5 World-Famous Rabbis, 5 Different Perspectives: The Jewish Wisdom We Need Right Now

Long before therapy and self-help books, the Jewish people were already wrestling with life's biggest questions. This special Being Jewish mashup brings together five rabbis and five unforgettable conversations on faith, identity, and purpose, all in one sagacious episode. Rabbi David Wolpe breaks down whether tattoos are really forbidden by Jewish law (the answer might surprise you), why Israel is more central to Jewish identity than people realize, and what he tells Jews who claim their tradition while rejecting the land at its center. Rabbi Angela Buchdahl gets into the arbitrary history behind patrilineal versus matrilineal descent, why post-October 7th Judaism is having a real surge in engagement, and why some of the most vulnerable Jewish communities are the first ones walking back out the door. David Lichtenstein explains halakha from Sinai to bionic arms, and reveals how studying Torah got him through losing hundreds of millions of dollars in a single business collapse. Rabbi Sharon Brous uses one of the Talmud's most devastating stories, a party, an uninvited guest, and a room full of silent rabbis, to ask what it actually costs when good people watch injustice and say nothing. And Rabbi Manis Friedman closes it out with his radical answer to the question every anxious kid, and every anxious adult, is really asking: why are we even here? This is Being Jewish: Best of Jewish Wisdom. If you want to go deeper beyond the podcast, join the Being Jewish Kehillah -- our subscriber community that gives you access to exclusive bonus content, merch discounts, live office hours with Jonah, special community events, and more. Join the Kehillah today at http://beingjewishpodcast.com/join 00:00 - Rabbi David Wolpe on Faith, Doubt & Struggling With God 05:07 - Israel's Place in Jewish Identity 09:17 - Rabbi Angela Buchdahl on Patrilineal Descent & Exclusion 12:07 - The Post-October 7th Jewish Surge (and Why It's Receding) 17:10 - David Lichtenstein on Halakha From Sinai to Bionic Arms 19:40 - Losing Hundreds of Millions & Finding His Mission 27:14 - Rabbi Sharon Brous on Moral Courage & the Talmud's Kamsa and Bar Kamsa 32:31 - Loving Your Neighbor vs Loving the Stranger 36:28 - Rabbi Manis Friedman on Meaning, Purpose & Why You're Needed 42:36 - Teaching Kids Why They're Needed, Not Needy #BeingJewish #JewishWisdom #JonahPlatt #RabbiDavidWolpe #RabbiAngelaBuchdahl #DovidLichtenstein #RabbiSharonBrous #RabbiManisFriedman #JewishPodcast #JewishIdentity