Judaism Unbound

When Moses turned and saw the bush that burned but was not consumed, it wasn't a once-in-a-lifetime miracle, it was a map. Maybe the bush had always been burning. It just took someone willing to turn, to notice, to say this is sacred ground. Everyday Mystics tells the real stories of people who have had that turning. Small, ordinary moments that cracked open into something larger. Their stories of transformation weave Jewish wisdom bringing forward an old/ new way of understanding mystical experience and the everyday. These are stories of when the ordinary becomes sacred, the familiar becomes mysterious, and Judaism becomes beautifully unbound.

How much of who we are is shaped by the people who came before us, and how much do we get to choose? For Marika Strauss, that question has followed her from childhood conversations with her father and grandfather to unexpected encounters in her own adult life. Along the way, she discovers that Jewish identity has many faces, and that the people we love can become mirrors in which we see ourselves anew. A story about family, belonging, and the freedom to become someone our ancestors might never have imagined.

[1] Read more about Marika and her journey on her substack.

[2] We mention a two different sources here:  Genesis 33 (Jacob and Esau reuniting), Exodus 34 (Moses’s face) 

[3] Emmanuel Levinas is brought up in passing. If you want to learn more about his life and work, here is a nice article on him. If you want to dig into his ontology on le visage, that philosophy first appears in his work, “Totality and Infinity” in 1961. 

[4] If you’re like… wait a second… I’ve heard these names before… then, you’re right! You’ve probably listened to our Door to Door podcast, that follows the story of this family to Simon’s home in Germany. 

[5] Marika talks about “Wabi Sabi Shabbat”. If you want to read a little more about Wabi Sabi, here is a nice article on it, and here is a brief sermonette by Ariel Stein on Wabi Sabi. 

[6] Finding meaning and grounded identity through 23&Me (or other genetic tests) is a common experience. If this is you, you’re in good company. Here is a brief article on a similar experience. 

Welcome to Shabbat Unbound, the world's longest Friday night Sabbath service, stretching over eight episodes. Instead of rushing through all the Friday night Shabbat prayers in one sitting, like we might in a classical synagogue environment, we're taking our time diving deep into one prayer each episode through song study and sacred conversation. It's the most original and traditional way to engage in the transition into Shabbat, taking each prayer as its own world with its own Torah to teach us. Miriam Terlinchamp, Lex Rofeberg and an incredible group of musicians invite you to discover what happens when Shabbat slows down. The fifth focuses on Shema/V'ahavta.

[1] You can watch this entire episode in video format here.

[2] Want to watch the music video of our version of "And You Shall Love"? Great you can find it here.

[3] Love the song "And You Shall Love" by featured composers Jessalynn Levine and Annie Villareal-Belford? Great! Check out the original here.

When Moses turned and saw the bush that burned but was not consumed, it wasn't a once-in-a-lifetime miracle, it was a map. Maybe the bush had always been burning. It just took someone willing to turn, to notice, to say this is sacred ground. Everyday Mystics tells the real stories of people who have had that turning. Small, ordinary moments that cracked open into something larger. Their stories of transformation weave Jewish wisdom bringing forward an old/ new way of understanding mystical experience and the everyday. These are stories of when the ordinary becomes sacred, the familiar becomes mysterious, and Judaism becomes beautifully unbound.

What happens when the lessons that carried you through life suddenly aren't enough? For Todd an unexpected crisis sets him on a journey where he begins to discover new ways of understanding love, loss, and the sacred. In the third episode of Everyday Mystics, a story of grief, gratitude, and mysterious encounter invites us to wonder whether the people we love are ever really as far away as they seem.

[1] We begin the episode with a reference to Moses and the burning bush. The moment where he turns and sees that is burning but not consumed. Exodus 3:2 

[2] Todd mentions the works of Austrian-Israeli philosopher, Martin Buber. Buber is best known for his concept between the Divine and Humanity, I and Thou.  The existential framing of that meaning is defined by how we relate to one another.

[3] Dayenu, a 9th century song that translates to “it would have been enough.” There are 15 stanzas rejoicing in the wonders that blessed the Israelite people (Exodus from Egypt, the gift of Shabbat, the Torah…ect). It is the most popular song to sing during a Passover Seder. Colloquillaly, Dayenu is used in an opposite way - more like, Enough already! Rather than the intent of the song as one immersed in uncountable blessings. 

[4] Photo from Todd’s desk of his father, Lewis Brecher z”l. 

Does Judaism need Halacha?**

Lex and Rena Yehuda have some overlapping thoughts about that question, but also want to explore the ways that they disagree with one another. This question is one that Jews across many geographic contexts and denominational affiliations (or lack thereof) have debated for centuries -- and we think that it's a conversation worth continuing! In this conversation, your two Judaism Unbound co-hosts take on a format called the "anti-debate," as implemented by Stephanie Lepp (who will join the podcast as a guest in a couple weeks, to discuss further). It incorporates elements of traditional debate, along with steps to encourage each person to inhabit the perspective of the "other side." 

** Halacha is sometimes translated "Jewish law," and also sometimes translated "a Jewish path/way-of-walking in the world." It typically refers to traditions of rabbinic Jewish interpretation, as debated and applied over the past ~1800 years.

Head to JudaismUnbound.com/classes to check out our up upcoming courses in the UnYeshiva! Jewish ritual objects, Medieval Jewish debates, Talmud for interfaith families and more! For anyone who needs it, financial aid is available.

Access full shownotes for this episode via this link. If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation -- support Judaism Unbound by clicking here!

When Moses turned and saw the bush that burned but was not consumed, it wasn't a once-in-a-lifetime miracle, it was a map. Maybe the bush had always been burning. It just took someone willing to turn, to notice, to say this is sacred ground. Everyday Mystics tells the real stories of people who have had that turning. Small, ordinary moments that cracked open into something larger. Their stories of transformation weave Jewish wisdom bringing forward an old/ new way of understanding mystical experience and the everyday. These are stories of when the ordinary becomes sacred, the familiar becomes mysterious, and Judaism becomes beautifully unbound.

What if our deepest longing for love is also a longing for God? From a childhood encounter with the mysterious to an unexpected romance, Ayalon Eliach discovers that the search for human connection and the search for the Divine may not be two different journeys after all. In the second episode of Everyday Mystics, a story of loss, yearning, and second chances asks what it means to stop settling for something less than “The Real Thing.”

[1] A little about Ayalon: Inspired by the Baal Shem Tov, Ayalon believes that individual, communal, and universal transformation all come through learning to unify seeming contradictions without erasing their differences—to embody ultimate oneness within real multiplicity, and connection in the midst of fragmentation.

At different points in his life, Ayalon was drawn to what seemed like mutually exclusive options: soul or body, intimacy or boundaries, particularism or universalism, tradition or progress, God or science, compassion or justice.

His search for ways to navigate these tensions has taken him through Orthodox yeshivot, Yale, Harvard Law School, the non-denominational Hebrew College Rabbinical School, the Shalom Hartman Institute, and more than 40 countries. But his deepest learning has come from putting inherited wisdom, especially Hasidic thought, into give-and-take conversation with everyday experience, particularly relationships and raising children. Through that conversation, he learned to see these apparent either/ors as both/ands.

At the Lippman Kanfer Foundation For Living Torah, where he serves as “Chief Idea Officer” , he brings this approach to his thought partnership, research, writing, and teaching, helping others access and apply Jewish wisdom in ways that transform themselves, their communities, and the larger world.

[2]  We mention the Ezekiel's vision, with the line: וְהַחַיּ֖וֹת רָצ֣וֹא וָשׁ֑וֹב כְּמַרְאֵ֖ה הַבָּזָֽק

 “the angels ran and returned like a flash of lightning”, the citation is: Ezekiel 1:14 

[3] Hinge vs. Bumble: Ayalon mentions two different dating apps. Hinge anyone can comment or reach out to one another, but it needs to be about something specific in the prospective dates profile. Bumble requires the female candidate to reach out to the opposite gender first, and the match expires after 24 hours. 

[4] Interested in learning more about Rebbe Nachman of Bretslov? This is a great article that talks through who he was and an overview on his writings and theories, here is a poetic connection between Ezekiel and the concept, and, he is best known for his creative moral stories, this is a cute animated version of one of his famous parables. 

[5] We mention a line in the biblical book of Genesis.  עַל־כֵּן֙ יַֽעֲזׇב־אִ֔ישׁ אֶת־אָבִ֖יו וְאֶת־אִמּ֑וֹ וְדָבַ֣ק בְּאִשְׁתּ֔וֹ וְהָי֖וּ לְבָשָׂ֥ר אֶחָֽד׃ “A person leaves their mother and father, cleaves to their partner, and the two become one flesh. Leaving and cleaving.” The citation is: Genesis 2:24