18Forty Podcast24 Kesä 2025

A Debate Between Yitzchak Blau & Itamar Rosensweig: Does Morality Exist Outside of Judaism?

On June 29, Eden will be hosting a webinar to speak in detail about the vision for this project. In order to register please click here or email info@edenbeitshemesh.com to find out more.

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, David Bashevkin moderates a debate between Rabbi Itamar Rosensweig and Rabbi Yitzchak Blau on whether morality exists independently of Judaism.

This is a recording of a live event hosted at Young Israel of Teaneck on May 4. In this episode we discuss:

What does it mean for God to be good, and who defines the “good” in the first place?
Do Torah Jews base their values on halacha, or something else?
Should we make any changes to halachic and moral education in the Jewish community?

Tune in to hear a conversation about how halacha and morality bring order and prioritization to our chaotic and confusing lives.

Debate begins at 10:57.

Rabbi Itamar Rosensweig is a professor of Jewish law and jurisprudence at Yeshiva University, a rabbinic judge and chaver beit din at the Beth Din of America, and the rav of the Shtiebel of Lower Merion. He holds a secondary appointment as an assistant professor of philosophy at Yeshiva College and serves as the chair of Jewish studies at the Sy Syms School of Business. He received his semikha, Yoreh Yoreh and Yadin Yadin, from RIETS, where he was a fellow of the Wexner Kollel Elyon and editor-in-chief of the Beit Yitzchak Journal of Talmudic and Halakhic Studies.

Rabbi Yitzchak Blau is the author of Fresh Fruit & Vintage Wine: Ethics and Wisdom of the Aggada and is Tradition's associate editor. He has taught at Yeshivat Hamivtar, Yeshivat Shvilei Hatorah, and the Yeshivah of Flatbush and currently also teaches at Midreshet Lindenbaum. Rabbi Blau has a BA in English Literature from YU, an MA in Medieval Jewish History from Revel, and semikha from RIETS. Rabbi Blau lives in Alon Shevut with his wife and four children.

References:

"Curb Your (Shul) Enthusiasm"

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis

Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis

Fresh Fruit & Vintage Wine: Ethics and Wisdom of the Aggada by Yitzchak Blau

HaEmunot veHaDeot by Saadia Gaon

Religion And Morality by Avi Sagi and Daniel Statman

Plato's Euthyphro

Genesis 9

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Eight Chapters by Maimonides

Halakhic Man by Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik

A Theory of Justice by John Rawls

For more 18Forty:
NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/join
CALL: (212) 582-1840
EMAIL: info@18forty.org
WEBSITE: 18forty.org
IG: @18forty
X: @18_fortyWhatsApp: join here

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(275)

Mark Trencher: Orthonomics: The Cost of Frum Life [Wealth 1/4]

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Mark Trencher - founder of Nishma Research - about finances in the Orthodox community.Mark Trencher founded Nishma Research to survey the Jewish comm...

20 Joulu 20211h 17min

Zohar Atkins: Between Philosophy and Torah [Rationality 5/5]

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Zohar Atkins, Rabbi and philosopher, about the role that philosophy - particularly rationalist philosophy - plays in Judaism.Zohar is a profound and ...

14 Joulu 20211h 8min

Simi Peters: Building New Faith Foundations [Rationality 4/5]

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Simi Peters - author and teacher - about Jewish faith and postmodernism.Simi is a scholar who is well-versed in both postmodern and Jewish thought. S...

7 Joulu 20211h 4min

Samuel Lebens: The Line Between Rationality and Mysticism [Rationality 3/5]

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Samuel Lebens - philosophy professor and author - about the interaction of Judaism with analytic philosophy and mysticism.Samuel is an analytic philo...

30 Marras 20211h 3min

Shmuel Phillips: Reclaiming Judaism [Rationality 2/5]

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to author Shmuel Phillips about the upsides and downsides of approaching Judaism rationally.Shmuel grew up debating religion, always thinking about why ...

23 Marras 20211h 22min

Anxiety and Rationality: A Personal Anonymous Account [Rationality 1/5]

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to an anonymous guest about the anxieties he experienced in a hyper rational approach to Judaism.Our anonymous identifies as a rationalist, or someone w...

16 Marras 20211h 3min

The Books of Shabbos [Shabbos 3/3]

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk about two impactful books about Shabbos and their authors.Shemiras Shabbos K’Hilchasa was a seminal work about the halachos of Shabbos in the modern day...

1 Marras 20211h 26min

The Legacy of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks

In this special episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Professor Jonathan Haidt about the late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks in honor of his yahrtzeit.Rabbi Sacks had a profound impact on the Jewish world,...

26 Loka 20211h 20min