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At Madlik we light a spark or shed some light on a Jewish Text or Tradition. Created by Geoffrey Stern, an ex-Yeshiva student and along with Rabbi Adam Mintz we host Madlik Disruptive Torah on clubhouse every Thursday and share it as the Madlik podcast on your favorite platform.
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Joseph Slave TradeParshat Vayeshev - The Joseph Story connects Genesis with Exodus but breaks the rule that the father's favorite first-born son is not chosen. Joseph is different than his predecessors in so many ways. He is forced to leave his home, without a blessing or a promise of return. He is beautiful, immature and tactless, wise beyond his years, wildly successful and grows up without a mother. But most important of all Joseph is sold into slavery by his brethren.
What Israel MeansParshat Vayishlach - From the first chapters of Genesis when Adam named the animals, naming in the Biblical narrative is a powerful tool which defines destiny. This process reaches a climax with the re-naming of Jacob and the birth of Israel. We explore the nuances of this name Israel, that until today defines and inspires the Jewish People and their land.
Scaling the Temple MountParshat Vayetzei - Jacob wakes up in the morning after a dream of a ladder with angels ascending and descending and declares the place holy and thus begins the various claims surrounding the sanctity of the Temple Mount. We explore the Biblical, Rabbinic, Christian, Muslim and contemporary sources to understand this turf war.
The Philistinians and the HebrewsParshat Toldot - Are we defined by our names or by the stories we tell? We explore Parashat Toldot, diving into the intricate relationships between the Philistines and ancient Israelites "up until today." Join Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz in a conversation that highlights the melting pot of cultures in ancient Israel. We reveal that the Philistines, like the Hittites and Hebrews, were newcomers to the land and for the most part contributed culturally and integrated well. When friction arose, they willingly separated and made agreements that showcased mutual recognition and trust. In a week that the 2024 cease fire between Israel and Lebanon is consummated and we in the US celebrate Thanksgiving we wonder what lessons from the past we can take to guide us in these challenging times.
The Day AfterParshat Chayei Sara - The post traumatic impact of the attempted sacrifice of Isaac is shared by all participants. We explore the entire narrative of Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, Isaac and Ishmael through the lens of trauma and healing and recognize the implications for our own generation.
Geoffrey Stern•109 Views•November 18, 2024•Ishmael,Abraham,Trauma,Reconciliation,Suffering,Sacrifice,Hagar,Chayei Sara
God Forbid!Parsha Vayera - Abraham does not argue with God on moral or ethical grounds, but primarily on a theological basis. He argues that it would not be Godlike (hallila) to act in a way unbecoming of how God is perceived; as an impartial Judge. We explore the origin and history of the expression chas v'hallilah and chas v'shalom as well as the implications of this argument.
Radical Disruption and the Birth of FaithParshat Lech L'cha - We wake up one morning and our world is in chaos. We do the most radical thing that a man can do. We leave our home, our family and our prior beliefs and we leave. Today, we follow a founder of the Abrahamic Faiths as he makes his move and we find inspiration.
Words Without BordersParshat Noah - We continue our exploration of division as a seminal force in the Creation Story of the Hebrew Bible. In this case, the
Splitting the AdamParshat Bereshit - There are those who would have us believe that in Creation, God made unity from chaos and that the Torah’s end game is to find that unity once again. We explore an alternative, counterfactual approach, where God created through division and with a goal of creating a world where divisions are emphasized, managed but definitely not erased.
Geoffrey Stern•159 Views•October 22, 2024•Unity,Creation,Bereishit,Diversity,Kiddush and Havdalah,Havdalah,Parashat Bereshit
God in ExileParshat Nitzavim-Vayeilech - God, so to speak, “joining the Jewish People in Exile”, is a radical Rabbinic concept that in the words of Rabbi Akiva would have been blasphemous had it not been supported by Scripture. We explore the source of “God in Exile” (Shechinta B’Galuta - שְׁכִינְתָּא בְּגָלוּתָא) in Rabbinic texts and ponder its ramifications for modern-day Jewish Thought.
Geoffrey Stern•288 Views•September 23, 2024•Nitzavim-Vayeilech,Shechina,Shechinta B'Galuta,Yitz Greenburg,Elie Wiesel,שְׁכִינְתָּא בְּגָלוּתָא
Lost & FoundParshat Ki Teitzei - The Torah teaches that one must return a lost object and the great sages Abaye and Rava argue over the dynamics of loss and despair! We swim in this iconic Talmudic text to find what we have lost...
Geoffrey Stern•933 Views•September 10, 2024•Despair,Greek,יֵאוּשׁ,Abaye,Anthropology,Rava,Talmud,Sociology
The Sukka will rise again..The holiday of Sukkot begins and we leave the security of our homes and dwell in the temporary booths of farmers. In previous episodes we have focused on what makes this falling dwelling so permanent and eternal, but this year, in the shadow of Oct 7th we focus on the darker side of these exposed dwellings. We also explore the potential of the sukkah and the Jewish People to rise from the ashes like the Phoenix.
Pour Out Your Wrath... or notAn analysis of the "Pour out Your Wrath" incantation to understand the propriety of it's inclusion at the most climactic moment of the Seder, and some suggestions for alternatively authentic replacements.
What's New in the Jewish New YearAn exploration of the major themes of Rosh Hashanah; Malchuyot, Zichronot and Shofarot in the context of Ancient Near Eastern New Year festivities and rites. (2016)
Jew as MetaphorParshat Ki Tavo - Moses warns the Israelites that if they do not live up to God's expectations, they will be vilified as a caricature of evil. The world will use the Jew to personify failure and depravity. We discuss the use of the Jew as metaphor in our texts and literature.
Geoffrey Stern•217 Views•September 18, 2024•Literature,Caricature,Ki Tavo,Allegory,Proverbs,Metaphor
The whole mitzvahParshat Eikev - The Book of Deuteronomy presents the Torah's various rules and regulations as a corpus. It uses a unique expression; כׇּל־הַמִּצְוָ֗ה variously translated as "All the commandment" or "instruction", the "entire mitzvah" . We explore how this impacted later Rabbinic thought and Jewish practice.
May God avenge his bloodParshat Shoftim - הי״ד the Hebrew acronym הַשֵּׁם יִקּוֹם דָּמוֹ hašém yikóm damó, “may Hashem avenge his blood” has been carved after the names of too many victims of bloodshed in the past few months. This week's parsha addresses tribalism, revenge killings and blood feuds which in the Ancient Near East, especially in the Sinai Peninsula, have a too rich history. We review the Biblical texts in light of pre-Islamic customs preserved by the Bedouin and we wonder when will it ever end.
Geoffrey Stern•235 Views•September 4, 2024•Blood Feud,Ger,Fugitive,Bedouin,Tent,Converts,Cities of Refuge,Revenge,Refuge,City of Refuge
What they say about us actually matters...Parshat Vaetchanan - The Torah proclaims that its laws are "wisdom and understanding in the sight of the nations". The nations of the world will say "this is a wise and understanding people". We discover the writings and biography of Rabbi Moshe Shmuel Glasner; a radical thinker and early religious Zionist. Based on this verse, he taught that if Torah does not match the most enlightened moral, ethical, cultural and aesthetic standards of the day.... it needs to evolve. We explore.
just warParshat Devarim - The book of Devarim is not only spoken in the first-person voice of Moses but is also a reworking and reinterpretation of earlier events. This is nowhere more apparent then in the retelling of the story of the spies where, in our disruptive reading, the spies and their generation are not blamed for being too meek, but rather.... for being too militaristic.
Geoffrey Stern•287 Views•August 7, 2024•Parashat Devarim,Devarim,Deuteronomy,Wars,Sin of the Spies,Scouts
Culture WarsParshat Matot-Masei - Moses accuses the tribes of Reuben and Gad of perpetuating the defeatist attitude of the generation of the Exodus. The word Moses uses; Tarbut, has come to mean culture and we explore how culture, in contradistinction to Torah, has evolved and continues to impact Jewish thought until today.
Geoffrey Stern•357 Views•July 31, 2024•Heresy,Tarbut,Hellenism,Domesticate,Rabbi Meir, Elisha B. Avuyah, and Bruriah,Culture
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