Thu, 28 May 2026 12:13:17 -0400 en-us © 2026 JH David Yastrab Podcast yes 6072b1bd-8b15-5c67-b6e6-17cd90ce72ae David Yastrab episodic false Personal Podcast of David Yastrab

]]> Buzzsprout (https://www.buzzsprout.com) David Yastrab https://storage.buzzsprout.com/f2ds061lf1hpl8vvldcmhj7gjuf2?.jpg Mid-Gaonic Period-Saadia Gaon Life is seldom quiet for a Torah leader, and this was certainly true for Rabbi Saadia Gaon, author of the first book of Jewish philosophy for the masses, Emunos v'Deos. He fought and won three major battles in his life, thus establishing the primacy of Babylonia over all Jewish communities worldwide, defeating the corrupt Exilarch Dovid ben Zakkai, and sending the Karaite movement on the path to its ultimate downfall.

• The stormy life of the Saadia Gaon
• Known genius from the age of 25
• The terrible privations he faced for standing up for Torah
• Babylonia vs. Jerusalem - the debate over the Jewish calendar

]]> Life is seldom quiet for a Torah leader, and this was certainly true for Rabbi Saadia Gaon, author of the first book of Jewish philosophy for the masses, Emunos v'Deos. He fought and won three major battles in his life, thus establishing the primacy of Babylonia over all Jewish communities worldwide, defeating the corrupt Exilarch Dovid ben Zakkai, and sending the Karaite movement on the path to its ultimate downfall.

• The stormy life of the Saadia Gaon
• Known genius from the age of 25
• The terrible privations he faced for standing up for Torah
• Babylonia vs. Jerusalem - the debate over the Jewish calendar

]]> Rabbi Berel Wein Buzzsprout-19254740 Thu, 28 May 2026 12:00:00 -0400 3327 2 22 full false The Early Gaonic Period Jewish leadership in 7th century Babylonia was divided into two spheres. The Exilarch held political and economic power while the Gaonim, the heads of the yeshivas, controlled all religious matters. But because these is so much overlap between them, this division was a recipe for disaster. Rabbi Wein narrates the power struggle that gave rise to the deviant movement of the Karaites and details the works of Torah scholarship that arose to combat it.

• competing yeshivas meant competing Gaonim
• the Sherira Gaon and his famous letter
• the "culture of corruption" and how it affected the Jews
• Anan - how one man's petty conflict nearly destroyed the Jewish people

]]> Jewish leadership in 7th century Babylonia was divided into two spheres. The Exilarch held political and economic power while the Gaonim, the heads of the yeshivas, controlled all religious matters. But because these is so much overlap between them, this division was a recipe for disaster. Rabbi Wein narrates the power struggle that gave rise to the deviant movement of the Karaites and details the works of Torah scholarship that arose to combat it.

• competing yeshivas meant competing Gaonim
• the Sherira Gaon and his famous letter
• the "culture of corruption" and how it affected the Jews
• Anan - how one man's petty conflict nearly destroyed the Jewish people

]]> David Yastrab Buzzsprout-19130643 Tue, 05 May 2026 15:00:00 -0400 3514 full false The Rise of Islam In the 7th century, Islam spread like wildfire, taking down both the Byzantine and Persian Empires. With a thorough analysis of the tenets of Islamic theology, including the historical origins of the anti-Semitism of the Koran, Rabbi Wein uncovers the massive influence Islam held over the world in religion, technology, culture, and war.

• Mohammed's failed to attract and convert the Jews
• Conversion by the sword - a Moslem invention
• The march from Mecca to Medina and the original jihad
• The Biblical distortions, especially of the Akeida

]]> In the 7th century, Islam spread like wildfire, taking down both the Byzantine and Persian Empires. With a thorough analysis of the tenets of Islamic theology, including the historical origins of the anti-Semitism of the Koran, Rabbi Wein uncovers the massive influence Islam held over the world in religion, technology, culture, and war.

• Mohammed's failed to attract and convert the Jews
• Conversion by the sword - a Moslem invention
• The march from Mecca to Medina and the original jihad
• The Biblical distortions, especially of the Akeida

]]> David Yastrab Buzzsprout-18829536 Wed, 11 Mar 2026 11:00:00 -0400 3384 full false