Brent Spodek - Podcast Details

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Judaism UnboundEpisode 480: Judaism Shouldn't Be About Judaism - Brent SpodekBrent Spodek, one of Newsweek's "rabbis to watch" and one of the Hudson Valley's "people to watch," joins Judaism Unbound for a conversation linking recent discussions about Israel-Palestine with an upcoming episode (featuring Tirzah Firestone) on intergenerational Jewish trauma. In it, Spodek argues that Judaism shouldn't be "about Judaism" -- but rather be a platform to channel Jewish wisdom toward pressing questions in our lives as human beings.-------------------------------New UnYeshiva mini-courses, leading up to Shavuot, are now open for registration! Learn more about Spirit Guides & Past Lives: Reincarnation in the Kabbalistic Imagination, Disability Torah...2025-04-2559 min

The Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies Podcast NetworkTerumah 5785: Building Sacred SpaceThis week's episode is in memory of Beth Wasserman z"l and sponsored by her nephew and his family. Why does God command a physical space if God is everywhere? In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Rabbi Brent Spodek explore Parshat Terumah, diving into the meaning behind the Mishkan and its relevance today. They discuss the tension between tradition and innovation, the need for both structure and spiritual seeking, and how sacred spaces—physical or internal—help us connect to the divine. Featuring: Rabbi Brent Spodek – Pardes North American Faculty Zvi Hirschfield – Pardes Faculty and Host of Pardes from Jerusalem 2025-02-2338 min

Pardes from JerusalemTerumah 5785: Building Sacred SpaceThis week’s episode is in memory of Beth Wasserman z”l and sponsored by her nephew and his family. Why does God command a physical space if God is everywhere? In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Rabbi Brent Spodek explore Parshat … Read the rest The post Terumah 5785: Building Sacred Space first appeared on Elmad Online Learning. Continue reading Terumah 5785: Building Sacred Space at Elmad Online Learning.2025-02-2338 min

The Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies Podcast NetworkRosh Hashana 5785: Renewal in Challenging TimesThis Rosh Hashana podcast is sponsored by Ricki and Dr. David I. Bernstein in memory of Ricki’s parents, Beatrice and Murray Kirschblat z”l, survivors of Auschwitz and Buchenwald, respectively. Beatrice and Murray were each the sole survivors of large families which perished in the Shoah. Their resilience and courage in building a family after such loss is a powerful testament to their strength. May the Torah we explore today serve as a blessing to their memory. How can we find hope and renewal during a challenging Rosh Hashanah season? In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Rabbi Brent Spodek disc...2024-09-3038 min

The Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies Podcast NetworkRe’eh 5784: Kashrut and Spiritual ClarityHow do our perceptions, whether clear or confused, impact our understanding of Torah and our relationships? In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Rabbi Brent Chaim Spodek explore Parshat Re'eh, focusing on the intriguing and often perplexing laws of kashrut. They delve into the deeper meanings behind these dietary laws, particularly the curious differences between similar verses in the different Parshiot. Drawing on teachings from the Maggid of Mesritch and Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, they discuss how our perceptions—whether clear or confused—affect our spiritual understanding and relationships with others. They challenge us to reflect on their own views and to st...2024-08-2534 min

Pardes from JerusalemRe’eh 5784: Kashrut and Spiritual ClarityHow do our perceptions, whether clear or confused, impact our understanding of Torah and our relationships? In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Rabbi Brent Chaim Spodek explore Parshat Re’eh, focusing on the intriguing and often perplexing laws of kashrut. They … Read the rest The post Re’eh 5784: Kashrut and Spiritual Clarity first appeared on Elmad Online Learning. Continue reading Re’eh 5784: Kashrut and Spiritual Clarity at Elmad Online Learning.2024-08-2534 min

Pardes from JerusalemKedoshim 5784: Empathy in a Divided WorldIn a world rife with conflict and oversimplified narratives about “the other,” how can we embody true holiness by cultivating empathy, humility, and deeper human connection? Rabbi Brent Spodek joins our host Rabbi Zvi Hirschfield this week for a thought-provoking … Read the rest The post Kedoshim 5784: Empathy in a Divided World first appeared on Elmad Online Learning. Continue reading Kedoshim 5784: Empathy in a Divided World at Elmad Online Learning.2024-05-0636 min

Pardes from JerusalemYom Kippur 5784: Expanding Our CompassionIn this week’s episode, Rabbi Brent Chaim Spodek calls into the studio to speak with our host, Rabbi Zvi Hirschfield, about one of the most challenging days of the year, Yom Kippur, and the story of Yonah. Why would Yonah … Read the rest The post Yom Kippur 5784: Expanding Our Compassion first appeared on Elmad Online Learning. Continue reading Yom Kippur 5784: Expanding Our Compassion at Elmad Online Learning.2023-09-1931 min

Pardes from JerusalemRe’eh 5783: Growth is PossibleZvi is joined from across the ocean with Pardes North America faculty associate Rabbi Brent Spodek, host of Good Jewish Lover, to discuss the weekly parsha. Brent discusses our tendency to lean on core negative images, failing to see ourselves … Read the rest The post Re’eh 5783: Growth is Possible first appeared on Elmad Online Learning. Continue reading Re’eh 5783: Growth is Possible at Elmad Online Learning.2023-08-0733 min

Pardes from JerusalemChukat 5783: Loving ConflictHow is it possible for a relationship to be strengthened through conflict? In this week’s podcast, Rabbi Zvi Hirschfield is joined by Rabbi Brent Spodek, Pardes North America faculty member and host of Good Jewish Lover. Together, they discuss the … Read the rest The post Chukat 5783: Loving Conflict first appeared on Elmad Online Learning. Continue reading Chukat 5783: Loving Conflict at Elmad Online Learning.2023-06-1936 min

Pardes from JerusalemKi Tisa 5783: Accepting FailureAre we too judgmental towards Ahron? Join Rabbi Brent Spodek and Professor Ziva Hassenfeld in an exploration of the weekly parsha as they examine the tragic life of Moses’s brother Ahron. Credits: Rabbi Brent Spodek and Professor Ziva Hassenfeld – … Read the rest The post Ki Tisa 5783: Accepting Failure first appeared on Elmad Online Learning. Continue reading Ki Tisa 5783: Accepting Failure at Elmad Online Learning.2023-03-0529 min

Pardes from JerusalemShemot 5783: The Child MiriamJoin Rabbi Brent Spodek and Professor Ziva Hassenfeld as they discuss the first parsha of Shemot and explore the topic of Miriam the Prophetess as a young girl. Credits: Professor Ziva R. Hassenfeld and Rabbi Brent Spodek… Read the rest The post Shemot 5783: The Child Miriam first appeared on Elmad Online Learning. Continue reading Shemot 5783: The Child Miriam at Elmad Online Learning.2023-01-1219 min

JTS Torah CommentaryMapping Our Love: Shelah Lekha 5782The JTS Commentary for Shelah Lekha by Rabbi Brent Chaim Spodek (RS, KGS ’07), Rabbi, Beacon Hebrew AllianceMusic provided by JJReinhold / Pond5.2022-06-2108 min

Take One Daf YomiYevamot 55 and 56Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Yevamot 55 and 56, find the rabbis asking a real tough question: What, exactly, do we mean when we talk about having sex? Rabbi Chaim Brent Spodek joins us to share some thoughts about intimacy, the ways in which we understand and misunderstand sex, and what we can to become better (Jewish) lovers. Why is a kiss so important? Listen and find out.Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group.Take One is a Ta...2022-05-0209 min

This Sustainable Life445: Rabbi Yonatan Neril, part 2: Religion, Interpreting the Torah, and NatureWe got into territory I'd wanted to talk to a religious scholar about. I would have expected being recorded would make us more tentative, but I found the opposite. I didn't keep track, but several times I said feel free not to answer. Instead he answered more, sharing what he'd thought and researched about in depth.We cover Joseph, Isaac, the Arch Bishop of Burundi, population, contraception, consumption, and more, both in principle and in ourpersonal lives. We also cover his personal experience in the woods near his home, his family, his work, and...2021-03-1354 min

This Sustainable Life424: Brent Suter, part 3: We don't have to steward. We get to.If you haven't listened to Brent and my first two episodes, I recommend listening to them first. Also, I recommend reading Milwaukee Brewers’ Brent Suter Sharing Love and Joy.I haven't approached the environment from a religious view and Brent and I spoke about plenty of interesting things the first two times, so we didn't get to it. Lately listeners have probably heard how much William Wilberforce, Thomas Clarkson, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and their peers have become role models. I wrote Brent to see if he knew more about them and could share.He said he wa...2020-12-2455 min

Beaconites!Rabbi Brent Spodek of Beacon Hebrew AllianceBeacon Hebrew Alliance is a Jewish synagogue and community that dates back to the 1920s. Rabbi Brent has brought new energy, creativity and congregants since he joined the BHA family 10 years ago. 2020-07-0140 min

Rabbi Jonathan Kligler27 Tazria/Metzora - Our Responsibility for Public Health | Insights from the Weekly Torah PortionThe Torah teaches that when an Israelite was afflicted with Metzora, a skin affliction that was contagious and appears to be untranslatable, they had to be separated from the community - a quarantine. The Talmud explores the responsibility of the afflicted person to protect the community, but also the responsibility of the community to care for the person. (My thanks to Rabbi Brent Spodek for his insights.)2020-04-241h 01

This Sustainable Life314: Brent Suter part 2: A Major League pitcher and his farmers marketsIf you love hearing people at the peak of the human condition behind the scenes, you'll love this episode with Major League Baseball pitcher Brent Suter. I think you'll also hear the subtext of food connecting his family already and his teammates soon.Sports and foodI love sports, competition, and athletics. I love food, meaning fresh vegetables and fruit. This conversation with Brent, I felt like a kid in a candy store.This is one of the shortest times between episodes. As I mentioned at the end of last episode, Brent decided...2020-03-251h 16

This Sustainable Life295: Brent Suter, part 1: Major league baseball pitcher and stewardI met Brent through guest Tia Nelson, both Wisconsin celebrities---she in politics, he in sport---who work with the Outrider Foundation.He is this podcast's first MLB pitcher in string of athletes from the Olympics, NFL, Americas Cup, beep baseball, and more. I bring athletes because they excel in the key leadership domain of personal growth and development.In a world based on polluting, environmental action requires challenging yourself to grow and develop. Early leaders like this podcast community have to swim upstream, acting against cultural norms.Besides winning on the diamond, as you'll...2020-02-2649 min

This Sustainable Life252: Tia Nelson, part 2: A lifetime of Earth DaysTia has been active on the environment for a long time, working with government, non profits, as an individual, and since birth deeply connected with federal and state government. And of course Earth Day from the start. We covered topics including planned obsolescence, politics, carbon taxes and accounting, Vince Lombardi, Brent Suter from the Milwaukee Brewers, Oprah Winfrey, and individual action.Many people, when considering acting on their environmental values, say how much they're already doing, implying isn't it enough already. They miss what I hope came across with Tia: Acting on your values improves your life...2019-11-261h 04

Raising Holy SparksEpisode 30: No Bad Jews, Keeping It Real w/Rabbi Brent Chaim SpodekHave you ever heard someone say "..but I'm a bad Jew" or "I'm a bad Catholic"? Who actually says that they are a good observer of their religion? Be very wary of that person. Rabbi Brent Spodek doesn't do any pretending. For him it's all about connecting.2019-07-0538 min

Tablet StudiosInto the Woods: Ep. 68Our guest this week is Rabbi Brent Chaim Spodek of the Beacon Hebrew Alliance, whose mission is bringing Judaism out of the pews and into the daily lives of his congregants. He tells us about his popular Soul Strolls through the idyllic Hudson Valley woods on Saturdays, why it’s OK to watch movies on Shabbat, and why he wants to end the bar mitzvah practice as we know it. Plus, the Jewbadour Jim Knable contributes a ballad about Liel's travel woes. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get new episodes and more. Email us with co...2016-12-0148 min