Our guest this week is probably the most famous TikTok Talmudist out there, Miriam Anzovin. Miriam has earned herself an amazing Social Media following by studying the Talmud (an ancient book of Jewish law and learning) and then giving irreverent, but thoughtful, recaps of what she’s learned. She is beloved by her followers, but as we’ll talk about, has also been on the receiving end of a sadly unsurprising amount of hate and misogyny.

We talk about her history of finding and then losing religious faith, and then what still grounds her today. And, we also discuss why being snarky might sometimes be the most appropriate way to approach at least certain sections of the Talmud. And, Jakob will try to teach us how bears are actually dogs, or something like that. And, of course, we always end with the Profanely Sacred speed round!

If you are on Social Media and you aren't following Miriam, then you are definiitely missing out. Find her on Instagram, TikTok, BlueSky, Mastodon, Threads, and Youtube. You can also check out her website, www.miriamanzovin.com.

And, if you want a sample of her brilliance, this might be the greatest thing ever recorded for the Internet. Certainly, the greatest thing ever recorded about rabbinic opinions of men who accidentally insert their penises into women? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDaOIKCPW_8

Welcome to Profanely Sacred, the podcast where we try to talk about really serious things, but not always in serious ways. We talk about God and religion and faith and humanity, but we also swear and tell jokes, so if that isn’t your thing, this is probably a good time to find another podcast! But, if you do like talking about God, and also sometimes saying “fuck,” then…welcome!

Rabbi Laurie Rice was a classmate and friend of mine when we were attending our rabbinical school – the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, and she is now co-rabbi of congregation Micah (https://www.congregationmicah.org), just outside of Nashville, along with her husband, Rabbi Flip Rice. I’ve always known Laurie to be smart, thoughtful, friendly, and as likely to drop an f-bomb as any of us, so I figured that she’s perfect for our little podcast.

We talk about the spirituality of being outdoors, of being uncertain about a great many things, and, in more depth than I would have predicted, of pooping. We chat a bit about some inside-baseball stuff for clergy, but hopefully you normal people will still find that interesting, and, of course, we end, as always, with the Profanely Sacred speed round.

This was recorded a while ago, so a couple of references are a bit dated. And, as in our other early episodes here, my and Jakob’s sound quality isn’t so great, but it’s clear enough, and Rabbi Laurie is the best of the bunch, so that’s good! Let’s get going!