Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism
The Malcolm Gladwell of the Torah -- That's how listeners describe Madlik™ – where sharp insight meets sacred text.
- Indexed episodes, last 90 days
- 9
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- Sep 3, 2026
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- Jul 9, 2026
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Forgive Me, for We Have Sinned (opens the original)
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On Yom Kippur, we lovingly honor our parents' memories during Yizkor—so why does the climax of the confession force us to stand up and blame them for our sins? On Yom Kippur, we strike our own chests—but confess the sins of people who are no longer alive. אֲבָל אֲנַחְנוּ וַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ חָטָאנוּ "But we and our parents have sinned." Why bring our mothers and fathers into our confession? Are we blaming them, asking forgiveness on their behalf—or admitting that their unfinished business lives on in
The Strange Exodus Story Hidden in Ki Tavo (opens the original)
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Why did the Rabbis tell the Exodus through the words of a farmer—and leave Mount Sinai out of the story? What if the Torah's shortest version of the Exodus leaves out the most important moment? The story of the Exodus without using the Book of Exodus? In Parshat Ki Tavo, an Israelite farmer enters the Temple carrying a basket of first fruits and recites a compact history of his people: "My father was a wandering Aramean. The Egyptians oppressed us. We cried out. God brought us forth and gave us
The Barren Woman's Song (opens the original)
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Isaiah didn't just offer passive comfort to a broken nation—he hijacked the oldest stories in the Book of Genesis to force them to survive. What do you do when there is no reason to sing? Isaiah answers with a startling command: Rani akarah lo yaladah—"Sing, O barren woman who has not given birth." Sing before the child is born. Sing before the promise is fulfilled. Sing while the future still appears impossible. Key Takeaways Isaiah reads—and rewrites—Genesis. He brings Abraham and Sarah, Eden
Shake Off the Dust and Dance (opens the original)
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We usually associate Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur with judgment and fear, but a closer look at the texts reveals a completely different, shocking command: rejoice. Wake up. Shake off the dust. Put on your finest clothes—and rejoice! The haftarah for Parshat Shoftim delivers an urgent wake-up call to a defeated and demoralized people: Hit'oreri, hit'oreri—Awaken, awaken! Uri, uri—Wake up, wake up! Isaiah calls upon Zion to rise from the dust, cast off the identity of a captive, dress herself in g
Becoming Good (opens the original)
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What if Judaism has been misunderstood all along, and the real reward for doing good isn't what you get, but who you become? Is Judaism really about reward and punishment—or is it about becoming? Parshat Re'eh begins with a tiny grammatical anomaly. Instead of saying, "if you obey," the Torah says "that you obey." Could one unexpected Hebrew word change the way we understand blessing, virtue, and even human nature? In this episode of Madlik, Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz follow that questi
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