November 6, 2024
Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy Jews
Episode 67 - Grief, Loss, and Lifesabers

Ethan opens his heart to all of us once again as we look back on a year of grief together with returning guest, Dr. Betsy Stone. We learn about the difference between the words grief and loss, share some of the meaningful practices during the mourning period, and hear what Star Trek has to say about the unexpected death of a loved one. We also teach Betsy what we’re supposed to call those plasma sword thingies in Star Wars. …Or maybe, she taught us?

00:02:24 A one year check in
00:04:19 Compounded grief
00:11:07 The difference between grief and loss
00:13:53 The burdens of grief on Deep Space 9
00:18:21 The experiences of the facts of our stories change
00:23:11 Something I talked about with my therapist…
00:26:48 Art imitating life and life imitating art
00:29:21 Holding joy and sadness, unlike giraffes
00:31:46 The perfect structure for mourning
00:34:43 Loss versus death
00:41:02 Grief is multilayered and disruptive
00:44:22 favorite pop culture stories centered around death or grief

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October 23, 2024
Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy Jews
Episode 66 - Good Ideas Gone Wrong

We recorded this episode in September of 2024, which means that we had to visit the future historical event of the time: the Bell Riots from Deep Space 9. Ethan walks us through this time travel Star Trek episode and we discuss what went wrong. They seemed like they had good intentions, but do good plans always go awry? We also visit some other future prediction events from other franchises. …Does Judaism ever predict the future?

00:01:18 Isaiah 58:7-8
00:03:26 Deep Space 9 travels back to 2024 in a transporter accident
00:05:28 DS9 “Past Tense” Parts I and II
00:10:01 Figuring out morality without violence
00:12:20 Paving the road with good intentions
00:15:21 No bowling balls in the pool!
00:21:37 How will the Bell Riots directly affect change?
00:27:53 Finding a home in other franchises
00:34:09 Predicting the future in pop culture
00:37:50 Does Judaism ever predict the future?

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October 9, 2024
Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy Jews
Episode 62 - Sabra: The Hero not the Hummus …with Special Guest Sasha Kaplan

The upcoming Captain America movie will include the first live action portrayal of the Israeli superhero Sabra. In this episode, we take a deep dive into Sabra’s first introduction into the Marvel Comics world, the possible powers and skills you may see on the big screen, and our predictions on what her story in the MCU will look like.

00:02:41 A background on Sabra
00:07:38 Sabra got a name change
00:09:17 Sabra entering the MCU
00:17:17 Revisiting Sabra’s troubling first comic story
00:26:41 Sabra’s name and some more troubling backstory
00:37:52 Sabra’s powers and skillsets
00:43:07 Will her Jewish or Israeli background play a part in her MCU Story

Share this episode with a friend: https://www.torahsmash.com/post/episode-65-sabra-the-hero-not-the-hummus

Connect with us online, purchase swag, support us with a donation, and more at www.torahsmash.com.