Pod Drash

Post-truth, fake news, multiple narratives. How are we to sort out and sift through the multitude of images and words thrown our way – by friends, interested parties, and algorithms? Building upon Rabbit Hole episode ‘Where We Go One,’ Context Guest Rabba Sara Hurwitz of Maharat and Justin Hecht, Jungian psychoanalyst, help host Leon Wiener Dow figure out if this new world condemns us to reside in an echo chamber. Click here for Leon and Joel's extended study session. Click here to view the source sheet for this episode. Click here to visit the episode page on our website.

What would it mean for a woman to sing authentically a song composed by a man about his experience as a man (who dresses in black)? That’s the kind of question we didn’t ask in S2 E5, “Fake It Till You Feel It.” Listen in as Leon extends a confessional invitation that may pave the way for a bonus episode. Listen to Cherry's live acoustic cover of "Man in Black" here.

“Off the record” talk is often the most forthright, and anonymous surveys or peer-reviews allow us to speak honestly. But what about accountability? What do we do when our hidden identity allows us to spew vile? Which is the true me? Reply All’s The Writing on the Wall allows Context guest Rabbi Jay Henry Moses and Hypertext guest journalist Dahlia Lithwick to help host Leon Wiener Dow explore the complicated matrix of hiding behind what we say. Click here for Leon and Joel's extended study session. Click here to view the source sheet for this episode. Click here to visit the episode page on our website. Click here to learn more about the work of Kolot alumnus Rubi Gat.

We interrupt Season Two to bring you a podcast on a podcast on a podcast. Judaism Unbound turned Pod Drash host Leon Wiener Dow into their guest, and explored the rationale and approach to Torah that underlies Pod Drash. If you've ever wondered why every episode begins right in the middle of things, or what the Hypertext segment is about - tune in! And then subscribe to Judaism Unbound.

How are you today? Crappy, but can I tell you that? We face this quandary in every role we play - as guest, as customer, in our professional lives, and in our home ecosystems. Building upon The Work Life episode Authenticity is a Double-Edged Sword, Context guest Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie of Lab/Shul and Hypertext guest conductor John Axelrod help host Leon Wiener Dow explore how to be authentic to ourselves – and to the roles we play. Click here for Leon and Joel's extended study session. Click here to view the source sheet for this episode. Click here to visit the episode page on our website. Click here to learn more about the work of Kolot alumna Esther Sivan.

Generosity can nourish not just the receiver, but the giver, too. Is there a point when the act of giving can itself be a source of greed? Revisionist History’s My Little Hundred Million allows us to explore whether ulterior motives can taint the act of generosity and how it can lead it astray. Joining host Leon Wiener Dow for The Context segment is Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, Dean of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, and for The Hypertext segment is Joanne Wolmarans, a preschool educator at Wise School in Los Angeles. Click here for Leon and Joel's extended study session. Click here to view the source sheet for this episode. Click here to visit the episode page on our website. Click here to learn more about the work of Kolot alumna Dana Sender Mulla. Cover image: George Freudenstein, "Gates of Charity." Available for purchase here.

Once we achieve financial security, after the promotion, if we just get the manuscript published, if only we win the prize - then we’ll be content, because we will have received the recognition for which we’re pining. But as we hear in The Happiness Lab’s The Silver Lining, when external recognition finally comes, it often leaves us hollow inside. Are we better off not trying? Joining host Leon Wiener Dow for The Context segment is Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback, Senior Rabbi at Stephen S. Wise Temple in Los Angeles and for The Hypertext segment is Sheri Geller, Co-Director of College Counseling at Gann Academy in Boston. Click here for Leon and Joel's extended study session. Click here to view the source sheet for this episode. Click here to visit the episode page on our website. Click here to learn more about the work of Kolot alumna Anat Nehemia-Lavi.

When we first lay our eyes upon someone, we behold what they offer, willingly or unwillingly. The contour of the figure, the texture of the fabric, the pigment of the skin. This American Life’s Tell Me I’m Fat will help us ask: Can we unsee? Should we try to blind ourselves? And what about me in here, who knows that I’m not seen because of how it (my body) is viewed? Joining host Leon Wiener Dow for The Context segment is Rabbi Lizzi Heydemann, Rabbi and Founder of Miskhan Chicago and for The Hypertext segment is photographer Jonathan Bloom. Click here to view the source sheet for this episode. Click here for Leon and Joel's extended study session. Click here to visit the episode page on our website. Click here to learn more about the work of Kolot alumnus Yossi Saidov. Image photo: Assi Dayan, by Jonathan Bloom

“Smile!” We’ve been saying that just before snapping a picture for years, long before selfies, Facebook and Instagram. But now we not only want to capture the moment; we want to share it, and widely. Radiolab’s “Smile My Ass” tells the story of the show “Candid Camera,” which in turn allows us to explore the profound effect that this constant state of being on display has had on our consciousness and self-consciousness. Joining host Leon Wiener Dow for The Context segment is Rabbi Angela Warnick Buchdahl, Senior Rabbi at Central Synagogue and for The Hypertext segment is Dov Abramson, artist and graphic designer. Click here to see the source sheet for the episode. Click here to to hear Joel and Leon's extended study session. Click here to visit the episode page on our website. Click here to learn more about the work of Kolot alumna Avital Blonder at Jindas. Episode image: "Self-image" by Aharon Friedman, Studio Dov Abramson.

This world lies to us, all the time. How can we live in it without giving into its lies? Join host Leon Wiener Dow with a fantastic line-up of guests: Rabbis Angela Warnick Buchdahl, Jay Moses, Sara Hurwitz, Lizzi Heydemann, Amichai Lau-Lavie, Yoshi Zweiback, Bradley Shavit Artson; Slate editor Dahlia Lithwick ; and a whole host of others. Season 2 of Pod Drash drops December 2. Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay

The idea of teshuva rests on the belief that we can break from our past habits and transform ourselves. But sometimes people – whether the victim or not, whether knowingly or unknowingly – continue to hold fast to our past as part of their posturing towards us. Listening in on Invisibilia’s episode The Personailty Myth, which tells of the complicated relationship between a prisoner and a work colleague, allows us to explore ways in which we sometimes chain others – and ourselves – to the past. Guests: Rabbi Dianne Cohler-Esses (Romemu), Professor David Dow (University of Houston, Texas Innocence Network) Content warning: This episode mentions violent crime and rape. Click here to download this episode's Discussion Guide. Click here to hear the Invisibilia episode, The Personality Myth. Click here for Leon and Joel's full study session. Click here to view the source sheet for this episode. Click here to visit the episode page on our website. Episode image by Miguel Palomino Urdapilleta from Pixabay

Sometimes effectuating change takes a very long time. This episode begins with “The Meatball and Chain,” a segment of This American’ Life’s Episode 668, which tells of a slow-brew teshuva. From there we explore the barriers that we often erect between us and our own wrongdoings – with an eye towards deconstructing them. Guests: Rabbi Professor David Ellenson (Brandeis), Ariel Kaminer (Buzzfeed) Click here to download this episode's Discussion Guide. Click here to hear the segment on This American Life's episode, The Long Fuse. Click here for Leon and Joel's full study session. Click here to view the source sheet for this episode. Click here to visit the episode page on our website. Episode image by TweSwe from Pixabay.

Sometimes it’s too long, sometimes it’s too short. Sometimes it’s too technical, other times its strokes are too broad. But occasionally, it’s just right. After listening to Dan Harmon’s public apology for sexually harassing her, Megan Ganz describes in This American Life Episode 674, Get a Spine, how Harmon nailed it. We try to unpack what worked – and what still might have been missing. Click here to download this episode's Discussion Guide. Click here to hear the segment on This American Life's episode, Get a Spine. Click here to hear Dan Harmon’s confession on Harmontown (go to 17:43). Click here for Leon and Joel's full study session. Click here to view the source sheet for this episode. Click here to visit the episode page on our website. Episode image by Willfried Wende from Pixabay.

One of the most difficult – and potent – ways of going about teshuva is to see look at ourselves critically by trying to see ourselves from outside. We begin by listening to The Nod’s episode One on One alongside a different version of it that aired on This American Life, in which a daughter broaches a difficult conversation with her dad, taking him back to a basketball game he’d rather forget. Through them we explore the complex relationship between experiencing from within, looking at ourselves, and hearing how other people experience us. Click here to download this episode's Discussion Guide. Click here to hear The Nod's episode, One on One. Click here to hear the segment on This American Life's episode, Seeing Yourself in the Wild. Click here for Leon and Joel's full study session. Click here to view the source sheet for this episode. Click here to visit the episode page on our website. Episode image by Andre Tan from Unsplash.

How do we move on when the apology we so long for – and the resolution and accountability week seek – refuse to come? We begin a snippet from Heavyweight's episode 11, Christina, and from there we explore perhaps one of the thorniest issues of teshuva and of human relationships in general: how can I move on, personally and in a specific relationship, when instead of a clean, new start with the other side I just get muck? Featured guests: Rabbi Sharon Brous (IKAR LA) and Jonathan Goldstein (host, Heavyweight). Click here to download this episode's Discussion Guide. Click here to hear Heavyweight episode 11, Christina. Click here for Leon and Joel's full study session. Click here to view the source sheet for this episode. Click here to visit the episode page on our website. Episode image by David Mark from Pixabay.

Pod Drash takes a fantastic podcast that’s aired elsewhere and riffs on it – or, to say it Jewishly, drashes it. Meet Creator and Host Leon Wiener Dow and hear about the incredible array of guests who will join him in Season One to explore the subject of teshuva, or repentance. Pod Drash provides added depth to an already amazing podcast story, and it allows ancient Jewish texts to speak to the urgent issues of the day. Coming August 20.