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Join Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld as he guides us through the world and major works of Kabbalah, Hasidic masters, and Jewish philosophy, shedding light on the inner life of the soul. To learn more, visit InwardTorah.org
Join Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld as he guides us through the world and major works of Kabbalah, Hasidic masters, and Jewish philosophy, shedding light on the inner life of the soul. To learn more, visit InwardTorah.org
00:00:00 – Sick-day kickoff and show housekeeping 00:04:57 – Elon Musk pitches "Starfleet Academy" as real life 00:09:41 – Billy Corgan claims government "recruitment" in music 00:14:24 – Howard Stern's shapeshifter guest goes off the rails 00:18:57 – Acid-trip telepathy story turns into UFO obsession 00:26:31 – Lemmy's rumored UFO encounter gets replayed 00:29:27 – Sammy Hagar recounts an alien abduction 00:33:49 – "Crack in the World" frames a coming societal split 00:36:34 – China's "quantum warfare" hype reel lands with a thud 00:41:28 – U.S. electromagnetic plasma weapon fearbait escalates 00:46:22 – Breakfast foods exposed as hidden sugar bombs 00:51:04 – Mark Carney "new world order" clip sparks side-eye 00:55:35 – ABC broadcast glitches into "satanic ritual" footage 00:59:19 – Hasidic upstate village welfare deep-dive 01:04:16 – Yiddish warning letter to a YouTuber gets decoded 01:19:02 – Charlie Kirk shooting chatter spills into call-ins 01:24:03 – "Ditch Day" declares New Year's resolutions dead 01:28:52 – Weight-loss pills pitched as airline fuel savings 01:33:25 – ESG rebrand makes nukes "compliant" 01:38:03 – China's delivery robots go full demolition derby 01:43:03 – AI regulation debate turns into a race-to-the-bottom rant 01:47:19 – Armed Pokémon card heists hit NYC 01:52:17 – Potato suppressor gets legally registered 01:56:19 – Banana-and-hotdog suppressor jokes and show plugs 02:00:05 – Post-signoff audio oddity and fade-out Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research ▀▄▀▄▀ CONTACT LINKS ▀▄▀▄▀ ► Website: http://obdmpod.com ► Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/obdmpod ► Full Videos at Odysee: https://odysee.com/@obdm:0 ► Twitter: https://twitter.com/obdmpod ► Instagram: obdmpod ► Email: ourbigdumbmouth at gmail ► RSS: http://ourbigdumbmouth.libsyn.com/rss ► iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/our-big-dumb-mouth/id261189509?mt=2
Video version here: https://youtu.be/ZlWRN4jo-CA As someone who grew up in Kiryas Joel and left the fold, I have a lot to say on this Hasidic village. There's good and bad. There are issues, and yes there are valid criticisms on its relationship to the welfare system, although this doesn't take away from the facts: that this is a community where the vast majority of men are gainfully employed and work incredibly hard. The stereotypes of this community as "welfare queens" whose men study torah and don't work is so damaging and not true. @TylerOliveira 's recent video will so deeply reinforce these misconceptions. I've done a video where I went through the phone book and showed the extensive numbers of businesses Hasidim are into. It's so sad that his platform will create so much misrepresentation.This is my first take reaction to his video. Please forgive my early morning rants and rambles. I am watching it raw with you. I find it quite upsetting and ignorant. I hope my deep feelings that this community is complicated, imperfect, should be criticized but is also often misrepresented comes through. This is long - well Tyler's video is long.Please watch some of my other videos, especially my video on how Hasidim earn a living.https://youtu.be/UXXOGYqbK5oWhat it was like for me to grow up in Kiryas Joelhttps://youtu.be/uHu_17N9GdEMy interview with Fradel Newman, lifetime resident of Kiryas Joelhttps://youtu.be/HoTzWaF7dU8Interview with civil rights lawyer Michael Sussman, who can really speak for some of the dark sidehttps://youtu.be/jcz0xmkm10sBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-frieda-vizel-podcast--5824414/support.
Join Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld as he guides us through the world and major works of Kabbalah, Hasidic masters, and Jewish philosophy, shedding light on the inner life of the soul. To learn more, visit InwardTorah.org
Join Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld as he guides us through the world and major works of Kabbalah, Hasidic masters, and Jewish philosophy, shedding light on the inner life of the soul. To learn more, visit InwardTorah.org
This week I have three stories for you. The first about the Alter Rebbe when he was a young many giving advice to a simple innkeeper, the second about Baba Sali building a mikvah in the Sahara Desert during the summer and the last about Reb Mendel Futerfas in the Gulag. If you're enjoying these Chassidic stories, please take a quick moment to buy me a coffee. https://ko-fi.com/barakhullman Thank you! I deeply appreciate your support! Also available at https://soundcloud.com/barak-hullman/why-are-you-so-happy To become a part of this project or sponsor an episode please go to https://hasidicstory.com/be-a-supporter. Hear all of the stories at https://hasidicstory.com. Go here to hear my other podcast https://jewishpeopleideas.com or https://soundcloud.com/jewishpeopleideas. Find my books, Figure It Out When You Get There: A Memoir of Stories About Living Life First and Watching How Everything Falls Into Place and A Shtikel Sholom: A Student, His Mentor and Their Unconventional Conversations on Amazon by going to https://bit.ly/barakhullman. My classes in Breslov Chassidus, Likutey Moharan, can be found here https://www.youtube.com/@barakhullman/videos I also have a YouTube channel of ceramics which can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/@thejerusalempotter
Video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/qUDGHnwTUPwFollow along with the pdf of the story here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JCIYkr489nAvNDZQapUJ9UzTdmeCpt-8/view?usp=sharing Let me read to you some Yiddish from 1977 and unpack the values and worldview of the Hasidic young girls through the moral lessons presented in this book. See how they were introduced to social values of obedience, kindness, respect to the elders, safety, trust in each other, modesty, and more. Please let me know what you think I missed.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-frieda-vizel-podcast--5824414/support.
Join Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld as he guides us through the world and major works of Kabbalah, Hasidic masters, and Jewish philosophy, shedding light on the inner life of the soul. To learn more, visit InwardTorah.org
Join Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld as he guides us through the world and major works of Kabbalah, Hasidic masters, and Jewish philosophy, shedding light on the inner life of the soul. To learn more, visit InwardTorah.org
Video link to this interview: https://youtu.be/jcz0xmkm10sThe Hasidic village of Kiryas Joel's early days in the 1970s and 80s were anything but quiet. They were marked by infighting, lawsuits, dissidents, and a legal battle so consequential it's still taught in American law schools today.In this interview, I speak with lawyer Michael Sussman, the man who came to represent some of Kiryas Joel's most outspoken internal critics during its formative years. Though he was neither Hasidic nor Orthodox, Sussman became deeply entangled in the village's internal struggles—so much so that, to many of us growing up there, his name became part of the folklore. There was even a dissident synagogue nicknamed the Sussman Shul.This conversation explores the early legal wars that shaped Kiryas Joel: battles over governance, power, dissent, and most famously, the creation of a public school for children with special needs. That case—Board of Education of Kiryas Joel Village School District v. Grumet—went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and sits at the uneasy intersection of religious freedom and the separation of church and state.I also approach this story personally. Kiryas Joel is where I grew up and spent 25 formative years of my life. I married at 18, became a mother to my son Seth shortly after, and absorbed these conflicts as background noise to childhood—names, sides, “politics” that hovered at the edges of daily life. As an adult, I've returned to this history with new questions and a deeper curiosity about how insular religious subcultures navigate American law.This interview is part of a broader attempt to document the oral histories of Kiryas Joel's early years. I have made repeated efforts to reach figures from the other side of these disputes to record their recollections as well, but so far without success. That invitation remains open.If you want to go deeper into this story, here are essential resources:Book — American Shtetlhttps://amzn.to/49Lmz5zDocumentary — City of Joelhttps://amzn.to/4soIDKCArchival footage collected by dissident Joseph Waldman:https://www.youtube.com/@thekingofaronWebsite for Michael Sussman:https://www.sussman.law/This is a story about Kiryas Joel, but it's also a story about America: about pluralism, law, dissent, and the price of making space for radically different ways of life under one constitutional roof.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-frieda-vizel-podcast--5824414/support.
Join Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld as he guides us through the world and major works of Kabbalah, Hasidic masters, and Jewish philosophy, shedding light on the inner life of the soul. To learn more, visit InwardTorah.org
This week I have two Baal Shem Tov stories for you. The first is about the Baal Shem Tov forced to spend Shabbos with a miserable, angry misnaged and the second about the "World of Joking Around" helping to make a shidduch. If you're enjoying these Chassidic stories, please take a quick moment to buy me a coffee. https://ko-fi.com/barakhullman Thank you! I deeply appreciate your support! Also available at https://soundcloud.com/barak-hullman/the-deepest-holiness-is-to-hear-someone-cry To become a part of this project or sponsor an episode please go to https://hasidicstory.com/be-a-supporter. Hear all of the stories at https://hasidicstory.com. Go here to hear my other podcast https://jewishpeopleideas.com or https://soundcloud.com/jewishpeopleideas. Find my books, Figure It Out When You Get There: A Memoir of Stories About Living Life First and Watching How Everything Falls Into Place and A Shtikel Sholom: A Student, His Mentor and Their Unconventional Conversations on Amazon by going to https://bit.ly/barakhullman. My classes in Breslov Chassidus, Likutey Moharan, can be found here https://www.youtube.com/@barakhullman/videos I also have a YouTube channel of ceramics which can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/@thejerusalempotter
Join Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld as he guides us through the world and major works of Kabbalah, Hasidic masters, and Jewish philosophy, shedding light on the inner life of the soul. To learn more, visit InwardTorah.org
Join Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld as he guides us through the world and major works of Kabbalah, Hasidic masters, and Jewish philosophy, shedding light on the inner life of the soul. To learn more, visit InwardTorah.org
Join Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld as he guides us through the world and major works of Kabbalah, Hasidic masters, and Jewish philosophy, shedding light on the inner life of the soul. To learn more, visit InwardTorah.org
Join Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld as he guides us through the world and major works of Kabbalah, Hasidic masters, and Jewish philosophy, shedding light on the inner life of the soul. To learn more, visit InwardTorah.org
This week I have three stories for you. The first is the power of a good friend, the second how the Lubavitcher Rebbe saw what others could not and the last a meeting between a simple water carrier, a Torah scholar and the Baal Shem Tov. If you're enjoying these Chassidic stories, please take a quick moment to buy me a coffee. https://ko-fi.com/barakhullman Thank you! I deeply appreciate your support! Also available at https://soundcloud.com/barak-hullman/the-power-of-a-good-friend To become a part of this project or sponsor an episode please go to https://hasidicstory.com/be-a-supporter. Hear all of the stories at https://hasidicstory.com. Go here to hear my other podcast https://jewishpeopleideas.com or https://soundcloud.com/jewishpeopleideas. Find my books, Figure It Out When You Get There: A Memoir of Stories About Living Life First and Watching How Everything Falls Into Place and A Shtikel Sholom: A Student, His Mentor and Their Unconventional Conversations on Amazon by going to https://bit.ly/barakhullman. My classes in Breslov Chassidus, Likutey Moharan, can be found here https://www.youtube.com/@barakhullman/videos I also have a YouTube channel of ceramics which can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/@thejerusalempotter
Join Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld as he guides us through the world and major works of Kabbalah, Hasidic masters, and Jewish philosophy, shedding light on the inner life of the soul. To learn more, visit InwardTorah.org
Join Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld as he guides us through the world and major works of Kabbalah, Hasidic masters, and Jewish philosophy, shedding light on the inner life of the soul. To learn more, visit InwardTorah.org
Join Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld as he guides us through the world and major works of Kabbalah, Hasidic masters, and Jewish philosophy, shedding light on the inner life of the soul. To learn more, visit InwardTorah.org
Join Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld as he guides us through the world and major works of Kabbalah, Hasidic masters, and Jewish philosophy, shedding light on the inner life of the soul.
This week I have two stories for you. The first is about what the Apter Rov discovers when he hears the town shochet is a drunk and the second about a Catholic French girl that falls in love with a Jew and asks the Lubavitcher Rebbe for advice. If you're enjoying these Chassidic stories, please take a quick moment to buy me a coffee. https://ko-fi.com/barakhullman Thank you! I deeply appreciate your support! Also available at https://soundcloud.com/barak-hullman/the-light-through-the-crack To become a part of this project or sponsor an episode please go to https://hasidicstory.com/be-a-supporter. Hear all of the stories at https://hasidicstory.com. Go here to hear my other podcast https://jewishpeopleideas.com or https://soundcloud.com/jewishpeopleideas. Find my books, Figure It Out When You Get There: A Memoir of Stories About Living Life First and Watching How Everything Falls Into Place and A Shtikel Sholom: A Student, His Mentor and Their Unconventional Conversations on Amazon by going to https://bit.ly/barakhullman. My classes in Breslov Chassidus, Likutey Moharan, can be found here https://www.youtube.com/@barakhullman/videos I also have a YouTube channel of ceramics which can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/@thejerusalempotter
Frieda was born and raised in the Satmar Hasidic world — a tightly knit, deeply traditional community in Williamsburg and Kiryas Joel. In her early twenties, already married and a young mother, she made the courageous and complicated decision to leave that world and forge a new life beyond its boundaries. What followed was not a clean break, but something far more human: a life lived in tension between past and present, loyalty and independence, memory and possibility. Today, Frieda is a writer, speaker, YouTuber, and one of the most thoughtful public interpreters of Hasidic life — both from the inside and from the outside. Through her writing, videos, and acclaimed walking tours of Williamsburg, she opens windows into a world often misunderstood, resisting caricature and refusing easy judgments. What makes Frieda's voice so compelling is her intellectual honesty and moral restraint. She speaks openly about faith and doubt, autonomy and obligation, belonging and rupture — all while maintaining deep respect for the people and traditions that shaped her. In an age of shouting, Frieda practices listening. In a culture addicted to certainty, she models curiosity. This conversation is not about escape or rebellion. It's about identity, courage, and the lifelong work of making meaning out of inherited stories — even when those stories no longer fully contain us. I'm very pleased to welcome Frieda Vizel. ——
Frieda was born and raised in the Satmar Hasidic world — a tightly knit, deeply traditional community in Williamsburg and Kiryas Joel. In her early twenties, already married and a young mother, she made the courageous and complicated decision to leave that world and forge a new life beyond its boundaries. What followed was not a clean break, but something far more human: a life lived in tension between past and present, loyalty and independence, memory and possibility. Today, Frieda is a writer, speaker, YouTuber, and one of the most thoughtful public interpreters of Hasidic life — both from the inside and from the outside. Through her writing, videos, and acclaimed walking tours of Williamsburg, she opens windows into a world often misunderstood, resisting caricature and refusing easy judgments. What makes Frieda's voice so compelling is her intellectual honesty and moral restraint. She speaks openly about faith and doubt, autonomy and obligation, belonging and rupture — all while maintaining deep respect for the people and traditions that shaped her. In an age of shouting, Frieda practices listening. In a culture addicted to certainty, she models curiosity. This conversation is not about escape or rebellion. It's about identity, courage, and the lifelong work of making meaning out of inherited stories — even when those stories no longer fully contain us. I'm very pleased to welcome Frieda Vizel. ——
When Rochel found her Jewish soulmate from a distinguished Hasidic family, it came with an assignment: to bring him back to his tradition. She threw herself into the task, but found herself struggling to hold the marriage and family together. Her husband was distant, the kids felt his absence, and disconnection ran high. Rochel felt like she was reaching for a mirage, waiting for him to change so she could finally be at peace. Her marriage felt like a sinking ship. But after years of trying, Rochel had a wake-up call. She saw how deeply her actions were affecting him, and she realized her way wasn't working. That night, her prayer turned inward. And it was answered with a path forward. Today, her husband has become her hero—taking initiative and becoming the father she never believed possible. Her kids trust her. Her home glows with peace and joy. She discovered her happiness was never his to give; it was always hers to create. Learn how Rochel created her own happiness and how everything at home followed from there. Download the FREE Adored Wife Roadmap now and start transforming your relationship today! Click here: https://lauradoyle.co/49dWUSQ
Join Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld as he guides us through the world and major works of Kabbalah, Hasidic masters, and Jewish philosophy, shedding light on the inner life of the soul.
Join Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld as he guides us through the world and major works of Kabbalah, Hasidic masters, and Jewish philosophy, shedding light on the inner life of the soul.
Join Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld as he guides us through the world and major works of Kabbalah, Hasidic masters, and Jewish philosophy, shedding light on the inner life of the soul.
Join Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld as he guides us through the world and major works of Kabbalah, Hasidic masters, and Jewish philosophy, shedding light on the inner life of the soul.
Join Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld as he guides us through the world and major works of Kabbalah, Hasidic masters, and Jewish philosophy, shedding light on the inner life of the soul.→ Support the Torah of R' Joey Rosenfeld→ www.JoeyRosenfeld.com
This week I have two stories for you. The first is about a carpenter who disappears, a wife who won't stop waiting, and a menorah that had been in the family for generations. The second is about Reb Zusha of Hanipol, and the night his Rebbe told him to step aside. If you're enjoying these Chassidic stories, please take a quick moment to buy me a coffee. https://ko-fi.com/barakhullman Thank you! I deeply appreciate your support! Also available at https://soundcloud.com/barak-hullman/the-true-light-of-chanukah To become a part of this project or sponsor an episode please go to https://hasidicstory.com/be-a-supporter. Hear all of the stories at https://hasidicstory.com. Go here to hear my other podcast https://jewishpeopleideas.com or https://soundcloud.com/jewishpeopleideas. Find my books, Figure It Out When You Get There: A Memoir of Stories About Living Life First and Watching How Everything Falls Into Place and A Shtikel Sholom: A Student, His Mentor and Their Unconventional Conversations on Amazon by going to https://bit.ly/barakhullman. My classes in Breslov Chassidus, Likutey Moharan, can be found here https://www.youtube.com/@barakhullman/videos I also have a YouTube channel of ceramics which can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/@thejerusalempotter
Join Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld as he guides us through the world and major works of Kabbalah, Hasidic masters, and Jewish philosophy, shedding light on the inner life of the soul.→ Support the Torah of R' Joey Rosenfeld
Join Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld as he guides us through the world and major works of Kabbalah, Hasidic masters, and Jewish philosophy, shedding light on the inner life of the soul.→ Support the Torah of R' Joey Rosenfeld
Henchy Cohen opens up about her parents' divorce - a split that forced her, at just seven years old, to live between two opposite worlds: her father's Hasidic community and her mother's secular life. She talks about the confusion, the judgment, and the quiet strength it took to hold her family together while figuring out who she was. Through it all, Henchy never lost her sense of faith or drive - turning a painful divide into the foundation for a life built on clarity, compassion, and conviction.Her IG: https://www.instagram.com/henchy2.0/✬ SPONSORS OF THE EPISODE ✬► Hiring4Less: The Smart Way To Grow Your BusinessHire a full-time remote employee for only $7 an hour. Get huge talent at a low cost with overseas employees and no lock in contracts.→ Call, Text or WhatsApp: 845-682-0990→ Visit: https://hiring4less.com/→ Email: info@hiring4less.com► BitBean: Smart Custom Software Built for YouYaakov here. Just make the call. They can help you.Reach Out Here→ https://bitbean.link/MeEBlY► Wheels To Lease: #1 Car CompanyFor over 35 years, Wheels To Lease has offered stress-free car buying with upfront pricing, no hidden fees, and door-to-door delivery.→ CALL/TEXT: 718-871-8715→ EMAIL: inspire@wheelstolease.com→ WEB: https://bit.ly/41lnzYU→ WHATSAPP: https://wa.link/0w46ce► United Refua HealthShare: Spend Less, Save More, Get CareImagine healthcare that puts you first - and can save you thousands.Enroll here→ https://bit.ly/3MD9RN9→ 440-772-0700_____________________________________✬ IN MEMORY OF ✬This episode is in memory of:• Miram Sarah bas Yaakov Moshe• Shimon Dovid ben Yaakov ShloimaThis episode is for the speedy recovery of:• Yosef Chaim ben Devorah Chaya Golda#iftn Lchaim.
Rabbi Ysoscher Katz on Open Orthodoxy, Satmar Roots, Queer Inclusion, Mysticism vs. Maimonides, and the Haredi IDF Draft Crisis.In this episode, Daniel sits down with Rabbi Ysoscher Katz — a leading voice in Open Orthodoxy with deep Satmar Hasidic roots — to explore the future of Orthodox Judaism in the 21st century. They discuss why Rabbi Katz sees contemporary Orthodoxy as being in crisis, the obsession with labels (“ultra-Orthodox,” “modern Orthodox,” “open Orthodox”), and how to build a Judaism that feels spiritually exciting, morally serious, and genuinely inclusive.Rabbi Katz shares his journey from growing up in Williamsburg's Satmar community — with no secular education and an intensely anti-Zionist worldview — to becoming a passionate, liberal Zionist who still treasures the gifts of his Hasidic upbringing. He reflects on living with the tension between egalitarian modern values and halakhic hierarchy, and why he believes we must make observant life so meaningful that people are willing to live with its unresolved dissonances.The conversation dives into halakhic change and halakhic evolution, including Rabbi Katz's responsa on women's participation in the synagogue, LGBTQ / queer inclusion, and how close re-readings of classic sources can reveal possibilities earlier poskim never needed to see. From nursing in shul to bris and pidyon haben in same-sex families, he shows how fidelity to halakha can coexist with radical hospitality.Daniel and Rabbi Katz also contrast Maimonides' rationalism with Kabbalah and Hasidut, asking whether a purely rational Judaism “sucks out” too much of the mysticism and passion that biblical and rabbinic Judaism took for granted — and why a mystical, non-Maimonidean frame might better serve modern religious seekers.Finally, they tackle the explosive debate over Haredi exemption from the IDF draft, the social and spiritual cost of non-participation in Israel's defense, and how religious anti-Zionism collides with the lived reality of soldiers — including Rabbi Katz's own children — serving in Gaza.If you're interested in Orthodox sociology, Jewish theology, Kabbalah, Zionism, or the future of halakhic communities, this wide-ranging conversation is for you.#RabbiYsoscherKatz #lgbtq #orthodoxjudaism #OpenOrthodoxy #ModernOrthodox #halakha #QueerInclusion #JewishMysticism #maimonides #kabbalah #hasidut #Zionism #haredi #idf #jewishthought #jewishpodcast #jewishtradition
Join Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld as he guides us through the world and major works of Kabbalah, Hasidic masters, and Jewish philosophy, shedding light on the inner life of the soul. To learn more, visit InwardTorah.org
This week I have two stories for you. The first is about the Rashab and armed Soviet police at his door on Purim night. The second is about the Alter Rebbe crossing a river as a prisoner, and a blessing he chose not to say. If you're enjoying these Chassidic stories, please take a quick moment to buy me a coffee. https://ko-fi.com/barakhullman Thank you! I deeply appreciate your support! Also available at https://soundcloud.com/barak-hullman/whats-real-and-what-isnt To become a part of this project or sponsor an episode please go to https://hasidicstory.com/be-a-supporter. Hear all of the stories at https://hasidicstory.com. Go here to hear my other podcast https://jewishpeopleideas.com or https://soundcloud.com/jewishpeopleideas. Find my books, Figure It Out When You Get There: A Memoir of Stories About Living Life First and Watching How Everything Falls Into Place and A Shtikel Sholom: A Student, His Mentor and Their Unconventional Conversations on Amazon by going to https://bit.ly/barakhullman. My classes in Breslov Chassidus, Likutey Moharan, can be found here https://www.youtube.com/@barakhullman/videos I also have a YouTube channel of ceramics which can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/@thejerusalempotter
Join Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld as he guides us through the world and major works of Kabbalah, Hasidic masters, and Jewish philosophy, shedding light on the inner life of the soul. To learn more, visit InwardTorah.org
Who was Abraham Joshua Heschel, and why does his life story matter to young Jews today? In this episode, Rabbi Or Rose and rabbinical student Risa Dunbar explore these questions through the lens of Or's new young adult biography, My Legs Were Praying. Their conversation reveals how a boy from Warsaw who grew up in a Hasidic dynasty became one of the most influential Jewish thinkers and activists of the 20th century. Or emphasizes how Heschel dedicated his life to articulating the beauty and profundity of Judaism while working across religious and secular lines for justice and peace. And Risa discusses the comprehensive educational resources she developed to accompany the book, including discussion guides and lesson plans that help readers explore themes of wonder, responsibility, and the integration of prayer and social action. Get full show notes and more information here: http://hebrewcollege.edu/podcast-27
Join Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld as he guides us through the world and major works of Kabbalah, Hasidic masters, and Jewish philosophy, shedding light on the inner life of the soul. To learn more, visit InwardTorah.org
Join Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld as he guides us through the world and major works of Kabbalah, Hasidic masters, and Jewish philosophy, shedding light on the inner life of the soul. To learn more, visit InwardTorah.org
Join Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld as he guides us through the world and major works of Kabbalah, Hasidic masters, and Jewish philosophy, shedding light on the inner life of the soul. To learn more, visit InwardTorah.org
This week I have two stories for you. The first is about the Alter Rebbe and desperate farmers who need rain. The second is about a Baron who refuses to sell land for a Jewish cemetery - and what happens when he takes his family for a ride on that very land. If you're enjoying these Chassidic stories, please take a quick moment to buy me a coffee. https://ko-fi.com/barakhullman Thank you! I deeply appreciate your support! Also available at https://soundcloud.com/barak-hullman/bringing-the-rebbe-down-to-earth To become a part of this project or sponsor an episode please go to https://hasidicstory.com/be-a-supporter. Hear all of the stories at https://hasidicstory.com. Go here to hear my other podcast https://jewishpeopleideas.com or https://soundcloud.com/jewishpeopleideas. Find my books, Figure It Out When You Get There: A Memoir of Stories About Living Life First and Watching How Everything Falls Into Place and A Shtikel Sholom: A Student, His Mentor and Their Unconventional Conversations on Amazon by going to https://bit.ly/barakhullman. My classes in Breslov Chassidus, Likutey Moharan, can be found here https://www.youtube.com/@barakhullman/videos I also have a YouTube channel of ceramics which can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/@thejerusalempotter
Join Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld as he guides us through the world and major works of Kabbalah, Hasidic masters, and Jewish philosophy, shedding light on the inner life of the soul. To learn more, visit InwardTorah.org
Rabbi Michael G. Holzman joins Mark Labberton to explore the formation of his Jewish faith, the pastoral realities of congregational life, and the multi-faith initiative he helped launch for the nation's 250th anniversary, Faith 250. He reflects on his early experiences of wonder in the natural world, the mentors who opened Torah to him, and the intellectual humility that shapes Jewish approaches to truth. Their conversation moves through the unexpected depth of congregational ministry, the spiritual and emotional weight of the pandemic, the complexities of speaking about God in contemporary Jewish life, and the role of cross-faith friendships. The episode concludes with Rabbi Holzman's reflections on how the suffering in Israel and Palestine reverberates among Jews and Muslims in America. Episode Highlights "I think we are desperately in need of ways to get Americans to agree that they're in the same community… simply by naming the Declaration of Independence as a piece of shared American scripture… we are inviting people and really challenging ourselves to think about the words in those documents seriously, and prayerfully." "My formation as a child was relatively non-theological… my mother just would sit there and say, 'Do you feel that wind?' And for me, knowing that it was in a national park mattered… being in such a grand and awesome space, under the enormity of the heavens." "The pursuit of truth with epistemic humility really became the cornerstone…if Moses wasn't allowed to see God's face, I'm never gonna see God's face—and yet we are all still pursuing what the meaning of this incredible text is." "I was a little bit unprepared… until you experience it as a pastor, you don't really understand the power of those things. That rootedness in this particular congregation gave me a sense of existential meaning that I didn't anticipate." "The thing that got me through that darkness was Saturday morning Torah study… just being there with the text and with these faces and these people… that to me was my path through the darkness." "When people are sitting over the text, the most palpable experience of God is this moment of understanding another human being… it's so vulnerable and it's so fleeting and it's so beautiful." "There is an experience happening on the ground of absolute suffering and horror on both sides… and there's a parallel experience happening for Jews and Muslims in America. It's powerful, spiritually powerful, emotionally powerful, and to people's core." Helpful Links and Resources Faith 250 https://www.faith250.org/ "The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46550/the-new-colossus "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?" by Frederick Douglass https://teachingamericanhistory.org/document/what-to-the-slave-is-the-fourth-of-july/ "America the Beautiful" by Katherine Lee Bates https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/spotlight-primary-source/america-beautiful-1893 I and Thou, Martin Buber https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780684717258/i-and-thou About Rabbi Michael G. Holzman Rabbi Michael G. Holzman is the Senior Rabbi of Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation (NVHC), where he has served since 2010. His work focuses on spiritual formation, civic engagement, multi-faith partnership, and the cultivation of communities grounded in dignity, learning, and ethical responsibility. He founded the Rebuilding Democracy Project, which developed into Faith 250, a national multi-faith initiative preparing communities for the 250th anniversary of the United States through shared reflection on foundational American texts. He teaches and writes on Jewish ethics, civic life, and spiritual resilience. Show Notes Faith 250 American Scripture Faith 250 as a response to political despair and a way for clergy to exercise agency Four core American texts explored as shared scripture across faiths Intent to counter politicization of the 250th anniversary through spiritual depth Multi-faith relationships grounding the initiative in shared civic and moral concern Emphasis on clergy as conveners of spiritually safe, local containers for reading The Declaration, New Colossus, Frederick Douglass, and America the Beautiful as "scriptural" portals to civic meaning "American scripture" as a means of naming shared identity and shared community Jewish Formation and Torah Childhood shaped by nature, wonder, and ethical awareness rather than synagogue life Early encounters with the Everglades as formative experiences of spirit and awe Discovery of Torah study as a young adult across Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform settings Epistemic humility as a defining mark of Jewish study practice Pursuit of truth understood through the "through a glass darkly" frame of Moses Torah received "through the hand of Moses" as mediating truth and mystery Chevruta (paired study) as the engine of discovery, disagreement, and meaning Pastoral Life and Congregational Meaning Surprised by the depth of pastoral work: weddings, funerals, life-cycle passages Intimacy of congregational leadership as a source of meaning rather than tedium Congregational relationships forming an existential and vocational anchor The role of community support during family medical crises How decades-long pastoral presence shapes shared covenantal life Teaching 12- and 13-year-olds to encounter the text as spiritual practice The power of intergenerational relationships in spiritual resilience Pandemic and Spiritual Survival Early months of 2020 as a time of fear, isolation, and emotional strain Counseling families whose loved ones were dying without visitors Previous experience with depression creating early warning signals Telehealth therapy as a critical intervention Saturday morning Torah study on Zoom becoming the path through darkness Growth of the study community throughout the pandemic Predictable humor and shared reading as markers of communal stability Textuality, God-Language, and Jewish Hesitations Jewish discomfort speaking explicitly about God for theological and cultural reasons Layers of humility, anti-mysticism, differentiation from Christianity, and historical experience Sacredness and mystery of the scroll growing in the digital age Physicality of the Torah scroll attracting deeper attention and reverence Hebrew as a source of multivalent meaning, sonic power, and spiritual resonance Reading together as the most common encounter with God: understanding another's soul Pastoral awareness of individuals' life stories shaping group study dynamics Cross-Faith Devotion and Shared Honor Friendships with Muslim, Christian, and Hasidic leaders deepening spiritual insight Devotion in others sparking awe rather than defensiveness Disagreement becoming a site of connection rather than separation Devotion in other traditions prompting self-reflection on one's own commitments Stories of praying with and learning from ultra-Orthodox leaders Shared pursuit of truth across tradition lines as a form of civic and spiritual honor American religious diversity offering unprecedented exposure to sincere piety Israel, Gaza, and American Jewish Experience Suffering, fear, and horror experienced by Israelis and Palestinians Parallel emotional and spiritual pressures faced by Jews and Muslims in America Concern about political manipulation of community trauma Generational trauma and its transmission, including Holocaust-era family stories Emotional resonance of global conflict in local congregational life Distinction and connection between geopolitical realities and American spiritual experience Call to honor emotional realities across neighborhoods and communities Production Credits Conversing is produced and distributed in partnership with Comment Magazine and Fuller Seminary.
Join Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld as he guides us through the world and major works of Kabbalah, Hasidic masters, and Jewish philosophy, shedding light on the inner life of the soul. To learn more, visit InwardTorah.org
Join Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld as he guides us through the world and major works of Kabbalah, Hasidic masters, and Jewish philosophy, shedding light on the inner life of the soul. To learn more, visit InwardTorah.org
Join Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld as he guides us through the world and major works of Kabbalah, Hasidic masters, and Jewish philosophy, shedding light on the inner life of the soul. To learn more, visit InwardTorah.org
Join Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld as he guides us through the world and major works of Kabbalah, Hasidic masters, and Jewish philosophy, shedding light on the inner life of the soul. To learn more, visit InwardTorah.org
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