Being Jewish with Jonah Platt

BEST OF: Jewish Wisdom, ft Rabbis David Wolpe, Angela Buchdahl, David Lichtenstein, Sharon Brous, and Manis Friedman

Being Jewish with Jonah Platt

Show Notes

What happens when five rabbis share their Jewish wisdom?

In this special BEST OF: Jewish Wisdom mashup, Rabbis David Wolpe, Angela Buchdahl, David Lichtenstein, Sharon Brous, and Manis Friedman tackle some very Jewish questions about faith, identity, meaning, Israel, and how to make sense of the world around us.

Rabbi David Wolpe explores whether you need to believe in God to be Jewish, why Jewish law evolves, and why Israel remains central to modern Jewish identity. Rabbi Angela Buchdahl challenges exclusion within Judaism and shares how Jewish wisdom, joy, and community can help us face moments of crisis. David Lichtenstein dives into ritual, faith, Torah study, and finding purpose through adversity. Rabbi Sharon Brous unpacks the complicated balance between criticizing Israel, supporting Palestinians, and living up to Jewish moral responsibility. And Rabbi Manis Friedman asks whether our modern anxiety comes from a deeper sense of meaninglessness, and what it means to be “needed” by God.

Five rabbis. Five perspectives. One very big question: What does it actually mean to be Jewish?

MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:

00:01:31 — Rabbi David Wolpe 00:09:18 — Rabbi Angela Buchdahl 00:17:11— Dovid Lichtenstein 00:27:15 — Rabbi Sharon Brous 00:36:28 — Rabbi Manis Friedman

Watch Rabbi David Wolpe's full episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdEvVUJSGMw Watch Rabbi Angela Buchdahl's full episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2A1fy_rNgs Watch David Lichtenstein's full episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5xHHAZFfRs Watch Rabbi Sharon Brous's full episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYYI3VfvO5g Watch Rabbi Manis Friedman's full episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9J2GQLE9UY

More Ways To Connect with Being Jewish: Support the podcast directly by becoming a member of the Kehillah.

To contact us & all things BJJP: www.BeingJewishPodcast.com

Watch Being Jewish on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@beingjewishpodcast

Subscribe to the Being Jewish Newsletter: bit.ly/beingjewishnewsletter

For Sponsorships, please email: [email protected]

Merchandise https://beingjewishpodcast.com/merch

Follow Jonah on: Instagram - @JonahPlatt X - @JonahPlatt

Follow Being Jewish on: Instagram - @BeingJewishPodcast TikTok - @BeingJewish

CREDITS Written and Hosted by Jonah Platt, Executive Producer: Jonah Platt, Associate Producer: Rachel Stern, Head of Operations: Josie Rothschild, Production Associate: Sasha Fiora, Operations Associate: Emma Webb, Research Associate: Samantha Greenwald, Production Interns: Tatum Rosenblatt, Eden Waldman, YouTube Consultants: Jason Al-Samarrie & Zac Stein, Post Production by TIMEWEAVER, Creative Director: F. Brian Scofield, ACE, Lead Editor: Noam Klement, Editors: Gray Clevenger, Geoff McGee. Graphic Designer: Noah Bell, Theme Music by Gabriel Mann, Performed by Jonah Platt

More from Being Jewish with Jonah Platt

Oct 22, 2026

In the first episode of our Jewish American Summit series, Jonah sits down with Steve Hilton, Republican candidate for California governor, for a candid conversation about antisemitism, Jewish safety, and the future of the Golden State.

Oct 20, 2026

What does it mean to be unapologetically Jewish in an industry that has often encouraged people to hide their identity?

Oct 15, 2026

NEW SEGMENT! In the first installment of our new segment “Being Jewish In…” we explore the hostile environment facing Jewish authors, agents and editors in the world of Publishing with acclaimed author and digital publisher Meg Keene, newly appointed editor of the eponymous Meg Keene Books, a new imprint focused on publishing Jewish stories by Jewish authors.

Oct 13, 2026

Can a CEO speak out against antisemitism without becoming the story?

Oct 8, 2026

On the third anniversary of October 7th, Jonah delivers a powerful and deeply personal open letter to his non-Jewish friends, colleagues, and allies about what it means to stand with the Jewish people.  In this special solo episode of Being Jewish, Jonah reflects on the past three years of rising antisemitism, fractured friendships, and the growing isolation of Jewish communities. He addresses the dangerous normalization of anti-Jewish rhetoric, the misunderstanding of Zionism and Jewish identity, and the painful silence of those who have chosen to look away.

See all episodes →