Orthodox Conundrum

Do Jews outside of Israel care enough about Israel? This is a loaded and perhaps unfair question. How could anyone make that determination? Nevertheless, it’s something I’ve been grappling with for some time, and I decided to pose this question on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook. Many people commented, both on the group and in private communications. And today's episode confronts that question directly through a panel discussion with Israel-engaged individuals in both Israel and the United States. I believe that while the question was phrased somewhat provocatively, it raises an issue - the potential divide between Jews in and outside of Israel - that must be discussed. And for that reason, I was honored to host Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz, Dr. Logan Levkoff, and Shira Katz Shaulov to discuss, openly and frankly, whether Jews outside of Israel are doing all that they should to support Israel - and, by extension, whether Jews in Israel are doing what they should for Jews outside of Israel. This episode of the Orthodox Conundrum is sponsored by The Eden Project by Rotem Shani, located right across from the Sheinfeld neighborhood in Beit Shemesh. For more information please contact Rina Weinberg by emailing [email protected]. Check out Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

This episode of the Orthodox Conundrum discusses sexual abuse and child sexual abuse material. Listener discretion is advised. Sexual abuse is a problem everywhere, and the Orthodox community is no exception. While there unquestionably is more awareness of the problem today than there was in the past, there is still a long way to go before we can be proud of our record. One of the ongoing and very upsetting issues is when people in power cover up and downplay sexual abuse perpetrated by people whom they know. While there are those who do this for sinister or selfish reasons, many rabbis, doctors, and other people in positions of authority are acting out of ignorance rather than out of malice. They genuinely think that they’re doing the right thing - and they don’t realize the potentially traumatic consequences of their actions. Today I will be speaking about this latter kind of coverup, and the parallel phenomenon of community leaders writing letters to judges on behalf of convicted sex offenders to request leniency in sentencing. These letters very often fully acknowledge the heinous crimes that the abuser perpetrated - but they also say the positive aspects of the abuser’s life that they hope will be taken into consideration, whether it’s his charitable giving, minyan attendance, doing chesed for the community, or whatever other good qualities that, the writers hope, will potentially mitigate a harsh prison sentence. Again: these writers usually mean well and are trying to do the right thing - but they likely don’t understand that they’re acting in ways that are potentially very damaging. This is a difficult but very important topic, and I was honored to host attorney Rahel Bayar, victims’ advocate Asher Lovy, and psychologist Dr. Jeffrey Singer to discuss what’s happening, why it matters, and what should be done about it moving forward. Check out Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

We live in times in which, I believe, we in the Orthodox world need to open ourselves to new ideas and new thinking that will help enhance our love and appreciation for God and His Torah. Maybe the best example of a contemporary thinker who has opened the doors of perception while remaining fully committed to Torah, halacha, the Jewish people and the Land of Israel is Rabbi Shimon Gershon Rosenberg, colloquially known as Rav Shagar. I spoke with Rabbis Zachary Truboff and Yehoshua Engelman about Rav Shagar in episode 133, over two years ago. Today, as a special Chanukah presentation, I’m honored to speak to Rabbi Levi Morrow about Rav Shagar. Rabbi Morrow recently published Living Time: Festival Discourses for the Present Age which is an English language collection of some of Rav Shagar’s essays on the Jewish holidays. Because both he and I have found that some of Rav Shagar’s most impactful writing was on the subject of Chanukah, I was excited to speak to Levi about Rav Shagar’s philosophy in general, and to learn from him about some of Rav Shagar’s ideas regarding Chanukah. Among the topics we addressed are the difference between the human and divine viewpoints;  why some people don’t relate to Rav Shagar’s philosophy; the importance of “choosing” to be religious, rather than being compelled by facts - and why this existential choice is essential to our religious identity; how Rav Shagar understands the concept of religious obligation; his embracing of contradiction; whether we should be critical of those who leave Judaism, or if we need to respect that choice, as well; if there a place for interfaith dialogue, or learning about other religions; whether Rav Shagar should be thought of as a “Religious Zionist” or a “religious Zionist,” and what he might think about the State of Israel today; if he believed that the State of Israel has religious value, and if so, whether the State of Israel is also part of the redemption; what would he say about the reality of Israel today; and more. Of course, we also dealt with Chanukah - specially how the Shabbat candles and Chanukah candles represent two types of holiness: meaningfulness and fulfillment on the one hand, versus sacrifice without any obvious meaning on the other; the candle of the commandment along with the candle of the human soul; the ways that mitzvot contain divine light - but also that the earthy vessels of the mitzvot are even holier than the light they contain; the way that the mitzvot don’t come from divine wisdom, but from His will (and what that means); what we mean when we say that God is beyond human categories; the relationship between Torah and the outside world and outside ideas; and the way that translation is a valuable method for bringing outside ideas into Torah thought. This is not a typical episode of the podcast. For those, however, who are looking for new approaches that are grounded in our sources but which also deal forthrightly with the challenges Orthodox Jews face today, it offers a different perspective that hopefully you’ll find very meaningful. And perhaps most crucially, it opens up the possibility that others will also forge new Torah paths that forthrightly deal with reality as it is, not as we wish it were. Check out Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com  

An almost insidious problem that affects so many kids is being “under the radar”... that is, they’re generally ignored in school, camp, or other social settings by the teachers or group leaders because they’re doing “fine” - and I use that word advisedly. He or she is not the class genius, not the kid who asks questions, not the troublemaker, not the class clown. I’m talking about kids who likely have so much more to offer, but are never given that opportunity when the people who should inspire them don’t give them much attention, because other kids are, so to speak, sucking all the air out of the room. Sometimes it’s a matter of a teacher’s not knowing that a student has a talent or interest that matters to him - or that the student herself doesn’t know what she’s capable of doing. Maybe this kid is a late bloomer, and a bit of encouragement would help some amazing abilities emerge. Perhaps the child is good at things that are not emphasized in school, like a perfectly normal kid who doesn’t like Gemara, and accordingly is ignored when the natural Gemara learners get the bulk of the teacher’s attention. And some kids feel safe and comfortable without attracting extra attention, and giving them extra attention might be exactly what they don’t want. No matter what the reason, this is a problem that is difficult to diagnose, but can have long term negative effects. What a shame it is when our children can give so much, but don’t realize it themselves because few people recognize that there’s more to them than meets the eye… yet there always is. On Saturday night, December 14th, I was honored to host a live podcast panel discussion at Congregation Shomrei Torah in Fair Lawn, NJ to discuss “Children Under the Radar: Strategies for Noticing and Maximizing Varied Strengths and Abilities.” It was sponsored by Larry and Nancy Bravman, and was part of their wonderful Inspired by Ilona Organization. (You can learn more by going to inspiredbyilona.com.) The panel consisted of Rabbi Binyamin Krauss, Dr. Rayzel Yaish, and Howard Blas. Check out Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com