Episodes

Joining Mark today is his good friend, Pastor Dr. Michael Fisher, leader of the Greater Zion Church in Compton. He and Mark met in Jerusalem at one of the ‘Day for the Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem’ events held by Eagles’ Wings, where, according to Mark, Michael delivered the greatest speech about Israel that anybody had ever heard. Michael runs the JT Foundation, a community development corporation, as well as an initiative which supports formerly incarcerated individuals acquire employment...

Mark’s very special guest on the podcast is none other than the distinguished Alan Dershowitz. Alan’s career is perhaps the most storied, consequential and important one in all of American legal history. He has taught at Harvard Law School for 50 years and is the celebrated author of dozens of books, including Mark’s favorite, The Genesis of Justice: Ten Stories of Biblical Injustice that Led to the Ten Commandments and Modern Law. While he has defended numerous high profile clients, he devotes ...

Mark’s guest on the podcast today is his good friend Pastor Jose Diaz, whom he met two years ago as they journeyed together with Eagles’ Wings through Israel. The passage Jose has chosen to discuss with Mark is Genesis 2:3. Their conversation today revolves around the importance of the Sabbath, the difference in the way that Jews and Christians honor and observe it, and the fact that it is of paramount importance. Jose shares the struggles that Christian leaders encounter these days, and he and ...

On today’s episode, our Rabbi’s husband is joined by his great friend, and a Cantor’s husband, Rabbi Ben Spratt. Rabbi Spratt spent his early years exploring his Jewish identity, journeying through the many worlds of Judaism before finding a home within the Reform movement, and in 2008, he was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary of America where he was the recipient of many awards and prizes. Currently, he is the beloved Senior Associate Rabbi of Congregation Rodeph Sholom and the Rabbi-...

Rabbi Dr. Ari Lamm, Chief Executive Officer of the Bnai Zion Foundation, joins Mark for a lively discussion on today’s episode. Rabbi Lamm is a graduate of Yeshiva University, and has served as Special Advisor to the President of that illustrious university. He has also completed his PhD in ancient Judaism and Christianity at Princeton, and his writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Jerusalem Post, Tablet Magazine, and First Things Magazine. The passage he has selected to discuss w...

This week, Mark is delighted and honored to welcome his great friend, Dr. Jon Fielder, to the podcast. Having received his Doctor of Medicine from Baylor College of Medicine in 1999, and completed his training in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Jon soon sensed the calling of God and moved to Kenya to serve with World Medical Mission and Africa Inland Mission focusing on the care of HIV and the training of Kenyan healthcare providers. Together, he and Mark have also founded African M...

Mark welcomes Whitney Tilson, CEO of Empire Financial Research, lifelong entrepreneur, dedicated philanthropist, and avid mountaineer, to today’s episode. As a graduate with distinction from both Harvard College and Harvard Business School, Whitney has become a prolific author, a frequent financial commentator on a variety of television networks, and has been featured on 60 Minutes, and in the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. While he acknowledges that he is neither Jewish nor partic...

Mark is delighted to welcome Rabbi Matt Gewirtz to the podcast today. Rabbi Gewirtz began his tenure as the Senior Rabbi of Congregation B’nai Jeshurun in July 2006, and is the President of the Coalition of Religious Leaders for the State of New Jersey. He is the author of The Gift of Grief: Finding Peace, Transformation and Renewed Life after Great Sorrow, often appears as a commentator on religion on MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe’ and CNN’s ‘State of the Union’, and has recently started his own televis...

Amanda Berman joins Mark today for a dynamic conversation regarding Numbers 27:1 and its profound significance throughout the centuries. Amanda is the Founder and Executive Director of the ‘Zioness Movement’, an initiative which empowers and activates Zionists on the progressive left to stand proudly in social justice spaces as Jews and Zionists. She has been a civil rights attorney fighting anti-Semitism legally, spearheading such groundbreaking initiatives as the international action against K...

This week Mark is extremely excited to welcome his very good friend, Rabbi Josh Stanton, to the podcast. Rabbi Josh was ordained from Hebrew Union College in 2013 where he was recognized for his accomplishments in many areas including academics and ecumenical relations. He has served as Associate Rabbi at Congregation B’nai Jeshurun in Short Hills, New Jersey, Associate Director of the Center for Global Judaism at Hebrew College, Director of Communications for the Coexist Foundation, and is curr...

Mark is delighted to welcome his good friend, Rabbi Moshe Scheiner, to the podcast this week. Rabbi Scheiner was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, and he holds a Masters degree of Talmudic studies and Jewish philosophy from the Rabbinical College of America. He has also lectured to communities in Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Singapore, Colombia, and other communities throughout South America and the United States. In 1994, he became the founding Rabbi of the Palm Beach Synagogue, and he ...

Bill Kristol, one of the great public intellectuals of the past 40 years, is Mark’s distinguished guest today. Bill is a Harvard graduate who is currently the editor-at-large of ‘The Bulwark’, was a founder of ‘The Weekly Standard’, and is a regular guest on leading political commentary shows. From 1985 to 1993, he served as chief of staff to Education Secretary William Bennett in the Reagan Administration and as chief of staff to Vice President Dan Quayle in the George H. W. Bush administration...

Joining Mark on today’s episode is his very close friend of almost 20 years, Yossi Klein Halevi. Truly one of the most thoughtful men in Israel, Yossi epitomizes what it means to live and chronicle the examined Jewish and Zionist life. He is the author of countless articles and 4 books focusing on growing up as a Jewish extremist, his spiritual quest to achieve peace with Muslim and Christians in Jerusalem, a history of the political journey of the paratroopers who liberated Jerusalem in 1967, a...

Scott Shay, Co-founder and Chairman of Signature Bank and author of two important books about Jewish life in the United States, ‘In Good Faith: Questioning Religion and Atheism’ and ‘Getting Our Groove Back: How to Energize American Jewry’, is Mark’s very special guest today. Scott is a frequent speaker around the country in a variety of media, and for today’s episode he will be discussing Genesis 3:1 with Mark. Scott begins the discussion with a very detailed analysis of the snake character in...

The Tower of Babel Show Notes: Joining Mark this week is Rabbi Simcha Mirvis, Director of the Tsfat Legacy Center and Vice President of Education for Nachal Novea. Rabbi Mirvis has devoted his life to engaging and inspiring a diverse range of people in Israel and abroad, and is dedicated to connecting people with the soulful wisdom of Tsfat. The scripture passage which he has chosen for today is Genesis 11:3. In this episode, Mark and Rabbi Mirvis engage in a dynamic discussion which begins b...

Today, Mark’s great friend, David Fox, joins him for a discussion of II Samuel. David has become one of America’s premier transactional attorneys who, over his 35 years in the profession, has contributed his wisdom and expertise to deals totaling in the hundreds of billions of dollars. He was once touted as one of the top 45 lawyers under 45, and his father, Seymour Fox, was a Rabbi and renowned Jewish educator. All of these factors render him the ideal person to join Mark in today’s scripture a...

Sarah Waxman, founder of At The Well, an organization whose mission is to connect women around the world through transformative practices inspired by ancient Jewish Wisdom, joins Mark for today’s episode. Sarah brings the same resiliency, persistence, and ability to create belonging and community that she demonstrated as a two time National Lacrosse Goaltender of the Year to her current work with At The Well and discusses this noble work with Mark today. They begin by exploring At The Well and ...

Joining Mark on today’s episode is Sarah Hurwitz, a Harvard and Harvard Law School graduate who served as Michelle Obama’s Head Speechwriter from 2010-17, and who has been an advisor and writer for a number of other leading Democrat political leaders including Hilary Clinton, John Kerry, and Wesley Clark as well. Sarah is also the author of the magnificent book about Jewish life, ‘Here All Along: Finding Meaning, Spirituality, and a Deeper Connection to Life – in Judaism (After Finally Choosing ...

Ambassador Michael Oren is Mark’s very special guest on today’s episode. In addition to serving as Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Michael has also served as a Member of Knesset and as Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office. He is the author of several of the most important works of history and diplomacy of our generation, has taught at many major universities, and has been named one of the ‘Ten Most Influential Jews in the World’ by The Jerusalem Post. Today, Michael and Mark ...

In today’s episode, Mark welcomes Rabbi Mark Wildes, author of ‘Beyond the Instant: Jewish Wisdom for Lasting Happiness in a Fast-Paced, Social Media World’. Rabbi Wildes is also the founder of Manhattan Jewish Experience (MJE), an organization which brings Jews, primarily in their 20s and 30s, closer to the values, practices, texts and teachings of the Jewish faith, and for today’s show, he has chosen Exodus 2:12 to discuss with Mark. During their discussion, they explore the work of MJE, prov...

Joining Mark on today’s episode is his friend of 30 years, Pastor Jason Poling, an Anglican Priest serving at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Baltimore who has 20 years of serving in Pastoral Ministry. Today, Jason and Mark discuss Leviticus 10:1, The Strange Fire. After providing the context for this passage, Pastor Jason offers his perspective on the sin of Nadab and Abihu, and Mark shares his views on it as well. This passage is very special to the Pastor, and he explains the reasons why, a...

Welcome to The Rabbi’s Husband podcast where your host, Mark Gerson, meets with fellow seekers of biblical truth to unearth the inspiring, instructive, and highly practical wisdom of Torah passages. Mark’s guest this week is Bishop Robert Stearns, founder and leader of Eagles’ Wings, a parachurch ministry focusing on creating and strengthening the bonds between Christian leaders and the State of Israel physically, spiritually, and holistically. In this episode, Mark and Robert discuss Caleb, th...