Judaism Unbound

Judaism Unbound

Listen 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.
00:00
00:00

Resumen del episodio

Does Judaism need Halacha?** Lex and Rena Yehuda have some overlapping thoughts about that question, but also want to explore the ways that they disagree with one another. This question is one that Jews across many geographic contexts and denominational affiliations (or lack thereof) have debated for centuries -- and we think that it's a conversation worth continuing! In this conversation, your two Judaism Unbound co-hosts take on a format called the "anti-debate," as implemented by Stephanie Lepp (who will join the podcast as a guest in a couple weeks, to discuss further). It incorporates elements of traditional debate, along with steps to encourage each person to inhabit the perspective of the "other side." ** Halacha is sometimes translated "Jewish law," and also sometimes translated "a Jewish path/way-of-walking in the world." It typically refers to traditions of rabbinic Jewish interpretation, as debated and applied over the past ~1800 years. Head to JudaismUnbound.com/classes to check out our up…

Episodios

733-

Episode 557: The Great Jewish Anti-Debate - Halacha (Lex and Rena Yehuda)

Does Judaism need Halacha?** Lex and Rena Yehuda have some overlapping thoughts about that question, but also want to explore the ways that they disagree with one another. This question is one that Jews across many geographic contexts and denominational affiliations (or lack thereof) have debated for centuries -- and we think that it's a conversation worth continuing! In this conversation, your two Judaism Unbound co-hosts take on a format called the "anti-debate," as implemented by Stephanie Lepp (who will join the podcast as a guest in a couple weeks, to discuss further). It incorporates elements of traditional debate, along with steps to encourage each person to inhabit the perspective of the "other side." ** Halacha is sometimes translated "Jewish law," and also sometimes translated "a Jewish path/way-of-walking in the world." It typically refers to traditions of rabbinic Jewish interpretation, as debated and applied over the past ~1800 years. Head to JudaismUnbound.com/classes to check out our up…

16 oct. 2026
732-

Everyday Mystics II: The Real Thing

What if our deepest longing for love is also a longing for God? From a childhood encounter with the mysterious to an unexpected romance, Ayalon discovers that the search for human connection and the search for the Divine may not be two different journeys after all. In the second episode of Everyday Mystics, a story of loss, yearning, and second chances asks what it means to stop settling for something less than “The Real Thing.”

14 oct. 2026
731-

Episode 556: Sadeh Farm - Talia Chain

Sadeh Farm is a Jewish farm and environmental community centre, located just southeast of London, England. Because why wouldn't there be a Jewish farm just southeast of London?? Talia Chain, founder of Sadeh Farm, joins Lex Rofeberg and Rena Yehuda Newman for a conversation about Sadeh's work -- and about Jewish farming as a broader global phenomenon, dating all the way back to the Torah. Head to JudaismUnbound.com/classes to check out our up upcoming courses in the UnYeshiva! Jewish ritual objects, Medieval Jewish debates, Talmud for interfaith families and more! For anyone who needs it, financial aid is available. -------------------------------- Support Sadeh's ongoing fundraiser, to help it exist long into the future, via https://communitiesfund.avivafoundation.org.uk/p/community-nature-stewards.

Fri, 9 Oct 2026 05:30:00 +0000
730-

Everyday Mystics I: The Flood

Some floods destroy. Others carry us somewhere we never expected to go. In the first episode of Everyday Mystics, Play’s journey through grief, addiction, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, and queer identity asks what it means to keep building an ark when the waters rise and whether the very thing that threatens to overwhelm us might also become a flood of love.

Wed, 7 Oct 2026 05:10:00 +0000
729-

Episode 555: Everyday Mystics

In this episode, Lex Rofeberg and Miriam Terlinchamp introduce Everyday Mystics, a new podcast launching on this feed on October 7th, which tells the real stories of people who have had that turning. Small, ordinary moments that cracked open into something larger. Their stories of transformation weave Jewish wisdom bringing forward an old/ new way of understanding mystical experience and the everyday. These are stories of when the ordinary becomes sacred, the familiar becomes mysterious, and Judaism becomes beautifully unbound.

Fri, 2 Oct 2026 05:10:00 +0000