The Schrift - Ancient Jewish Wisdom for Modern Times

di Steven Toby Weinberg

Somewhere along the way, many of us were forcefed the idea that philosophy is boring and esoteric. What? Philosophy is, in fact, rebellious and therapeutic! Using humor, personal anecdotes, and much hubris, the Schrift provides fresh and unexpected answers to life's most tricky and fateful questions. The anchor of the Schrift is the weekly reading of the Torah. These passages are analyzed not as religious dogma but as brilli ... 

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Miglioramento personale
Ebraismo
Filosofia

Episodi del podcast

  • Stagione 3

  • Interview 15 - Yady Oren, Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Potsdam - Bo

    Interview 15 - Yady Oren, Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Potsdam - Bo

    S03 E15
    01:25:16

    In these all-too-modern of times, we not only have fast food and instant coffee, but we also get to enjoy bite-sized philosophy. Why read Hegel or Kant or Descartes when we can, you know, get their entire philosophy summed up in a YouTube video? If this sounds snobby, it shouldn't, for no one is more guilty of this "hack" than I. Fortunately, Yady Oren, who has actually read Hegel, is here to explain Hegel's real philosophy of history. We also hear his opinion on whether the tenth plague was a genocide and whether the Israelites had the right to jingoistically celebrate when the Egyptians drowned in the Red Sea.

  • Interview 14 - Rabbi Dovid Roberts - Va'era

    Interview 14 - Rabbi Dovid Roberts - Va'era

    S03 E14
    52:48

    What, if anything, gets lost when we translate the Torah from Biblical Hebrew into English? Despite popular belief based on the English translation of the Torah, the Pharaoh did not exactly "harden his heart." Rather, he strengthened his heart, made his heart heavy, and even, perhaps, turned his heart into a liver. Rabbi Dovid Roberts is the rabbi and spiritual leader of the Kahal Adass Jisroel Synagogue, located in the heart of Berlin. In this interview, Rabbi Roberts explains why he reads secular books, shares an enthralling theory of Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch on Pharaoh's heart, and divulges the secret to great leadership.

  • Interview 13 - Chaim Noll, German-Israeli Writer - Shemot

    Interview 13 - Chaim Noll, German-Israeli Writer - Shemot

    S03 E13
    55:06

    In his 1940 work Moses and Monotheism, Freud made the provocative claim that Moses might have been an Egyptian! Even today, and even in secular circles, few would dare to voice this theory at the Passover Seder. Yet, Chaim Noll, German-Israeli writer and DDR dissident, explains why Moshe has far more controversy surrounding him than his lineage. In fact, it was Moshe's fondness for THE DESERT which was truly scandalous, at least by ancient standards.

  • Interview 12 - Leigh Smith, VP of Student Affairs, ACM - Vayechi

    Interview 12 - Leigh Smith, VP of Student Affairs, ACM - Vayechi

    S03 E12
    51:53

    We all have professors and teachers who taught a course which changed our lives. Rarely, however, do we get to sit down with them years later and reminisce on the class. And even more rarely do we get to do so in podcast form. Yet, this is exactly what I do with the professor who introduced me to Kafka's novel The Trial, which has been my favorite novel ever since.

  • Interview 11 - Richard Orodenker, Author - Vayigash

    Interview 11 - Richard Orodenker, Author - Vayigash

    S03 E11
    59:19

    We tend to view writers like J.K. Rowling and Shakespeare as magicians, baffled and floored by their ability to create exotic and captivating new worlds on the page. Yet, the dirty secret of writers is that fiction relies on time-tested storytelling techniques which anyone can learn. When Joseph reunites with his brothers, we see these ancient (and modern) storytelling tactics on full showcase. Richard Orodenker, writer and professor at Temple University, breaks down the literary stratagems of Vayigash.