Libsyn Directory

Intentional and Unintentional Holiness

Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism

Release Date: 09/04/2025

Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism

For centuries, we’ve used the word "scapegoat" to mean blaming someone else—but what if the Torah meant the exact opposite? What does the scapegoat really mean on Yom Kippur? In Parashat Acharei Mot, two identical goats stand at the center of the ritual—one for God, one sent into the wilderness. Most read this as ancient ritual. Isaac Abarbanel reads it as something far more radical. Key Takeaways The Scapegoat Isn’t About “Them”—It’s About Us Abarbanel reframes the ritual: the two goats are not Israel vs. its enemies, but two possible versions of Israel itself—closeness or...

When Homes Are Torn Open

Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism

Look closely at the broken walls of Israel, and you might just see the hidden history, resilience, and ancient secrets waiting to be uncovered in the rubble. The Bible contains an enigmatic set of laws about a house that becomes afflicted—and somehow needs to be cured. But the Rabbis flip the script. What if this “plague” isn’t a punishment… but a gift? What if tearing down a wall reveals something hidden בתוך הקיר—inside the wall? Key Takeaways Our homes are not just structures—they are stories The Torah teaches that a house can carry memory, history, and even moral...

Where is the Stranger?

Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism

There is one powerful verse the ancient rabbis purposefully cut from the Passover story—and for good reason. Everybody asks why Moses is missing from the Haggadah. But what if we’re asking the wrong question? In this final episode of the Madlik Haggadah, we explore a deeper and more urgent mystery: Where is the stranger? Key Takeaways The Haggadah Stops Too Soon The Mishnah tells us to read the Exodus story “until the end.” But we don’t. And the ending we skip is the most important part: “You, and the stranger in your midst.” 2. Being Oppressed Doesn’t...

The Haggadah After October 7

Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism

What if I told you that the most powerful way to read the Passover Haggadah... is to write your own? In this episode of Madlik, we explore a radical idea born on Israel’s early kibbutzim in the 1920s and 30s: that Judaism isn’t just inherited—it’s authored. We’re joined by Eran Yarkoni and Anton Marks of the Shittim Institute, who are traveling the U.S. with their exhibition Haggadah of Hope. Key Takeaways 1. The Haggadah Isn’t a Book—It’s a Framework The kibbutzim didn’t treat the Haggadah as sacred text to preserve, but as a structure to fill. They understood...

How the Rabbis got their Power

Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism

Unlike almost every other major world religion, Judaism has absolutely no Pope—and the beautiful reason why is hidden deep in the Book of Leviticus. Rabbis today are “ordained.” But the original system of rabbinic ordination—semikhah, the laying on of hands—collapsed almost 1,600 years ago. So how did rabbinic authority survive? In this episode of Madlik Disruptive Torah, Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz trace the surprising story of how a simple biblical gesture—placing hands on a sacrifice—became the foundation for Jewish leadership and authority. Key Takeaways Authority in...

Midrash Through the Looking Glass

Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism

The Torah is incredibly strict about what goes into its holiest sanctuary, which is why one bizarre detail in Exodus chapter 38 makes absolutely no sense. In the inventory of materials used to build the Mishkan, the Torah accounts for the weight and value of all the gold, silver, copper, wood, and linen material used. It’s very clinical, with no reference to significance or context. There is one striking exception. Exodus 38:8 tells us that the priestly washing basin was made “from the mirrors of the women who gathered at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.” Why does the Torah suddenly...

Upside Down Thinking

Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism

What if I told you the Talmud’s greatest secret for surviving a crisis isn’t fighting harder—it’s assuming the exact opposite of what you think is true? In this special Purim episode of Madlik Disruptive Torah, Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz explore the Megillah’s phrase וְנַהֲפוֹךְ הוּא (ve-nahafoch hu) — “everything was turned upside down” — and ask what it means after Purim, in a world facing crisis and uncertainty. Key Takeaways Reversal Is a Mindset, Not a Miracle. Crisis Is an Invitation to Rethink the Paradigm. Argue Hard. Stay Together. ...

The Lost Color of the Jewish People

Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism

If you want to understand the Jewish story, start with a color. This week we’re rebroadcasting one of my favorite episodes from 2022 — an episode about a single color that somehow contains an entire Jewish narrative: tekhelet, that rare, stubborn, unforgettable blue. We’re revisiting a conversation that feels more timely than ever. As antisemitism re-emerges in public life, people are reaching again for symbols — simple, visible markers that say: I’m here. I’m not hiding. I’m not alone. One of those symbols is the Blue Square Campaign — a small square of blue worn or posted as...

No Free Gifts

Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism

We usually think a 'gift with strings attached' is a bad thing, but the Torah actually forbids giving without them. No Free Gifts | Terumah, Purim & The Language of Reciprocity There is no such thing as a free gift. In this episode of Madlik Disruptive Torah, Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz explore Parshat Terumah through the provocative lens of French sociologist Marcel Mauss and his groundbreaking work The Gift. Key Takeaways Every gift binds. Giving is a language. Reciprocity builds society. Timestamps [00:00] No Such Thing as a Free Gift: Torah Meets Anthropology [00:43] Terumah...

From Freedom to Slavery

Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism

The Torah doesn’t celebrate freedom. It teaches dependence. Parashat Mishpatim opens with a shock: the Torah’s great civil code begins with laws of slavery—spoken to a nation freshly freed from slavery. In this episode of Madlik Disruptive Torah, Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz ask why the Torah doesn’t give an “Emancipation Proclamation,” and what freedom even means in a world built on mutual dependence. From Thoreau’s Walden myth to Bob Dylan’s “You’ve got to serve somebody,” and Yeshayahu Leibowitz’s insistence that the Exodus is about serving God, we explore a...

More Episodes

Are there times were we should strive not to be present or in the moment?

As we enter the month of Elul and approach the High Holidays, many of us instinctively tighten our grip on spiritual practices. We double down on prayer, intensify our focus, and strive for flawless kavanah (intention). But what if true holiness sometimes emerges when we loosen our hold?

In this week's Torah portion, Ki Teitze, we encounter a surprising perspective on mitzvot (commandments) that challenges our assumptions about intentionality and control. Let's explore how embracing the unintentional might deepen our spiritual practice and transform our relationship with the Divine.

Key Takeaways

The nuanced approach to returning lost objects and when it's okay to "hide your eyes”
How the agricultural law of forgotten sheaves (shichecha) relates to selective memory during the High Holidays
The serendipitous nature of the bird's nest commandment and its character and environmental implications

Timestamps

[00:00:00] Holiness in forgetting and letting go
[00:02:07] Rabbi joins from Italy
[00:03:00] Announcements and upcoming live event
[00:04:00] Returning lost objects in Deuteronomy
[00:06:03] The subway lesson: looking away
[00:09:00] Exceptions to returning lost items
[00:12:00] The mitzvah of forgetting sheaves in the field
[00:17:00] Selective memory and Rosh Hashanah
[00:22:00] The bird’s nest commandment
[00:28:00] Wrapping up: intentional vs. unintentional holiness

Links & Learnings

Safaria Source Sheet: https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/672300

Transcript here: https://madlik.substack.com/

Key Takeaways

Timestamps

Links & Learnings

TOPICS