Episode 115: Dr. Erica Brown "The Torah of Leadership"

Episode 115: Dr. Erica Brown "The Torah of Leadership"

Author: Ben Koren and Benzi Siouni | A Geonic-Maimonidean Approach to Torah Through the Ages and Today February 10, 2025 Duration: 52:35

Leadership isn’t just a modern concern—it’s embedded in the DNA of the Torah itself. In this episode, Dr. Erica Brown unpacks the centrality of leadership in Jewish thought, drawing on insights from The Torah of Leadership. She explains why leadership has been a defining theme of her work, how the need for strong leadership has intensified—especially since October 7th—and why the Torah’s challenge to lead is more relevant than ever. We explore how the Torah doesn’t merely contain lessons on leadership but demands leadership at every turn, a truth that often goes unnoticed. Dr. Brown diagnoses why we’ve lost sight of this and offers a path back to seeing leadership as the Torah intends. From the dangers of stubbornness in am k’sheh oref (a stiff-necked people) to the ethical dilemmas of deception in Rivkah and Yaakov’s story, this conversation delves into the profound tensions and moral complexities of leadership. What does it take to lead a people who resist change? When, if ever, do lies serve a higher purpose? Dr. Brown brings clarity, depth, and wisdom to these questions, making the Torah’s leadership lessons impossible to ignore.

---

• Bio: Dr. Erica Brown is the Vice Provost for Values and Leadership at Yeshiva University and the founding director of its Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks-Herenstein Center for Values and Leadership. She previously served as the director of the Mayberg Center for Jewish Education and Leadership and an associate professor of curriculum and pedagogy at The George Washington University. Erica is the author or co-author of 15 books on leadership, the Hebrew Bible and spirituality. Erica has a daily podcast, “Take Your Soul to Work.” Her book Esther: Power, Fate and Fragility in Exile (Maggid) was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award. Her latest book is Kohelet and the Search for Meaning (Maggid). She and her husband live in Maryland and have four children, another four through marriage, and six exquisite grandchildren.

---

• Get her book here: https://www.amazon.com/Torah-Leadership-Erica-Brown/dp/1592646816/ref=sr_1_1?crid=MFTHQQ4CLKC2&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.hLYZuZZvn75pCZotr-6RyN4_8UV3NNF4hrqv3YpP34DGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.RzHMV8wYe07YNizVGST8QU6M6HijexFDycQ7iBfmKG8&dib_tag=se&keywords=erica+brown+torah+of+leadership&qid=1739133039&sprefix=ericA+BROWN+TORAH+%2Caps%2C132&sr=8-1


• Welcome to JUDAISM DEMYSTIFIED: A PODCAST FOR THE PERPLEXED | Co-hosted by Benjy & Benzi | Thank you to...Super Patron: Jordan Karmily, Platinum Patron: Craig Gordon, Gold Patrons: Dovidchai Abramchayev, Lazer Cohen, Travis Krueger, Vasili Volkoff, Rod Ilian, Silver Patrons: Ellen Fleischer, Daniel M., Rabbi Pinny Rosenthal, Fred & Antonio, Jeffrey Wasserman, and Jacob Winston! Please SUBSCRIBE to this YouTube Channel and hit the BELL so you can get alerted whenever new clips get posted, thank you for your support!


In a world of soundbites, JUDAISM DEMYSTIFIED | A Guide for Today's Perplexed: Torah Foundations, Reason, and Tradition offers a different space: long, thoughtful conversations that delve into the questions and concepts often passed over. Lifelong friends Ben Koren and Benzi Siouni host this series, bringing together voices from across disciplines-religious thinkers, scientists, historians-to examine Jewish wisdom through a specific lens. Their approach is rooted in the Geonic-Maimonidean tradition, a classical stream of Jewish thought that champions reason alongside deep faith, and they thoughtfully engage with the modern intellectual legacy of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. This isn't about simple answers, but about rediscovering the robust, foundational frameworks of Torah that can speak to contemporary complexity. Each episode aims to build a bridge between ancient text and modern perplexity, reigniting a genuine passion for tradition by taking it seriously as a living, intellectual pursuit. The resulting discussions in this podcast are nuanced, patient, and designed for anyone who feels that standard explanations have left gaps in their understanding. You'll hear explorations where tradition meets rigorous inquiry, where historical context illuminates enduring principles, and where the goal is a more coherent, personally owned Jewish life. It’s a guide for the curious, the skeptical, and the devoted, all seeking a deeper anchor in timeless wisdom.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 139

JUDAISM DEMYSTIFIED | A Guide for Today's Perplexed: Torah Foundations, Reason, and Tradition
Podcast Episodes
Episode 26: Rabbi Marc D. Angel "The Judaism of Tomorrow" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:06
Rabbi Angel carefully presents the traditional Sepharadi approach to law and life. Do we take a more stringent or lenient approach than Ashkenazim? We live in an age where Judaism is highly fractured with sectarianism, i…
Episode 25: Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss "Lessons from a Stoic Jew" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:29:13
Rabbi Schneeweiss discusses his conversion to Judaism in 11th grade, identifying as Shomer Torah U'Mitzvot (and not a "rationalist"), using Bruce Lee's philosophy for teaching, what it means to be a Stoic Jew, the method…
Episode 24: Rabbi Jeremy Wieder "The Nuances Within the Sources" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:32
Rabbi Wieder explains the concept of Q're (what is read) and Ketib (what is written) and how our Sages approached textual variants in all ancient Torah scrolls (Masoretic, Dead Sea, etc.). In doing so, he clarifies and c…
Episode 23: Dr. Jeremy England "Torah & Quantum Mechanics" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:33:35
Dr. England shares origin story, how he connected to his Jewish roots, his famous moniker as "the next Darwin", and what it's like to have a character in Dan Brown's book based off of him. He addressed the following topi…
Episode 22: Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz "Torah in a Modern Age" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:43
Rabbi Breitowitz shares his insights on the ethics of separating the art from the artist (as in the most recent case with Chaim Walder), the miraculous existence and success of modern-day Israel (the Haredi argument agai…
Episode 21: Rabbi David Bashevkin "For the Sake of Heaven" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:05
Rabbi Bashevkin explains why stories of tzaddikim are inspiring and beneficial, especially for children. But is this ideal considering that the Torah seems to not hide or sugarcoat the mistakes of our ancestors, while ac…
Episode 19: Shannon Nuszen "Striving for Truth" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:25:38
Shannon tells the story of her life growing up as the daughter of a pastor (now a Noahide). She was raised as a missionary, part of a community that mimicked Jewish traditions and symbols in order to blur the lines in or…
Episode 18: Rabbi Alex Israel "Kings & Prophets" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:23:40
Rabbi Israel discusses the distinctions between the Book of Kings and the Book of Chronicles, and what our approach should be towards understanding these seemingly contradictory accounts. Find out how these factors into…
Episode 17: Dr. Jonathan Sarna "The American Jewish Experience" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:44
Dr. Sarna discusses the American Jewish Experience, the impact the Torah had on the Founding Fathers of America, the sanitization of slavery, Ulysses S. Grant's complicated relationship with the Jews, the remarkable conn…