Free Daily Podcast Summary
Judaism Unbound: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Institute for the Next Jewish Future
Listen in as Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg analyze pressing issues for 21st century American Judaism. Mixing their own analysis with interviews of leading thinkers, practitioners, and even "regular Jews," Dan and Lex look to push past the bounds of what it means to be Jewish in the 21st century.
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- Yesterday2 min
Shabbat Dinner Party Trailer
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 August 12th!
- 6 days ago24 min
Episode 545: Shabbat Unbound III - Ana B'Koach
Welcome to Shabbat Unbound, the world's longest Friday night Sabbath service, stretching over eight episodes. Instead of rushing through all the Friday night Shabbat prayers in one sitting, like we might in a classical synagogue environment, we're taking our time diving deep into one prayer each episode through song study and sacred conversation. It's the most original and traditional way to engage in the transition into Shabbat, taking each prayer as its own world with its own Torah to teach us. Miriam Terlinchamp, Lex Rofeberg and an incredible group of musicians invite you to discover what happens when Shabbat slows down. The third episode focuses on Ana B'Koach. [1] Interested in learning more about Ana B’Koach? Lex compiled this incredible list of resources including multiple translations, tunes and essays. [2] Jacob’s Ladder has an incredible repertoire of Jewish music. Check out their newest album, HaMakom/The Place here. [3] Here’s a picture of Lex’s ring. Want your own? Us too. Here are a few options by artisans. [4] Lex mentions the role of the 42 names of of God, you can read the original text in the Talmud (Kiddushin 71a:13) that introduces this concept. [5] Richard Levy z”l, Rabbi, poet, teacher, and modern liturgist, published an exceptional translation of psalms, Songs Ascending, an incredible compilation for any poetic, creative, or lover of ancient poetry. [6] Want to watch the music video of our version of Ana Bakoach? Great you can find it here.
- 1 weeks ago21 min
Episode VII: Woven Back Together Again
Rest to Return is a podcast for a restless world. Kohenet Keshira haLev Fife is your host. This series is rooted in Shabbat, an ancient Jewish practice that teaches us how to belong to time. Here, rest is a sacred rhythm woven into who we are. We continue by gathering around a single question: Who do we become when we rest? Lecha Dodi is the song that ends Kabbalat Shabbat (the service that helps us transition into Shabbat) before we move into the Ma’ariv prayer service. The idea that Creator finished creation on the seventh day comes from Genesis 2:2. Tranquility, satisfaction, calm, and quiet being created on the seventh day comes from Genesis Rabbah 10:9. The idea of creating change that’s “slow, deep, and irreversible” comes from artist and activist Ricardo Levins Morales. I learned the mussar practice of clarifying our ratzon by asking “what do I want? What do I really want?” from Rabbi David Jaffe of Kirva. You can learn more in Chapter 1 of his book, Changing the World from the Inside Out: A Jewish Approach to Personal and Social Change. This quote has been misattributed to Courtney Carver. It is instead referenced by Carver in her book, Gentle: Rest More, Stress Less and Live the Life You Actually You Want. The quotation itself comes from Psychologist Nicola Jane Hobbs who teaches, “Instead of asking, 'Have I worked hard enough to deserve rest?' ask, 'Have I rested enough to do my most loving, meaningful work?'” Enjoy the live version of Lay it Down, Let it Go here. Check out the Rest to Return webpage for photos, info about the Rest to Return retreat, and more! This episode is brought to you by the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. Rest to Return exists because we believe slowing down is a spiritual act. IJS believes that too. For over two decades, IJS has been helping people go deeper, through Jewish mindfulness meditation, contemplative prayer, sacred text study, and embodied practice. Their offerings range from online courses and silent retreats to immersive cohort programs for seekers of all experience levels, clergy, and spiritual leaders who are ready to live and lead from a more grounded place. Kohenet Keshira haLev Fife is part of IJS’s core faculty, and the wisdom you'll hear in this series is very much in that spirit. If this podcast is stirring something in you, IJS is a place to go further. Explore their programs, and more ways to learn and practice with Keshira, at jewishspirituality.org, including: View the latest offerings from IJS in our program catalog Join Keshira and others on retreat this August: Returning Anew Learn more about Keshira's latest class at IJS on Mindful Speech as a Spiritual Practice Learn more about Shevet, IJS's community for younger adults (20s-30s) IJS has several online free practices with Keshira and our other faculty including our live Daily Sit, our weekly Shevet Sit for younger adults (under 40), and monthly Affinity Sits for Jews of Color, LGBTQ+, and individuals with disabilities. <a href="https://www.jewishspirituality.org/get-start
- 1 weeks ago52 min
Episode 544: Tisha B'Av (the 9th of Av) 2026 II - Andrue Kahn, Dania Rajendra
Tisha B'Av (the 9th of Av) is an annual observance on the Jewish calendar, often understood as the saddest day of the year. It commemorates many different destructions and catastrophes throughout Jewish history, including (but not limited to) the destruction of the first and second temple in Jerusalem, thousands of years ago. Lex Rofeberg and Rena Yehuda Newman are joined by Andy Kahn, a rabbi and executive director of the American Council for Judaism, and Dania Rajendra, a community organizer and writer who is currently serving as interim director of the In Our Name Fund, to explore the history and contemporary practice of this holiday. This episode is the second in a two-part mini-series exploring the past, present, and future of the 9th of Av. 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!
- 2 weeks ago23 min
Rest to Return VI: Making Time Sacred
Rest to Return is a podcast for a restless world. Kohenet Keshira haLev Fife is your host. This series is rooted in Shabbat, an ancient Jewish practice that teaches us how to belong to time. Here, rest is a sacred rhythm woven into who we are. We continue by gathering around a single question: What makes time sacred? The concept that each of us is created b’tzelem Elohim, in the Divine Image, comes from Genesis 1:27. The first person who I heard crystalise the idea that we need to reach REM sleep in order to dream was Rev Dr Tony Lim, during a gathering of Spiritual Innovators at the Fetzer Institute. The idea that dreaming is one-sixtieth of prophecy comes from Berakhot 57b. The concept of the Jubilee can be found in Leviticus 25:8-16. I first learned about Soli-lunar time from Seasons of our Joy: A Modern Guide to the Jewish Holidays by Reb Arthur Waskow z”l. Geoffrey Chaucer was a writer and poet who lived in the 1300s; he was best known for having written The Canterbury Tales. I learned “Who Make the Future?” at Let My People Sing; the song is by Abigail Bengson of the Bengsons. Enjoy the live version of Lay it Down, Let it Go here. Check out the Rest to Return webpage for photos, info about the Rest to Return retreat, and more! This episode is brought to you by the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. Rest to Return exists because we believe slowing down is a spiritual act. IJS believes that too. For over two decades, IJS has been helping people go deeper, through Jewish mindfulness meditation, contemplative prayer, sacred text study, and embodied practice. Their offerings range from online courses and silent retreats to immersive cohort programs for seekers of all experience levels, clergy, and spiritual leaders who are ready to live and lead from a more grounded place. Kohenet Keshira haLev Fife is part of IJS’s core faculty, and the wisdom you'll hear in this series is very much in that spirit. If this podcast is stirring something in you, IJS is a place to go further. Explore their programs, and more ways to learn and practice with Keshira, at jewishspirituality.org, including: View the latest offerings from IJS in our program catalog Join Keshira and others on retreat this August: Returning Anew Learn more about Shevet, IJS's community for younger adults (20s-30s) IJS has several online free practices with Keshira and our other faculty including our live Daily Sit, our weekly Shevet Sit for younger adults (under 40), and monthly Affinity Sits for Jews of Color, LGBTQ+, and individuals with disabilities. Click here for more information. Join our mailing list to be notified about our upcoming fall courses, including Keshira's Earth, Moon, Mindfulness year-long class.
- 2 weeks ago47 min
Episode 543: Tisha B'Av (The 9th of Av) 2026 - Lex and Rena Yehuda
Lex Rofeberg and Rena Yehuda Newman discuss the history, shadow-sides, and positive possibilities for observing the Jewish holiday of Tisha B’av (the 9th of Av) — understood by many to be the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. What is Tisha B'Av? How has it been observed -- and, often, not-observed -- in American-Jewish communities? How can it help us consider the flow of the Jewish calendar as a whole? This episode is a first in a two-part mini-series exploring the past, present, and future of the 9th of Av. ------------------------ 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!
- 3 weeks ago26 min
Rest to Return V: A Season for Everything
Rest to Return is a podcast for a restless world. Kohenet Keshira haLev Fife is your host. This series is rooted in Shabbat, an ancient Jewish practice that teaches us how to belong to time. Here, rest is a sacred rhythm woven into who we are. We continue by gathering around a single question: What is sacred time? The names victims of the shooting at the Tree of Life building, whose memories are always close to my heart are: Joyce Fienberg, Richard Gottfried, Rose Mallinger, Dr. Jerry Rabinowitz, Cecil Rosenthal, David Rosenthal, Bernice Simon, Sylvan Simon, Daniel Stein, Melvin Wax and Irving Younger. May their memories be for a blessing always. Mishenichnas Adar marbim b’simcha comes from the Talmud (Ta’anit 29a:18). I first learned about the cycles of the moon from Jane Hardwicke Collings at the School of Shamanic Womancraft. This quote comes from Ahad Ha’am (Asher Ginsburg)’s Yalkut Katan (meaning “Small Collection”) which was published in the journal Hashiloaḥ, in 1898. Lex Rofeberg is co-founder of Judaism Unbound! This quote is found in Courtney Carver’s book Gentle: Rest More, Stress Less, and Live the Life You Actually Want; she is quoting writer and psychologist Nicola Jane Hobbs who originally asked the question. The concept of the shmitta cycle originates in Exodus 23:10-11, Leviticus 25:2-7, and Deuteronomy 15:1-3. God breathing life into Adam’s nostrils comes from Genesis 2:7. Enjoy the live version of Lay it Down, Let it Go here. Check out the Rest to Return webpage for photos, info about the Rest to Return retreat, and more! If Rest to Return has evoked something in you, if these episodes have helped you slow down, breathe a little deeper, or reconnect with what matters most, you might be interested in Rest to Return: A High Holiday Deceleration Retreat, which I'll be co-hosting this September. Nestled amidst New England beauty, 25 Jewish leaders - some Jewish professionals, some people who are Jewish and leaders - will gather for a retreat centered around rest as a form of teshuvah, returning to ourselves. Through creativity, reflection, and connection, we'll immerse in slowness and spaciousness as a way to prepare ourselves for 5787. If you're a Jewish leader and you've been longing for something like this, check out www.keshirahalev.com/sacredpause to learn more and express interest before July 10. This episode is brought to you by the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. Rest to Return exists because we believe slowing down is a spiritual act. IJS believes that too. For over two decades, IJS has been helping people go deeper, through Jewish mindfulness meditation, contemplative prayer, sacred text study, and embodied practice. Their offerings range from online courses and silent retreats to immersive cohort programs for seekers of all experience levels, clergy, and spiritual leaders who are ready to live and lead from a more grounded place. Kohenet Keshira haLev Fife is part of IJS’s core faculty, and the wisdom you'll hear in this series is very much in that spirit. If this podcast is stirring something in you, IJS is a place to go further. Explore their programs, and more ways to learn and practice with Keshira, at jewishspirituality.org, including: View the latest offerings from IJS in our program catalog Join Keshira and others on retreat this August: Return
- 3 weeks ago57 min
Episode 542: Jewish Bodily Autonomy - Lex and Rena Yehuda
Lex Rofeberg and Rena Yehuda Newman conclude a mini-series of Judaism Unbound conversations that have been exploring the principle of bodily autonomy -- and how it intersects with Judaism. They bring new elements to previous conversations about abortion, the pill, mass incarceration, and gender, along with exploring what bodily autonomy looks like in Jewish rituals like fasting for Yom Kippur. 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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About Judaism Unbound
Listen in as Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg analyze pressing issues for 21st century American Judaism. Mixing their own analysis with interviews of leading thinkers, practitioners, and even "regular Jews," Dan and Lex look to push past the bounds of what it means to be Jewish in the 21st century.
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