This podcast is being released less than a day after the Israeli army preemptively struck thousands of Hezbollah rocket launchers in Lebanon, doing so just fifteen minutes before those launchers were supposed to fire hundreds of missiles into northern and central Israel.

Thank God that as of now, Israel clearly won this exchange. We don't know what tomorrow will bring, but for now we can breathe just a bit easier than we did when we first heard the news early this morning.

This event, like many others before it, highlights the reality that Israel is a nation that has been experiencing a kind of collective and individual trauma ever since October 7th; and Jews across the world, both because of the rise in antisemitism and because of their deep concern about what's happening in Israel, have experienced very real trauma, as well.

Trauma is not itself a type of mental illness, but it can lead to mental illness - and Jews in general, and Israelis in particular, are at risk of developing PTSD and other mental illnesses as a response to the events of the past year. Many people run the risk of experiencing suicidal ideation, depression, and more - and we need to determine if the medical community has the resources necessary to deal with a potential mental health crisis. Moreover, this also raises important and unavoidable halachic and hashkafic questions for those who diligently follow Jewish law.

In order to talk about mental health, including what factors make it a potential crisis, the definition of trauma and PTSD, whether suicide has been on the rise, if any issues are being hidden from the public, the meaning of post traumatic growth, how we can best prevent trauma from blossoming into mental illness, the problem of stigma, and what to do if you suspect that a friend is suffering from mental illness, Scott spoke with Gila Tolub, the Co-Founder and Executive Director of ICAR Collective. Afterwards he had a conversation with Rav Yoni Rosensweig, the founder of Maaglei Nefesh Center for Halacha, Community and Mental Health, about some of the halachic and hashkafic issues that have arisen in the realm of mental health, as a direct consequence of October 7th and the war against Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, and Iran's other proxies.

The interview with Gila Tolub begins at 3:42.

The interview with Rav Yoni Rosensweig begins at 52:48.

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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The October 7th massacre, and the subsequent war against Hamas, other Iranian proxies like Hezbollah and the Houthis, and Iran itself, have caused many people throughout the Jewish world to reconsider what Israel means to them, and what kind of society Israel should create. Many continually return to the idea that Israel should be a light unto the nations, an Ohr laGoyim, or a Medinah l'Mofet, an exemplary nation and society. Although, given the rampant anti-Israel and antisemitic attitudes that pervade societies across the globe, it is unlikely that many plan on using Israel as a model for their own behavior, we still have a responsibility to do so for ourselves - so that even if other people despise us, we are confident that we are creating the most ethical and moral country on earth.

Yossi Klein Halevi, a senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, recently composed an article for the Wall Street Journal which offers a somewhat different perspective. The article concludes by arguing that rather than concentrating on being a light to the nations, "For now, in this summer of dread, the urgent question for Israelis is how to be a light to ourselves." In other words, we need to concentrate primarily on healing the schisms and problems within our own society; if we believe that being a light to the nations is not a goal, but an extant reality, then we are lost.

Yossi's opinions about how Israel should move forward are simultaneously disturbing and hopeful - the hallmark, that is, of deep thinking that both acknowledges the reality that we face, and the miraculous and unpredictable presence of God. Join Scott and Yossi for a timely and thought-provoking conversation that all Jews - in Israel and elsewhere - need to hear.

Nishmat, the Jeanie Schottenstein Center for Advanced Torah Study for Women, is back with its new semester of Online Beit Midrash learning, starting September 8. Study Talmud, Tanach, Halacha and more with some of the best Torah teachers in Jerusalem - all from the comfort of your home. Classes are open to women of all learning backgrounds. For a full class schedule and registration, go to: https://2ly.link/1zHAZ

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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Schools which identify with the Modern Orthodox world and espouse a Centrist Orthodox hashkafa, nevertheless will sometimes hire teachers who profess a Hareidi worldview. In some ways, this is a welcome development; breaking down the barriers that separate our various communities is generally a good thing, and we should be pleased when we discern a willingness to engage Jews with different viewpoints.

On the other hand, it often seems that Modern Orthodox institutions are more willing to hire Torah teachers who hail from ultra-Orthodox communities than the other way around. And according to Rabbi Yitzchak Blau, there may be some serious, albeit unintended consequences to this willingness, that Modern Orthodox Jews may find troubling. Rabbi Blau wrote an article in the journal Conversations entitled "The Hareidi Option" where he outlines some of the messages that our children and students may be hearing from their Hareidi teachers and books which most Modern Orthodox Jews would find extremely objectionable.

In this episode, Rabbi Blau and Scott talked about the specific messages he believes that Modern Orthodoxy is receiving, and that need to be called out and identified before our students almost unconsciously adopt them. Among the areas they discussed are differing attitudes towards women, Gentiles, secular Jews, the Zionist movement, the Israeli army, divine providence, the role of great Torah scholars, and more.

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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(This episode was originally released on Septetmber 26th, 2023, but its message is perhaps even more relevant now, after October 7th and its aftermath, than before. Scott will be back with a new episode next week.)

Megilat Kohelet is one of the most difficult books in Tanach: it jumps back and forth between conflicting assumptions, it lacks any obvious narrative or thematic structure, and its statements sometimes seem at odds with what most people would consider standard Rabbinic theology. People didn't discover these problems today, of course; the Mishnah in Masechet Yadayim questions whether Kohelet was canonized as part of the Bible or not. Moreover, Masechet Shabbat 30b reports in the name of Rav that the Sages wanted to hide Kohelet because of its contradictions; they decided against it because its beginning and end are words of Torah - and as Rashi explains, that means that surely there must be other words of Torah in the middle. Still, the fact that they even considered this tells us that Kohelet was as mysterious to them as it is to us.

We read Kohelet on Shabbat chol hamoed of Sukkot - or, in a year like this where there is no Shabbat during chol hamoed, on the first day of Sukkot in Israel, or on Shmini Atzeret outside of Israel. But going through all twelve chapters quickly in shul is not the best way to internalize the many messages of this intriguing book.

For that reason, Scott was extremely gratified to welcome Dr. Erica Brown back to the podcast. Erica is the author of Kohelet and the Search for Meaning, and they discussed some of the many questions that are raised by Kohelet. It's a wide ranging and fascinating conversation that invokes Shlomo HaMelech, the Byrds, C.S. Lewis, William Blake, George Carlin, Sesame Street, and more. It will give you a new appreciation for Kohelet not only as a sacred text, but as a book that speaks directly to the deepest concerns of human beings living in the 21st century.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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We're approaching the holiday of Shavuot, when we celebrate and commemorate the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. The Rambam explains that our belief in Torah and in Moshe is predicated upon the fact that all of us were present at Sinai, where we together heard God talking to Moshe. And we have a longstanding tradition as well that God did not stop speaking once ma'amad Har Sinai was over; in fact, He never stopped speaking at Sinai. What made the revelation 3300 years ago unique was not that God was talking, but that the entire nation heard it. But anyone who wants to access that divine voice, we are told, can do so at any time through the study of Torah.

For many years, for various reasons, that divine voice was largely accessible only to men. Women and girls learned what they needed to know in order to build a Jewish home; but textual learning largely remained outside of their purview. Over the past century, that has thankfully changed, and Torah has once again become the possession of both men and women.

One of the people responsible for bringing serious Torah study to women is Rabbanit Malke Bina, the founder of Matan. In this episode, Scott spoke to her about the progress that has been achieved in the realm of Torah learning for women, and the progress that still needs to take place. They talked about whether there should be any restrictions on anyone when it comes to what Torah topics to learn; whether titles matter, and if it's appropriate for women to assume the title of "rabbi"; how she approaches difficult texts; what progress outside of the beit midrash is still necessary for Orthodox women; if people should push for greater women's Torah learning outside of the Modern Orthodox or dati leumi communities; and more.

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

One of the main topics that this podcast has addressed over the past eight months has been the future of Religious Zionism, both in Israel and in the Diaspora.. There are numerous visions of what Religious Zionism should be, and understanding the possibilities should be at the very top of the agenda in both the national religious and Modern Orthodox worlds. For that reason, we're excited to invite you to join Scott this Sunday, June 16th at 4:00 PM in Manhattan for a conversation about the future of Religious Zionism. RSVP by writing to aliza@jewishcoffeehouse.com for the location address and additional details.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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Is the Israeli army taking care of its soldiers? That's a question with a potentially painful answer.

Daniel Mael has helped donate over 13,000 helmets to IDF soldiers, along with thousands of vests and other equipment - and he argues that the army's behavior in procuring equipment has been nothing less than scandalous. In fact, he claims, the Israeli army knows that its protective equipment is often out of date and faulty, but for whatever reasons continues to provide that flawed equipment to its soldiers.

While others (some of whom are cited on the podcast) argue that Daniel is incorrect, it's difficult to question that there have been real and noticeable equipment shortages and problems; there's enough smoke, in other words, to worry that the fire is real.

If Israel's leaders are going to send our children to the front lines against a vicious enemy, they also have the absolute responsibility to provide them with equipment that will protect them effectively. If they do not, it's unacceptable - and Jews across the world should demand accountability and answers.

 Let's hope that Daniel's concerns are overblown, or at least that there's a reasonable explanation for something that's upsetting regardless. But if he's right, we need an accounting, and we need it today.

To find out more about Unit 11741, to donate, or to contact a representative, go to https://unit11741.com/.

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

One of the main topics that this podcast has addressed over the past eight months has been the future of Religious Zionism, both in Israel and in the Diaspora.. There are numerous visions of what Religious Zionism should be, and understanding the possibilities should be at the very top of the agenda in both the national religious and Modern Orthodox worlds. For that reason, we're excited to invite you to join Scott on Sunday, June 16th at 4:00 PM in Manhattan for a conversation about the future of Religious Zionism. RSVP by writing to aliza@jewishcoffeehouse.com for the location address and additional details.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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Just as many young people who are not religious become Orthodox, so do many young Orthodox Jews leave Orthodox practice behind. Colloquially, this is often called being "off the derech" - that is, off "the" way of traditional Torah practice.

The phenomenon of Orthodox Jews becoming less classically religious is real, and it's important to think about why it happens. Is it simply a question of disbelief or doubt regarding dogma? Are there other reasons that we, as parents and educators, should take into account? In what ways are our educational methods to blame, how can we work to reform those problems, and can we fix the well-meaning but mistaken messages that may have been imparted to our children? What can we learn from those who leave Orthodoxy, and do we have a responsibility to try to convince them to come back? How can parents of children who are not shomrei Shabbat avoid the sense of failure, or a belief that their kids have rejected them and everything that they believe? On the other hand, if children seem well-rooted in an Orthodox belief system, is there any reason for concern when they attend secular college or the Israeli army?  

In order to address these questions, Scott was honored to speak to Rabbi Y.Y. Jacobson.

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/. To read Scott's reflections on his father's life, click here. 

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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Any discussion surrounding tzniut (loosely - and, perhaps incorrectly - translated as "modesty") is inevitably fraught with challenges and difficulty. Indeed, there are few topics in Orthodoxy that are as triggering to so many people.

Rabbi Moshe Simkovich offers a traditional yet unique approach to tzniut, and he attempts to redefine the concept altogether, moving it further away from quantitative questions about dress and sexuality, and towards a vision that, he says, is more in line with what the word means in Tanach and according to Chazal. In this episode, he explains his innovative approach. Scott and Rabbi Simkovich deliberately kept the discussion away from the typical conversation surrounding tzniut, and instead talked about how it applies to other areas - particularly to questions surrounding leadership. Apart from helping to reframe the definition of tzniut, this also allowed them to analyze why tzniut is an important quality for leaders, how it is potentially manifest in leadership, examples and counterexamples of such leadership, ways to inculcate this quality, why humble leadership is not the same as tzanua leadership, and some clues about how to determine if a potential leader possesses the characteristic of tzniut. When all is said and done, using leadership as an example of tzniut allows all of us to better understand how it can and should be implemented in areas like sexuality and dress, as well.

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/. To read Scott's reflections on his father's life, click here. 

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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In his classic work Kol Dodi Dofek, Rav Soloveitchik asserts that God's gift of the State of Israel demands a response. God wants a dialogue where we answer his generosity by using His gifts to make Him present in the world. The major challenge for Religious Zionism, then, is to decide, as best as we can, what that response should be. Does it mean settling every square kilometer of the Land? Does it mean creating a medinah l'mofet, an exemplary society in every way possible?

Discovering what this challenge is - and then meeting it - is our responsibility today.

That challenge, in fact, is what informs today's podcast with Yair Ettinger. Yair is a well-known Israeli journalist who has real expertise in the questions and issues surrounding the Religious Zionist world. Scott and Yair delved into the interesting dichotomy that much of the Religious Zionist community in Israel is largely becoming much more open and less reliant upon standard rabbinic authority in its religious practice, while simultaneously becoming more narrowly right wing politically. They also talked about the National Religious political parties today, and whether they authentically represent the bulk of the Religious Zionist population. They looked at the cracks that are appearing in some of the classic Religious Zionist institutions, and the apparent weakening of certain spiritual monopolies that exist. It was a very informative interview, and it offers some important insights into the future of Religious Zionism in the State of Israel.

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/. To read Scott's reflections on his father's life, click here. 

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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It's the little things that hit hardest. The big moments when I expect to be emotional have generally felt unremarkable; I seem to have experienced them with relative ease. The surprises come when I'm taking a walk, talking about a silly childhood memory, or seeing an old friend. Above all, I've learned that my emotions are often hidden - from myself as well as from others - and then I think that I'm done having feelings. But I repeatedly learn that they lie barely below the surface, ready to emerge when I least expect them.

This is not typical episode. Today I'm going to talk about my dad, and what life has been like since he died of pancreatic cancer three and a half weeks ago.

I hope that it's meaningful for you, just as it was for me.

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/. To read Scott's reflections on his father's life, click here. 

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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In episode 201, Rabbi Alex Israel, citing Rav Kook, asked whether nowadays we need to add a greater prophetic element to Judaism, alongside our continued commitment to halacha. Perhaps today we need a new infusion of prophecy - both in terms of its spiritual content, as well as through a renewed emphasis on Torah values that may sometimes be lost in standard halachic discourse.

In that episode, Rabbi Israel and Scott talked about the sad reality that some people feel that halacha alone does not satisfy their spiritual thirst, and they discussed the issue of potentially losing the forest of Torah values for the trees of the myriad details of Jewish law. How, in other words, shall we combine the necessity of including a living prophetic agenda within our commitment to fulfilling the details of halachic practice?

Rabbi Yosef Blau, the senior mashgiach ruchani at Yeshiva University, commented that while he greatly respected Rabbi Israel's approach, he felt that there are some important caveats that need to be added to the discussion. With that in mind, Scott invited him back to the podcast to voice his specific concerns. They spoke about potential problems in the search for spirituality, the dangers of treating rabbis like prophets, and the difficulty in emphasizing Torah values and the fear that they can replace Jewish law. They also spoke extensively about the State of Israel and its current war against Hamas, including whether Israel is living up to its own stated goals of being a medinah l'mofet - that is, the world's exemplary nation. Rabbi Blau mentioned a major flaw in secular Zionism, and asked whether Religious Zionism as a movement has at times deemphasized what it considers "Western" morality in the service of other Torah values that it holds in higher regard. It was an important conversation, and whether you agree or disagree with Rabbi Blau, you will undoubtedly find his ideas both engaging and important.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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Did the Exodus from Egypt happen exactly as the Torah describes?

How should we contend with archeological evidence that seems to indicate that certain aspects of the Torah's narrative don't make sense?

And, for that matter, how can we contend with similar questions that surround other historical Biblical narratives?

Rabbi Dr. Raphael Zarum, Dean of the London School of Jewish Studies (LSJS) and the Rabbi Sacks Chair of Modern Jewish Thought, addresses these and other pressing questions in this special pre-Pesach episode of the Orthodox Conundrum. Listen in so that you can renew your understanding of Yetziat Mitzrayim with greater depth and profundity.

To order Rabbi Zarum's book, Questioning Belief: Torah and Tradition in an Age of Doubt, click here.

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/. To read Scott's reflections on his father's life, click here. 

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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"What does Eichah have in common with climate change deniers, anti-vaxxers, Holocaust deniers and those that claim that the 2020 presidential elections were stolen?" Rabbi Dr. Joshua Berman sent this to Scott, who was intrigued and immediately invited him back onto this podcast to discuss what he meant.

More than anything else, we need a way to relate to Megillat Eicha in a world which seems so distant from that described in the book. And even the world described in Eicha is complicated; it's often hard to make sense of exactly what is being said. There are different voices represented, and they often contradict each other, and themselves. The book seems to go back and forth between blaming the community for its own destruction, and saying that G-d went too far - and sometimes neither, just lamenting how terrible everything is. Maybe the real question is whether there is a theology of Eicha at all, or if it's a book with multiple theologies - some of which border on the heretical.

Rabbi Berman developed a novel approach to Eicha, and his reading infuses it with new life. Rabbi Berman believes that Eicha was written to be performed like a play, as a dialogue between the prophet Yirmiyahu and Bat Tzion - a composite character who represents the different voices that were being expressed by the grief-stricken people after the Destruction. Rabbi Berman also sees Eicha as representing a type of therapy session between the author and the people, who need to face realities that they're refusing to acknowledge even when those realities seem blindingly obvious. And crucially, Rabbi Berman sees Eicha as a corrective to common but shallow theology - a theology that, he believes, remains something that we believe until today.

Ultimately, any deep understanding of Judaism and acknowledgement of G-d's love for Israel isn't complete without the splash of cold water that Eicha provides. It would be nice to advocate a Jewish theology that ignores the difficult parts of our relationship with Hashem; but it wouldn't be honest or true. This conversation with Rabbi Berman will not only make Tisha B'Av more meaningful, but will also provide serious food for thought that we can take with us long after Tisha B'Av is over.

Nishmat, the Jeanie Schottenstein Center for Advanced Torah Study for Women, is back with its new semester of Online Beit Midrash learning, starting September 8. Study Talmud, Tanach, Halacha and more with some of the best Torah teachers in Jerusalem - all from the comfort of your home. Classes are open to women of all learning backgrounds. For a full class schedule and registration, go to: https://2ly.link/1zHAZ

To order Rabbi Berman's book on Eicha, go to https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/book-of-lamentations/5CE9A9C4A6B9159F1CACAE7055C35768?fbclid=IwAR0fU0sjtMUwmMT2o6kGQBche6DL4POuNi29jYYJVfwhDLNtT1mXqy5jw6g.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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For over two millennia, the Jewish People has lived in a world largely defined by Jewish law, or halacha. While the Tanach is filled with what might be called prophetic Judaism - a Judaism, that is, which is dominated by those who spoke in the name of God - the Judaism that emerged during the era of the Second Temple and thereafter placed a greater emphasis on the minutiae of halachic practice and the intense study of Torah.

This halachic Judaism has been a massive success, and has kept the Jewish people alive for the duration of our long exile. For that entire time, Jews have successfully come into contact with the presence of God through their observance of Jewish law.

The question, though, is whether in 2024 we need to add more of the prophetic element alongside our continued commitment to halacha. Perhaps today we need a new infusion of prophecy - both in terms of its spiritual content, as well as through a renewed emphasis on Torah values that may sometimes be lost in standard halachic discourse.

Rav Kook entertained this possibility a hundred years ago, and Rabbi Alex Israel presented the potential for a new prophetic Judaism in today's episode. Rabbi Israel and Scott talked about the sad reality that some people feel that halacha alone does not satisfy their spiritual thirst, and also discussed the problem of potentially losing the forest of Torah values for the trees of the myriad details of Jewish law. They acknowledged that there are some who are simply turned off by halacha's extreme attention to detail, as well as by the need to rely upon authority in order to fulfill it successfully. Ultimately, the puzzle is how Orthodox Jews can maintain and further halacha, while simultaneously enriching Judaism with greater spirituality and a heightened sense of morality, ethics, and kindness - all of which, ideally, should emerge from within Jewish law. How shall we combine the necessity of including a living prophetic agenda within our commitment to fulfilling the details of halachic practice?

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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Jews control Hollywood - or so everyone seems to believe, for better and very often for worse. And it's true that there are many Jewish people who work in the entertainment industry. But this fact is quite distinct from the question of how Jews are typically portrayed in movies and TV shows - and in that realm, there are serious problems, both regarding the depiction of Jews in general, and the depiction of Orthodox Jews in particular. According to Allison Josephs, founder of Jew in the City, this is a serious problem with long-term consequences, and needs to be addressed.

Allison has been at the forefront of trying to change things in Hollywood, and for that purpose founded the Jew in the City Hollywood Bureau. Scott spoke with her about the negative stereotypes of Jews and Orthodox Jews that are both parrotted and furthered by the entertainment industry; the reasons that Jews are often last in line when it comes to inclusion and sensitivity; what has changed since October 7th; whether Jewish people should fight for inclusion in the places where Diversity, Equity and Inclusion holds sway, or whether we're better off trying to undermine the entire structure; whether there is a problem with non-Jews portraying Jews on screen; examples of some shows where Jews are shown in a positive light, as well as some where they are seen with the typical negative tropes; which celebrities have been vocal in fighting on behalf of Jews and Israel; and more.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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Last week's episode of the Orthodox Conundrum was supposed to be a wide-ranging conversation about the present and future of Religious Zionism, including a discussion of our relationship with the Palestinian population in Yehuda v'Shomron and Gaza. As it turns out, Scott and his guests, Daniel Goldman and Rabbi Elie Mischel, ended up spending the entire podcast speaking about that one issue, so they came back this week to discuss many of the topics that they had not yet addressed.

That episode generated an unusual amount of feedback, both positive and negative. In particular, Rabbi Elie Mischel's ideas were the subject of numerous comments, both public and private. As a result of that feedback, Scott dedicated the first part of this episode to further clarifying Elie and Daniel's opinions about some of the hot-button topics they talked about last week regarding the Palestinians. The majority of the podcast then addressed other subjects that are directly relevant to Religious Zionists, including questions regarding the culture wars, how we as a community should relate to non-Orthodox Jews, our attitudes towards the many ultra-Orthodox people who refuse to serve in the IDF, whether political Religious Zionism is going in a positive direction, if there should be a separation of Torah and State, and more.

(Please note that Rabbi Mischel is joining the podcast in a personal capacity, and his views do not necessarily reflect those of the Mizrachi organization.)

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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In some recent episodes of this podcast, Scott and his guests have discussed numerous issues relevant to the Religious Zionist world, including some of the ways that Religious Zionism differs from Modern Orthodoxy. But Religious Zionism is not a monolith; there are many different paths within Religious Zionism, and the differences between these paths can sometimes be vast.

For example, the Mafdal - that is, Mifleget Dati Leumi, the old Religious Zionist Party which dominated Religious Zionist politics for decades - was, during the Six Day War, perhaps the most dovish and anti-war of all the parties in the Labor-led government. Today, in contrast, the dominant ideology within Religious Zionism is associated with the philosophy of rabbis like Rav Zvi Yehuda Kook and others who founded the settlement movement. But even though modern political Religious Zionism is generally associated with the right or even the far right on the Israeli political spectrum, the other strains within Religious Zionism still exist, albeit less so in the political arena. 

In order to discuss the future of Religious Zionism, Scott invited Daniel Goldman and Rabbi Elie Mischel to discuss it on the Orthodox Conundrum. But the issue of settlements and the question of a Palestinian State took up so much time that they decided to make this episode Part One, and deal with other pressing issues in Part Two. So this episode largely deals with different attitudes towards the maintenance and expansion of settlements in the West Bank, the issue of whether to create a permanent civilian Jewish presence in Gaza, the future of the Palestinians who live in the West Bank and Gaza and whether that future should include an independent Palestinian state, questions around the democratic character of Israel and whether Israel should be bound by international law, whether to relate to Tanach as history or as a practical guide, and much more.

(Please note that Rabbi Mischel is joining the podcast in a personal capacity, and his views do not necessarily reflect those of the Mizrachi organization.)

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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After October 7th, Jews around the world have felt besieged by some erstwhile allies, as some have been silent in the face of rampant antisemitism, and others have openly supported Hamas and its genocidal goals. While there have been many who openly support Jews and Israel, the war in Gaza has also provided a moment of reckoning as we discovered some unhappy surprises about people we thought were our friends.

A good example is the reaction to October 7th by the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists, or AASECT. As an organization dedicated to healthy sexuality, and one which has expressed opinions on hot button issues unrelated to its core mission, AASECT certainly should have issued a statement condemning the sexual violence against Israelis on October 7th. That, however, didn't happen for a long time - and even when it did, the statement felt like a giant hedge.

As a result, Scott's Intimate Judaism co-host Talli Rosenbaum, along with some colleagues, resigned from AASECT. In this episode, Scott spoke with Talli, psychotherapist Dr. Shoshana Bulow, and sexual educator Dr. Logan Levkoff about some of the ways that the AASECT debacle is, unfortunately, representative of trends that are emerging in the United States. They also discussed the trauma of October 7th and the war both in and out of Israel, as well as the binary thinking that has led to the demonization of Jews, the prevalence of antisemitism, agendas that are embedded in the system to the Jewish people's detriment, the fight against anti-Israel activity across the diaspora, and more.

To read the research article "War-Time Stress and Sexual Well-Being in Israel" by Talli Rosenbaum, Aryeh Lazar, and Ateret Gewirtz-Meydan, click here.

To read Dr. Levkoff's "Open Letter to Sexuality Professionals and Organizations," click here.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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35 years ago, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) was essentially unknown among the general public; today, it is spoken about all the time. We've learned that some behaviors that were once considered signs that a child didn't care about school or achievement, or simply lacked normal self control, are actually indicators of a difference in the way the mind works - and instead of criticizing the people whose minds work this way, we need to find ways to help them succeed. Indeed, when understood properly, ADHD can even be a superpower where some people think differently and more creatively than some others.

Despite the advances in knowledge and societal understanding, there is still so much that people don't know - and so many ways that people who have ADHD can fall through the cracks. For Orthodox kids with ADHD, who are supposed to sit quietly in shul, concentrate on Torah learning, avoid leaving the Shabbos table, and more, our religious commitments can end up feeling like a kind of torture.

To address the unique needs of Orthodox people who have ADHD, Dr. Simcha Chesner and Dr. Sara Markowitz wrote a new book entitled Kosher ADHD, and Scott spoke with them about the challenges people with ADHD face, and some of the methods that they recommend in order to help them overcome these challenges.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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What does Israel mean to you?

For years, this was a theoretical question for many people who live in the diaspora. Given Israel's war against Hamas and its army of terror, however, the question has gained additional resonance and, in some ways, can no longer be put off; it demands an answer. With Israel under military attack, and the Jewish people experiencing verbal attacks unlike any seen since World War II, Jews outside of Israel have been forced to consider what kind of relationship they have and want to have with the Jewish state. 

Scott was honored to host Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, the cofounder and executive director of Nefesh B'Nefesh, in order to ask him some of these questions, and to learn about what has changed, and what hasn't - since October 7th. They talked about the reasons that a person should and should not make aliya, questions about the independent integrity of diaspora Jewry, the relationship that exists and should exist between Jews in and outside of Israel, if there has been greater interest in aliya over the past four months, and more.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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In Episode 184, Scott spoke with Michael Eisenberg and Rabbi Yehoshua Hershberg about their conviction that the time has come for the ultra-Orthodox community in Israel - often referred to as the Chareidim - to participate more fully in Israeli society, specifically by ending what has effectively become a blanket exemption from military service, and by their becoming integrated into Israel's economic life.

What was lacking, however, was an explanation of the Chareidi point of view on these matters. So in the interest of expanding and deepening the conversation, Scott was honored to welcome Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz to articulate the arguments that are commonly used by those who identify as ultra-Orthodox. Rabbi Breitowitz is one of the Orthodox world's most brilliant scholars; in addition to being an outstanding talmid chacham, he also is a graduate of Harvard Law School and was an associate professor at the University of Maryland School of Law before moving to Israel. Rabbi Breitowitz and Scott engaged in a fascinating conversation about Chareidi integration into the military, the economy, and more, and no topic was off limits.

Rabbi Breitowitz was asked to explain the Chareidi position as best as he understands it, but that doesn't necessarily mean that he identifies with every argument he presents. Nevertheless, there are few individuals who are able to explain Torah ideas and ideals, truly backed by real knowledge and scholarship, as well as Rabbi Breitowitz. His explanations of the thinking behind the policies of the ultra-Orthodox world need to be analyzed and taken seriously in order for Israeli society to progress in a manner that will be beneficial for all Jews - secular, national religious, and ultra-Orthodox alike.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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A week or two ago, on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook, Scott posted a question about the propriety of Jews living outside of Israel going on fancy vacations while the Israeli population is experiencing a world where there are kidnapped Jews trapped in Gaza, where we continue to mourn the loss of 1200 victims of October 7th plus over 200 soldiers who have died in the aftermath, and when almost every family is directly experiencing the anxiety of having family currently fighting in the Israeli army. He suggested that maybe now is a time for Jews outside of Israel to express solidarity, in part, by avoiding so-called "fabulous vacations" - or at least having enough sensitivity not to post about them.

In response to that post, Maharat Ruth Balinsky Friedman, who was on the Orthodox Conundrum after Pesach to talk about the relationship of diaspora Jews to Israel, recommended that we record an episode to give a voice to those Jews who live outside of Israel. As a result of her message, Scott convened a panel with her, Rabbi Pesach Sommer, and HaDassah Sabo Milner in order for them to express what it has been like to be a Jew living outside of Israel since the terrible attack on Simchat Torah.

To say the obvious, the reflections that each panelist offered are, by definition, anecdotal and partial; they can't describe anyone's feelings but their own. Moreover, they bring only their own life experiences to the table, and for that reason, there are many perspectives which are unfortunately omitted, including those of people living in Jewish communities which are not represented here. Nevertheless, the goal is not to offer a definitive expression of diaspora Jewry regarding the situation in Israel, but to start a conversation between people living in Israel and outside of Israel, so that we can all be enriched by, and more understanding of, each other's perspectives. As Ruth pointed out in the podcast, we often end up talking past each other instead of to each other; let's hope that this can be a corrective to that, and the start of more productive communications between committed Jews, no matter where they live.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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In episode 190, Scott and Dr. Mijal Bitton talked about the idea of creating synagogues that follow Orthodox halacha while embracing an egalitarian aesthetic. One of the ideas that they discussed was the balance between using our Torah texts to determine normative Jewish law, versus what Rabbi Dr. Haym Soloveitchik famously described in his seminal essay "Rupture and Reconstruction" as the preeminence of the mimetic tradition - that is, a way of living that is less learned than it is imitated, observed, absorbed, and passed down to the next generation almost automatically. Rabbi Dr. Soloveitchik argued that today, the mimetic tradition is quickly giving way to a reliance upon written sources, even when those written sources directly contradict the common practice of generations. It's fascinating that while this new reliance upon text is usually associated with a move toward greater stringency, it also can be used to create leniencies that are technically permitted, but have never applied because of a tradition that taught otherwise. 

This all has a direct bearing on how Orthodox Jews relate to the halachic role of women in Orthodox society. There are numerous examples of areas where, in theory, halachic texts alone may permit greater women's participation than we normally allow, yet which we often shy away from because our traditions have dictated otherwise. When some attempt to increase women's halachic role in Orthodoxy, this tension comes to the fore and must be addressed. Finding halachic solutions that favor text over tradition for the sake of greater openness might sound like a natural solution - but consulting text alone has plenty of dangers associated with it, as well.

To address this and other relevant issues, Scott hosted Rabbanit Nechama Goldman Barash, who just completed a forthcoming book that looks at Jewish texts relating to women, gender, and halacha. In this conversation they deal with some important issues regarding the roles that women should and should not play in Orthodox society. They talked about the introduction of women's voices into halachic discourse, as well as the fact that our classic texts generally do not offer women's perspectives on halacha; potential areas for greater women's participation; the question of women's halachic leadership, and the potential halachic problems with increasing their prominence there; and why it all matters. In addition, they spoke about some specific instances that people often ask about, including the meaning behind women's exemption from time-caused positive mitzvot, the Talmudic idea that a woman would almost always rather be married than single (tav l'meitav tan du), and the morning blessing, shelo asani isha - who did not make me a woman - and more. 

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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Sometimes it's called a move to the right. Other times it is seen as a rejection of lax religiosity. Some people think of it as an admirable commitment to serving God as best as possible. Others decry it as representing an unacceptable change from traditional Jewish practice.

All these and more are reactions to the unquestionably real phenomenon of greater stringency in the Orthodox world. Determining whether this is a positive or negative development, however, is not simple.

Scott spoke with Rabbi Shaya Karlinsky in order to talk about the concept of chumrot, or stringencies; and Rav Karlinsky offered nuance where it is typically absent. He first insisted upon defining the terms, and understanding the various motivating factors that lead to chumrot. Together they analyzed when this movement should be seen as a positive development, and when and how it can be dangerous or counterproductive. Rav Karlinsky talked about specific categories of stringencies, such as chumrot that lead to leniencies elsewhere, strict behavior which completely misses the larger picture, and stringencies that can be ruinous - but he also discussed many places where chumra is not only welcome, but also an essential part of developing a sense of Ahavat Hashem, love of God. They also talked about minhagim - customs - and how they fit into the larger system of Jewish law, when they are essential and when they can potentially be problematic, and much more.

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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The war in Israel, which is now well over one hundred days old, has in some ways highlighted the commonalities between all Jews across the world, no matter where they live, and in other ways demonstrated the gaps that continue to exist between an Israeli public that is dealing with the reality of war on their doorsteps, and a non-Israel Jewish world which, despite its emotional investment in Israel, obviously is not experiencing war in the same way that Israelis do.

The highlighting of these similarities and differences is at the forefront of the Jewish conversation today, so it seemed appropos to discuss one of the most important areas of both overlap and divergence: namely, the broadly defined Modern Orthodox world that exists outside of Israel, and the Dati Leumi world in Israel - that is, the community that defines itself as National Religious.

Shayna Goldberg has been on the Orthodox Conundrum before, and her insights into tricky subjects like this are always nuanced and welcome. For that reason, Scott was honored to have her back on the podcast to talk about the definitions of the words Modern, Orthodox, Dati, and Leumi, and the various ways that these communities are similar and different. They also talked about differences in the way that kids are raised in Israel and outside of Israel, both at home and at school, and some of the advantages and disadvantages associated with each.

The insights that Shayna brings to the table will hopefully spark important conversations about how best to raise our children - and how best to live our lives - by assimilating the best from each world into our lives, while avoiding some of the pitfalls that are part of them, as well.

You can read two articles that Shayna wrote about raising Israeli kids here and here.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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This podcast is called "The Orthodox Conundrum" and many of us self-identify as Orthodox, pray in Orthodox synagogues, affiliate with Orthodox institutions, and consider ourselves part of the wider Orthodox world. But is that term "Orthodox" - and perhaps the concept of denominations in general - a help or a hindrance? Do denominations lead to the building of walls that separate us, and the creation of institutions that are cornered into an inability to change? And let's say that they do; is that a bad thing? Perhaps creating such boundaries is necessary, as without them Torah Judaism cannot effectively or functionally operate.

These are important questions to consider, and given the radical realignment that may be possible in the wake of October 7th and its aftermath, we need to have these conversations now. For that reason, Scott was honored to speak with Dr. Mijal Bitton.

This conversation with Mijal was precipitated not just by a desire to talk about the future of Orthodoxy, but even more by the need to highlight individuals who can help lead Torah Judaism into an as-yet unknown future. It seems that much, though of course not all, of our leadership has failed in this hour, and we must look in new directions in order to highlight new voices. Dr. Bitton is one of those newer voices, and her conversation with Scott covered many different topics, including the subtly changing attitudes of American Jews towards the events in Israel now that the war is 100 days old; the impact of anti-Israel activity on the psyche of the American Jewish community; her role as Rosh Kehilah at the Downtown Minyan in Manhattan and what that shul is doing to stay within the boundaries of Jewish law while trying to create a new model of openness - what she calls a Covenantal/Traditional Community that follows Orthodox Halacha along with inculcating an egalitarian aesthetic; the opportunities and limits of female participation in the synagogue; her work studying Sefaradic and Syrian Jewry: the problems with institutions; and more.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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Dr. Erica Brown has been a guest on the Orthodox Conundrum twice in the past six months: once, in episode 170, about leadership, and again in episode 176 about the theology of Kohelet. It's unprecedented to have a guest back so frequently in a short time frame, but Erica's voice is one which needs to be heard by as many people as possible.

Erica composed a type of memoir or spiritual diary in the two months between Simchat Torah and Chanukah, where she openly discussed her thoughts and feelings about the atrocities of October 7th, and the subsequent war against Hamas which, ever since it began, has been occupying our hearts and minds constantly.

This extremely personal work is entitled Staying Human, and despite its characterization as a memoir, it effectively captures the emotions and spiritual insights of one individual in such a way that readers can relate to it as well. Perhaps more than anything else written since October 7th, Erica successfully puts much of what so many have been experiencing into words, and in so doing, has allowed us to confront these feelings in new and productive ways.

In this conversation, she and Scott talked about why she wrote this book, its interesting structure, and how she would characterize it. They also talked about many of the issues that she raises, including the conflict between what Rav Kook calls the Song of the Nation and the Song of Humanity, the problem of theodicy in Jewish thought, handling the rage we may feel so that it does not become unhealthy, how to relate to the question of innocent Palestinian civilians, why it's important to identify and name evil, why people so often fall back into moral relativism, ways to rethink social justice given that so many Jewish advocates of social justice feel betrayed by their allies, issues with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the future of leadership when young people have been so much more impressive than our existing political and religious leadership, the dynamic between despair and gratitude, and more.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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"The IDF is the most moral army on earth." We hear this said, and we hope that it's true. But what does it mean? How is morality defined in wartime? Is the IDF Code of Ethics in line with Jewish teachings? Does the IDF in fact follow its own Code of Ethics?

Alongside these general questions, are specific questions that relate to the Torah viewpoint regarding what an army is obligated to do ethically when it is at war. What does Judaism have to say about the ethics of war, and are these ethics essentially the same as those demanded by the Geneva Conventions? To what degree must civilian non-combatants be protected? When is an army spokesperson allowed to lie in order to deceive the enemy? To what degree must we put our own soldiers in danger in order to protect innocents on the other side? Are reprisals against innocent civilians in order to further war aims ever justified?

There are also other questions that we cannot ignore, such as how a Torah-based ethic of war deals with difficult passages of the Bible, such as when the Torah obligates Israel to obliterate Amalek and the Seven Canaanite nations. The Torah also allows a king to wage a milchemet reshut, an optional war, for reasons that may not accord with the modern concept of a just war. How do we relate to these laws in establishing wartime ethics predicated upon the Torah?

And of course, there are questions that relate directly to the current war that Israel is waging against Hamas. Has the IDF made ethical mistakes? Where has the IDF acted in an exceptional ethical manner? Is the current war considered a milchemet mitzvah, an obligatory war - and if so, is there justification for certain populations to avoid it for the sake of a higher religious goal?

This brings us back to that opening statement, "The IDF is the most moral army on earth." Based on the answers to all of these questions, can we say that the Israeli army is, indeed, the most moral army on earth, or are there areas which need improvement in order for that statement to be considered accurate?

To discuss all of these questions, Scott spoke with Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Brody, whose new book, Ethics of our Fighters: A Jewish View on War and Morality was just published. There are few issues that are as timely as this, and their conversation addressed some of the most important issues facing Israel's army today.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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It has been tremendously disheartening to hear the reactions (or lack thereof) to Hamas's crimes of October 7th. One of the most obvious instances of this has been the silence of too many organizations dedicated to the protection of women, regarding the rape and mutilation of Israeli victims by Hamas terrorists as they rampaged through southern Israel.

There is abundant evidence of gender-based violence perpetrated by Hamas. However, many people who choose to support Hamas are engaged in gaslighting - that is, trying to convince us that people didn't see what they saw, and don't know what they know to be true. It can make people question their sanity, which is exactly what these Hamas supporters are trying to do.

Some individuals are heroically fighting against this gaslighting, including Scott's guest, Rahel Bayar. She attended a session at the United Nations two weeks ago that was dedicated to presenting testimony about the sexual violence that unquestionably occurred.

In this episode, Rahel frankly and graphically describes some of the sexual violence of October 7th, and also talks about what happened at the UN, why this session was important, some possible reasons that so many organizations have remained silent, the reason that we should not castigate these organizations when the issue statements months after the fact, and more.

This episode includes graphic descriptions of sexual violence. Please consider whether you want to listen, as well as whether you want to listen while children are present.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Read the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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So many people have noted that there are significant parallels between the Jewish world as it exists after the October 7th pogrom and the subsequent war with an enemy determined to wipe Jews and Judaism off the map, and the themes that we pay attention to on Chanukah. In order to discuss some of these ideas in greater depth, and consider the ways that we can uniquely relate to them in 2023, Scott was honored to invite three favorite podcast guests back to the Orthodox Conundrum: Rabbi Judah Mischel, Rabbi Yonah Bookstein, and Dr. Malka Simkovich.

Each guest brought a unique perspective to the important ways to relate to Chanukah in today's environment - an environment that includes a war against an enemy that openly asserts its desire to destroy Jews and Judaism, the rediscovery of Jewish feeling among many, a frightening resurgence of antisemitism, and more.

All three discussions were free flowing, and were, in many ways, more conversational than typical interviews. We hope that the ideas that were expressed will offer you some new ways of relating to Chanukah so that we can all discover additional layers of meaning in the service of providing chizuk, or encouragement, in these difficult times.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Read the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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Since Israel's war against Hamas began following the horrific events of October 7th, one of the singular challenges Israel faces has been explaining its position to the world, or what's called in Hebrew, hasbara. It's never easy defending Israel in the media, never mind going on the offensive; with a natural skepticism of everything that Israel does, combined with some obvious latent antisemitism, many often portray Israel as seemingly having nefarious intentions, and regularly violating the rules of war. When that is combined with a common willingness to believe Hamas's narratives while Israel, as a Western democracy, inevitably checks its facts before reporting them - and accordingly often has to respond to an emerging narrative, rather than writing it in the first place - the challenges Israel faces become even greater.

Fortunately, Israel has some individuals who are expert at telling its story and in playing the hasbara game - and Scott speaks to two of them in today's episode.

Eylon Levy has emerged as Israel's most well-known and effective spokesperson over the past two months; his fame skyrocketed about a week and a half ago, when he responded expertly, and with astonishment, when a news presenter asked him whether the fact that three Palestinian prisoners were released for every Israeli hostage somehow indicated that Israel thinks that Israeli lives are more valuable than Palestinian lives.

Rabbi Pesach Wolicki has become one of the leading advocates for Israel in the world of Christian media. His appearances have largely been on Christian networks like TBN and CBN, which are watched by millions of viewers.

This podcast addresses some very important issues that commonly arise for those who defend Israel in the media. But the most important message applies to every listener: how you, when confronting those who castigate Israel, can become an effective spokesperson on behalf of the State of Israel.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Read the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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Many believe that the events of October 7th and their aftermath will lead to a major realignment in many aspects of Israeli and Jewish life. One of the most acute and obvious is the issue of ultra-orthodox deferments from the Israeli military. These deferments are granted based on the assumption that the Torah study in yeshivot is a vital part of the war effort, and on a metaphysical level is a major reason (and perhaps the major reason) for the Israeli army's success.

But is this based on an accurate reading of the sources? Can a modern state rely on metaphysical reasoning when making policy? And crucially, is it simply unfair for a large segment of the population to avoid putting lives at risk while other segments are on the front lines, fighting - and sometimes dying - for the sake of the people of Israel?

Michael Eisenberg has argued that the long-term health of the State of Israel demands that the  Chareidi population be integrated into economy in general, and into the military in particular. Rabbi Yehoshua Hershberg, in turn, asserts that the Chareidi reading of these Torah sources is, frankly, mistaken - and that a genuine respect for Torah and Torah scholars requires that we read them in a more sophisticated fashion.

Listen in as Scott and Rabbi Hershberg discuss the Torah texts that are used to justify ultra-orthodox deferments, and as Scott and Michael talk about the economic and social impact of continuing as things are today.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Read the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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The events of the past six weeks - the massacre on October 7th, the kidnappings, the sudden sense of insecurity within Israel - alongside the almost immediate and massive increase in antisemitism around the world, and open calls for the end of the State of Israel in ways that we have never experienced before - have thrown many Jews for a tailspin. Many people have expressed a desire to increase their religious devotion,  while others have questioned God and wondered how He could have let this happen.

Asking these questions is not a religious problem, but a vital religious necessity. Our greatest exemplars in Tanach regularly asked these questions; there are whole books, like Iyov and Eicha, that are dedicated to what we would now consider philosophical questions. Pretending that these questions don't exist is often a sign of religious superficiality. 

On the other hand, asking questions is far from easy, because we may not like the answers that we find. People who choose faith and who are also troubled by the problem of evil in the world and God's apparently hidden presence, sometimes need chizuk - that is, encouragement and practical methods so that they can live with the unanswerable questions while moving forward in their commitment to God and Torah.

In order to facilitate this important conversation, Scott was honored to host Rabbanit Shayna Goldberg and Rabbi Johnny Solomon. Over the course of their conversation, they talked about hester panim, or God's hiding His face, the meaning of the Talmudic dictum that everything God does is for the good, the proper type of introspection in the wake of tragedy, the meaning of bitachon or trust in God (and what it should not mean), practical methods to help people hold on to faith, and more. 

This is not a detached philosophical analysis of theodicy. Instead, it is a religious conversation designed to help people who are troubled by current events, but who plan to maintain their faith, find ways to move forward without sacrificing their intellectual honesty.

(While Rabbi Solomon referenced Chapter 2 Halacha 4 of Rambam's Hilchot Ta'aniyot as speaking about war - in contrast to Chapter 1 which speaks about other troubles ('tzarot') - he wanted to add that this point is made even clearer in Chapter 2 Halacha 3.)

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Read the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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Two months ago, on September 8th, Scott recorded an interview with Dr. Micah Goodman about Sefer Devarim, the Book of Deuteronomy. The interview was fascinating, both because of the theological insights that Micah provided, and also because of the way that he was able to relate Moshe's words to current events in the State of Israel. 

The terrible Hamas massacre of October 7th has changed everything - and Micah Goodman's insights in this interview are now more relevant than ever. He sees Moshe's words in Sefer Devarim as the primary guide for what Israel needs to do in order to stay in our land and create the kind of society that God wants us to create. As many of us, for the first time in decades, have come to the realization that our hold on the Land of Israel is not unconditional and not free, we also recognize that we need to think about the values that drive Israeli policy in order that Israel remain worthy of the sacrifices that so many have made on her behalf.

With that in mind, please listen to this conversation and consider not only what we want Israel to be, but what Moshe Rabbeinu, our teacher Moses, said that Israel has to be.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Read the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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This is a rush-release bonus episode of the Orthodox Conundrum, to help us all get to the bottom of what happened yesterday at the military detention center at Sdei Teiman. 

We will learn what the nine arrested soldiers were accused of, the manner that they were arrested, and the reason for the protests of numerous right-wing members of Knesset. What does it mean, and why should you care? What is the rationale of those who decry the arrests, and is there validity to their complaints? What does this episode say (if anything) about Israeli society, and are there lessons that can be drawn which we dare not ignore?

Join Scott and Daniel Goldman for a difficult but important conversation about what Sdei Teiman means, and what we should do about it.

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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Everyone who listens to this podcast has heard about the waves of antisemitism that have been engulfing the world ever since October 7th; I'm sure that many people who listen have also experienced some of that antisemitism first hand. There is something so fundamentally Orwellian when the reaction to the slaughter of 1400 innocent people and the kidnapping of about 250 hostages is to demonstrate against the victims of the massacre. And that was before Israel responded; now that Israel is defending itself against Hamas in Gaza, the canards about Israeli ethnic cleansing and genocide against the Palestinians have only become louder and more insistent.

Until now, the words we say at the Pesach seder sometimes seemed like a remnant from the past. No longer. 

This promise is what stood by our ancestors and us. For not just one enemy alone rose against us to destroy us, but in every generations enemies rise against us to destroy us; and the Holy One, Blessed is He, saves us from their hand.

These words sound not only like history, but also like prophecy.

To discuss this rise in antisemitism, I was honored to speak with Avital Chizhik Goldschmidt. We talked about the reasons that the epicenter seems to be on elite college campuses, the ways that these antisemitic protests are different from others in recent years, some of the questions she has received as a rebbetzin, including whether a mother can buy a cross for her son to wear when he is with non-Jews, the conflation of antisemitism and Islamophobia, whether the new antisemitism represents a loud but fringe phenomenon or whether it's representative of a significant sector of the population, the problem of celebrities with massive influence being weighing in on matters about which they know less than they think, what Jewish people should do in response to antisemitism, and much more.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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There are so many questions about where the State of Israel is heading after this war, and so many puzzles about how we ended up in such a precarious position in the first place. We are rightly proud of the sense of unity that we are currently experiencing; but we cannot let it blind us to the reality that things have to change in the future in order to make sure that Israel is not again lulled into a false sense of security.

In this episode, Scott spoke with Yaakov Katz, senior fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute and a former editor of the Jerusalem Post. Among the important topics that they addressed are what failures led to the massacre on October 7th, what was Hamas's expectation at the time, whether the protests around judicial reform contributed to the security failures, why it has taken so long for a ground invasion to begin, when to believe the government and when to wonder if they are intentionally trying to mislead Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran, why so many in the government have been strangely quiet for the past three weeks, what the current crisis has in common with the tragedy in Meron two and a half years ago, what may happen with Israel's political system when the war is over, why this may present a unique opportunity for change, and more.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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Israel's war against Hamas has brought the Jewish people together in ways many of us have never before experienced. It also has brought new halachic and hashkafic challenges to light that, as religious Jews, we are obligated to address.

In this episode, Scott spoke to Rav Yoni Rosensweig about some of these challenges, including the right and wrong way to engage in self-reflection, what sorts of actions we can all be doing now in order to help the war effort and ourselves, the ways that we should face the fact that this seems like a time of hester panim, of G-d's hiding His face, and how we should face our fears in a healthy and Jewish way. Rav Yoni also discussed numerous halachic queries, including questions regarding using phones on Shabbat, the idea of a soldier writing a document to avoid his wife's (G-d forbid) becoming an aguna, the kashrut of food sent to the front from unknown sources, and more.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Click here to listen to Dr. Matthew Levitt's excellent podcast, Breaking Hezbollah's Golden Rule.

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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After ten days of war in Israel, Scott talks about the Jewish People, the Divine Presence, people who are emulating the wicked son from the Pesach Seder, why Jews Who Matter need to read the Book of Esther, meaningful support from wonderful people who are not Jewish, and more.

It might be disorganized, and it might seem random... but maybe that's the most honest kind of podcast after the events of the past week.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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There are so many questions, and people want to know what's actually happening.

In this special rush-released episode of the Orthodox Conundrum, Scott speaks with Dr. Matthew Levitt about Israel's war against Hamas. Among the issues they discuss are why Hamas decided to commit these atrocities now, what Hamas expected to occur and what actually took place, whether Hamas anticipated Israel's full response, the possibility of a multi-front war, if Jews should be concerned about Khaled Mashal's call for Muslims to demonstrate across the world on October 13th, whether it's possible to fully eliminate Hamas, and more.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Read Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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One of the most difficult issues facing Modern or Centrist Orthodox Jews today is the question of how to increase and encourage the participation of more women in leadership roles, while also working within the halachic parameters that set limits on how extensive those leadership roles are allowed to be. When we add two thousand years of socialization where women's leadership was quite rare, along with the reality that advanced Torah education for women is a relatively new phenomenon, we should not be surprised that there is a very real glass ceiling that cannot easily be broken.

Joanne Greenaway encourages women to assume leadership positions both for their own sake, and for the betterment of the wider Orthodox world. In her role as the Chief Executive of the London School of Jewish Studies, one of the United Kingdom's oldest and most venerated Jewish institutions, and as the Director of Get Cases at the London Beit Din, she has simultaneously learned how to work within existing institutions, while challenging the status quo when necessary. Joanne and Scott discussed the necessity of diverse leadership in general and female leadership in particular, and addressed the fact that women are necessarily limited by Jewish law in terms of what roles they are allowed to fill, and what titles they are allowed to assume. They also talked about the halachic category of "serara" and how she understands it, how halachic authorities work in tandem with social realities, the problem of women having their motivations questioned, the need for male allies and her hopes for the future. Most apparent, however, was her evident optimism, looking at the many opportunities available rather than at the potential limitations, and believing that the future for Jewish women is bright indeed.

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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For the past two thousand years, Torah observant Jews have acknowledged that our greatest scholars deserve respect, and have an extraordinarily deep and broad understanding of the vast sea of the Torah sheba'al peh, the Oral Law. In recent times, however, proper respect for talmidei chachamim has often morphed into a pseudo-idolatry of gedolim, where they are seen not just as great experts in Torah, but also as oracles who are, for all intents and purposes, close to infallible.

There's no question that most people who ascribe to this kind of "gadol worship" would deny that these scholars are infallible, or that the term gadol worship is appropriate, or that their attitudes towards gedolim are new. But to many of us, it seems apparent that this is an historical anomaly, and a huge change from the way that things used to be - and the consequences are potentially dire.

Rav Yitzchak Shurin had a very close relationship with a gadol of the last century - his revered grandfather, Rav Yaakov Kamenetzky zt"l. Rav Shurin has had strong personal relationships with other gedolei Torah as well, and has also witnessed how things have changed over the past half century. There are few people more well-equipped to discuss the phenomenon of over-the-top reverence of gedolim than Rav Shurin, and Scott was honored that he agreed to share his perspectives on today's podcast.

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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68 years ago, Rav Soloveitchik zt'l identified the timidity of Orthodox Jews as representing a failure to respond to the miracle of renewed Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel. Today, tragically, we seem to have the opposite problem. In 2024, Israel has a religious establishment which has completely lost its sense of shame, and is not only involved in nepotism alongside a lust for money and power, but barely even tries to hide it. 

To put it bluntly: it's almost unimaginable that someone would look at the Chief Rabbinate - the most visible arm of Israel's institutional religious status quo - see its behavior, and be impressed with Torah Judaism. That failure is a textbook example of desecration of the divine name. If God has given us the State of Israel as a miraculous gift, we need to respond to that gift in a way that sanctifies the name of heaven. At the moment, our religious establishment is doing nothing of the sort.

And it matters - both to Jews in Israel and to Jews across the world. The decline and fall of the Chief Rabbinate has been especially apparent over the past few weeks, and it's a story worth talking about - so that maybe, with enough of an outcry, we can help to inspire some change. 

Rabbi Seth Farber has been working for years to make the Chief Rabbinate live up to Torah ideals, and he has become an expert on its inner workings. It was an honor for Scott to speak with him about the recent events that have taken place, and what needs to be done moving forward.

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Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

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Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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This podcast is dedicated לעילוי נשמת אלעזר בן ישראל, a man who accepted the vicissitudes of life with a simple and pure faith.

What does it mean to believe in God?

This question is absolutely fundamental to Jewish life and living - yet many people feel uncomfortable discussing God at all. In our educational institutions, we often have a broad curriculum that includes subjects such as Talmud, Chumash, Nach, Halacha, and more - but questions in emunah are frequently shunted aside or ignored altogether.

On the other hand, even if a school wanted to emphasize a curriculum that gives pride of place to faith in God, what, exactly, would that look like? How shall educators teach faith, or foster faith, in students? How much is faith the result of experience, and what can be taught in a classroom setting?

Why do people develop a crisis in faith, and what is the most appropriate way to address it? Are there ways for believers to overcome their doubts, and should they even try? And what is the best way to respond to someone who says that he or she does not believe in God - but they wish that they could?

These questions are crucial for any Jewish person, and Scott was honored to speak to Rabbi David Aaron to discuss these questions and many more.

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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When you learn Torah, do you consider yourself to be in dialogue with Chazal? 

According to Scott's guest, Simi Peters, a key element of learning midrash aggadah is being able to become participants in a conversation that began thousands of years ago and continues today. But in order to do so, we need to become students of midrash: learning how to approach it, understanding both the methodologies Chazal used and why they conveyed their messages in that way, and adopting effective methods in order to interpret midrashim in a manner that enables us to truly engage with the text, so that we accurately interpret the messages that our Sages are trying to transmit.

Scott and Simi talked about the definition of midrash and the importance of studying midrashim, why Chazal composed midrashim in the manner that they did, whether Chazal intended for midrashim to be taken literally and to be representative of, so to speak, "what actually happened," the difference between pshat and drash and parshanut and darshanut, how our Sages understood Biblical language, the different methods Chazal use in midrashim, and more. Additionally, Simi offered methodologies that we can use in order to understand midrashim, and she gave some examples of midrashim and what to look for in order to interpret them properly.

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

For Zev Brenner's interview with Scott on Talkline Radio go to https://www.youtube.com/live/M0l_0XA68bQ?feature=shared.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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Scott recorded this interview with Dr. Noam Weissman on Monday afternoon, the day after we learned about the terrible execution of six hostages soon before they were discovered by the IDF, presumably in order to make sure that they did not make it back home alive. And today, Hamas continued its psychological torture by saying that it will release video of these six victims. The pure, unbridled evil implicit in these acts and so many others is a reminder of the existential battle that Israel is involved in every day against not just an enemy, but an enemy that advocates the elimination of the State of Israel and the extermination of its Jewish population.

Alongside this we continue to experience the terrible disconnect that comes from seeing the way that Israel is often treated in standard media, the denunciations of Israel across social media, and the protests denouncing Israel and supporting Hezbollah and Hamas taking place throughout the globe. The side-by-side comparison of our experience as supporters of Israel who are collectively in a type of mourning, and the demonization of Israel as a genocidal state that is the epitome of evil, makes the enterprise of Israel education in our schools more important than ever before.

In order to discuss how our schools should be approaching Israel education, Scott was honored to speak with Dr. Noam Weissman. Noam offered some truly fascinating insights into the ways that we should and should not teach about Israel, as well as the consequences of avoiding Israel education altogether. It was an enlightening and entertaining talk, and it may forever change the way you view Israel education.

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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Many people often talk about addiction and dependence; and in doing so, they may use those terms inexactly. When it comes to gambling, however, those words are, unfortunately, correct. Problem gambling is a growing problem in the United States - particularly online gambling, which has been growing exponentially since the Supreme Court decided, in 2018, that the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act violated the Tenth Amendment of the Constitution. This in turn meant that states, rather than the federal government, would determine whether online sports betting would be legal. Since then, 38 states and the District of Columbia have legalized some form of sports betting, and 30 of those states permit online betting. 

Naturally, there has been an explosion in the amount of money wagered online. According to Forbes, $119.84 billion was spent on sports betting in the United States in 2023, a 27.5% increase from 2022.

And this is often not innocuous fun. This past February, the Wall Street Journal posted an article by Katherine Sayre entitled, "A Psychiatrist Tried to Quit Gambling. Betting Apps Kept Her Hooked." The article told the story of Dr. Kavita Fischer, a former high school valedictorian who recently lost half a million dollars in online betting apps. At one point she even made it all back, going from $750 to $500,000 over six days… and even though logically she knew that she should have stopped then to pay off her massive debts, she simply couldn't; a day later she had lost almost all of it again. In her words, "There was just something in my brain that made me keep going." Even more problematic is that the online betting app that she used would entice her to keep going by giving bonus money in order to get her back in when she was on a losing streak. Again in her words, "I would have stopped a long time ago. Those VIP bonuses would get me back in."

The Orthodox world is far from immune to the problems of extreme gambling. In fact, according to Dr. Rivka Schwartz, a higher percentage of Modern Orthodox adolescents gamble than their age equivalents in the general population.

We are generally ignoring a problem that is going to grow significantly bigger in the near future, and Scott was honored to speak to Dr. Schwartz to learn more. They talked about the difference between gambling dependence and the so-called addiction to porn or the internet, the history of gambling in the United States and what has changed in the recent past, the data she has accumulated regarding Modern Orthodox high school students and gambling, the problems that parents and educators have in explaining why this is a potential problem, what can be done if someone has a gambling problem and how to determine if someone has developed a gambling addiction, and much more.

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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We stand in the middle of the month of Elul, and are moving quickly towards Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur - days largely spent in the synagogue in prayer. Throughout those days as well as the rest of the Ten Days of Repentance, we ask that God grant us a year of life, goodness, and peace. While we have so much to be thankful for, we may be forgiven for looking at the past year - and the prayers we offered last Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur - and wondering if our prayers failed. We may even wonder what the point of the entire exercise was.

Put starkly: does prayer work - and if it does, what does that mean?

To understand the place of prayer in Jewish religious consciousness, Scott spoke to Rabbi Dr. Raphael Zarum, who was a popular guest on this podcast right before Pesach. They talked about the definition of prayer, whether it can actually change God's mind, what it means for a prayer to be successful, why praying for someone else is important, the ways that prayer can teach us about Jewish theology, how prayer can support faith, and more. They even analyzed a scene from the comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm which attacks the very idea of praying for another person, and talked about the response to Larry David's criticisms of the institution of prayer.

Rabbi Zarum's approach is Maimonidean and rationalist, though he is quick to acknowledge the place of mystical thought and emotions in his own spiritual life. This is a specific approach to prayer, though certainly not the only one; we hope and anticipate that you will find it interesting, important, and inspiring.

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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One of the beautiful aspects of Torah Judaism is its insistence on eilu v'eilu divrei Elokim chayim - that two different and even potentially contradictory approaches can both represent the words of the living God. Opening our minds to differing ways of seeing Torah - that, in the words of many ancient texts, there are seventy facets to the Torah, and accordingly endless ways of explaining its ideas - is not merely a theological truth, but also a mandate. By accepting that, in the words of Rav Soloveitchik, "The white light of divinity is always refracted through reality's 'dome of many-colored glass,'" we demonstrate the greatness of Torah. In contrast, when we insist that there is only one appropriate way to understand Judaism, we make Torah, Judaism, and even God smaller than they really are.

Last week, Scott was honored to interview Rabbi Dr. Raphael Zarum, Dean of the London School of Jewish Studies, to discuss what happens when we pray. The conversation was fascinating and inspiring, and many people reached out to complement Rabbi Zarum on his meaningful and clear presentation.

With that in mind, we were excited to record a follow-up episode that offers a different perspective on Jewish prayer. Rabbi Zarum's approach broadly fits within the rationalist tradition of Judaism; his theology is clearly and openly influenced by Maimonides. Scott's guest today, Rabbi Dovid'l Weinberg, has a more mystical, Kabbalistic, and Chassidic point of view. Dovid'l talked about many aspects of prayer, including the fascinating idea that just as God used, according to the Kabbalists, the Hebrew letters in order to create and sustain the universe, those who really know how to pray correctly use those same letters to reorganize the world into something different. That was only one idea among the many concepts, both theoretical and extremely personal, that Dovid'l presented.

We hope that by learning about two different yet complementary approaches to tefilah, you will gain a greater appreciation for what prayer is and can be, and perhaps even start to develop your own unique approach that offers you even greater spiritual sustenance.

To make a tax deductible donation to provide soldiers with life saving equipment, click on this link; make sure to include "Doniel Pell Sayeret Tzanchanim Unit 20" in your comment.

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

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Later this week we will celebrate Rosh Hashanah, also known as the Day of Remembrance, Yom HaZikaron. According to Chazal, Hashem (so to speak) remembers us on this day for the good… and we, too, should look at those people who set sterling examples for us over the past year, and try to learn from their deeply meaningful lives. One of those people whose life was exemplary was Gavriel Bloom, zichrono livracha. 

Gavriel was killed on January 8th during a mission in central Gaza. He was the second of David and Jennifer Bloom's six children. 

David wrote up a series of remembrances and lessons that we all can learn from Gavriel's life. This episode begins with David's reading the words that he composed. After that, David and Scott have a conversation about Gavriel. They also delve into some serious and painful social topics, such as the general ultra-Orthodox refusal to serve in the IDF, as well as other very troubling trends involving common Chareidi attitudes towards the people of Israel as a whole.

Rosh Hashanah is a time to reflect on the past year - which has unquestionably been one of the most fraught and difficult years that many of us have ever experienced. We are honored that David was generous enough to share his thoughts and memories of Gavriel with us. There could not be a more meaningful way to go into this coming Rosh Hashanah.

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com