Let There Be Lanterns

Social media promised to bring us together. Unfortunately, things haven’t quite turned out that way. In this episode, Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky discuss Aaron Sorkin’s The Social Reckoning and our complicated relationship with the platforms we can’t seem to quit. What does Jewish tradition have to say about disagreement, responsibility, and staying in community when we […]

Being fearless sounds like a pretty good qualification for a superhero. But is it all it’s cracked up to be? In this spoiler-filled episode of PopTorah, Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky dive into DC’s Lanterns, where cosmic powers collide with some very human problems. Along the way, we explore courage, the possibility of change, and what Jewish […]

What happens when your shot at redemption begins with a lie? In Hulu’s Chad Powers, disgraced quarterback Russ Holliday (Glenn Powell) disguises himself as an eccentric walk-on for the struggling South Georgia Catfish (get it?), hoping to play the game he loves again. It’s a ridiculous premise with a surprisingly serious question at its heart: Can […]

Five years ago, we declared that we believed in Ted Lasso, whose radical kindness and relentless optimism felt like just what the world needed. Now Ted is back — this time coaching AFC Richmond’s new women’s team — and so are we. In this episode of PopTorah, we return to the Torah of Ted Lasso and ask what […]

In this spoiler-filled episode of PopTorah, Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky debate whether Spider-Man: Brand New Day succeeds as a Spider-Man story — or gets tangled in the MCU’s ever-expanding web. Along the way, we explore Peter Parker’s self-imposed isolation, the ways protecting others can become an excuse for keeping them at a distance, and the Torah’s insistence […]

Christopher Nolan turns one of Western literature’s oldest homecoming stories into something darker: an epic about war, moral consequence, and the difficult work of return. In this spoiler-filled episode of PopTorah, we discuss how Nolan transforms Odysseus from a triumphant hero into a man slowly awakening to the destruction he has caused—and what the film’s […]

What happens when playtime gives way to screen time? In this  episode of PopTorah, we explore Toy Story 5’s encounter between beloved old-school toys and a new generation of smart devices. Along the way, we discuss parenting in the age of tablets and social media, the pressure children feel to fit in, what technology does to […]

What if humanity learned, once and for all, that we are not alone? In this spoiler-filled episode of PopTorah, we dive into Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day, a film about revelation, secrecy, fear, and the courage to face truths that powerful people would rather keep hidden. Along the way, we discuss what extraterrestrial life might mean […]

In this episode of PopTorah, we dive into Netflix’s new supernatural sci-fi series The Boroughs, about a group of unlikely heroes in a seemingly perfect retirement community who discover that their “golden years” may be more dangerous — and more meaningful — than anyone imagined. The series, produced by the Duffer Brothers of Stranger Things fame, centers on […]

In this episode of PopTorah, we dive into the acclaimed HBO series Hacks. Beneath the sharp jokes and show-business drama lies a surprisingly rich story about reinvention, aging, ambition, and the complicated relationships that shape us. Through the evolving partnership between Deborah and Ava, Hacks asks what we owe one another, whether people can truly change, and how […]