As antisemitism and anti-Zionism rise, many North American Jews have felt less welcome in the countries that they call home. How do we root ourselves deeply in our Jewish identities while remaining engaged in and committed to the broader world? On this episode of TEXTing IRL, Elana Stein Hain and author Sarah Hurwitz turn to this week’s Torah portion and the concept of the ger toshav—the resident alien—to understand how North American Jews might navigate belonging, identity, faith, and the enduring challenge of embracing Jewish particularism while living in diverse societies. We are grateful to Micah Philanthropies and to the Walder Charitable Fund for their generous support of TEXTing. Episode Source Sheet Watch the video version of this episode ⁠here⁠. You can now sponsor an episode of TEXTing. Click HERE to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS

This week, TEXTing IRL is excited to share Hartman’s podcast, Future Tense, where rising Jewish leaders drive conversations with scholars from the Shalom Hartman Institute on the most pressing issues facing their generation.   Many young Jews are taught that they have a responsibility to publicly represent the Jewish people—an expectation that can feel especially heavy during the formative years of personal growth and identity development. In this episode of Future Tense, Elana Stein Hain joins hosts Anna Weiss, Sami Jinich, and Yadid Orlow to explore how to balance the challenges of representation with their own personal development as well as the benefits and challenges of connecting beyond the Jewish community.     You can now sponsor an episode of TEXTing. Click HERE to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS

Two years after October 7, Jews around the world mark Simchat Torah, finishing and beginning again the reading of the Torah, and thinking about our stories, both ancient and present. How do we tell our stories in a world and to a world that doesn’t seem to want to hear them? On this episode of TEXTing IRL, Elana Stein Hain and Yoni Appelbaum, deputy executive editor at The Atlantic, study the writings of Rav Soloveitchik, uncovering how the ability to be heard when telling one’s story makes one free, and how listening with empathy and humility allows one to tell the truest and most compelling stories. We are grateful to the Walder Charitable Fund and Micah Philanthropies for their generous support of TEXTing. Episode Source Sheet Watch the video version of this episode ⁠here⁠. You can now sponsor an episode of TEXTing. Click HERE to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS

Democracy promises to guarantee freedom and equality for all, yet Jews seem to be increasingly vulnerable in America today. How should Jews respond when they feel democracy is not showing up for them? On this episode of TEXTing IRL, Elana Stein Hain and Slate Senior Editor Dahlia Lithwick turn to Rabbi Moses Feinstein’s 1984 letter on voting and Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt’s eulogy for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to probe the relationship between Jews and American democracy, especially in moments when the promise of democracy feels unfulfilled or even threatened. We are grateful to Micah Philanthropies and to the Walder Charitable Fund for their generous support of TEXTing.   Episode Source Sheet Watch the video version of this episode ⁠here⁠. You can now sponsor an episode of TEXTing. Click HERE to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS

Nearly two years after October 7 and more than 700 days of war, many Jews enter this High Holiday season with trepidation, facing what feels like an increasingly hostile world. In this episode of TEXTing IRL, Elana Stein Hain and OLAM CEO Dyonna Ginsburg turn to Rav Kook’s “Fourfold Song” to explore how Jews can navigate competing commitments of caring for their own communities and for the wider world. We are grateful to Micah Philanthropies and to the Walder Charitable Fund for their generous support of TEXTing.   Episode Source Sheet Watch the video version of this episode ⁠here. Read here OLAM’s research on Jewish practitioners of humanitarian aid. You can now sponsor an episode of TEXTing. Click HERE to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS

Over a quarter of American Jews identifty as Republican, and nearly a third voted for Donald Trump in 2024. Whether this is an expression of their conservative values, their concern for Israel, or some combination of the two, Jews on the right now face a dilemma with the Trump administration and its trespasses on democracy. In the fourth episode of this special series of TEXTing IRL, Elana Stein Hain and Mark Gottlieb, Chief Education Officer at Tikvah, look to Talmudic and other sources on navigating the tension of conflicting commandments to unpack immigration reform, antisemitism, and the cognitive dissonance Jewish conservatives are experiencing during Trump’s second term. We are grateful to the Walder Charitable Fund and Micah Philanthropies for their generous support of TEXTing. ⁠ Episode Source Sheet You can now sponsor an episode of TEXTing. Click HERE to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS

Faced with rising antisemitism and anti-Zionism, many Jews are confronting difficult choices when they find themselves outside of Jewish spaces: conceal their identity, or risk harassment, and in some cases, violence. In this episode, Elana Stein Hain and Daniel Held, Chief Program Officer at UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, turn to the Talmud to grapple with Jewish identity and Jewish pride in a hostile environment. How can we engage with moral complexity as proud Jews, and how do we model this for our children? We are grateful to the Walder Charitable Fund and Micah Philanthropies for their generous support of TEXTing. Episode Source Sheet Watch the video version of this episode ⁠here⁠.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS

How do we respond with gratitude toward someone whose values and policies we otherwise oppose? In this episode of TEXTing IRL, Elana Stein Hain is joined by civic educator and Hartman research fellow Tamara Mann Tweel to explore what Jewish tradition can teach us about uncomfortable gratitude, the cognitive dissonance created when someone we find morally troubling takes an action we support, and how we can respond when deliverance comes from a flawed source. Episode Source Sheet Watch the video version of this episode ⁠here⁠. You can now sponsor an episode of TEXTing. Click HERE to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS

How can we stay true to our Jewish commitments while remaining active in movements that don’t always want us there? In this episode of TEXTing IRL, Elana Stein Hain sits down with Jacob Feinspan, Executive Director of Jews United for Justice, to explore the complex dilemmas raised by the increased normalization of anti-Zionism and antisemitism. Drawing on Maimonides' teachings about friendship, they tackle the nature of coalitions, navigating discomfort and acknowledging red lines, and how to foster relationships when we disagree. Episode Source Sheet Watch the video version of this episode here. You can now sponsor an episode of TEXTing. Click HERE to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS

As we recall the miraculous story of the Maccabean victory this year, the ongoing Israel-Hamas war highlights challenging questions of national and individual identity. How do we see ourselves in relation to our enemy in times of conflict? In this episode of TEXTing, Elana Stein Hain and Christine Hayes study a text from Bereshit Rabbah about how we compare ourselves to our enemies and discuss how those comparisons influence who we are and who we imagine ourselves to be in war. Episode Source Sheet   You can now sponsor an episode of TEXTing. Click HERE to learn more.    JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS

In a world that is so connected through technology, we are inundated with highly curated images of other peoples’ seemingly perfect lives. Many of us feel jealous of these imagined realities. In this episode, Elana Stein Hain and Leora Batnitzky discuss a text from Deuteronomy Rabbah 9:9 to help us understand where jealousy comes from and how to manage it.     Episode Source Sheet   You can now sponsor an episode of TEXTing. Click HERE to learn more.    JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS

In times of heartache, how do we find room for gratitude? In this episode of TEXTing, Elana Stein Hain and Christine Hayes study a text from Tractate Brachot, Chapter 9, about divergent blessings for times of joy and times of sorrow and discuss how gratitude can help us through dark times.   Episode Source Sheet   You can now sponsor an episode of TEXTing. Click HERE to learn more.    JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS

As Americans race to the polls to make their voices heard, uncertainty about the future hangs in the air. On this episode of TEXTing, Elana Stein Hain and Leora Batnitzky examine three musings from Pirkei Avot on the function of government, and discuss election anxieties, the purpose of governing bodies, and the importance of voting in this crucial election.   Episode Source Sheet   You can now sponsor an episode of TEXTing. Click HERE to learn more.    JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS

In times of great tragedy, joy can feel out of place, or even inappropriate. However, when tragedy becomes a consistent part of our lives, we must learn to survive and continue to live through it. On this episode of TEXTing, Elana Stein Hain and Yonah Hain explore a text from Tosefta Sotah and discuss how to muster joy when tragedy seems to have no end.   Episode Source Sheet   You can now sponsor an episode of TEXTing. Click HERE to learn more.    JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS

During the High Holiday season, the focus of the Jewish people turns to the millenia of shared history and tradition reflected in the Days of Awe. In a session given by Elana Stein Hain for A Day of Learning for Our Hostages, Elana explores the connection between solidarity and memory, and the pieces of our tradition that bind us even across our differences. A Day of Learning for Our Hostages was held on September 30, 2024 to honor the shloshim of the six hostages murdered in August, show solidarity with the hostages still in captivity, and call on the Israeli government and the international community to prioritize their return.   Episode Source Sheet   You can now sponsor an episode of TEXTing. Click HERE to learn more.    JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS

When you feel like running away, where do you go to see things from a new perspective? In this episode of TEXTing, Elana Stein Hain and Yonah Hain explore the story of Jonah and the fish — the story traditionally read as haftorah on Yom Kippur afternoon — through the lens of Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, Chapter 10, Section 9. Through this powerful midrash, Elana and Yonah discuss how temporarily seeking shelter from our problems can help us approach them in a more thoughtful and healthy way. They ask the question: what’s your fish?   Episode Source Sheet   You can now sponsor an episode of TEXTing. Click HERE to learn more.    JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS

The parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin z”l did everything they could to rescue their son and the other hostages taken by Hamas on October 7 but in the end, they were unable to prevent his murder along with five other hostages. In this special episode, Elana Stein Hain turns to a midrash in Sifrei Bamidbar to consider how to grieve this tremendous loss of life and grasp the seeming senselessness of this tragedy, in conversation with three Israeli scholars at the Shalom Hartman Institute—Tal Becker, Tehila Friedman, and Shoshana Cohen. Episode Source Sheet   You can now sponsor an episode of TEXTing. Click HERE to learn more.    JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS

History repeats itself, but are we doomed to relive the mistakes of the past? In this episode Elana Stein Hain and Christine Hayes explore cycles of life, destruction, and redemption through the lens of Tisha B’Av Kinot (liturgical poetry), Kohelet (Ecclesiastes), and Devarim (Deuteronomy), and ask whether we could—or should—break out of them. Episode Source Sheet   You can now sponsor an episode of TEXTing. Click HERE to learn more.    JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS

Living through crisis propels us to reflect on historical crises and consider the consequences of our behavior on future generations. As Tisha B’av approaches, Elana Stein Hain and Leora Batnitzky study a text from Jeremiah (Yirmiyahu) chapter 32 about how we process cataclysmic events and imagine a future beyond them.     Episode Source Sheet   You can now sponsor an episode of TEXTing. Click HERE to learn more.    JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS

The world has changed dramatically over the past millennium, yet the challenges we face concerning how we exist in public, and who we allow to shape our world view, is a tale as old as time. On this episode of TEXTing, recorded live at Hartman’s Rabbinic Torah Seminar in Jerusalem, Elana Stein Hain and Christine Hayes explore texts about rabbinic ‘influencers’ and discuss how universal public scrutiny shapes how we think and behave.   Episode Source Sheet   You can now sponsor an episode of TEXTing. Click HERE to learn more.    JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS