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? […]

In the first two years of his administration, President Donald Trump has already redefined the American approach to Israel and the Middle East: fulfilling his promise to move the American embassy to Jerusalem, working to dismantle the Iran nuclear deal, confronting anti-Israel sentiment at the U.N., and promising to put forward a new approach to […]

Press play below to listen to the podcast, download it in the iTunes Store, or stream it via Stitcher.  Chapter 1: The Chabon Speech and Its Aftermath Chapter 2: Pluralism, Prayer Books, and Peoplehood Chapter 3: Outsourcing Observance  Chapter 4: Presiding over a Funeral Chapter 5: The State of Israel—A New Life Just Beginning On May 14, 2018, […]

Press play below to listen to the podcast, download it in the iTunes Store, or stream it via Stitcher.  Chapter 1: The Protestant Fundamentalists Chapter 2: The Protestant Modernists Chapter 3: The Cold War, Jacksonianism, and Russia Chapter 4: Zionism and American Foreign Policy America is living through a partisan age, with the seemingly intractable divides between Republicans […]