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A Rabbi and a Lawyer

Walk into a bar Podcast

Relatively well informed and irreverent musings on religion, news, and society. Grab a seat and join old friends, Rabbi Asher Lopatin and his former synagogue president, John Geiringer. Imagine sharing a drink with two news junkies who keep an open mind, challenge the status quo, and love discussing the comedy, tragedy, absurdity, and reality of the Jewish experience. Throughout their discussions, John will ask Asher provocative questions that congregants wish they could ask their rabbis.

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Ep 15 – Yiddishe Cup

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:01:16 — 56.6MB)We ponder whether Roe-vember stopped the Red Wave, leading us to the halachic view of abortion, and why it differs from the fundamentalist Christian perspective.  Doug Klein, our first guest(!),...

Ep 14 – Jews and Booze

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 45:36 — 42.0MB)(Rabbi) Asher (Lopatin) describes his adventures at the other General Assembly.  We then unpack the latest Israeli election, and how American Jews should respond to the results.  Asher explains...

Ep 13 – Mazel Tov!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 41:26 — 37.9MB)As we celebrate our bar mitzvah episode, and wait for our fountain pens to arrive, Asher describes the halachic underpinnings of the popular ritual.  Because it’s Rosh Chodesh Marcheshvan, and...

Ep 12 – Turn It On Again

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 39:27 — 36.1MB)Because this is the “Genesis” episode of the year….Now that COVID hits our podcast, we ask why there is a “Land of Confusion” among some Jews regarding modern medicine.  Asher tells us that if we...

Ep 11 – Turn!, Turn!, Turn!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:41 — 29.0MB)So many holidays, so little time.  As we move through Sukkot, while avoiding skunks, we squeeze in Hoshana Rabbah, Shemini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah (and its importance to the Top Secret! movie),...

Ep 10 – Careful Where you Shake that Lulav

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 39:47 — 36.4MB)Warning: this episode is spicier than most.  We start by discussing why we read about sexual ethics on Yom Kippur, and how even the traditional Jewish view on homosexuality is more nuanced...