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PODCAST

The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind

Lobel Center for Jewish Classical Education

Welcome to The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind, a podcast that tells the story of the prophets, philosophers, and poets who created the West. In this podcast, Rabbi Dr. Mitchell Rocklin guides listeners through more than 3,000 years of Western history, offering a coherent, civilizational story of how the West came to be—along with a deepened understanding of the challenges it now faces. While many of the texts discussed will be familiar to students of the humanities, Rabbi Rocklin

history judaism

All Episodes

38:35

Don Quixote II: Towards A New Model of Heroism

The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind ·

2025/11/19

Miguel de Cervantes will propose a new type of hero for an age that has moved beyond the knight in shining armor. As we continue our survey of Don Quixote, Rabbi Rocklin will answer the following questions: How does Don Quixote's title, "Knight of the Sorrowful Face," reflect Cervantes' critique of modernity? In what sense is there a small piece of Don Quixote in every man? In spite of all his antics and madness, how can Don Quixote be a model for behavior for the reader? Recommended Reading:

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37:23

Don Quixote I: The First Modern Novel

The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind ·

2025/11/12

The first modern novel employs humor and satire to explore what it means to be an individual. To help us in our survey of Don Quixote, we'll focus on the following questions: How does Don Quixote both mock the past and emphasize the value of tradition? Even if Don Quixote is objectively mad, how do his wild imaginings critique modernity? What are we to make of and learn from Don Quixote's insistence that he knows exactly who he is? Recommended Reading: Cervantes, Miguel. Don Quixote. Trans. Edith

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36:23

Italy and the Jews: A Vital Center for Isolation and...

The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind ·

2025/11/05

The Jewish communities of Renaissance Italy were unusual in their interactions with their Christian neighbors. As we explore this topic, we'll find answers to the following questions: Why did early Renaissance Italian humanists turn to Jews to inspire Christian thought? In what ways were the Jews involved in developing the Renaissance culture of Italy? How did the Jews of this period lay the groundwork for the development of the modern Hebrew language?

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31:27

Shakespeare the Bard: A Man for the Ages

The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind ·

2025/10/29

For good reason, Shakespeare is one of the most famous and most influential writers of the English language. To help us unpack that topic, we'll explore the following questions: In contrast with the greatness of man to be found in Hamlet, how does the relative bleakness of Macbeth resonate with a listener? Of all the bard's plays, what makes As You Like It a good one to introduce students to Shakespeare? Can The Merchant of Venice be understood in a way that is sympathetic to Jews?

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43:03

Shakespeare's Hamlet: The First Modern Play

The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind ·

2025/10/22

Arguably Shakespeare’s greatest play, Hamlet will catapult us into the modern era of literature. To unpack that notion, we’ll explore the following questions: In what sense does Hamlet have a foothold in both the classical and modern eras? How does Hamlet grapple with the Biblical, covenantal tension between man’s significance, on the one hand, and insignificance, on the other? Why is Hamlet’s conversation with his conscience an answer to Machiavelli? Recommended Reading: Shakespeare, William

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34:25

Montaigne and Shakespeare: The Rise of the Individual

The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind ·

2025/10/16

Modernity continues to emerge with the writings of Montaigne and Shakespeare. On today’s episode, Rabbi Rocklin will help us address the following questions: Why did Montaigne love history as a tool to understand the human character? How does Montaigne’s approach to education diverge from his contemporaries’ such that we might recognize his approach in today’s world of education? What sets Shakespeare’s plays apart from his contemporaries’ and makes his works relevant throughout the centuries?

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40:39

Kabbalah: Mysticism and Science

The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind ·

2025/10/09

The study of Kabbalah—Jewish mysticism—will play an outsized role in shaping not only Western thought but even modern science. To explore the topic, we’ll turn to the following questions: What is Kabbalah and why did it become important, as an area of study, for Christian thinkers and scholars? How does Kabbalah further develop the notion of human agency? What role did Kabbalah play in the development of modern science? Recommended Reading: Coudert, Allison P. Hebraica Veritas: Christian Hebraists

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44:59

Swords, Spurs, and Gunpowder: A History of Religious...

The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind ·

2025/10/01

The amount of bloodshed that took place following the Protestant Reformation is staggering. As we try to make sense of the religious wars, we’ll explore the following questions: What role did chivalric virtues play in bolstering Protestantism in France? Why did local Catholics in the Low Countries oppose an inquisition against Protestants? How did the Treaty of Westphalia, which recognized Protestantism as legitimate, differ from the Peace of Augsburg a century earlier?

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48:51

Rifts and Splits: Calvinism, Anglicanism, and...

The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind ·

2025/09/25

In the aftermath of the Protestant Reformation, religious Europe continued to splinter. On today’s episode, Rabbi Rocklin will answer the following questions: How did John Calvin’s views of free will and predestination lead to a culture in which hard work and monetary success was seen as valuable? How does Anglicanism occupy a middle ground between Lutheranism and Calvinism? Over the course of the Council of Trent, how did the Catholic Church clarify its doctrine in response to Luther’s

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49:23

Erasmus: Humanist and Reformer

The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind ·

2025/09/17

Erasmus was arguably the greatest scholar and foremost humanist of the Northern Renaissance. As we learn more about him, we’ll explore the following questions: How was Erasmus’ Greek language scholarship foundational to the Protestant Reformation? What were Erasmus’ basic criticisms of the Catholic Church? How did those critiques differ from Luther’s? Why is it still important to read Erasmus today, despite his fundamental character flaws? Recommended Reading: Shepherd, Victor. Interpreting Martin

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34:13

Europe in Crisis: The Struggle for the Church

The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind ·

2025/09/10

Political turmoil swept across Europe in the wake of the Protestant Reformation. To help us expand the topic, Rabbi Rocklin will answer the following questions: How did Luther’s approach to religious reform encourage a rise in centralized power? Why was it necessary to divide the Holy Roman Empire in the Peace of Augsburg? How did Rashi, an eleventh century Jewish scholar, indirectly influence Luther’s interpretation of scripture?

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33:41

Martin Luther: Reformer or Revolutionary

The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind ·

2025/09/03

Few events in Christian history had a more dramatic impact than the Protestant Reformation. As we survey this seismic event, Rabbi Rocklin will answer the following questions: How did the spirit of the Renaissance that swept through Europe foster a culture that could lead to the Reformation? What theological debates led to Martin Luther’s eventual split from the Roman Catholic Church? How is Luther’s insistence that the Bible can be translated into the vernacular an outgrowth of his view of the

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47:37

The Age of Exploration: Europe's Commerce and Classes

The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind ·

2025/08/27

The spirit of discovery in the Renaissance will push Europe to expand its trade horizons and reshape its economy. On today’s episode, we’ll address the following questions: What were the technological innovations in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries that made long-distance sailing easier? Why did Portugal, of all countries, become a dominant force in expanding European trade in the East? How did the Age of Exploration completely pull Europe out of a feudal economic system and into an era of

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34:47

Of Kings, Nobles, and Commoners: The Emergence of the...

The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind ·

2025/08/20

Consolidation of power will dramatically alter politics, wars, and loyalties in Europe. To help us expand this notion, we’ll explore the following questions: What caused political power in Europe to shift from being localized in the hands of the lords to being wielded by royal families ruling vast territories? How did a rise in national loyalties lead to increasing suspicion of divergent religious groups? Why were the common people important to kings such that kings allied themselves with the

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34:07

The Northern Renaissance: Aesthetics, Mystics, and...

The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind ·

2025/08/13

The Northern Renaissance may be infused with the same spirit as the Italian Renaissance, but it manifested in uniquely northern European ways. On today’s episode, we’ll take a look at the following questions: How does Goethe’s Faustus grapple with the relationship between knowledge and goodness? What was the danger in Nicholas of Cusa’s philosophical innovation regarding man’s relationship with God? Why did the Northern Renaissance produce great thinkers and reformers? Recommended Viewing:

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42:51

To be Loved or Feared: Machiavelli and the Politics...

The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind ·

2025/08/06

Modern politics cannot be fully understood without Machiavelli. To help us unpack this claim, Rabbi Rocklin will explore the following questions: How does Machiavelli shift the way that virtue is understood? Why do some scholars consider Machiavelli to be the first modern political philosopher? How does Machiavelli justify his claim that a ruler should use cruelty and fear as tools to control the people? Recommended Reading: Machiavelli, Niccolo. The Prince, 2nd edition. Translated by Harvey

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31:47

Human Dignity: Petrarch and Pico della Mirandola

The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind ·

2025/07/30

The notion of human dignity takes center stage as humanism comes to the fore with Petrarch and Pico. To help us explore the topic, Rabbi Rocklin will address the following questions: Why did Petrarch, who is often considered the father of humanism, heavily criticize Medieval philosophers? According to Pico, what makes man unique and uniquely dignified? How does that shift the general understanding of man’s relationship with God? Both Pico and the Greeks seem to have asserted that man can change

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43:43

An Era of Rebirth: The Italian Renaissance

The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind ·

2025/07/23

A new era dawns on history as the Renaissance begins. As we begin to explore this period, Rabbi Rocklin will help us answer the following questions: Can the Renaissance truly be characterized as a new period, as opposed to simply an outgrowth of the Middle Ages? Why does the re-examining of Greco-Roman thought lead to a religious emphasis on man’s greatness and centrality to creation? What was the Church’s reaction to the changes of the Renaissance era?

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35:01

Medieval Literature IX: Drama and Tales

The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind ·

2025/07/16

Chaucer is arguably the most famous writer of the Middle English period. To give us a sense of his greatness, we’ll address the following questions: Since Chaucer was not the typical Medieval scholar, how did he gain access to the texts that made him such a great writer? How does Chaucer’s “The Pardoner’s Tale” challenge the offices of the Church during this time? What was Chaucer’s dynamic contribution to the development of literature? Recommended Reading: Lavinsky, David. The Material Text in

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48:59

Medieval Literature VIII: Dante and Boccaccio

The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind ·

2025/07/09

Dante and Bocaccio did more to develop vernacular writing than perhaps any other writers of their era. On today’s episode, we’ll explore the following questions: To what extent should Dante be considered an innovator with what he accomplished in the Divine Comedy? Why has Dante endured through the centuries? What makes him still relevant today? How can Boccaccio’s writings be considered spiritual?

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