As a rabbi for 55 years, I have found too many people who describe themselves as "religious", quoting the "Holy Texts" use the text as a pretext to allow their particularistic views to seemingly have "religious" credibility. BTW, great interview as you interviewed her and she you!!!
I want to thank Rabbi Brooks for his many years of study and for standing faithfully at the door of the sacred texts.
His reflection — that too often holy words are used as pretext to give personal or political views the appearance of religious authority — stopped me in a good way. It named something I’ve been circling for a long time.
What arises for me from his words is this:
sacred texts are meant to be entered, not wielded.
They matter deeply. They ground us. They give us a shared language of meaning and moral imagination. Introducing people to the text is an essential beginning.
But I’ve come to understand that study alone is not the completion of spiritual life.
One can become a scholar of the text — fluent, accurate, persuasive — and still remain unchanged by it. When that happens, the text can become something we stand behind rather than something that stands before us, asking to be lived.
For me, spiritual study becomes alive when it is joined with contemplation, meditation, and an honest witnessing of the world as it is. When our understanding is allowed to evolve — not away from the text, but through it — shaped by compassion, by suffering, by love, and by what life places in our hands.
This is the rose I lay at the door:
May our sacred texts not serve as shields for certainty,
but as thresholds —
places where we are softened, questioned, and invited
A really intelligent and accessible conversation. These topics need unpicking carefully and smartly, so people can get to the heart of the dynamics that are driving political, social and technological division. This chat did exactly that.
Food for thought. Words to inspire. Tools to action. Thank you!
Your experience resonates with me strongly @Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I’m also a Jew who isn’t religious, and a creative industries person who is increasingly moved to do something about AI and authoritarianism.
I am now Managing Director of @Bylines Network - a group of 10 online grassroots news publications, giving 1000s of citizens a voice here in the UK. We’re completely independent, avowedly progressive and internationalist, and read by about 500,000 a month. We are also bucking the AI trend.
Unlike many in media and journalism right now, we only publish stories written by humans, with the exceptional use of machine translation for refugees who don’t speak English. And every one of our authors keeps the entirety of the copyright for their work.
I would love to arrange an interview with you, or a Substack collaboration, and champion the cause of creators against the profit imperative.
Definitely a touchy topic but I love the outspoken truths 🫶🏼 very relatable to me. I was brought up catholic but ask to step away during catachism at 15 due to pregnancy but allowed to complete my courses after I gave birth. So I stand on the outside but keep my own beliefs
Peter Thiel is scary. AI is going to be used to hurt people in a way that we haven’t thought about. The Tech Bros are taking over income generated in society , controlling wages and our lives at some point.
I was really drawn into this conversation. Loved it! And after working with Joe in 2001, I have a better understanding of who he is as well. Stacey is amazing, btw!
Loved all of this! So much to unpack. As a lifelong actively practicing Christian in what's considered a progressive denomination, the thinking about faith has really gotten me thinking -- and looking for ways to further this conversation amongst my friends at church. Thanks for taking the time to have a real conversation about faith. Everything in this was great, but the faith stuff stands out.
Stacey Abrams is so intelligent and informative! Great conversation!
It’s a new game. A second dinosaur extinction.
I'm still assessing the loyalties, and hidden tricks, of everything everyone I see anymore. “Camouflage is natures craftiest trick”
Where is Dexter?
We don't need more tech, until we learn how to get along.
It's so refreshing to hear Im beyond appreciative…
Culture wars? It’s attack on awareness and critical thinking.
As a rabbi for 55 years, I have found too many people who describe themselves as "religious", quoting the "Holy Texts" use the text as a pretext to allow their particularistic views to seemingly have "religious" credibility. BTW, great interview as you interviewed her and she you!!!
At the Door of the Text
I want to thank Rabbi Brooks for his many years of study and for standing faithfully at the door of the sacred texts.
His reflection — that too often holy words are used as pretext to give personal or political views the appearance of religious authority — stopped me in a good way. It named something I’ve been circling for a long time.
What arises for me from his words is this:
sacred texts are meant to be entered, not wielded.
They matter deeply. They ground us. They give us a shared language of meaning and moral imagination. Introducing people to the text is an essential beginning.
But I’ve come to understand that study alone is not the completion of spiritual life.
One can become a scholar of the text — fluent, accurate, persuasive — and still remain unchanged by it. When that happens, the text can become something we stand behind rather than something that stands before us, asking to be lived.
For me, spiritual study becomes alive when it is joined with contemplation, meditation, and an honest witnessing of the world as it is. When our understanding is allowed to evolve — not away from the text, but through it — shaped by compassion, by suffering, by love, and by what life places in our hands.
This is the rose I lay at the door:
May our sacred texts not serve as shields for certainty,
but as thresholds —
places where we are softened, questioned, and invited
to live more gently with one another.
In other words - action unwavering obedience to that action so that folk can actually “see hear and feel”your spiritual life.
The most historical example being the Crusades.
Loved the discussion about the divide between moral religious people and moral secular people! Great discussion!
Love this. Love her! And you!
I would love to see a movie about the rise of this administration. As insane as it has been. We need to document the truth of what really happened.
Give us time… majority of “US” have OD’d on the old Malignant Narcissistic Bastard for Now… he's ABSOLUTELY EXHAUSTING 😰
The facts about the 2020 election fraud keep trickling out. Pretty soon no one, including Stacey Abrams, will be believed denying it.
A really intelligent and accessible conversation. These topics need unpicking carefully and smartly, so people can get to the heart of the dynamics that are driving political, social and technological division. This chat did exactly that.
Food for thought. Words to inspire. Tools to action. Thank you!
Your experience resonates with me strongly @Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I’m also a Jew who isn’t religious, and a creative industries person who is increasingly moved to do something about AI and authoritarianism.
I am now Managing Director of @Bylines Network - a group of 10 online grassroots news publications, giving 1000s of citizens a voice here in the UK. We’re completely independent, avowedly progressive and internationalist, and read by about 500,000 a month. We are also bucking the AI trend.
Unlike many in media and journalism right now, we only publish stories written by humans, with the exceptional use of machine translation for refugees who don’t speak English. And every one of our authors keeps the entirety of the copyright for their work.
I would love to arrange an interview with you, or a Substack collaboration, and champion the cause of creators against the profit imperative.
Definitely a touchy topic but I love the outspoken truths 🫶🏼 very relatable to me. I was brought up catholic but ask to step away during catachism at 15 due to pregnancy but allowed to complete my courses after I gave birth. So I stand on the outside but keep my own beliefs
I know how brilliant Stacey Abrams is, but listening to Joseph Gordon Levitt made this a doubly delicious listen!
Stacey is looking SO GOOD!!! We need her in congress
This is a wonderful podcast
Peter Thiel is scary. AI is going to be used to hurt people in a way that we haven’t thought about. The Tech Bros are taking over income generated in society , controlling wages and our lives at some point.
Theil is insane.
I was really drawn into this conversation. Loved it! And after working with Joe in 2001, I have a better understanding of who he is as well. Stacey is amazing, btw!
Stacey - you are amazing!!!
I feel better knowing you both are on the planet. ✌️
Loved all of this! So much to unpack. As a lifelong actively practicing Christian in what's considered a progressive denomination, the thinking about faith has really gotten me thinking -- and looking for ways to further this conversation amongst my friends at church. Thanks for taking the time to have a real conversation about faith. Everything in this was great, but the faith stuff stands out.
Stacy Abrams!
The President of Earth.
I will forever refer to her as Madam President!