x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Orthodox Conundrum

The Orthodox Conundrum is a forum in which we look honestly at the Orthodox Jewish community, identifying what works well and what does not, so that, through an honest accounting, we can find solutions that will be successful. We will examine some of the major issues that affect the Orthodox world, without exaggeration, whitewashing, or pretending that they don"t exist. Our hope is that the Orthodox Conundrum will spark wider discussion that will enable Orthodox Judaism to continue moving forward

religion & spirituality judaism

All Episodes

34:50

Ways to Make the Seder Matter: Being Your Authentic...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2026/03/30

This week's episode is a little different. Instead of our usual format, I'm sharing a conversation where I'm the guest on Alana Gelnick's excellent Stream of Dreamearly podcast, in an episode entitled Ways to Make the Seder Matter: Being Your Authentic Self. As we prepare for Pesach, this discussion explores a simple but powerful idea: the Seder is not about getting everything right, but about creating a feeling, building connection, and giving our children experiences they will carry long after

en-us

01:11:58

One People, Two Realities: Israeli and American Jews...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2026/03/23

Check out Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/ - and paid subscribers get this and other episodes of the Orthodox Conundrum Podcast ad-free and with early access and additional bonus content! In the wake of war, many Israelis have begun asking a difficult question: Have American Jews become more distant from Israel, or does it only feel that way? In this wide-ranging and deeply honest conversation, Rabbi David Fine and

en-us

01:08:50

How Would Pharaoh Read the Haggadah? with Rabbi Dr....

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2026/03/16

Check out Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/ - and paid subscribers get this and other episodes of the Orthodox Conundrum Podcast ad-free and with early access and additional bonus content! What if the story we tell at the Seder was originally speaking directly to the world of Pharaoh? In this episode of the Orthodox Conundrum Podcast, Rabbi Dr. Joshua Berman of Bar Ilan University joins me to discuss his fascinating

en-us

57:44

Anxiety Isn't the Enemy: A Jewish Way to Live - and...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2026/03/09

Check out Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/ - and paid subscribers get this and other episodes of the Orthodox Conundrum Podcast ad-free and with early access and additional bonus content! Over the past few years, and certainly over the past week, anxiety has become part of the background noise of Jewish life. People in Israel are living with sirens and uncertainty. People in the diaspora are following the news

en-us

01:05:08

How Should a Religious Community Respond to Its Own...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2026/02/23

Check out Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/ - and paid subscribers get this and other episodes of the Orthodox Conundrum Podcast ad-free and with early access and additional bonus content! When disturbing stories emerge from within a religious community, the instinctive response is often immediate: they don't represent us. But what comes after that? In recent weeks, incidents involving religious Jews, from violence

en-us

01:24:14

Super Bowl Ads Under the Microscope: A Torah Look at...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2026/02/16

Check out Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/ - and paid subscribers get this and other episodes of the Orthodox Conundrum Podcast ad-free and with early access and additional bonus content! Let me begin with a slightly uncomfortable question. How much of what we believe, value, and even desire has been shaped not by Torah, not by education, but by advertising? Every year during the Super Bowl, companies spend many

en-us

01:09:23

Beyond Religious and Secular: A New Jewish...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2026/02/09

Check out Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/ - and paid subscribers get this and other episodes of the Orthodox Conundrum Podcast ad-free and with early access and additional bonus content! Since October 7th, something unexpected has been unfolding among young Jews in Israel and, in different ways, across the diaspora. It does not look like the teshuva movements we have seen before. It is not a mass rush toward full

en-us

01:30:08

When We Get It Wrong: Orthodox Communities and the...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2026/02/02

Check out Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/ - and paid subscribers get this and other episodes of the Orthodox Conundrum Podcast ad-free and with early access and additional bonus content! This episode of Orthodox Conundrum addresses an extremely painful and unsettling subject. Last week, we learned that Nechemya Weberman, who was convicted of repeatedly sexually abusing a minor, has had his prison sentence

en-us

01:16:00

No Rewind Button: Why "It Never Happened Before"...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2026/01/26

Check out Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/ - and paid subscribers get this and other episodes of the Orthodox Conundrum Podcast ad-free and with early access and additional bonus content! Last week in Jerusalem, two babies lost their lives. The details are painful. The families are grieving. And out of basic decency, we are not here to dissect the specifics of what happened. But moments like these force a question

en-us

01:00:05

Does the Torah Demand Independent Thought? Rabbi...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2026/01/19

Check out Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/ - and paid subscribers get this and other episodes of the Orthodox Conundrum Podcast ad-free and with early access and additional bonus content! One of the most difficult questions in religious life is also one of the most basic: how do we show genuine respect for Torah and its teachers while still taking responsibility for our own moral and halachic decisions? At what point

en-us

01:30:09

The Dating Process: An Honest Conversation for...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2026/01/12

Check out Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/ - and paid subscribers get this and other episodes of the Orthodox Conundrum Podcast ad-free and with early access and additional bonus content! One of the most common questions people ask about dating is a deceptively simple one: How do I know? How do I know whether to keep dating this person? How do I know whether this is the person I should marry? How do I know whether my

en-us

59:28

Turning Criminals Into Heroes: Rabbi Jeremy Wieder on...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2026/01/05

Check out Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/ - and paid subscribers get this and other episodes of the Orthodox Conundrum Podcast ad-free and with additional bonus content! There's a recurring pattern in parts of the Orthodox world - one that has always troubled me, but in recent years has become impossible to ignore. We take individuals who have committed serious wrongdoing, sometimes admitted it in court, sometimes

en-us

01:25:27

A Person is a Subject, not an Object: New Traditional...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2025/12/29

Enjoy this classic episode from May, 2023. We'll be back next week with a brand new episode. Tzniut is triggering. That became clear when the Orthodox Conundrum Podcast released episode 145 entitled, "The Challenges of Teaching Tzniut & the Challenges of Being Tzanua, with Shayna Goldberg." That episode, in which Scott asked Shayna to focus on issues related to tzniut (modesty) and clothing, addressed some of the most pressing concerns, and the conversation generated quite a bit of discussion

en-us

01:10:20

When Non-Jews Define Judaism for Jews: Alyza Lewin on...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2025/12/23

There is a fundamental mistake that many people still make about Jews: they see Judaism exclusively as a faith, so they assume Jewish needs are basically religious accommodations, kosher food, holiday absences, maybe a space to pray. But my guest today, attorney Alyza Lewin, argues that if that's your starting point, you completely misunderstand the nature of Judaism, and what Jews are experiencing across the world. Because what we are watching on campuses, on Bondi Beach, and in the international

en-us

01:17:43

Jewish Particularism or Cultural Engagement: A...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2025/12/15

To what degree should we assimilate non Jewish thought and culture into our intellectual, emotional, and spiritual lives? And to what degree does that question affect the way that we celebrate Chanukah? Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch expressed this tension directly when he wrote the following words: Chanukah represents the clash of two doctrines, two views, two civilizations, capable of molding opinions, training and educating those who until this very day compete for the mastery of the world

en-us

01:22:04

A $10,000 Bottle of Scotch: Alcohol Abuse,...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2025/12/08

A tragic drunk driving case in Lakewood has pushed an uncomfortable question to the surface. What happens when "Toameha," kiddush clubs and casual drinking culture quietly normalize alcohol misuse in our homes and shuls, especially for the teenagers who are watching us... and what happens when that same culture is surrounded by designer logos, luxury Shabbat tables and endless talk about hotels and vacations? In this episode, I speak with Rabbi Jonathan Muskat and mental health counselor Rachel

en-us

01:23:37

Chosen Vs. Unchosen Vs. Rejected: The Idea of a...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2025/12/01

In the past two years many Jews have felt as if the world they thought they knew simply disappeared. Western democracies, universities, and social justice spaces that once seemed welcoming - or at least somewhat neutral - have turned openly hostile toward Israel and the Jewish people. At the center of much of this hatred is a familiar accusation: that Jews think they are chosen, and accordingly, Jews think they are better. While we wholeheartedly reject the antisemitism implicit in this assertion,

en-us

01:44:26

Painful Questions and Unconditional Love: Orthodox...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2025/11/24

Back in August, I released a conversation with Rabbi Yakov Horowitz about Orthodox parents whose children come out as LGBTQ. The feedback to that episode was intense. Some listeners wrote that they finally felt seen. Others said that they were deeply uncomfortable. Quite a few parents asked what they should actually do when their son or daughter comes out to them, and how they can respond with genuine love while remaining faithful to halacha. Those questions are not theoretical. They are deeply

en-us

01:09:06

Hostility, Confusion, and Ideological Pressure:...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2025/11/17

Zohran Mamdani - a politician who openly rejects Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state, yet insists that this has nothing to do with antisemitism - is now the mayor-elect of New York City. He points to a small number of Jewish supporters as evidence, while promoting a worldview in which Israel is framed as a genocidal, apartheid project. New York is home to the largest Jewish community in the diaspora. When that city elects a proudly anti-Zionist mayor, it sends a message far beyond one

en-us

01:13:45

Mamdani, Fuentes, Tucker, and Mainstreaming...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2025/11/10

In recent weeks we have watched something many of us hoped we would not see in the United States: openly anti-Zionist and even openly antisemitic voices moving from the margins into the mainstream. Zohran Mamdani's victory in New York raises the chilling possibility that hostility to Israel is now an electoral asset. At the same time, parts of the American right are flirting with figures like Nick Fuentes, a Holocaust denier who says Jews do not belong in Western civilization. To make sense of this

en-us

316 results

Similar Podcasts

Jeff Haygood, Pastor

PodPoint

PASTOR ALVARO VALENCIA

Pastor Alvaro Valencia

Grace Life Church CT.

Joseph Levesque

Pleasant View Church

Ted Nance

Christian Heritage Church"s Podcast

PodPoint