The Curious Jew

Following our episode on death and the afterlife, Rabbi David Silverstein welcomes Rabbi Steven Gotlib back to the podcast for the flip side of that question: what does it actually mean to be alive? More specifically, why do we have conscious experience at all? They start with what philosophers call the “hard problem of consciousness” and the main secular attempts to solve it. Maybe consciousness...

R’ David Silverstein sits down with Rabbi Dr. Jason Weiner, a hospital chaplain who spends his days at the bedsides of dying patients at one of the largest medical centers in California, to ask what Judaism actually has to say about death. Recorded days before Rosh Hashanah, the conversation starts with a simple observation: Jews get antsy around death. We walk out for Yizkor. We avoid learning th...

In this special AMA episode of The Curious Jew, the tables turn: producer R’ Corey Gold steps out from behind the scenes to put host R’ David Silverstein in the hot seat, tackling questions submitted directly by listeners. The conversation ranges widely: from why denominational labels like “Modern Orthodox” are more modern invention than Sinai-given category, to how we can know that our own moral...

Are we turning our backs on 90% of Klal Yisrael? If Modern Orthodoxy has the perfect vocabulary to engage the contemporary world, why has it abandoned the field of outreach? In this episode of The Curious Jew , Rabbi David Silverstein sits down with Rabbi Steven Gotlib to examine why the Modern Orthodox community so often struggles to prioritize active outreach ( kiruv ). Drawing on his own journe...

Rabbi David Silverstein sits down with Rabbi Yehoshua Pfeffer — dayan, author, and founder of the Iyun Institute — to ask one of the most charged questions in contemporary Israeli Jewish life: how does the Haredi world actually think about its relationship to secular and religious Jews who aren’t Haredi? The conversation opens with a viral protest video in which a yeshiva student questions a secul...

In the inaugural episode of The Curious Jew Podcast, host Rabbi David Silverstein sits down with Rav Avishai Lax of Machon Har Bracha to explore the grand enterprise of Rav Eliezer Melamed’s Peninei Halakha and its revolutionary impact on contemporary Jewish law.     The conversation pulls back the curtain on the Machon's intensive collaborative workflow, revealing how a specialized team of schola...

Is ' fundamentalist Islam' a misnomer? What Muslim voices authentically represent traditional Islam? In this episode Rav David Silverstein is joined by Rav Yaakov Nagen to discuss these issues as well the larger question of Jewish/Muslim interfaith dialogue. Rabbi Dr. Yakov Nagen is the head of Ohr Torah Stone’s Blickle Institute for Interfaith Dialogue and Beit Midrash for Judaism and Humanity, a...

Gemara learning dominates the Centrist Orthodox Yeshiva curriculum. Do Centrist Orthodox Yeshivot approach Gemara differently than their Chareidi counterparts? Are there varied perspectives within the world of Centrist Orthodoxy? In this podcast, Rav David Silverstein is joined by Rav Yitzchak Blau to discuss these questions through the lens of Rav Blau's own experiences in both Chareidi and Centr...

How should we understand the central role of the Talmud Bavli in Chareidi communities? What are the goals of the 'Ivies' of the Yeshiva World? How does intensive focus on the Gemara create a certain student and society? Rav Gavriel Singer pulls back the curtain in conversation with Rav Dovid Silverstein in the Season 3 Premiere of Tzarich Iyun. Rav Gavriel Singer, Rebbe at Yeshiva Orayta, is origi...

Many observant Jews have a seder night custom to spill out some wine from their cups during the recitation of the ten plagues. What is the source of this custom? Does it reflect a Jewish instinct to mitigate happiness when one's enemies are killed? Or, is it part of a larger story about Jewish uniqueness and particularism? In this episode Rav David Silverstein is joined by Rav Yitzchak Blau to dis...

This Shabbat, Jews across this world will read the Torah portion describing the requirement to eradicate Amalek. Does this mitzvah have any practical relevance nowadays? What about the moral challenges associated with this divine command? In this episode, Rav David Silverstein is joined by Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Brody to discuss these issues through the lens of Israel's current war against Hamas. Rabbi...

After serving for many years as a Company Commander in the IDF, Rav Binny Freedman has experienced himself in a new role since October 7th—‘drafted,’ as a grandparent. Like hundreds of thousands of other families, the Freedmans have been navigating the complexities of the draft on the home-front, stepping in as their children have been called up to serve. In this episode, Rav Binny joins Rav David...

Prior to October 7th, the Israeli political and military establishment mistakenly thought that Hamas was deterred from attacking Israel. What other misconceptions lay behind Israeli thinking? How can the Israeli government rectify these errors moving forward? In this episode, Rav David Silverstein is joined by military strategist Akiva Bigman to discuss these questions and reflect on possible new...

Traditional Jewish theology understands that a national crisis can serve as a catalyst for collective reflection and teshuva. What can we learn from the horrors of October 7th? What national sins must be rectified moving forward? In this episode, Rav David Silverstein discusses these questions with Rabbi Dr. Joshua Berman through the prism of his provocative and important article, " Is this war a...

2023 was one of the most divisive years in Israel's history. Polarization and the debate surrounding the judicial reform lead Israel to the brink of civil war culminating in altercations on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year.  After the horrors of October 7th, however, we have seen the country unified around a shared sense of mission and purpose. How do we maintain this feeling of unit...

Israeli ultra-Orthodoxy has maintained an isolationist stance toward the general public in Israel since the State’s founding. In the aftermath of October 7th, however, segments of the ultra-Orthodox community have activated to support the war effort in unprecedented ways — including some 3,000 who have drafted into the IDF. In this episode, Rav David Silverstein is joined by Hareidi rabbi, leader,...

In the aftermath of the horrific attack by Hamas on October 7th, anti-semitic incidents have drastically increased worldwide. How should open societies committed to the freedom of expression respond? Is limiting the rights of extremist groups the answer? Or, are there other ways to curb hate speech while maintaining commitment to the free flow of ideas? In this podcast, Rabbi David Silverstein is...

Western media often criticizes the IDF for "collective punishment" and a lack of proportionality in its military response to Hamas’s horrific attacks on October 7th.  How are we supposed to respond to these accusations? What are Israel's ethical obligations regarding avoiding civilian casualties? Should the IDF endanger its soldiers' lives in order to protect civilians in Gaza? In this episode, Ra...

What Torah sources can we look to for guidance during our current crisis? How should we understand the rise in global anti-semitism and the shocking support for Hamas on some university campuses? In this episode, Rav David Silverstein is joined by Rav Yitzchak Blau to discuss these questions and offer some preliminary thoughts about the evolving situation in Israel. Rabbi Yitzchak Blau is Rosh Yes...

What is halakha? Is it just a system of law or also a legal medium to discuss some of Judaism's most weighty religious questions? In this episode, Rav David Silverstein is joined by Professor Chaim Saiman to discuss these issues through the prism of Professor Saiman's important book, Halakha: The Rabbinic Idea of Law . Professor Chaim Saiman is Professor of Law at Villanova Law School, and has ser...

The study of Gemara dominates the daily schedule of most yeshivot. Beyond yeshiva, Daf Yomi has become an international phenomenon with people taking time out of their daily schedules to study a page of Talmud. What is Gemara learning all about? Why is it prioritized over the study of Jewish thought or Tanakh? In this episode, Rav David Silverstein is joined by Rabbi Yehuda Turetsky of Yeshivat Sh...

After a survey of different approaches to divine providence in the last episode, Rav Binny Freedman joins Rav David Silverstein to discuss what role theology should play in our lives. Why doesn't theology occupy a larger space in contemporary Orthodox discourse? How do we choose an approach amidst conflicting perspectives on God’s involvement in the world? Rabbi Binny Freedman is founding Rosh Yes...

The question of divine providence is one of the most complex questions in Jewish thought, affecting our day-to-day experience of the world. In this episode, Rav David Silverstein is joined by Rabbi Netanel Wiederblank to explore both medieval and modern approaches to understating hashgacha, God’s involvement in the world. Rabbi Netanel Wiederblank is a Maggid Shiur at Yeshiva University where he t...

Why is the "Gadol" (great rabbinic figure) so central to many Orthodox communities? Do centrist or liberal Orthodox communities relate differently to Gedolim than their Charedi counterparts? In this episode, Rav David Silverstein is joined by Rav Yitzchak Blau to discuss these questions against the larger background of rabbinic authority in the 21st century. Rabbi Yitzchak Blau is Rosh Yeshiva of...

How have new technologies changed people’s relationship to rabbinic authority? How have rabbis responded to these challenges? In this episode Rav David Silverstein is joined by Rav Elli Fischer to discuss these questions through the prism of various 21st century rabbinic leaders. Rav Elli Fischer is an independent writer, translator, and rabbi. Previously, he was the OU-JLIC rabbi and campus educa...