In this episode of Search for Meaning, Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback sits down with Professor Michal Bar-Asher Siegal, one of today’s leading scholars of rabbinic Judaism and early Christianity. Their conversation ranges from the ancient world to our own moment, exploring how religious traditions take shape through encounter, disagreement, and relationship.

Rabbi Yoshi first encountered Michal’s work in Israel during the World Zionist Congress, where her lecture left a lasting impression. In this episode, she shares her personal and intellectual journey—from growing up in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish world, at a time when it was still rare for women to pursue advanced Talmudic study, to becoming a major voice in the academic study of Jewish–Christian interactions in Late Antiquity.

Michal discusses her groundbreaking research comparing rabbinic texts and early Christian and monastic literature, including insights from her award-winning books Early Christian Monastic Literature and the Babylonian Talmud and Jewish–Christian Dialogues on Scripture in Late Antiquity. She explains how ancient texts reveal moments of dialogue and shared interpretation where we often assume only separation—and why those discoveries still matter today.

The conversation also turns to the present: living and teaching in Israel during painful and uncertain years, what ancient texts can teach us about resilience and endurance, and how scholarship can help us hold complexity without losing hope.

This episode is an invitation to think more deeply about boundaries and belonging, inter-religious dialogue, and the enduring power of learning to illuminate both the past and the present.

https://in.bgu.ac.il/en/humsos/goldstein-goren/pages/staff/Michal-Bar-Asher-Siegal.aspx

In this special episode of Search for Meaning, Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback sits down with Rabbi Steve Leder and Peter Himmelman for a wide-ranging conversation about friendship, faith, creativity, and the moment we are living in.

Together, they reflect on growing up Jewish in the Midwest, the quiet experiences of childhood that shape a life, and the distinct journeys that led one of them to the rabbinate and the other to music. Along the way, Steve and Peter share moments of intimate personal reflection and extraordinary creativity, exploring how Torah and song speak to one another—and how friendship can bridge different forms of spiritual expression.

The conversation also turns toward the challenges of our time: the rise of antisemitism, the pain and complexity surrounding Israel, and how to hold moral clarity, courage, and compassion without losing one’s soul.

In a powerful and unexpected closing, we witness a song come into being—born of the moment, shaped by honesty, hope, and shared humanity.

Learn more about Peter Himmelman and his music, writing, and creative work at
https://peterhimmelman.com

Learn more about Rabbi Steve Leder, his books, and teachings at
https://www.steveleder.com

Watch the conversation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNMxwC80aG8&t=1357s

In this episode of Search for Meaning, Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback is joined by his teacher, mentor, and friend, Rabbi Steve Leder, for a wide-ranging and deeply personal conversation recorded in January 2021, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Their discussion centers on Rabbi Leder’s book, The Beauty of What Remains, written after the death of his father following a long journey with Alzheimer’s. Drawing on more than three decades of rabbinic experience and his own profound loss, Rabbi Leder reflects on the non-linear nature of grief, the limitations of the “stages” model of mourning, and what he has learned from accompanying thousands of people at the end of life.

Together, they explore how memory can be both painful and sustaining, what it truly means to show up for the dying and the bereaved, and how loss can awaken a deeper appreciation for time, touch, love, and connection. With wisdom, honesty, and moments of humor, this conversation offers guidance and comfort to anyone navigating grief—or seeking a more meaningful way to live in its shadow.

Search for Meaning invites listeners into conversations that challenge, console, and inspire. This episode is a reminder that even in loss, there is beauty in what remains.

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/623578/the-beauty-of-what-remains-by-steve-leder/

In this solo episode of Search for Meaning, Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback reflects on a timely and challenging question facing the Jewish community today: How do we disagree without hating one another?

Prompted by recent remarks from Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove at the American Zionist Movement Biennial, Rabbi Yoshi explores the growing tensions within Jewish communal life — particularly around Israel — and the ways our conversations can become polarized, judgmental, and alienating, especially for younger Jews.

Turning to Parashat Vayeshev and the story of Joseph and his brothers, the episode uncovers a subtle but powerful distinction in the Torah between sin’ah (hatred) and kin’ah (envy). Drawing on the teachings of Rabbi Eliezer Davidovits, Rabbi Zweiback introduces the rabbinic concept of kin’at sofrim — the “envy of scholars” — a form of admiration that doesn’t fracture relationships but deepens wisdom and understanding.

This episode is an invitation to reimagine disagreement not as a threat, but as an opportunity for learning, curiosity, and growth — and to consider how Jewish tradition can guide us toward more loving, respectful, and constructive conversations, even in times of deep division.

Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback sits down with actor Moshe Lobel, star of the groundbreaking new film SHTTL—a Yiddish-language, single-shot masterpiece set in a Ukrainian shtetl on the eve of its destruction in 1941. Filmed in 2021 but only recently released, SHTTL feels uncannily prophetic, speaking directly to the anxieties, divisions, and questions facing the Jewish world today.

Moshe brings a deeply personal lens to the film. Raised in an ultra-Orthodox home in Brooklyn, with Yiddish as his first language, he eventually left the community of his childhood to pursue a different path—an experience that echoes through his portrayal of Mendele, a young man who also steps outside his community and becomes a filmmaker in the Soviet Army’s propaganda division. In the conversation, Moshe reflects on how his own journey of identity, faith, and separation helped him understand Mendele’s longing, his conflicts, and his complicated return home.

Rabbi Yoshi and Moshe explore the Talmudic nature of Jewish identity—our arguments, our diversity, our longing for unity—and how SHTTL reveals both the beauty and the fragility of a people wrestling with faith, modernity, and danger. They also discuss the film’s most powerful scenes: moments of denial in the face of rising antisemitism, fierce debates about unity and belief, and the urgent relevance of a story rooted in 1941 yet alive with meaning in our own moment.

A moving, timely, and deeply reflective conversation that reminds us how fragile—and how enduring—the Jewish story truly is.

Learn more about the film at: https://www.menemshafilms.com/shttl

Veteran trial lawyer Marc Kasowitz has taken his courtroom skills to a new front—the battle against antisemitism on America’s college campuses. In this episode, Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback talks with Kasowitz about the lawsuits he’s brought against universities like NYU and Harvard, where Jewish and Israeli students faced harassment and exclusion.

Their conversation explores how the legal system can hold powerful institutions accountable, what meaningful change looks like in practice, and where Kasowitz finds hope in an era of rising hate.

This thoughtful exchange offers a rare look at the intersection of law, justice, and Jewish identity—and what it takes to stand up for truth and dignity when it matters most.

In this special episode, Rabbi Yoshi shares his 5786 Rosh Hashanah (2025) sermon, Sanctified — For the Whole World.

Drawing on the wisdom of his grandfather, Jewish tradition, and the moral challenges of our time, Rabbi Zweiback explores the sacred balance between particularism and universalism — between our deep commitment to the Jewish people and our responsibility to all humanity.

Through stories of family, Israel, and acts of compassion near and far, this message invites us to live inside the holy tension that defines Jewish life: to defend our people fiercely, and to love the wider world boldly.

May this new year inspire all of us to bring holiness, empathy, and peace into the world we share.

In this episode of Search for Meaning, Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback sits down with Michael Honigstein, a career Foreign Service Officer who has served in countries around the world—including Sudan, Sri Lanka, and Israel—working to promote peace, democracy, and human rights.

Michael reflects on his remarkable journey from an advertising career in New York to decades of diplomatic service, shaped by his Jewish upbringing and a deep sense of moral responsibility. He speaks candidly about the challenges of diplomacy, the toll of public service, and the circumstances surrounding his recent and painful forced retirement from the U.S. State Department.

Together, they discuss the complexities of pursuing peace in the modern world and Michael’s thoughts on the Witkoff–Kushner–Trump peace plan for Gaza.

This is a powerful and deeply human conversation about integrity, purpose, and the enduring call to serve.