18Forty Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Elisheva Carlebach & Debra Kaplan: The Unknown History of Women in Jewish Life [American Yeshiva World 1/3] Feb 10, 2026

Show notes

This month of learning is sponsored by our dear friends Matt and Mollie Landes of Riverdale for the neshama of Dovid Yehonatan ben Yitzchak Yehuda.
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Professors Elisheva Carlebach and Debra Kaplan, scholars of early modern Jewish history, about women’s religious, social, and communal roles in early modern Jewish life.
In this episode we discuss:

How have women’s prayer and shul-going habits changed over time?
When did the women’s chevra kadisha become a Jewish institution?
How did Jewish emancipation alter the structure of Jewish life and its implications for women?

Tune in for a conversation about how women shaped—and were shaped by—the structures of the early modern kehillah.
Interview begins at 9:13.
Elisheva Carlebach is the Salo Wittmayer Baron Professor of Jewish History, Culture, and Society at Columbia University and Director of its Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies. A specialist in Early Modern European Jewish history, her work explores Jewish–Christian relations, religious dissent, conversion, messianism, and communal life. She is the award-winning author of The Pursuit of Heresy, Divided Souls, and Palaces of Time, and has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities and honors including Columbia’s Lenfest Distinguished Faculty Award.
Debra Kaplan teaches early modern Jewish history at Bar-Ilan University. A social historian, she is the author of Beyond Expulsion (2011) and The Patrons and their Poor (University of Pennsylvania 2020; winner of the Rosl und Paul Arnsberg-Preis).
References:
“Notes Toward Finding the Right Question” by Cynthia Ozick
A Woman Is Responsible for Everything: Jewish Women in Early Modern Europe by Debra Kaplan and Elisheva Carlebach
Women and the Messianic Heresy of Sabbatai Zevi, 1666 - 1816 by Ada Rapoport-Albert
Mothers and Children: Jewish Family Life in Medieval Europe by Elisheva Baumgarten
Coming of Age in Medieval Egypt: Female Adolescence, Jewish Law, and Ordinary Culture by Eve Krakowski
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Eitan Webb and Ari Israel: What's Next for Jewish Students in Secular College? [Denominations 4/5] Feb 03, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Rabbis Eitan Webb and Ari Israel, head of a campus Chabad and Hillel respectively, about Jewish life on college campuses today.
In this episode we discuss:

Has there been a recent Jewish awakening on college campuses?
How much attention should we pay to campus antisemitism?
Are Chabad and Hillel able to work together on college campuses?

Tune in to hear a conversation about what comes next for Jewish students in secular colleges.
Interview begins at 18:01.
Rabbi Eitan Webb co-founded the Princeton University Chabad House in 2002, with his wife Gitty. He has been a Jewish Chaplain at Princeton University since 2007. In addition to his Princeton activities, Eitan serves on the board of directors of the Chabad on Campus International Foundation, and of the Sinai Scholars Society.
Rabbi Ari Israel serves as Maryland Hillel’s Executive Director—a role he has held for more than 20 years. In addition to Rabbinic ordination, Ari has Master's degrees in Medieval Jewish History as well as Secondary Education. Ari is an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland where he teaches a Jewish Leadership course.
References:
No Country for Old Men (2007)
Tanya by Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi
Likkutei Sichot - Volume 10
This Is My God by Herman Wouk
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Mark Wildes: Is Modern Orthodox Outreach the Way Forward? [Denominations 3/4] Jan 27, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Mark Wildes, founder and director of Manhattan Jewish Experience, about Modern Orthodox outreach.
In this episode we discuss:

Why aren’t more aspiring rabbis attracted to kiruv?
How can we help people make the transition from outreach programs to the “real world”?
How can we make the case for Shabbos for the masses?

Tune in to hear a conversation about the “non-professional kiruv” of the Modern Orthodox community.
Interview begins at 22:45.
Rabbi Mark Wildes was ordained from Yeshiva University, but before becoming a rabbi, he received a JD from the Cardozo School of Law and a Masters in International Affairs from Columbia University. Since founding MJE 20 years ago, Rabbi Wildes has become one of America’s most inspirational and dynamic Jewish educators. He lives with his wife Jill and their children Yosef, Ezra, Judah and Avigayil on the Upper West Side where they maintain a warm and welcoming home for all.
References:
Stop, in the Name of God: Why Honoring the Sabbath Will Transform Your Life by Charlie Kirk
The Lonely Man of Faith by Joseph B. Soloveitchik
This Is My God by Herman Wouk
“Is Modern Orthodox Kiruv Possible?” by Steven Gotlib
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Zevi Slavin: 'To be a mystic is to be human at its most raw' [18 Questions, 40 Mystics] Jan 20, 2026

Show notes

This podcast is in partnership with Rabbi Benji Levy and Share. Learn more at 40mystics.com.
As a Chabad Hasid, Rabbi Zevi Slavin’s formative years were spent immersed in the rich traditions of Chassidut and Kabbala. This upbringing provided him with a unique lens through which he continues to learn, study, and connect with others.
Drawing on his background, Slavin created “Seekers of Unity,” a Youtube channel dedicated to exploring the philosophy and history of mysticism across diverse traditions. He founded this channel with the goal of forming a community focused on creating a more intimate world together.
Now, he joins us to answer eighteen questions with Rabbi Dr. Benji Levy on Jewish mysticism including people’s inherent divinity, tapping into the potential of modernity, and the perpetual experience of mount Sinai.
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Dovid Bashevkin: A Reform Rabbi Interviews an Orthodox Rabbi [Denominations 2/4] Jan 13, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, David Bashevkin answers questions from Diana Fersko, senior rabbi of the Village Temple Reform synagogue, about denominations and Jewish Peoplehood.
In this episode we discuss:

How did David become an Orthodox rabbi with an interest in the broader Jewish world?
Where does David get his sense of commandedness and obligation from?
How should Israel factor into our thinking about Jewish unity?

Tune in to hear a conversation about what it would mean for us to speak Judaism as a “first language.”
Interview begins at 29:05.
Diana Fersko is the Senior Rabbi of The Village Temple, a Reform synagogue at the heart of downtown Jewish life in New York City. An internationally recognized author, speaker, and thought leader, she is a defining voice in the contemporary Jewish world, known for her clarity, compassion, and ability to bring Jewish tradition into meaningful dialogue with modern life.
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References:
“Judaism as a First Language” by Moshe Koppel
Judaism Straight Up by Moshe Koppel
Tzidkat HaTzadik 41
Sin•a•gogue: Sin and Failure in Jewish Thought by David Bashevkin
B'Rogez Rachem Tizkor by David Bashevkin
Taanit 20a
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An Orthodox Rabbi Interviews a Reform Rabbi [Denominations 1/4] Jan 06, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Diana Fersko, senior rabbi of the Village Temple Reform synagogue, about denominations and Jewish Peoplehood.
In this episode we discuss:

How do we re-determine how to be Jews in America?
Is there really an “education gap” between Orthodox and non-Orthodox Jews?
How should we handle the question of “who is a Jew” across denominations?

Tune in to hear a conversation about how we might see beyond our proverbial “three blocks."
Interview begins at 22:11.
Diana Fersko is the Senior Rabbi of The Village Temple, a Reform synagogue at the heart of downtown Jewish life in New York City. An internationally recognized author, speaker, and thought leader, she is a defining voice in the contemporary Jewish world, known for her clarity, compassion, and ability to bring Jewish tradition into meaningful dialogue with modern life.
References:
View of the World from 9th Avenue
Tzidkat HaTzadik 54
No Country for Old Men
The Tapestry of Jewish Time: A Spiritual Guide to Holidays and Life-Cycle Events by Nina Beth Cardin
A Letter in the Scroll by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
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Yabloner Rebbe: The Rebbe of Change (Teshuva Re-Release) Dec 30, 2025

Show notes

Check out our new series in partnership with SHARE, 18 Questions, 40 Jewish Mystics.
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, originally released in 2021, we talk to Rabbi Pini Dunner and Rav Moshe Weinberger about the Yabloner Rebbe and his astounding story of teshuva.
The Yabloner Rebbe was a chassidishe rebbe who helped found Kfar Chassidim. He disappeared and went to Los Angeles, where he went off the derech, but he later returned to Judaism and Kfar Chassidim in a remarkable example of teshuva.

Who was the Yabloner Rebbe?
Why did he leave his faith?
What inspired him to return?

Tune in to hear a conversation about the astounding story of the Yabloner Rebbe.
References:
The God of Loneliness by Philip Schultz
The Amazing Return of the Yabloner Rebbe by Rabbi Pini Dunner
The Astonishing Story of the Yabloner Rebbe by Rabbi Pini Dunner
Mavericks, Mystics & False Messiahs by Rabbi Pini Dunner
Rabbi Pini Dunner Website
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Shais Taub: A Vulnerable Conversation About Shame, Selfhood, and Authenticity [Mysticism III 3/3] Dec 23, 2025

Show notes

Check out our new series in partnership with SHARE, 18 Questions, 40 Jewish Mystics.
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast—created in collaboration with Amudim—we speak with Shais Taub, the rabbi behind the organization SoulWords, about shame, selfhood, and authenticity.
In this episode we discuss:

How are we to deal with the pain of embodiment and individuation?
How does one uncover their mission in the world and align their life with the transcendent?
How can we work to reorient our desires toward the right things?

Tune in to hear a conversation about the interior experience of fragmentation from Ultimate Being.
Interview begins at 10:28.
Rabbi Shais Taub is a well-known figure in Jewish teachings and personal development and delivers Torah lectures and classes worldwide. He is renowned for his ability to make complex ideas accessible. He heads SoulWords.org and serves as scholar-in-residence at Chabad of the Five Towns in Long Island, New York.
References:
God of Our Understanding by Shais Taub
Sin•a•gogue: Sin and Failure in Jewish Thought by David Bashevkin
Top 5 by David Bashevkin
Seinfeld: “The Soul Mate”
"Eric Adams on Dyslexia, Trauma, and Fixing What's Broken in Politics”
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
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Philip Goff: Consciousness, Mysticism, and God [Mysticism III 2/3] Dec 16, 2025

Show notes

Check out our new series in partnership with SHARE, 18 Questions, 40 Jewish Mystics.
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Philip Goff—a philosophy professor who devotes much of his work to investigating the ultimate nature of reality—about consciousness, mysticism, and God.
We also hear from Rabbi Eli Rubin about the possibility of “Jewish panpsychism.”
In this episode we discuss:

What is the relationship between consciousness and scientific observation?
How should people find purpose in their lives?
How does a secular philosopher make the decision to turn to religion?

Tune in to hear a conversation about whether mysticism has scientific credibility.
Interview begins at 9:22.
Philip Goff is a philosophy professor at Durham University, UK, where he devotes much of his work to investigating the ultimate nature of reality. He publishes weekly interviews and articles on his Substack. Goff is known for defending panpsychism as the best available theory of consciousness; his TEDx talk, "Is there consciousness beyond the brain?" presents this view to a wider audience. His recent book, Why? The Purpose of the Universe (Oxford University Press, 2023), explores panpsychism as a middle ground between traditional belief in God and secular atheism. He is a recent convert to a form of “heretical Christianity".
References:
Kabbalah and the Rupture of Modernity by Eli Rubin
Galileo's Error by Philip Goff
My Bright Abyss by Christian Wiman
The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James
Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas R. Hofstadter
Tanya Chapter 2
Why? The Purpose of the Universe by Philip Goff
Mind & Cosmos by Thomas Nagel
Purpose in the Universe by Tim Mulgan
Universes by John Leslie
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Alon Shalev: How Rav Hutner Found Existential Meaning [Mysticism III 1/3] Dec 09, 2025

Show notes

Check out our new series in partnership with SHARE, 18 Questions, 40 Jewish Mystics.
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Alon Shalev, a research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute, about how Rav Hutner found existential meaning.In this episode we discuss:

How do we find and build purpose within our short lives?
What is the role of individualism and self-expression in Jewish life?
How should we respond to the crisis of perceived meaninglessness in the modern world?

Tune in to hear a conversation about the coming together of machshavah, nigleh, and nistar.
Interview begins at 23:20.
Alon Shalev is a research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem and a Research Associate at the Jonathan Sacks Institute at Bar-Ilan University. He holds a doctorate in Jewish Thought from the Hebrew University. He deals with the question of meaning in life in Jewish thought and philosophy, ethics, and political philosophy. His book Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner’s Theology of Meaning was published by Brill. Alon lives in Tzur Hadassah, and is married with three children.
References:
Terror in Black September: The First Eyewitness Account of the Infamous 1970 Hijackings by David Raab
Pachad Yitzchak Shavuos by Rav Yitzchok Hutner
Pachad Yitzchak Purim by Rav Yitzchok Hutner
“Letters of Love and Rebuke From Rav Yitzchok Hutner” by David Bashevkin
Berakhot Chapter 2
Between Berlin and Slobodka: Jewish Transition Figures from Eastern Europe by Hillel Goldberg
Great Jewish Letters by Moshe Bamberger
Proverbs 24:16
Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner’s Theology of Meaning by Alon Shalev
Heidegger and Kabbalah by Elliot R. Wolfson
Heidegger and His Jewish Reception by Daniel M. Herskowitz
Mesillat Yesharim by Moses Chaim Luzzatto
Who Is Man? by Abraham J. Heschel
Halakhic Man by Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik
Dr. Alon Shalev on The Podcast of Jewish Ideas
Pachad Yitzchok Chanukah Rav Yitzchok Hutner
For more 18Forty:
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