The Study

After over 60,000 downloads in over 100 countries, we are so glad to have brought an entire cycle of Torah study to our listeners. Rabbi Adam and Raviv look back at a year filled with inspiring conversation, insight, and wisdom. Thanks for joining. The Study is produced by Evan Scott Nicholas and Raviv Ullman. Artwork by Julia Pott.

Robert Alter, Professor in the Graduate School and Emeritus Professor of Hebrew and Comparative Literature at the University of California at Berkeley, and award winning translator of the Torah joins Rabbi Adam and Raviv to discuss why the Torah ends in a poem. We’ll discuss what clues this poem gives us about the ways in which people communicated and how they used language at the time the torah was written, and even their views on monotheism and the way judaism was practiced. Professor Alter is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, the Council of Scholars of the Library of Congress, and is past president of the Association of Literary Scholars and Critics. Professor Alter has published 24 books unpacking the poetry and prose of ancient literature.

James Darrah, stage and film director, and newly appointed artistic director of Long Beach Opera sits down with Rabbi Adam and Raviv to discuss a pivotal turning point in the Torah narrative- when Moses passes the torch to the next leader of the Israelites. What does it mean to carry a tradition for the next generation, and how does a young interpreter of old texts make them accessible, exciting, inspiring, and relevant. Tune in to find out.

Kylie Unell, host of the new podcast for Tablet Magazine How To Fix A Soul In Thirty Days and founder of Rooted joins Raviv and Rabbi Adam Greenwald to discuss fearing God and saving souls.

Jake Cohen, author of NYT Bestselling JEW-ISH Reinvented Recipes from a Modern Mensch, joins Raviv and Jess to talk about all things Jewish food, our connection to how we prepare our meals and where those ingredients come from, the incredibly long journeys that dishes take to get to our tables, and Jake’s journey as he’s learned it all.

Natalia Abrams, executive director of Student Debt Crisis, a non-profit organization dedicated to fundamentally reforming student debt and higher education loan policies, joins Raviv and special guest Molly Wernick to discuss what got us into a nearly two trillion dollar crisis in the first place, what kind of preventive measures can be taken to avoid further devastation, and we'll also try to understand debt from a historical Jewish perspective.

Magician Tanya Solomon joins Raviv and Rabbi Jess to discuss her journey around the world as a performer, the parallel lives of magicians and rabbis, what we might take from the inclusion of demons, angels, amulets, and charms in the Torah, and why so many magicians throughout history have been Jewish.

Jess and Raviv have a one-on-one conversation to discuss parshat Re'eh and uncover what they "see" as part of the larger Jewish narrative. Jess discusses her relationship with asking "what" vs "why" when working to understand Torah passages, how one can abstract laws and apply them to our own lives, and what about studying makes her feel inspired.

Connor Goldsmith from the Cerebro podcast joins Rabbi Jess and Raviv to discuss the commonalities between studying the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Torah, what "retcons" are and their role in storytelling, and the ways in which the Mishna is like fan fiction from days of yore. Rabbi Jess discusses what the Jewish world can learn from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as the power of engaging with spaces we don't understand.

Saul Kaiserman, Founding Director of Lifelong Learning at Congregation Emanu-El in New York City, joins Raviv and Rabbi Jess to discuss early and adult Jewish education, the responsibility and tradition of passing rituals from one generation to another, the Shema prayer, and the essence of what it means to be Jewish.

Sarah Hurwitz, former senior speechwriter for President Obama, head writer for First Lady Michele Obama, head speech writer for Hilary Clinton’s 2008 campaign and acclaimed author of Here All Along: Finding Meaning, Spirituality, and a Deeper Connection to Life--in Judaism (After Finally Choosing to Look There) joins Raviv and Rabbi Jess to discuss structure in speechwriting, the kind of Judaism they hope to practice, and how to transform study into action.

Dr. Kimberleigh Jordan, Associate Director of Educational Design at Wabash Center for Teaching & Learning in Theology and Religion shares a history of Spirituals, and discusses with Rabbi Jess and Raviv how music can be an act of personal and political resistance, and how two cultures—Black Americans and The Jewish people—are inextricably tied.

Shai Held, Rabbi, President, Dean, and Chair in Jewish Thought at Hadar Institute in New York City and author of Abraham Joshua Heschel: The Call of Transcendence joins Rabbi Jessica Minnen and Raviv to talk through Parshat Pinchas, a fairly complicated portion. We'll come to understand how to interpret problematic texts in Torah, the connection between idolatry and our bodies, and Abraham Joshua Heschel's take on it all.

Rabbi Matt and Raviv spend one last episode together, discussing a Maimonides quote that holds a theory of the creation of the universe, the difference between cults and religion, how portions of Torah might have been written to make us laugh, and a whole lot more.

Simon Shimshon Rubin, Director at the International Laboratory for the Study of Loss, Bereavement and Human Resilience, author of Working with the Bereaved: Multiple Lenses on Loss and Mourning and Professor Emeritus of Clinical Psychology at University of Haifa School of Psychological Sciences joins Raviv and Rabbi Matt to discuss the psychological effects of losing those we love, Jewish practices that ritualize mourning, and he'll share some wisdom from Torah that’s been useful in his work.

Rabbi Elie Spitz, author of Healing from Despair: Choosing Wholeness in a Broken World and Does the Soul Survive? A Jewish Journey to Belief in Afterlife, Past Lives & Living with Purpose has spent his career meditating, speaking, and writing about the afterlife. Raviv and Rabbi Matt talk with Rabbi Spitz about some of the many takes on jewish beliefs about life after death, notions of the soul, and even reincarnation.

Jonathan Zasloff, Professor of Law at University of California Los Angeles, joins Raviv and Rabbi Matt to unpack how Moses' negotiations with God informs the power we have to challenge laws and the tactics by which we might do so most effectively.

Gavin Pretor-Pinney, founder of The Cloud Appreciation Society and author of The Cloudspotter’s Guide: The Science, History, and Culture of Clouds joins Raviv and Rabbi Matt to discuss the nature of clouds, their relationship to ancient biblical texts, and why we project our own narratives onto them. Check out The Cloud Appreciation Society at https://cloudappreciationsociety.org/

Washington State Supreme Court Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis joins Rabbi Matt and Raviv to discuss justice, community, and the resources needed to enact mercy. Justice Montoya-Lewis is the first Native American to serve on the Washington State Supreme Court, and the second Native American to serve on a state supreme court nationwide. She previously served as Chief Judge for the Lummi, Nooksack, and Upper Skagit tribes, giving her a holistic understanding of social and legal issues affecting Native Americans and indigenous peoples. Justice Montoya-Lewis will also share her thoughts on some of the key differences between serving on indigenous versus state/federal courts, and in doing so will thoughtfully critique aspects of the contemporary judicial system in relation to this parsha's tension between justice and mercy.

Katya Gibel Mevorach, Professor of Anthropology and American Studies at Grinnell College in Iowa and author of Black, Jewish and Interracial: It's Not the Color of Your Skin but the Race of Your Kin, and Other Myths of Identity joins Raviv and Rabbi Matt to discuss the creation of the census, its historical context and implications, and how the ways in which we talk about identity can be both helpful and harmful.