In what way does the Sinai Covenant serve us as a ladder to transcend this world?

Why was it Moshe and not Aharon who consecrated the Mishkan?

In what way do the final three Books of the Torah continue separate but parallel themes featured in Sefer Sh'mot?

Parshat HaShavua

The Hebrew Identity 022: Continuing the Work Moshe Began (Pekudei)

Do today's popular superheroes express deep Jewish values, internal struggles and aspirations for a better world?

Yehuda HaKohen is joined by author Roy Schwartz for a fascinating discussion on the Jewish roots of the comic book industry and Israel's heavy cultural influence on the entire superhero genre.

The Next Stage

TNS 067: Is Superman Circumcised? (with Roy Schwartz)

How did the young fighters executed during Israel's struggle to free Palestine from British rule cure the Jewish people of its curse of fear?

In commemoration of the date (8 Nisan) that Eliyahu Bet-Zuri and Eliyahu Ḥakim were executed in Cairo, Yehuda HaKohen shares a 2012 class he taught on the 'Olei HaGardom' (those who mounted the gallows) and the deeper spiritual value of martyrdom in Torah thought.

TNS 074: The Martyrs that Cured Israel from Fear

When makes Yom HaZikaron l’Shoah v’l’Gvura (a day for remembering the Holocaust & the Heroism) different from other days on the Hebrew calendar that commemorate the Holocaust?

Yehuda HaKohen is joined by Rina bat Eliyahu to discuss the Christian roots of European Jew hatred, different ways for understanding Yom HaShoah and the lessons of the Holocaust for the Jewish people today.

TNS 075: Exploring the Essence of Yom HaShoah (with Rina bat Eliyahu)

Where does Israel's historic arch foe come from?

What are its foundational beliefs?

Who can best be identified as Amalek in modern times when examined through the lens of Jewish historiography?

The original Amalek was the grandson of Esav. Our sages identify Esav as the progenitor of Western civilization (not necessarily biologically but certainly in terms of values and behavior). Amalek should therefore be seen as the most militantly nationalist component of the West - essentially white nationalism. 

Amalek generally sees Israel as the greatest threat to its civilization (((white genocide))) and we Jews in turn regard Amalek as the worst of our foes. We've confronted each other several times in our long history. The German Holocaust is the last time they attempted to destroy us. But Purim celebrates a conflict in which we got the upper hand and triumphed against them. 🎭

Who is Amalek?

Do current tensions in Israeli society indicate a need to separate into a new Israeli state & a Judean state?

Yehuda HaKohen is joined by Nitzan Amit of the Israeli Separation Movement that seeks to copy the Biblical model of dividing the country into a new Israeli state (Yosef) and a Judean state (Yehuda).

TNS 104: Should Israel Separate into Two Jewish States? (with Nitzan Amit)

How should we understand the recent attacks on Yom Kippur services by Tel Aviv protestors?

Yehuda HaKohen is joined by Shanna Fuld of Tribe TLV to discuss the disruptions and their implications for Israeli society.

TNS 105: Yom Kippur as a Terrain of Struggle in Tel Aviv (with Shanna Fuld)

The only way to stop further conflicts with Hamas is for Israel to acknowledge the mistake of leaving Gaza & formulate a visionary strategy for return.

As Israel reels from the horrific Hamas attacks of Simḥat Torah & finds itself fighting a new war on multiple fronts, Lizzy Oziel & Yehuda HaKohen are joined by Shai Hershel to discuss the situation.

TNS 106: Take Back Gaza! (with Shai Hershel)

Can the crises surrounding the current war with Hamas help Israel grow beyond Western ideological paradigms & realize our true potential on the world stage?

Yehuda HaKohen is joined by Rav Gavriel Reiss - a founder of the movement who created a farm in southern Judea to actualize Vision ideals.

The two discuss how this war exposed Western civilization's narrow conception of humanity as being largely irrelevant to most Israelis and Palestinians.

TNS 107: Brotherhood & War (with Gavriel Reiss)

Israel & Israel advocacy organizations have adopted messages that unwittingly strengthen anti-Israel narratives.

As Israel sends soldiers into Gaza to fight Hamas, Lizzy Oziel & Yehuda HaKohen discuss the challenges and benefits of understanding the narrative of the Other during war.

The two also discuss the failure of the hasbara industry's efforts to properly frame the conflict and effectively present Israel's position.

The Next Stage 

TNS 108: Narratives & Warfare

How does the current conflict between Israel & Hamas in Gaza concern Hezbollah, Iran, the US empire, Saudi Arabia, China, Russia & the hostages?

As Israel's army pivots from areal strikes to a ground assault on northern Gaza, Lizzy Oziel & Yehuda HaKohen are joined by former United States diplomat and CIA case officer Ariel Avidar to analyze Israel's conduct of the war, what might be motivating some of the other actors involved and how this relates to a sudden spike in anti-Semitism.

TNS 109: Analyzing the War (with Ariel Avidar)

Washington is demanding that Jerusalem present a plan for Gaza following the war against Hamas. But would unveiling such a plan be helpful right now?

Lizzy Oziel & Yehuda HaKohen record a special Ḥanukah episode to discuss whether or not Israel should submit to US demands for a "day after" the war plan.

In response to Jerusalem's stated requirements that Hamas be removed from power, that Gaza be demilitarized and that Gazan Palestinians be deradicalized, the two also debate what options exist for Gaza moving forward.

Maoz Tzur outro music by Yehonatan Roth.

TNS 111: Does Israel Need a 'Day After' Plan for Post-War Gaza?

Has the current Gaza War created better conditions for Israel to move towards military self-sufficiency and free ourselves from the United States?

Lizzy Oziel & Yehuda HaKohen are joined by "Prisoner of Zion" Jonathan Pollard to discuss Israel's looming battle over identity and the extent to which the people of Israel have begun to recognize the dangerous nature of the US-Israel relationship.

TNS 112: Israel's Struggle for Identity & Military Independence (with Jonathan Pollard)

The story of Israel's judicial reform battles from the perspective of one of the initiative's  main architects.

Member of Knesset Simḥa Rothman (Religious Zionism) joins Yehuda HaKohen for a discussion on the Supreme Court's recent move to strike down the government's cancelation of the "reasonableness" clause that has historically been used by the court to overturn Knesset legislation.

Rothman, who heads the Knesset's Constitution, Law and Justice Committee and was one of the two main architects of the judicial reform legislation, also sheds light on some of the lesser known parts of the national drama surrounding judicial reform.

TNS 113: An Inside Account of the Judicial Reform Story (with MK Simḥa Rothman)

Now that westernization has lost its grip on society, is Israel returning to the ethos of the Zionist era or advancing to a new stage of national development?

Yehuda HaKohen is joined by Rav Gavriel Reiss to discuss the meaning and potential ramifications of the mentality shift that's taken place within Israeli society since the Hamas attacks of Simḥat Torah.

TNS 114: Israel's Wake Up Call (with Gavriel Reiss)

Is Washington's aggressive push for partition inadvertently strengthening Binyamin Netanyahu & increasing the Israeli public's desire for freedom?

Lizzy Oziel & Yehuda HaKohen discuss how the Biden administration's efforts to push Israel back to a two-state paradigm have actually backfired against American interests in the Semitic region.

The two also discuss socio-political transformations in Israeli society, the current state of Israeli-Palestinian peace work, and what line needs to be crossed for individual Jews to be seen as having turned against their people.

TNS 115: Biden's Tone-Deaf Two-State Rhetoric

What does it mean to engage Yishmael from a place of power? 

Can a stronger Jewish identity help Israel to better communicate with the Islamic world?

Lizzy Oziel & Yehuda HaKohen are joined by Inon Kehati of the Home movement to discuss his new book aimed at communicating Israel's story to the Muslim world.

The three also discuss the importance of defining the Jewish people's historic mission and replacing Western political framings with a political map based on the diverse Israeli tribal identities.

TNS 116: Sh'ma Yishmael (with Inon Kehati)

If different societies have different concepts of freedom, what does freedom mean to Israel?

Ahead of the anniversary of Leḥi (Fighters for the Freedom of Israel) leader Natan Yellin-Mor's passing, Yehuda HaKohen is joined by a Vision affiliated "Anonymous Soldier" to discuss the need for political education within Israel's national-religious camp.

TNS 117: Political Intelligence & Concepts of Freedom (with an "Anonymous Soldier")

As the Biden administration schemes to remove Netanyahu from office, the prime minister's domestic political needs have aligned with exposing the toxicity of the US-Israel relationship.

Yehuda HaKohen is joined by Vision organizer Aryeh Shapiro for a discussion on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's defiant wartime posture towards the United States.

TNS 118: Shaking Off the Empire (with Aryeh Shapiro)

Did the US intelligence community intentionally deceive Israel's leadership regarding the likelihood of being attacked on Yom Kippur of 5734 (1973)?

Yehuda HaKohen is joined by former NSA Mideast intelligence analyst Bruce Brill to discuss his new book Deceit of an Ally: A Memoir of Military Anti-Semitism, NSA's Secret Jew Room and Yom Kippur Treachery.

TNS 119: What Really Happened 50 Years Ago? (with Bruce Brill)

What was the ancient Egyptian worldview that humanity required liberation from?

Ahead of the festival of Israel's freedom, Yehuda HaKohen shares his thoughts on the Egyptian ideology & true educational purpose of the ten plagues.

TNS 120: The Egyptian Ideology & True Purpose of the Plagues

Why do the children of Israel celebrate the seventh night of Pesaḥ (referred to by Rav Sa’adya Gaon as "Ḥag HaShmada" – the “Festival of Destruction”)?  

Yehuda HaKohen teaches that in addition to commemorating the smashing of Egypt’s military at the Sea of Reeds, the 21st of Nisan also marks something more significant to Israel’s development – the climax of our miraculous national birth and the attainment of collective prophecy.

TNS 121: Why Israel Celebrates the 21st of Nisan

After years of branding Israel as a 'Western nation' closely allied to the United States, the campus-based pro-Israel advocacy organizations shouldn't be surprised when Israel is perceived by many students as a settler-colony.

Yehuda HaKohen is joined by Vision student organizer Sharon Levy to analyze why the mainstream pro-Israel advocacy organizations have failed so miserably on North American university campuses.

TNS 122: The Failure of the Hasbara Industry (with Sharon Levy)

A unique perspective on Israel’s Independence Day, the crisis following the two-state paradigm’s collapse, and the new conversation required for Israeli society to mature passed its inherent contradictions.

Yom HaAtzamot/Atzmaut

Yehuda HaKohen is joined by activist Rudy Rochman, who discusses his experiences as a Columbia University organizer confronting identity issues within the Jewish community and anti-Israel sentiment on the broader campus. The two differ on the validity of the Palestinian narrative and on the obligation to resist a "two-state solution" on Diaspora campuses but see eye-to-eye on the need to inspire young Diaspora Jews to become players rather than spectators in the current chapter of Israel's story.

TNS 011: Jewish Campus Activism (with Rudy Rochman)

In what way did Leah help Yaakov learn to become Israel?

What challenge did Yaakov pose to Lavan's worldview?

What did Yaakov's fight with Esav's angel actually determine?

What caused Yaakov to believe he would find an appropriate husband for Dina in Shkhem?

The Hebrew Identity 007: Finally Becoming Israel (Vayishlaḥ)

The 13th of Adar was once Yom Nikanor - a holiday marking the date Yehuda Maccabee defeated the Seleucid-Greek General Nikanor at Adasa.

Yehuda HaKohen shares the story of this ancient Maccabean festival that's currently experiencing a revival in the State of Israel.

TNS 047: The Festival of Nikanor

How are Israel's kohanim different from the spiritual leaders of other cultures?

How does the kehuna as an institution benefit the broader nation of Israel?

Why does the Torah place so much importance on the details of the priestly uniforms?

The Hebrew Identity 019: Purpose of the Kohanim (Tetzave)

How does the light of Purim and all of its rituals and customs help us to recognize HaShem behind the scenes of our reality?

Revealing the Hidden on Purim

What did the Golden Calf represent from a Hebrew perspective and how was it different from other forms of idolatry?

What prevented Aharon from being able to stand up to the people?

Why was it necessary to combine the tribal forces of Yehuda and Dan to construct the Mishkan?

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