For centuries, Jewish thinkers have asked two parallel questions. First, what is the reasoning behind an individual commandment and second, why bother heeding a command at all, something Dr. Brafman terms “reasons for” vs “reasons of” the commandments. In his newest book, Critique of Halakhic Reason: Divine Commandments and Social Normativity (Oxford UP, 202 ... Show More
Aug 3
Thomas Pegelow Kaplan ed. et al., "Holocaust Testimonies: Reassessing Survivors' Voices and Their Future in Challenging Times" (Bloombury, 2025)
Close to a time when there will be no more survivors to speak about their suffering, this innovative study takes much-needed stock of the past, present and future of Holocaust testimony. Drawing from a vast range of witness accounts including a never-before-published survivor int ... Show More
1 h
Jul 30
Anne Hand, "Austrian Again: Reclaiming a Lost Legacy" (Amsterdam Publishers, 2025)
Austrian Again: Reclaiming a Lost Legacy is a personal memoir that follows Anne Hand's emotional and bureaucratic journey to reclaim her Austrian citizenship—revoked from her ancestors during the Holocaust. As she digs into her family history, Anne uncovers stories of trauma, res ... Show More
1h 15m
Jul 28
Matthew V. Novenson, "Paul and Judaism at the End of History" (Cambridge UP, 2024)
The apostle Paul was a Jew. He was born, lived, undertook his apostolic work, and died within the milieu of ancient Judaism. And yet, many readers have found, and continue to find, Paul's thought so radical, so Christian, even so anti-Jewish – despite the fact that it, too, is Je ... Show More
59m 9s
Dec 2022
Music in Jewish Mysticism
In this episode, we explore the history of music in Jewish mysticism, from the ancient prophets to the Hasidim of today.
Sources/Suggested Reading:Idel, Moshe (1987). "The Mystical Experience in Abraham Abulafia". State University of New York Press.Idel, Moshe (1988). "Studies in ... Show More
23m 34s
Jan 2024
What is Jewish Mysticism?
We continue our series on mysticism by exploring Judaism and its mystical tradition, including the famous Kabbalah but also going beyond it.
Sources/Recomended Reading: Dan, Joseph (1986). "The Early Kabbalah". Classics of Western Spirituality Series. Paulist Press. Fine, Lawrenc ... Show More
1h 10m
Sep 2023
Dženita Karić, "Bosnian Hajj Literature: Multiple Paths to the Holy" (Edinburgh UP, 2022)
Dženita Karić's new book Bosnian Hajj Literature: Multiple Paths to the Holy (Edinburgh University Press, 2023) maps the diverse understandings of the hajj in relation to Islamic geography by Bosnian Muslim authors who wrote in different genres from the 16th to the 21st centuries ... Show More
59m 38s
Feb 2024
Adam Bursi, "Traces of the Prophets: Relics and Sacred Spaces in Early Islam" (Edinburgh UP, 2024)
Adam Bursi’s Traces of the Prophets: Relics and Sacred Spaces in Early Islam (Edinburg University Press, 2024) uses writings by early Muslims to map a history of material objects, relics, and tombs of prophetic figures as they were conceptualized in the 8th and 9th centuries. The ... Show More
56m 59s