The Shema Podcast for the Perplexed

Dan Kullman
  • 4.9 (25)
  • JUDAISM
  • UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY

Focused on practical spiritual growth, this podcast explores Jewish wisdom through real-life experience and thoughtful conversations, helping listeners build clarity, resilience, and deeper meaning in their lives.

  1. Shiras HaYam - Dismantling the Illusion of Independent Power

    4D AGO

    Shiras HaYam - Dismantling the Illusion of Independent Power

    In this episode in the “From Binah to Daas” Series, I explore Shiras HaYam not merely as a historical song sung after the splitting of the sea, but as a daily framework for dismantling the illusion that the systems, pressures, and powers we encounter in life operate independently from Hashem. By walking line by line through Az Yashir, we uncover how the Torah trains us to reinterpret moments where reality appears closed, overwhelming, or fragmented, and how Kriyas Yam Suf becomes an ongoing internal experience that transforms intellectual belief into lived awareness. This episode is designed to help listeners deepen their perception of Divine unity, move through fear and uncertainty differently, and understand why Chazal placed Shiras HaYam at the climax of Pesukei D’Zimrah immediately before prayer. Join the Conversation!  Be part of our growing community—join the Shema Podcast for the Perplexed WhatsApp group to share feedback, discuss episodes, and suggest future topics. Click here to sign up.

    27 min
  2. Sivan: The Secret of Unity Through Multiplicity

    6D AGO

    Sivan: The Secret of Unity Through Multiplicity

    In this episode, Rabbi Shlomo Pill and I explore the deeper structure of the month of Sivan and why the Torah specifically had to be given during this time. This conversation provides a completely different lens through which to understand Torah — not as something detached from life, but as the blueprint for bringing unity into fragmentation, integration into separation, and deeper meaning into every dimension of existence. If you’ve ever struggled with how to integrate spirituality with work, body with soul, individuality with community, or Torah learning with daily life, this episode will help you see how the Torah was designed to harmonize seemingly opposing realities into a higher oneness. Join the Conversation!  Be part of our growing community—join the Shema Podcast for the Perplexed WhatsApp group to share feedback, discuss episodes, and suggest future topics. Click here to sign up. Get the Companion Guide: The Power of the Months This free resource outlines the spiritual focus of each Hebrew month — including its mazal (zodiac sign), tribe, Hebrew letter, body part, and unique avodah. It also includes suggested actions you can take to align yourself with the energy of the time. Click here to download and keep this month-by-month guide as a tool for your own growth and reflection.

    1h 3m
  3. Episode 11 – Seeing Clearly Through an External Lens

    MAY 10

    Episode 11 – Seeing Clearly Through an External Lens

    In this episode of Strive for Truth, Rabbi Michael Cohen and I explore one of the most unsettling ideas we’ve discussed so far in Rav Dessler’s writings: that the greatest obstacle to truth is not simply bias or flawed reasoning, but the possibility that we are not even perceiving reality correctly to begin with. Through Rav Dessler’s essay The Ego, the Inclinations, the Spirit, and the Soul, we unpack how the Yetzer Hara shapes the very “inputs” we use to interpret situations before our intellect ever begins to reason. Using examples from Avimelech, Avraham Avinu sending Eliezer to find a wife for Yitzchak, and the role of the neshama in accessing truth beyond the ego, we discuss why intelligence alone cannot guarantee clarity, why outside guidance is essential in major life decisions, and how Torah and yiras Shamayim help us step outside our own distortions in the lifelong pursuit of truth. Join the Conversation!  Be part of our growing community—join the Shema Podcast for the Perplexed WhatsApp group to share feedback, discuss episodes, and suggest future topics. Click here to sign up. Connect with Rabbi Michael Cohen Reach out to Rabbi Michael Cohen to learn more about his one-on-one coaching work, where he applies the teachings of Strive for Truth to help individuals untangle inner confusion, clarify priorities, and live more grounded, self-expressed lives. To inquire or connect, email him at mailto:rabbicohen@msn.com.

    32 min

  4. MAY 7

    The System of Tefillah with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe – Part 1

    In this episode, Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe and I explore one of the deepest questions in Judaism: what is tefillah actually doing? If Hashem already knows everything, why do we need to ask? Does prayer change reality, change us, or both? We discuss why tefillah was built into creation itself, why structured prayer matters, how hishtadlus and bitachon fit together, and what it means when tefillos seem unanswered. If you’ve ever struggled to connect to davening or wanted a deeper understanding of what Chazal believed tefillah truly is, this conversation will fundamentally reshape how you think about prayer. Join the Conversation!  Be part of our growing community—join the Shema Podcast for the Perplexed WhatsApp group to share feedback, discuss episodes, and suggest future topics. Click here to sign up.

    1h 26m
  5. Laws and Narrative: Torah’s Dual Structure

    MAY 1

    Laws and Narrative: Torah’s Dual Structure

    Why does the Torah include both detailed laws and extended narratives? In this episode, we explore how the Torah is not just a system of instructions, but a complete process designed to transform us. The stories teach us how to interpret what’s happening in our lives and recognize Hashem’s role within it, while the commandments train us to respond to that reality consistently. Without both, growth either doesn’t stick or never truly changes us. This episode reframes how we read the Torah and how we begin to move from simply understanding to actually living it. Join the Conversation!  Be part of our growing community—join the Shema Podcast for the Perplexed WhatsApp group to share feedback, discuss episodes, and suggest future topics. Click here to sign up.

    11 min
  6. Episode 10 - Progress without Purpose

    APR 29

    Episode 10 - Progress without Purpose

    In a world that feels more advanced than ever, why does everything also feel more unstable? In this episode, we learn from Rabbi Michael Cohen as we explore a powerful insight from Rav Dessler that challenges the assumption that progress leads to improvement, and instead reveals how our intelligence, success, and achievements can either elevate us or quietly pull us off course. This conversation will help you think more clearly about your own life, not just what you’re building, but what it’s doing to you, and whether your efforts are aligning you with truth or simply amplifying what’s already inside. We also examine what it means to live in a generation that has rebuilt so much, while asking the deeper question of whether something more subtle still needs rebuilding within ourselves. Join the Conversation!  Be part of our growing community—join the Shema Podcast for the Perplexed WhatsApp group to share feedback, discuss episodes, and suggest future topics. Click here to sign up. Connect with Rabbi Michael Cohen Reach out to Rabbi Michael Cohen to learn more about his one-on-one coaching work, where he applies the teachings of Strive for Truth to help individuals untangle inner confusion, clarify priorities, and live more grounded, self-expressed lives. To inquire or connect, email him at mailto:rabbicohen@msn.com.

    33 min
  7. The Three Gates to Daas

    APR 26

    The Three Gates to Daas

    Why do ideas that make perfect sense (Binah)… still fail to change how we live (Daas)? In this episode, we explore Baal HaSulam’s essay “Disclosing a Portion, Covering Two” to uncover the hidden patterns that keep truth stuck at the level of understanding (Binah)—and what it actually takes to move it into lived experience (Daas). Along the way, we also reveal how the yetzer hara subtly operates to block that transformation—not by rejecting truth, but by shaping how we receive it. If you’ve ever felt the gap between what you know and how you respond under pressure, this will give you a clear framework to understand why that gap exists, how to work with it, and how real transformation actually happens. This isn’t about learning more.It’s about becoming different. Join the Conversation!  Be part of our growing community—join the Shema Podcast for the Perplexed WhatsApp group to share feedback, discuss episodes, and suggest future topics. Click here to sign up.

    26 min
  8. Episode 9-From Distortion to Transformation

    APR 22

    Episode 9-From Distortion to Transformation

    In this episode, Rabbi Michael Cohen brings forward powerful teachings from Rav Dessler that reveals two of the greatest obstacles to personal growth: the bias that distorts how we see reality, and the resistance that keeps us from changing even after the truth becomes clear. You’ll gain a sharper awareness of how comfort, fear, and familiarity quietly shape your decisions, and walk away with a practical path for breaking old patterns and beginning real change. Join the Conversation!  Be part of our growing community—join the Shema Podcast for the Perplexed WhatsApp group to share feedback, discuss episodes, and suggest future topics. Click here to sign up. Connect with Rabbi Michael Cohen Reach out to Rabbi Michael Cohen to learn more about his one-on-one coaching work, where he applies the teachings of Strive for Truth to help individuals untangle inner confusion, clarify priorities, and live more grounded, self-expressed lives. To inquire or connect, email him at rabbicohen@msn.com.

    42 min
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4.9
out of 5
25 Ratings

About

Focused on practical spiritual growth, this podcast explores Jewish wisdom through real-life experience and thoughtful conversations, helping listeners build clarity, resilience, and deeper meaning in their lives.

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