TEXTing

About TEXTing

In this special series, TEXTing: IRL – Ideas for Real Life, host Elana Stein Hain sits down with guests who are accomplished practitioners in their fields to explore how classic and modern Jewish texts can help us wrestle with and act with integrity in the face of the big dilemmas of our time. TEXTing: IRL — Ideas for Real Life: Accessible, Relevant, and Deeply Jewish.

Publisher

Shalom Hartman Institute

Category

religion & spirituality

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

17 Jan 2024

Latest episode

20 Jul 2026

Latest episodes

12 of 52 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   20 Jul 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Loving and Leaving: A Zionism of Longing – with Yonah Hain

   What does it mean to love Israel deeply while choosing to build your life elsewhere? In this episode of TEXTing IRL, Elana Stein Hain and her husband, Columbia/Barnard Hillel Campus Rabbi Yonah Hain, get personal and reflect on their family's two years living in Israel, their decision to return to New York, and the competing demands of family, career, Jewish identity, and Zionism. Drawing on Parashat Vaetchanan, the Shema's commandment to teach our children, and rabbinic teachings about Moses’ longing to enter the Land of Israel, they explore the fulfillment of the self and the challenge of making life-changing decisions in uncertain times. Episode Source Sheet Watch the video version of this episode ⁠here⁠. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS

2. 

   6 Jul 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Are Today’s Leaders Failing Gen Z? – with Maya Sulkin

   Host Elana Stein Hain and journalist Maya Sulkin explore leadership models from Parashat Masei to guide Gen Z's growth in today's complex world.

3. 

   22 Jun 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Blessings, Curses, and Allies: Who’s Really on Our Side? – with Rori Picker Neiss

   Elana Stein Hain interviews Rabba Rori Picker Neiss about how biblical narratives shape Jewish perceptions of allies and enemies amidst rising antisemitism.

Inside a recent episode

Loving and Leaving: A Zionism of Longing – with Yonah Hain

Published 20 Jul 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] And most of them hang out at the National Library of Israel where I go every day. Yes. Including the fellowship that I'm a part of. Professor Vera Noam runs it. Right. Because I... Lunch. I overhear things that help my dissertation. Right. Meaning I kind of feel like... being able to be here, I get sharper in my Jewish thinking. Just, A, just Hebrew. Like, literally just hearing Hebrew and hearing certain terms and phrases that come up in Hebrew. I get sharper in my Jewish knowledge, and that actually allows me to read Jewish texts Better. There's such a culture of learning. And I think that makes a huge difference. […]

Who has been a guest on TEXTing

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Maya Sulkin
• Rori Picker Neiss
• Michael Koplow
• Yehudah Mirsky
• Leora Batnitzky

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.9 / 5

37 ratings

Spotify

4.8 / 5

10 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 22 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

6

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

96

Questions about TEXTing