Stay ConnectedListen in as Lex Rofeberg and Rena Yehuda Newman analyze pressing issues for 21st century American Judaism. Mixing their own analysis with interviews of leading thinkers, practitioners, and even “regular Jews,” Lex and Rena Yehuda look to push past the bounds of what it means to be Jewish in the 21st century.
You can support Judaism Unbound at www.JudaismUnbound.com/donate.
Elul is the 12th and final month of the Jewish calendar year. Elul Unbound is a Judaism Unbound initiative all about making Elul meaningful, through creative digital modalities. In this conversation, Lex Rofeberg and Wendie Bernstein Lash ask what the Torah portion Nitzavim (from Deuteronomy, meaning "standing") can teach us about what it means to gather en masse -- with other Jews on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, or as a broader community beyond just Jews. This Elul episode is the fourth and final conversation in a series of four episodes being released as part of Elul Unbound 2026.
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Looking for an intro to Judaism course? The UnYeshiva's gotchya covered, via our course Judaism Inbound: An Introduction to Judaism for Everyone. Head to JudaismUnbound.com/2026-courses/p/inbound-9-26 to learn more! Financial aid is available for all who need it.
To check out all our Elul bonus episodes from previous years, which can still be relevant to your experience of Elul this time around, click here. Join our bi-weekly journey through Elul Unbound 2026 by signing up at this link, and sign up for our Elul Unbound Shabbat gatherings here, where we will be forging our kavanot (intentions) for the new year in real time with fellow Unbounders.
On this episode of Shabbat Dinner Party, we return to the imaginary Shabbat Dinner Table.
Neil Spears talks about how to rid ourselves of the ‘tyranny of always having to produce.’ Gefelteria’s Jeffrey Yoskowitz and Liz Alpern return to the kitchen to teach Kate how to braid challah, a centerpiece of the Shabbat dinner table that carries layers of memory from the ancient practice of setting aside a portion of dough as an offering to the two loaves that recall the double portion of manna gathered before Shabbat in the wilderness.
Finally, Comedian and Writer Eliot Glazer talks about how Judaism’s become more complicated in the past few years, and how we think about the spiritual-but-not-religious perspective.
Shabbat Dinner Party is a production of Judaism Unbound. Senior Producer is Joey Taylor, and Executive Director is Miriam Terlinchamp. This episode was mixed by Justin Newton.
Send us your comments, recipes, and Shabbat thoughts: mishkin@judaismunbound.com
Resources:
Elul is the 12th and final month of the Jewish calendar year. Elul Unbound is a Judaism Unbound initiative all about making Elul meaningful, through creative digital modalities. In this conversation, Lex Rofeberg and Wendie Bernstein Lash explore questions of who/what God is, and how Elul might be a perfect time to explore questions around divinity. This Elul episode is the third in a series of four that are being released as part of Elul Unbound 2026.
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Looking for an intro to Judaism course? The UnYeshiva's gotchya covered, via our course Judaism Inbound: An Introduction to Judaism for Everyone. Head to JudaismUnbound.com/2026-courses/p/inbound-9-26 to learn more! Financial aid is available for all who need it.
To check out all our Elul bonus episodes from previous years, which can still be relevant to your experience of Elul this time around, click here. Join our bi-weekly journey through Elul Unbound 2026 by signing up at this link, and sign up for our Elul Unbound Shabbat gatherings here, where we will be forging our kavanot (intentions) for the new year in real time with fellow Unbounders.
On this episode of Shabbat Dinner Party, we return to the imaginary Shabbat Dinner Table.
Neil Spears talks about how to have Shabbat dinner with a purpose, and why it can feel so hard to enter new Jewish spaces. Gefilteria’s Jeffrey Yoskowitz and Liz Alpern return to the kitchen to prep challah and talk about how there’s no such thing as a Bad Jew; what matters is that we’re on our own journeys, with an interest in learning.
Finally, Hana Mendel talks about building her own Manhattan Shabbat practice and how, after trial and error, she found what she calls a “Shabbat of Peace.”
Shabbat Dinner Party is a production of Judaism Unbound. Senior Producer is Joey Taylor, and Executive Director is Miriam Terlinchamp. This episode was mixed by Justin Newton.
Send us your comments, recipes, and Shabbat thoughts: mishkin@judaismunbound.com
Resources:
Elul is the 12th and final month of the Jewish calendar year. Elul Unbound is a Judaism Unbound initiative all about making Elul meaningful, through creative digital modalities. In this conversation, Lex Rofeberg and Wendie Bernstein Lash explore what it means to enter a "Thurs-Year" (a "Thursday" of years in the Shmita cycle, as a 5th year out of seven overall). This Elul bonus episode is the second in a series of four that will be released as part of Elul Unbound 2026.
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Energized about Jewish learning and unlearning? Dive into our upcoming 3-week mini-courses in the UnYeshiva! Classes include Jewish Time Travel: Discovering the Shapes of Our Past and Future (Xava De Cordova), Avinu Malkeinu? Is God "Our King" (Laynie Soloman), and Hannah, Hagar, Sarah: The Women of Rosh Hashanah (Alicia Jo Rabins). Head to JudaismUnbound.com/classes to learn more! Financial aid is available for all who need it.
To check out all our Elul bonus episodes from previous years, which can still be relevant to your experience of Elul this time around, click here. Join our bi-weekly journey through Elul Unbound 2026 by signing up at this link, and sign up for our Elul Unbound Shabbat gatherings here, where we will be forging our kavanot (intentions) for the new year in real time with fellow Unbounders.
Shabbat Dinner Party, an auditory exploration through a Shabbat dinner, returns to the appetizer table, the kitchen, and the dinner table to go through all things Shabbat dinner.
In this episode, Neil Spears talks about how Shabbat could be the perfect antidote to burnout through the act of guarding and remembering. The Gefilteria’s Jeffrey Yoskowitz and Liz Alpern talk about their personal approach to Shabbat and religion, and how resting by yourself is different than resting in community.
Finally, writer and comedian H. Alan Scott talks about how working on several different creative projects doesn’t mean you can’t rest on Shabbat.
Shabbat Dinner Party is a production of Judaism Unbound. Senior Producer is Joey Taylor, and Executive Director is Miriam Terlinchamp. This episode was mixed by Justin Newton.
Send us your comments, recipes, and Shabbat thoughts: mishkin@judaismunbound.com
Resources:
Elul is the 12th and final month of the Jewish calendar year. Elul Unbound is a Judaism Unbound initiative all about making Elul meaningful, through creative digital modalities. In this conversation, Lex Rofeberg and Wendie Bernstein Lash kick off this year's Elul Unbound experience. This Elul bonus episode is the first in a series of four that will be released as part of Elul Unbound 2026.
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Energized about Jewish learning and unlearning? Dive into our upcoming 3-week mini-courses in the UnYeshiva! Classes include Jewish Time Travel: Discovering the Shapes of Our Past and Future (Xava De Cordova), Avinu Malkeinu? Is God "Our King" (Laynie Soloman), and Hannah, Hagar, Sarah: The Women of Rosh Hashanah (Alicia Jo Rabins). Head to JudaismUnbound.com/classes to learn more! Financial aid is available for all who need it.
To check out all our Elul bonus episodes from previous years, which can still be relevant to your experience of Elul this time around, click here. Join our bi-weekly journey through Elul Unbound 2026 by signing up at this link, and sign up for our Elul Unbound Shabbat gatherings here, where we will be forging our kavanot (intentions) for the new year in real time with fellow Unbounders.
Welcome to Shabbat Dinner Party, an auditory exploration through a Shabbat dinner. In this episode, we meet resident Shabbat expert Neil Spears, Gefilteria’s Jeffrey Yoskowitz and Liz Alpern, and comedian Mike Liebenson.
Resources:
Shabbat Dinner Party is a production of Judaism Unbound. Senior Producer is Joey Taylor, and Executive Director is Miriam Terlinchamp. This episode was mixed by Justin Newton.
Send us your comments, recipes, and Shabbat thoughts: mishkin@judaismunbound.com
Shabbat Dinner Party is an audio exploration through a Shabbat dinner from setting the intention, to making the dinner, to the dinner conversation — all with audio. Each week over five episodes, Kate Mishkin talks to people we wish were at the real Shabbat dinner table with us because they think carefully about what to put on the table and help us to understand how this ancient tradition remains relevant and necessary today. If you're looking to slow down and be more intentional in a fast-paced digital world, how to find a spiritual center, or even how to just have a good dinner party, we want you at this imaginary dinner party. First episode drops on August 12th!
Lex, Rena Yehuda and Miriam introduce Shabbat Dinner Party, the new podcast and discuss themes such as the anxiety of being "Jewish enough," the tension between tradition and innovation, the idea that Judaism has always evolved, and how authentic Jewish practice can be both deeply personal and connected to a broader community. Ultimately, they argue that Shabbat is not about achieving a single "correct" form but about cultivating intentional practices that balance recognizable tradition with creative experimentation, helping each person discover a version of Shabbat that feels both meaningful and life-giving.
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Don't miss our 3-week mini-courses in the UnYeshiva (Judaism Unbound's digital center for Jewish learning and unlearning) -- teachers this time around include Xava De Cordova, Alicia Jo Rabins, and Laynie Soloman. Register at JudaismUnbound.com/classes!
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Access full shownotes for this episode via this link. 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!
Lexi Kohanski is a trans Jewish writer and educator, who recently created a Jewish TTRPG (table-top role-playing game) called Worlds to Come: The Hebrew Role-Playing Game. She is also a brand-new member of Judaism Unbound's staff team (our Education Content & Design Specialist)! Lexi joins Lex (confusing, we know!) and Rena Yehuda in this episode, for a podcast diving into the power of Jewish play, and the magic of weaving worlds through language. Also, for the first time ever, Judaism Unbound itself turns into a roleplaying game for 10 minutes? It's a modified version of Worlds to Come, featuring Jewish time-travel, magical creatures, and that thing many of you are thinking about all the time (the Roman empire).
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Don't miss our 3-week mini-courses in the UnYeshiva (Judaism Unbound's digital center for Jewish learning and unlearning) -- teachers this time around include Xava De Cordova, Alicia Jo Rabins, and Laynie Soloman. Register at JudaismUnbound.com/classes!
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Eight incredible students from the UnYeshiva's certificate program in Unbound Judaism will be graduating, on August 2nd! Mark your calendars, so that you can be there to celebrate their amazing achievement. You can register to attend via this link!
Access full shownotes for this episode via this link. 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!
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