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eudqANyu31t1dbbaeIjbCMWDbzgH6dFjhRIzUZUpMJY/edit?usp=sharingAbout The Speaker: Sam Fleischacker is LAS Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the University of Illinois in Chicago (UIC). He works on moral and political philosophy and the philosophy of Judaism. His most recent book is From Idolatry to Holiness: A Modern Ethical Framework for Understanding Jewish Law (Cambridge, 2026); previous books include Being Me Being You: Adam Smith and Empathy (University of Chicago, 2019), The Good and the Good Book (Oxford, 2015), and Divine Teaching and the Way of the World (Oxford, 2011). He has also written short pieces for TheTorah.com, including “Hearing God’s Voice” and “Making Sense of Revelation.” ★ Support this podcast ★
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  Nonviolence in a Violent World: Aharon Shmuel Tameres in Conversation With Martin Luther King and James Lawson 22.07.2026 1h

  A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Aryeh CohenAbout The Event: Rabbi Aharon Shmuel Tamares is probably the most passionate Jewish voice against nationalism, militarism, and, most of all, war. A prolific writer in the first four decades of the twentieth century, he articulated an opposition to war and violence rooted in a theological vision which saw war as modern idolatry, or in another formulation, war as the service to the idolatry of nationalism. Rev. James Lawson was, according to his friend and colleague Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the foremost theorist of nonviolence in this hemisphere. Lawson’s understanding of nonviolence was rooted in his understanding of Christianity and the thought of Mahatma Gandhi. He was the driving force—both theologically and philosophically, and practically—of the training and workshops which led to the Nashville and Memphis movements and whose impact was felt throughout the civil rights movement. He understood nonviolence as a way of life that operated on and affected the personal, communal, national, and ultimately international stages. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. needs no introduction. His career, cut short by the politics of assassination, changed the way that Americans viewed political dissent and the possibility for change in this country. Nonviolence was central to his thought and fueled his demand for justice in the United States, and to curb the violence that the United States was inflicting on other countries. The class will deal with the following questions posed to each of our thinkers: 1. What is the difference between not being violent and nonviolence as a way of life? 2. What is the role of suffering in the nonviolent demand for justice? 3. Are there not “good” wars or at least “just” wars? 4. What are the religious roots of nonviolence or anti-militarism/anti-nationalism? How do Tamares, Lawson, and King differ on this question? About The Speaker: Aryeh Cohen is a Rabbi and Professor of Rabbinic Literature at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, American Jewish University. He serves as Vice-President of the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission and is a co-convener of the Black Jewish Justice Alliance. He is a past president of the Society of Jewish Ethics and served on the inaugural interfaith advisory board of the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office. He is the author of Justice in the City: An Argument from the Sources of Rabbinic Judaism and has published widely in academic and public forums. He is also a poet. ★ Support this podcast ★
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  “Lashon Hara in the Information Age” — Speech, Gossip, and Viral Culture 14.07.2026 58min

  An event presentation by Rabbi Marc GitlerAbout The Event:Truth, Media, and Propaganda – A timely look at misinformation, lashon hara, and the ethics of communication—especially in an age of social media and AI.Session 2: “Lashon Hara in the Information Age” — Speech, Gossip, and Viral CultureBuilding on the first class, this session applies Jewish laws of speech to modern media ecosystems. What happens when gossip becomes algorithmic, and outrage becomes profitable?About The Speaker:Rabbi Marc Gitler serves as Senior Jewish Educator for Valley Beit Midrash and is the visiting Rabbi of Aish SanDiego. A recipient of the Wexner Fellowship, he was ordained at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. The founder of Fast for Feast, he lives in Denver, Colorado with his wife Sarah and their four children. ★ Support this podcast ★
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  Stolen, Saved, or Claimed? The Battle Between Yeshiva University and Dubrovnik’s Jewish Community 13.07.2026 58min

  A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Marc Gitler The event was co-sponsored by Kavod Senior Life About The Event: This class will examine the history of sacred Jewish ritual objects sent from Dubrovnik, Croatia, to Yeshiva University for safekeeping during a time of danger, and the story of what happened to them afterward. We will explore questions of ownership, preservation, and responsibility, and consider what it means to safeguard religious treasures. About The Speaker: Rabbi Marc Gitler serves as Senior Jewish Educator for Valley Beit Midrash and is the visiting Rabbi of Aish SanDiego. A recipient of the Wexner Fellowship, he was ordained at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. The founder of Fast for Feast lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife Sarah and their four children. ★ Support this podcast ★
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  “What Is Truth?” — Torah, Narrative, and the Power of Framing 09.07.2026 55min

  An event presentation by Rabbi Marc GitlerAbout The Event:This is the first session in a four-part series. Participants may register for one, multiple, or all four sessions – attendance at every session is not required. Each session relates to the main theme but will stand on its own, allowing participants to join at any point in the series. All sessions will also be recorded and made available to those who would like to catch up on any content they miss or revisit the material later.Truth, Media, and Propaganda – A timely look at misinformation, lashon hara, and the ethics of communication—especially in an age of social media and AI.Session 1: “What Is Truth?” — Torah, Narrative, and the Power of FramingAn opening exploration of how truth is constructed, presented, and sometimes distorted. The class would examine biblical and rabbinic cases where facts, interpretation, and perspective blur together.*Source Sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JNPbR8_vGmhuxcy7MET6B9KvRy3hMAg0/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=118303465191084699356&rtpof=true&sd=trueAbout The Speaker: Rabbi Marc Gitler serves as Senior Jewish Educator for Valley Beit Midrash and is the visiting Rabbi of Aish SanDiego. A recipient of the Wexner Fellowship, he was ordained at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. The founder of Fast for Feast, he lives in Denver, Colorado with his wife Sarah and their four children. ★ Support this podcast ★
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  Righteous Idolaters? A History of Christianity Through Jewish Eyes 06.07.2026 1h 1min

  A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Dr. Joshua Garroway About The Event: Jews have viewed Christians alternately as friends and as enemies, as partners in salvation and as pitiable idolaters. Why such contrasts? Learn how Jewish perspectives on Christianity have developed from ancient to medieval to modern times. Hopefully, you’ll come away with some combination of amused, disgusted, and inspired! About The Speaker: Rabbi Joshua Garroway is the Sol and Arlene Bronstein Professor of Judaeo-Christian Studies at the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles. Raised in Rochester, New York, Rabbi Garroway earned a BA in Religion from Duke University in 1998, rabbinical ordination from the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in 2003, and a PhD in New Testament Studies from the Religious Studies department of Yale University in 2008. While his academic books and articles focus on the origins of Christianity, and specifically the life and writings of Paul, his teaching and popular writing deal with Jewish texts and history more broadly. Professor Garroway lectures widely in synagogues, churches, and other public venues. He is also engaged in several interfaith ventures, including the Los Angeles area InterSem program and the Jewish-LDS Academic Dialogue. Rabbi Garroway currently lives in Pasadena, California, with his wife, Professor Kristine Henriksen Garroway, and their three teenage boys. For fun, he enjoys chess, tennis, opera, period pieces, and taking his kids to Dodgers games. ★ Support this podcast ★
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  Rebecca: Between Speech and Silence 02.07.2026 45min

  A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Marc Gitler The event was co-sponsored by Shalom ParkAbout The Event: Rebecca is one of the most active and decisive figures in the Torah — yet her voice is often heard only in fragments. In this class, we will explore the tension between speech and silence in Rebecca’s story: when she speaks boldly, when she remains silent, and what those moments reveal about power, prophecy, family, and identity. From her first appearance at the well to the dramatic struggle over Isaac’s blessing, we will examine how Rebecca navigates a world in which influence is not always exercised openly. Together, we’ll uncover the hidden depth and complexity of one of the Bible’s most misunderstood matriarchs. About The Speaker: Rabbi Marc Gitler serves as Senior Jewish Educator for Valley Beit Midrash and is the visiting Rabbi of Aish SanDiego. A recipient of the Wexner Fellowship, he was ordained at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. The founder of Fast for Feast, he lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife Sarah and their four children. ★ Support this podcast ★
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  Why Should Jews Care About Christianity, and Why Should Christians Care About Judaism? 01.07.2026 1h 2min

  A virtual event presentation by Professor Elias Sacks About The Event: What can Jews learn from Christianity, and what can Christians learn from Judaism? What might we gain from interreligious dialogue, and what challenges can such conversations pose? To what extent does a commitment to Judaism or Christianity benefit from—or perhaps even require—learning about the other tradition, and what sorts of risks might arise from these encounters? We will explore diverse answers to these questions, examining the changing ways in which Judaism and Christianity have interacted, and wrestling with sources from the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament to works of post-Holocaust theology. About The Speaker: Elias Sacks is Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Jewish Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he studies Jewish thought, philosophy of religion, Jewish-Christian relations, religious ethics, and religion and politics. He is the author of Moses Mendelssohn’s Living Script: Philosophy, Practice, History, Judaism (2017), as well as articles on medieval and modern thinkers, including Mendelssohn, Moses Maimonides, Baruch Spinoza, Nachman Krochmal, Hermann Cohen, Franz Rosenzweig, and Jacob Taubes. Previously, Sacks served as Director of The Jewish Publication Society. ★ Support this podcast ★