Jewish Ideas to Change the World

Valley Beit Midrash
  • 4.9 (29)
  • JUDAISM
  • UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY

Jewish Ideas to Change the World delivers thought-provoking content by leading Jewish thinkers with diverse perspectives and backgrounds. It is produced by Valley Beit Midrash. Valley Beit Midrash (VBM) is dedicated to social justice as driven by Torah ethics. VBM's mission is to improve lives through Jewish learning, direct action, and leadership development. Listen to VBM's other podcasts: • Social Justice in the Parsha (weekly divrei Torah by Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz) • Pearls of Jewish Wisdom on Living with Kindness (Rabbi Shmuly's class series) Stay Connected: • Website: https://www.valleybeitmidrash.org Attended virtual programs live by becoming a member for just $18 per month: https://www.valleybeitmidrash.org/become-a-member

  1. Torah, Tarot, and Trickery: Judaism’s Take on Magic and Divination

    1D AGO

    Torah, Tarot, and Trickery: Judaism’s Take on Magic and Divination

    A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Steven Gotlib About The Event:  What does Judaism REALLY believe about magic and divination? Join Steven Gotlib, an experienced magician/mentalist and former Tarot-reader, to delve into this fascinating and under-appreciated topic. *Source Sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sKlv6niYx2BOjjCQvslDf5mI22PgST3V/view?usp=sharing About The Speaker:  Steven Gotlib is the Associate Rabbi at Mekor Habracha/Center City Synagogue and Director of the Center City Beit Midrash in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.*There were technical difficulties with the video for this class, and only the audio is accessible.* ★ Support this podcast ★

    56 min
  2. The Shabbat Effect

    3D AGO

    The Shabbat Effect

    A hybrid event presentation by Alan Morinis The event was co-sponsored by BMH-BJ About The Event: The topic of this session will be the forthcoming book, The Shabbat Effect. The point of the book is to outline how observing Shabbat with the intention of developing certain inner traits germane to a Shabbat practice will prove useful all seven days of the week and is a step toward the ultimate human purpose of becoming whole and holy. About The Speaker: Alan Morinis received his doctorate from Oxford University, which he attended on a Rhodes Scholarship. He is one of the leading lights in the revival of the Jewish spiritual tradition of Mussar and is the author of Climbing Jacob’s Ladder (2002), Everyday Holiness (2007), With Heart in Mind (2014), and now The Shabbat Effect (2026). He is a student of Rabbi Yechiel Yitzchok Perr, zt”l, and in 2004 founded The Mussar Institute, which has grown to become the world’s leading provider of contemporary Mussar resources and instruction, offering courses, facilitator training, curricula for congregations and organizations, special events, speakers, and retreats. ★ Support this podcast ★

    1h 18m
  3. The Shankbone Redemption: The Inside Story of Passover

    MAR 20

    The Shankbone Redemption: The Inside Story of Passover

    A hybrid event (in-person and virtual) by Rabbi Ed Feinstein The event was co-sponsored by: The Hammerman Family & Congregation Or Tzion About The Event: Each year we recite the story, with Pharaoh and Moses, frogs here, frogs there, and the splitting sea. It is our story, the foundation of our faith and vision of history. Buried in the story, beneath the songs and symbols of the holiday, is a message about the human condition and our mission in the world. Join us as we explore the message and its significance for our generation. *Source Sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BJhJuROhpUab2YSlWxRJmG0dpjvdYEHg/view?usp=sharing About The Speaker: Rabbi Feinstein serves the Valley Beth Shalom community as a teacher, pastor, and visionary leader. He also serves on the faculty of the Ziegler Rabbinical School of the American Jewish University, the Wexner Heritage Program, and the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, and lectures widely across the United States. He is the author of several books, including: Tough Questions Jews Ask – A Young Adult’s Guide to Building a Jewish Life, (Jewish Lights, 2003), Jews and Judaism in the Twenty-First Century: Human Responsibility, the Presence of God and the Future of the Covenant (Jewish Lights, 2007), Capturing the Moon (Behrman House, 2008) and most recently, Chutzpah Imperative! – Empowering Today’s Jews for a Life that Matters (Jewish Lights, 2014). Rabbi Feinstein was raised in the back of his parents’ bakery on the frontiers of the West San Fernando Valley. He graduated with honors from the University of California at Santa Cruz, the University of Judaism, Columbia University Teachers College, and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, where he was ordained a rabbi in 1981. Most recently, he received his Doctorate in Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) at Park Avenue Synagogue in New York for his dissertation: Rabbi Harold Schulweis and the Reinvention of the American Rabbinate. An engaging lecturer and storyteller, Rabbi Feinstein unites the ancient Jewish love of ideas with the warmth of Jewish humor. ★ Support this podcast ★

    1h 10m
  4. Why Is This Passover Different From All Other Passovers? Interview with Rabbi Ed Feinstein

    MAR 19

    Why Is This Passover Different From All Other Passovers? Interview with Rabbi Ed Feinstein

    Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz sits down with Rabbi Ed Feinstein to talk about Passover.  Rabbi Feinstein serves the Valley Beth Shalom community as a teacher, pastor, and visionary leader. He also serves on the faculty of the Ziegler Rabbinical School of the American Jewish University, the Wexner Heritage Program, and the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, and lectures widely across the United States. He is the author of several books, including: Tough Questions Jews Ask – A Young Adult’s Guide to Building a Jewish Life, (Jewish Lights, 2003), Jews and Judaism in the Twenty-First Century: Human Responsibility, the Presence of God and the Future of the Covenant (Jewish Lights, 2007), Capturing the Moon (Behrman House, 2008) and most recently, Chutzpah Imperative! – Empowering Today’s Jews for a Life that Matters (Jewish Lights, 2014).  Rabbi Feinstein was raised in the back of his parents’ bakery on the frontiers of the West San Fernando Valley. He graduated with honors from the University of California at Santa Cruz, the University of Judaism, Columbia University Teachers College, and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, where he was ordained a rabbi in 1981. Most recently, he received his Doctorate in Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) at Park Avenue Synagogue in New York for his dissertation: Rabbi Harold Schulweis and the Reinvention of the American Rabbinate.  An engaging lecturer and storyteller, Rabbi Feinstein unites the ancient Jewish love of ideas with the warmth of Jewish humor. ★ Support this podcast ★

    9 min
  5. A Tradition of Revolution

    MAR 13

    A Tradition of Revolution

    An event presentation by Rabbi Ed Feinstein About The Event: “Tradition!” sang Tevye, “that’s how we keep our balance!” Tradition is our superpower. We know that the words we say, the rites we practice, and the ethics we embrace have come down through the generations. But there is another source of our power, one not often recognized – our remarkable ability to re-invent, re-imagine, re-interpret our faith, our institutions, our identity in moments of crisis. This capacity for meeting catastrophe with spiritual creativity may be the real secret of our survival. At this moment of our history, we may need this capacity more than ever; we may need to call on our miraculous Jewish resilience. Source Sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ax8KzpqoLsV4hVh0g6d1ztLidAXeo4Wx/view?usp=sharing About The Speaker: Rabbi Feinstein serves the Valley Beth Shalom community as a teacher, pastor, and visionary leader. He also serves on the faculty of the Ziegler Rabbinical School of the American Jewish University, the Wexner Heritage Program, the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, and lectures widely across the United States. He is the author of several books, including: Tough Questions Jews Ask – A Young Adult’s Guide to Building a Jewish Life, (Jewish Lights, 2003), Jews and Judaism in the Twenty-First Century: Human Responsibility, the Presence of God and the Future of the Covenant (Jewish Lights, 2007), Capturing the Moon (Behrman House, 2008) and most recently, Chutzpah Imperative! – Empowering Today’s Jews for a Life that Matters (Jewish Lights, 2014). Rabbi Feinstein was raised in the back of his parents’ bakery on the frontiers of the West San Fernando Valley. He graduated with honors from the University of California at Santa Cruz, the University of Judaism, Columbia University Teachers College, and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, where he was ordained a rabbi in 1981. Most recently, he received his Doctorate in Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) at Park Avenue Synagogue in New York for his dissertation: Rabbi Harold Schulweis and the Reinvention of the American Rabbinate. An engaging lecturer and storyteller, Rabbi Feinstein unites the ancient Jewish love of ideas with the warmth of Jewish humor. ★ Support this podcast ★

    1h 18m
  6. Stranger In A Strange Land

    MAR 12

    Stranger In A Strange Land

    A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Marc Gitler About The Event: Join Rabbi Marc for a thought-provoking exploration of one of Judaism’s most foundational questions. We remember the Exodus from Egypt every single day and celebrate it yearly on Pesach, recounting the story of our people’s liberation from bondage. But this raises a profound theological challenge: why did our ancestors have to endure the suffering of enslavement in the first place? In this session, we’ll examine classical Jewish texts and contemporary interpretations to wrestle with questions of divine purpose, human suffering, and the meaning we derive from our people’s most defining narrative. Source Sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11YmCexpwsRdVJuuxt1zLQurL13LKyNJW/view?usp=share_link About The Speaker: Marc Gitler is the Senior Jewish Education for Valley Beit Midrash and serves as the visiting Rabbi of Aish SanDiego. A recipient of the Wexner Fellowship, he was ordained at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. The founder of Fast for Feast, he lives in Denver, Colorado with his wife Sarah and their four children. ★ Support this podcast ★

    59 min
  7. The Sacred Struggle: Jewish Responses to Trauma

    MAR 9

    The Sacred Struggle: Jewish Responses to Trauma

    A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Benjamin David and Rabbi Lindsey Danziger About The Event: In this session, we will uncover lessons from The Sacred Struggle: Jewish Responses to Trauma. This book is a powerful anthology of personal stories, offering a deeply moving exploration of how Jewish wisdom can help us navigate life’s most difficult moments. About The Speakers: Benjamin David is the rabbi at Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania. He is a respected teacher, writer, and leader within the Reform Movement. The son of Rabbi Jerome and Peggy David, Rabbi David was born in Philadelphia and grew up in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Muhlenberg College in 1999 before enrolling in the Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion. As a rabbinic student, he taught widely and worked with students of all ages at Shaaray Tefila of Manhattan, the 92nd Street Y, the Jewish Guild for the Blind, and Temple Beth Am of Monessen. As a student, he won multiple awards in the fields of midrash and Talmud and co-founded a literary review, Davar Aher. He was ordained from the New York campus of HUC-JIR in 2004. Following ordination, he served for seven years as the associate rabbi at Temple Sinai of Roslyn in New York, where he worked closely with synagogue youth and on such causes as Israel, social action, and community organizing. Rabbi David is deeply committed to URJ Camp Harlam, where he spent time as a camper, counselor, and supervisor. He now serves each summer on the rabbinic faculty. A competitive runner, he has run 18 marathons, including the Boston Marathon twice and the New York City Marathon four times. He is also a co-founder of the Running Rabbis, which brings clergy together to run and walk in the name of shared causes. As a cancer survivor, he works with cancer patients and their families and is active both locally and nationally in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. His wife, Lisa, a fellow Camp Harlam alum, is the director of Camp Harlam. They are the proud parents of Noa, Elijah, and Samuel. Rabbi Lindsey Danziger is the National Director of Campaigns at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. She guides synagogues and clergy across the country in their work to organize and mobilize for justice. She leads the strategy and implementation of the Reform Movement’s national campaigns for democracy in the United States and Israel, including the World Zionist Congress Campaign of 2025 and the Every Voice Every Vote civic engagement and democracy protection campaign. She is also an adjunct professor at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, where she teaches Community Organizing. She was ordained there in 2017 and also received a master’s degree in Religious Education. She has previously worked at Zioness as the National Director of Organizing and as Lead Organizer of RAC Ohio. She is on the board of the Jewish Federation of Nashville, where she chairs the P2G Israel Partnership and the Akiva Day School, where she co-chairs the Admissions Committee, and is an outgoing Board of Directors member of ACLU Ohio. Rabbi Danziger resides in Nashville, TN, with her husband, Rabbi Michael Danziger, and their three children – Ben, Aviva, and Noa, and puppy Leo. ★ Support this podcast ★

    53 min
  8. What Animals Teach Us About Families: Kinship and Species in the Bible and Rabbinic Literature

    MAR 3

    What Animals Teach Us About Families: Kinship and Species in the Bible and Rabbinic Literature

    A virtual event presentation by Professor Beth Berkowitz About The Event: Family separation due to war, migration, and incarceration is a major public concern, but what about the animal families routinely separated by human agriculture and development? What is the impact on them, on us, and on the planet? Moving beyond debates about the ethics of animal consumption to focus instead on animal intimate lives, “What Animals Teach Us about Families: Kinship and Species in the Bible and Rabbinic Literature” takes on the Anthropocene and big animal agriculture to consider the fragmented animal families left behind in their wake. In this talk, I read the four “animal family” laws of the Bible alongside their rabbinic interpreters from ancient times to today, narrating how biblical writers and readers conceived of and constituted the ties that bind humans to animals and that bind animals to each other. Through the lens of biblical and rabbinic literature, this book reveals the combination of concern, cruelty, and curiosity that we humans bring to animal lives. My goal is not to restore family values so much as reimagine family to include new forms of life and alternative modes of kinship. About The Speaker: Beth A. Berkowitz is the Ingeborg Rennert Chair of Jewish Studies and Professor in the Department of Religion at Barnard College. She is the author of Execution and Invention: Death Penalty Discourse in Early Rabbinic and Christian Cultures (Oxford University Press, 2006); Defining Jewish Difference: From Antiquity to the Present (Cambridge University Press, 2012); Animals and Animality in the Babylonian Talmud (Cambridge University Press, 2018); and What Animals Teach Us about Families: Kinship and Species in the Bible and Rabbinic Literature (University of California Press, forthcoming 2026). She is co-editor of Religious Studies and Rabbinics: A Conversation (Routledge, 2017). Her area of specialization is classical rabbinic literature, and her interests include animal studies, Jewish difference, rabbinic legal authority, and Bible reception history. ★ Support this podcast ★

    1h 1m
See All (1K)

4.9
out of 5
29 Ratings

About

Jewish Ideas to Change the World delivers thought-provoking content by leading Jewish thinkers with diverse perspectives and backgrounds. It is produced by Valley Beit Midrash. Valley Beit Midrash (VBM) is dedicated to social justice as driven by Torah ethics. VBM's mission is to improve lives through Jewish learning, direct action, and leadership development. Listen to VBM's other podcasts: • Social Justice in the Parsha (weekly divrei Torah by Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz) • Pearls of Jewish Wisdom on Living with Kindness (Rabbi Shmuly's class series) Stay Connected: • Website: https://www.valleybeitmidrash.org Attended virtual programs live by becoming a member for just $18 per month: https://www.valleybeitmidrash.org/become-a-member

Information

You Might Also Like