The Gray Area with Sean Illing

A rabbi explains how to make sense of suffering

Jul 27, 2020

David Wolpe, a prominent rabbi at Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, shares profound insights on suffering and meaning in life. He discusses how to navigate grief and transform loss into personal growth, urging listeners to embrace discomfort while seeking meaning. Wolpe emphasizes the power of community and faith to bridge societal divides and combat despair. He also reflects on the essence of prayer, personal action, and the importance of turning anger into constructive efforts, inspiring hope amid challenges.

57:37

Episode guests

David Wolpe

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Intro

2min

Navigating Suffering and Spiritual Connection

14min

Transforming Loss into Meaningful Growth

4min

Transforming Anger into Action

4min

Rising from Despair

6min

The Essence of Prayer and Personal Action

7min

Embracing Suffering and Faith

19min

In this special crossover episode of Vox's Future Perfect series, The Way Through, Co-host Sean Illing talks to David Wolpe, senior rabbi at Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, about God and how to make sense of suffering in human life.

Relevant resources:

Making Loss Matter : Creating Meaning in Difficult Times by Rabbi David Wolpe

Religion without God: Alain de Botton on "atheism 2.0." by Sean Iling

Featuring:

David Wolpe (@RabbiWolpe), senior rabbi at Sinai Temple in Los Angeles

Host:

Sean Illing (@Seanilling), senior interviews writer, Vox

More to explore:

Subscribe to Vox’s Future Perfect newsletter, which breaks down the big, complicated problems the world faces and the most efficient ways to solve them.

About Vox:

Vox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines.

Please consider making a contribution to Vox to support this show: bit.ly/givepodcasts. Your support will help us keep having ambitious conversations about big ideas.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts

Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.