Ari Bergmann: Giving Wealth a Rest: The Economics of Shemittah [Wealth 3/4]

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, David is joined by comedian Alex Edelman for a special Purim discussion exploring the place of humor and levity in a world that often demands our solemnity. A Modern Orthodox Jew from Brookline, Massachusetts, who’s “tried cocaine,” but has “never tried bacon,” Alex stars in the one-man Off Broadway show Just For Us, which has to be one of the only top-tier comedy specials to mention Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik.In this episode, we discuss: —How does a Modern Orthodox kid become a mainstream professional comic? —What makes particularly Jewish stories resonate so much with wider audiences? —Why hasn’t he left traditional Judaism amid his secular fame? Tune in to hear how a bona fide star holds onto both his humor and his values to bare to the world his authentic self. Interview begins at 26:56. Alex Edelman is a product of Massachusetts’s Maimonides School and has been featured on Conan and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. In 2020, he was the head writer and executive producer of the “Saturday Night Seder” YouTube extravaganza, which raised over $3.5 million for the CDC Foundation COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund. His show Just For Us is running at the SoHo Playhouse in New York City. While nights tend to sell out quickly, tickets are available here: https://ci.ovationtix.com/35583/production/1107251. References: The World as Will and Idea by Arthur Schopenhauer Is It Funny for the Jews? by Jason Zinoman Here All Along by Sarah HurwitzMy Name Is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok For the Relief of Unbearable Urges by Nathan Englander Dinner at the Center of the Earth by Nathan Englander Kaddish.com by Nathan Englander Baseball as a Road to God by John SextonBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

15 Mar 20221h 2min

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz, the director of semicha at Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS), about the development of halacha.Rabbi Lebowitz has written numerous articles and several books on the practical applications of Jewish law and is behind the popular “Ten Minute Halacha” lecture series.•What is the role of rabbinic “intuition” in halachic rulings?•To what degree does the common practice of the community shape halachic rulings?•How has the focus of rabbinical studies shifted over time?•Does the concept of emunas chachamin, faith in the rabbis, mean blind adherence?•How are the personal circumstances of the individuals seeking a halachic ruling factored into a posek’s decision?Tune in to hear a conversation about halacha and its practical applications. Interview begins at 21:32.Rabbi Lebowitz is the rabbi of Beis Haknesses of North Woodmere and the director of semicha at Yeshiva University’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS). He previously taught at Lander's College for Men and at the DRS Yeshiva High School (HALB).References:Ten Minute HalachaTales Out of Shul: The Unorthodox Journal of an Orthodox Rabbi by Rabbi Emanuel FeldmanRabbi Aryeh Lebowitz’s halachic guide to showering on Yom TovGray Matter by Rabbi Chaim JachterContemporary Halakhic Problems by Rabbi J. David BleichShabbat by Rabbi Yosef Zvi RimonOrchot Shabbat by Rabbi Shalom Yosef Gelber & Rabbi Yitzchak Mordechai RubinBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

1 Mar 20221h 23min

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Dr. Tamara Morsel-Eisenberg - historian and Junior Fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows - about the history of halacha.While we take the system of halacha as we know it today for granted, many factors contributed to its current state. We discuss some of these factors, as well as some pivotal moments in halacha’s history, like the publication of the Shulchan Aruch.- Has halacha always been as standardized and abstract a system as it is today?- What factors have contributed to the state of halacha today?Tune in to hear a conversation about the history of halacha.Interview begins at 16:47.For more, visit https://18forty.org/halacha/.Dr. Tamara Morsel-Eisenberg is a scholar of early modern Jewish intellectual and cultural history. She received her BA from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and her PhD from the University of Pennsylvania’s history department, where she wrote her thesis on the transmission of halakhic knowledge in 16th-century Ashkenaz. Tamara has held fellowships and prizes, including from the Center for Jewish History, the AJS, the Leo Baeck Institute. She is a Junior Fellow at Harvard’s society of Fellows and a Starr Fellow at its Center for Judaic Studies, as well as a Berkovitz Fellow at NYU Law, and lectures widely on Jewish history and law. Tamara lives in Manhattan with her husband Ori and three sons.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

22 Feb 20221h 24min

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Moshe Koppel, professor of computer science at Bar-Ilan University to discuss some of the ideas in his books Judaism Straight Up and Meta-Halakhah. We discuss how to conceptualize the halachic system and explore how Halacha's development can be seen through the prism of language and what that means for our halachic commitment today.How should halacha be legislated?What does it mean that halacha is like language?What can halacha as language teach us about the development and legislation of halacha?Tune in to hear this fascinating conversation about halacha's development.For more, visit https://18forty.org/halachaInterview begins at 26:58Dr. Moshe Koppel is a computer scientist, Talmud scholar, and political activist. Moshe is a professor of computer science at Bar-Ilan University, and a prolific author of academic articles and books on Jewish thought, computer science, economics, political science, and other disciplines. He is the founding director of Kohelet, a conservative-libertarian think tank in Israel, and he advises members of the Knesset on legislative matters. Moshe is the author of three sharply thought books on Jewish thought.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

15 Feb 20221h 39min

In this episode of 18Forty Podcast, we had the privilege of speaking with Professor Haym Soloveitchik, University Professor of Jewish Studies at Yeshiva University.Professor Soloveitchik is a world-renowned scholar whose research has focused on the development of halacha—including martyrdom, pawn-broking and usery, as well as the laws of gentile wine. Much of his popular renown can be attributed to the publication of his article "Rupture and Reconstruction: The Transformation of Contemporary Orthodoxy" in Tradition (Summer 1994 28:4). The essay explores how halacha developed following the rupture of the Holocaust and moved from a mimetic tradition into a text based tradition. Following the article's publication, there have been several critical exchanges, collections of reflections, and conversations—a testimony to its enduring impact. The article and many of the critical exchanges have been collected into a new volume that has recently been published by the Littman Library of Jewish Civilization. It was a unique privilege to have Professor Solovetichik as a guest on 18Forty. In this episode, we discuss:- How has the shift from a mimetic tradition to a text based tradition affected Jewish life?- How does the approach of Professor Soloveitchik differ from the notion found within the Conservative movement of Catholic Israel?- Where can the sense of yirat shamayim—awe of heaven—found instinctively in previous generations, be discovered today?Tune in to hear a conversation about the implications of the development of halacha from a world renowned scholar and how these changes can affect our lives.Interview starts at 30:40.For more, visit https://18forty.org/halachaReferences:Rupture and Reconstruction: The Transformation of Contemporary Orthodoxy, Haym Soloveitchik (Tradition, Summer 1994, 28:4)On Haym Soloveitchik's "Rupture and Reconstruction: The Transformation of Contemporary Orthodox Society": A Response, Isaac Chavel  (The Torah U-Maddah Journal 1997 vol. 7)Clarifications and Reply, Haym Soloveitchik (The Torah U-Maddah Journal 1997 vol. 7)Responding to Rupture and Reconstruction, Hillel Goldberg (Tradition 1997 31:2)Rupture and Reconstruction Reconsidered, Tradition Symposium (free e-book)On the Reception of Rupture and Reconstruction, Zev EleffThoughts on Rupture and Reconstruction Twenty Five Years Later, David BrofskyRabbi Dr. Haym Soloveitchik graduated from the Maimonides School which his father founded in Brookline, Massachusetts and then received his B.A. degree from Harvard College in 1958 with a major in history. After two years of postgraduate study at Harvard, he moved to Israel and began his studies toward an M.A. and PhD at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, under the historian Professor Jacob Katz. He wrote his Master's thesis on the halacha of gentile wine in medieval Germany. His doctorate, which he received in 1972, concentrated on laws of pawnbroking and usury. He is considered a pioneer and leader in the study of the history of Jewish law.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

8 Feb 20221h 20min

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we listen to voicemails sent in by listeners and talk to two of our editors, Denah Emerson and Yehuda Fogel.18Forty is a media company as well as a podcast. Between editing the podcast audio, writing the written material, and running the social media, there are many invaluable people who help run it behind the scenes.- What happens behind the scenes of 18Forty?- How is 18Forty’s media produced?Tune in to hear a conversation where we answer listener questions and give a behind the scenes look at 18Forty.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

1 Feb 20221h 37min

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Marika Feuerstein about the life of her grandfather, Aaron Feuerstein.Aaron Feuerstein was the head of a successful family business that suffered serious setbacks after a fire destroyed its factory. He became famous for his commitment to the wellbeing of his employees, paying them even while they couldn’t work, but rebuilding came with challenges that ultimately cost him the company. Marika Feuerstein tells the lesser known story of his later life, and how the Feuerstein family regrouped in the wake of the fire.- What happened in the aftermath of the fire?- What were its effects on the Feuerstein family, who, until that point, had all worked in the business?- How did Aaron Feuerstein, as well as the rest of his family, recover from the setbacks to lead a healthy life?Tune in to hear a conversation about wealth as it relates to family identity.For more, visit https://18forty.org/wealth/.References:Hospital by Julie Salamonhttps://www.amazon.com/Hospital-Infinity-Behavior-Diversity-Steroids/dp/0143115367Aaron Feuerstein was an American businessman and philanthropist. Feuerstein gained national acclaim for his decision to continue to compensate his employees after a fire destroyed his Massachusetts factory. Feuerstein became known as the “Mentsch of Malden Mills,” and the decision caused him to sustain significant personal financial losses. Marika Feuerstein is Aaron Feuerstein’s granddaughter. Marika is a Boston native, and has been a top Residential Real Estate Agent. A true entrepreneur at heart, she started Keto bakery company, Sweet Finale, runs a non-profit, Purim Unity, where she puts on mega events for the Boston Jewish community, and is an executive producer on a new documentary called The American Question. Marika joins us to talk about the life and legacy of her grandfather.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

11 Jan 20221h 34min