Ariel Mayse serves as Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Stanford University, and is the co-author of the two-volume A New Hasidism: Roots and A New Hasidism: Branches , with Arthur Green. Mayse joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation exploring the history of Jewish mysticism, from the Hebrew Bible through today. This episode is the 11th episode in an ongoing mini-series focused on Jewish spirituality. Access full shownotes for this episode via this link . Learn more abou...
Mar 10, 2023•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast Gashmius is an online magazine dedicated to Jewish mystical thought, practice, and culture, founded on the core belief that "progressive Neo-Hasidism has the potential to uplift and heal the Jewish community and the world." Its two co-founders, Jonah Gelfand and Daniel Kraft , join Judaism Unbound for the 10th episode in an ongoing mini-series focused on Jewish spirituality. Access full shownotes for this episode via this link . Learn more about Judaism Unbound's UnYeshiva -- a digital center fo...
Mar 03, 2023•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast Let My People Sing is a cultural project expanding the ancient and transformative practice of Jewish communal singing. Let My People Sing gathers in multi-racial, multicultural and genderful Jewish community, uplifting songs and leaders historically and ongoingly pushed to the margins. Three of its team-members -- Batya Levine , Anthony Russell , and Margot Seigle -- join Dan and Lex for the 9th episode in an ongoing mini-series focused on Jewish spirituality. Let My People Sing's 2023 summer re...
Feb 24, 2023•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast Michael Strassfeld was one of the co-authors of The Jewish Catalog , a book released in 1973 (happy 50th anniversary!) that served as a kind of "Jewish do-it-yourself kit" -- and became one of the bestselling Jewish books of all time. He joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg to speak about a new book of his being released in 2023, entitled Judaism Disrupted: A Spiritual Manifesto for the 21st Century . Access full shownotes for this episode via this link . And if you're enjoying Judaism Unbound , ...
Feb 17, 2023•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast Alec Gewirtz is a community-builder and writer who co-founded The Nearness -- a community platform to nurture people in their spiritual lives. The Nearness offers 6-week journeys (the next journey begins in April 2023), where participants gather digitally, in regular small-group conversations. These conversations are built on structured conversation prompts, shared practices, and support among the participants, and are supplemented by additional workshops, offered by poets, activists, wisdom tea...
Feb 10, 2023•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Tzitzit Project is an invitation for everyone, and every body, to engage with the mitzvah of wearing the four-cornered ritual garment, with fringes, called a tallit katan (also referred to as tzitzit ). Its co-founders, Julie Weitz and Jill Spector , launched Tzitzit Project to open up this practice, historically held by cisgender men, to women, trans, and non-binary Jews. They join Dan and Lex for the 7th episode in an ongoing mini-series on Jewish spirituality. Access full shownotes for this e...
Feb 03, 2023•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dan and Lex , in the 6th episode in an ongoing mini-series on Jewish spirituality, want to soak in some of the lessons they've taken from their previous conversations in this unit. They explore how spirituality ties to questions of self, of community, and of society, and whether a central component of spirituality might boil down to dissolving one's sense of self. They also announce some exciting news: the launch of the UnYeshiva's brand-new certificate-program in Unbound Judaism! Learn more via...
Jan 27, 2023•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast Shefa Gold is an educator, composer, and spiritual leader whose music, teachings, and spiritual methodologies have influenced clergy, lay-leaders, and seekers around the world. She joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for the 5th episode in an ongoing series on Jewish spirituality, and together they explore the transformative potential of the Song of Songs (a biblical book whose central theme is love). They also immerse in forms of Jewish sacred-chant -- Gold brings some of those chants to our po...
Jan 20, 2023•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ariana Katz , the founding rabbi of Hinenu: The Baltimore Justice Shtiebl ("Shtiebl" refers to an intimate, cozy space where prayer and study meet), joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for the 4th episode in an ongoing series on Jewish spirituality. Together they explore what it means to build an intentional, spiritual, community, and also consider the importance of holding a mindset of spiritual abundance. To access full shownotes for this episode, click here . New UnYeshiva courses kick off in...
Jan 13, 2023•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast Yoshi Silverstein is the founder and executive director of Mitsui Collective , an organization that seeks to "build resilient community, through embodied Jewish practice and somatic antiracism." Silverstein joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for the 3rd episode in an ongoing mini-series on Jewish spirituality, and in their conversation they explore ways in spirituality connects not only to our souls -- but also to our physical bodies. To access full shownotes for this episode, click here . Lear...
Jan 06, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Wendie Bernstein Lash , a longtime friend and collaborator of Judaism Unbound who co-facilitates our Elul Unbound initiative every year -- as an on-ramp to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur -- joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg in the 2nd episode of an ongoing mini-series on Jewish spirituality. Bernstein Lash, a spiritual director (and teacher of other spiritual directors) for decades, outlines what spiritual direction is -- along why it may be worth emphasizing it more in contemporary Jewish life....
Dec 30, 2022•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this 5th and final episode in a five-episode mini-series, Apocry-Fest: Hanukkah Unbound & Un-Canonized , Dan Libenson, Lex Rofeberg, and Liana Wertman conclude the first-ever edition of Apocry-Fest by synthesizing some of the conclusions they've reached as a result of this mini-series. In doing so, they consider a variety of strategies to supplement, up-end, and/or re-shape our Jewish canon. If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound , please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-d...
Dec 25, 2022•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast Josh Feigelson, the president and CEO of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality -- and also the author of a new book entitled Eternal Questions: Reflections, Conversations, and Jewish Mindfulness Practices for the Weekly Torah Portion -- joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for the 1st episode in an ongoing mini-series exploring contemporary Jewish spirituality. To access full shownotes for this episode, click here . If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound , please help us keep things going with a one-...
Dec 23, 2022•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this 4th of a five-episode mini-series, Apocry-Fest: Hanukkah Unbound & Un-Canonized , Dan Libenson, Lex Rofeberg, and Liana Wertman celebrate the book of Judith. One of the better-known books of the apocrypha, there’s actually a great deal of historical precedent for tying the story of Judith to the celebration of Hanukkah. The three co-hosts ask why that is, along with talking through some of the nuts and bolts of what this fascinating story (with a fascinating heroine) is all about. You ca...
Dec 23, 2022•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this 3rd of a five-episode mini-series, Apocry-Fest: Hanukkah Unbound & Un-Canonized , Dan Libenson, Lex Rofeberg, and Liana Wertman dive into an apocryphal book called Jubilees . While not traditionally tied to the festival of Hanukkah, the three hosts argue that it could be part of a broader effort to consciously integrate, into our contemporary Jewish practice, books that never made it into the bible -- but which have been held as sacred by groups of Jews in a variety of historical context...
Dec 21, 2022•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this 2nd of a five-episode mini-series, Apocry-Fest: Hanukkah Unbound & Un-Canonized , Dan Libenson, Lex Rofeberg, and Liana Wertman dive into a little-known book called Megillat Antiochus -- the scroll of Antiochus. They compare and contrast its Hanukkah narrative with some better-known versions, and ask what it would look like if we incorporated this book into our experiences of Hanukkah today. You can sign up for Apocry-Fest by heading to www.JudaismUnbound.com/apocryfest . Do so, and we’l...
Dec 19, 2022•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this 1st of a five-episode mini-series, Apocry-Fest: Hanukkah Unbound & Un-Canonized , Dan Libenson, Lex Rofeberg, and Liana Wertman introduce why Hanukkah is a perfect time to engage with books of the Apocrypha (a category of ancient works of literature that were never officially canonized as part of the Bible)! You can sign up for Apocry-Fest by heading to www.JudaismUnbound.com/apocryfest . Do so, and we’ll send you all sorts of cool Apocryphal (ApocryFUN!) stuff, during Hanukkah, to help ...
Dec 17, 2022•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast David Kasher , associate rabbi at IKAR and author of a new book entitled ParshaNut: 54 Journeys into the World of Torah Commentary , joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg to provide some commentary (get it??) on how we read the Torah. In their conversation, they explore some of the incredible opportunities, and potential drawbacks, that arise when reading Torah through traditional and less-traditional lenses. ------------------------------------ This Hanukkah, Judaism Unbound is partnering with Th...
Dec 16, 2022•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast We are thrilled to feature an episode of a new podcast in the Jewish pod-o-sphere, as a bonus episode on our podcast feed! This episode is the third in a new series called Breaking the Glass: Reflections on Interfaith Relationships . Breaking the Glass is a podcast series from Jewish Rhody Media reflecting on the experiences of multifaith couples and families in Jewish communities and beyond. A series that asks its listeners to reimagine traditional ideas of community, family, and partnership, B...
Dec 13, 2022•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast Happy Hanukkah! Or as we like to spell it, (c)(h)(x)(j)an(n)(i)(u)k(k)a(h)! We're about 1 week early, but in this episode, Dan and Lex explore Hanukkah in depth, asking how we might deepen our relationship to it if we connected it to frameworks from our recent conversation with Emily Tamkin , about her book Bad Jews . Also, they tie the holiday of Hanukkah to....Jewish weddings? It sounds incoherent, I know, but if you listen, we promise it will all make sense! This Hanukkah, Judaism Unbound is ...
Dec 09, 2022•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ayin Press is an artist-run publishing platform, production studio, and research collective -- rooted in Jewish culture and emanating outward. They recently launched, and there's much to be excited about! High on the list is the adjective "artist-run" that begins their self-identification -- a great hyphenated adjective that we hope more Jewish organizations will come to embody! Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg are joined by Tom Haviv , Eden Pearlstein , and Penina Eilberg-Schwartz -- three people ...
Dec 02, 2022•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jen Gubitz is the founder and executive director of Modern Jew ISH Couples -- an organization that supports committed couples on the pathway to partnership, marriage, and beyond. She joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation about Jewish weddings that asks a number of questions. What typically happens, and what should happen, before the wedding day? Why is it not only okay, but wonderful, when non-clergy officiate Jewish weddings? What transformation does the ritual of a wedding cer...
Nov 25, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Adina Allen , co-founder and creative director of The Jewish Studio Project , joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg to explore what Torah is, what creativity is, and what her framework -- a Torah of Creativity -- has to teach the world. Inspired by what you hear in this podcast episode? You can sign up for a 3-week mini-course in Judaism Unbound's UnYeshiva (a digital center for Jewish learning and unlearning), taught by Adina Allen and revolving around the Torah of Creativity. Register for Adina ...
Nov 18, 2022•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast This bonus episode of Judaism Unbound is presented in partnership with Theatre Dybbuk . Once a month, their podcast -- called The Dybbukast -- releases a new episode, and we are proud to feature their third season's first episode as a bonus episode here on Judaism Unbound's feed. In each episode, they bring poems, plays, and other creative texts from throughout history to life, all while revealing their relationships to issues still present today. Subscribe to The Dybbukast on Apple Podcasts , o...
Nov 15, 2022•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Emily Tamkin is the senior editor, US at The New Statesman and author of a new book entitled Bad Jews: A History of American Jewish Politics and Identities . She joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg to explore how the phrase "Bad Jew" has been mobilized throughout American history, how it's used today, and why it might be time to discard it. To access full shownotes for this episode, click here . If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound , please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-...
Nov 11, 2022•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast Michael Lerner -- a theologian, activist, rabbi, and psychotherapist -- joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation looking back at over 50 years of justice work, drawing on Jewish wisdom and in partnership with progressives from other spiritual traditions. To access full shownotes for this episode, click 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! Learn more ...
Nov 04, 2022•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast Liana Finck , a cartoonist and author whose most recent book is entitled Let There Be Light: The Real Story of Her Creation , joins Dan and Lex for a conversation about this work -- a graphic novel that reimagines the story of Genesis, with God as a woman. To access full shownotes for this episode, click 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! You can also buy Judais...
Oct 28, 2022•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg , in two recent conversations with Ron Wolfson and Rachel Gildiner, explored what it meant for Judaism to be "relational." In this follow-up episode, they map that question, of what it means for Judaism to be relational, onto digital Jewish experiences in particular. They reflect on recent Judaism Unbound developments, including Yom Kippur and Hakhel , in considering what it would like for digital gatherings to center relationships -- and not just programming. Regis...
Oct 21, 2022•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Rachel Gildiner , the CEO of Gather, Inc. -- a nonprofit that is committed to reorienting how Jewish professionals and organizations define success -- joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation about what it means to prioritize people, over programs, in Jewish life. To access full shownotes for this episode, click 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! Y...
Oct 14, 2022•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ron Wolfson , author of Relational Judaism: Using the Power of Relationships to Transform the Jewish Community (and many other awesome books -- that's just the one most central to this conversation!), joins Dan and Lex for a conversation about the ways in which Judaism might be more powerful, if Jewish communities prioritized relationships over programs. He also offers some strategies for how we might take positive steps in that direction. To access full shownotes for this episode, click here . ...
Oct 07, 2022•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
