Jewish Law
66 episodes · Page 3 of 3
#2083: How a 1947 Letter Still Runs Israel
A 1947 letter from a secular Zionist leader created the "status quo" that still dictates Shabbat, marriage, and kosher laws in Israel.
#1999: Why Anti-Zionist Jews Live in Jerusalem
They reject Israel’s existence on religious grounds, yet live in its heart. Discover the theology of the Three Oaths.
#1833: The Kosher Coffee Machine Rebellion
A Tel Aviv hotel's coffee machine sparked a legal battle over who gets to say your food is kosher.
#1825: A Slow-Motion Liberation for Passover 2026
Why does this Passover feel so heavy? We explore the seder as a "metabolic discipline" for a world at war.
#1812: When AI Gets a Truth Tether to the Talmud
Sefaria's new MCP server connects AI directly to 2,700 years of Jewish texts, transforming how scholars and curious learners study ancient literature.
#1480: The Gaza Shift: Redefining Religious Authority
Discover how the Yoetzet Halacha movement is transforming women from passive recipients of religious law into authorized communal architects.
#1477: Decoding the Yerushalmi: AI Unlocks a Lost Legal World
Discover how 2026 AI technology is unearthing the hidden Roman legal roots and "buried" secrets of the Jerusalem Talmud.
#1336: The Western Wall Bill: Testing Israel's Religious Democracy
Can a democracy survive with theocratic features? We explore Israel’s legislative shifts and the battle over religious control at the Western Wall.
#1319: The Dhimmi System: Life Under the Pact of Umar
Explore the complex legal reality of dhimmitude and how the Pact of Umar shaped Jewish life in the Islamic world for over a millennium.
#1314: From Cyrus to Silence: The Story of Iran’s Jews
Explore the 2,700-year history of Jews in Iran, from the biblical legacy of Cyrus the Great to the precarious reality of life in 2026.
#1257: Can Israel Survive When 1 in 4 Refuse to Fight?
As the Haredi population grows, Israel faces a breaking point over military service and economic sustainability. Can the social contract hold?
#1243: How to Hack a Smart Home for the Sabbath
How do you navigate a smart home when you can't flip a switch? Explore the engineering behind making modern technology Shabbat-compliant.
#1241: The Friday Scramble: When a Nation Runs Out of Time
Explore why Israel remains on a Sunday-to-Thursday workweek and the economic, religious, and labor hurdles preventing a shift to a global schedule.
#1178: The Mechanics of Repair: Tikkun Olam in a Broken World
Discover how the ancient concept of Tikkun Olam offers a powerful framework for repairing modern systems, from social justice to tech ethics.
#1164: The Triple Homicide of the Soul: The Ethics of Gossip
Explore why the truth can be a weapon and how ancient Jewish wisdom treats gossip as a "triple homicide" of the soul.
#1044: Ezra the Scribe: Architect of a Portable Identity
Discover how Ezra the Scribe transformed a nation’s identity from a physical temple to a portable text, shaping the modern world.
#924: When a Donkey and a Sloth Explain Purim
Explore the deep themes of Purim in Jerusalem during wartime, from the power of masks to the defiance of finding joy in the face of modern threats.
#362: The Re-Enchantment of the World: Why We Still Believe in Ghosts
Why do 54% of people believe in ghosts? Explore the intersection of ancient Talmudic rituals, Irish folklore, and the science of the unseen.