Yehoshua Pfeffer and the Haredi
Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism
Release Date: 07/09/2026
Shake Off the Dust and Dance
Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism
We usually associate Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur with judgment and fear, but a closer look at the texts reveals a completely different, shocking command: rejoice. Wake up. Shake off the dust. Put on your finest clothes—and rejoice! The haftarah for Parshat Shoftim delivers an urgent wake-up call to a defeated and demoralized people: Hit’oreri, hit’oreri—Awaken, awaken! Uri, uri—Wake up, wake up! Isaiah calls upon Zion to rise from the dust, cast off the identity of a captive, dress herself in garments of splendor, and reclaim her place as God’s beloved. Key Takeaways ...
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Becoming Good
Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism
What if Judaism has been misunderstood all along, and the real reward for doing good isn't what you get, but who you become? Is Judaism really about reward and punishment—or is it about becoming? Parshat Re'eh begins with a tiny grammatical anomaly. Instead of saying, "if you obey," the Torah says "that you obey." Could one unexpected Hebrew word change the way we understand blessing, virtue, and even human nature? In this episode of Madlik, Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz follow that question from the Bible through the Rabbis, Maimonides, the Sefer HaChinuch, Aristotle, and...
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The Torah's Theory of History
Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism
We’ve all heard the old cliché that "history repeats itself," but the Torah actually reveals a massive flaw in that idea. The Greeks believed history repeats itself. Enlightenment thinkers believed history marches relentlessly forward. The Torah suggests they're both missing something. In this episode, Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz begin with a single Hebrew word—eikev—and uncover a uniquely Jewish philosophy of history. Through the insights of Ramban, Giambattista Vico, Johann Gottfried Herder, Isaiah Berlin, and Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, they discover a vision of history that is...
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From Moses to Modern Populism
Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism
If you think your flaws and failures automatically make you a better, more "authentic" leader, you've completely misunderstood the lesson of Moses. Most civilizations turned their founders into saints. The Hebrew Bible does the opposite. Abraham falters. Jacob deceives. David sins. Moses—the greatest prophet in Judaism—is denied entry into the Promised Land. This isn't a bug in the Torah. It's one of its most revolutionary ideas. In this episode of Madlik, Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz explore why Judaism insists that greatness and imperfection can coexist—but never confuses...
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The Lost Art of Paying Attention
Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism
What if the greatest cure for our distracted, scroll-addicted minds was written over 3,000 years ago? Deuteronomy isn't just repeating the Torah. It's teaching us how to pay attention. The fifth book of the Torah—Deuteronomy (Mishneh Torah)—is often dismissed as simply a review of what came before. But what if Moses' final retelling wasn't repetition at all, but one of the Torah's deepest lessons about how human beings learn, remember, and grow? In this episode of Madlik, Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz explore how the Torah transforms review into a transforming discipline. From Ben...
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Yehoshua Pfeffer and the Haredi
Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism
From the ancient words of the Torah to the modern frontlines, a hidden shift is taking place that will redefine what it means to be an Israeli. Is the Haredi draft crisis really about military service—or about the future of the Jewish people? As Israel struggles with one of its most divisive public debates, Geoffrey Stern sits down with Rabbi Yehoshua Pfeffer—founder of the Iyun Institute, editor of Tzarich Iyun, and one of the leading intellectual voices emerging from within the Haredi community—for a thoughtful and surprisingly hopeful conversation. Key Takeaways Brotherhood Before...
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From Moses to Hamilton
Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism
What if the Founding Fathers didn't invent American democracy, but actually lifted its most crucial laws directly from the Torah? Did the Founding Fathers borrow from the Torah? As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, Madlik explores one of the Bible's most remarkable constitutional moments. Before Israel enters the Promised Land, the Torah conducts a census—not simply to count people, but to constitute a nation of tribes, clans, families, and citizens. Then, five extraordinary sisters—the daughters of Zelophehad—step forward and successfully challenge the law itself. Their case...
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A Midsummer Nightmare
Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism
Why did ancient rabbis look at the longest, brightest day of the year and feel a sudden sense of impending doom? As archaeologists uncover evidence of ancient solstice celebrations near Stonehenge, Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz explore a provocative question: Why does Judaism greet the longest days of the year not with celebration, but with mourning? Key Takeaways 1. Judaism Never Ignored the Sun—It Reinterpreted It Although the Jewish calendar follows the moon, it is anchored to the solar year. Passover must occur in the spring, the rabbis linked the 365 negative commandments to the...
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Creation and Re-Creation
Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism
What happens when an ancient religion that forbids any new rules gets caught secretly reinventing itself in plain sight? Can God still create something new? At the climax of Korach's rebellion, Moses declares: "If God creates a new creation..." (Numbers 16:30) But that single phrase opens a theological fault line running through all of Jewish thought. Did creation end after the six days of Genesis? Or does God continually recreate the world every day? Key Takeaways 1. Judaism Contains Two Opposite Visions of Creation When Moses says, "If God creates a new creation" (Num. 16:30), the...
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Hasbara - Inside and Out
Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism
There's a terrifying line between having unwavering faith in your homeland and blinding yourself to a reality that is tearing it apart. Did the spies lie? For generations, Jews have read Parshat Sh'lach as the story of a faithless generation that listened to ten pessimistic scouts instead of Joshua and Caleb. The rabbis saw their tears as a "bechi shel chinam"—a gratuitous cry whose consequences echoed through Jewish history. But what happens when history forces us to reread the story? Key Takeaways The Spies Didn't Just Report the Facts—They Shaped the Narrative The Torah's first...
info_outlineFrom the ancient words of the Torah to the modern frontlines, a hidden shift is taking place that will redefine what it means to be an Israeli.
Is the Haredi draft crisis really about military service—or about the future of the Jewish people?
As Israel struggles with one of its most divisive public debates, Geoffrey Stern sits down with Rabbi Yehoshua Pfeffer—founder of the Iyun Institute, editor of Tzarich Iyun, and one of the leading intellectual voices emerging from within the Haredi community—for a thoughtful and surprisingly hopeful conversation.
Key Takeaways
- Brotherhood Before Politics
Moses doesn't ask, "Who should be drafted?" He asks, "Shall your brothers go to war while you remain here?" The Torah frames the issue not as one of politics or legal rights, but of achdut—brotherhood, shared destiny, and mutual responsibility.
- A Quiet Revolution Is Already Underway
Behind the headlines, profound changes are taking place within Haredi society. Rabbi Yehoshua Pfeffer argues that a new generation is rediscovering Tanach, engaging questions of citizenship and public responsibility, and seeking ways to integrate Torah values with participation in the life and defense of the Jewish State.
- Judaism Is Ultimately a Religion of Hope
Despite the tensions surrounding the draft, Rabbi Pfeffer remains remarkably optimistic. Like the tribes of Reuben and Gad, both Israeli society and the Haredi community are still evolving. The future will not be shaped by slogans or coercion, but by honest conversation, mutual respect, and a renewed commitment to seeing one another as brothers.
Timestamps
[00:00] Meet Rabbi Pfeffer
[01:32] Parsha Sets the Stage
[02:40] Draft Law Update
[05:53] Achichem in War
[07:20] Meraglim and Courage
[09:38] Incubation and Tension
[15:44] Sponsor Break
[16:47] Israel and Haredim Evolve
[23:39] Back to Tanakh
[29:02] Brotherhood After Oct 7
[36:08] What Tzorich Iyun Does
[40:45] Hope and Closing
Links & Learnings
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Transcript here: https://madlik.substack.com/
Yehoshua Pfesser Website: https://iyun.org.il/en/