

Xai, how are you?
Michael Sokolovsky and Xava De Cordova
Queer Jews Michael Sokolovsky and Rabbi Xava De Cordova play with the multi-millennial dialectic that is the Talmud. Join them as they throw drash, seek prophetic insight and uncover the rabbinic smuttiness inherent in the system.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 3, 2022 • 19min
112a. The Parent Trap
A listener wants to know why we say brakhot and why all the rabbis seem gay, which leads to a discussion of the perils of divine parenting. Visit our website to ask us questions at xaihowareyou.com and call or Text the Talmud Hotline at 401-484-1619 and leave us a voicemail! Sign up for Planting Cucumbers by Magic here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/planting-cucumbers-by-magic-or-how-to-get-away-with-jewish-witchcraft-tickets-309952645707 Support us on patreon at patreon.com/xaihowareyou. Follow us on twitter @xaihowareyou and @miss_figured. Music by Ben Schreiber.

Mar 27, 2022 • 19min
111a. Apology Epistemology
A dear listener writes in about an incredibly challenging roommate situation, and we discover that saying your sorry, in Judaism, requires knowing what you did! Visit our website to ask us questions at xaihowareyou.com and call or Text the Talmud Hotline at 401-484-1619 and leave us a voicemail! Support us on patreon at patreon.com/xaihowareyou. Follow us on twitter @xaihowareyou and @miss_figured. Music by Ben Schreiber.

Mar 20, 2022 • 24min
110a. Do animals have souls?
Can dogs go to heaven? What even is a soul, in Judaism? Why is it that there are so many righteous donkeys? We're doing our best to track down an answer. Visit our website to ask us questions at xaihowareyou.com and call or Text the Talmud Hotline at 401-484-1619 and leave us a voicemail! Support us on patreon at patreon.com/xaihowareyou. Follow us on twitter @xaihowareyou and @miss_figured. Music by Ben Schreiber.

Mar 13, 2022 • 25min
109a. Secular Conversion
What's the deal with secular humanist conversion? In this episode, we're doing our best to bring our own hot takes and the takes of the sages. Visit our website to ask us questions at xaihowareyou.com and call or Text the Talmud Hotline at 401-484-1619 and leave us a voicemail! Support us on patreon at patreon.com/xaihowareyou. Follow us on twitter @xaihowareyou and @miss_figured. Music by Ben Schreiber.

Mar 6, 2022 • 24min
Daf 108a. Snaking Bad
Xava is at a wedding in Texas so we're replaying a recent bonus episode. What are the various stages of male hyena transformation? What do our spines turn into after we die? Which animals are inherently naughty? Barukh HaShem, Michael is here to help us find out. Visit our website to ask us questions at xaihowareyou.com and call or Text the Talmud Hotline at 401-484-1619 and leave us a voicemail! Support us on patreon at patreon.com/xaihowareyou. Follow us on twitter @xaihowareyou and @miss_figured. Music by Ben Schreiber.

Feb 27, 2022 • 33min
107a. Veggie Heaven
A listener wanted to know: what's the deal with animal sacrifice in the world to come?! So we had the honor of having Sara Eifler of Jewish Veg on to enlighten us about some Jewish views on eating (or not eating) animals! Check out the Passover Zeder here: https://tinyurl.com/yc44c6v8
Visit our website to ask us questions at xaihowareyou.com and call or Text the Talmud Hotline at 401-484-1619 and leave us a voicemail! Support us on patreon at patreon.com/xaihowareyou. Follow us on twitter @xaihowareyou and @miss_figured. Music by Ben Schreiber.

Feb 20, 2022 • 22min
106a. God Hates Flags
Is saying the pledge of allegiance avodah zarah? Is it an oath, and if so is it allowed? A listener wanted to know, so we did our best to find out! Tune in for our findings and our usual nonsense. Visit our website to ask us questions at xaihowareyou.com and call or Text the Talmud Hotline at 401-484-1619 and leave us a voicemail! Support us on patreon at patreon.com/xaihowareyou. Follow us on twitter @xaihowareyou and @miss_figured. Music by Ben Schreiber.

Feb 13, 2022 • 22min
105a. Vacation: Animal Nature
Xava got her wisdom teeth out, so we're taking the week off. Enjoy this formally Patron-only episode about what we can learn from animals. Visit our website to ask us questions at xaihowareyou.com and call or Text the Talmud Hotline at 401-484-1619 and leave us a voicemail! Support us on patreon at patreon.com/xaihowareyou. Follow us on twitter @xaihowareyou and @miss_figured. Music by Ben Schreiber.

Feb 7, 2022 • 26min
104a. When is someone ready to convert?
A listener wants to know: do the Rabbis have anything to say about mental and emotional readiness to convert to Judaism? Well, they do and they don't! They thought a lot of different things, and we're bringing some of them to you in this hot, tasty episode. Visit our website to ask us questions at xaihowareyou.com and call or Text the Talmud Hotline at 401-484-1619 and leave us a voicemail! Support us on patreon at patreon.com/xaihowareyou. Follow us on twitter @xaihowareyou and @miss_figured. Music by Ben Schreiber.

Jan 30, 2022 • 25min
103a. What does Talmud say about mental health?
Listeners wanna know and we wanna tell you! We got a couple sugyes on how the Rabbis felt their feels and how they though we should feel ours. Some of it is good! Some of it is...weird. Visit our website to ask us questions at xaihowareyou.com and call or Text the Talmud Hotline at 401-484-1619 and leave us a voicemail! Support us on patreon at patreon.com/xaihowareyou. Follow us on twitter @xaihowareyou and @miss_figured. Music by Ben Schreiber.