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Asking Permission to Pray

Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism

Release Date: 10/01/2025

Sacred Numbers Without Superstition show art 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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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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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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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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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...

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Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism

What if one of the Torah’s greatest heroes was actually its most scandalous trickster? In this episode of Madlik Disruptive Torah, Geoffrey Stern and Adam Mintz dive into one of the most provocative moments in the Torah: Jacob’s audacious act of deception to secure his father Isaac’s blessing in Parashat Toldot. Rather than smoothing over the ethical wrinkles, we sit with the discomfort, exploring why the Torah insists on portraying our third patriarch as a trickster—and what we’re meant to learn from a hero whose virtues are tangled with flaws. Key Takeaways The Torah Embraces...

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Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism

What happens when women finally enter the conversation that’s been about them all along? In this episode of Madlik: Disruptive Torah, Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz are joined by Prof. Rabbi Wendy Zierler — Sigmund Falk Professor of Modern Jewish Literature and Feminist Studies at HUC-JIR, ordained by Yeshivat Maharat, and author of Going Out with Knots: My Two Kaddish Years with Hebrew Poetry. Key Takeaways Expect to rethink assumptions about primary biblical characters—especially the matriarchs—and appreciate the living tradition of midrash as a vehicle for creativity and...

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Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism

A Netflix rom-com jokes that Judaism “encourages me to argue.” Turns out, that’s not a joke—it’s what set Abraham apart. A Netflix rom-com gives us a throwaway line that might be the most Jewish thing ever said on screen. When a young rabbi admits that Judaism loves two opposing opinions, his girlfriend lights up: “A religion that encourages me to argue? Love that.” It’s meant as a joke, but this week’s Torah portion proves her right. Sarah laughs at divine promises, Abraham bargains with God over justice, and on Mount Moriah, even silence feels like protest. Judaism...

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Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism

3,000 years after Abraham heard the call to go forth, a group of 20 somethings booked a one-way ticket to Ben-Gurion. What if the journey of Abraham in the Torah mirrors the modern-day aliyah experience? In this episode we dive into the modern-day "Lech Lecha" story with Noah Efron from The Promised Podcast. From his Young Judea roots to teaching at Bar Ilan University, Noah shares his journey of making aliyah (immigration to Israel) from America in the early 80s, offering a fascinating perspective on what it means to "go forth" in our generation. Key Takeaways The power of community in the...

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Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism

Do They Really Speak with One Voice?” Yigal Carmon on the Arab Street In a world where words can both unite and divide, understanding the true meaning behind them is more crucial than ever. This week's Madlik episode delves deep into the power of language, translation, and cultural understanding with special guest Yigal Carmon, founder of the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). Key Takeaways The Deception of Unity: The illusion of a single voice in the Arab world often masks complex realities and diverse opinions. Translation is Not Enough: Simply bridging the language gap doesn't...

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From Moses to Leonard Cohen: The unexpected dilemma at the heart of Jewish prayer

Leonard Cohen called If It Be Your Will “a sort of a prayer.” In this episode of Madlik Disruptive Torah, Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz uncover just how deeply Jewish that prayer really is. Drawing on the words of Moses in Ha’azinu, the Psalms of David, the prayer of Hannah, and rabbinic debates in the Talmud and Maimonides’ Guide for the Perplexed, we explore how Cohen’s haunting lyrics echo one of the most radical ideas in Jewish liturgy: that prayer itself requires God’s permission.

From whispered lips to audacious praise, from silence as the highest form of worship to the chutzpah of demanding forgiveness, this episode connects the High Holidays’ most prayer-rich moments to Cohen’s timeless song. Was Cohen consciously channeling biblical and rabbinic texts he knew from childhood? We think the evidence is striking.

Join us as we show how If It Be Your Will isn’t just a song—it’s the continuation of a 3,000-year-old Jewish wrestling match with the meaning of prayer.

Key Takeaways

  1. The Audacity of Prayer: We examine the chutzpah of addressing God and the need for "permission" to pray.
  2. Silent Revolution: Hannah's innovation of praying silently and its impact on Jewish prayer traditions.
  3. Words Matter: The power and peril of language in prayer, and why sometimes silence speaks loudest.

Timestamps

  • [00:00:00] Opening reflection on Yom Kippur and the nature of prayer.
  • [00:02:00] Deuteronomy 32—Moses asking permission to speak.
  • [00:04:00] Psalms as a source: prayer from both mouth and heart.
  • [00:06:00] Transition from singular to plural in liturgy.
  • [00:10:00] Hannah’s silent prayer as a model for Jewish prayer.
  • [00:13:00] Out loud vs. silent prayer; Shema as an exception.
  • [00:17:00] Can one pray all day? Talmudic debate.
  • [00:20:00] Concluding prayers about words and their power.
  • [00:23:00] The audacity of praising God—permission to pray.
  • [00:28:00] Leonard Cohen’s “If It Be Your Will” as modern midrash.

Links & Learnings

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

Leonard Cohen - If It Be Your Will - https://youtu.be/SDemnguRYj4?si=7YGgCucKZ5-0fwFy