S2:E12- Collective Effervescence

12 Nov. 2026Somehow three weeks happened and we didn’t record— but here we are. We catch up on recent goings-on in our lives, review a medley of TST events that have been going on non-stop and lament the time that Talia killed a rainbow. We do a little learning about Toldot, Talmud, and barren women, take a look at the next few weeks at TST, celebrate Stephen’s one-year workaversary, get ready for Thanksgiving turkey and cranberry corner, and wonder if we should “normalize saying I love you?” Also: a "Curb Your Antisemitism" hoodie, Dan speaks at Veterans Day, Jenna can't eat sesame, and Talia may or may not sing this Sunday night. Plus: a bonus track about the Talia-on-rainbow crime.

22 Oct. 2026Still basking in the afterglow of the Pam Schuller weekend, we are back this week in the midst of a busy time here at TST. We recap the hilarity of her show, talk about some new Hebrew activities upstairs on Fridays, celebrate the new home for our amazing Sukkah, and learn about “Purim Gray.” Jenna discusses her experience at the Olivia Rodrigo concert, Dan is going through it watching “East of Eden”, Talia runs into an amazing TSTer in the wild, and Stephen is… dancing? We also have “The John I Have At Home” line that drops, learn about Lech Lecha (which Jenna knows a lot about), discuss kugel, pierogi, and other items from the Loker multicultural dinner, Stephen’s son has a “date”, and Dan actually gets ready to announce the Bedford/Wayland game on Friday. Plus: a bonus track about Lech Lecha.

15 Oct. 2026It’s a big weekend at TST and we get ready for it with a spectacular podcast. We talk about Little Wonders, a potential ACE newsletter, our Comedian-In-Residence, and some upcoming celebrations, and also try to wrap our heads around the size of Noah’s Ark and the Tower Of Babel. Jenna talks about her trip to Europe, Talia’s dog is part raptor, Stephen preps for having three kids at Hineni at the same time, and Dan gets ready to call the Wayland/Bedford football game on Friday night. We also review some Talia-isms, learn about Operation Mincemeat, talk about airplane movies and a few shows, and collectively remember that Jenna still hasn’t seen The Sound Of Music. Plus, a bonus track— a Nordic folk-metal ballad with Hebrew lyrics about this week’s Torah portion.

7 Oct 2026Fall is in full swing, our pavilion has been ribbon-cut, and Sukkot is in the rearview mirror as we record this week with Talia, Jenna, Stephen, and Dan. We hear tales from Stephen’s trip to DC and Talia’s curling adventure, get ready for Jenna’s European adventure, and learn about Brandeis’ new athletics logo from Dan. We do a quick look back at Yom Kippur (including Dan being called “Jewsain Bolt”), talk about the first few Sundays of Hineni, and discuss a few ways you can translate the word “Bereshit” from this week’s Torah portion. We also get excited about the Comedian-In-Residence next weekend, Rabbi Danny’s Reyim dinner later this month, Shuk To The Core in early November, the new plaques in the building, and 24-7 bagels in London. Also- were there dogs on the loose in the Temple yesterday? Maybe yes, maybe no? You’ve got to hear that story. We’ve also got a bonus track co-written by a soon-to-be-B-Mitzvah’d kid about… playing soccer for Wayland in the rain… and it’s actually a banger. Have a great holiday weekend!

14 Sept 2026Parting is such sweet sorrow- especially as we say goodbye to the OG herself, Marissa Brockman. This week we crown the WINNER OF ROSH HASHANAH, get ready for the rest of the fall holidays, and do a medium dive on Shabbat Shuvah, which is coming up this weekend. We get ready for both Natick Days and Bedford Day, discuss the upcoming scholar/comedian-in-residence program in October, and get very excited that Ed Sheeran dumped his anti-Semitic opening act from the upcoming concert at Gillette. Plus: Fauda, Lioness, Bergen Country Blue Laws, and a whole lot more. So… Shana Tovah, Tzom Kal, and enjoy the bonus track about this year’s Rosh Hashanah champion.

24 August 2026It’s been far too long, but there’s a lot of shared responsibility for that… so without assigning blame, we are back!  We recap what’s been going on, including Cape Cod, Broadway, and a BTS concert, chat about THE PAVILION, the new baby group, and the return of Marissa Kaye, and do a little math when it comes to the length of the day according to traditional Judaism. High Holy Day and End-Of-Summer BBQ prep continues apace; Dan admits to getting a fact massively wrong not once, but twice, on the July podcasts; we have a new favorite nickname– “Zach of Potatoes”; and we learn how Talia did not have the best time at the NASCAR race in New Hampshire. Plus: a bonus track about the sha’ah z’manit.

14 July 2026For the first time since June, all of us are in the office on the same day… so of course that means an emergency pod. We’ve got a Cape Cod review from Talia, a weekend in NYC from Marissa, and a full house for Dan, babies at TST, a board meeting, the Red Sox being an absolute wagon, and, of course, the World Cup. Dan delves into some serious stuff embedded in the first two verses of Deuteronomy, Marissa chats about the High Holy Day launch, Talia gets ready to leave us yet again for a Cape-adjacent vacation, we get into the weeds on the Hebrew translation of “pavilion” and “marquee” and even “marquee pavilion”  and we consider taking John Legg on an adventure. Obviously, there’s more (like NYC vs Montreal bagels and a secret blueberry field), but you’ll have to listen to get the whole story. Stick around for a bonus track about the World Cup final… we’re already sad it’s over.

7.7.26So—-- we are back… for the first time since June 4. (Sorry). Marissa recaps her first time seeing Les Miserables and her time in Montreal and leading services at Pembroke, Jenna talks about her new jewelry class and her trips to Ocean City and Kentucky, and Dan reviews his June full of life cycle events and his Red Sox/World Cup two-fer from last week. We also talk about the Annual Meeting, the summer barbeque, the TST softball championship and undefeated season, Adam Hirsh’s stunning Chai-Lights cover photos, Rabbi Lisa’s international class, and the fun email Dan wrote last week. We do a little Eurovision learning and information-sharing, talk about Jenna’s camp visits and the new movie about Jewish summer camp, and get ready for more fun summer activities like Shabbat at the Wayland Town Beach. We also do a little World Cup chat and, of course, finish up with a Eurovision-inspired bonus track about the Chai Heat championship.

4 June 2026It’s no one’s fault we haven’t recorded in a few weeks…. actually, yes, it’s Talia’s, because she was away for a few days. But my oh my, we have a lot to talk about. Florida, Memorial Day, Jewish Heritage Night, the meteor, the return of the snapping turtle…and more. We’ve got Rachel Fish, the David Passer lecture, Talia’s greeting card collection, and somehow Marissa has not seen “The Prince of Egypt”?!?! We also talk about summer Jewish holidays, do a blind taste test/flavor identification of Polar seltzers, and look ahead to the Annual Meeting, the Golf Outing, pizza Friday, and much more. Also, an all-time bonus track, because of course it is.

12 May 2026With the big B Mitzvah weekend now over, we take a look back at the past few days and, of course, decide “Who Won The B Mitzvah”. We also celebrate a new fridge in the office, a new giant hole in the rear courtyard, and some other TST-adjacent updates. Talia reports out from the JFS Gala, Stephen preps for Sudbury’s 250th birthday, and Marissa learns what a “shotgun start” is in golf. Dan quizzes the crew on Jewish celebrities, we look ahead at upcoming events, discuss gourmet hot dogs in Salem, and get High Holy Day planning underway. (Really.) To cap it all off, a Broadway anthem about the pavilion construction. Enjoy!