Advertise on podcast: Everything Jewish - 10 Minutes at a Time

In this episode, we slip into the shadowy corners of Jewish folklore to meet the dybbuk—the restless, wandering spirit said to cling to the living with unfinished business and a whole lot of attitude. Part ghost story, part moral tale, and part psychological drama, the dybbuk has haunted Jewish imagination for centuries, inspiring plays, legends, and a surprising amount of whispered "it happened to my cousin's cousin" stories. We'll explore where the legend comes from, why these spirits stick around, and what their tales reveal about life, death, love, and the mysteries in between. Let's open the door—carefully—and see what steps inside.

Introducing How to Date a Billionaire (Dear Sugar Mama) from Financial Tea with Mrs. Dow Jones. Follow the show: Financial Tea with Mrs. Dow Jones Love is in the air… but so is money drama. This week, I’m answering listener questions on everything from prenups to dating rich men, making more than your partner, and figuring out when you’re chasing love vs. chasing the lifestyle. Get ready for the ultimate Valentine’s Day edition of Dear Sugar Mama — all the tea, no judgment. Financial Tea with Mrs. Dow Jones is a Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us at @sonypodcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected] Pre-Order my upcoming book, FUTURE RICH PERSON, here: https://www.mrsdowjones.com/book Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to [email protected].

Step back into 1890s France, where a single wrongful conviction shook an entire nation and exposed the fault lines between justice, prejudice, and political power. In this episode, we unpack the Dreyfus Affair—the explosive scandal that saw a Jewish army officer falsely accused of treason, a cover-up that spiraled out of control, and a public divided so sharply it felt like the world's first viral controversy. With secret documents, forged evidence, and a bold novelist shouting "J'accuse!" from the rooftops, this story has everything: drama, courage, and lessons that still hit uncomfortably close to home today. Let's dive in.

Resting on Shabbat doesn't just mean napping on the couch — it's an art form rooted in creation itself. In this episode, we explore the 39 Melachot, the categories of creative work the Torah forbids on Shabbat. From writing and cooking to building and kindling fire, these aren't random rules — they mirror the very labors that built the ancient Mishkan, the portable sanctuary in the desert. We'll uncover how each prohibition protects the day's holiness, turning rest into a creative act of restraint. Why can't you flick on a light or tear paper? Because Shabbat isn't about what you can't do — it's about stepping out of the world you control and into the world that just is. It's not a list of don'ts — it's a weekly masterclass in being.

Six hundred thirteen — that's the traditional count of the commandments in the Torah. Sounds like a lot? It is — and every one of them tells a story. In this episode, we explore the Taryag Mitzvot, the grand framework of Jewish life: 248 "do's" that give shape to the body and 365 "don'ts" that guard the soul, one for each day of the year. From the Ten Commandments to the tiniest details of daily kindness, these mitzvot weave together ritual, ethics, and spiritual purpose. We'll see how Rambam turned them into a system, how later sages debated the list, and why Jews never stopped trying to live them. The 613 commandments aren't about legal overload — they're about turning every moment, from sunrise to sunset, into an act of holiness.

What if words had secret numbers — and numbers had hidden meanings? Welcome to Gematria, the ancient Jewish art of finding divine patterns in language. In this episode, we explore how Hebrew letters double as numbers, turning every word into a mathematical mystery. We'll see how sages connected chai (life) with 18, how amen equals faith and strength, and how Kabbalists used Gematria to uncover layers of Torah hidden between the lines. But it's not just mystical math — it's a meditation on the belief that nothing in Hebrew is random, that every letter hums with purpose. Whether you see it as code, poetry, or playful theology, Gematria invites us to look at the Torah — and the universe — as one vast equation written in the language of creation.

It's more than just words — it's the heartbeat of Jewish history. In this episode, we explore Hebrew, the ancient language that never really died. From the first "Yehi or — let there be light" to modern conversations on the streets of Tel Aviv, Hebrew has traveled through time like a sacred thread stitching together faith, identity, and revival. We'll uncover how each letter carries mystical meaning, how biblical Hebrew differs from the modern tongue, and how one man — Eliezer Ben-Yehuda — helped bring it roaring back to life after two thousand years. Hebrew isn't just a language; it's a spiritual technology — one that lets us speak, sing, and pray in the same words that shaped creation itself.

What's in a name? When it comes to God — everything. In this episode, we explore the many names of the Divine in Judaism — from Adonai and Elohim to Shaddai, HaShem, and the mysterious four-letter Tetragrammaton that can't even be spoken aloud. Each name reveals a different face of the Infinite: mercy and justice, creation and compassion, power and presence. We'll uncover why Jewish tradition guards these names so carefully, how they shape prayer and theology, and why even saying "HaShem" — "The Name" — is its own act of reverence. The Names of God isn't just about language; it's about relationship — the idea that the more we learn to name the Divine, the closer we come to hearing the echoes of the One beyond all names.

Every great story deserves an encore. The Book of Chronicles — Divrei Hayamim — retells the entire biblical saga from Adam to the return from exile, but with a new heartbeat: hope. In this episode, we revisit familiar names and epic moments through a lens of redemption. The focus shifts from failure to faith, from chaos to covenant, from kings who faltered to a people who endured. With genealogies that trace every soul back to creation, Chronicles reminds us that history isn't just what happened — it's what it means. As the Tanakh's final words echo, we're left with a call to rebuild and return. Divrei Hayamim closes the Hebrew Bible not with an ending, but with an open door — a story still unfolding.

After seventy years in Babylon, the dream finally comes true — the exiles return home. Ezra–Nehemiah is the story of a spiritual and physical comeback: rebuilding Jerusalem's walls, reviving the Torah, and rediscovering identity after generations in foreign lands. In this episode, we meet Ezra, the scholar-scribe who brings Torah back to center stage, and Nehemiah, the governor with a hammer in one hand and a prayer in the other. Together, they turn ruins into renewal. But the challenge isn't just building walls — it's rebuilding faith, unity, and purpose. Ezra–Nehemiah is a book about second chances — proof that even after exile, a people can reclaim their home, their covenant, and their courage.

Dreams, lions, and fiery furnaces — The Book of Daniel reads like an ancient epic with a prophetic twist. In this episode, we meet Daniel, a Jewish exile in Babylon who rises from captive to royal advisor through courage, brilliance, and unshakable faith. From interpreting Nebuchadnezzar's bizarre dreams to surviving the lions' den, Daniel's story shows how wisdom and integrity can shine even in exile. But the book doesn't stop at survival — its later chapters soar into apocalyptic visions of kingdoms rising and falling, history unfolding under divine direction. Daniel is both legend and revelation — a message that even in the darkest empires, faith can outlast fire, and hope can roar louder than lions.

No miracles, no prophets — just courage, coincidence, and a queen who risks everything. The Book of Esther reads like a political thriller with divine undertones: a Jewish orphan rises to royalty in Persia, an evil adviser plots genocide, and fate turns on a royal sleepless night. In this episode, we step inside the Purim story — costumes, feasts, and all — to see how a tale with no mention of God becomes one of Judaism's boldest celebrations of faith. Esther is about hidden identity and revealed strength, the idea that salvation can come through ordinary people doing extraordinary things. It's a reminder that even when God seems silent, the story is still being written — and courage is the ink.

"Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." With that sigh, Kohelet — or Ecclesiastes — dives straight into the deepest questions of life. In this episode, we follow the mysterious author — traditionally King Solomon — as he wrestles with meaning, mortality, and the strange mix of joy and futility that defines being human. Wealth fades, wisdom fails, pleasure passes — so what lasts? His answer isn't despair, but perspective: enjoy your days, do good, and remember your Creator. Kohelet is the original existentialist text, full of irony and insight, reminding us that truth doesn't always come from certainty — sometimes it comes from honest doubt. It's philosophy with soul — the Torah's whisper that even life's brevity can be sacred.

How do you sing when the Temple has fallen and the city lies in ruins? The Book of Lamentations — or Eicha — is the cry of a broken heart, written in the ashes of Jerusalem's destruction. In this episode, we sit with its haunting poetry: five chapters of grief, memory, and faith hanging by a thread. Every verse trembles with loss — mothers searching for children, prophets silenced, streets once filled with joy now empty and cold. Yet amid the devastation, a single line glows: "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases." Eicha is not just mourning; it's spiritual survival — the courage to keep speaking to God, even through tears. It's the sound of faith refusing to die.

It's one of the shortest books in the Bible — and one of the most beautiful. The Book of Ruth is a love story, a loyalty story, and a story about finding light after loss. In this episode, we follow Ruth, a Moabite widow who chooses faith and family over comfort, uttering the words that echo through centuries: "Where you go, I will go; your people shall be my people." From famine to harvest, from heartbreak to redemption, Ruth's journey leads not only to new beginnings but to the very roots of King David himself. Ruth shows that sometimes the smallest acts of kindness ripple through history — proof that devotion, courage, and compassion can change the destiny of a nation.