Orthodox Conundrum

Just over a month ago, the Orthodox Conundrum released an episode of this podcast entitled, Confrontation 2022: Jewish-Christian Dialogue and Its Questions, with Rabbi Pesach Wolicki. Pesach discussed why he believes that his work has value, what kind of pushback he's received, whether he's providing an opening for missionary activity, how he justifies speaking in churches, and more.  Today's epis...

On December 12th, well-known political commentator Ben Shapiro published an article in the Jewish Press entitled "Modern Orthodoxy's Moral Failure." Its opening paragraph reads, "Modern Orthodoxy is in a state of crisis. It is in a state of crisis because its leadership has, in large measure, abandoned its central principles in favor of political expedience, surrendering long-term interests for sh...

This podcast has frequently alluded to the problems that arise when rabbis mistakenly don't stay in their own lane, and end up advising people in areas that require more than the pastoral counseling they might have learned when studying for semicha. Indeed, there is reason to be concerned about the intersection between rabbinic counseling and psychotherapy, and how the professional - and the congr...

Something about Chanukah speaks to almost all of us... which highlights the fact that the message of Chanukah retains enough ambiguity that different groups can understand it in different and even contradictory ways. This ambiguity goes back to the very earliest days of the holiday's celebration while the Second Temple still stood; it's reflected in Rabbinic sources and in our liturgy, as well. An...

On November 14th, the Orthodox Conundrum released a panel discussion dealing with Rav Jonathan Sacks zt'l's life, leadership, and legacy. Today we offer a sequel to that episode, as Scott speaks with Dr. Tanya White and Rabbi Dr. Samuel Lebens about the thought and philosophy of Rabbi Sacks. They address many important issues, including Rabbi Sacks's originality, his idea of covenant, the importan...

Scott and his close friend Rabbi Pesach Wolicki founded a yeshiva, Yesodei HaTorah, over 18 years ago. Yesodei HaTorah was dedicated to skill building in reading Jewish texts, and helping each student develop an independent Torah philosophy. And in 2015, the yeshiva closed down when it didn't recruit enough students to keep it going. At that point, Scott moved into the podcasting sphere. Pesach, i...

On November 12, 2021, Haaretz first reported that several women alleged that popular author Chaim Walder had sexually assaulted them for years, in some cases starting when they were children. Soon after, many more people came forward with similar accusations. And on December 27, 2021 Walder was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, lying next to his son's grave. This all took place appro...

Torah Judaism offers a vision that is kind, loving, just, and G-d-centric. Some Orthodox Jews, however, feel that the community has begun to lose its way, as too many people emphasize peripheral elements at the expense of the Torah's core values. Rabbi Todd Berman wrote about this in a well received Times of Israel blog post entitled, Choosing a Kinder, Gentler Religious Zionism, and Scott spoke t...

Today, the 20th of Cheshvan, is the second yahrzeit of Lord Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks zt"l. His impact was enormous; in so many ways, his life represented a sanctification of the Divine name. While many of us are familiar with his important writings and divrei Torah, fewer know about who he was as an individual. To that end, Scott was honored to host Joanna Bennaroch, Rabbi Dr. Daniel Rose, and R...

The Religious Zionist Party in Israel, headed by Betzalel Smotrich, has been vilified as mainstreaming racist, misogynistic, and homophobic attitudes. Yet last week, that party - or, more appropriately, the three parties that ran together under the Religious Zionist banner - won 14 seats in the Knesset. That means that the Religious Zionist Party represents percentage-wise close to 12% of the Knes...

Increasingly, members of the Religious Zionist community in Israel have discovered the thinking and writings of Rabbi Shimon Gershon Rosenberg, better known by his initials, Rav Shagar. ​​The more they read the many books that have been released after his early passing in 2007 at the age of 57, the more they are challenged, excited, and inspired by his depth, creativity, and authentic religiosity...

"The medium is the message" said philosopher Marshall McLuhan, and the idea that the way we receive information is likely more important and influential than the information itself, is now truer than ever. Because of social media, our world has changed far more than we realize. For Orthodox Jews, who have lived behind literal and symbolic walls for the past 2000 years, the change is one that may c...

On October 28th, 1965, as part of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Paul VI promulgated Nostra Aetate, the Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions . That event cleared the way for a potentially better relationship between Roman Catholics and Jews. Crucially, the Catholic Church also has officially rejected attempts at converting Jews to Christianity.  Despite this pos...

During  the Selichot that we have been reciting for the past two weeks, we repeat G-d's Thirteen Attributes of Mercy over and over again. Many shuls have the minhag to say them three times when we open the Aron before the Torah reading on Rosh Hashanah morning, and in some synagogues they're recited every time we open the ark during the ten days of repentance. Most significantly, the Thirteen Attr...

As we enter the period of the Yamim Nora'im followed by Sukkot, we are embarking on what might be the most intense spiritual season of the Jewish calendar. Some people find the davening on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur deeply meaningful; others find it interminably long and drawn out. One method that gives some people spiritual meaning - both in the synagogue and out - is the discipline of Jewish m...

Today's episode isn't about Rosh Hashanah in an overt way; but Myra Sack's story represents one of the most powerful Rosh Hashanah stories imaginable. Myra and her husband Matt had a beautiful little girl named Havi Lev; and, in her words, We lost our first-born daughter, Havi Lev Goldstein, on January 20th, 2021, at 9:04am. She died peacefully in our bed, in our arms. She died from a cruel diseas...

There is a tremendous amount of Torah learning taking place today, and Orthodox Jews should be excited that such study occupies a central place in so many Jewish lives. Daf Yomi has encouraged and inspired people who never before considered learning Talmud to try to learn all of Shas over 7 and a half years. Alongside classes in Talmud, there are shiurim in Chumash, Tanach, Mishnah, Midrash, Halac...

Is belief in Judaism self-evident? Are our principles of faith wholly rational and perhaps even obvious to any thinking person? Or is faith in G-d and Torah more complicated and suffused with questions than many would like to assume? Do we have faith? Do we possess authentic trust in G-d? Deep down, what do we really think about the tenets of Torah Judaism? Do we accept them, doubt them, or maybe...

This episode is, in some ways, two distinct podcasts in one: one about outreach, and one about some major spiritual challenges that exist in the Modern Orthodox world. Many in the Centrist or Modern Orthodox world are uncomfortable with kiruv and outreach; it's often associated with acting with condescension towards people who are not Orthodox, objectifying people who are not Orthodox, and not act...

Lonna Ralbag has been demanding a get from Meir Kin for 18 years and still hasn't received it. According to Jewish law, this means that she cannot remarry, and is effectively trapped as a type of aguna - a chained woman. Meanwhile, her estranged husband, despite public pressure, seems to revel in having become the king of the get-refusers. He has a YouTube channel and managed to remarry while leav...

We all know that there have been numerous high profile scandals involving sexual abuse on the part of teachers and authority figures in the Orthodox world. We also know that as light is shed on these cases, public awareness grows, and the likelihood of coverups is hopefully lessened. At the same time, we need to explore how to put protocols in place so that schools, institutions, and organizations...

Six weeks ago, the Orthodox Conundrum released a panel discussion with Rabbi Moshe Simkovich, Mrs. Rachel Schwartzberg, Mrs. Olivia Friedman, and Rabbi Pesach Sommer entitled The Crisis of Orthodox Teacher Retention. That episode received a fair bit of comment, and at the same time raised as many questions as it solved. For that reason, it was clear that a follow-up episode with expert educational...

Join Scott Kahn in this rereleased bonus episode for commentaries on 25 of the 40 kinot (lamentations) that Jews recite on the morning of Tisha B'Av. (The time signatures for each commentary are listed below.) Along with all of the Jewish people, we pray that this be the final Tisha B'Av on which we mourn. May the upcoming year be one of gladness, joy, and redemption for us, for all of Israel, and...

This is not an episode about Women of the Wall. It is not an episode about Women for the Wall. It is not an episode about the egalitarian space at Robinson's Arch. Instead, this is an episode about fairness and respect and dignity - issues that should concern everyone who cares about Judaism, regardless of how you feel about non-Orthodox prayer at the Kotel or about women reading the Torah on the...

Today's episode deals with the very difficult topic of eating disorders from the perspective of a parent, as Judy Krasna tells the personal story of her child's battle with anorexia nervosa. Some may wonder how this topic is relevant to a podcast that deals with issues within Orthodoxy. While Scott and Judy also discuss specifically Orthodox manifestations of anorexia, the issue of eating disorder...