Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism
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Join Geoffrey Stern in the Negev to meet with soldiers in the 97th Netzah Yehuda Battalion, previously known as Nahal Haredi, a battalion in the Kfir Brigade of the Israel Defense Forces. The soldiers are all Haredi and you will be hearing first from the commander and then from one of the new recruits, both of which spoke English and approached me to tell their story. While the government of Israel is on the brink of collapsing over the issue of haredi draft, these young soldiers provide a little light and a lot of inspiration. These soldiers were all supported by a great not-for-profit called Nahal Haredi. Feel free to lend your support and enjoy. Be sure to click on the link below to see the original videos of these two pioneers! YouTube Video Link: https://youtu.be/2ftxUBwJ9rM
Join us for a conversation with Elimelech Crystal; one of the leaders of Beyahad Em Lochamey Kippur 1973, an organization dedicated to supporting Israel's combat soldiers while at the same time protesting the current government. Transcipt on episode web page: https://madlik.com/2024/03/30/veterans-of-the-yom-kippur-war-are-heard/
Join Geoffrey Stern in conversation with Ruth Calderon. In Israel while the war in Gaza rages on and with over 100 hostages still in captivity, we sit down with Talmud scholar and founder of Amla; Ruth Calderon to discuss the need to reclaim Jewish texts and create a shared cultural language in Israel..... now more than ever. Sefaria Source Sheet: www.sefaria.org/sheets/554640 Transcript on episode web page: https://madlik.com/2024/03/27/the-next-day-with-ruth-calderon/
Join Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Mintz recorded on Clubhouse. The Book of Vayikra (Leviticus) is also called Torat Cohanim (The Priestly Torah) and has traditionally been the first book to be studied by children in the Cheder. Today there is a growing and no longer fringe group of Mikdashnikim who want to rebuild the Temple. So today, from the mouth of babes up until the present we will trace and try to understand the unique place these laws play in Jewish theology and modern Israeli politics. Sefaria Source Sheet: www.sefaria.org/sheets/553283 Transcript on episode web page: https://madlik.com/2024/03/20/torat-cohanim-then-and-now/
Join Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz recorded on Clubhouse. Moses feels obliged to acknowledge the individuals who designed and built the Tabernacle and to provide an exact accounting of all the funds used. We explore the profound place that transparency, accountability and most of all; honoring one’s sources, play in Jewish tradition, culture and in light of the reckoning that lies ahead for the State of Israel and the Jewish People… will play in the future of our people. Sefaria Source Sheet: www.sefaria.org/sheets/550971 Transcript on episode web page: https://madlik.com/2024/03/13/transparency-accountability-and-citation/
Join Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz recorded on Clubhouse. By tradition, the holiday of Passover is preceded by five specially named Shabbatot. The first is called Shekalim and we discuss the meaning of this shabbat in light of both Rabbinic and New Testament texts and in the process join our forebears in preparing for the Spring awakening. Sefaria Source Sheet: www.sefaria.org/sheets/549744 Transcript on episode web page: https://madlik.com/2024/03/06/shekels-count/
Join Geoffrey Stern and rabbi Adam Mintz recorded on Clubhouse. We invite Berel Dov Lerner the author of recently published: HUMAN-DIVINE INTERACTIONS IN THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES to discuss his book and his premise of COVENANTS AND CROSS-PURPOSES. We’ll use a simple basin made of pedestrian copper found in the Tabernacle as our point of departure. Sefaria Source Sheet: www.sefaria.org/sheets/547714 Transcript on episode web page: https://madlik.com/2024/02/29/human-divine-interactions/
Join Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz recorded on Clubhouse. We explore the enigma of the Urim and Thummim; the priestly breastplate, especially within the context of the Torah’s explicit rejection of sorcery and divination. And we wonder …. We wonder about contemporary incarnations of divination and prophesy in the form of opinion-polling and social media engagement. Sefaria Source Sheet: www.sefaria.org/sheets/546029 Transcript on episode web page: https://madlik.com/2024/02/21/the-sorcerers-apprentice/
Join Geoffrey Stern and Rabbiu Adam Mintz recorded on Clubhouse. According to Rabbinic tradition Moses was shown a paradigm of the Menorah but was uncertain how to translate the vision into reality of the moment. Bezalel had no such reservations and succeeded where Moses failed. We use this tradition to explore the modern concept of Paradigm Shift and wonder whether we are at such an inflection point today. Sefaria Source Sheet: www.sefaria.org/sheets/544480 Transcript on episode web page: https://madlik.com/2024/02/15/paradigm-shift/
Join Geoffrey Stern, Rabbi Adam Mintz and special guest, the Reverand Dumisani Washington recorded on Clubhouse. As the rubber meets the road and the Torah begins to translate its vision of liberation into practical rules and regulations, we sense a pattern. The Torah starts by addressing a legal institution close to home; slavery, and provides laws of emancipation. Next the Torah begins to create social solidarity amongst this previously persecuted multitude. Finally the Torah addresses a natural inclination towards a victim mentality and a lens that sees only privilege and victims. We use this opportunity to invite our friend Rev Dumisani Washington to discuss the current state of the Black Church and its relationship with Israel. Sefaria source Sheet: www.sefaria.org/sheets/543156 Transcript on podcast web page: https://madlik.com/2024/02/07/the-black-church-and-israel/
Join Geoffrey Stern, Rabbi Adam Mintz and special guest Shikh Muhan Fares for a discussion recorded on Clubhouse.. We celebrate Yitro and our Druze brothers and sisters. We marvel at the superlatives that the Torah uses to describe Jethro and how the same characteristics of loyalty, leadership and integrity are showcased by Israeli Druze today…. and maybe in the process, we learn a little bit more about the Druze and about ourselves. Sefaria Source Sheet: www.sefaria.org/sheets/541621 Transcript on episode webpage: https://madlik.com/2024/01/31/jethro-and-the-druze/
Join Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz recorded on Clubhouse. Nachshon is the posterchild of what Heschel called “Praying with your feet”. He personifies Judaism’s clear bias for action over the status quo, action over prayer and even action over reflection. Today we explore the darker side of Nachshon and the potential deficiencies of Action Bias in decision theory. Sefaria Source Sheet: www.sefaria.org/sheets/539799 Transcript on episode web page: https://madlik.com/2024/01/24/nachshon-and-action-bias/
Join Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz recorded on Clubhouse. Of all the plagues, only the plague of the firstborn carries a timeless message. It represents the culmination of the Torah’s critique of primogeniture and takes on a life of its own in the Israelite law of the firstborn and first fruits. So join us as we explore how the death of the firstborn impacts the message of the Exodus. Sefaria Source Sheet: www.sefaria.org/sheets/538044 Transcript onm episode web page: https://madlik.com/2024/01/17/entitlement-reform/
Join Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz recorded on Clubhouse. We explore Martin Luthur King Jr.’s iconic “I have a Dream” speech along with an interview he gave at the Convention of the Rabbinical Assembly for Conservative Judaism, a year after the 6 Day War and 10 days before he was assassinated. We will showcase King’s identification with a prophetic tradition which saw the universality of the Exodus story without diminishing its unique message for the Children of Israel. Sefaria Source Sheet: www.sefaria.org/sheets/536664 Transcript on episode web page: https://madlik.com/2024/01/11/mlk-and-exodus/
Join Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam MIntz recorded on Clubhouse. Following Classical Rabbinic sources that show a link between the Family Story of Genesis and the Birth of a Nation Story of Exodus we review a recently published book: Why the Bible Began: An Alternative History of Scripture and its Origins by Jacob Wright and reflect on what made the Hebrew Bible so unique and its message so eternally timely. Sefaria Source Sheet: www.sefaria.org/sheets/534972 Transcript on episode website: https://madlik.com/2024/01/04/exodus-and-the-birth-of-a-nation/
Join Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz recorded on Clubhouse. As we complete the book of Genesis, we look at a few verses that have been interpreted by both Jewish and Christian exegetes and explore how these commentaries may have been a conversation rather than a polemic. In the process, and without ignoring the divisive nature of religion, we wonder at the power of scripture and the potential for religion to bring us together. Sefaria Source Sheet: www.sefaria.org/sheets/533990 Transcript on episode web page: https://madlik.com/2023/12/27/until-shiloh-comes/
Join Geoffey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz recorded on Clubhouse. Joseph is confronted with his long-lost family who thought he had died. It is the so called: “holiday season” which can be a difficult time. While many of us celebrate, some of us wonder, with the passing of another season, of another year, what difference has our life made. In wartime, with our finest youth being cut down before the prime of their life we anguish, what difference could they have made. So join us as we ponder: A Wonderful Life Sefaria Source Sheet: www.sefaria.org/sheets/532981 Transcript on episode website: https://madlik.com/2023/12/20/a-wonderful-life/
Join Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz recorded on Clubhouse. Jacob, now called Israel, approaches is estranged brother with trepidation. He splits his clan in half in order to minimize any losses and he sends gifts and otherwise tries to appease Esau. We explore appeasement and compromise in the Torah and Rabbinic Literature. Sefaria Source sheet: www.sefaria.org/sheets/528058 Transcript on episode web page: https://madlik.com/2023/11/29/appeasement-in-its-time/
Join Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz recorded on Clubhouse. In a week where indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas, mediated by Qatar and with pressure from the public and the US have appeared to have reached a tentative and partial hostage deal, we explore, what according to Rabbinic tradition was the first instance of an anti-Israel campaign and its resolution. Is this a model of how we deal with our neighbors with whom we disagree? What are the lessons to be learnt? Sefaria Source Sheet: www.sefaria.org/sheets/526979 Transcript on episode web page: https://madlik.com/2023/11/22/conflict-resolution/
Rav Stav is the co-founder of the Tzohar, a rabbinical organization which aims to provide religious services to and create dialogue with the broader Israeli population. He also serves as the rabbi of the city of Shoham. Previously he served as the rabbi of the religious film school, Maale, and was one of the founding heads of Yeshivat Hesder Petach Tikva. He is the author of Bein Ha-Zemanim, a book about culture and recreation in Jewish thought and law. One of Israel’s most visible rabbinic figures, he regularly appears on Israeli television and radio, and lectures to a wide range of audiences. We discuss his organization and the challenges and opportunities presented by the war and its aftermath.
Join Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz recorded on Clubhouse. In the only parsha named after a woman we continue our exploration of issues raised by Israel at war. In the Jewish State, Jewish law (Halacha) has exclusive jurisdiction over marriage and divorce for Jews. One area where Orthodox women have radically broken with Rabbinic authority is with regard to divorce. Traditionally women have been at the mercy of the patriarchy, whether their husbands or the rabbinic courts. These women, the NGOs and Rabbis who support them have used Biblical and Rabbinic texts to claim rights long denied. The primary source relates to King David and a single verse in the Book of Samuel protecting military wives. Join us as we explore these initiatives and texts. Sefaria Source Sheet: www.sefaria.org/sheets/523840 Transcript on episode web page: https://madlik.com/2023/11/08/women-wage-war/
Join Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz recorded on Clubhouse. Over 250,000 innocent civilians have been displaced since the advent of the Oct 7th war from both the South and the North of Israel. Volunteers, non-government organizations and tech workers who were organizing protests a month ago have taken the lead in welcoming these fugitives and providing all sorts of support, both physical, spiritual, social and psychological. Join us as we study a parsha that celebrates the hosting of guests. Sefaria Source Sheet: www.sefaria.org/sheets/522063 Transript on episode web page: https://madlik.com/2023/11/01/making-place-for-the-displaced/
Join Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz recorded on Clubhouse. What about Abraham was so radical? What about Abraham has created such extremes of love and hate… such rivalry, such animosity, such promise and such despair? Sefaria Source Sheet: www.sefaria.org/sheets/520323 Transcript on episode web page: https://madlik.com/2023/10/25/abraham-and-the-birth-of-anit-semitism/
Join Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz recorded on Clubhouse. Noah has been denigrated for saving only himself and his family and not for saving all of humanity. In a world where victims and survivors of terrorism are vilified and protecting ones life and the security of ones family a sin, we look at Noah differently and learn something about ourselves and our enemies. Sefaria Source Sheet: www.sefaria.org/sheets/518474 Transcript on Episode Web page: https://madlik.com/2023/10/18/a-tzaddik-in-peltz/
Join Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Mintz recorded on Clubhouse. As Hamas finally achieves its goal of massacring thousands of Israelis, we reconsider the Talmudic saying that man was created single to teach that for anybody who destroys a single life it is counted as if he destroyed an entire world. So join us as we mourn and Study Torah.... Sefaria Source Sheet: www.sefaria.org/sheets/516652 Transcript: https://madlik.com/2023/10/11/a-single-life/
Join Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz recorded on Clubhouse. As we finish the annual Torah cycle we use the legendary partnership between Zebulun and Issachar to explore Rabbinic Judaism’s various and many times conflicting position on financial support for Torah Study. Sefaria Source Sheet: www.sefaria.org/sheets/515056 http://www.sefaria.org/sheets/515056 Transcript on Episode web page: https://madlik.com/2023/10/04/learning-torah-for-a-living/
Join Geoffrey Stern recorded on Clubhouse as he preaches the Yom Kippur Sermon on the 50th Anniversary of the Yom Kippur War and while 100s of thousand Iisraeli citizens are protesting on a weekly basis for the soul of Israel and the future of the Jewish People. Sefaria Source Sheet: www.sefaria.org/sheets/513577 Transcripton on episode website: https://madlik.com/2023/09/26/the-yom-kippur-sermon-i-wanted-to-hear/
Join Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz recorded on Clubhouse. We have previously remarked that the ultra-orthodox are re-creating a world and traditions that never existed. Moses admonishes the Children of Israel to “Ask your parent, who will inform you” and we explore the function and exploitation of custom in the Rabbinic Tradition up unto today. Sefaria Source Sheet: www.sefaria.org/sheets/512114 Transcript on episode web page: https://madlik.com/2023/09/20/inventing-tradition/
Join Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz recorded on Clubhouse. One of the arguments that you hear for not supporting the current demonstrations in Israel is that they are supported or funded by foreign players or …. that criticizing the Government of Israel will provide fodder to our enemies. And so …. we examine a deep-seeded reflex of the Ancient Israelites and their heirs to focus on foreign opinion and blame foreign intervention to vindicate their shortcomings. Sefaria Source Sheet: www.sefaria.org/sheets/509231 Transcript on episode website: https://madlik.com/2023/09/06/what-will-the-goyim-say/
Join Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz recorded on Clubhouse. We re-visit Bikkurim; the offering of the First Fruits to the priest. We explore the development of this parsha from its ancient beginnings where it excluded everyone besides a male landowner through Rabbinic literature up until the present where it is used to accommodate converts and gender differences. Sefaria Source Sheet: www.sefaria.org/sheets/507524 Transcript on episode web page: https://madlik.com/2023/08/30/read-it-till-the-end/
