18Forty Podcast

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 m...

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 dis...

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 Jew...

This podcast is in partnership with Rabbi Benji Levy and Share. Learn more at 40mystics.com . Rav Joey Rosenfeld’s entryway into mystical thought began with the writings of Franz Kafka and Albert Camus. Discussing Jewish mysticism with Rav Joey is not just a conversation about ancient texts and ideas, but it is a journey into the soul, wherein he describes how mystical principles can transform rel...

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...

This series is sponsored by American Security Foundation. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , Rabbi Gil Student speaks with Rabbi Aryeh Klapper and Sofer.ai CEO Zach Fish about how AI is reshaping questions of Jewish practice. As AI simulates more and more human activities, we can’t help but wonder: Will AI replace rabbis? In this episode we discuss: —What happens when centuries of halachic p...

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 abou...

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 ASF’s Julia Senkfor and AI researcher Cameron Berg about the relationship between artificial intelligence and antisemitism.   In this episode we discuss:  Why do large language models have an antisemitism problem?  Is antisemitism inextric...

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...

This episode is brought to you by Simchat Torah Challenge, a Jewish communal project inspiring tens of thousands of Jews of all backgrounds to read the weekly parsha. The weekly English-language email newsletter and website bring Torah and insights from trusted sources. Join for free at  SimchatTorahChallenge.org In this special Simchas Torah episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we speak with Rachel G...

As a hint at our next new series, we want to share with you our 2023 episode with Moshe Koppel—a computer scientist and Talmud scholar—about Torah and its intersection with artificial intelligence. In a world in which technology puts vast libraries of Torah at our fingertips, we are tasked with thinking more deeply about what essentially human abilities we bring to the enterprise of Torah and tefi...

This series is sponsored by Mira and Daniel Stokar. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , recorded live at Stern College, we speak with Rabbi Moshe Benovitz, director of NCSY Kollel, about what makes religious change real and sustainable. In this episode we discuss: —What is the difference between behavior modification and personality development? —How does one translate yeshiva skills to a lif...

This series is sponsored by Mira and Daniel Stokar. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we speak with Naftuli Moster, a former activist for major changes in Hasidic education, about how and why he changed his understanding of the values imparted by Judaism. In this episode we discuss: Why did Naftuli stop campaigning for fundamental reform in Hasidic education? Why are Jews often drawn to mov...

This series is sponsored by Mira and Daniel Stokar. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we speak with Gayle Kirschenbaum— author of Bullied to Besties: A Daughter’s Journey to Forgiveness —about how she repaired her fraught relationship with her mother. At the end of the podcast, we hear from her mother, Millie, herself, now over 101 years old. In this episode we discuss:  What does a “forgiv...

This series is sponsored by Mira and Daniel Stokar. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we speak with writer Sarah Hurwitz—author of the new book As a Jew: Reclaiming Our Story from Those Who Blame, Shame, and Try to Erase Us —about what it means to be a “knowing Jew.” In a time when we often feel compelled to justify our Judaism to the world, being Jewishly educated is no longer a luxury but...

This series is sponsored by Mira and Daniel Stokar. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we speak with Rabbi DovBer Pinson—a scholar, author, teacher, and spiritual mentor—about how we can rethink teshuva in light of the challenges we face today. In this episode we discuss: What is the difference between “lower” and “higher” teshuva?  How should the Jewish world recalibrate in the face of the...

This series is sponsored by Mira and Daniel Stokar. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we speak with Rachel Tova Ebner, translator of a new volume of the teachings of Rav Kook, about what the spirituality of Rav Kook adds to our Jewish practice and to our understanding of ourselves. As we approach Rav Kook’s yahrzeit (3 Elul), we’re directing our attention to the spiritual dimension of Yiddi...

This series is sponsored by Mira and Daniel Stokar. In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with rabbi, psychotherapist, and “translator” Joey Rosenfeld about how our generation can understand languages of mysticism, philosophy, and suffering in today’s chaotic world. In this episode we discuss: Where should we channel our spiritual work as we near two years since October 7? Will Mashiach...

This episode was sponsored by Jerry and Esther Williams in honor of 18Forty and Shalom Task Force.  While we wait for the next new episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we revisit Dovid Bashevkin's 2022 deep dive into the world of dating. As we explore the realm of relationships, Dovid uses his own journey to help us find the proper framework for balancing one’s romantic, religious, and professional id...

As the 15th of Av approaches, we are returning to this episode on how different Jewish communities date to honor the Jewish "holiday of love." This episode is sponsored by Anonymous who is fond of Shalom Task Force & 18Forty.  On this episode of 18Forty, we explore the world of Jewish dating. We spoke to insiders and experts from the Chassidic community, “Yeshiva Orthodox” community, and Moder...

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we speak with Hadas Hershkovitz, whose husband, Yossi, was killed while serving on reserve duty in Gaza in 2023—about the Jewish People's loss of this beloved spouse, father, high-school principal, and soldier. In the second year of the war, we’re grappling not only with the depth of our losses, but with how to make meaning of them as we continue to live in...

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we talk to author Elissa Felder and her daughter Sonia Hoffman—both of whom have experienced the loss of a child and serve on a chevra kadisha—about what the Jewish burial society teaches us about confronting death. In this episode we discuss:  How does the process of purifying a dead body work—and how is it possible to purify a dead body at all? What Kabba...

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we talk to Rabbi Shlomo Brody and Dr. Beth Popp, who work with Ematai , an organization focused on end-of-life care, about the process of death and how we ought to live with our own mortality.  In this episode we discuss:  How do we connect to eternity within this finite existence?  What halachic issues must we consider when making end-of-life decisions? Wh...

While we await our next episode, we invite you catch up with 18  Questions, 40 Israeli Thinkers. Micah Goodman doesn't think Palestinian-Israeli peace will happen within his lifetime. But he's still a hopeful person. Named by the  Jerusalem Post  as one of the 50 most influential Jews, Micah is a public intellectual, writer, and author whose voice is central to the moral, political, and religious...

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast , we talk to Ayala Fader—an anthropologist who studies American Haredi communities and their “ hidden heretics ”—about the personal, familial, and communal factors that pull us toward and push us away from different Jewish communities.  In this episode we discuss:  How should we respond to the discomfort we experience when the communities we live in don’t mea...