edJEWcation

In this episode, Jay contemplates changing his Hebrew name, which leads ChayaLeah and the Rabbi into a conversation about identity, the mystical energy of names, and how prayer has become the least-popular Jewish pastime (sorry, Pew survey). Along the way, we talk about why Jews often find davening uninspiring, how Hasidic meditation works (hint: it’s not sitting cross-legged with Sam Harris), and...

As the High Holidays come into focus, we take a step back to reflect on prayer, community, and the meaning behind the words we say in shul. From the powerful sound of the shofar to the quiet struggles with Hebrew versus English prayer, we share honest conversations about connection, detachment, and what it really means to stand before G-d. Along the way, we discuss Tashlich by the lagoon, the chal...

This week on edJEWcation , we dive into a nearly forgotten chapter of Jewish history: the Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry of 1946. Born out of the Harrison Report (which we discussed previously) and Truman’s pressure to open the gates of Palestine, this joint British-American commission investigated the plight of Holocaust survivors, Arab opposition, and the realities on the ground in Mandator...

In this week’s episode, we pause from our usual lighthearted approach to reflect on a tragedy shaking the Jewish and wider American communities: the assassination of Charlie Kirk. However one viewed his politics, Charlie was a forceful supporter of Israel and a vocal opponent of antisemitism, unafraid to confront hostile audiences on college campuses and beyond. His final, unfinished work on the i...

This week on edJEWcation , the saga of King David gets darker, messier, and more painfully human. Forget the Sunday-school highlight reel, we’re diving into the tragedy of Amnon, Tamar, and Absalom. It’s a story of lust, betrayal, revenge, and rebellion: a prince consumed by desire, a sister left broken and silenced, a brother plotting justice with the patience of a viper, and a father-king paraly...

This week on edJEWcation, Jay and ChayaLeah sit down with Dr. Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili, professor at the University of Pittsburgh and head of the Center for Governance and Markets, for a conversation that bounces from Uzbekistan to Squirrel Hill, from Hasidic wedding songs to Taliban tribal law. We explore: Why minhag Yisroel Torah hi (“Jewish custom is Torah”) resonates far beyond Jewish life...

This week on edJEWcation, we dive into one of the most famous and scandalous stories in the entire Bible: King David, Bathsheba, and Uriah. Was David guilty of adultery, deception, and murder? Or was he fulfilling a divine destiny with Bathsheba? The Rabbi breaks down the clash between text, commentary, and morality, while Jay and ChayaLeah wrestle with the very human side of the story. We cover:...

This week on edJEWcation , we’ve doubled the rabbis and turned up the volume. ChayaLeah invites her friend Rabbi Daniel Levine to go head-to-head (in the nicest, most Jewishly passive-aggressive way possible) with her father. The topic? What’s gone wrong with Jewish education and how to fix it, without losing our kids to boredom, bagels-only Judaism, or anti-Israel campus mobs. We cover: Why Hebre...

This week on edJEWcation , Jay and ChayaLeah kick the Rabbi off the mic and dive deep into a little-known but wildly important post-Holocaust document: the Harrison Report. After hearing disturbing rumors that Jewish survivors were being kept behind barbed wire alongside former Nazis (yes, really), President Truman sent Earl Harrison: lawyer, non-Jew, and moral compass, to investigate. What he fou...

This week on edJEWcation, we return to the Book of Samueland things are getting biblical in the worst way. Saul’s kingship is off to a promising start: he wins battles, his son Jonathan shows promise, and even the livestock is plentiful. What could go wrong? Everything. We dive into Saul’s fateful mistakes impatience, misplaced piety, and a tragic inability to just do what he’s told . Rabbi breaks...

This week on edJEWcation, we’re going full Nine Days mode, which means no meat, no music, no manicures, and absolutely no Martha Stewart-level Shabbat table décor. ChayaLeah and Jay kick things off with a discussion on Bob Dylan’s Orthodox daughter, Paul McCartney’s politics (or lack thereof), and why Regina Spektor just became the patron saint of Jewish pride at concerts. But don’t worry it’s not...

In this week’s edJEWcation bonus episode, Jay ditches Montreal, loses his tefillin (almost), and gains a crash course in the most Hamish transit option known to mankind: Hyman’s bus. We then pivot—seamlessly, obviously—from gefilte-fish-scented buses to one of the most dramatic political moments in Tanakh: the Israelites demanding a king. Why did God get so cranky about the request for a king when...

This week on edJEWcation , we dive into the opening chapters of the Book of Samuel—because nothing says Jewish tradition like a barren woman, a holy ark, and a plague of hemorrhoids. Before we get biblical, we briefly address our deep concern over Brad Pitt's Zionism (verdict: our gut says yes) and tackle a listener question about antisemitism. Rabbi’s answer? Retreat is never the answer. Jewish p...

This week on edJEWcation, ChayaLeah returns from an impromptu war-zone detour with 40 Birthright students, a cruise ship, and a newfound appreciation for bomb shelters. What started as a sunny student trip to Israel turned into a harrowing 12-day ordeal as Iran launched a massive missile attack, Ben-Gurion shut down, and Birthright scrambled to evacuate thousands. We unpack her experience taking s...

With ChayaLeah on her reverse Exodus from Israel and an interview that fell through this week, we are re-running our episode about the Jewish perspective on happiness from a few months ago, because we couldn't all use that right now? However, this one comes with an extended director's cut that includes Jay's commentary on current events in Israel. What more could you ask for at the mom...

This week on edJEWcation , we conclude our epic journey through the Book of Judges—and let's just say, we didn’t exactly end on a high note. Join us as we unpack two of the wildest, most uncomfortable stories you (probably) never learned in Hebrew school: the idol of Micah and the tragedy of the concubine in Givah. Along the way, we uncover shocking details like why Moses’ own grandson ends up run...

This week on edJEWcation , Jay, ChayaLeah, and the Rabbi dive deeper into the Book of Judges — and let's just say, things get complicated. From Gideon’s 300 hand-picked warriors (yes, it involves water-drinking techniques) to Yiftach’s infamous vow and the tragic fate of his daughter, we unpack the highs, the lows, and the downright puzzling. Plus, we tackle the legendary strongman Shimshon (Samso...

This week on edJEWcation , we dive headfirst into one of the messiest, bloodiest, most binge-worthy books of the Bible — Judges . It’s like Game of Thrones, if Game of Thrones had more sand, tent pegs, and spiritual backsliding. Join the Rabbi, ChayaLeah, and Jayas as they unpack the chaotic post-Joshua era where tribal leaders ruled — part military commander, part prophet, part "please stop worsh...

Jay shares the most tragic fact of his birthday (spoiler: it involves Candace Owens), and then we welcome back our most honored recurring guest: Shalom Lamm, the mensch behind Operation Benjamin . From Normandy to Arlington, Italy to Jerusalem, Shalom walks us through the sacred mission of correcting history — one headstone at a time. We talk about: 🪖 How a Jewish soldier ended up in a German mas...

This week on edJEWcation, we crack open the Book of Joshua — swords, spies, shofars, and all — to kick off our brand-new series on the books of the Hebrew Bible beyond the Torah. Jay, ChayaLeah, and the Rabbi break down how Joshua, Moses’ humble sidekick-turned-general, led the Israelites into the land of Israel with nothing but faith, grit, and some serious divine backup. From the walls of Jerich...

This week on edJEWcation , we sit down with Jay Sanderson — former CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, professional disruptor, accidental chef, and self-described “tail Jew” — to unpack the past, present, and precarious future of Jewish life in America. From a near-death experience as a teen to a life-changing blessing from David Ben-Gurion, Jay takes us on a journey through his u...

In this soul-poking, faith-fueled, wildly entertaining episode of edJEWcation , we dive deep into C.S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters —that brilliantly British, devilishly clever tale of temptation and bureaucracy in Hell (which could be confused with your last Zoom meeting). Jay returns from Passover in full carb-rebound mode, ChayaLeah defends the honor of Jewish moms everywhere, and Dan—our resi...

While ChayaLeah was literally wrapping her kitchen in tin foil to survive Pesach, we invited Dr. Tanya White, a Senior lecturer at Matan Women’s Institute for Torah Studies and lecturer in Jewish Philosophy at Bar Ilan University, to join us to discuss the philosophy of the world-renowned Rabbi Jonathan Sacks and her podcast, Books & Beyond, which discusses some of his most prominent works. Ra...

As promised earlier in the week, here is the edJEWcation Rewind of our second Passover episode from last year. If you’ve made it this far without the Chametz, it’s all downhill from here! Talk to you all next week! ------------------------------------------------------------ Chag Sameach everyone! We were so excited about our first Passover episode we decided to do it again! We start out this epis...

Since this is such a hectic time for the Perelmuter/Sufrin family (and of course I mean for the Rabbi…ChayaLeah gets to just lounge around this time of year), I’ve decided to do the kind thing and give them the week off. But so as not to leave our devout listeners with nothing to tide them over until next week, and since our listenership has also grown substantially since last Pesach (I guess peop...