Beyond Faith: The Unexpected Joy of Torah Study
Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism
Release Date: 08/07/2025
Left Behind-The Jewish Rapture
Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism
How a Story of Liberation Was Used to Exclude What if the Exodus wasn’t just a story of freedom… but also a story of exclusion? Key Takeaways Redemption stories are rarely neutral—they are often weapons. The charge of being “left behind” usually says more about the accuser than the accused. A story about leaving becomes an excuse for not moving at all. Timestamps [00:00] Moses' Uncompromising Message to Pharaoh [00:24] The Irony of the 'Left Behind' Story [01:48] Introduction to Madlik and This Week's Topic [02:42] Exploring the Tradition of Those Left Behind [04:00] The Ambiguous...
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Who’s In, Who’s Out — A 3,000-Year-Old Debate
Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism
The Exodus isn’t just a freedom story — it’s the Torah’s first argument about gatekeeping. Pharaoh asks a simple question: “Who exactly is going?” — mi va-mi ha-holchim. Moses answers with a revolution: Everyone. Key Takeaways Who’s going?” really means “Who counts? Inclusion isn’t modern — it’s Torah. Presence matters more than status. Timestamps [00:00] Pharaoh's Question: Who's Going? [01:26] Introduction to Madlik and This Week's Topic [01:58] The Essence of Hasidism and Inclusion [05:03] Exploring the Exodus Story [07:14] Moses' Radical Answer to Pharaoh...
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Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe - The Answer Within
Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism
Rav Shlomo Wolbe, Mussar, and the Theology of Human Greatness Moses delivers the greatest promise in Jewish history—freedom, redemption, a future—and the Torah says something heartbreaking: the Israelites don’t listen. Not because they reject God or Moses, but because of “kotzer ruach” (Exodus 6:9)—shortness of spirit. Key Takeaways The Torah’s Greatest Threat Isn’t Sin — It’s Smallness True Greatness Is Internal, Not External Mussar Teaches Us How to Grow, Not Just What to Do Timestamps [00:00] The Devastating Reality of kotzer ruach [00:45] Introduction to Rabbi Shlomo...
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Reading the Torah like a Child
Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism
What Children Hear That Adults Miss We begin the Book of Shemot (Exodus) with a New Year’s-style resolution: read more Torah out loud—to our children, and to our grandchildren. Because the Exodus isn’t just Judaism’s greatest story; it’s Judaism’s most re-read story—told at the Seder, year after year, the longest-running book club in history. We’re joined by scholar and author Ilana Kurshan to discuss her new book Children of the Book, a beautiful exploration of how reading to kids shapes not only them, but us. Together we read Exodus through young eyes: the burning bush as a...
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When Shiloh Comes: Religion at Its Best and Worst
Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism
In this episode of Madlik Disruptive Torah, Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz explore one of the Torah’s most enigmatic verses—Jacob’s blessing of Judah and the phrase “until Shiloh comes.” Claimed by Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, this single line opens a sweeping conversation about the power of religion to shape history—for good and for evil. Drawing on classical commentators, medieval Jewish-Christian encounters, and modern interfaith scholarship, we ask hard questions: What happens when sacred texts become battlegrounds? Can religion be part of the solution to religious...
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Sacred Numbers Without Superstition
Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism
As we close one year and step into another, we’re revisiting a live Madlik Disruptive Torah conversation recorded in December 2022, back when the podcast was broadcast weekly on Clubhouse in front of a live audience. This episode explores the enduring power of numbers in Jewish thought—especially the number 70. From the seventy souls who descend to Egypt, to seventy nations, seventy languages, seventy judges on the Sanhedrin, and the rabbinic idea that Torah itself has shiv’im panim—seventy faces—this conversation asks what numbers can teach us without turning Torah into...
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Hanukkah: The Civil War We Forgot
Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism
Was Hanukkah really a war of Jews vs. Greeks — or a Jewish civil war we chose to forget? Was Hanukkah really Jews vs. Greeks — or a Jewish civil war we chose to bury under a story about oil? In this episode of Madlik Disruptive Torah, Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz revisit the Hanukkah story through the sources. From Maccabees I and the politics of Ptolemy vs. Antiochus, to the lone Talmudic mention of the oil miracle (Shabbat 21b), they show how a messy internal power struggle became a clean miracle narrative. Key Takeaways Hanukah began as a Jewish civil war — not just Jews vs....
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Bottom Up Torah: How Queer Jews Are Changing Orthodoxy
Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism
Imagine being told you belong to a faith that is fighting to keep you out—and refusing to leave. In this week's Madlik, Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz welcome Rabbi Steve Greenberg, the first openly gay Orthodox-ordained rabbi, for a deeply personal and wide-ranging conversation. Key Takeaways Vulnerability transforms the meaning of Torah. Bottom-up change is reshaping Orthodoxy. The tradition has the capacity — and the precedent — to grow. Timestamps [00:00:12] Rabbi Steve Greenberg’s coming-out context and the question of LGBTQ+ Jews as teachers of Torah. [00:03:11] Steve’s...
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The Jewish Future Israel Wants… But Fears to Admit
Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism
Beneath the surface, Israel is fighting for the soul of its religion — and most of us don’t even see the battle lines. In this episode of Madlik Disruptive Torah, Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz are joined by Professor Adam S. Ferziger to explore the quiet revolution reshaping Israeli Judaism. Drawing on his new book, Agents of Change, Ferziger reveals how American Modern Orthodoxy—its values, institutions, and worldview—has profoundly influenced Religious Zionism and the broader Israeli religious landscape. From the tension between nationalism and modernity to the emergence of a...
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He’s Christian. He Fights for Israel. He Speaks Talmudic Aramaic.
Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism
Ready to discover how reviving a lost language can reshape the whole Middle East? Ta Shma (come and hear) Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz are joined by Shadi Khalloul—IDF paratrooper veteran, founder of the Israeli Christian Aramaic Association, and one of the world’s most passionate advocates for reviving the Aramaic language. Together, they explore Parshat Vayetzei and the hidden “Rosetta Stone” moment in Genesis 31, where Jacob and Laban name the same monument in Hebrew and Aramaic. Key Takeaways Aramaic is the Hidden Backbone of Jewish Life Aramaic Once United the Ancient...
info_outlineThe Torah's allure is so powerful, rabbis had to warn against misusing it.
Exploring the concept of "limud" (learning) unique to Deuteronomy, we uncover the rabbis' complex relationship with Torah study. From the joy of learning to the fear of misuse, the discussion spans intentionality, secular study, and the power of Torah to attract even non-believers. We delve into the debate between studying "lishma" (for its own sake) vs. applied learning, and examine how different Jewish movements approach Torah study.
The rabbis recognized the profound allure of Torah study, to the point where they had to warn against misusing it for personal gain or pride… or even to make a living. We explore the emergence of the academic and scientific study of our texts as well as contemporary women’s yeshivot and secular yeshivot and different rabbinic opinions on the matter, from those who believe any Torah study can lead to observance to those who fear misinterpretation. The segment provides insight into an ongoing debate within Judaism about the nature and purpose of sacred text study.
We conclude with the potential for new insights to arise from diverse groups studying Torah highlighted with the fascinating Talmudic story of Rabbi Meir learning from the heretic Elisha Ben Abuya, illustrating the idea that valuable wisdom can come from unexpected sources.
Key Takeaways
- The word "limud" (learning) appears only in Deuteronomy, signaling a shift in Torah transmission.
- Rabbis grappled with the allure of Torah study for non-religious purposes.
- The debate continues: should Torah study be restricted to believers or open to all?
Timestamps
- [00:00:00] – The episode opens with a provocative framing: Can the Torah survive being studied like secular literature?
- [00:02:00] – Discussion on Tisha B’Av and the idea that Torah learning brings too much joy to be permitted on a day of mourning.
- [00:03:00] – Story from Rabbi Riskin about the heretic who insists he’s not a goy, highlighting the irresistible pull of Torah study.
- [00:04:42] – Deep dive into Deuteronomy and the word “limud,” and how teaching and learning emerge in the text.
- [00:07:00] – Exploring Maimonides' take on the commandment to teach Torah not just to sons, but to students as children.
- [00:10:00] – Pirkei Avot is introduced, differentiating learning to teach vs. learning to practice.
- [00:13:00] – Cautionary wisdom from the sages: Don’t use Torah as a tool for ego or profit.
- [00:17:00] – Talmudic view that learning Torah for the wrong reasons may still lead to righteous practice.
- [00:23:00] – Norman Lamm and others weigh in on secular vs. sacred motivations for Torah study.
- [00:30:00] – The closing story of Rabbi Meir and Elisha ben Abuya explores the value of learning Torah even from a heretic.
Links & Learnings
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Transcript here: https://madlik.substack.com/