Michael Sokolovsky and Xava De Cordova

Xai, how are you?

Religion EN ↓ 271 episodes

Queer Jews Michael Sokolovsky and Rabbi Xava De Cordova play with the multi-millennial dialectic that is the Talmud. Join them as they throw drash, seek prophetic insight and uncover the rabbinic smuttiness inherent in the system.

Author

Michael Sokolovsky and Xava De Cordova

Category

Religion

Podcast website

patreon.com

Latest episode

Jul 5, 2026

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Episodes

193. The Ghost of Genders Past 05.11.2023

Time to get down to brass tacks about reincarnation, gender ghosts, punishment for past lives and where it all comes from. Content Warning: This episode contains mention of animal death. Sign up for Divine Decay here: https://bit.ly/divinedecay Visit our website to ask us questions at xaihowareyou.com and call or Text the Talmud Hotline at 401-484-1619 and leave us a voicemail. Support us on patre...

192. Intellectual Pegging 27.10.2023

Michael brings us all some theology about halos, gender roles, secret torah and the world to come. Donate to support mutual aid in Gaza here: https://bit.ly/472xmUR. Sign up for Shel Maala's Divine Decay in Portland, OR here: https://bit.ly/divinedecay Visit our website to ask us questions at xaihowareyou.com and call or Text the Talmud Hotline at 401-484-1619 and leave us a voicemail. Support us...

191. Text Change 19.10.2023

Xava gives a primer on mitzvot that women (supposedly) aren't obligated in and why, what even is a gender, why we get left out of the fanciest mitzvahs and whether we're okay with that. Donate to support mutual aid efforts in Gaza here: https://secure.everyaction.com/b00t33wD-EOVJ1cNTyHixg2 Visit our website to ask us questions at xaihowareyou.com and call or Text the Talmud Hotline at 401-484-161...

190. I Think We're Alone Now 13.10.2023

Michael brings us a walk through several pages of Talmud covering gender, sex, risk, isolation and sexy ladder leaping shenanigans. Sign up for The Sheydy Bunch here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-sheydy-bunch-halloween-talmud-series-on-amulets-the-demons-next-door-tickets-686988459977 Visit our website to ask us questions at xaihowareyou.com and call or Text the Talmud Hotline at 401-484-1619...

189. What's up with essential dignity? 05.10.2023

Xava brings in some texts and talks to explore the concept of basic dignity, honor and human rights. Sign up for CTNTC here: https://svara.org/course/trans-codex/ Visit our website to ask us questions at xaihowareyou.com and call or Text the Talmud Hotline at 401-484-1619 and leave us a voicemail. Support us on patreon at patreon.com/xaihowareyou. Follow us on twitter @xaihowareyou and @miss_figur...

188. Kosher-er 28.09.2023

Michael has brought a sexy Mishnah about vegetarian food, kosher restaurants, avodah zara and other hot, hot topics. Visit our website to ask us questions at xaihowareyou.com and call or Text the Talmud Hotline at 401-484-1619 and leave us a voicemail. Support us on patreon at patreon.com/xaihowareyou. Follow us on twitter @xaihowareyou and @miss_figured. Music by Ben Schreiber.

187. Temple OS 1: Introduction 21.09.2023

The very first episode of our Temple OS series is finally here! We'll be releasing them slowly as we get them edited over the next few months. This week we're introducing you to what the heck is TOS, who was Terry Davis, and why we decided to create this series. Check out Shel Maala's Fall offerings here: https://www.shelmaala.com/classes/fall-in-love-with-shel-maala/ Visit our website to ask us q...

186. Immigration and Marriage 15.09.2023

A listener asked us: does that Talmud have anything to say about getting married for immigration or citizenship purposes? This week Xava brought us the answer (which is not legal advice but just a fun podcast episode)! Visit our website to ask us questions at xaihowareyou.com and call or Text the Talmud Hotline at 401-484-1619 and leave us a voicemail. Support us on patreon at patreon.com/xaihowar...

185. Yentl-saurus 06.09.2023

Michael unearths a treasure trove of dino details from the Rabbis, plus some paleontology simps explain kashrut and a mysterious bone tunnel appears. Visit our website to ask us questions at xaihowareyou.com and call or Text the Talmud Hotline at 401-484-1619 and leave us a voicemail. Support us on patreon at patreon.com/xaihowareyou. Follow us on twitter @xaihowareyou and @miss_figured. Music by...

184. Bruriah Gets Her Reputation Back 30.08.2023

Finally, we're covering one of the wisest and wiliest women of the Talmud, Bruriah! This week, she corrects her husband, is a paragon of learning, gets slandered and gets redeemed. Visit our website to ask us questions at xaihowareyou.com and call or Text the Talmud Hotline at 401-484-1619 and leave us a voicemail. Support us on patreon at patreon.com/xaihowareyou. Follow us on twitter @xaihowarey...

183. Theodicy Odyssey 22.08.2023

Inquiring listeners want to know: if HaShem is all good and all powerful, what do Jews have to say about why evil exists? You'll be shocked to learn the answer is complicated! But it involves a hippopotamus. Visit our website to ask us questions at xaihowareyou.com and call or Text the Talmud Hotline at 401-484-1619 and leave us a voicemail. Support us on patreon at patreon.com/xaihowareyou. Follo...

182. Catch Me if You Can 17.08.2023

Michael brings us all a story of a rabbi slash con man extraordinaire on a spree of theft, trickery and death avoidance. Visit our website to ask us questions at xaihowareyou.com and call or Text the Talmud Hotline at 401-484-1619 and leave us a voicemail. Support us on patreon at patreon.com/xaihowareyou. Follow us on twitter @xaihowareyou and @miss_figured. Music by Ben Schreiber.

181. The Tree Whisperer 09.08.2023

This episode, it's giving tree y'all! Listen in for a date with dates, mystical plant revelations and Xava's favorite verse from Tehillim. Sign up for Frootcamp here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/frootcamp-a-summer-shiur-series-to-up-your-practical-gay-talmud-skills-tickets-657309780247 Visit our website to ask us questions at xaihowareyou.com and call or Text the Talmud Hotline at 401-484-1619 an...

180. Solomon Does More Crimes 30.07.2023

Our tale of the demon lord and the "wisest" ruler continues with glass domes, crimes against roosters and super strength king tosses. Sign up for Frootcamp here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/frootcamp-a-summer-shiur-series-to-up-your-practical-gay-talmud-skills-tickets-657309780247 Visit our website to ask us questions at xaihowareyou.com and call or Text the Talmud Hotline at 401-484-1619 and lea...

179. Tall tale 25.07.2023

Ashmodai, king of the demons is coming to the pod! We've got Solomonic war crimes, earthworks projects, demon tzadakim and random acts of kindness. Sign up for Frootcamp: A Summer Shiur Series to Up Your Practical Gay Talmud Skills here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/frootcamp-a-summer-shiur-series-to-up-your-practical-gay-talmud-skills-tickets-657309780247 Visit our website to ask us questions at...

178. And I Swear 18.07.2023

Michael brings us a case of civil law that devolves/evolves into a story about the magical power of oaths, swearing, divorce and deriving benefit from bread (or the absence thereof). Visit our website to ask us questions at xaihowareyou.com and call or Text the Talmud Hotline at 401-484-1619 and leave us a voicemail. Support us on patreon at patreon.com/xaihowareyou. Follow us on twitter @xaihowar...

177. Oh, Honey! 11.07.2023

This episode is the bee's knees...and that is only one of the many horrible bee puns you'll be subjected to! Xava brought a talmudic cornucopia about bees and their place in the world, both metaphysically and culinarily. Sign up for The Flavor of Text here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-flavor-of-text-a-deep-dive-into-melody-in-the-beit-midrash-tickets-657305076177 Visit our website to ask us q...

176. Failing Upwards 03.07.2023

Michael brings us some delicious drash on the Torah's most cringe stories where the bad guys are good and the good guys are not what they seem. Sign up for The Flavor of Text here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-flavor-of-text-a-deep-dive-into-melody-in-the-beit-midrash-tickets-657305076177 Visit our website to ask us questions at xaihowareyou.com and call or Text the Talmud Hotline at 401-484-1...

175. Truth or Consequences 18.06.2023

Listener questions return! This week, we explain some Rabbinic apocalypse ramblings, little white lies, moral absolutism and the Messianic age. Visit our website to ask us questions at xaihowareyou.com and call or Text the Talmud Hotline at 401-484-1619 and leave us a voicemail. Support us on patreon at patreon.com/xaihowareyou. Follow us on twitter @xaihowareyou and @miss_figured. Music by Ben Sc...

174. A Matter of Taste 12.06.2023

Jonah Mac Gelfand of Gashmius Magazine joins us to talk about neo-xasidut, the transcendent nature of taste, sacrifices and a wonderful text from the Me'or Einayim! Check out the source sheet from this episode here: https://rb.gy/hza6e and check out Gashmius at https://www.gashmiusmagazine.com/ Visit our website to ask us questions at xaihowareyou.com and call or Text the Talmud Hotline at 401-484...

173. Politics of Disgust 05.06.2023

Professor of philosophy and law Martha Nussbaum joins us to talk about her life, her journey with Judaism, emotional politics, agnosticism and a bunch of other cool stuff! Visit our website to ask us questions at xaihowareyou.com and call or Text the Talmud Hotline at 401-484-1619 and leave us a voicemail. Support us on patreon at patreon.com/xaihowareyou. Follow us on twitter @xaihowareyou and @m...

172. Interpreting Solomon's Temple 28.05.2023

Sam Biagetti of “Historiansplaining” comes on the show to discuss Solomon’s Temple – both the real historical building as it can be reconstructed from ancient texts and archaeology, and the symbol that has been endlessly appropriated to represent humankind’s relationship to the cosmos, from Jewish mysticism, to Christian theology, to early Islam, to medieval magic, to Renaissance humanism, to the...

171. Space Oddity 22.05.2023

What did the Rabbis know about the stars? Was the moon a bossy bottom? Can we remember facts from previous episodes? Find out all the answers in this epi! Visit our website to ask us questions at xaihowareyou.com and call or Text the Talmud Hotline at 401-484-1619 and leave us a voicemail. Support us on patreon at patreon.com/xaihowareyou. Follow us on twitter @xaihowareyou and @miss_figured. Musi...

170. Dazzling Beauty 17.05.2023

Turns out our favorite trans feminine rabbi literally glows in the dark! Which turns out to be surprisingly relevant to Rabbi Elazar's existential crisis. All that and more in this week's epi! Visit our website to ask us questions at xaihowareyou.com and call or Text the Talmud Hotline at 401-484-1619 and leave us a voicemail. Support us on patreon at patreon.com/xaihowareyou. Follow us on twitter...

169. The Secret Jewish History of Ordination 09.05.2023

You've heard of smikha, but did you know that Jews have had different thoughts and opinions about it over time? Listen to this episode to hear them, and the petty dramas that gave us the system we have today. Sign up for Alefbet Soup here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/alefbet-soup-for-the-soul-a-crash-course-in-the-magical-letters-of-judaism-tickets-621639680017 Visit our website to ask us questio...

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