
Meditations with Zohar
Meditations with Zohar, a podcast hosted by Zohar Atkins will follow Zohar and his guests discussing big ideas at the intersection of philosophy, theology, art, and culture, bringing a personal and heartfelt touch to ideas that can often seem abstract, impersonal, and merely academic. Meditations with Zohar is an invitation to experience ourselves not just as logical beings, but as beings in pursuit of meaning, awe, and, enduring questions.Meditations with Zohar is a production of SoulShop and Lyceum Studios.
Latest episodes

Aug 24, 2022 • 1h 7min
Michael Eisenberg: The Theology and Technology of Place S1 E15
This week Zohar is joined by Venture Capitalist and Torah Scholar Michael Eisenberg to discuss his unique synthesis of business, tech, theology, and Biblical interpretation. They discuss the meaning of place in Jewish theology and contemporary life, what's wrong and right with mysticism, how sharing a religious code enables trust, how to create social change, pronatalism, and the possibility of wisdom in a secular age.Meditations with Zohar is supported by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, bridging the gap between big ideas and real world problems.Read more from Zohar at his Torah newsletter Etz Hasadeh or his philosophy newsletter What is Called Thinking.Meditations with Zohar is a production of SoulShop and Lyceum Studios.

Aug 10, 2022 • 1h 53min
Agnes Callard: Socrates, Founder of Conceptual Literacy S1 E14
This week Zohar is joined by Public Philosopher and UChicago Professor Agnes Callard to discuss the life and legacy of Socrates, trolls and sophists, knowledge and inspiration, therapy, color, mysticism, identity politics, the idealism of youth, how to be a good conversationalist, and when to defer.Meditations with Zohar is supported by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, bridging the gap between big ideas and real world problems.Read more from Zohar at his Torah newsletter Etz Hasadeh or his philosophy newsletter What is Called Thinking.Meditations with Zohar is a production of SoulShop and Lyceum Studios.

Jul 27, 2022 • 59min
Jamal Greene: Law and Justice S1 E13
This week, Zohar is joined by Law Professor and public intellectual Jamal Greene, to talk about his new book, How Rights Went Wrong, the importance of compromise, Robert Cover, Hegel, parenting, Moses and Aaron, and the pitfalls of juristocracy.Meditations with Zohar is supported by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, bridging the gap between big ideas and real world problems.Read more from Zohar at his Torah newsletter Etz Hasadeh or his philosophy newsletter What is Called Thinking.Meditations with Zohar is a production of SoulShop and Lyceum Studios.

Jul 13, 2022 • 52min
Bill Kristol: Philosophy and Politics S1 E12
This week, Zohar is joined by writer, editor, and public intellectual, Bill Kristol, to discuss the danger of nostalgia and the virtue of moderation, the Biblical conflict between kings and prophets, the wisdom of Talmudic debate, the teaching of Leo Strauss, the ambiguous legacy of the American Founding, and whether history has ended.Meditations with Zohar is supported by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, bridging the gap between big ideas and real world problems.Read more from Zohar at his Torah newsletter Etz Hasadeh or his philosophy newsletter What is Called Thinking.Meditations with Zohar is a production of SoulShop and Lyceum Studios.

12 snips
Jun 29, 2022 • 1h 20min
Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg: Rumors of Angels S1 E11
This week, Zohar is joined by acclaimed teacher and Bible scholar, Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg, to discuss the irony and anguish of the human condition, the grandeur of spiritual life, Midrash as the unconscious of Scripture, how scholars are like saints, and Kafka’s definition of literature as an axe that breaks the frozen sea within us.Meditations with Zohar is supported by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, bridging the gap between big ideas and real world problems.Read more from Zohar at his Torah newsletter Etz Hasadeh or his philosophy newsletter What is Called Thinking.Meditations with Zohar is a production of SoulShop and Lyceum Studios.

Jun 15, 2022 • 50min
Teresa Bejan: It's Not Good To Be Alone S1 E10
This week, Zohar is joined by political philosopher and public intellectual Teresa Bejan to discuss civil and uncivil disagreement, the virtues of localism, why she might have been a winemaker, the necessity of both conflict and forbearance, how to teach liberal arts inclusively, and the wisdom of Roger Williams and Hobbes.Meditations with Zohar is sponsored by Cometeer, an exceptional new coffee company using cutting-edge technology to preserve and deliver specialty coffee in its purest, most original form. Use the link cometeer.com/zohar to get $20 off your first order.Read more from Zohar at his Torah newsletter Etz Hasadeh or his philosophy newsletter What is Called Thinking.Meditations with Zohar is a production of SoulShop and Lyceum Studios.

Jun 1, 2022 • 1h 13min
Rae Armantrout: Poetry in the Age of the Influencer S1 E9
This week, Zohar is joined by acclaimed poet Rae Armantrout to talk about the meaning of influence, the importance of artistic community, how poetry is like prophecy, whether art guards against paranoia or induces it, and how to juggle aesthetic complexity with ethical commitment and political urgency.Meditations with Zohar is sponsored by Cometeer, an exceptional new coffee company using cutting-edge technology to preserve and deliver specialty coffee in its purest, most original form. Use the link cometeer.com/zohar to get $20 off your first order.Read more from Zohar at his Torah newsletter Etz Hasadeh or his philosophy newsletter What is Called Thinking.Meditations with Zohar is a production of SoulShop and Lyceum Studios.

May 18, 2022 • 1h 9min
Matt Levine: Delight Is Underrated S1 E8
This week Zohar is joined by Matt Levine, Bloomberg Columnist and author of Money Stuff, to talk about the emotional life of the writer, what we can learn from the lyric poet Archilochus, the ethics of Jacob's trade with Esau, the tension between truth and politics in the workplace, the history of finance, and why delight is its own reward.Meditations with Zohar is sponsored by Cometeer, an exceptional new coffee company using cutting-edge technology to preserve and deliver specialty coffee in its purest, most original form. Use the link cometeer.com/zohar to get $20 off your first order.Read more from Zohar at his Torah newsletter Etz Hasadeh or his philosophy newsletter What is Called Thinking.Meditations with Zohar is a production of SoulShop and Lyceum Studios.

May 4, 2022 • 1h 4min
Tara Isabella Burton: Getting Real S1 E7
This week, Zohar is joined by Tara Isabella Burton, novelist, theologian, and journalist, to discuss new age religion, "best self-ism," the allure of the virtual, remix culture, whether Jesus would have had an anonymous Twitter account, and how to get real.Meditations with Zohar is sponsored by Cometeer, an exceptional new coffee company using cutting-edge technology to preserve and deliver specialty coffee in its purest, most original form. Use the link cometeer.com/zohar to get $20 off your first order.Read more from Zohar at his Torah newsletter Etz Hasadeh or his philosophy newsletter What is Called Thinking.Meditations with Zohar is a production of SoulShop and Lyceum Studios.

Apr 20, 2022 • 1h 34min
Nick Gillespie: Autonomy and Empathy S1 E6
This week, Zohar is joined by Nick Gillespie, public intellectual and editor at large of Reason Magazine, to discuss creative disruption, the legacy of David Foster Wallace, why libertarians and postmodernists should be friends, the underestimated importance of art and culture in politics, and how to live with epistemic humility.Meditations with Zohar is sponsored by Cometeer, an exceptional new coffee company using cutting-edge technology to preserve and deliver specialty coffee in its purest, most original form. Use the link cometeer.com/zohar to get $20 off your first order.Read more from Zohar in his Torah newsletter Etz Hasadeh or his philosophy newsletter What is Called Thinking.Meditations with Zohar is a production of SoulShop and Lyceum Studios.
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