edJEWcation

• In Honor of Charlie

  In this week’s episode, we pause from our usual lighthearted approach to reflect on a tragedy shaking the Jewish and wider American communities: the assassination of Charlie Kirk. However one viewed his politics, Charlie was a forceful supporter of Israel and a vocal opponent of antisemitism, unafraid to confront hostile audiences on college campuses and beyond. His final, unfinished work on the importance of Shabbat reminds us that wisdom can sometimes come from unexpected voices.In his honor, we turn to the Bible to explore the righteous non-Jews who stood alongside the Jewish people in moments of need…figures like Eliezer, Jethro, Pharaoh’s daughter, Rahab, Ruth, and Cyrus the Great. Their courage, loyalty, and moral clarity remind us that righteousness is not bound by heritage and that even in the darkest times, allies can emerge to protect what is sacred.This is a sobering conversation about the cost of division, the fragility of moral courage, and the enduring hope that others will rise to stand with the Jewish people.

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• Absalom, My Son: David’s Darkest Hour

  This week on edJEWcation, the saga of King David gets darker, messier, and more painfully human. Forget the Sunday-school highlight reel, we’re diving into the tragedy of Amnon, Tamar, and Absalom.It’s a story of lust, betrayal, revenge, and rebellion: a prince consumed by desire, a sister left broken and silenced, a brother plotting justice with the patience of a viper, and a father-king paralyzed between love and duty. By the time Absalom’s flowing hair gets tangled in a tree, the whole House of David is tangled in grief, power struggles, and unanswered questions.We break down:The eerie echoes of Jacob’s family drama in David’s palaceWhy David’s own sins with Bathsheba haunt every chapter that followsAbsalom’s charisma, ambition, and ultimate downfallThe raw pain of David’s cry: “My son, Absalom, my son, my son…”How these ancient family fractures mirror today’s power, politics, and inconvenient loyaltiesPlus, in true edJEWcation fashion, we wander from burned hot dogs to Hunter Biden to the IRA, proving once again that Torah and modern life are never as far apart as they seem.

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• Customs, Conflicts, and Keeping the Faith

  This week on edJEWcation, Jay and ChayaLeah sit down with Dr. Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili, professor at the University of Pittsburgh and head of the Center for Governance and Markets, for a conversation that bounces from Uzbekistan to Squirrel Hill, from Hasidic wedding songs to Taliban tribal law.We explore:Why minhag Yisroel Torah hi (“Jewish custom is Torah”) resonates far beyond Jewish life.How customs in Afghanistan and Central Asia parallel Hasidic practices.The heartbreak of Tree of Life, the shock of October 7th, and the question Jews whisper now: do we belong here?Why making Judaism political is dangerous—and how joy and tradition may be the antidote.What Ukraine, Russia, and bomb shelters in Israel reveal about resilience.Plus: the great baby shower debate, whether Judaism is Western, Eastern, or something bigger, and why havruta (learning in pairs) might just save the next generation from their phones.It’s a journey through customs, community, and what keeps us Jewish—even when the world feels like it’s unraveling.

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• Thou Shalt Not Covet (David, Bathsheba & A Biblical Scandal)

  This week on edJEWcation, we dive into one of the most famous and scandalous stories in the entire Bible: King David, Bathsheba, and Uriah. Was David guilty of adultery, deception, and murder? Or was he fulfilling a divine destiny with Bathsheba? The Rabbi breaks down the clash between text, commentary, and morality, while Jay and ChayaLeah wrestle with the very human side of the story.We cover:Why this episode of David’s life would never make it into a fourth-grade Hebrew school curriculumWhether power corrupted Israel’s greatest king or if he was simply following the “letter of the law”Why Uriah the Hittite might be the unsung hero of the storyHow this cautionary tale shaped Solomon’s birth and the future of the Davidic lineAnd what it means when even the Bible’s greatest figures can fail so spectacularlyIt’s love, lust, power, politics—and a reminder that nobody, not even a king, is above God’s law.

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• Dueling Rabbis

  This week on edJEWcation, we’ve doubled the rabbis and turned up the volume. ChayaLeah invites her friend Rabbi Daniel Levine to go head-to-head (in the nicest, most Jewishly passive-aggressive way possible) with her father. The topic? What’s gone wrong with Jewish education and how to fix it, without losing our kids to boredom, bagels-only Judaism, or anti-Israel campus mobs.We cover:Why Hebrew school might be the Blockbuster Video of Jewish educationRituals vs. ideas: Which one actually keeps Judaism alive?The “mimetic tradition” and why your bubbe’s kitchen might have been a better classroom than Hebrew schoolHow Israel got separated from Judaism in some circles and why that makes zero senseWhether the “why” or the “how” matters more in bringing people back to Jewish lifePlus: the pepperoni pizza Passover story you didn’t know you needed, why motion beats emotion, and how chicken soup can do more for Jewish continuity than a thousand PowerPoints.Links to Rabbi Daniel’s content:JLife with DanielRabbi Daniel Levine - YouTube

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