The Wildescast

What is the connection between the holiday of Purim and the series of Parshas that we are currently reading detailing the building of the Tabernacle? The answer reveals the solution to a significant issue currently facing the Jewish community - is Judaism about the practice of mitzvot, or the philosophy behind them? To watch the video version of this sermon and more inspiring video content from Rabbi Wildes, subscribe to the Youtube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/markwildesmje

In the final part of our series on the divinity and authenticity of the Torah, Rabbi Wildes sits down with Rabbi/Dr. Jeremy England. Dr. England has been called the next Charles Darwin by various respected scientists in his field due to his research on the spontaneous emergence of life. Despite this background which on the surface would seem to run counter to a Creationist view of the world as well as not growing up in an observant household or community, Dr. England came to believe in the divinity of the Torah later in life as he started delving deeper into the text. In this fascinating conversation, we discuss what he specifically sees in the Torah to indicate its divinity, his problem with the oft-cited argument of intelligent design for God's creation of the world, the limitations of Science and how they are similar to atheistic arguments against the existence of God, being a character in a Dan Brown novel and more. You can follow Dr. England on Twitter @LifeLikePhysics and buy his incredible book "Every Life is on Fire" wherever books are sold. TimeStamps: Maintaining Belief as a Physicist (2:40) Spontaneous Emergence of Life (9:30) Intelligent Design Argument (13:20) Torah vs. Science (18:40) The Divinity of the Torah (26:30) Belief in the Divine Creator (45:00) Power of Prayer (53:00) Limitations of Science (1:03:00) Dan Brown and God Tapping You on the Shoulder (1:09:00)

WOW! What a conversation. In Part 2 of our series on the authenticity and divinity of the Torah, Rabbi Wildes speaks with Rabhi Avraham Arieh Trugman - a Rennaisance Rabbi who has written over 20 books and has produced 9 albums of original music - about the incomprehensible depth of the text of the Torah. Rabbi Trugman specializes in utilizing the ancient method of Torah study known as Pardes which synthesizes multiple perspectives, from the basic text to the mystical meaning to illuminate a divine design hidden within the seemingly endless wisdom of the Torah. We discuss how viewing the Torah as a code of interconnectivity and not just a storybook or a book of laws, sparks inspiration and reveals a whole new perspective that many today are yearning for. Is Gematria just a trick or is there something deep going on? How does the universal language of music and modern physics align with the Biblical story of Creation? Are the stories of our forefathers and foremothers just stories or are they archetypical in nature and have a lasting impact on the psyche of the Jewish people, affecting events far into the future? This was an absolutely incredible conversation that is a perfect contrast to last week's episode with Rabbi/Dr. Joshua Berman. You do NOT want to miss this! Timestamps: Pardes and the Interconnectivity of Torah (4:15) Gematria (19:15) Inspiring Today's Generation (32:00) Biblical Archetypes (40:00) Free Will vs. Divine Determinism (50:00) Mystical Power of Music (1:02:00)

It is difficult not to get envious of what other people have in a world where everything is shared on social media. Here are 3 steps rooted in our ancient tradition that you can take not to feel that horrible feeling of jealousy when you see others people in your life succeed. Follow Rabbi Mark Wildes: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RabbiMarkWildesMJE/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/RabbiWildes/ Podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/5OD2ziql Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@markwildesmje Follow MJE: Website: https://www.jewishexperience.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ManhattanJewishExperience/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/M_J_experience/

In part 1 of a 3 part series on the authenticity of the divine nature of the Torah, Rabbi Wildes speaks with Rabbi/Dr. Joshua Berman, who is infamous for his biblical scholarship. He is a Bible professor at Bar-Ilan University and his articles on biblical theology and contemporary society have appeared in the pages of Mosaic Magazine and The Wall Street Journal. We discuss Dr. Berman's biggest reason for believing in the divine authorship of the Torah, whether the often cited Kuzari argument of "mass revelation" is good evidence for the Torah's divinity, evidence in Egyptian writings for the Exodus, whether the Torah had multiple authors, and more. Topics/Timestamps: Best Argument for Torah's Divinity (3:40) The Kuzari Argument of Mass Revelation (11:00) Documentary Hypothesis of Multiple Authorship (17:30) The Exodus (33:00) Does Historical Accuracy Matter? (46:00) Reforming Jewish Education (54:00) Follow Rabbi Wildes on Instagram at Instagram.com/RabbiWildes and please give a rating and review as it helps get these important conversations out to a wider audience.

Yuval David is an actor, director, professor, and activist who focuses primarily on LGBTQ and Jewish issues. Many Orthodox Jews lament that their brothers and sisters on the Left do not fight back against antisemitism when it comes from that side of the ideological aisle. Nobody could say that about Yuval. In this exhilarating conversation, Yuval discusses how he combats the identity-based arguments of the Left which paint Israel as an oppressor, receiving pushback from the LGBTQ community for his Israel advocacy, the key to uniting the Jewish community and so much more. Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:07:30 - Speaking the Language of the Left 00:10:45 - Oppressor vs. Oppressed 00:21:50 - Jewish Resilience 00:26:45 - Changing the Jewish Narrative 00:33:10 - Gays for Palestine 00:42:00 - Breaking the Right/Left Paradigm 00:47:18 - Uniting the Jewish Community 00:54:30 - Jewish Education 01:01:30 - Saying Goodbye + Outro

"Jews are white." "Israel is an apartheid state." Hearing these inflammatory comments can be distressing but understanding the root ideology behind these assertions is the only way to truly fight back against it. David Bernstein, the Founder of the Jewish Institute for Liberal Values and author of Woke Antisemitism: How a Progressive Ideology Harms Jews is a self-described liberal who is fighting back against antisemitism on the political Left by informing everyday people on the convoluted ideology that drives undue hatred towards Israel and race-based attacks on Jews as oppressors. We discussed whether the political Left is no longer upholding classical liberal values, if canceling those who espouse antisemitic views is productive, how Critical Race Theory drives Left-Wing antisemitism, why the seemingly virtuous value of "equity" is really destructive, and more. Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:06:30 - Cancel Culture 00:08:40 - Woke Antisemitism 00:19:50 - Critical Race Theory 00:22:32 - Whoopi Goldberg 00:25:10 - Canceling Antisemites 00:29:32 - Being a True Ally 00:36:16 - Equity 00:51:14 - Uniting the Jewish Community Follow Rabbi Mark Wildes: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RabbiMarkWildesMJE/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/RabbiWildes/ Podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/5OD2ziql Follow MJE: Website: https://www.jewishexperience.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ManhattanJewishExperience/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/M_J_experience/

An incredible story from my teacher Rabbi Shlomo Riskin of the time he traveled to the Soviet Union in 1970 and received the answer to a question in the Torah that had been bothering him for decades - from an 18-year-old. Follow Rabbi Mark Wildes: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RabbiMarkWildesMJE/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/RabbiWildes/ Podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/5OD2ziql Follow MJE: Website: https://www.jewishexperience.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ManhattanJewishExperience/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/M_J_experience/

How is it possible that a lifelong antisemite converts to Judaism? How is it possible that an ardent secular Jew who passionately asserts that the Torah is not of divine origin returns to observance?

Antisemitism is on the rise across the political spectrum. However, is antisemitism on the Left not getting the same coverage as antisemitism coming from figures like Kanye West? Dumisani Washington returns, this time in person, to discuss who is covering for these antisemites, whether the Biden administration is culpable, and his recent experience traveling to South Africa. Plus, Martin Luther King's hidden history with Israel and a breakdown of the controversial "Synagogue of Satan" verse in the New Testament which antisemites use to discredit the lineage of the Jewish people. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:03:15 - Left-Wing Antisemitism 00:15:00 - South Africa 00:23:45 - Biden Administration 00:29:55 - "Uppity Blacks" Accused of Wrongthink 00:34:55 - Martin Luther King Jr. & Israel 00:47:55 - Black Lives Matter 00:51:00 - Synagogue of Satan Follow Rabbi Mark Wildes: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RabbiMarkWildesMJE/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/RabbiWildes/ Podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/5OD2ziql Follow MJE: Website: https://www.jewishexperience.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ManhattanJewishExperience/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/M_J_experience/