By Daniel Jaffe
Every year as The Nine Days comes around, I scramble for ways to replace music. While the route of a cappella is available, and many do choose that option, to me the drop-off in quality is hard to ignore. Some may suggest movies or television, but while they are entertaining, they require extra attention that is often unavailable to busy listeners. However, one piece of media perfectly combines entertainment with simplicity: podcasts. Whether it be on YouTube, Facebook or Spotify, podcasts have seemingly become unavoidable. For those who have managed to elude them, podcasts are basically lengthy audio (and occasionally visual) episodes available for listening on the internet. Jewish podcasts have wasted no time joining the podcast world, and offer an abundance of unique topics to choose from. Here are a few podcasts that I find particularly engrossing that can hopefully help anyone else looking to fill their music void during the upcoming days.
Halacha Headlines. Just like podcasts themselves, the realm of Halacha is truly endless. It seems as though every day a new challenging question arises, leaving everyone to hypothesize a solution at their Shabbos tables. Dovid Lichtenstein, host of Halacha Headlines, does a great job of giving a better understanding of these issues. Now these are not your simple, everyday Halachas like what bracha to make on licorice or can you wait only one hour between milk and meat if your second cousin is Dutch? Halacha Headlines focuses on challenging topics such as AI answering Halachic questions or how to view the recent tragedy involving Jordan Neely and Daniel Penny. The podcast brings in amazing guests, ranging from YU Rosh Yeshiva Rav Herschel Schachter to lawyer Lou Shapiro, with each guest enhancing the discussion with their knowledgeable insight on the topics.
Unpacking Israeli History. For all the history enthusiasts out there, Unpacking Israeli History, hosted by Noam Weissman, is a fantastic choice. Weissman does an incredible job breaking down the little-known details and narratives, with each episode typically focused on one specific area of the country’s past. Weissman is also a great host, sharing intriguing personal anecdotes while sprinkling in some humor. But as good of a host as Weissman is, he is an even better storyteller. The information is described slowly and intricately, almost giving off the impression that the historic people and places mentioned are right there in front of you. Most importantly though, Weissman likes to end each episode with a key takeaway, combining the interesting historical facts with why we should care to hear about them in the first place.
Meaningful People. Most podcasts are only as compelling as the guests they bring on, so what better than to have a podcast entirely focused on the guests themselves? Meaningful People, a podcast under the domain of Meaningful Minute, aims to tell the story of notable Jewish figures. Co-hosts Momo Bauman and Nachi Gordon do an incredible job of asking stimulating questions to uncover how these people came to be. Each guest is truly unique, ranging anywhere from Rabbi Moshe Weinberger to Amar’e Stoudemire to Zusha. No matter the guest, the educated input on various Jewish ideas always drives the thoughtful discussions. My personal favorite episode featured Uncle Moishy, who both shared his story and revealed his great sense of humor!
18Forty. When it comes to Jewish podcasts, none may be more popular than 18Forty. The podcast is hosted by Rabbi David Bashevkin, the director of education for NCSY, a professor at Yeshiva University, and an author of four books. The ultimate goal of the podcast is to discuss principal components and pressing issues of the Jewish community through a modern lens. 18Forty will typically take a certain topic and break it down across a few episodes, bringing in different guests to discuss the issue from their perspective. One of my favorite elements of the podcast is the spectrum of sources brought up in the discussion. Whether it be from Tanach or from classic secular novels, there is always a worthwhile connection to the discussion. The podcast has a super helpful website as well, displaying the endless topics to choose from and clearly presenting the episode’s transcript and all the sources that were referenced.
All four podcasts are typically around one hour long, and can be found on Spotify, the Apple Podcasts app, or on their respective websites. In truth, there is an endless array of podcasts to choose from (including The Jewish Link’s very own The Pitch Meeting), and this small list is just a start. Hopefully this article can help you navigate the difficult music prohibition. Special thanks to my friends Ezra Baron and Ami Ramras, who pointed me towards most of these podcasts!
Daniel Jaffe, a Jewish Link intern, is a rising junior at Yeshiva University who lives in Teaneck.
