No Showers, No Steak, No Spotify: The Sacrifices of Tisha B'Av
edJEWcation
This week on edJEWcation, we’re going full Nine Days mode, which means no meat, no music, no manicures, and absolutely no Martha Stewart-level Shabbat table décor.
ChayaLeah and Jay kick things off with a discussion on Bob Dylan’s Orthodox daughter, Paul McCartney’s politics (or lack thereof), and why Regina Spektor just became the patron saint of Jewish pride at concerts. But don’t worry it’s not just a classic edJEWcation tangent-fest (well, it is, but on purpose). Because all
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Of Kings and Kvetching: The Book of Samuel, Part 2
edJEWcation
In this week’s edJEWcation bonus episode, Jay ditches Montreal, loses his tefillin (almost), and gains a crash course in the most Hamish transit option known to mankind: Hyman’s bus. We then pivot—seamlessly, obviously—from gefilte-fish-scented buses to one of the most dramatic political moments in Tanakh: the Israelites demanding a king.
Why did God get so cranky about the request for a king when He literally told them they’d have one? What makes a king kosher? And does asking n
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The Birth of a Prophet: The Book of Samuel, Part 1
edJEWcation
This week on edJEWcation, we dive into the opening chapters of the Book of Samuel—because nothing says Jewish tradition like a barren woman, a holy ark, and a plague of hemorrhoids.
Before we get biblical, we briefly address our deep concern over Brad Pitt's Zionism (verdict: our gut says yes) and tackle a listener question about antisemitism. Rabbi’s answer? Retreat is never the answer. Jewish pride is. And if you're not sure what you're proud of—educate yourself.
Then we jump
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Bombs, Birthright & the Rebbe’s Air Force
edJEWcation
This week on edJEWcation, ChayaLeah returns from an impromptu war-zone detour with 40 Birthright students, a cruise ship, and a newfound appreciation for bomb shelters. What started as a sunny student trip to Israel turned into a harrowing 12-day ordeal as Iran launched a massive missile attack, Ben-Gurion shut down, and Birthright scrambled to evacuate thousands.
We unpack her experience taking shelter from missiles in Jerusalem, fleeing to Cyprus by boat, partying awkwardly at sea, and witnessing
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Where is ChayaLeah?!?!?!
edJEWcation
With ChayaLeah on her reverse Exodus from Israel and an interview that fell through this week, we are re-running our episode about the Jewish perspective on happiness from a few months ago, because we couldn't all use that right now?
However, this one comes with an extended director's cut that includes Jay's commentary on current events in Israel.
What more could you ask for at the moment?
Enjoy and see you all next week.
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The Book of Judges: Warts and All, Part 3
edJEWcation
This week on edJEWcation, we conclude our epic journey through the Book of Judges—and let's just say, we didn’t exactly end on a high note. Join us as we unpack two of the wildest, most uncomfortable stories you (probably) never learned in Hebrew school: the idol of Micah and the tragedy of the concubine in Givah.
Along the way, we uncover shocking details like why Moses’ own grandson ends up running an idol-worshipping pop-up shul and how Israel’s first civil war unfolded in the m
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The Book of Judges: Warts and All, Part 2
edJEWcation
This week on edJEWcation, Jay, ChayaLeah, and the Rabbi dive deeper into the Book of Judges — and let's just say, things get complicated. From Gideon’s 300 hand-picked warriors (yes, it involves water-drinking techniques) to Yiftach’s infamous vow and the tragic fate of his daughter, we unpack the highs, the lows, and the downright puzzling. Plus, we tackle the legendary strongman Shimshon (Samson) — a one-man wrecking crew with a weakness for bad relationships and very good hair.
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The Book of Judges: Warts & All, Part 1
edJEWcation
This week on edJEWcation, we dive headfirst into one of the messiest, bloodiest, most binge-worthy books of the Bible — Judges. It’s like Game of Thrones, if Game of Thrones had more sand, tent pegs, and spiritual backsliding.
Join the Rabbi, ChayaLeah, and Jayas as they unpack the chaotic post-Joshua era where tribal leaders ruled — part military commander, part prophet, part "please stop worshipping idols for the love of God" counselor. We explore:
🌀 The addictive
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Correcting History: The Noble Work of Operation Benjamin
edJEWcation
Jay shares the most tragic fact of his birthday (spoiler: it involves Candace Owens), and then we welcome back our most honored recurring guest: Shalom Lamm, the mensch behind Operation Benjamin.
From Normandy to Arlington, Italy to Jerusalem, Shalom walks us through the sacred mission of correcting history — one headstone at a time. We talk about:
🪖 How a Jewish soldier ended up in a German mass grave… and how Shalom found him
🌟 The 102-year-old niece who
Joshua: Courage, Conquest, and the Original Imposter Syndrome
edJEWcation
This week on edJEWcation, we crack open the Book of Joshua — swords, spies, shofars, and all — to kick off our brand-new series on the books of the Hebrew Bible beyond the Torah.
Jay, ChayaLeah, and the Rabbi break down how Joshua, Moses’ humble sidekick-turned-general, led the Israelites into the land of Israel with nothing but faith, grit, and some serious divine backup. From the walls of Jericho crumbling to the sun standing still mid-battle, Joshua’s story isn’t just ancient
info_outlineOh boy. Here we go…
This week we decided to tackle the oh-so-non-controversial, milquetoast, mundane topic of the big A.
No, the A does not stand for Alcoholism, Agamemnon, or Adult Diapers. It stands for Abortion.
We’ve batted around discussing it for a while now and decided to avoid it (for probably obvious reasons). However, the great Kat Rosenfield wrote an article for The Free Press last week, which hit me like an AK-47 round right in the feels and made the time seem right to touch the seven million-degree stove.
In an article entitled, The Men Who Lost Their Babies, Kat describes the emotional pain men experience from a lost pregnancy by interviewing around a half dozen men who have gone through this painful experience, either due to miscarriage or abortion.
As one of those types of men, the article was a challenging but also cathartic read, as I expressed in the podcast this week.
In this conversation, we delve into the nuances of Jewish law regarding abortion, the concept of a Rodef (someone pursuing another person with the intent of killing them), and the cultural shifts in understanding reproductive rights.
We discuss the complexities of grief, parenting, and societal attitudes towards abortion over time, the emotional experiences of both mothers and fathers in the context of pregnancy loss, the spiritual beliefs surrounding unborn life, and the cultural shifts in how abortion is perceived.
We close out by emphasizing the need for support structures for women facing unexpected pregnancies and discuss the moral implications of valuing life based on desire versus inherent value and the importance of shared grieving within relationships.
Of course, we’re always interested in hearing your thoughts, but we’ll be particularly interested in this episode, so please comment below or send us a note to [email protected]
And if you want to be able to check out our punims, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel here.
Finally, if you read along with the edJEWcation Book Club, you’ll be excited to know we are announcing our next selection…The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis