Press play below to listen to the podcast, download it in the iTunes Store, or stream it via Stitcher.  From the Pittsburgh shooting to rising anti-Semitism in Europe, from the U.S. embassy move to the Trump Administration’s exit from the Iran deal, from Michael Chabon’s controversial speech at Hebrew Union College to Israel’s new nation-state law, 2018 has […]

Most of the great political thinkers of the English-speaking world were familiar with—and inspired by—the Bible, and their works are often saturated with biblical references. John Locke is no different in this respect, and the last several decades have seen scholars take Locke’s use of the Bible quite seriously. Yet, most scholarship has attributed Locke’s […]

Press play below to listen to the podcast, download it in the iTunes Store, or stream it via Stitcher.  Chapter 1: Who Herzl Was and to Whom He Was Speaking Chapter 2: A Man Who Felt the Need to Be a Jew Chapter 3: Self-Doubt, Storytelling, and Looking Ahead Chapter 4: The Menorah, Aesthetics, and the Zionist Story […]

Press play below to listen to the podcast, download it in the iTunes Store, or stream it via Stitcher.  Chapter 1: Conservatism, Radicalism, and Bourgeois Life in Haredi Society Chapter 2: Books and Burke Chapter 3: The Necessity of Change, and Its Dangers Chapter 4: The Role of Women in Haredi Life Chapter 5: A Return to Tradition […]

The story of the Tower of Babel is one of the most enigmatic in the entire Hebrew Bible. Though terse—the narrative is just nine verses long—this tale has inspired reams of commentary seeking to understand why humanity wished to build a tower, why doing so was sinful, and what God’s punishment—the confounding of mankind’s speech—had […]

Press play below to listen to the podcast, download it in the iTunes Store, or stream it via Stitcher.  Chapter 1: Growing Up—The Prophets Without the Law Chapter 2: Between Athens and Jerusalem Chapter 3: Patriotism, Identity Politics, and the Jews Chapter 4: The Image of God Chapter 5: The Miracle of Modern Israel What is the good? […]

For modern readers, the story of Pinhas is one of the most vexing episodes in the Hebrew Bible. The Israelites have been seduced by foreign women, and the head of the tribe of Simeon has ceremoniously escorted the daughter of Midian’s king into his tent. In an act of seemingly unsanctioned zealotry, Pinhas take his […]

Press play below to listen to the podcast, download it in the iTunes Store, or stream it via Stitcher.  Chapter 1: Anti-Biblical Bias Chapter 2: Against the Imperial State Chapter 3: Subtleties and Trade-Offs Chapter 4: From Tribal Anarchy to the Limited State In the last decade, a fascinating area of political thought has begun to receive increasing […]

Jerusalem—the “eternal capital” of the Jewish people—is at once the cultural, spiritual, and strategic center of the modern Jewish state. Ambassador Dore Gold is one of Jerusalem’s greatest guardians, and his wide-ranging perspective is remarkable: senior advisor to the prime minister, representative of Israel on the world stage, strategic thinker about the future of the […]

Press play below to listen to the podcast, download it in the iTunes Store, or stream it via Stitcher.  Chapter 1: Why the Jews? Chapter 2: Wilhelm Marr, Anti-Semitism, and Anti-Liberalism Chapter 3: The Moral Strut Chapter 4: The Nature of Left-Wing Anti-Semitism Cui bono? Who benefits? Who benefits when Jews are turned into scapegoats for the ills […]