Judaism Unbound

Elul is the 12th and final month of the Jewish calendar year. Elul Unbound is a Judaism Unbound initiative all about making Elul meaningful, through creative digital modalities. In this conversation, Lex Rofeberg and Wendie Bernstein Lash explore questions of who/what God is, and how Elul might be a perfect time to explore questions around divinity. This Elul episode is the third in a series of four that are being released as part of Elul Unbound 2026.

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Looking for an intro to Judaism course? The UnYeshiva's gotchya covered, via our course Judaism Inbound: An Introduction to Judaism for Everyone. Head to JudaismUnbound.com/2026-courses/p/inbound-9-26 to learn more! Financial aid is available for all who need it.

To check out all our Elul bonus episodes from previous years, which can still be relevant to your experience of Elul this time around, click here. Join our bi-weekly journey through Elul Unbound 2026 by signing up at this link, and sign up for our Elul Unbound Shabbat gatherings here, where we will be forging our kavanot (intentions) for the new year in real time with fellow Unbounders.

On this episode of Shabbat Dinner Party, we return to the imaginary Shabbat Dinner Table.

Neil Spears talks about how to have Shabbat dinner with a purpose, and why it can feel so hard to enter new Jewish spaces. Gefilteria’s Jeffrey Yoskowitz and Liz Alpern return to the kitchen to prep challah and talk about how there’s no such thing as a Bad Jew; what matters is that we’re on our own journeys, with an interest in learning.

Finally, Hana Mendel talks about building her own Manhattan Shabbat practice and how, after trial and error, she found what she calls a “Shabbat of Peace.”

Shabbat Dinner Party is a production of Judaism Unbound. Senior Producer is Joey Taylor, and Executive Director is Miriam Terlinchamp. This episode was mixed by Justin Newton.

Send us your comments, recipes, and Shabbat thoughts: mishkin@judaismunbound.com

Resources:

• Hana Mendel’s website 


• Shabbat: A photo series for Verklempt Magazine by Hana Mendel 


• Learn more about The Gefilteria 


• Listen to Liz and Jeffrey’s podcast, Meet Me At The Deli 


• Learn more about Judaism Unbound

Elul is the 12th and final month of the Jewish calendar year. Elul Unbound is a Judaism Unbound initiative all about making Elul meaningful, through creative digital modalities. In this conversation, Lex Rofeberg and Wendie Bernstein Lash explore what it means to enter a "Thurs-Year" (a "Thursday" of years in the Shmita cycle, as a 5th year out of seven overall). This Elul bonus episode is the second in a series of four that will be released as part of Elul Unbound 2026.

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Energized about Jewish learning and unlearning? Dive into our upcoming 3-week mini-courses in the UnYeshiva! Classes include Jewish Time Travel: Discovering the Shapes of Our Past and Future (Xava De Cordova), Avinu Malkeinu? Is God "Our King" (Laynie Soloman), and Hannah, Hagar, Sarah: The Women of Rosh Hashanah (Alicia Jo Rabins). Head to JudaismUnbound.com/classes to learn more! Financial aid is available for all who need it.

To check out all our Elul bonus episodes from previous years, which can still be relevant to your experience of Elul this time around, click here. Join our bi-weekly journey through Elul Unbound 2026 by signing up at this link, and sign up for our Elul Unbound Shabbat gatherings here, where we will be forging our kavanot (intentions) for the new year in real time with fellow Unbounders.

Shabbat Dinner Party, an auditory exploration through a Shabbat dinner, returns to the appetizer table, the kitchen, and the dinner table to go through all things Shabbat dinner.

In this episode, Neil Spears talks about how Shabbat could be the perfect antidote to burnout through the act of guarding and remembering. The Gefilteria’s Jeffrey Yoskowitz and Liz Alpern talk about their personal approach to Shabbat and religion, and how resting by yourself is different than resting in community. 

Finally, writer and comedian H. Alan Scott talks about how working on several different creative projects doesn’t mean you can’t rest on Shabbat. 

Shabbat Dinner Party is a production of Judaism Unbound. Senior Producer is Joey Taylor, and Executive Director is Miriam Terlinchamp. This episode was mixed by Justin Newton.

Send us your comments, recipes, and Shabbat thoughts: mishkin@judaismunbound.com

Resources:

• Follow H. Alan Scott’s work 


• Learn more about The Gefilteria 


• Listen to Liz and Jeffrey’s podcast, Meet Me At The Deli 


• Learn more about Judaism Unbound 


• For more reading: A good spin on the oft-quoted Isaiah 58:5-6 bible verse "Is this the fast I desire..." https://www.sefaria.org/Isaiah.58.6?lang=bi


• What Does It Mean that Every Soul Was at Mount Sinai When We Received the Torah? - Jew in the City

Elul is the 12th and final month of the Jewish calendar year. Elul Unbound is a Judaism Unbound initiative all about making Elul meaningful, through creative digital modalities. In this conversation, Lex Rofeberg and Wendie Bernstein Lash kick off this year's Elul Unbound experience. This Elul bonus episode is the first in a series of four that will be released as part of Elul Unbound 2026.

--------------------------------------

Energized about Jewish learning and unlearning? Dive into our upcoming 3-week mini-courses in the UnYeshiva! Classes include Jewish Time Travel: Discovering the Shapes of Our Past and Future (Xava De Cordova), Avinu Malkeinu? Is God "Our King" (Laynie Soloman), and Hannah, Hagar, Sarah: The Women of Rosh Hashanah (Alicia Jo Rabins). Head to JudaismUnbound.com/classes to learn more! Financial aid is available for all who need it.

To check out all our Elul bonus episodes from previous years, which can still be relevant to your experience of Elul this time around, click here. Join our bi-weekly journey through Elul Unbound 2026 by signing up at this link, and sign up for our Elul Unbound Shabbat gatherings here, where we will be forging our kavanot (intentions) for the new year in real time with fellow Unbounders.