The Kotzk Podcast

Part II now turns the focus on its head and examines, theoretically, how Maimonides might view contemporary Judaism as we know it. (kotzk Blog 532 )

This episode examines how Maimonides was viewed by the rabbinic world (Part I), and how, in turn, Judaism as we know it today might (theoretically) be viewed by Maimonides (Part II). This creates a ‘dialogue of vision. ( Kotzk Blog 531 )

How early layers of text from the Zohar and Bahir may shed light on the authorship, milieu, geography and dating of these two fundamental mystical works. ( Kotzk blog 530 )

Is it possible that Maimonides (1138-1204) had an unspokenmentor who has been largely overlooked by history? This ‘mentor’ may have been the twelfth-century philosopher, translator, and historian Avraham Ibn Daud (c. 1110–1180). “ [H]istory has been rather unkind ” (Fontaine 2023:1) to Avraham Ibn Daud . Yet, it seems that Maimonides was not the first to engage with Arabic Aristotelian rationalist...

In this episode: It’s commonly assumed that Jewish belief in G-d has remained consistent throughout history. In truth, Jewish perceptions of the have been strikingly diverse, shaped and reshaped across centuries, cultures, and theological currents. (Kotzk Blog: 528)

This episode explores the intellectual legacy of Abu Ya'qub Isḥāq ibn Sulaymān al-Israeli—also known as Yitzchak ben Shlomo haYisraeli (c.855–c.955)—a pioneering yet largely overlooked figure in early Medieval Jewish philosophy. Through a counterintuitive comparison between Yitzchak haYisraeli’s tenth-century philosophical writings and contemporary *Chassidic* thought rooted in *Kabbalah*, the stu...

Kotzk Podcast 068: Tashlich, water and 'bribing' demons ( Kotzk blog 525 ) texts, of demons and spirits inhabiting bodies of water, and how they can be manipulated by knowledgeable practitioners. These texts may relate to the notion of Tashlich originally being instituted to bribe the Satan into not revealing human sins before G-d.

Radical Rabbinic models of universalism ( Kotzk blog 523) This episode explores four radical rabbinic approaches to universalism from the sixteenth century to R. Adin Steinsaltz.

Editing Jewish texts: Between reverence and revision ( Kotzk blog 524 ) This episode examines how Isaac Benjacob's edition of 'Shem haGedolim' by the Chida, completely reworks the ethos of the original work. Benjacob's editorial methodology is then highlighted against that of Maimonides.

Italian letters: The battle over the Zohar ( Kotzk Blog 522 ) This episode explores the recently translated - and highly charged - correspondence between two nineteenth century Italian rabbis on the authenticity and importance of the Zohar.

Confronting or Escaping? -Beyond the "Back of the Wagon of the Baal Shem Kotzk Blog 521 This episode challenges the widespread belief that the Baal Shem Tov offered a straightforward, one-step path to joy. Rather than promoting effortless happiness, he appears to have called for profound and often unsettling introspection—urging individuals to confront their deepest fears and vulnerabilities....

'Creating' sacred sites: Who is buried there, and does it matter? (K otzk Blog: 520 ) This episode examines the sometimes-spontaneous emergence of burial sites attributed to Sages and biblical figures, raising the question of whether historical accuracy should play a role in how such sacred spaces are recognized.

When rabbis dared to challenge the Divine: The case of Midrash Tehillim ( Kotzk Blog: 519 ) This episode—based extensively on the research by Professor Dov Weiss [1] — examines the rise and decline of rabbinic protest theology. It looks at the audacious attempts by some  Mishnaic  rabbis to defy a general ethos of protest prohibition, particularly upheld by the schools of R. Akiva and R. Elazar. B...

Messianic Immunity—The Perfect Storm: The case of R. This episode—based extensively on the research by Professor Abraham Ofir Shemesh( 1 ) examines an extreme case of messianic immunity. In the sixteenth century, a medical doctor, haRofeh, under the influence of the *Sabbatian* messianic movement of Shabbatai Tzvi, felt he could administer harmful drugs to non-Jews in order to kill them. Because h...

A historical context to Midrashim ( Kotzk blog 517 ) This episode—based extensively on the research by Professor Gary Porton [1](https://d.docs.live.net/cf7c519617ad128d/Documents/KOTZK%20BLOG%20517.docx#_ftn1) — investigates the historical conditions that may have fostered the complex and often elusive evolution of *Midrash*. *Midrashim* are the creative and often fanciful interpretations of the...

When Midrash is too much for the Midrash ( Kotzk blog 516 )This episode—based extensively on the research by Rabbi Dr Zvi Ron—examines various  Midrashim  that have been rejected by an unofficial form of collective rabbinic consensus. These include  Midrashim  from lesser known sources as well as, surprisingly, those from classical  Midrashic  sources such as  Mechilta ,  Sifra ,  Sifri ,  Midrash...

Missing in Manuscript: The additional biblical verses added to the Mishna ( Kotzk blog 515 ) This episode—based extensively on the research by Professor Jason Kalman—examines the question of additional biblical verses, cited as proof texts added to our versions of the  Mishna . Based on comparisons between our  Mishna  texts and their earlier manuscripts and printings, in almost  twenty per cent  ...

Kabbalah: From Obscurity to the Defining Essence of Judaism ( Kotzk blog 514 ) This episode—based extensively on the research by Professor David Malkiel—explores the thirteenth-century rise of  Kabbalah  in Spain and its subsequent peaking in sixteenth-century Safed. Since the Safed period, Kabbalah has come to be widely regarded as embodying the very essence and greatest depths of Judaism in the...

Secret Mystical and Chassidic societies ( Kotzk blog 513 )This Episode—based extensively on the research by Rabbi Dr Zvi Leshem—examines several secret mystical societies from biblical times to pre-war Europe, with a particular focus on the secretive group established by R. Kalonymus Kalmish (Kalman) Shapira of Piasecnzo (Piasetzna)  (1889-1943) .  Secret mystical circles and societies are not wel...

This podcast - based extensively on the research by Professor Bernard Dov Cooperman [1] —explores how the Italian rabbinic world dealt with their dynamic differences in theological expression during the early Modern period ( Kotzk blog 512 )

This podcast—based extensively on the research by Dr Assaf Tamari [1] —examines the  Zohar’s  unusual depiction of the exiled  Shechina  (the feminine aspect of the Godhead) as a patient requiring urgent treatment. (Kotzk blog 511 )

According to the Zohar, several deviant sexual activities were necessary for the Davidic messianic dynasty to emerge. This is known as ‘redemption through sin’ and is connected to the Aramaic word   Tikla  used by the Zohar which refers to a spinning wheel in the sky.   Kotzk Blog: 371) ‘Tikla’ and the zoharic concept that sin can bring redemption

This podcast —based extensively on the research by Professor Eitan Fishbane [1] —examines the rabbinic notion of the authenticity of a teaching or text being reliant on the perceived authority of its transmitter or originator. In other words, the greater the rabbi the more authentic the teaching, regardless of the independent status, nature and validity of the actual teaching itself.  ( Kotzk Blog...

The rise of contemporary Religious-Zionism ( Kotzk Blog 507 ) This article—based extensively on the research by Professor Yoav Peled [1] —examines the rise of the Religious Zionist movement from relative non-dominance in 1948 to a position of unquestionable hegemony in the last decades.

Reading the biblical word אות (‘sign’) in its earlier context ( Kotzk Blog 506 ) This episode—based extensively on the research by Professors Idan Dershowitz and Na’ama Pat-El [1] —examines possible lost meanings of the Hebrew word  אות  (‘ ot ’) which is usually simply translated and commonly understood as a   ‘ sign .’