The Curious Jew

Yeshivat Orayta
Yeshivat Orayta

Judaism is a civilization built on big ideas—about God, morality, community, purpose, and what it means to live a meaningful life. But in a rapidly changing world, how do these timeless concepts speak to our modern reality? The Curious Jew is a forum for thoughtful conversation, spirited debate, and intellectual exploration of Judaism’s most enduring questions and contemporary challenges. Through engaging discussions with leading rabbis, scholars, authors, and communal figures, we go beyond the surface to examine the core ideas shaping the Jewish future. Hosted by Rabbi David Silverstein and produced by Yeshivat Orayta, our goal is not simply to provide easy answers, but to cultivate curiosity, challenge assumptions, and inspire a more thoughtful, self-aware, and committed Judaism for the twenty-first century. Whether you're deeply learned in Torah text or just beginning your intellectual journey, The Curious Jew invites you to join the conversation. New episodes drop bi-weekly. Questions? Feedback? Have a topic you'd like to hear discussed? Let us know: thecuriousjew@orayta.org Intro music by Mykola Odnoroh.

  1. 2d ago

    Ask Me Anything: Rabbi David Silverstein on Truth, Tribalism, & Coming Home

    In this special AMA episode of The Curious Jew, the tables turn: producer R’ Corey Gold steps out from behind the scenes to put host R’ David Silverstein in the hot seat, tackling questions submitted directly by listeners. The conversation ranges widely: from why denominational labels like “Modern Orthodox” are more modern invention than Sinai-given category, to how we can know that our own moral intuitions -- or Judaism itself -- are actually true. R’ David opens up about his own evolution on aliyah, from halakhic technicality to non-negotiable default, and reflects on what real Jewish unity requires in a moment of rising antisemitism and internal division. Along the way, he touches on rabbinic authority, the surprising depth behind the laws of bishul akum, and what it really means to reclaim Jewish identity today. If you’ve got a question for R’ David, you can submit it for a future episode at this link (https://forms.gle/bPNdfLc3P4kL9ujm9) or email thecuriousjew@orayta.org. Chapters 00:02:04 Denominational Labels & Tribalism 00:08:00 Is Modern Orthodoxy the True Heir to Sinai? 00:11:26 How Do We Know Judaism Is True? 00:20:22 When Moral Intuition Clashes With Halakha 00:27:14 Why We Still Need Rabbis 00:32:18 Rethinking Aliyah as the Default 00:38:36 Sinat Chinam, Achdut, and Jewish Unity Today 00:42:58 Antisemitism and the Reawakening of Jewish Identity 00:46:43 The Hidden Depth of Bishul Akum 00:49:31 A Listener's Challenge: What Defines the Brit?

  2. Jul 14

    Has Modern Orthodoxy Abandoned Kiruv? A Conversation with R’ Steven Gotlib

    Are we turning our backs on 90% of Klal Yisrael? If Modern Orthodoxy has the perfect vocabulary to engage the contemporary world, why has it abandoned the field of outreach? In this episode of The Curious Jew, Rabbi David Silverstein sits down with Rabbi Steven Gotlib to examine why the Modern Orthodox community so often struggles to prioritize active outreach (kiruv). Drawing on his own journey from a traditional Conservative upbringing in Fair Lawn through the high school worlds of NCSY and a secular path at Rutgers, Rabbi Gotlib shares a deeply personal perspective on transitioning into mainstream Orthodoxy. They confront a critical shift in modern Jewish life: why Modern Orthodoxy has largely focused inward on fortifying its own enclaves while ceding active outreach to Yeshivish and Chabad frameworks. Pushing back against demographic triumphalism and indifference toward assimilation, they critique the lack of an internal drive within Centrist Orthodoxy to engage the broader Jewish world. It is an urgent, candid call to reclaim our sense of collective responsibility for the future of the entire Jewish people About the Guest: Rabbi Steven Gotlib is a pulpit rabbi serving a diverse Jewish community in Philadelphia. A graduate of the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) at Yeshiva University, he is a frequent contributor to The Lehrhaus, 18Forty, and writes regularly on his personal Substack. AMA: In an upcoming episode, R' David will respond to listener questions! Submit them to be considered here: https://forms.gle/EHknAEyZUVFXARWJ7 Chapters 00:00:00 - Episode Intro & Rabbi Gotlib's Personal Journey 00:04:47 - Navigating the Conservative Movement & the Social Move to Orthodoxy 00:11:47 - The High-Pressure Ultimatum & Leaving Observance Behind 00:26:24 - Stumbling into Yeshivish Learning & The Intellectual Return 00:39:15 - Arriving at RIETS: Confronting Triumphalism and Demographics 00:47:14 - The Out-of-Town Enclave vs. Serving Diverse Communities 00:50:08 - The Missing Theological Motivation for Outreach in Modern Orthodoxy 00:55:07 - Activating Peer-to-Peer Campus Connections Beyond the Enclave 00:59:45 - How Engaging the Secular World Forces an Intellectual Expansion

  3. Jun 23

    A Haredi Conception of Jewish Peoplehood: Rabbi Yehoshua Pfeffer on Brotherhood, Isolation, and Israel

    Rabbi David Silverstein sits down with Rabbi Yehoshua Pfeffer — dayan, author, and founder of the Iyun Institute — to ask one of the most charged questions in contemporary Israeli Jewish life: how does the Haredi world actually think about its relationship to secular and religious Jews who aren’t Haredi? The conversation opens with a viral protest video in which a yeshiva student questions a secular woman's Jewish identity, then uses it as a window into two thousand years of halakhic categories. Rav Pfeffer's provocative argument: the classic rabbinic frameworks — mumar l’hachis, mumar l'teavon, tinok shenishba — are largely just words. What's really happening beneath the surface is a return to the national, biblical model of Jewish identity that predates two thousand years of diaspora community life. R’ David pushes back: the vocabulary people absorb in yeshiva shapes how they actually see the world, and without new ideological language, the default categories always win. Together they map the internal Haredi struggle between isolationism and engagement, assess what thinkers R’ Kook, R’ Hirsch, and R’ Soloveitchik can and can't contribute, and ask whether October 7th has cracked open a space for Haredim to see themselves as part of a larger national story. About the Guest Rabbi Yehoshua Pfeffer is a dayan, author, and founder of the Iyun Institute, dedicated to developing a Haredi identity that engages deeply with Israeli society. He lives in Ramot, Jerusalem, where he is Rav of the “Ohr Chadash” community, with his wife Tamar and their eight children. Questions? Feedback? Have a topic you'd like to hear discussed? Let us know: thecuriousjew@orayta.org 00:00 Welcome & The Protest Video That Started It All 03:22 Two Thousand Years of Insider/Outsider: Chazal, the Rambam, and Tinok Shenishba 16:04 The Deeper Story: It's Not Tinok Shenishba — It's a Return to Tanakh 19:02 Does Language Actually Matter? A Pushback 21:44 The Lived Haredi World: Every Jew Is Still a Brother 27:56 Them and Us — But It's Sociology, Not Theology 32:23 What Vocabulary Can Haredim Borrow? R' Kook, R' Hirsch, and R' Soloveitchik 41:01 Building the Library: The Iyun Institute's Original Project 49:10 Army Service, October 7th, and the Case for a New Language 53:33 Closing Thoughts & Where to Find the Iyun Institute

  4. Jun 9

    Inside Peninei Halakha: A Halakhic Vision for Israeli Society with R' Avishai Lax

    In the inaugural episode of The Curious Jew Podcast, host Rabbi David Silverstein sits down with Rav Avishai Lax of Machon Har Bracha to explore the grand enterprise of Rav Eliezer Melamed’s Peninei Halakha and its revolutionary impact on contemporary Jewish law.     The conversation pulls back the curtain on the Machon's intensive collaborative workflow, revealing how a specialized team of scholars refines dozens of drafts to create an accessible code that intentionally weaves together foundational principles, conceptual Jewish thought, and modern reality. Together, they dive into the core pillars of Rav Melamed’s civilizational vision for Torat Eretz Yisrael. This includes rethinking the physics of modern kashrut, establishing a robust national policy for conversion (giyur), framing marital intimacy through a holistic and joyful lens, and analyzing a society-building framework that shifts the focus from individual questions to the national needs of the entire State of Israel. Finally, Rav Lax reveals the "hidden precision" of the series—exploring how complex layers of underlying halakhic authority are meticulously woven directly into the text's deceptively simple prose.     About the Guest  Rav Avishai Lax studied at Yeshivat Beit El and served as a community rabbi and educator in Toronto before returning to Israel. He currently lives in Har Bracha, where he works directly alongside his father-in-law, Rav Melamed, at Machon Har Bracha. Questions? Feedback? Have a topic you'd like to hear discussed? Let us know: thecuriousjew@orayta.org

  5. 11/03/2024

    Should Jewish Leaders Dialogue with Moderate Muslims? with Rav Yaakov Nagen

    Is 'fundamentalist Islam' a misnomer? What Muslim voices authentically represent traditional Islam? In this episode Rav David Silverstein is joined by Rav Yaakov Nagen to discuss these issues as well the larger question of Jewish/Muslim interfaith dialogue. Rabbi Dr. Yakov Nagen is the head of Ohr Torah Stone’s Blickle Institute for Interfaith Dialogue and Beit Midrash for Judaism and Humanity, as well as the Executive Director of the Ohr Torah Interfaith Center. For 25 years, Rabbi Nagen served as a senior educator at Yeshivat Otniel. A prominent advocate of religion as a means for promoting peace, he has been a leading figure in interfaith dialogue, particularly between Judaism and Islam, for two decades. His new book, Ushmo Echad/God Shall Be One, is out in Hebrew now and English soon. Questions? Feedback? Have a topic you'd like to hear discussed?Email us at oraytapodcast@gmail.com and we look forward to "continuing the conversation." Music from "Ashreinu" by Omek HaDavarRecorded in the Old City of Jerusalem at Yeshivat Orayta (orayta.org) | Facebook | Instagram

    Should Jewish Leaders Dialogue with Moderate Muslims? with Rav Yaakov Nagen

  6. 10/13/2024

    How Is Learning Gemara Religiously Meaningful? A Centrist Orthodox Perspective with Rav Yitzchak Blau

    Gemara learning dominates the Centrist Orthodox Yeshiva curriculum. Do Centrist Orthodox Yeshivot approach Gemara differently than their Chareidi counterparts? Are there varied perspectives within the world of Centrist Orthodoxy? In this podcast, Rav David Silverstein is joined by Rav Yitzchak Blau to discuss these questions through the lens of Rav Blau's own experiences in both Chareidi and Centrist Orthodox Yeshivot. Rabbi Yitzchak Blau is Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Orayta, the author of Fresh Fruit and Vintage Wine: The Ethics and Wisdom of the Aggada, and Tradition's associate editor. He has taught at Yeshivat Hamivtar, Yeshivat Shvilei Hatorah, and the Yeshivah of Flatbush and currently also teaches at Midreshet Lindenbaum. Rabbi Blau has a BA in English Literature from YU, an MA in Medieval Jewish History from Revel, and smicha from RIETS. Rabbi Blau lives in Alon Shevut with his wife and four children. Questions? Feedback? Have a topic you'd like to hear discussed?Email us at oraytapodcast@gmail.com and we look forward to "continuing the conversation." Music from "Ashreinu" by Omek HaDavarRecorded in the Old City of Jerusalem at Yeshivat Orayta (orayta.org) | Facebook | Instagram

    How Is Learning Gemara Religiously Meaningful? A Centrist Orthodox Perspective with Rav Yitzchak Blau

  7. 09/15/2024

    How Is Learning Gemara Religiously Meaningful? A Chareidi Perspective with Rav Gavriel Singer

    How should we understand the central role of the Talmud Bavli in Chareidi communities? What are the goals of the 'Ivies' of the Yeshiva World? How does intensive focus on the Gemara create a certain student and society? Rav Gavriel Singer pulls back the curtain in conversation with Rav Dovid Silverstein in the Season 3 Premiere of Tzarich Iyun. Rav Gavriel Singer, Rebbe at Yeshiva Orayta, is originally from Philadelphia and currently lives in the Sanhedriya Murchevet neighborhood of Yerushalayim with his family. He studied in various yeshivot spanning from Netiv Aryeh, Mir Yerushalayim and Kollel Ateres Elimelech.  He also published a sefer on Masechet Makkot, Metzius Ish, and served as a Rebbe at Yeshivas Shaar HaChaim. Questions? Feedback? Have a topic you'd like to hear discussed?Email us at oraytapodcast@gmail.com and we look forward to "continuing the conversation." Music from "Ashreinu" by Omek HaDavarRecorded in the Old City of Jerusalem at Yeshivat Orayta (orayta.org) | Facebook | Instagram

    How Is Learning Gemara Religiously Meaningful? A Chareidi Perspective with Rav Gavriel Singer

  8. 04/14/2024

    Should We Celebrate the Downfall of Our Enemies? A Special Episode for Pesach with Rav Yitzchak Blau

    Many observant Jews have a seder night custom to spill out some wine from their cups during the recitation of the ten plagues. What is the source of this custom? Does it reflect a Jewish instinct to mitigate happiness when one's enemies are killed? Or, is it part of a larger story about Jewish uniqueness and particularism? In this episode Rav David Silverstein is joined by Rav Yitzchak Blau to discuss the origin of this custom as well the larger question of rejoicing over the downfall of one's enemies. Rabbi Yitzchak Blau is Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Orayta, the author of Fresh Fruit and Vintage Wine: The Ethics and Wisdom of the Aggada, and Tradition's associate editor. He has taught at Yeshivat Hamivtar, Yeshivat Shvilei Hatorah, and the Yeshivah of Flatbush and currently also teaches at Midreshet Lindenbaum. Rabbi Blau has a BA in English Literature from YU, an MA in Medieval Jewish History from Revel, and smicha from RIETS. Rabbi Blau lives in Alon Shevut with his wife and four children. Questions? Feedback? Have a topic you'd like to hear discussed?Email us at oraytapodcast@gmail.com and we look forward to "continuing the conversation." Music from "Ashreinu" by Omek HaDavarRecorded in the Old City of Jerusalem at Yeshivat Orayta (orayta.org) | Facebook | Instagram

    Should We Celebrate the Downfall of Our Enemies? A Special Episode for Pesach with Rav Yitzchak Blau
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
15 Ratings

About

Judaism is a civilization built on big ideas—about God, morality, community, purpose, and what it means to live a meaningful life. But in a rapidly changing world, how do these timeless concepts speak to our modern reality? The Curious Jew is a forum for thoughtful conversation, spirited debate, and intellectual exploration of Judaism’s most enduring questions and contemporary challenges. Through engaging discussions with leading rabbis, scholars, authors, and communal figures, we go beyond the surface to examine the core ideas shaping the Jewish future. Hosted by Rabbi David Silverstein and produced by Yeshivat Orayta, our goal is not simply to provide easy answers, but to cultivate curiosity, challenge assumptions, and inspire a more thoughtful, self-aware, and committed Judaism for the twenty-first century. Whether you're deeply learned in Torah text or just beginning your intellectual journey, The Curious Jew invites you to join the conversation. New episodes drop bi-weekly. Questions? Feedback? Have a topic you'd like to hear discussed? Let us know: thecuriousjew@orayta.org Intro music by Mykola Odnoroh.

Information

  • Channel
    Yeshivat Orayta
  • Creator
    Yeshivat Orayta
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    36
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Yeshivat Orayta
  • Show Website
    The Curious Jew

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