Episodes

  • Faith, Friendship, and First Contact in Project Hail Mary

    Faith, Friendship, and First Contact in Project Hail Mary
    Apr 28 2026
    In this spoiler-filled episode of PopTorah, we dive into Project Hail Mary, a sci-fi space adventure starring Ryan Gosling. What begins as a desperate mission to save humanity becomes something far more intimate — a story about unlikely friendship and courageous faith. Join us as we discuss what Project Hail Mary has to say about bridging difference, […]
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    35 mins
  • Unfortunately, it was ‘Paradise’

    Unfortunately, it was ‘Paradise’
    Apr 9 2026
    In this episode of PopTorah, we break down Hulu’s Paradise — a gripping, twist-filled series about a so-called perfect society that quickly reveals its cracks. With full spoilers, we explore how Paradise wrestles with power, control, and the moral cost of creating order out of chaos. Drawing on Jewish tradition, we unpack the dangers of manufactured perfection […]
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    42 mins
  • Sinners, Saints, and One Battle After Another: The 2026 Oscars Episode

    Sinners, Saints, and One Battle After Another: The 2026 Oscars Episode
    Mar 26 2026
    In this special Oscars episode of PopTorah, we dive into two of the most talked-about films of the year: Sinners and One Battle After Another. Both films wrestle with big questions about morality, power, violence, and the stories people tell to justify their actions. What does it mean to be called a “sinner”? Are we trapped in cycles of […]
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    46 mins
  • Power, Persona, and Purpose in Marvel’s “Wonder Man”

    Power, Persona, and Purpose in Marvel’s “Wonder Man”
    Mar 12 2026
    In this episode of PopTorah, we dive into Marvel’s newest Disney+ series, “Wonder Man.” This isn’t just another superhero origin story. The show explores the tension between public image and inner truth, the seduction of fame, discovering your purpose and finding your people, and the difficulty of balancing safety and freedom. It’s a meta Hollywood […]
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    45 mins
  • If You Got It, Flaunt It: Mel Brooks at 99

    If You Got It, Flaunt It: Mel Brooks at 99
    Feb 19 2026
    In this episode of PopTorah, Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky talk about Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!, the HBO Max documentary celebrating Mel Brooks and a lifetime of unapologetic comedy. From The Producers to Blazing Saddles, Brooks never hid what he was doing or why — using laughter to mock power, puncture tyranny, and refuse the demand for Jewish silence or […]
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    35 mins
  • Faith, False Prophets, and Fool’s Gold in Wake Up Dead Man

    Faith, False Prophets, and Fool’s Gold in Wake Up Dead Man
    Feb 5 2026
    What happens when a miracle involves a murder — and who benefits when the truth stays buried? In this spoiler-filled episode of PopTorah, we dive into Wake Up Dead Man, the darkest and most theologically charged entry in Rian Johnson’s whodunit series. Set inside a fractured church community obsessed with power, purity, and control, the […]
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    38 mins
  • Shadows, Light, and Stranger Things

    Shadows, Light, and Stranger Things
    Jan 22 2026
    Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky return to Hawkins for the final season of the Netflix juggernaut Stranger Things. Beyond monsters and nostalgia, the show offers a sobering meditation on fear, power, and the seductions of militarism and authoritarian control. Through a Jewish lens, the conversation explores what it means to grow up, take responsibility for one another, […]
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    42 mins
  • ‘Wicked’: For Good?

    ‘Wicked’: For Good?
    Jan 9 2026
    What does it really mean to choose the side of “good” — and what does it cost? In this follow-up journey back to Oz, Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky explore Wicked: For Good, the second chapter of Elphaba and Glinda’s story, and what it reveals about loyalty, love, sacrifice, and the messy moral terrain between heroism and […]
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    36 mins