The Stoic Jew

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: Rufus taught “The human being is born with an inclination toward virtue.” Would Judaism agree? In today’s episode we take a look at the Sforno’s revolutionary interpretation of a familiar statement from Chazal (which was already preempted by the Rambam), which sheds a new light on how Hashem helps us in the battle against the yet...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: In this episode – the last chapter in Book 4 of Meditations  – I attempted to record WITHOUT extensive preparation in an effort to follow through on the intentions I stated in my recent episode about my struggles with perfectionism. Ironically, the theme of Aurelius’s chapter was consonant with this goal. Let’s hope I succeeded i...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: For better or for worse I decided to record today’s episode when my mind was feeling a bit scattered … and it shows. We begin by reading Aurelius’s “unphilosophic” thoughts about how to put death in perspective, which we compare to the Torah’s stance as spelled out by the Rambam. We then read Epictetus’s counterpoint to the Ramba...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: In today’s episode Marcus Aurelius shares the secret of how to be immune to misfortune. His approach includes a number of fundamental ideas in Judaism and Stoicism that we’ve discussed in previous episodes (see the show notes for a partial list), but he ties them together in a compelling way which parallels David ha’Melech’s appr...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: In today’s episode we compare similar statements made by Marcus Aurelius in the Meditations Akavya ben Mahallalel in Pirkei Avos, as explained by the Rambam and the Meiri, but first we attempt to answer the question, “To what extent does Stoicism prepare a person for facing death?”  Today's Torah content has been sponsored a...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: In today’s episode I reflect on my 100th day of gratitude journaling! I focus on two of the many benefits I’ve gained from this practice: (1) a little something I call “premeditatio gratias,” and (2) a developmental tool for “amor fati,” inspired by an interpretation of a phrase in Modim by the Ri Bar Yakar and Rashi. This week&a...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: In today’s (self-indulgent) episode I discuss how my own struggles with perfectionism have once again generated problems with my content-production, as far as this podcast is concerned. I made this episode because I needed to express these thoughts and feelings in a public format, but I hope that my choice to do so proves to bene...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: Today’s focus is on a one-liner from Marcus Aurelius: “Stop talking about what the good man is like, and just be one.” We use this as a springboard to reflect on our 200th episode, and whether we have fallen into this trap through this podcast, or whether the Torah’s values offer a different perspective on the Stoic Emperor’s sel...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: Believe it or not, Seneca has a theory about the Mabul. He believes that God has destroyed the world with the flood in the past, but – unlike us – he believes that God will do it again. I figured that this was an appropriate topic for Erev Shabbos Parashas Noach.   This week's Torah content has been sponsored by an anonymous...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: Today's episode is about Marcus Aurelius's memento mori thought experiment: If God told you that you are going to die either today OR tomorrow, would the difference of a day make a difference? And would Judaism offer a different response than Stoicism?  This week's Torah content has been sponsored by an anonymous d...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: In today’s episode we attempt to wrest meaning from Marcus Aurelius’s list of “Top Heraclitus Hits.” Our meditations on his meditation lead us to Koheles, Rambam, and Mufasa. Did we succeed in gaining something of value from Aurelius’s cryptic chapter? You tell me! This week's Torah content has been sponsored by an anonymous...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: In today’s bonus episode we review the similarities and differences between Seneca’s version of sukkah and the Torah’s, as explained by the Rambam and Rashbam. We conclude with a question (or cluster of questions) about simchah (joy/rejoicing) as a theme of Sukkos and as an avodah (divine service) in its own right. Chag sameach!...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: “Memento Mori” (remembering death) is a major theme in Stoicism and in Judaism – especially when it comes to doing teshuvah. We begin this episode by reflecting on statements by Chazal, the Rambam, and Marcus Aurelius about the sense of urgency created by the awareness of our mortality. But what can we do to incorporate this awar...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: In this episode I share an insight I had on Rosh ha’Shanah into the famous statement “teshuvah, tefilah, and tzedakah remove the evil decree” – or should I say, “the evil OF the decree.” I share a real-world example of this which transpired on the second day of Rosh ha’Shanah this year.   This week's Torah content has been s...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: Since today is Erev Rosh ha’Shanah, I thought it would be useful to explore the difference between the concept of Yom ha’Din (Judgment Day) in Stoicism and in Judaism. We compare and contrast Aurelius’s comments about time and the universe with the picture of Yom ha’Din synthesized from the writings of Rav Hirsch, Meiri, Malbim,...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: In today’s episode (#192) we examine the distinction between the beneficial Stoic technique of “Premeditatio Malorum” (the Rehearsing of Harms) and the unhealthy activity of “catastrophizing.” We begin with the definition of the latter from the American Psychological Association; next, we see how both types of mental activity are...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: Today’s episode continues on the theme of change with a focus a technique for escaping the patterns of personal drama which are the cause of so much of our anxiety.  Today's Torah content has been brought to you by the generosity of my Patrons on Patreon . Related Rabbi Schneeweiss Content: - Change: Neither Good Nor Bad (Au...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: Today’s episode focuses on the familiar themes of change and impermanence. We reflect on a meditation from Anthony de Mello and discuss how it can be used to bring out the impact of these themes from their anchor-points in Jewish and Stoic sources.  Today's Torah content has been brought to you by the generosity of my Patron...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: Today’s episode is about another one-sentence chapter. We examine Aurelius’s words through the eyes of the Rambam in the Moreh ha’Nevuchim, the Sforno on Koheles, Epictetus in the Enchiridion, and Bruce Tift on Buddhism.  Today's Torah content is sponsored by an anonymous donor, out of gratitude for all of the awesome opport...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: Today’s episode is about the one-sentence chapter. I hate to use the phrase “short but sweet” to describe anything that has to do with corpses, but it is an apt characterization of this sentence.  Today's Torah content has been brought to you by the generosity of my Patrons on Patreon . Sources: - Aurelius, Meditation 4:41 -...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: In today’s episode we compare and contrast the metaphor used by Marcus Aurelius to characterize the universe with the metaphor used by the Torah.  Today's Torah content has been brought to you by the generosity of my Patrons on Patreon . Related Rabbi Schneeweiss Content: - How I Teach Maaseh Bereishis - Part 2 of 2 Sources:...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: The chapter we focus on in today’s episode is a review of some fundamental concepts that we’ve discussed in past episodes, such as how to be impervious to harm, what good and evil are – ya know, some basic stuff!  This week's Torah content has been sponsored by Joey and Estee Lichter in honor of the marriage of Isaac and Avi...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: In today’s episode we return to Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations with a one-liner cautioning us to remember the humanness of the wise.  This week's Torah content has been sponsored by Joey and Estee Lichter in honor of the marriage of Isaac and Aviva. Sources: - Aurelius, Meditations 4:38 - Rambam: Mishneh Torah, Sefer ha’Mada,...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: In today’s episode – which was recorded immediately after yesterday’s episode , as a follow-up – I apply BJ Fogg’s Tiny Habits behavioral diagnosis framework to the mild case of “podcaster’s block” I’ve been experiencing with The Stoic Jew Podcast . Thankfully, it helped! As a result, this podcast will be undergoing a major chang...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: In today’s episode, which was supposed to air on Rosh Chodesh Elul, we examine the underappreciated role of habit cultivation in Stoicism, and I teach a valuable technique for establishing new habits which I learned from James Clear’s Atomic Habits and BJ Fogg’s Tiny Habits . This week's Torah content has been sponsored by J...