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: Law in Heaven and Hell Chapter 2: The Weightier Matters of the Law Chapter 3: Jerusalem, Athens, and Rabbinic Legal Discourse Chapter 4: Halakhah in Exile, Halakhah in Israel “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For […]

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 […]