Shows
The Tikvah PodcastWhat the War Reveals about Providence and Jewish History with Meir SoloveichikOn June 22, American B-2 bombers dropped hundreds of tons of explosives on three nuclear sites in Iran—Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. Right after President Trump announced that the pilots were out of Iranian air space, the world started to learn the details of Operation Midnight Hammer, the extraordinary American mission to neutralize Iran’s nuclear-weapons program. News coverage started immediately—and some of the most incisive and careful analysis appeared outside of the legacy media. Some of the best news coverage in English could be found at the Free Press, the Daily Wire, and the Call Me Back podcast. 2025-06-2728 min
Meir SoloveichikEpisode 2: The Third and Fourth CommandmentsWho Is God? The Third Commandment and the Name of the Lord What does it mean that the Creator has a personal and ineffable name? Rabbi Soloveichik explores how the sanctity of God’s name illuminates the biblical vision of divinity and reverence. The Most Misunderstood Day: Sabbath and the Fourth Commandment Shabbat introduced the idea of a day of rest to the world—but what is its real purpose? Discover how the Sabbath reshapes our understanding of work, holiness, and human dignity.2025-05-2348 minMeir SoloveichikEpisode 1: The First and Second CommandmentsHow Do We Know God? The First Commandment Judah Halevi pondered why the one true God revealed Himself not merely as Creator of the Universe, but as the God of Abraham Who took Israel out of Egypt. What does this tell us about Judaism’s view of God—and the link between the particular and the universal? Judaism vs. Idolatry: The Second Commandment Judaism’s confrontation with idolatry is far from ancient history. Here Rabbi Soloveichik reveals what paganism truly is and how its spirit is returning in modern forms.2025-05-2348 minThe Tikvah PodcastRoss Douthat and Meir Soloveichik on the State of American BeliefRoss Douthat occupies one of the most fascinating roles in the religious life of the American public. He is a serious Christian, a devout Catholic, a learned student of American religious history, and a perspicacious observer of the spiritual drives that are an inescapable aspect of the human condition. But what makes his role so fascinating is that he is also an opinion columnist at the New York Times. And readers of the New York Times tend to be considerably less religious, and if religious, then considerably less traditional in their religious habits and beliefs, than Douthat. So there...2025-01-241h 13The Tikvah PodcastMeir Soloveichik on the Meaning of the Jewish CalendarThe Zionist writer Ahad Ha’am famously remarked that more than the Jewish people kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept the Jewish people. There is a deep truth that is embedded in the organization of time, the ritualization of communal ceremonies of remembrance and praise, and the recapitulation of the traumas and triumphs of the past: that the calendar can function as a source of national solidarity. Living in rhythm with the Jewish calendar and all that entails is what makes Jews, Jews. The calendar is the instrument that the Jewish people developed to teach our children Jewish history and th...2024-10-1646 minMeir SoloveichikThe Bible, the Founders, and the War on American HistoryAmerican history is under siege today. Rabbi Soloveichik explores how can we make sure our children learn and appreciate the American story, and thinks about the role Jews have in this mission.2024-06-2652 minMeir SoloveichikJuly 4th, 1976On America’s bicentennial, a remarkable Israeli rescue mission spreads the message of liberty throughout the world. Click here to read Rabbi Soloveichik’s essay about the Liberty Bell.2024-06-2608 minMeir SoloveichikJonas Phillips and the Sabbath WitnessEzekiel has a unique emphasis on the way in which Jews testify to the world through Sabbath observance. Text: Ezekiel 20-23 In this episode, Rabbi Soloveichik quotes an article by Yehuda Avner. You can read it here.2024-06-2615 minMeir SoloveichikGeorge Washington’s Favorite VerseA verse in Micah appears many times in George Washington’s words—including one of the most famous letters in American Jewish history. Text: Micah 1-4 In this episode, Rabbi Soloveichik discusses two of George Washington’s letters to Jewish communities in America. Click here to read Washington’s letter to the Hebreww Congregation in Savannah, GA. Click here to read Washington’s letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, RI.2024-06-2612 minThe Tikvah PodcastMeir Soloveichik on the Politics of the HaggadahNext week, Jewish families will sit at their seder tables and relive the drama of Jewish liberation from Egyptian oppression. The text used, the Haggadah, is one of the most widely read works of the rabbinic tradition. It has an inescapably national aspect, and its main themes, when seen in the right perspective, suggest to the rabbi Meir Soloveichik that it can be understood as a preeminent work of Jewish political thought: tackling themes of freedom and oppression, covenant and constitution, state and society, the nature of law and the dreams of a people. Soloveichik discusses that...2024-04-1941 minMeir Soloveichik1983 to 2003: A Grave Near the Temple MountJust as he did in life, Menachem Begin channels the meaning of Jerusalem and Jewish eternity in passing.2024-02-2910 minMeir SoloveichikJerusalem and Egypt: Millennia Ago and TodayMenachem Begin completes the Israeli withdrawal from Sinai, evacuating Israeli settlements there.2024-02-2913 minMeir SoloveichikThe Miracle of OsirakTo Menachem Begin, the successful bombing of the Osirak nuclear reactor was both a strategic success and a gift from God.2024-02-2909 minMeir SoloveichikMenachem Begin’s Greatest SpeechIn the midst of the 1981 election race, Menachem Begin gives a remarkable speech that embodies the central tenet of his worldview: love of all Jews.2024-02-2910 minMeir SoloveichikBrisk at the White HouseMenachem Begin channels the Jewish past at the signing of the final peace agreement between Israel and Egypt.2024-02-2910 minMeir SoloveichikBetween Oslo and JerusalemIn his Nobel speech, Menachem Begin provides the definitive Judaic worldview on war and peace.2024-02-2911 minMeir SoloveichikThe Motzash Arrival of Anwar SadatAt a historic moment for Israel and the Arab world, Menachem Begin makes sure that the Sabbath is honored.2024-02-2909 minMeir SoloveichikTisha b’Av in New YorkOn his first trip to the United States, Menachem Begin looks to the Jewish past in order to build the Jewish future.2024-02-2909 minMeir SoloveichikMahapachAfter decades in opposition, Menachem Begin finally becomes the prime minister of Israel.2024-02-2909 minMeir SoloveichikBegin and Sadat: The BeginningHow the curious relationship between Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat began to form.2024-02-2911 minMeir SoloveichikBegin Speaks for Ancient JerusalemThe future Israeli prime minister makes a powerful case for reuniting Jerusalem with the Jewish people.2024-02-2911 minMeir SoloveichikBen-Gurion, Begin, and the Politics of IsraelThe differences between two political figures define Israel’s early years.2024-02-2913 minMeir SoloveichikAltalenaMenachem Begin’s commitment that Jews shall not make war against Jews is put to the test.2024-02-2911 minMeir SoloveichikEpisode 9: Epilogue: The Shamash and the Light of JudahEven in this difficult time for the Jewish people, we are blessed to bear witness to the lights of the soldiers of Israel—who testify to the living legacy of Judah Maccabee.2023-12-1504 minMeir SoloveichikJudah’s Last Stand By the end of his life, the achievements of Judah rivaled—and in some ways surpassed—those of every great general throughout history. 2023-12-1512 minMeir SoloveichikThe Day of NikanorJudah defeats a new general sent against the Hasmoneans in miraculous fashion.2023-12-1412 min
Ordain and EstablishRabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik: Making Men Moral 30th Anniversary Conference Keynote Featuring: – Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik, Director of the Zahava and Moshael Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought at Yeshiva University 2023-12-1342 minMeir SoloveichikAgainst the ElephantsIn the Battle of Beth Zechariah, the Seleucids defeated the Hasmoneans by using war elephants, but not before the Maccabee Eliezer did something that will be remembered forever.2023-12-1212 minMeir SoloveichikThe True Story of HanukkahIt was the liberation and purification of the Temple in Jerusalem that inspired Judah and his men to fight.2023-12-1214 minMeir SoloveichikJudah as GeneralUnlike any other leader in Jewish history, Judah combined faith in God, an ability to inspire his men, and strategic genius to lead the Hasmoneans.2023-12-1014 minMeir SoloveichikThe Religious Vision of MattathiasThe Maccabean fusion of public faith in God and a willingness to fight was born in the priest Mattathias.2023-12-1014 minMeir SoloveichikAll Greek to Thee: The Challenge of HellenismHow the essence of athletics lies at the heart of the Hanukkah story.2023-12-0814 minMeir SoloveichikMesmerized by the Maccabees: Why Is One Family So Fascinating?Why is Judah and his family so famous when even learned Jews know so little about him?2023-12-0713 min
New Books in Middle Eastern StudiesProvidence and Power: Rabbi Meir Soloveichik on Jewish Statesmanship from King David to David Ben GurionFor thousands of years, the Jewish people lacked a political state; yet, what can we say about the Jewish tradition of statesmanship? What makes it distinctive, and what can we learn from it? In Providence and Power: Ten Portraits in Jewish Statesmanship (Encounter Books, 2023) , Rabbi Meir Soloveichik investigates ten Jews, from King David all the way to the foundation of Israel, what we can learn from their examples, and how history can provide hope amidst recent events in Israel.Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik is director of the Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought at Yeshiva University and t...2023-11-2153 min
NBN Book of the DayProvidence and Power: Rabbi Meir Soloveichik on Jewish Statesmanship from King David to David Ben GurionFor thousands of years, the Jewish people lacked a political state; yet, what can we say about the Jewish tradition of statesmanship? What makes it distinctive, and what can we learn from it? In Providence and Power: Ten Portraits in Jewish Statesmanship (Encounter Books, 2023) , Rabbi Meir Soloveichik investigates ten Jews, from King David all the way to the foundation of Israel, what we can learn from their examples, and how history can provide hope amidst recent events in Israel.Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik is director of the Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought at Yeshiva University and t...2023-11-2153 min
New Books in Jewish StudiesProvidence and Power: Rabbi Meir Soloveichik on Jewish Statesmanship from King David to David Ben GurionFor thousands of years, the Jewish people lacked a political state; yet, what can we say about the Jewish tradition of statesmanship? What makes it distinctive, and what can we learn from it? In Providence and Power: Ten Portraits in Jewish Statesmanship (Encounter Books, 2023) , Rabbi Meir Soloveichik investigates ten Jews, from King David all the way to the foundation of Israel, what we can learn from their examples, and how history can provide hope amidst recent events in Israel.Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik is director of the Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought at Yeshiva University and t...2023-11-2153 min
Madison's NotesProvidence and Power: Rabbi Meir Soloveichik on Jewish Statesmanship from King David to David Ben GurionFor thousands of years, the Jewish people lacked a political state; yet, what can we say about the Jewish tradition of statesmanship? What makes it distinctive, and what can we learn from it? In Providence and Power: Ten Portraits in Jewish Statesmanship (Encounter Books, 2023) , Rabbi Meir Soloveichik investigates ten Jews, from King David all the way to the foundation of Israel, what we can learn from their examples, and how history can provide hope amidst recent events in Israel.Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik is director of the Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought at Yeshiva University and t...2023-11-2153 min
New Books in ReligionProvidence and Power: Rabbi Meir Soloveichik on Jewish Statesmanship from King David to David Ben GurionFor thousands of years, the Jewish people lacked a political state; yet, what can we say about the Jewish tradition of statesmanship? What makes it distinctive, and what can we learn from it? In Providence and Power: Ten Portraits in Jewish Statesmanship (Encounter Books, 2023) , Rabbi Meir Soloveichik investigates ten Jews, from King David all the way to the foundation of Israel, what we can learn from their examples, and how history can provide hope amidst recent events in Israel.Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik is director of the Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought at Yeshiva University and t...2023-11-2151 min
New Books in Diplomatic HistoryProvidence and Power: Rabbi Meir Soloveichik on Jewish Statesmanship from King David to David Ben GurionFor thousands of years, the Jewish people lacked a political state; yet, what can we say about the Jewish tradition of statesmanship? What makes it distinctive, and what can we learn from it? In Providence and Power: Ten Portraits in Jewish Statesmanship (Encounter Books, 2023) , Rabbi Meir Soloveichik investigates ten Jews, from King David all the way to the foundation of Israel, what we can learn from their examples, and how history can provide hope amidst recent events in Israel.Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik is director of the Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought at Yeshiva University and t...2023-11-2153 min
New Books in Israel StudiesProvidence and Power: Rabbi Meir Soloveichik on Jewish Statesmanship from King David to David Ben GurionFor thousands of years, the Jewish people lacked a political state; yet, what can we say about the Jewish tradition of statesmanship? What makes it distinctive, and what can we learn from it? In Providence and Power: Ten Portraits in Jewish Statesmanship (Encounter Books, 2023) , Rabbi Meir Soloveichik investigates ten Jews, from King David all the way to the foundation of Israel, what we can learn from their examples, and how history can provide hope amidst recent events in Israel.Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik is director of the Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought at Yeshiva University and t...2023-11-2153 minThe Tikvah PodcastMeir Soloveichik on What Jews Believe and Say about MartyrdomJews typically honor the dead by saying the phrase zikhrono livrakha, “may his memory be a blessing.” But when a Jew is murdered because he is a Jew, he is considered a martyr, and his name is then honored by the use of a different phrase, hashem yikom damo, "may God avenge his blood." Today, Rabbi Meir Soloveichik joins Mosaic editor Jonathan Silver to discuss his 2018 essay in Commentary on this subject, and to share his first thoughts on one of the worst weeks in modern Jewish history. Musical selections in this podcast are drawn from the Quintet for C...2023-10-1321 min
Call Me Back - with Dan SenorUnprecedented polarization, or has Israel been here before? With Meir SoloveichikItems discussed in this episode:“The Genius of Israel: The Surprising Resilience of a Divided Nation in a Turbulent“ Worldwww.amazon.com/Genius-Israel-Small-Nation-Teach/dp/1982115769/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2Y6VUH68GZXYL&keywords=The+genius+of+Israel&qid=1695034956&sprefix=the+genius+of+israel%2Caps%2C84&sr=8-1“Providence and Power: Ten Portraits in Jewish Statesmanship“www.barnesandnoble.com/w/providence-and-power-meir-y-soloveichik/1142113462 “Not Everything is Tisha B’Av” www.commentary.org/articles/meir-soloveichik/israel-judicial-reforms-are-not-tisha-bav/
2023-09-181h 08Call Me Back - with Dan SenorUnprecedented polarization, or has Israel been here before? With Meir SoloveichikItems discussed in this episode “The Genius of Israel: The Surprising Resilience of a Divided Nation in a Turbulent“ Worldwww.amazon.com/Genius-Israel-Small-Nation-Teach/dp/1982115769/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2Y6VUH68GZXYL&keywords=The+genius+of+Israel&qid=1695034956&sprefix=the+genius+of+israel%2Caps%2C84&sr=8-1 “Providence and Power: Ten Portraits in Jewish Statesmanship“www.barnesandnoble.com/w/providence-and-power-meir-y-soloveichik/1142113462 “Not Everything is Tisha B’Av”www.commentary.org/articles/meir-soloveichik/israel-judicial-reforms-are-not-tisha-bav/
2023-09-181h 09Meir SoloveichikEzekiel’s NeilahThe prophet’s discussion of repentance profoundly impacted the final prayer of Yom Kippur. Text: Ezekiel 18. In this episode, Rabbi Soloveichik refers to a movie review by Roger Ebert. You can read it here. Rabbi Soloveichik also references an essay by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. You can read it here. 2023-09-0712 minMeir SoloveichikMenachem Begin’s Yom KippurThirty years after his family was murdered by the Nazis, Begin recalled what the Yom Kippur service in the Temple meant to his father—and therefore what it should mean to us. Text: Leviticus 16. In this episode, Rabbi Soloveichik refers to a speech of Menachem Begin, translated in Mosaic. You can read that speech here.2023-09-0717 minMeir SoloveichikThe Meaning of a Yom Kippur PrayerKol Nidrei, one of the most awe-inspiring and misunderstood parts of Jewish liturgy, dramatizes the power of repentance. Text: Kol Nidrei. 2023-09-0706 minMeir SoloveichikJonah, Assyria, and UsThe end of Jonah is best read together with a much less well-known biblical book. Text: Jonah 3-4, Nahum 1-3. In this episode, Rabbi Soloveichik discusses the Un’taneh Tokef prayer from the High Holiday liturgy. You can read a translation of it here.2023-09-0714 minMeir SoloveichikThe Fugitive, Biblical EditionThe tale of the fleeing prophet is ultimately about identity and the monotheistic vision. Text: Jonah 1. 2023-09-0712 minMeir SoloveichikWho Was Gedaliah?The man selected by Babylon to lead the Jews it left in Judah is mourned to this day. Who was he? Text: Jeremiah 40-44. In this episode, Rabbi Soloveichik discusses a Times of Israel article by Michal Avera Samuel. You can read it here.2023-09-0713 minMeir SoloveichikJoy and Tears on Rosh HashanahA High Holy Day exhortation teaches us something profound about Rosh Hashanah, and about Judaism itself. Text: Nehemiah 8-13. 2023-09-0711 minMeir SoloveichikThe Tashlikh of Micah and the Omens of Rosh HashanahThe conclusion of Micah’s prophecy is linked to a famous Jewish tradition. Text: Micah 5-7. 2023-09-0712 minMeir SoloveichikThe Shofar and the Crown of PrayerThe Book of Joel elucidates the meaning of the most famous biblical instrument. Text: Joel 1-3. In this episode, Rabbi Soloveichik discusses an article from Atlas Obscura. You can read it here.2023-09-0711 minMeir SoloveichikThe King and UsThe unique biblical approach to monarchy allows us to understand why we coronate God every year on Rosh Hashanah. Text: Deuteronomy 16-19. 2023-09-0719 min
Behind the BimaSpecial Guest - Rabbi Dr Meir SoloveichikRabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik is a prominent Orthodox Jewish rabbi and scholar known for his contributions to Jewish education, religious leadership, and interfaith dialogue. He was born in 1977 and is a member of the renowned Soloveitchik rabbinic dynasty, which has produced several influential Jewish thinkers and religious leaders. Rabbi Soloveichik serves as the Rabbi of Congregation Shearith Israel, the oldest Jewish congregation in the United States, located in New York City. He is also the director of the Zahava and Moshael Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought at Yeshiva University, where he is involved in teaching a...2023-07-201h 30The Tikvah PodcastMeir Soloveichik on Ten Portraits of Jewish StatesmanshipThe first century Roman essayist and philosopher Plutarch is perhaps most famous today for his stylized, paired biographies of Greek and Roman statesmen. In Plutarch’s parallel lives, Alexander, who conquered the Mediterranean world, is compared to Julius Caesar, who did the same a few hundred years later. Alcibiades and Coriolanus are paired together to show how spiritedness and martial virtue, when not tempered by political judgment, can wreak havoc. Plutarch’s lives are moral portraits; their task is the moral formation of the reader, civic education, and the inculcation of virtue. They inspired Shakespeare’s portraits of Cor...2023-07-1446 minMeir SoloveichikJudea CaptaA coin minted by Vespasian brings us back to a lost aspect of Judea—one which has now been reborn. Supplemental Materials: Click here to read Menachem Begin’s speech upon being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1978. Click here to see the ruins of the Roman Temple of Peace. Click here to see one of Vespasian’s Judea Capta coins. Click here to read more about the resurrection of the date palm in Israel. Click here to see the ancient Jewish coin bearing the words “Israel Liberata.” 2023-07-1011 minMeir SoloveichikTitus’s Jewish GeneralIn the story of Jerusalem’s fall, there is a villain who must not be forgotten. Supplemental Materials: Click here to read more about Tiberius Alexander. 2023-07-1013 minMeir SoloveichikRabbi Yohanan Ben Zakkai Escapes JerusalemIn the “Year of Four Emperors,” a great sage receives an audience with Vespasian and serves as the link between destruction and redemption.2023-07-1012 minMeir SoloveichikThe Coins of a Free JerusalemThe unity implied by the coins of Jewish Jerusalem is belied by the fracturing inside the city.2023-07-1013 minMeir SoloveichikThe RevoltWhy did the Jews of Jerusalem attempt to overthrow the Roman yoke, and who supported the endeavor?2023-07-1012 minMeir SoloveichikBabylonian Tablets and Jerusalem’s JewsAncient tablets testify to Jewish endurance after Jerusalem’s destruction. Supplemental Materials: Click here to see an image of one of the Al-Yahudu tablets. Click here to read an article about the “By the Rivers of Babylon” exhibit, which featured the Al-Yahudu tablets. 2023-07-1012 minMeir SoloveichikThe Ashes of Eternal JerusalemWe can touch the remnants of Jeremiah’s Jerusalem today. Supplemental Materials: Click to here to watch Rabbi Soloveichik’s conversation with Rep. Ritchie Torres. Click here to watch the City of David video about the destruction of the First Temple and its archaeological remains. Click here to watch the video about the large royal structure discovered in the “Givati Parking Lot.” Click here to read the article about the archaeomagnetic techniques used to analyze the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem. 2023-07-1011 minMeir SoloveichikThe Lessons of the Life of ZedekiahThe failures of Jerusalem’s last Davidic king leave us with great lessons about leadership. Supplemental Materials: Click here to read the text of Winston Churchill’s speech protesting the Munich Agreement. 2023-07-1012 minMeir SoloveichikJeremiah and Job in JerusalemWhy did the prophet fail to convince Jerusalem of the coming disaster? Supplemental Materials: Click here to view Rembrandt’s “Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem.” Click here to view Jan Lievens’s “Job.” 2023-07-1012 min
Rich Valdés America At NightNicolee Ambrose, Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, & Scott MontefuscoGOP National Committeewoman for Maryland Nicolee Ambrose joins us to discuss the mysterious powder found at the White House over the weekend that turned out to be cocaine. Next, Rabbi Meir Soloveichik comes on to discuss his book "Providence and Power: Ten Portraits in Jewish Statesmanship." Then, Former Marine Scott Montefusco details his drive across the country in support of veterans. Finally we take your calls in open phones across America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices2023-07-062h 03Call Me Back - with Dan SenorBONUS EPISODE: Kol Nidrei...misunderstood - with Rabbi Meir SoloveichikYom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, begins in a few days. Kol Nidrei, is one of the most misunderstood parts of the Jewish high holidays -- and of the entirety of Jewish liturgy -- according to Rabbi Meir Soloveichik. He laid this out in a recent thought-provoking piece in The Wall Street Journal, which you can access here: https://tinyurl.com/44e4z7z8
Rabbi Soloveichik is the senior rabbi of Congregation Shearith Israel in Manhattan, the oldest Jewish congregation in the United States. He is also director of the Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought at Yeshiva University.
...2022-09-3038 minThe Tikvah PodcastMeir Soloveichik on Jerusalem’s Enduring SymbolsJerusalem is perhaps the most interesting and spiritually important city in the world. For the Jewish people, it is the most treasured city in their long history. It is mentioned over 600 times in the Hebrew Bible; every time a Jew prays, he or she faces Jerusalem; at the end of every Passover seder, Jews sing out l’shanah haba b’Yerushaliym, “next year in Jerusalem.” On this week’s podcast, we’re joined by Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, who just launched his new daily podcast, Jerusalem 365, a year-long examination of the history and significance of the holy city. For roughly...2022-09-0952 min
Twice Blest: Exploring Shakespeare and the Hebrew Bible“His deputy anointed in His sight”: Kingship in Shakespeare and the Hebrew Bible — With Rabbi Dr. Meir SoloveichikHow has the Hebrew Bible impacted the intellectual development of the West? How might a deeper understanding of Saul and David’s biblical narrative help us read Shakespeare’s meditations on the nature of kingship? In this episode, Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik, director of the YU’s Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought, examines the legitimacy, majesty, and humility of monarchy (or lack thereof) in Shakespeare’s Richard II and Macbeth.Audio Credits:Richard II: Episode 1, WYNC Studios + The Public (2020) Patrick Stewart as John of Gaunt in The Hollow Crown, "R...2021-08-1146 minThe Tikvah PodcastMeir Soloveichik on the Genius of Rabbi Norman LammOn May 31, 2020, American Jewry lost a giant. Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm, the longtime president of Yeshiva University (YU), was one of the nation’s foremost defenders Orthodox Judaism and exponents of the Torah U’Madda—Torah and secular knowledge—philosophy that animates Modern Orthodoxy. His passing was followed with an outpouring of remembrances from friends, family, students, and admirers. Most of them, appropriately, shined light on Rabbi Lamm’s remarkable career as a turnaround artist. He inherited the leadership of Yeshiva University on unstable foundations and saved the flagship institution of Modern Orthodoxy. But w...2020-06-2538 minMeir SoloveichikPirkei Avot—The Misunderstood Masterpiece Ep. 6: The Excommunication of Rabbi Eliezer and the History of Rabbinic JudaismA free, 6-part audio course Traditionally studied each week between Passover and Shavuot, Avot may be the most beloved tractate in the rabbinic cannon; but its purpose and teachings may also be misunderstood. In this new audio course from the Tikvah Fund, Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik provides learned insight into the unique lives and worldviews of the rabbinic sages featured in the tractate. He thereby shows how to understand Avot as what it really is: an intellectual history of Jewish minds that were often in debate, and who offered solutions to challenges in a post-Temple world that...2020-05-0359 minMeir SoloveichikPirkei Avot—The Misunderstood Masterpiece Ep. 5: Rabban Yochanan Ben Zakai and the Creation of YavnehA free, 6-part audio course Traditionally studied each week between Passover and Shavuot, Avot may be the most beloved tractate in the rabbinic cannon; but its purpose and teachings may also be misunderstood. In this new audio course from the Tikvah Fund, Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik provides learned insight into the unique lives and worldviews of the rabbinic sages featured in the tractate. He thereby shows how to understand Avot as what it really is: an intellectual history of Jewish minds that were often in debate, and who offered solutions to challenges in a post-Temple world that...2020-05-0342 minMeir SoloveichikPirkei Avot—The Misunderstood Masterpiece Ep. 4: The Majesty and Humility of Judah the PrinceA free, 6-part audio course Traditionally studied each week between Passover and Shavuot, Avot may be the most beloved tractate in the rabbinic cannon; but its purpose and teachings may also be misunderstood. In this new audio course from the Tikvah Fund, Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik provides learned insight into the unique lives and worldviews of the rabbinic sages featured in the tractate. He thereby shows how to understand Avot as what it really is: an intellectual history of Jewish minds that were often in debate, and who offered solutions to challenges in a post-Temple world that...2020-05-0339 minMeir SoloveichikPirkei Avot—The Misunderstood Masterpiece Ep. 3: The “Chosen People” between Universalism and ParticularismA free, 6-part audio course Traditionally studied each week between Passover and Shavuot, Avot may be the most beloved tractate in the rabbinic cannon; but its purpose and teachings may also be misunderstood. In this new audio course from the Tikvah Fund, Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik provides learned insight into the unique lives and worldviews of the rabbinic sages featured in the tractate. He thereby shows how to understand Avot as what it really is: an intellectual history of Jewish minds that were often in debate, and who offered solutions to challenges in a post-Temple world that...2020-05-0341 minMeir SoloveichikPirkei Avot—The Misunderstood Masterpiece Ep. 2: The Rise of the House of HillelA free, 6-part audio course Traditionally studied each week between Passover and Shavuot, Avot may be the most beloved tractate in the rabbinic cannon; but its purpose and teachings may also be misunderstood. In this new audio course from the Tikvah Fund, Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik provides learned insight into the unique lives and worldviews of the rabbinic sages featured in the tractate. He thereby shows how to understand Avot as what it really is: an intellectual history of Jewish minds that were often in debate, and who offered solutions to challenges in a post-Temple world that...2020-05-0341 minMeir SoloveichikPirkei Avot—The Misunderstood Masterpiece Ep. 1: What is Avot Really About? The Nature and Purpose of a Rabbinic MasterpieceA free, 6-part audio course Traditionally studied each week between Passover and Shavuot, Avot may be the most beloved tractate in the rabbinic cannon; but its purpose and teachings may also be misunderstood. In this new audio course from the Tikvah Fund, Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik provides learned insight into the unique lives and worldviews of the rabbinic sages featured in the tractate. He thereby shows how to understand Avot as what it really is: an intellectual history of Jewish minds that were often in debate, and who offered solutions to challenges in a post-Temple world that...2020-05-0353 minMeir SoloveichikThe Haggadah—A Political Classic Ep. 8: Elijah’s Cup—Reflections on Athens and JerusalemA free, 6-part audio course Traditionally studied each week between Passover and Shavuot, Avot may be the most beloved tractate in the rabbinic cannon; but its purpose and teachings may also be misunderstood. In this new audio course from the Tikvah Fund, Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik provides learned insight into the unique lives and worldviews of the rabbinic sages featured in the tractate. He thereby shows how to understand Avot as what it really is: an intellectual history of Jewish minds that were often in debate, and who offered solutions to challenges in a post-Temple world that...2020-04-0541 minMeir SoloveichikThe Haggadah—A Political Classic Ep. 7: Rabbi Akiva’s Blessing—Destruction, Freedom, and EnduranceA free, 8-part audio course / Passover 2020 The most widely read, beloved, and perplexing book of the Jewish tradition is the Passover Haggadah. It is also a serious work of Jewish political philosophy. This Passover, Tikvah brings you a free audio course from Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, exploring the social, civic, and political teachings of the Haggadah. He will show how every prayer, passage, symbol, and song aims to describe and preserve the Jewish understanding of the good society, and why the festival of freedom is so central to understanding what Judaism stands for in every generation. ...2020-04-0543 minMeir SoloveichikThe Haggadah—A Political Classic Ep. 6: The Politics of the Paschal LambA free, 8-part audio course / Passover 2020 The most widely read, beloved, and perplexing book of the Jewish tradition is the Passover Haggadah. It is also a serious work of Jewish political philosophy. This Passover, Tikvah brings you a free audio course from Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, exploring the social, civic, and political teachings of the Haggadah. He will show how every prayer, passage, symbol, and song aims to describe and preserve the Jewish understanding of the good society, and why the festival of freedom is so central to understanding what Judaism stands for in every generation. ...2020-04-0543 minMeir SoloveichikThe Haggadah—A Political Classic Ep. 5: The Meaning of Matzah—Positive Freedom and Negative FreedomA free, 8-part audio course / Passover 2020 The most widely read, beloved, and perplexing book of the Jewish tradition is the Passover Haggadah. It is also a serious work of Jewish political philosophy. This Passover, Tikvah brings you a free audio course from Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, exploring the social, civic, and political teachings of the Haggadah. He will show how every prayer, passage, symbol, and song aims to describe and preserve the Jewish understanding of the good society, and why the festival of freedom is so central to understanding what Judaism stands for in every generation. ...2020-04-0552 minMeir SoloveichikThe Haggadah—A Political Classic Ep. 4: Law and LibertyA free, 8-part audio course / Passover 2020 The most widely read, beloved, and perplexing book of the Jewish tradition is the Passover Haggadah. It is also a serious work of Jewish political philosophy. This Passover, Tikvah brings you a free audio course from Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, exploring the social, civic, and political teachings of the Haggadah. He will show how every prayer, passage, symbol, and song aims to describe and preserve the Jewish understanding of the good society, and why the festival of freedom is so central to understanding what Judaism stands for in every generation. ...2020-04-0535 minMeir SoloveichikThe Haggadah—A Political Classic Ep. 3: The Politics of TimeA free, 8-part audio course / Passover 2020 The most widely read, beloved, and perplexing book of the Jewish tradition is the Passover Haggadah. It is also a serious work of Jewish political philosophy. This Passover, Tikvah brings you a free audio course from Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, exploring the social, civic, and political teachings of the Haggadah. He will show how every prayer, passage, symbol, and song aims to describe and preserve the Jewish understanding of the good society, and why the festival of freedom is so central to understanding what Judaism stands for in every generation. ...2020-04-0546 minMeir SoloveichikThe Haggadah—A Political Classic Ep. 2: Children and ContinuityA free, 8-part audio course / Passover 2020 The most widely read, beloved, and perplexing book of the Jewish tradition is the Passover Haggadah. It is also a serious work of Jewish political philosophy. This Passover, Tikvah brings you a free audio course from Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, exploring the social, civic, and political teachings of the Haggadah. He will show how every prayer, passage, symbol, and song aims to describe and preserve the Jewish understanding of the good society, and why the festival of freedom is so central to understanding what Judaism stands for in every generation. ...2020-04-0532 minMeir SoloveichikThe Haggadah—A Political Classic Ep. 1: The DNA of the Haggadah—Politics and TheologyA free, 8-part audio course / Passover 2020 The most widely read, beloved, and perplexing book of the Jewish tradition is the Passover Haggadah. It is also a serious work of Jewish political philosophy. This Passover, Tikvah brings you a free audio course from Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, exploring the social, civic, and political teachings of the Haggadah. He will show how every prayer, passage, symbol, and song aims to describe and preserve the Jewish understanding of the good society, and why the festival of freedom is so central to understanding what Judaism stands for in every generation. ...2020-04-0540 minThe Tikvah PodcastMeir Soloveichik on the Meaning of KashrutWith the exception of shabbat, there is probably no practice that distinguishes pious Jews more than the observance of kashrut—the Jewish dietary laws. Whether at a business meeting or an everyday social gathering, Jews who keeps kosher have to set themselves apart from the crowd whenever food is involved. To keep kosher is to stand out. And that is precisely the point. In “Locusts, Giraffes, and the Meaning of Kashrut,” Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik argues that the deepest purpose of kashrut lies in how it reinforces the distinct identity of the Jewish people and their...2019-09-0446 minMeir SoloveichikThe Miracle of Jewish MemoryToday, the Jewish state is restored and Jerusalem is in our hands. Why do we still mourn ancient Jerusalem's destruction when we have so much to celebrate?2019-08-0534 minMeir SoloveichikThe Treasure from SinaiOn Shavuot, Jews celebrate receiving the Torah at Sinai. With all its commandments, the Torah is the source of Jews' most profound joy. But how can law, so complex and didactic, be a source of joy and inspiration that leads to an encounter with God?2019-06-1135 minMeir SoloveichikThe Rebirth of IsraelThe declaration of Israeli independence and the Israeli victories in 1967 were two of the most significant moments in Jewish History. But what does it mean to mark these moments as holidays, to commemorate and celebrate them as part of the Jewish calendar year? And how does Jerusalem Day allow us to fully understand the very meaning of Jewish statehood itself?2019-05-0833 minMeir SoloveichikThe Four FreedomsPassover, the Jewish festival of freedom, has extraordinary insight into the nature of liberty. Modeled after President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "Four Freedoms," Rabbi Meir Soloveichik delineates a more ancient set of four freedoms which derive from the Hebrew Bible and lay at the core of the Passover Seder and its rituals. These are the freedoms that Jews and all Americans must rediscover for the sake of their own spiritual health and political vitality.2019-04-1138 minMeir SoloveichikSacred Time Ep 8: PurimPurim is a holiday marked by levity, costumes, and celebration. Yet its ultimate premise is deadly serious. It asks us to recognize not only that Haman exists in every generation, but also that our Jewishness binds us to one another, whether we like it or not. Purim is, in other words, the holiday of Jewish solidarity.2019-03-0833 minMeir SoloveichikSacred Time Ep 7: Tu BishvatToday, Tu Bishvat has evolved into a kind of Jewish Earth Day. Yet the holiday’s contemporary transformation teaches us more about the crisis of modern identity than about the day's authentic meaning. Rightly understood, Tu Bishvat's history and traditions remind us of the roots of Jewish identity and its rootedness in the Land in Israel.2019-01-2925 minMeir SoloveichikJewish Conservatism Among the Almost Chosen PeopleFrom the Conference on Jews and Conservatism, October 28, 20182018-12-1900 minMeir SoloveichikSacred Time Ep 6: HanukkahFamilies on Hanukkah gather together and celebrate around dreidels, chocolate coins, and presents. Yet the holiday's most profound meaning is in its core symbol and ritual: the lighting of the menorah. Rabbi Soloveichik takes us through Hanukkah's two pivotal historical stages, the age of the Temple and the age of Diaspora, teaching us about the triumph of monotheism and Judaism, and the lessons Hanukkah's miracles hold for anyone who cares about Jewish survival.2018-12-1430 minMeir SoloveichikSacred Time Ep 5: Shabbat & The HolidaysIn the Hebrew Bible, the Jews are described as a chosen people—but what are they chosen for? Rabbi Soloveichik explains that each of Judaism’s two types of sacred time, Shabbat and the Jewish festivals, exemplifies a unique aspect of Jewish purpose.2018-10-2221 minMeir SoloveichikSacred Time Ep 4: SukkotSukkot and its rituals speak to the meaning of Jewish history, and the moral and spiritual challenges of our day.2018-10-2235 minMeir SoloveichikSacred Time Ep 3: Yom KippurRabbi Soloveichik explores Judaism's "Day of Atonement," the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. Does the process of repentance, wherein we recall our many failings, year after year, mean that man is inherently bad or “fallen”? Is there truth in the claim that man is merely a material being, wholly determined by his irrepressible urges? The Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, rightly understood, offers a resounding “no”—and conveys a message of faith and hope in the divinely-given purpose of man.2018-10-2234 minMeir SoloveichikSacred Time Ep 2: Rosh HashanahDrawing upon wide ranging sources—from the history of British royalty to the poetry and prayers of Rosh Hashanah—Rabbi Soloveichik invites us to explore the connection between the New Year and the Jewish family, Creation and procreation, divine love and human love from one Jewish generation to the next.2018-10-2237 minMeir SoloveichikSacred Time Ep 1: Intro to Jewish TimeWhat is the Jewish idea of time? How can it be made sacred? Rabbi Soloveichik ties together three incredible stories about Hasidim in Alaska, former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, and former refusenik Natan Sharansky.2018-10-2224 minThe Tikvah PodcastMeir Soloveichik on King DavidIn 2010, the theologian Michael Wyschograd published “A King in Israel,” a provocative essay in which he argues for defining the Jewish State as a democratic, constitutional monarchy. Wyschograd proposes that, without changing anything about the functioning of the Israeli government, the president of the state be given the title, “Regent of the Throne of David”—reconstituting the third Jewish commonwealth as a Davidic monarchy without a reigning king. This idea may seem fantastical, and it was given very little attention at the time. But in this podcast, Rabbi Meir Soloveichik joins Tikvah Executive Director Eric Cohen to explore th...2017-02-2346 minThe Tikvah PodcastMeir Soloveichik on Rembrandt, Tolkien, and the JewsIn this podcast Eric Cohen and Rabbi Meir Soloveichik speak about two artistic geniuses whose works highlight Jews’ humanity, on the one hand, and other-worldliness, on the other. These two sides of the Jewish people—at once part of the human race and God’s chosen people—comprise Jews’ inherently dialectical nature, Soloveichik argues. Framed by Soloveichik’s recent essay, “Rembrandt’s Great Jewish Painting” (Mosaic, June 2016), the discussion begins with an exploration of the great Dutch painter’s beautiful efforts to depict the humanity of Jews and the Jewishness of biblical scenes. Particular attention is given to Rembrandt’s great...2016-09-2952 minThe Tikvah PodcastMeir Soloveichik and Shai Held - Debates in Jewish TheologyRabbi Elliot Cosgrove wrote a provocative article in 2007 titled “Where Have All the Theologians Gone?” This is the question Shearith Israel rabbi Meir Soloveichik and Mechon Hadar rabbi Shai Held begin with: Why is there so much less public argument about Jewish theology than there was in the middle of the last century? What does this say about contemporary Jewish life? About our synagogues? About our universities? About our interfaith relations? The conversation moves from the sociology of theology to Jewish theology itself. Soloveichik and Held each reflect upon a theologian whose ideas have been a fixture of their own...2015-01-121h 56