Latest Urj Podcast Episodes
Introducing 72 Miles til Kentucky
Modern Torah - February 12, 2024 16:00 - 6 minutesThis is a bit of a break from the regular Modern Torah feed, but I want to share a new, limited-series podcast with you that I've just released. It's called 72 Miles til Kentucky, and it's a storytelling podcast all about Jewish life in my home state. Here's the quick blurb. You can check out th...
Moses Benjamin Ezekiel
Modern Torah - December 21, 2023 15:00 - 9 minutesThis week, I was reading about the final stages of the plan to remove the Confederate Veterans Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. The memorial, if you’ve never seen it, is atrocious. It’s the tallest structure in the cemetery, for starters, and it’s covered with racist, apologist imagery t...
Elvis & Wisdom
Modern Torah - December 15, 2023 12:00 - 8 minutesSometimes, when I'm feeling bored in shul I flip to the back of the book, and read Pirkei Avot. There's a particular passage, in the fifth chapter, that I often find myself turning to, especially in weeks that I'm feeling old. Like this week. Because this year, and this week's Torah portion Mike...
An Israelite in Egyptian Clothing
Modern Torah - December 08, 2023 13:00 - 7 minutesI went to graduate school at Brandeis University, and if I hadn't, I would've gone to law school at the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law, in Louisville, KY, where the first Jewish justice to sit on the Supreme Court was born, and raised. But what if I told you that story was almost wildly differe...
The Two Obadiahs
Modern Torah - November 30, 2023 21:00 - 8 minutesObadiah, Ovadiah. Obadi-ah. However you pronounce it, you might not remember it, but Obadiah is the name of the shortest book in the Hebrew Bible, and the Haftorah portion the rabbis chose to pair with this week's Torah portion, Vayishlach. Music Courtesy of Chillhop Records: Leavv, Maduk - Co...
Two Nations Under Cucumbers
Modern Torah - November 14, 2023 14:00 - 10 minutesThis week, I'm all about cucumbers. This humble vegetable, which the Talmud calls a delicacy of kings, became an internet craze a few years ago when Macka B released his "Cucumber Rap." Check it out in my source sheet for this episode. The Talmud has a lot to say about cucumbers, including a di...
Repost: Choosing Choiceless Choices
Modern Torah - November 13, 2023 14:00 - 8 minutesI updated my phone this week, which made it a great time to repost this episode, from two years ago. What does it mean to actually have choice? Are the choices we see the actual choices that we have? Are we supposed to pick a path through the woods, or turn around, or just sit in the mud and cry...
The Life of Sarah...The Death of Pearl
Modern Torah - November 10, 2023 01:00 - 14 minutesThere's a poem I've been reading recently, a long form epic poem originally written in Yiddish, about a Jewish blacksmith who settles down in rural Kentucky, in the mid-19th century. It's part of a project called 72 Miles, which I'm about to release, but this week I couldn't get away from a scen...
Prayers & Kids
Modern Torah - November 02, 2023 18:00 - 12 minutesThis might be a bold statement, but there are probably few things in the world that cause people to pray more than children. We pray for their health, their safety, their growth, that they’ll find their place in this chaotic world. Even if you don’t have kids, you’re probably praying for them, a...
Isaac and Ishmael: A West Wing Special
Modern Torah - October 26, 2023 14:00 - 10 minutesIt took me a while, these past few weeks, overseas, In Israel, and here at home. It took a while to figure out what was going on and why I felt so strongly, feelings that seem to move, strangely, in too many directions at once. It wasn’t until President Biden’s speech in Israel, and his warning...
Great in Goodness
Modern Torah - October 20, 2023 17:00 - 9 minutesI thought long and hard about whether or not I wanted to weigh in on the current crisis in Israel. In the end, I couldn't not, and I found myself turning as I often do to the words of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. Shabbat Shalom. -- Music Provided by Lofi Girl: Promise Due - Kinissue & A...
What's In a Name? Part Two
Generous Change - August 11, 2022 20:55 - 52 minutes ★★★★★ - 12 ratingsOn day 1656, it’s part two of “What’s in a name?” We dig into the “Generous” in Generous Change. It’s amazing how many things one little word can mean. For us, generosity lies in time, attention and opinion. What does “generous” mean to you? When do you feel most generous? When have other people...
What's In a Name? Part One
Generous Change - July 11, 2022 16:21 - 46 minutes ★★★★★ - 12 ratingsMore than 1627 days ago, we chose to name our business (and our podcast!) Generous Change. Coming up with a name was crazy hard! So, we're reflecting on its meaning, how much Generous Change represents not only our business, but who we are and who we want to be for the amazing people we serve. I...
Leadership Is...
Generous Change - June 15, 2022 14:46 - 40 minutes ★★★★★ - 12 ratingsLeaders eat last. Lead from every seat. Leaders are made not born. When it comes to leadership, you can find plenty of corporate jargon and coffee mug slogans. What we forget is a leader is someone people follow - for good or for bad. On day 1607 of entrepreneurship, we're digging into what le...
It's Been A Minute - 048
Generous Change - May 23, 2022 19:08 - 53 minutes ★★★★★ - 12 ratingsWe're still here! But it's been a minute...or six months...since our last podcast. On day 1593 of entrepreneurship we're going behind-the-scenes on where we've been, lessons we've learned, painful personal growth 2022 has forced us into, and where we're goin' if the universe allows it. There's s...
Emerging Backwards – Achrei Mot 5782
Modern Torah - April 15, 2022 16:00 - 8 minutesIt's a critical question that the rabbis debate, partially in response to last week's Torah portion, and partially in response this week's parsha. "Is emerging backwards still emerging?" "Well no," says Rabbi Shmuel, "and here's why." "I agree that the answer is no, but not with how you got t...
I Don't Know? – Metzora 5782
Modern Torah - April 07, 2022 19:00 - 6 minutesWe're still on leprosy this week in the Torah portion. There's beauty in things that peel, as we see in nature. I ordered some trees this week that shed their bark in beautiful curls of golden and orange, because I want to bring that beauty into my yard, even if it looks to some like the trees h...
Excelsior!
Modern Torah - March 18, 2022 16:00 - 9 minutesIn this week's Torah portion, Aaron is invested as high priest, as are his sons, in a lavish ceremony before the entire Israelite community. It's a high moment for Aaron, a week before his world will fall apart. I don't know why the rabbis segmented the Torah portions this way, but perhaps its a...
Excelsior! – Tzav 5782
Modern Torah - March 18, 2022 16:00 - 9 minutesIn this week's Torah portion, Aaron is invested as high priest, as are his sons, in a lavish ceremony before the entire Israelite community. It's a high moment for Aaron, a week before his world will fall apart. I don't know why the rabbis segmented the Torah portions this way, but perhaps its a...
Asking & Listening – Vayikra 5782
Modern Torah - March 11, 2022 14:00 - 3 minutesIt's been a long wait, but shows are starting to pop up in my media stream again. One of my favorites returned after a long hiatus (what else is new?) for it's 5th and final season. Watching the first few episodes, I couldn't escape its relationship to this week's Torah portion, and the work of ...
Moving Forward, Slowly – Vayetzi 5782
Modern Torah - November 12, 2021 13:00 - 9 minutesWe're halfway through November, which means the end of 2021 is coming up quickly. With a few weeks left in the year, I took a moment this week to reflect on some goals I'd set at the start of the year, how much progress I've made towards them, and where I find myself as the year wraps up. The T...
Moving Forward, Slowly
Modern Torah - November 12, 2021 13:00 - 9 minutesWe're halfway through November, which means the end of 2021 is coming up quickly. With a few weeks left in the year, I took a moment this week to reflect on some goals I'd set at the start of the year, how much progress I've made towards them, and where I find myself as the year wraps up. The T...
S2E3: Greetings from Santa Fe
Generous Change - November 10, 2021 17:14 - 45 minutes ★★★★★ - 12 ratingsHow do you recenter? Refocus? Recharge? For us, it’s a RETREAT! What better way to reaffirm your purpose, restate your core values and reignite your excitement than a beautiful getaway? This year, we headed to Santa Fe for great food, a tough hike, a spa experience and 4 days of focused, creati...
Choosing Choiceless Choices
Modern Torah - November 05, 2021 15:00 - 8 minutesTwo roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. This week, I put Robert Frost's famous poem—"The Road Not Taken"— in conversation with our weekly Torah portion, Toldot. The parsha covers the story of Isaac, including the exchange bet...
S2 E2: You're Hired!
Generous Change - October 29, 2021 19:39 - 54 minutes ★★★★★ - 12 ratingsWE’VE HIRED! As we eek ever-closer to 4 years of entrepreneurship, we’ve hired our very first Chief Growth Officer for Generous Change. We were blown away by the awesome applicants who responded to our job posting. If you’re experiencing any part of The Great Resignation - whether you’re on your...
Looking Up & Laughing
Modern Torah - October 22, 2021 15:00 - 5 minutesI finally set my television up after moving in, which meant last Sunday morning was the perfect time to break in the new space with a fine home cinema experience. Naturally I picked Ferris Bueller's Day Off, because I love it, and because it's leaving Netflix at the end of this month. What I did...
S2E1: Why We Closed For a Month
Generous Change - October 19, 2021 13:28 - 28 minutes ★★★★★ - 12 ratingsWe closed for one whole month?! If you’ve ever dreamed of a little sabbatical or at least more than the standard 2-weeks of vacation per year, we’re right there with you! In our high hopes to prioritize vacation, we’re exploring how closing the business for 30 days worked…and didn’t. On day 1415...
Trusting & Thriving Four Generations On
Modern Torah - October 15, 2021 13:00 - 5 minutesGetting to this episode has been a journey. I took a break in May 2021, after producing 59 episodes, with plans to return in September 2021, at the start of the Jewish New Year. Then my wife and I bought a house, and life got busy with housework. Then my mother's illness took a turn for the wors...
Focus - 044
Generous Change - June 21, 2021 13:45 - 50 minutes ★★★★★ - 12 ratingsOn day 1275 of entrepreneurship, we're at the very edge of launching our brand new major gifts course for small nonprofits called Raise Money. Check it out and register here! Warning: there's a bit of rambling in the first 8 minutes of this long-delayed podcast because we just needed a dang brea...
Roots of Rebellion
Modern Torah - June 11, 2021 19:00 - 6 minutesThis may come as a surprise, or not, especially if you know me, but I identify with Korach the much demonized revolutionary who gathers followers and challenges Moses's leadership in this week's Torah portion. Most of Jewish history makes Korach out to be the bad guy—seeking power for power's sa...
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