Explore every episode of the podcast The Kotzk Podcast

This article explores how Cairo Geniza documents may demonstrate how two opposing Jewish factions sought Islamic religious edicts (Fatwas) to settle internal theological debates, during the 13th century. (Kotzk Blog 546)

This article examines the claim of "cutting-edge academic research into psychedelics" as often touted by psychedelic adherents; and suggests we may be witnessing the birth of a new Jewish spiritual movement, already known as "Chassidelics." (Kotzk blog 545)

This article discusses the increasingly widespread use of alcohol and psychedelics in our communities (Kotzk Blog 544)(http://kotzkblog.com)

The first Chassidic book appeared in 1780, two decades after the Baal Shem Tov’s passing. What, then, was the nature and content of the abundant manuscripts produced in that interim? (Kotzk Blog 543)

This article examines how Zoharic Kabbalah may be read as a detailed mystical response to Christian polemics and persecutions. (Kotzk blog 542)

This episode examines how the race to publish first, often shaped the scholarly priorities and study material of future generations. (Kotzk Blog 540)

This episode looks at the resurgence of interest in Reb Shayele of Kerestir who had emerged the de facto protector of thieves and swindlers. (Kotzk Blog 539)

This episode—drawing extensively on the research of ProfessorEmanuel Tov, former Editor-in-Chief of the Dead Sea Scrolls Publication Project[1]—examinesthe rabbinic rules for writing a Sefer Torah. (Kotzk Blog 538)

This podcast explores an interesting idea known as Halachic fiction, that may have become a legal methodology in recent times (Kotzk Blog 536)

Was Judaism enriched by the radical thought of Maimonides, or narrowed by the conservative pragmatism of Yeshaya di Trani? (Kotzk Blog 535)

Did the early rabbinic tradition understand the Seven Laws of Noah as a model for a universal religion for non-Jews? (Kotzk Blog 533)

This episode explores the shifting cosmologies surrounding the mezuzah from Talmudic times to this day. (Kotzk Blog 534)

Part II now turns the focus on its head and examines, theoretically, how Maimonides might view contemporary Judaism as we know it. (kotzk Blog 532)

This episode examines how Maimonides was viewed by the rabbinic world (Part I), and how, in turn, Judaism as we know it today might (theoretically) be viewed by Maimonides (Part II). This creates a ‘dialogue of vision. (Kotzk Blog 531)

How early layers of text from the Zohar and Bahir may shed light on the authorship, milieu, geography and dating of these two fundamental mystical works. (Kotzk blog 530)

Is it possible that Maimonides (1138-1204) had an unspokenmentor who has been largely overlooked by history? This ‘mentor’ may have been the twelfth-century philosopher, translator, and historian Avraham Ibn Daud (c. 1110–1180). “[H]istory has been rather unkind” (Fontaine 2023:1) to Avraham Ibn Daud. Yet, it seems that Maimonides was not the first to engage with Arabic Aristotelian rationalists, because just decades before,  Avraham Ibn Daud emergedas the pioneering rabbinic thinker who made: 

“the first attempt to integratethe teachings of the Muslim Aristotelians into a Jewish philosophic theology”(Fontaine 2007-8:23). 

(Kotzk Blog: 529)

In this episode: It’s commonly assumed that Jewish belief in G-d has remained consistent throughout history. In truth, Jewish perceptions of the have been strikingly diverse, shaped and reshaped across centuries, cultures, and theological currents.

(Kotzk Blog: 528)

This episode explores the intellectual legacy of Abu Ya'qub Isḥāq ibn Sulaymān al-Israeli—also known as Yitzchak ben Shlomo haYisraeli (c.855–c.955)—a pioneering yet largely overlooked figure in early Medieval Jewish philosophy. Through a counterintuitive comparison between Yitzchak haYisraeli’s tenth-century philosophical writings and contemporary *Chassidic* thought rooted in *Kabbalah*, the study reveals an unexpected conceptual convergence between the two thought systems. (Kotzk Blog: 527)

Kotzk Podcast 068: Tashlich, water and 'bribing' demons (Kotzk blog 525)

texts, of demons and spirits inhabiting bodies of water, and how they can be manipulated by knowledgeable practitioners. These texts may relate to the notion of Tashlich originally being instituted to bribe the Satan into not revealing human sins before G-d.

Radical Rabbinic models of universalism (Kotzk blog 523)

This episode explores four radical rabbinic approaches to universalism from the sixteenth century to R. Adin Steinsaltz.

Editing Jewish texts: Between reverence and revision (Kotzk blog 524)

This episode examines how Isaac Benjacob's edition of 'Shem haGedolim' by the Chida, completely reworks the ethos of the original work. Benjacob's editorial methodology is then highlighted against that of Maimonides.

Italian letters: The battle over the Zohar (Kotzk Blog 522)

This episode explores the recently translated - and highly charged - correspondence between two nineteenth century Italian rabbis on the authenticity and importance of the Zohar.

Confronting or Escaping? -Beyond the "Back of the Wagon of the Baal Shem Kotzk Blog 521

This episode challenges the widespread belief that the Baal Shem Tov offered a straightforward, one-step path to joy. Rather than promoting effortless happiness, he appears to have called for profound and often unsettling introspection—urging individuals to confront their deepest fears and vulnerabilities. Joy, in his view, was not guaranteed, but perhaps only attainable through a rigorous inner journey.

'Creating' sacred sites: Who is buried there, and does it matter? (Kotzk Blog: 520)

This episode examines the sometimes-spontaneous emergence of burial sites attributed to Sages and biblical figures, raising the question of whether historical accuracy should play a role in how such sacred spaces are recognized.

When rabbis dared to challenge the Divine: The case of Midrash Tehillim (Kotzk Blog: 519)

This episode—based extensively on the research by Professor Dov Weiss[1]— examines the rise and decline of rabbinic protest theology. It looks at the audacious attempts by some Mishnaic rabbis to defy a general ethos of protest prohibition, particularly upheld by the schools of R. Akiva and R. Elazar. By tracing the gradual evolution of rabbinic protest theology through the Talmudic period to its peak in post-Talmudic times, Weiss maps a distinct theological arc that eventually waned and merged into modern times as a subdued tradition.

Messianic Immunity—The Perfect Storm: The case of R.

This episode—based extensively on the research by Professor Abraham Ofir Shemesh(1) examines an extreme case of messianic immunity. In the sixteenth century, a medical doctor, haRofeh, under the influence of the *Sabbatian* messianic movement of Shabbatai Tzvi, felt he could administer harmful drugs to non-Jews in order to kill them. Because he believed he was living in the stirrings of the messianic era, he also believed he could do so with impunity—if not hasten the full awakening of the messianic age as he saw it unfolding before his very eyes.

A historical context to Midrashim (Kotzk blog 517)

This episode—based extensively on the research by Professor Gary Porton [1](https://d.docs.live.net/cf7c519617ad128d/Documents/KOTZK%20BLOG%20517.docx#_ftn1) — investigates the historical conditions that may have fostered the complex and often elusive evolution of *Midrash*. *Midrashim* are the creative and often fanciful interpretations of the biblical text that dramatically expand its plain meaning. While some adopt a literal approach to the interpretation of *Midrashim,* others opt for an allegorical methodology. Based on a reading of *Talmudic* texts, Porton suggests a more diachronic or historical approach based on how and where *Midrashim* were first taught.

When Midrash is too much for the Midrash (Kotzk blog 516)This episode—based extensively on the research by Rabbi Dr Zvi Ron—examines various Midrashim that have been rejected by an unofficial form of collective rabbinic consensus. These include Midrashim from lesser known sources as well as, surprisingly, those from classical Midrashic sources such as Mechilta, Sifra, Sifri, Midrash Raba and Midrash Tanchuma

Missing in Manuscript: The additional biblical verses added to the Mishna (Kotzk blog 515)

This episode—based extensively on the research by Professor Jason Kalman—examines the question of additional biblical verses, cited as proof texts added to our versions of the Mishna. Based on comparisons between our Mishna texts and their earlier manuscripts and printings, in almost twenty per cent of the cases, these scriptural citations are missing in the earlier and more original versions. This means that one out of five biblical verses, acting to compliment or support a contemporary Mishna text, is a later insertion. 

Kabbalah: From Obscurity to the Defining Essence of Judaism (Kotzk blog 514)

This episode—based extensively on the research by Professor David Malkiel—explores the thirteenth-century rise of Kabbalah in Spain and its subsequent peaking in sixteenth-century Safed. Since the Safed period, Kabbalah has come to be widely regarded as embodying the very essence and greatest depths of Judaism in the popular imagination. How did this transformation take place? Some would suggest that this is a natural progression towards messianic times. But any study of Jewish messianism shows that we have always believed we've been living in imminent messianic times. There may be additional ways of tracking the development of Kabbalah.

Secret Mystical and Chassidic societies (Kotzk blog 513)This Episode—based extensively on the research by Rabbi Dr Zvi Leshem—examines several secret mystical societies from biblical times to pre-war Europe, with a particular focus on the secretive group established by R. Kalonymus Kalmish (Kalman) Shapira of Piasecnzo (Piasetzna) (1889-1943). 

Secret mystical circles and societies are not well-known in Judaism, but they have always existed. 

This podcast - based extensively on the research by Professor Bernard Dov Cooperman[1]—explores how the Italian rabbinic world dealt with their dynamic differences in theological expression during the early Modern period (Kotzk blog 512)

This podcast—based extensively on the research by Dr Assaf Tamari[1]—examines the Zohar’s unusual depiction of the exiled Shechina (the feminine aspect of the Godhead) as a patient requiring urgent treatment. (Kotzk blog 511)

According to the Zohar, several deviant sexual activities were necessary for the Davidic messianic dynasty to emerge. This is known as ‘redemption through sin’ and is connected to the Aramaic word  Tikla used by the Zohar which refers to a spinning wheel in the sky.

Kotzk Blog: 371) ‘Tikla’ and the zoharic concept that sin can bring redemption

This podcast —based extensively on the research by Professor Eitan Fishbane[1]—examines the rabbinic notion of the authenticity of a teaching or text being reliant on the perceived authority of its transmitter or originator. In other words, the greater the rabbi the more authentic the teaching, regardless of the independent status, nature and validity of the actual teaching itself.  (Kotzk Blog 509)

The rise of contemporary Religious-Zionism (Kotzk Blog 507)
This article—based extensively on the research by Professor Yoav Peled[1]—examines the rise of the Religious Zionist movement from relative non-dominance in 1948 to a position of unquestionable hegemony in the last decades.

Reading the biblical word אות (‘sign’) in its earlier context (Kotzk Blog 506)

This episode—based extensively on the research by Professors Idan Dershowitz and Na’ama Pat-El[1]—examines possible lost meanings of the Hebrew word אות (‘ot’) which is usually simply translated and commonly understood as a ‘sign.’

The ‘Three Oaths’: Theologies of Cancellation and Resurrection (Kotzk Blog 504)

This episode– based extensively but not exclusively on the research by Professor Reuven Firestone[1] ꟷ examines the Talmudic concept ofשלוש השבועות or Three Oaths. It focuses on the theological tension between the Three Oaths, which prohibit a return to the Land of Israel until the Messiah arrives, and the desire to settle in the Land. The Three Oaths were designed to engender a non-militaristic and exilic ethos within the Jewish people after the defeats of the Bar Kochba revolts against the Romans. It also touches upon the biblical notion of מלחמת מצווה, Mitzvah or Holy War.

Sebastianism: Crossover messianism that predated Sabbatianism (Kotzk Blog 503)This Episode ꟷ based extensively on the research by Professor Matt Goldish[1] ꟷ examines the unusual notion of messianic crossover between Jews, Christians and Muslims that developed around the sixteenth century. What is even more unusual, from a Jewish perspective, is that the rabbis who participated in such enterprises were always Kabbalists and often respected Halachists as well.

Kotzk Podcast 047: Moshe haGoleh of Kiev: a critical devotee of Avraham Ibn Ezra (Kotzk Blog 502)

This episode ꟷ based extensively on the research by Professor Eric Lawee[1] ꟷ examines a little-known and somewhat neglected exegete and commentator, R. Moshe ben Yakov (1448-1520) who compiled a supper-commentary (i.e., a commentary on a commentary) based on R. Avraham Ibn Ezra (1089-1164) who had preceded him by almost four centuries. Moshe ben Yakov is also known as Moshe haGoleh (the ‘exile’) miKiev.[2] 

Kotzk Podcast 046: Were some early Spanish Kabbalists defending a Maimonidean position? (Kotzk Blog 501)

This episode ꟷ based extensively on the research by Professor Tzahi Weiss[1] ꟷ examines an interesting and unusual approach to understanding how thirteenth-century Kabbalah suddenly emerged in Provence (southern France) and Catalonia (northeastern Spain). With this emergence, there was now a rapid interest in, and wide reception of, the notion of Sefirot (Divine emanations). Although the term ‘Sefirot’ was used in the earlier mystical work of the Bahir, it suddenly took on a specific meaning in thirteenth-century Spanish Zoharic Kabbalah. 

Kotzk Podcast 045: Mining Chassidic stories for kernels of historicity (Kotzk Blog 500)

This episode ꟷ based extensively on the research by Professor Glynn Dynner[1] ꟷ examines a possible methodology to extract aspects of historical truths from the often exaggerated and venerating style of Chassidic storytelling.

This episode examines various versions of the provenance of the iconic picture of the Alter Rebbe, the first Rebbe of Chabad. It offers a critical analysis as well as a possible defence of the authenticity of the portrait. Ultimately, though, the question is left open-ended (Kotzk Blog 499)

Did the Babylonian Talmud create the authoritative rabbi and the passive Jew? (Kotzk Blog 498)

This episode – based extensively on the research by Rabbi Dr Amir Mashiach[1] − explores the emergence of the rabbinic class after the failed Jewish revolts against the Romans during the first two centuries CE. Up to that point, the rabbis did not feature in leadership positions. On assuming power immediately after the failed military campaigns and revolts, the rabbis (and the Babylonian rabbis particularly) began to intensely promote passivity as the hallmark of the Torah Jew. Too many Jews had been killed during the wars and the rabbis saw passivity as the only way forward for Jewish survival into the future

Language as incubators of theological ideas (Kotzk Blog 497)

This Episode – based extensively on the research by Professor Edward Ullendorff (1920 -2011) – examines languages as distinct incubators of theological ideas. In other words, we are going to see to what extent “different languages reflect different realities” (Ullendorff 1966:273) which, in turn, reflect different theologies; and how translations, in this case from the Hebrew of the Torah into English, can project different meanings from those of the original language. I then take this a step further and propose that sometimes the reflected theologies can impose themselves back onto the original source language, creating a double distortion. 

Kabbalah: To print or not to print the ‘lost’ mystical tradition (Kotzk Blog 496)

This article ꟷ based extensively on the research by Avraham Oriah Kelman[1] ꟷ examines the little-known crisis in Kabbalistic transmission that became evident between the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries. 

Inverted hierarchies: Humans making G-d more moral (Kotzk Blog 494) This article ꟷ based extensively on the research by Professor Dov Weiss[1] ꟷ examines how late Palestinian Midrashim, particularly the Tanchuma Yelamedeinu (fourth to ninth centuries CE), depict humans challenging G-d over morally problematic issues expressed in the Torah. In these cases, biblical figures are audaciously portrayed as both teaching and counselling G-d, as it were, convincing Him to adopt a more moral and ethical approach. The Midrashic work, Tanchuma Yelamedeinu exhibits about fifty examples of humans making G-d ‘more moral.’ 

Carrying on Shabbat: From Jeremiah to the Mishna (Kotzk blog 493)

This episode ꟷ based extensively on the research by Professor Alex P. Jassen[1] ꟷ examines how four pre-Mishnaic texts show evidence of the origin and expansion of the prohibition against carrying on Shabbat. The specific textual prohibition against carrying on Shabbat first begins with Yirmiyahu’s (Jeremiah’s) prohibition against carrying a ‘load’ (מַשָּׂא֙, massa), for trade and commercial purposes, and only in Jerusalem. It then underwent a process of expansion during Second Temple times as it passed through the four texts of Nechemiah (Nehemiah), the Book of Jubilees, the Dead Sea Scrolls and finally became the Mishna’s general Halachic prohibition, as we know it today, against carrying ‘anything’ to or from ‘any’ domain. We shall trace and map this textual progression. Our focus is on the textual trail, as the oral tradition (which we briefly discuss at the conclusion) is not possible to track in the same way.

Are Halachic rulings (Piskei Halacha) open to critical analysis or do they represent Divine Will? (Kotzk Blog 492) This episod – based extensively on the research by Professor Adiel Schremer[1] − takes an in-depth and forthright look at the sometimes mysterious process of Halachic decision-making as practised by the Posek (Halachic judge or decisor). The Torah teaches that if any matter of law shall arise in the future that is too difficult for people to determine by themselves, then they must approach the “judge who shall be in those days” (Deut. 17:8-11) for adjudication:

A source trail defending the Baal haTanya’s definition of the soul as ‘a part of G-d’ (Kotzk Blog 491)

Sunday 27 October 2024491) A source trail defending the Baal haTanya’s definition of the soul as ‘a part of G-d’

This podcast based extensively on the research by Rabbi Dr Louis Jacobs (1920-2006)[1] − traces possible sources that the author of the Tanya, R. Schneur Zalman of Liadi, also known as the Baal haTanya (1745-1812), may have used, to formulate what is sometimes described as his ‘controversial’ definition of a soul being an actual ‘part’ of G-d

Signature of the Lubavitcher Rebbe in a copy of the Tanya in 1979