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TEXTing

TEXTing

By: Shalom Hartman Institute
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In this special series, TEXTing: IRL – Ideas for Real Life, host Elana Stein Hain sits down with guests who are accomplished practitioners in their fields to explore how classic and modern Jewish texts can help us wrestle with and act with integrity in the face of the big dilemmas of our time. TEXTing: IRL — Ideas for Real Life: Accessible, Relevant, and Deeply Jewish. Judaism Spirituality
Episodes
  • Blessings, Curses, and Allies: Who’s Really on Our Side? – with Rori Picker Neiss

    Blessings, Curses, and Allies: Who’s Really on Our Side? – with Rori Picker Neiss
    Jun 22 2026
    With antisemitism and anti-Zionism on the rise, are Jews alone in today’s world, or is that belief a powerful myth actively shaping Jewish identity and relationships for the worse? In this episode of TEXTing IRL, Elana Stein Hain and Rabba Rori Picker Neiss, Senior Vice President of Jewish Council for Public Affairs, read Parashat Balak to explore how questions of power, fear, and vulnerability shape Jewish relationships. Drawing on biblical text, Talmudic insight, and contemporary Jewish experience, they probe how narratives about allies and enemies are formed, how they can mislead, and what it takes to stay invested in relationships, even when partners tell us what we don’t want to hear and when engagement may carry real risk. Episode Source Sheet Watch the video version of this episode ⁠here⁠. You can now sponsor an episode of TEXTing. Click HERE to learn more. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS
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    30 mins
  • Do We Still Believe in the Jewish State? – with Michael Koplow

    Do We Still Believe in the Jewish State? – with Michael Koplow
    Jun 8 2026
    Is Israel losing American Jews, or are American Jews losing sight of Israel? Maybe it’s both. In this episode of TEXTing IRL, Elana Stein Hain and Michael Koplow, Chief Policy Officer of Israel Policy Forum, turn to Parshat Sh’lach and the story of the spies in Numbers 13 to explore why many American Jews today feel overwhelmed, disillusioned, or disconnected from Israel. They unpack how fear, moral conflict, and a sense of powerlessness can erode commitment, and they explore what it would take to sustain a meaningful relationship with the Jewish state—and a shared sense of Jewish peoplehood—in this moment. Episode Source Sheet Read Masua Sagiv's "Reclaiming Mamlakhtiyut: The Road to an Inclusive Israeli Identity" from Sources: A Journal of Jewish Ideas. Watch the video version of this episode ⁠here⁠. You can now sponsor an episode of TEXTing. Click HERE to learn more. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS
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    31 mins
  • Peace, War, and Torah: What Are We Asking For? – with Yehudah Mirsky

    Peace, War, and Torah: What Are We Asking For? – with Yehudah Mirsky
    May 25 2026
    Please take 5 minutes to fill out the TEXTing IRL survey! What do we mean when we ask for peace, especially in a time of war, rising antisemitism, and deep uncertainty? In this episode of TEXTing IRL, Elana Stein Hain and Brandeis University professor Yehudah Mirsky explore the meaning of peace in Jewish thought through the priestly blessing in Parashat Naso. Drawing on Torah and contemporary reality, they unpack the difference between “negative” and “positive” peace and the tension between safety, stability, and human flourishing. The result is a more grounded and honest framework for thinking about peace today. Episode Source Sheet Watch the video version of this episode ⁠here⁠. You can now sponsor an episode of TEXTing. Click HERE to learn more. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS
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    29 mins
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