18Forty Podcast
Jul 26, 2020
Biblical Criticism Intro
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David explains how, despite his initial apprehensiveness towards the topic, he has come to appreciate the different approaches to Biblical criticism offered by this month’s three guests: Joshua Berman, Gil Student, and Sara Susswein Tesler. For more, visit https://18Forty.org/bible.
More episodes from 18Forty Podcast
5 days ago
The Opportunity and Difficulty of Unity: On the Israel March
In this episode of the _18Forty Podcast_, we talk to Eric Fingerhut—president and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America—and Rabbi Aaron Rakeffet-Rothkoff, a scholar and professor at Yeshiva University, about the need for Jewish unity and the barriers to achieving it.
In recent weeks, the Jewish community has been confronted with questions of collective Jewish existence in a way we haven’t seen in decades. In response, the Jewish world has had to join together with an _achdus_ we previously weren’t even sure was possible. In this episode we discuss:*
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* What went into planning the historic and enormous March for Israel?
* What are the opportunities and challenges for Jewish unity in times of crisis?
* What can the current movement for Jewish solidarity learn from past moments from American and Jewish history? Tune in to hear a conversation about mobilizing a people known for its proclivity for disagreement.
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*Interview with Eric Fingerhut begins at 7:26.
Interview with Rabbi Rakeffet begins at 56:31
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*Eric Fingerhut is the President and CEO of The Jewish Federations of North America. Prior to his appointment at JFNA, Fingerhut served as the President and CEO of Hillel International from 2013-19. He was an Ohio state senator from 1997 to 2006, and he represented Ohio’s 19th congressional district in the U.S. Congress from 1993 to 1994.
Rabbi Dr. Aaron Rakeffet-Rothkoff is a renowned scholar, historian, author, and teacher, and he is currently professor of rabbinic literature at Yeshiva University’s Caroline and Joseph S. Gruss Institute in Jerusalem. Rabbi Rakeffet has written many entries for Encyclopedia Judaica, including the one on Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. Rabbi Rakeffet served in the Israel Defense Forces until the maximum allowable age, and served in Lebanon during the 1982 Lebanon War. In 1980, he was recruited by Aryeh Kroll to join Mossad's clandestine Nativ operation to teach Torah in the Soviet Union.*
References:*
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*_The Glue, with Eric Fingerhut_
_Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn_ by Daniel Gordis
_Like Dreamers: The Story of the Israeli Paratroopers Who Reunited Jerusalem and Divided a Nation _by Yossi Klein Halevi
“Rabbinic Authority and Leadership On the Contemporary Scene” by Aaron Rakeffet-Rothkoff
Taanit 20a
“Crisis Management” by David Bashevkin
“Rafael Halperin”*
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Nov 21, 2023
Our Heart: One Child Married, One Child Missing
In this episode of the _18Forty Podcast_, we talk to Rabbi Doron Perez, executive chairman of the Mizrachi World Movement, about the sacrifices the Jewish People must make to preserve the precious gift of the State of Israel.
In a single day, Rabbi Doron Perez found out that his son Yonatan had been shot and injured in the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks—and his other son, Daniel, was “missing in action” and presumably held hostage. Only 10 days later, the family went on to hold Yonatan’s wedding, with Daniel’s status still completely unknown.
In this episode we discuss:*
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* What is the experience of a parent with a child who is held hostage?
* How does family life go on when a child is missing?
* What is the role of joy in a time of tragedy?Tune in to hear a conversation about the tears of suffering that fuel our future tears of _simcha_.
Interview begins at 5:40.
Rabbi Doron Perez is the executive chairman of the Mizrachi World Movement, a position he has held since he returned to Israel in 2014 from Johannesburg, South Africa. He is the author of the book _Leading the Way_, and a sought-after speaker and scholar-in-residence in communities in Israel and around the world. At World Mizrachi, Doron’s major focus is on organizational transformation and invigorating the global Religious Zionist movement with its dual focus on Jewish and Zionist identity and destiny.
*References:
*Shir HaShirim Rabbah 5:2
_The Jewish State: From Opposition to Opportunity_ by Doron Perez
_Pachad Yitzchak al Shavuot_ by Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner
Jeremiah 31
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Nov 14, 2023
What Happens To Jewish Law During War?
In this episode of the 1_8Forty Podcast_, we talk to Rabbi Yosef Zvi Rimon, the esteemed Israeli _posek_, about the role of halacha during a war. Additionally, we are joined by Rabbi Shmuel Ismach, a rebbe at Yeshiva University and a rabbi at Young Israel of Great Neck.
Amid the darkest and most chaotic times, we require the guidance of halacha even more than usual. And we see from Rabbi Rimon that halacha is not just a set of laws, but also the poetry that enables us to move forward. In this episode we discuss:
* What kinds of halachic questions does a rabbi need to answer when a war breaks out?
* Should a soldier donate a kidney during a war? Can a couple get married when people are dying? Should we really believe that God is with us when we’re being attacked?
* What kinds of questions does Rabbi Yosef Zvi Rimon ask to the soldiers?Tune in to hear a conversation about the redemption we can find even when it seems out of reach.
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*Rabbi Shmuel Ismach joins at 15:22.
Interview with Rabbis Shmuel Ismach and Yosef Zvi Rimon begins at 23:13.
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*Rav Yosef Zvi Rimon is a prolific author of Halachic books which reflect his unique approach, taking the reader from the sources to the practical application of Halacha in our modern reality. Rav Rimon is Founder and Chairman of the Halacha Education Center which develops innovative educational curricula for Jewish studies using cutting-edge technologies, in Israel and abroad. In 2015, Rav Rimon was appointed the Rabbinic Head of Jerusalem College of Technology and Head of its Batei Midrash. A popular lecturer, Rav Rimon is frequently invited by communities in Israel, North America, the UK and Australia. He also serves as the Rabbi of Alon Shvut South in Gush Etzion. As Founder and Chairman of JobKatif, Rav Rimon was awarded the President’s Prize for Volunteerism in 2008 and the Moskowitz Prize for Zionism in 2014. Some of his published works in English include a commentary on the Haggadah, _Shemita: From the Sources to Practical Halacha_, and a Yom Kippur Machzor, available in both Nusach Ashkenaz and Nusach Sefarad editions.
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References:
*_Shemita: From the Sources to Practical Halacha_ by Rabbi Yosef Zvi Rimon
_Shabbat_ by Rabbi Yosef Zvi Rimon
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