A recent shivah house visit prompts John to ask Asher about the mourning custom. Who is Othniel Ben Kenaz and whats his connection to the recent disturbances in Hebron? We then analyze Thanksgiving through a Jewish lens, and Asher offers tips on how we

We ponder whether Roe-vember stopped the Red Wave, leading us to the halachic view of abortion, and why it differs from the fundamentalist Christian perspective. Doug Klein, our first guest(!), then explains his Zionist Guide to the World Cup. It wouldn

(Rabbi) Asher (Lopatin) describes his adventures at the other General Assembly. We then unpack the latest Israeli election, and how American Jews should respond to the results. Asher explains kosher issues surrounding whisk(e)y, our favorite libation.

As we celebrate our bar mitzvah episode, and wait for our fountain pens to arrive, Asher describes the halachic underpinnings of the popular ritual. Because its Rosh Chodesh Marcheshvan, and therefore dont have any Jewish holidays to observe, we discus

Because this is the Genesis episode of the year.Now that COVID hits our podcast, we ask why there is a Land of Confusion among some Jews regarding modern medicine. Asher tells us that if we dont strictly construe the Torah, we are not Throwing It

So many holidays, so little time. As we move through Sukkot, while avoiding skunks, we squeeze in Hoshana Rabbah, Shemini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah (and its importance to the Top Secret! movie), not to mention the little-known Hakhel ceremony. Then so

Warning: this episode is spicier than most. We start by discussing why we read about sexual ethics on Yom Kippur, and how even the traditional Jewish view on homosexuality is more nuanced than youd think. We advise the UC Berkeley law schools Queer Ca

Does 5783 mean that we walked around with dinosaurs? Johns trip to Philly prompts a discussion of the Liberty Bell and the Jewish view on Jewish slavery. We then discuss Ashers White House adventures, and how Jewish celebrations there never fail to im

Who has more exciting conferences, rabbis or banking lawyers? We explore the positive role of the Treasury Department, and the not-so-positive role of the State Department, while discussing the new PBS show about the Holocaust. Asher gets on his soapbox

Should Jews really be driving forklifts, and is asking that question antisemitic? Asher and John then discuss superheroes, both real (9/11) and imagined (Sabra). After unpacking the Rosh Hashanah seder, our co-hosts then pivot to themes of royalty and R