Judaism Unbound

Basya Schechter -- a songwriter, musician, performing artist, and cantor -- wants to remind everyone that you don't need to be in a synagogue to have powerful experiences with Jewish music. She joins Dan and Lex for a conversation about her evolutions as a musician, her experiences performing in contexts as different as a college dining hall and a sprawling concert venue, and so much more. This episode is the fourth in an ongoing mini-series of Judaism Unbound episodes mobilizing Jewish music -- past, present, and future -- as a launching point into conversations about contemporary Jewish life and experience.If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation -- support Judaism Unbound by clicking here!

Benay Lappe, founder and rosh yeshiva of SVARA: a Traditionally Radical Yeshiva, returns to Judaism Unbound! She was our first ever guest on this show, in Episode 3: Exodus, and she's returned many times before -- but this time, she specifically is here to reflect on how American-Jewish life has transformed over the course of the past 10 years, since that first appearance. Love what you hear? You can listen to Benay Lappe in conversation with our co-host Dan Libenson, in another podcast that's part of the Judaism Unbound family of podcasts! It's called The Oral Talmud -- learn more about it and subscribe here.If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation -- support Judaism Unbound by clicking here!

On October 20th, 2025, Arthur Waskow – a revolutionary activist and teacher of Torah – died at the age of 92. He was an inspiration to our work at Judaism Unbound in more ways than we can articulate. Even as our organization was launched when he was already in his 80s, he found so many ways to collaborate with us and offer his unique forms of Torah to our audiences. He presented at 5 consecutive ShavuotLIVE gatherings, frequently moving attendees to tears, welcomed Judaism Unbound as a partner for many of his programs with The Shalom Center, and was twice a guest on this podcast.For those who would feel moved to hear from Arthur’s voice shortly after his passing, we wanted to re-release those two appearances of his on Judaism Unbound. The first is Episode 166, entitled The Freedom Seder, and the second is a bonus episode called Confronting Carbon Pharaohs.Well into his 90s, Arthur Waskow was committed in mind, spirit, and body to the betterment of our world. He reminded us, over and over, that the word Adamah

Should we be reviving the Nazirite vow, a practice that is typically seen as "ancient," "outdated," or "antiquated?" Might it have liberatory potential for Judaism and the world? Xava De Cordova and Michael Sokolovsky of Xai, How are You? join Lex Rofeberg and Rena Yehuda Newman of Judaism Unbound for a crossover episode about Nazirite philosophy, rabbinic agendas, the Kol Nidrei declaration, and the metaphysical importance of vows! -----------------------------------Head to JudaismUnbound.com/classes to check out our up upcoming courses in the UnYeshiva, beginning in mid-late October. Amazing learning opportunities are available for registration exploring the book of Jubilees, Jewish Exile and Liberation, the Talmud, and Antisemitism Unbound! Financial aid is available via this link.-----------------------------------More about Xai, How are You?: Queer Jews Michael Sokolovsky and Rabbi Xava De Cordova play with the multi-millennial dialectic that is the Talmud. Join them as they throw drash, seek prophetic i

Frequently you might hear someone claim that a particular Jewish melody is "mi-Sinai" (literally: "from Mount Sinai," implying "dating back to when Moses received the 10 commandments at Mount Sinai")? Mark Kligman, an ethnomusicologist who directs The Lowell Milken Center for Music of American Jewish Experience, joins Dan and Lex to explore what this term illustrates. In doing so, they explore why "Jewish music" is such a challenging word to define -- along with what Jewish music does for people's lives. This episode is the third in an ongoing mini-series of Judaism Unbound episodes mobilizing Jewish music -- past, present, and future -- as a launching point into conversations about contemporary Jewish life and experience.Head to JudaismUnbound.com/classes to check out our up upcoming courses in the UnYeshiva, beginning in mid-late October. Amazing learning opportunities are available for registration exploring the book of Jubilees, Jewish Exile and Liberation, the Talmud, and Antisemitism Unbound! Financial

We’re thrilled to offer a bonus episode here on our feed, where we shout out an awesome new podcast created by friends of Judaism Unbound. It's called Aderaba: Jewish Studies on the Contrary and it’s co-hosted by Rafe Neis – a past teacher in Judaism Unbound’s UnYeshiva – and Gilah Kletenik. We’re featuring their second episode, entitled What’s Bad about Being in the Image of God, which connects to the mini-course that Rafe taught with us, entitled Untangling Tselem Elohim (the image of God).------------------------------------------------------Aderaba: Jewish Studies on the Contrary Description: Join Rafe Neis and Gilah Kletenik as they explore big questions through a diverse range of Jewish texts, ideas, and cultures. The conversations are sometimes clarifying but always contrarian. Come for their uncommon insights, stay for their critical takes on the fields of Rabbinics, Classics, History, Philosophy, Critical Theory, and more!Episode 2: What's Bad About Being in the Image of God? Description: Hosts Gilah

Is Jewish music a form of Torah (spiritual wisdom)? Joey Weisenberg, a musician, composer, and founder of Hadar’s Rising Song Institute, thinks so. He joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation about contemporary singing communities, the history of wordless melodies (nigunim) and unbound approaches to prayer. This episode is the second in an ongoing mini-series of Judaism Unbound episodes mobilizing Jewish music -- past, present, and future -- as a launching point into conversations about contemporary Jewish life and experience.Head to JudaismUnbound.com/classes to check out our up upcoming courses in the UnYeshiva. Amazing learning opportunities are available for registration exploring the book of Jubilees, Jewish Exile and Liberation, the Talmud, and Antisemitism Unbound! Financial aid is available via this link.Purchase Joey Weisenberg's most recent album, Selah, via this link. And access full shownotes for this episode via this link. If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep thin

Elana Arian, a composer, multi-instrumentalist, and prayer leader, is one of the most important voices in contemporary Jewish music. So when she emailed Judaism Unbound with an entire vision for a mini-series of episodes exploring Jewish music, we of course paid attention! She joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation about what the phrase "Jewish music" means, what sacred music does to/for us, and the extent to which there even is a real boundary between "Jewish music" and music more generally. This episode is the first in an ongoing mini-series of Judaism Unbound episodes mobilizing Jewish music -- past, present, and future -- as a launching point into conversations about contemporary Jewish life and experience.Head to JudaismUnbound.com/classes to check out our up upcoming courses in the UnYeshiva. Amazing learning opportunities are available for registration exploring the book of Jubilees, Jewish Exile and Liberation, the Talmud, and Antisemitism Unbound! Financial aid is available via this l

Yom Kippur is here! For the past few years, Yom Kippur has been the single most popular day — all year — for folks to listen to Judaism Unbound. To those of you incorporating our podcast into your observance of this holiday, wishing you a beautiful and unbound Yom Kippur. In this episode, Angela Buchdahl -- senior rabbi at Central Synagogue in New York City -- joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation exploring the holiday of Yom Kippur, in conversation with her upcoming book entitled Heart of a Stranger: An Unlikely Rabbi's Story of Faith, Identity, and Belonging.Head to JudaismUnbound.com/classes to check out our up upcoming courses in the UnYeshiva! Judaism Inbound (our intro to Judaism course) begins in just a few days, and four other amazing learning opportunities begin a few weeks later! Financial aid is available via this link.Pre-order Heart of a Stranger here! And access full shownotes for this episode via this link. If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep things going wi

Elul is the 12th and final month of the Jewish calendar year. Elul Unbound is a Judaism Unbound initiative all about making Elul meaningful, through creative digital modalities. In this final Elul episode of 2025 (and 5785), Lex Rofeberg and Wendie Bernstein Lash explore the month (and the upcoming holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) through the prism of echoes -- the literal sounds they make, the metaphors they are used to illustrate, and more. This Elul podcast is the final in a mini-series of four that were released as part of Elul Unbound 2025 (our 26th-29th Elul episodes overall).To check out all our Elul bonus episodes from previous years, which can still be relevant to your experience of Elul this time around, click here. Join our bi-weekly journey through Elul Unbound 2025 (and future years) by signing up at this link, and sign up for our Elul Unbound Shabbat gatherings here, where we will be forging our kavanot (intentions) for the new year in real time with fellow Unbounders.Access full showno

500!!!!We made it. Somehow, someway, a wild idea that was once a figment of our imagination...has now been around for 500 weeks. In this episode, Dan, Lex, and Miriam celebrate that incredible number -- and take this as an opportunity to look back on the founding and evolution of Judaism Unbound, first as a podcast and then as an organization with many other facets. Miriam, Judaism Unbound's executive director, hosts the first portion of the episode -- with Dan and Lex switching from their typical role of co-hosts to co-guests -- and then she becomes a combination host-and-guest for the latter portion. Come for some behind the scenes lore about the history of our organization, stay for....a mystery Easter-Egg (Afikoman?) at the end!Access full shownotes for this episode via this link. If you've enjoyed Judaism Unbound, consider celebrating this 500th episode with a one-time or monthly donation with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation -- support Judaism Unbound by clicking here!

Elul is the 12th and final month of the Jewish calendar year. Elul Unbound is a Judaism Unbound initiative all about making Elul meaningful, through creative digital modalities. In this episode, Lex Rofeberg and Wendie Bernstein Lash explore the notion of chiasm (for "what is a 'chiasm' -- which is a great question -- click here), along with what it has to do with the month of Elul and the broader 7-year Shmita cycle. This Elul podcast is the third in a mini-series of four that are being released as part of Elul Unbound 2025 (our 26th-29th Elul episodes overall).--------------------------------------To check out all our Elul bonus episodes from previous years, which can still be relevant to your experience of Elul this time around, click here. Join our bi-weekly journey through Elul Unbound 2025 by signing up at this link, and sign up for our Elul Unbound Shabbat gatherings here, where we will be forging our kavanot (intentions) for the new year in real time with fellow Unbounders.If you're enjoying Judaism U

Elul is the 12th and final month of the Jewish calendar year. Elul Unbound is a Judaism Unbound initiative all about making Elul meaningful, through creative digital modalities. In this episode, Lex Rofeberg and Wendie Bernstein Lash explore the 13 attributes of mercy, traditionally associated with Elul and the High Holidays. This Elul podcast is the second in a mini-series of four that will be released as part of Elul Unbound 2025 (our 26th-29th Elul episodes overall).--------------------------------------To check out all our Elul bonus episodes from previous years, which can still be relevant to your experience of Elul this time around, click here. Join our bi-weekly journey through Elul Unbound 2025 by signing up at this link, and sign up for our Elul Unbound Shabbat gatherings here, where we will be forging our kavanot (intentions) for the new year in real time with fellow Unbounders.Access full shownotes for this episode via this link. If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep things going

Elul is the 12th and final month of the Jewish calendar year. Elul Unbound is a Judaism Unbound initiative all about making Elul meaningful, through creative digital modalities. In this conversation, Lex Rofeberg and Wendie Bernstein Lash kick off this year's Elul Unbound experience. This Elul bonus episode is the first in a series of four that will be released as part of Elul Unbound 2025 (our 26th-29th Elul episodes overall).--------------------------------------Energized about Jewish learning and unlearning? Dive into our upcoming 3-week mini-courses in the UnYeshiva! Classes include Elul: Your On-Ramp into Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Anti-Fascist Mussar, The Siddur (Prayer-Book) Unbound, and Comix Midrash: Drawing the Orchards (Pardes) of Elul. Head to JudaismUnbound.com/classes to learn more! Financial aid is available for all who need it.To check out all our Elul bonus episodes from previous years, which can still be relevant to your experience of Elul this time around, click here. Join our bi-weekly

Miriam’s well sustained her people step by step in the wilderness. In this episode of Survival Guide for a Spiritual Wilderness (featuring Judaism Unbound Gemara/commentary from Lex and Rena Yehuda), to tap into this wellspring of belonging. In addition, connect to the Tao de Ching, what it means to be a “Miriam person,” twilight creations, the mystical meaning of wells, Lakewood New Jersey, and a practice for bringing Miriam’s wisdom to life.----------------------------------We are proud to introduce the 3rd podcast in the Judaism Unbound family of podcasts: Survival Guide for a Spiritual Wilderness, hosted by Jericho Vincent. "We are the ancestors of the future." This new podcast offers a spiritual home for listeners seeking to connect Jewish ancestral, feminist wisdom with their own svara: moral intuition. Each episode of this limited series delves into a different story of our ancestor Miriam, illuminating her mystical teachings and offering practical tools for navigating and flourishing in personal or po

Sara Lippman and Seth Rogoff believe that "foundational texts must be read anew or they become tools of conservatism and reaction." But it's not just a belief they hold -- together, they actualized it into a new book, entitled Smashing the Tablets: Radical Retellings of the Hebrew Bible. This book offers a wide variety of new texts, radically revisioning stories from the Bible in many creative forms. The two co-editors join Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation about their book, about re-envisioning the Bible more generally, and why "smashing" inherited texts is not only a rebellious act, but also an important tool in the spiritual toolbox.------------------------------------Judaism Unbound's offerings for 3-week mini-courses in the UnYeshiva are now open for registration! Check out class descriptions (on topics ranging from "Elul: Your on-Ramp into Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur" to "The Siddur Unbound: Making the Prayer-Book Your Own") at JudaismUnbound.com/classes. Financial aid is available for a

Even the most intimate relationships can experience strain around the topic of Israel-Palestine. Dan and Lex are joined by Amy Eilberg and Penina Eilberg-Schwartz, who share their experience discussing and processing their conversations about Israel-Palestine across generational divides.--------------------------Judaism Unbound's offerings for 3-week mini-courses in the UnYeshiva are now open for registration! Check out class descriptions and more to sample a taste of everything from Comix/Comics-making to Anti-Fascist Mussar.Interested in thinking about how to reframe and reinvigorate your meditations on the cycles of grief and change? Sign up for Elul Unbound 2025 to receive biweekly wisdom and introspective prompts to guide you through the late summer days.Access full shownotes for this episode via this link. If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation -- support Judaism Unbound by clicking here!

Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg discuss the inherent potential, along with the limitations, of the Jewish holiday of Tisha B’av (the 9th of Av) — understood by many to be the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. What does it mean to mourn a past pain in the present? In this week’s episode, Dan and Lex consider the meanings of grief and reflection as the month of Av progresses and we move towards the month of introspection, Elul.------------------------Tisha B’av punctuates the end of the Jewish calendar with a bright, momentary grief. Soon after comes the month of Elul, often thought of as the on-ramp to the contemplations and reflections asked of us during the High Holiday period. Interested in thinking about how to reframe and reinvigorate your meditations on the cycles of grief and change? Sign up for Elul Unbound 2025 to receive biweekly wisdom and introspective prompts to guide you through the late summer days.Access full shownotes for this episode via this link. If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please h

For Mandie McGlynn, founder of Selah Spiritual Care, tarot can serve as a deeply meaningful modality for Jewish experience. McGlynn joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg on this week’s episode to discuss her use of tarot as part of the preparatory work of the month of Elul (the on-ramp month before the High Holidays), through an initiative she created called “Turning Toward Life.” This episode is the second in a mini-series of Judaism Unbound episodes exploring tarot through Jewish lenses.Access full shownotes for this episode via this link. If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation -- support Judaism Unbound by clicking here!

Tarot is known to be a practice of reading, of uncovering important meaning behind the symbols each card evokes. But what if there’s an even deeper, secret connection to not just our lives as a whole, but our lives as Jews? For data scientist and author Stav Appel, happening upon a 17th century forgotten tarot deck took him on a journey through Torah and time.Appel’s Deck and accompanying Booklet, analyzing the Noblet Tarot’s connections to Jewish tradition, are available for preorder through our friends at Ayin Press -- order it here!-------------------------------------Access full shownotes for this episode via this link. If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation -- support Judaism Unbound by clicking here!