July 2, 2025 Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy Jews Episode 84 - Pixar’s Paradigm Shift In this episode, we explore the theory that suggests that all Pixar films exist within a single shared universe. Or perhaps they don’t and they’re just individually made entertaining movies. Or maybe the director once knew someone named Andy and liked the way he treated his toys. We’ll discuss how literal or interpretive we believe the Pixar universe to be and we dig into some other pop culture conspiracy th...
Jul 02, 2025•39 min•Ep. 84
June 18, 2025 Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy Jews Episode 83 - Monsters and Angels Remember the story in the Tanakh about flaming serpents? What about the one about unicorns? This week, the mystical co-hosts of Wayward Children: Jewish Monsters, Magic, and the Stories We Tell help us summon the wild, weird, and fantastical creatures hiding in the pages of Torah. We explore the line between monsters and angels. Honestly, we didn’t know we could fit this many Jewish creatures into one episode....
Jun 18, 2025•53 min•Ep. 83
June 4, 2025 Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy Jews Episode 82 - This Andor That In this episode, Ethan guides us on a conversation to a galaxy far, far away to explore the rich themes and surprising Jewish connections within Andor, the newest series in the Star Wars universe. We dive into the blurred lines between science fiction and our own realities, we explore the sacrifices made in the name of hope, and we ask the question no one else dares: Is Syril’s mom Jewish? Put on your nicest Ghorma...
Jun 04, 2025•45 min•Ep. 82
May 21, 2025 Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy Jews Episode 81 - 3rd Anniversary Special - Dungeons & Dreidels A year has passed since the goblins were driven from the village and the light of Hanukkah was saved by the hero called Hershel… or so everyone thought. Now, on the final night of the town’s Hanukkah celebration, the wind howls and dark clouds gather above. Join the village’s unlikely heroes—a blacksmith, a tailor, a butcher, and a teacher—as they defend their home, unravel a myste...
May 21, 2025•2 hr 30 min•Ep. 81
May 7, 2025 Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy Jews Episode 80 - Putting the Pieces Together Samson apparently loved Delilah and word puzzles. In today’s world, before he attacked the philistines, he probably would have finished that morning’s Wordle. With so many types of puzzles in the world today, we try to piece together an episode with the clues given on the box. Would you consider that to be cheating though? If you’re confused, perhaps you should listen to figure this one out with us. 00:0...
May 07, 2025•49 min•Ep. 80
April 23, 2025 Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy Jews Episode 79 - Let’s Get Together: Live In Austin! Barak, Ethan, and RDY were finally in the same zip code together, for the first time ever! So they decided to record an episode with the locals! When these nerds get together they play board games, watch superhero movies, visit comic book shops, go to escape rooms, and tell wonderfully terrible jokes. So what happens when you put them together in a room full of Jews? It turns out, you end up w...
Apr 23, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 79
April 9, 2025 Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy Jews Episode 78 - New Games, Old Wisdom In this episode, we dice into the world of reboots, remastering, and retelling, both in the sacred and the pixelated. Ethan begins by sharing his love for the remastered version of one of his favorite games, Star Wars: Dark Forces, and what changed in its recent rerelease. We discuss movie reboots, and why it’s sometimes okay for things to change. And while some properties struggle with an updated version, s...
Apr 09, 2025•35 min•Ep. 78
March 26, 2025 Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy Jews Episode 77 - God Plans, Man Laughs There’s a new episode of Torah Smash! Yes, and… the Jewish tie in is a story from Genesis! Yes, and… the hosts find more ways to comment about muppets. With a topic like improv, anything can happen! Let’s talk about laughter and where it can be found in the world and in our work as Jewish professionals. We also explore how laughter is utilized in Jewish holidays, even in the darkest of times. 00:02:40 Genes...
Mar 26, 2025•39 min•Ep. 77
March 12, 2025 Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy Jews Episode 76 - Separating the Nerdy from the Mundane After last episode’s connection to Shabbat, there was only one logical topic for the next conversation: havdalah! We learn about the ritual objects of havdalah and the meaning behind this short, weekly celebration. We discuss when we keep our nerdy parts of our lives separate, we find some sweetness in nerd culture, and we also talk about the bad body odor of gamers, for some reason. Once we...
Mar 12, 2025•40 min•Ep. 76
February 26, 2025 Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy Jews Episode 75 - Shabbat: There’s A Nap For That Shabbat is a way for us to reflect on the week and reset ourselves. We power ourselves down and find ways of interacting with our loved ones and our community in ways that can really nourish our soul. So, this is a reminder to download that special app on your smartphone that will help you appreciate and recognize shabbat. And, while you’re at it, don’t forget to organize your apps and delete t...
Feb 26, 2025•42 min•Ep. 75
February 12, 2025 Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy Jews Episode 74 - JudAIsm Artificial intelligence is everywhere—even in the clergy world! In this episode, we welcome Rabbi Josh Fixler, who was recently featured in The New York Times for his insights on how religious leaders are using AI. Join us as we explore the intersection of faith and technology, discuss the opportunities and challenges AI presents to clergy, and maybe even ask the big question: If a chatbot gives a sermon, does it coun...
Feb 12, 2025•54 min•Ep. 74
January 29, 2025 Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy Jews Episode 73 - Kosher or Not Kosher? It’s time for everyone’s favorite game show when it comes to Jewish food… Kosher! Or! Not! Kosher?! Join us as we explore some fantasy foods, science fiction foods, and some soon-to-not-be so science fiction food based questions when it comes to keeping kosher. Do we think the Klingons follow similar laws when making their ritual wines? How about Dungeons & Dragons characters? What about your video ga...
Jan 29, 2025•44 min•Ep. 73
January 15, 2025 Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy Jews Episode 72 – Leviticus All Along …With Special Guest Rabbi Alexandria Shuval-Weiner We are thrilled to welcome the first character from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to join us on Torah Smash, Rabbi Levin, played by real life clergy, Rabbi Alexandria Shuval-Weiner. She shares about her journey into the MCU, we discuss our thoughts of the newest Jewish character to be portrayed in this world, and we share some of our favorite parts of the s...
Jan 15, 2025•49 min•Ep. 72
January 1, 2025 Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy Jews Episode 71 - The Wheel of New Years The Wheel of Time turns, and we return with another episode for you. Did you know that Judaism celebrates four different new years? So, that means that American Jews celebrate 5 different New Years! And if you’re stuck in a time loop, the number is much higher than that! Join us as we celebrate and mark this time on our calendars. We share why time was invented, how we decide to mark time, and question th...
Jan 01, 2025•47 min•Ep. 71
December 18, 2024 Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy Jews Episode 70 - Torah Smash Jr. There are some stories in Jewish tradition and history that put the children at the center of it all. Jacob and Esau as well as Joseph teach us some valuable lessons as adults. But aren’t children just meant to be sidekicks? And how old are the children of the Torah anyway? Let’s just hope that as they grow up, they’ve learned from the mistakes of their parents. 00:01:00 Jacob and Esau the adult children 00:03...
Dec 18, 2024•38 min•Ep. 70
December 4, 2024 Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy Jews Episode 69 - Die Hard is a Chanukah Movie …With Special Guest Arnon Shorr Chanukah falls on Christmas Day this year, so what better way to celebrate this overlap than debating if the classic action film, Die Hard, is a Christmas movie or a Chanukkah movie? We review what makes a movie holiday specific, the subtle Chanukkah plotline, and the movie’s Jewish characters… one which may surprise you! Make sure that you cuddle on the couch with s...
Dec 04, 2024•47 min•Ep. 69
November 20, 2024 Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy Jews Episode 68 - Super Mitzvot Bros. …with Special Guest Sparkle Peters The Nintendo video game company has been filling our homes with fun and excitement for many years. Some even say that the best video game of all time was Super Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. Twitch streamer and podcaster, Sparkle Peters, joins us to discuss the innovation around the tutorial levels in video games, save skimming, and sometimes just throwing the instructions ...
Nov 20, 2024•46 min•Ep. 68
November 6, 2024 Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy Jews Episode 67 - Grief, Loss, and Lifesabers Ethan opens his heart to all of us once again as we look back on a year of grief together with returning guest, Dr. Betsy Stone. We learn about the difference between the words grief and loss, share some of the meaningful practices during the mourning period, and hear what Star Trek has to say about the unexpected death of a loved one. We also teach Betsy what we’re supposed to call those plasma swo...
Nov 06, 2024•52 min•Ep. 67
October 23, 2024 Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy Jews Episode 66 - Good Ideas Gone Wrong We recorded this episode in September of 2024, which means that we had to visit the future historical event of the time: the Bell Riots from Deep Space 9. Ethan walks us through this time travel Star Trek episode and we discuss what went wrong. They seemed like they had good intentions, but do good plans always go awry? We also visit some other future prediction events from other franchises. …Does Judaism...
Oct 23, 2024•45 min•Ep. 66
October 9, 2024 Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy Jews Episode 62 - Sabra: The Hero not the Hummus …with Special Guest Sasha Kaplan The upcoming Captain America movie will include the first live action portrayal of the Israeli superhero Sabra. In this episode, we take a deep dive into Sabra’s first introduction into the Marvel Comics world, the possible powers and skills you may see on the big screen, and our predictions on what her story in the MCU will look like. 00:02:41 A background on Sabr...
Oct 09, 2024•51 min•Ep. 65
September 25, 2024 Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy Jews Episode 64 - The Good, The Bad, and The Antisemitic …With Special Guest Dr. Linda Maizels It’s been almost a year since the attack on Israel on October 7. Since that time, it hasn’t just been the war that has taken over the news. It feels like there has been such a strong increase of antisemitism locally and around the world. We discuss centuries worth of antisemitism, we ask why it seems so acceptable today, and we try to find hope for ...
Sep 25, 2024•50 min•Ep. 64
September 11, 2024 Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy Jews Episode 63 - The Rav and The Acolyte In today’s episode, we learn from each other as we discuss the newest Star Wars show, The Acolyte. We discuss the best and worst teachers among the sith and the jedi in the show. Also, did Darth Maul’s mommy make an appearance? Speaking of teaching, Ethan sith-splains Star Wars to his co hosts. 00:02:23 The Master and their student 00:03:39 “The desire of the wise is to learn, and a fool’s to teach” 0...
Sep 11, 2024•36 min•Ep. 63
August 28, 2024 Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy Jews Episode 62 - Deadpool and Lamed Vavnikim There are so many people in our world who are making the world a better place. Judaism calls them lamed vavnikim , or the righteous 36. But what about the people in the void who are making our world a better place? Or those who are trying to find missing anchor beings to make their own world better for their girlfriend who doesn’t love them anymore? They’re good too, right? Well, maybe they’re not “A...
Aug 28, 2024•46 min•Ep. 62
August 14, 2024 Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy Jews Episode 61 - Inside Mussar 2 Emotions can sometimes be difficult to handle and we find that they’re also often pretty Jewish. Join us as we explore the two joyfully sad movies by Pixar, Inside Out 1 and 2, and the connections to a very popular Jewish practice. We let the little voices inside our heads out for this conversation and we share the emotions that we wish made appearances in the films. Plus a hot take: Bing Bong is Jewish. 00:00:3...
Aug 14, 2024•43 min•Ep. 61
July 31, 2024 Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy Jews Episode 60 - All Nerds Think About Is Sects …with Special Guest Melissa Raub Judaism is divided into sects or branches, but they all share a few core beliefs. We agree that they don’t sit on a spectrum, but perhaps they live in some kind of venn diagram? But, reviewing the sects of Judaism isn’t enough for us, we also explore the sects of Nerdaism. Or, as Barak preferred to call them, the cool kids tables. 00:03:21 The denominations of Judais...
Jul 31, 2024•47 min•Ep. 60
July 17, 2024 Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy Jews Episode 59 - The Messiah Element Not the first element, hydrogen. Not the second, the third, or even the fourth element. No, this episode is about the Fifth Element, and it’s just… perfect. Grab a flying taxi and head to the (for some reason) garbage filled airport because you won two tickets aboard the Flohston Paradise cruise ship! Is it possible to save the world from destruction? Or is that actually how we save it? Join us meat popsicles ...
Jul 17, 2024•46 min•Ep. 59
July 3, 2024 Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy Jews Episode 58 - X-Men Again Again …with Guest Host Joel Swedlove In this episode, our guest host, Joel Swedlove, leads our team through a quote quote from a rabbi with a funny name name. We discuss the ever popular X-Men ‘97 animated series that recently completed and explore the similarities and differences in how we watched it. Not just because it’s a different show, but because we are different people than when we first saw it. You’re not gonn...
Jul 03, 2024•47 min•Ep. 58
June 19, 2024 Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy Jews Episode 57 - To Everything There Is A Bluey…with Special Guest Cantor Emily Simkin This week’s episode of Bluey is called… Torah Smash! Sometimes special episodes come into our lives, this is one of those episodes. For real life! We talk about our feelings around the Heeler’s “moving” episode and all the advice that we’ve learned from a cartoon dog (and from real people as well). Life can get ruff sometimes, so we hope you find this episode t...
Jun 19, 2024•50 min•Ep. 57
June 5, 2024 Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy Jews Episode 56 - 2nd Anniversary Special - Paraders of the Blessed Ark - Part Two The second part of this year’s epic adventure to celebrate our podcast’s two years of being Jewish and nerdy. Can our heroes defeat this mysterious giant? Can they complete their mission? What happens to Tirza’s cat rock? Find out the answers to these questions and more on this epic anniversary episode of a Torah Smashed version of Dungeons & Dragons. 00:01:40 Th...
Jun 05, 2024•1 hr 51 min•Ep. 56
May 22, 2024 Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy Jews Episode 55 - 2nd Anniversary Special - Paraders of the Blessed Ark - Part 1 To celebrate two years of being Jewish and Nerdy, we invited some of our previous guests from the past year back to the show for a Torah Smashed version of Dungeons & Dragons. Each player chose a biblical character to portray (character descriptions below) and worked together to rescue the innocents and protect one of the most famous artifacts of the Torah. 00:00:3...
May 22, 2024•1 hr 34 min•Ep. 55
