{"podcast":{"title":"18 Questions, 40 Mystics","slug":"18-questions-40-mystics-6941776","podcast_index_feed_id":6941776,"rss_url":"https://www.spreaker.com/show/6208531/episodes/feed","website_url":"https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18-questions-40-mystics--6208531","image_url":"https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/b4ae1d53dbc2329c37294f3435a41ca4.jpg","author":"18Forty","episode_count":80,"summary":"18 Questions, 40 Mystics is a new podcast and video series by 18Forty and Share interviewing the leading rabbis, teachers, kabbalists, and artists immersed in the world of Jewish mysticism. Join Rabbi Benji Levy as he asks 18 of the most existential questions to 40 mystics from around the world. If you are looking to dive into the world of spirituality, inspiration, and pnimiyut , then this is the podcast for you. Have questions or comments? Shoot us an email at info@18forty.org.","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/18-questions-40-mystics-6941776"},"episode":{"title":"David Bashevkin: ‘We are meant to teach the world how to embrace unchosen identity’","slug":"david-bashevkin-we-are-meant-to-teach-the-world-how-to-embrace-unchosen-identity","published_at":"2026-01-26T11:00:09+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/18-questions-40-mystics-6941776/david-bashevkin-we-are-meant-to-teach-the-world-how-to-embrace-unchosen-identity","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/18-questions-40-mystics-6941776","url":"https://www.spreaker.com/episode/david-bashevkin-we-are-meant-to-teach-the-world-how-to-embrace-unchosen-identity--69581608","audio_url":"https://api.spreaker.com/download/episode/69581608/dovid_bashevkin_18forty_gemma_mp3.mp3","summary":"What does it mean to live a Judaism that fits into our lives? David Bashevkin explores the meeting point of mysticism and modernity. The founder of 18Forty, Rabbi Dr. David Bashevkin is the director of education at NCSY as well as an instructor at Yeshiva University. He is the author of four books, and has been rejected from many prestigious fellowships and awards. Now, he joins us to answer eighteen questions with Rabbi Dr. Benji Levy on Jewish mysticism including how to embrace holiness, the purpose of prayer, and the search for meaning in an age of distraction. 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?","meta_description":"What does it mean to live a Judaism that fits into our lives? David Bashevkin explores the meeting point of mysticism and modernity. The founder of 18Fort…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":5286,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/18-questions-40-mystics-6941776/episodes/david-bashevkin-we-are-meant-to-teach-the-world-how-to-embrace-unchosen-identity/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/18-questions-40-mystics-6941776/david-bashevkin-we-are-meant-to-teach-the-world-how-to-embrace-unchosen-identity.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}