18Forty Podcast
Jul 19, 2020
Comedy Conclusion
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As we live through the ups and downs of life, laughter begins to play an invaluable role in our mental well-being. Perhaps comedy can provide a helpful lens through which to view the sometimes stressful responsibilities of our life.
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5 days ago
Dovid'l Weinberg: The Song of Prayer [Prayer & Humanity 2/5]
*This episode is sponsored in memory of Rabbi Eliezer Skaist, HaRav Eliezer Daniel ben HaRav Eliyahu Dovid A"H, by his family.*
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*In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Dovid'l Weinberg—a rabbi, educator, musician, poet, and author—about the wide range of modes and levels of prayer.
Rav Dovid’l speaks with us about how prayer can be our bridge between our lonely place in the world and God’s omnipresence. In this episode we discuss:*
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* What is the relationship between Creation and prayer?
* How does communication between people relate to our communication with the Divine?
* If it often doesn’t seem to affect very much, why does prayer matter?Tune in to hear a conversation about how finite humans seek to speak with an infinite God.
Interview begins at 10:24.
Rav Dovid'l Weinberg is an educator, musician, poet, and author. Rav Dovid’l teaches as a Ra’am in Yeshivat Orayta; is the Rosh Kollel of Camp HASC's Kollel Toras Chesed; is a co-founder of The Mishna Project, an educational tool which aids the memorization of mishnayos through music; played guitar for the band Omek Hadavar; and writes his own music. He is the author of Birth of the Spoken Word: Personal Prayer as the Goal of Creation and the recently published Reflections on Oros HaTorah.
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References:*
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“Only You” by Dovid'l Weinberg
The Lonely Man of Faith by Joseph B. Soloveitchik*
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Birth of the Spoken Word: Personal Prayer as the Goal of Creation by Dovid'l Weinberg.
Pirkei Avot*
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Genesis*
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Chiddushei Rabbeinu Chaim Halevi Gilyonos Chazon Ish by Chaim Brisker and Chazon Ish*
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Halakhic Man by Joseph B. Soloveitchik*
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Worship of the Heart: Essays on Jewish Prayer by Joseph B. Soloveitchik*
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Rav Schwab on Prayer by Shimon Schwab*
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Siddur Tehillat Hashem*
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Sichot HaRan by Rebbe Nachman of Breslov*
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To Have or To Be? by Erich Fromm*
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Berogez Racheim Tizkor by David Bashevkin*
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Olat Reiyah by Rav Kook*
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A Call to the Infinite by Aryeh Kaplan*
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Chassidus Mevueres - Avodas Hatefillah by Schneur Zalman of Liadi*
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Tikkun HaKlali by Rebbe Nachman*
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Reflections on Oros HaTorah by Dovid'l Weinberg*
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Shemoneh Esrei: Exploring the Fundamentals of Faith through the Amida Prayer by Ezra Bick
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May 22, 2023
Samuel Lebens: The Hard Problem of Prayer [Prayer & Humanity 1/5]
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Samuel Lebens—a philosophy professor, rabbi, and Jewish educator—about the nature of consciousness.
At a time when artificial intelligence can make us question what it even is that makes humans unique, we look deeply into our ability to have personal experiences and turn them into new ideas. In this episode, we discuss with Sam: *
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* Why do we each have a subjective consciousness?
* What is the relationship between prayer and our lives?
* What is the “Turing test,” and how does it relate to prayer?Tune in to hear a conversation about how consciousness gives us the ability to transform words into prayer, to “sing a new song.”
Interview begins at 31:28.
Rabbi Dr. Samuel Lebens is an associate professor in the philosophy department at the University of Haifa, as well as a rabbi and Jewish educator. Samuel holds a PhD in philosophy from Birkbeck College (University of London), and his academic interests cover the philosophy of religion, metaphysics, epistemology, and the philosophy of language. Samuel teaches at the Drisha Institute for Jewish Education and the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies. Samuel’s most recent book, of several, is A Guide for the Jewish Undecided, groundbreaking work has an engaging style that makes it accessible to all readers, while not losing the clarity and rigor characteristic of analytic philosophy. Samuel’s first book was a study of Bertrand Russell’s dynamic theories about the nature of meaning. Samuel previously joined us to talk about rationality and mysticism.
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References:
*Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R. Hofstadter
Galileo's Error: Foundations for a New Science of Consciousness by Philip Goff
“Perpetual Prophecy: An Intellectual Tribute to Reb Zadok Ha-Kohen of Lublin on His 110th Yahrzeit” by David Bashevkin
Being John Malkovich
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Anomalisa
Netivot Olam by the Maharal of Prague
Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion by Sam Harris
Rupture and Reconstruction: The Transformation of Contemporary Orthodoxy by Haym Soloveitchik
“God and his imaginary friends: a Hassidic metaphysics” by Samuel Lebens
2001: A Space Odyssey
“A Conversation With Bing’s Chatbot Left Me Deeply Unsettled” by Kevin Roose
The Most Human Human: What Talking with Computers Teaches Us About What It Means to Be Alive by Brian Christian
Shemot Rabbah
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May 15, 2023
The How and Why of Moving to Israel [Zionism 4/4]
*This series is sponsored by Unpacking Israeli History.*
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*This episode is sponsored by Daf Yomi with Shaul C. Greenwald, a fast-moving energetic daf shiur, delivered with clarity and intensity.
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**In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to a series of guests who have made aliyah about the practical factors involved with building a life in Israel.
Serena Benovitz, Chana Berkowitz, Yehoshua Fass, Edo Lavi, and Ahron Levi shed light on the nuances and complexities involved in moving to Israel, though for many of us, the mere thought of uprooting our lives and going to an unfamiliar place is intimidating enough. In this episode we discuss:
* What inspires people to leave their homes and begin anew in Israel?
* What are the difficulties that come with making aliyah?
* What does the process of moving to Israel generally involve?Tune in to hear a conversation about what is unique about deciding to lead a Jewish life in the Jewish state.
Serena Benovitz Interview: 11:58
Chana Berkowitz Interview 37:17
Yehoshua Fass Interview: 43:27
Edo Lavi Interview: 1:40:10
Ahron Levi Interview: 2:08:18
Aliyah—the "pilgrimage" of moving to Israel that literally translates to "ascent"—is a multi-layered subject. We are joined by Rabbi Yehoshua Fass of Nefesh B'Nefesh to break it down.
Rabbi Yehoshua Fass is Co-Founder of Nefesh B’Nefesh and has served as the organization’s Executive Director since 2002. After receiving his rabbinic ordination and degrees in biology and education from Yeshiva University, Rabbi Fass assumed the position of Associate Rabbi of the Boca Raton Synagogue of Florida and served as a member of the Beit Din of the Orthodox Rabbinical Council.
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This episode is sponsored by Daf Yomi with Shaul C. Greenwald, a fast-moving energetic daf shiur, delivered with clarity and intensity. The shiur moves swiftly through the daf, while still managing to explain well the difficult portions of the sugya. The shiur is available daily on all podcast platforms, All Daf, and on Torah Anytime.
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***References:
*The Koren Mahzor for Yom Haatzma'ut and Yom Yerushalayim by Jonathan Sacks
Genesis 12
Nefesh B’Nefesh
Tzidkas HaTzadik
Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
הארץ אשר אראך by Rabbi Shnayor Burton*
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