Aaron Wildavsky

The Rabbi is Busy

Religion EN ↓ 5 episodes

Who are the rabbis of tomorrow? Where do they come from, and what drives them? Where do they stand on the issues that shape the Jewish world? Dive into these questions and more as Aaron Wildavsky–himself a final-year rabbinical student–introduces a pluralistic array of emerging rabbis whose leadership looks to define the Jewish future.

Author

Aaron Wildavsky

Episodes

Episode 4 - Rabbi Miriam Lichtenberg 25.01.2026 1:13:41

Rabbi Miriam Lichtenberg is a graduate of Yeshivat Hadar’s Advanced Kollel, and works as the School Rabbi at Rochelle Zell Jewish High School. Get to know Miriam as she explains what it means to be a “Hadar Rabbi,” weighs the pros and cons of denominational identity, and offers tips for supporting young mourners.

Episode 3 - Chris Penello 01.08.2025 1:06:45

Chris Penello is a rising third-year student at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Get to know Chris as he shares his theory of community-building, offers tips on how to speak productively across difference, and explains how exactly a kid from Borough Park ended up at a Conservative rabbinical school.

Episode 2 - Raffi Levi 05.06.2025 59:56

Soon-to-be-rabbi Raffi Levi is in his final year at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. Get to know Raffi as he makes the case for rationalism AND mysticism, models "embodied Jewish practice," and shares observations from his life as a neurodivergent Jewish leader.

Introducing "The Rabbi is Busy" 10.04.2025 2:18

Introducing "The Rabbi is Busy"

Episode 1 - Sofia Freudenstein 10.04.2025 1:10:25

Soon-to-be-rabbi Sofia Freudenstein is a fourth-year student at Yeshivat Maharat. Get to know Sofia as she recounts her journey from Canada to passing as an “in-towner,” endorses gradualism as a theory of change, and reflects on spending October 7 in Berlin.