The Elliot Resnick Show

Three decades ago, a small group of researchers and rabbis said they rediscovered the chilazon and the process of making techeles.  Were they telling the truth?  If yes, should we jumping at the opportunity to fulfill a mitzvah de'Oraisa for the first time in 1,500 years?  Shmuel Sackett, founder of the Am Yisrael Chai foundation, discusses this topic as well as Arab terror, Jewish terror, an...

Mistranslations, unattributed interpretations that undermine the meaning of the mishnah.  You would expect these in a Reform publication.  But they actually appear in an ArtScroll publication.  How did such problematic material slip by ArtScroll's editors?  And what excuse does this sefer's compiler have for distorting Chazal's words so that they align with the tenets of the self-es...

Should we appoint a king in the State of Israel?  Should we ascend Har Habayis?  Are we pronouncing Hebrew correctly?  Rabbi Avi Grossman – an associate at Machon Shilo and the former senior editor of the Koren Steinsaltz Tanakh in English – answers these controversial questions (as well as the one in the episode title).  Be prepared to reexamine some of your most basic assumptions about G-d'...

Modern man likes to dress casually.  Indeed, he often prefers jeans with holes than without them.  Is it just a matter of taste?   "Necktie Salvage" doesn't think so.  He believes modern clothing styles reflect, and reinforce, the moral deterioration of Western civilization. https://twitter.com/NecktieSalvage

We've heard it countless times: Chassidic yeshivahs are failing their students by not providing them with a proper secular education.  But are they?  And if they are, is it the government's business to right this wrong?  Frank Morano – host of "The Other Side of Midnight" on WABC Talk Radio in New York – interviewed me on this topic a few months ago.  Here is how it went.

"Stay far away from a false matter," the Bible tells us.  But how seriously do we take this prohibition?  Boruch Delman, director of the Sefas Tamim Foundation, explains why the Talmud calls truth "God's seal," why some people lie, why an AI is unlikely to destroy humanity if it pursues truth, and why a person may possibly sign a user agreement he hasn't read. www.eve...

Is it "American" for the government to shut down schools, businesses and houses of worship during a pandemic?  Is it "American" for the government to dictate to parents what they should teach their children?  Are Republicans too nice to win the culture wars?  Should Jews send their kids to Hilldale College?  Should they take a second look at Pat Buchanan?  These are just some o...

It's hard to see how moral claims can be made without reference to God.  But can they be made without reference to divine revelation?  Surprisingly, some of the greatest thinkers in Jewish history – the Rambam, Ramban, Ran, and others – say they can.

"It's a well-known law that Esav hates Yaakov."  What does that mean?  Did G-d create everyone to hate Jews?  How should Jews regard Christians?  How should they view secular atheists?  These are just some of the questions Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein – director of Interfaith Affairs at the Simon Wiesenthal Center – answers in this interview. Books by Rabbi Adlerstein: Netivot Shalom B...

If a politician violates a statute, he might find himself in jail.  But if he enacts a disastrous policy that kills thousands, he gets off scot-free.  How does that work?

"Yes," says Sam Sorbo, an education reform advocate, radio show host, actress, and mother of three.  She blasts modern schools for killing kids' individuality, teaching them liberal lies, and expelling G-d and G-dly wisdom from the classroom.   She urges all parents to educate their children at home. www. SamSorbo.com by Sam Sorbo: Words for Warriors  

Rabbi Steven Pruzansky is one of the few Modern Orthodox rabbis who isn't intimidated by "elite opinion."  On moral depravity, Arab terror, and more, he has always fearlessly spoken his mind.  In this interview, he addresses government forms that replace "mother" and father" with "parent 1" and "parent 2"; Israel's Law of Return (which sometim...

"Finding" yourself won't lead to happiness.  Indeed, no pursuit with the self at the center will.  If you want to be happy, focus on G-d and your obligations. Isaac Breuer once wrote about the great medieval rabbis: “[They] have generally remained silent on the subject of their personal development, of their struggles and sufferings…. Precisely what would make them interesting to mo...

You've probably heard of Maharat, the women's "yeshiva" Rabbi Avi Weiss opened in 2009 that claims to give semicha to its graduates.  But you've probably never spoken to anyone who actually attended this school.  Meet Mrs. Mashi Gross, probably the only passionate Trump supporter to have ever studied there.  (Indeed, it was her support for Trump that eventually inspired he...

"The Feminine Mystique" – published in 1963 by Betty Friedan – is probably the most famous feminist book ever written.  Amazingly, though, it also includes some of the strongest arguments for women finding fulfillment in their roles as wives and mothers. https://educateyourselfthroughelliot.supercast.com

The true, the good, and the beautiful.  The Great Books.  That's what education used to be about.  No longer.  Today, people disdain the writings of "dead white males" and think of education largely in terms of how much money it will yield them down the road.  A growing movement, however, is rediscovering classical education, and Jeremy Tate, creator of the CLT (Classic Learning Tes...

Many people are hailing Biden – the very same Biden who hid in his basement for two years – as "brave" for visiting Ukraine as the one-year anniversary of the war approaches.  Is he?  Some more questions: Is Putin really targeting innocent civilians?  Why exactly is the U.S. financing this war?  Does the West share any blame for the destruction of Ukraine?

At a Torah Umesorah conference in December, Donald Trump delivered a speech in which – for 25 minutes – he quoted, commented, and elaborated on an article written by Rabbi Dov Fischer.  A former law professor and head of the JDL, Rabbi Fischer currently heads the Young Israel of Orange County and serves as senior contributing editor at The American Spectator.  He joins Elliot Resnick to discuss hi...

Ever wonder why the first tablet of the Ten Commandments begins with a mitzvah of the mind and ends with a mitzvah of action while the second tablet does the very opposite?  Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch (1808-1888) offers an intriguing explanation.

Dr. Ron Paul (a former 24-year congressman from Texas and the father of Senator Ran Paul) is not your typical charismatic politician, yet he was wildly popular among young voters in the 2008 and 2012 presidential election seasons.  He joins the show to discuss libertarianism, his opposition to sending government aid to Israel, and his criticism of the Federal Reserve. The Revolution: A Manifesto b...

One after another, traditional standards are being swept aside.  What was considered inconceivable 10 years ago is regarded as normal by children today.   And that doesn't bode well for the future...

Ann Coulter confronts some of the most controversial comments she's ever made: Does she support secession?  Does she really want to bar women from voting?  What does she have against psychology?  Why did she say Christians are perfected Jews?  Does she still believe the solution to Arab terror is to "invade their countries, kill their leaders, and convert them to Christianity"? www....

Is the Arab terrorist alone to be blamed for the deaths of the seven Jews on Friday?  If you let a child molester sleep in your home, should you be surprised if you wake up to discover that your child is molested?  And if, after your child was molested, you're crazy enough to continue to let the molester sleep in your home, who's really to blame if your child is molested again – you or t...

Rabbi Ben Zion Shafier, author of The 10 Really Dumb Mistakes That Very Smart Couples Make , discusses the harms in trying to change your spouse, the very different emotional needs of men and women, and a piece of marriage advice once offered by Donald Trump. Links to books mentioned in this episode: The 10 Really Dumb Mistakes That Very Smart Couples Make First, Kill All the Marriage Counselors b...

Modern-day nations – Israel chief among them – avoid harming "innocent civilians."  But do such people exist?  If they did, why did G-d punish the Egyptians as a collective?  After all, the plagues affected every Egyptian, not just the guilty.  Indeed, the Plague of the Firstborn even affected foreign captives in Egyptian jails according to the Midrash!