Collection
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 life-long student of the Torah along with Rabbi Adam Mintz; the premier orthodox conversion Rabbi, we publish the Madlik Disruptive Torah Podcast on your favorite podcast platform, on Youtube and on Substack.
madlik.substack.com/Sheets
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Blind, Deaf, and ChosenParshat Emor - For the second parsha in a row, the Torah mentions the blind and the deaf. We use this as an opportunity to explore the Torah's perspective on the visually and hearing impaired and to interview two Israelis experts dedicated to serving this community.
You are what you eat, or are you?Parshat Shemini - While Passover celebrates freedom, it does it with a restrictive diet. The Book of Leviticus introduces the Kosher diet and gives us an opportunity to explore how food can uplift, unite, inspire, delight but also disgust, divide and impoverish.
The Politics of LOVEParshat Achrei Mot-Kedoshim - Love your Neighbor as Yourself, often viewed through the lens of Christianity which popularized it and not through Leviticus where it originated. We fix that flaw with the help of Shlomo Riskin, Shai Held and John Rawls' Theory of Justice as Fairness
The Second SexParshat Tazria-Metzora - The Book of Leviticus introduces the laws of personal purity with the laws of childbirth and we explore the unique perspective that the Hebrew Bible and Rabbinic sources have on gender and sex.
A New Meaning of MatzahParshat Vayikra - Leviticus opens its treatment of the sacrifices with the meal offering of unleavened cakes. The Rabbis ascribe the showcasing of this simple gift to the purity of intent of the poor and we use it to add a new perspective on the iconic start to our Seder.
The Freedom Seder: A Radical Midrash on the HaggadahWe explore Arthur Waskow's FREEDOM SEDER Haggadah, placing it into context and suggesting Rabbinic sources. We discover that it is far more nuanced and complex then radical progressives would have us believe and it is too rooted in Rabbinic texts for traditionalists to ignore.
The Bible's Secret SauceParshat Pekudei - The Tabernacle and its priests are ready to be dedicated and we explore the composition, context and history of the Anointment Oil as well as the generally neglected recognition of the significance of skin care and aromatherapy in the Torah.
The Tribes of IsraelParshat Tetzaveh - At the top of the hierarchy of the temple was the High Priest clothed in a breastplate and Ephod containing twelve gems representing the tribes of Israel. We explore the radical and revolutionary nature of the Tribal confederacy of Biblical Israel.
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.
Temples with no Cloud-CoverParshat Pekudei - We complete the Book of Exodus and its lengthy treatment of the construction of the Tabernacle. In so doing, we recognize the twofold message that the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the Presence of God filled the Tabernacle but also that when the cloud lifted from the Tabernacle, the Israelites would set out, on their various journeys. We use this observation to address the challenge of temples which lose their spiritual cloud-cover and ruminate on the necessity for movement in Judaism.
Electric SabbathParshat Vayakhel - The explicit prohibition of the lighting and enjoyment of fire is unique amongst the forbidden activities on Shabbat and we explore how the interpretation of this taboo affects Sabbath observance up until today.
Geoffrey Stern•213 Views•March 16, 2025•Oneg Shabbat,Shabbat,Altar Fire,Shabbat Candles,VaYakhel,Electricity,Melacha,Work (מלאכה)
Feast of FoolsPurim - We focus on the irreverent celebration of this holiday rather than its story-line and text. We review Purim within the context of other similar non-Jewish holidays of irreverence and with the guidance of Harvey Cox, the esteemed Harvard theologian.
Geoffrey Stern•339 Views•March 6, 2025•Carnival,Crossdressing,Feast of Fools,Mardi Gras,Excess,Purim,Irreverence,Holi
Purim, St. Patrick's Day, Mardi Gras & moreParshat Tzav - Grab a drink as we explore this week’s Torah reading and how it relates to Spring Folly and Spring Cleaning. Exposed to the ingredients that are used in the sacrifices we realize that Hametz, Matzah and Bread (not to mention hard liquor) have significance unrelated to the Exodus story and more related to the trials, violence as well as joys of life.
Torah on the MoveParshat Terumah - As the details of the design and furnishings of the mobile Tabernacle are introduced it becomes clear that the focal point is the Ark housing the Tablets and/or Torah. We explore the seminal concept of a people moving with their sacred text.
Geoffrey Stern•242 Views•February 23, 2025•Sefer Torah,Parshat Terumah,Ark of the Covenent,Tabernacle,Terumah,Ark
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•1960 Views•September 10, 2024•Abaye,Talmud,Rava,Greek,Despair,Anthropology,יֵאוּשׁ,Sociology
Torah - Not a Code of LawParshat Mishpatim - We look at the so-called "Code of Law" presented in Exodus, and immediately after the revelation at Sinai, through the lens of Umberto Cassuto, one of the greatest Biblical scholars unknown or ignored by Biblical scholarship.
Geoffrey Stern•373 Views•February 16, 2025•Torah,Code of Law,Mishpatim,Hammurabi,Umberto Cassuto,Parshat Mishpatim
The Art of the StealParshat Yitro - The Ten Commandments are fairly straightforward until we get to the prohibition against stealing. Turns out that the Rabbis believe that "You shall not Steal' refers to kidnapping rather than theft. We explore the Rabbis deep interest and insight into stealing.
Geoffrey Stern•271 Views•February 6, 2025•Deception,Parshat Yitro,Sleep,Yitro,Livelihood,Gambling,Theft,Stealing
Root Experience - Beyond PhilosophyParshat Beshalach - A modern Jewish philosopher takes an innocuous Midrash on the Song of the Sea to explain the revolution in post-holocaust Jewish philosophy. Citing the works of Martin Buber, Elie Wiesel and Yitz Greenberg, Emile Fackenheim coins the term Root Experience and we gain a revolutionary new understanding of the Jewish dynamic with historical thinking and a new insight into the world of Midrash.
Making Lemonade from LemonsParshat Vayigash - Joseph reconciles with his bothers and the text provides a paradigm not so much of forgiveness but rather for rehabilitation, acceptance of failure and the ability to turn a culture of grievance to a narrative of ambition and success.
Geoffrey Stern•384 Views•January 1, 2025•Blame,Reconciliation,Joseph and His Brothers,Vayigash,Forgiveness (מחילה)
SolalunaParshat Bo - According to Rabbinic tradition, the twelfth chapter of Exodus’ requirement that the Israelites take the lunar month of Aviv as the beginning of their calendrical year is the first commandment in this book of Laws. We consider the substance and ramifications of the Israelite and latter Jewish calendar in the context of other alternatives and the Exodus story itself.
Geoffrey Stern•386 Views•January 26, 2025•Rosh Hodesh,New Year,Calendar,Solar,Time of the Redemption,Parshat Bo,Moon,New Moons,Lunar
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Geoffrey Stern
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