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‘The Flash’ was supposed to be an exciting reset for the beleaguered DCEU, even heralded by some Hollywood luminaries as one of the greatest superhero films of all time. Instead, it was at least as much of a mess as many of its predecessors, and doubly burdened with instability at Warner Bros. (the parent company of DC Comics) and many allegations surrounding the off-camera behavior of the movie’s star, Ezra Miller. What wisdom and moral guidance does the Jewish tradition have to offer about how we approach a movie like ‘The Flash’? And what Jewish lessons can we learn from what ended up on screen, as well as what happened behind the scenes? Join Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky as they try to keep up with the Scarlet Speedster’s multiversal hijinks and real-world ethical quandaries.

Rabbis Michael Knopf and Jesse Olitzky are lifelong friends, pop culture fanboys, and lovers of all things Jewish. Join them every other week for a conversation about what’s going on in pop culture from a Jewish perspective and about Judaism through the lens of pop culture.

How do you listen to PopTorah? You have a lot of options you know? iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, RSS, it’s your choice!

Rabbis Michael Knopf and Jesse Olitzky are lifelong friends, pop culture fanboys, and lovers of all things Jewish. Join them every other week for a conversation about what’s going on in pop culture from a Jewish perspective and about Judaism through the lens of pop culture.

Obi-Wan Kenobi is one of the most important characters in the Star Wars saga. It is Princess Leia’s distress call to Kenobi, her father’s former military comrade whom she calls her “only hope”, that sets in motion the events of the original trilogy, which also depicts Obi-Wan helping a young Luke Skywalker become a Jedi, sacrificing his own life in the process. But the prequel trilogy tells the story of how Obi-Wan once mentored Luke’s father, Anakin Skywalker, until Anakin turned to the Dark Side, became Darth Vader, and led a campaign to wipe out the Jedi order. The new Disney+ original series ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’, in which Ewan McGregor reprises the role he played in the prequel trilogy, depicts the character between the events of ‘Revenge of the Sith’ and ‘A New Hope’, a time when he is both hunted for and haunted by his past. What does Jewish tradition have to say about (re)considering the difficult parts of our past and confronting our failures? The Force is strong with Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky in this episode as they examine ‘Obi-Wan’ Kenobi “from a certain point of view”.

How do you listen to PopTorah? You have a lot of options you know? iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, RSS, it’s your choice!

Rabbis Michael Knopf and Jesse Olitzky are lifelong friends, pop culture fanboys, and lovers of all things Jewish. Join them every other week for a conversation about what’s going on in pop culture from a Jewish perspective and about Judaism through the lens of pop culture.

The new Hulu series ‘Under the Banner of Heaven,’ adapted from Jon Krakauer’s eponymous 2003 novel and starring Andrew Garfield, tells the story of a Mormon detective who begins to question his faith as he investigates fellow Latter Day Saints for brutally murdering a mother and her baby. In the process, it takes big swings at the LDS Church and religion in general, making the case that faith is inherently dangerous. Does it succeed? Special guest Peter Eubanks, a professor of French at James Madison University and lifelong member of the LDS church, joins Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky to talk about what the show does and doesn’t get right about his faith and religion generally. Does ‘Under the Banner of Heaven’ understand the subject matter? Do we? Join us for this illuminating conversation about the LDS church, religious extremism, and interfaith understanding.

How do you listen to PopTorah? You have a lot of options you know? iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, RSS, it’s your choice!

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Gail Diamond looks at Masechet Yevamot Daf 7.

In this podcast, Rabbi Gail Diamond talks about how this difficult first sugya of Yevamot shows the creativity of our sages in developing Jewish law.

The opening and closing music for this podcast is Ufros from The Epichorus album One Bead.

This podcast is a collaboration with The Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem.

In this episode, Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky discuss season 2 of the AppleTV+ hit, ‘Shrinking‘! After our first deep dive into the series, we couldn’t help but return to explore even more of the lessons it has to offer about therapy, grief, and the messiness of human connection. As we revisit the characters and their journeys, we ask: what’s changed? What’s still resonating? And how does this show continue to capture the complexity of life in a way that feels both funny and painfully real? Once more, with feeling — join us as we try Shrinking on for size... again!

Rabbis Michael Knopf and Jesse Olitzky are lifelong friends, pop culture fanboys, and lovers of all things Jewish. Join them every other week for a conversation about what’s going on in pop culture from a Jewish perspective and about Judaism through the lens of pop culture.

How do you listen to PopTorah? You have a lot of options you know? iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, RSS, it’s your choice!