He’s Christian. He Fights for Israel. He Speaks Talmudic Aramaic.
Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism
Release Date: 11/26/2025
We The Tribes
Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism
We usually think of the ancient world as being ruled by dangerous, power-hungry kings, but the Torah actually commanded a radical, unified democracy thousands of years before America. What if the Book of Numbers is not really about numbers? What if the census in the wilderness was actually the birth of the first constitutional government? Key Takeaways Bamidbar is not just a census — it is a constitutional moment. The Torah counts the Israelites not as isolated individuals but as tribes, clans, and representative units, revealing a revolutionary political vision: a nation built through...
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Made on Sabbath
Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism
What if the Jewish secret to creating your best work is actually learning how to do absolutely nothing? Is Shabbat really about rest… or is it about creation? Is it about ceasing from activity—or a unique form of production? The Torah says something strange: during the Sabbatical year, you don’t eat crops—you eat “Shabbat.” And when we are commanded to keep the Sabbath—we are told to make it. Key Takeaways Shabbat Isn’t Passive — It’s Creative. The Torah doesn’t just say observe Shabbat—it says “make” Shabbat. Rest isn’t the absence of creation—it’s a...
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Holiness When Life Refuses to Cooperate
Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism
What if the Torah's strictest, most uncomfortable laws about perfection weren't actually meant to keep us out, but to give us permission to be broken? What does holiness look like… when life refuses to cooperate? In this episode of Madlik, we dive into one of the Torah’s most uncomfortable passages—Parshat Emor—where the priestly caste is commanded to live a life untouched by death, imperfect relationships, and even physical blemish. No funerals. No complicated marriages. No broken bodies. It’s a vision of holiness that feels… impossible. But what if we’ve been reading it wrong?...
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Brotherly Love in Lisbon
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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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. ...
info_outlineReady 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 World—And Can Still Bridge Communities Today
- Israel’s Aramean Christians Are a Forgotten but Loyal Minority whose story will surprise and inspire you
Timestamps
[00:00:00] Opening: Jewish prayers written in Aramaic & introduction to Shadi Kaul
[00:01:03] Shadi’s unique role: soldier, educator, reviver of Aramaic culture
[00:02:12] Shadi’s background: identity, community history, and connection to Israel
[00:03:47] Serving in the IDF and discovering his Aramaic purpose in the U.S.
[00:05:32] Founding the Israeli Christian Aramaic Association & education initiatives
[00:07:14] Plans for Aramaic towns, schools, and coexistence programs
[00:09:22] Daily language reality: Arabic spoken, Aramaic preserved in prayer
[00:11:48] Parallels with Jewish language revival and historical connections
[00:14:27] Shadi’s family displaced in 1948 and the ongoing struggle for recognition
[00:32:41] Aramaic as the ancient international language—the “first internet”
Links & Learnings
Sign up for free and get more from our weekly newsletter https://madlik.com/
Sefaria Source Sheet: https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/691050
Israeli Christian Aramaic Association - http://www.aramaic-center.com/?lang=en
A History of the First World Language - https://a.co/d/fjHe9C1
Transcript here: https://madlik.substack.com/