# Shais Taub: ‘God gave us an ego to protect us’

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/18-questions-40-mystics-6941776/shais-taub-god-gave-us-an-ego-to-protect-us
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/18-questions-40-mystics-6941776/shais-taub-god-gave-us-an-ego-to-protect-us.md
Podcast: [18 Questions, 40 Mystics](https://stenobird.com/podcast/18-questions-40-mystics-6941776)
Published: 2026-02-02T11:00:08+00:00
Episode link: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/shais-taub-god-gave-us-an-ego-to-protect-us--69722676
Audio file: https://api.spreaker.com/download/episode/69722676/shais_taub_mp3_for_audio_podcasting.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/18-questions-40-mystics-6941776/episodes/shais-taub-god-gave-us-an-ego-to-protect-us
Duration seconds: 3208

## Resource

Rabbi Shais Taub’s study of mysticism began with a deep dive into the book of Tanya . Now, he believes that mysticism serves as a practical guide for everyday life, one founded in spiritual principles. Rabbi Shais Taub is a renowned teacher and noted speaker in the field of addiction recovery. He is the author of God of Our Understanding: Jewish Spirituality and Recovery from Addiction and the creator of “The Map of Tanya.” Now, he joins us to answer eighteen questions with Rabbi Dr. Benji Levy on Jewish mysticism including how it can revive the Jewish People, the perfectibility of the physical world, and seeing children as souls. Here are our questions: What is Jewish mysticism? How were you introduced to Jewish mysticism? In an ideal world, would all Jews be mystics? What do you think of when you think of God? What is the purpose of the Jewish people? How does prayer work? What is the goal of Torah study? Does Jewish mysticism view men and women the same? Should Judaism be hard or easy? Why did God create the world? Can humans do something that is against God’s will? What do you think of when you think about Moshiach? Is the State of Israel part of the final redemption? What is the greatest challenge facing the world today? How has modernity changed Jewish mysticism? What differentiates Jewish mysticism from the mysticism of other religions? Does one need to be religious to study Jewish mysticism? Can mysticism be dangerous? How has Jewish mysticism affected your relationships with yourself and with others? What is a Jewish teaching that you always take with you?

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/18-questions-40-mystics-6941776/episodes/shais-taub-god-gave-us-an-ego-to-protect-us/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/18-questions-40-mystics-6941776/shais-taub-god-gave-us-an-ego-to-protect-us.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.