Holy Madness comes to you live from shutdown and shut-in Jerusalem with some cutting questions and good thoughts before Pesach in the time of coronavirus.

Living in a Bubble World (Episode 26)

Aug 7th, 2019 1h 29m

Living in a Bubble WorldThis episode starts off light and then drills into experiential aspects of the three weeks between the fast of the 17th of the month Tammuz and the fast of the 9th of the month of Av. We discuss that summertime sadness

Extra Madness: Meir-Simchah on Tisha BAv at Omega Institute (5777)

Aug 2nd, 2019 23m 28s

This is a mind-blowing, impromptu talk on Tisha B'Av, the day the Temple was destroyed. It was given by Meir-Simchah at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York, 2017. All the main ideas come from Meir-Simchah's rabbi (a fact noted before the

Extra Madness by Meir-Simchah: On Tisha b’Av, Day of the Temple’s Destruction, Day of Truth

Jul 17th, 2018 26m 37s

We interrupt the regular flow of Holy Madness to bring you this Extra Madness in preparation for Tisha b'Av (the 9th day of the month of Av). Tisha b'Av is the day the 2nd Temple was destroyed, the day the 1st Temple was destroyed, and the day

Episode 18b: The Answers - What Are The Questions?

Jun 14th, 2018 41m 39s

Tzvi's burning question is who wrote the Torah and when? Meir-Simchah is miffed by his co-host's heresy. It ends well. Tzvi neither burns up Torah, nor burns at the stake (yet). Then Meir-Simchah confesses to burning over questions like how do

Episode 18a: Burning Questions, Burning Bush

Jun 5th, 2018 1h 7m

We open up with some extended housekeeping which will excite any Global Zionist Conspiracy theorist. We explain our long hiatus, technical problems, and adventures with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard; we digress about the crash of 2008, Icelan

Episode 17: Unintelligent Design

May 3rd, 2018 1h 6m

How can there be both free will and divine providence? If divine providence is everywhere and all the time, does everything have meaning or nothing? When doesn’t God care about you? Could unintelligent design be better for God? What’s the role

Episode 16: What To Live For?

Apr 21st, 2018 1h 4m

Episode 16 starts off with some light and personal review of Passover, then charges forward in time (and the counting of the omer) to Israel's 70th birthday. We zoom in on how Israel marks Memorial Day and Independence Day back-to-back and comp

Episode 15: Holy Madness Reads The Haggadah

Mar 24th, 2018 1h 39m

Continuing in the Passover suite, here is Holy Madness reading the Haggadah. Insights abound, and for first timers, this is a fantastic way to introduce yourself to the text of the Haggadah! You'll learn different traditional tunes, too. Enjoy

Episode 14: Passover Introduction - Freedom Through Words

Mar 15th, 2018 1h 1m

Let my Episode 14 go!This episode is an overview of Passover - what is being celebrated, why, and how.We discuss the oddly universal celebration of our little nation's holiday commemorating its emancipation, the themes and imagery of the holi

Episode 13: Religion - Education vs Ideology

Mar 12th, 2018 50m 16s

Its the long awaited Episode 13!Sarah returns as a special guest. We discuss our favorite books in the bible (SPOILER ALERT: IT IS NOT CHRONICLES), and segue into a conversation about education within religion.We compare belief and ideology,

Episode 12b: Randomness

Feb 26th, 2018 1h 13m

Here it is, earlier than promised - Episode 12b of this year's "Purim suite"!We discuss randomness (with a meandering random way of getting to it), then explain how the random nature of the universe is what gives us choice. Choice is the bedro

Episode 12a: Purim and the Book of Esther

Feb 22nd, 2018 1h 5m

In honor of the upcoming holiday of Purim...here is Episode 12a of the Holy Madness! Join us as we explore a little bit about the holiday, and do a quick overview of the central book about it - the Book of Esther. We tease out the farcical ton

Episode 11: Social Justice Worshipers

Feb 16th, 2018 1h 12m

Your patience has been rewarded! Join us as we explore the odd parallels between the postmodern "social justice" beliefs system and religion. We visit economics and financial markets, black swans, epistemology, facts and "alternative facts",

Episode 10: Tu B’Shvat

Jan 31st, 2018 1h 3m

Happy Tu B'Shvat to those celebrating or not!This epsiode takes a good look at Tu B'Shvat the holiday, tracing it from the Mishna to modern day. Along the way we discuss the halachot (Jewish Law) of produce, why Man likes tree metaphors so muc

Episode 9: Betting Against Pascal

Jan 25th, 2018 1h 3m

We've done it again! The Episode 9 has landed! This is one small step for Holy Madness, but one great leap for all mankind. We explore why Tzvi won't convert to Christianity. (Yes, he is just as surprised as you are.) Along the way, we get int

Episode 8: The Pursuit of Happiness

Jan 18th, 2018 1h 5m

It's Episode 8 as the Holy Madness continues, this time welcoming special guest Adam K into the studio to discuss happiness!Listen in as we question, what is happiness? How do people find it? Is it worth looking for? Where would be a good plac

Episode 7: Iran, And Here I Am

Jan 11th, 2018 1h 11m

Oh my, we've done it again! Another fantastic episode, this time about Iran/Persia, exile, redemption, identity, and way, way more. (This episode was recorded during the protests taking place in Iran in 2018.)We discuss Iran as a country (tak

Episode 6: Prayer - Where Are You Now

Jan 4th, 2018 1h

Episode 6 is finally here, and with a special guest in the studio! Sarah joins us in our meandering exploration of prayer. We go through some Facebook comments on Meir Simcha's post on prayer, discuss different conceptions of prayer, introduce

Episode 5: Jerusalem Is Calling

Dec 24th, 2017 1h 6m

Join us as we take a look at Jerusalem, moving from sacred cities and divided cities in general to Jerusalem in particular, and ending up with a deep look at what makes Jerusalem so special in the first place. (This episode comes at the point

Episode 4: Find the Light, or Become it?

Dec 16th, 2017 1h 6m

Grab some latkes and/or eggnog and join us for our fourth episode, where we discuss winter light festivals, light and darkness, metaphors, get into some of the differences between Christmas and Hannukah, reminisce on holiday season growing up,

Episode 3: If I Am Not For Myself, Who Will Be?

Dec 5th, 2017 1h 3m

Join us as we talk about the German migrant issue, teasing apart the political talking points to get into the heart of the matter - identity.We clocked in at just about an hour here, and hopefully addressed some of the sound issues.As always,

Episode 2: Why Do Bad Ideas Happen To Good People?

Nov 22nd, 2017 1h 38m

It's Episode 2! Where else can you find an earnest discussion of Richard Dawkins, sin and mistakes, evolution, paradigm shifts, and Torah, that isn't a sarcastic take down of religion, but a search for self improvement and spiritual growth?Ri

Episode 1 - First Die: Anomie, Israel-Palestine

Nov 19th, 2017 1h 33m

Our maiden voyage!Join us as we discuss a news article about the horrors of daily life in Gaza, and tackle some points about Israel-Palestine.Article discussed in the podcast available here - https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/palestini

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