Episode · Conversations with Tyler · 2017-02-15
Books mentioned on Rabbi David Wolpe on Leadership, Religion, and Identity (Live at Sixth & I)
Named one of the most influential Jewish thinkers of our time, Rabbi David Wolpe joins Tyler in a conversation on flawed leaders, Jewish identity in the modern world, the many portrayals of David, wha
Tyler Cowen discussed David by David Wolpe, The book of Genesis by Victor P. Hamilton, Chronicles by Bob Dylan, and Zohar: The Book of Splendor by Gershom Scholem. David Wolpe recommended The Sabbath by Abraham Joshua Heschel, and discussed Survival in Auschwitz by Primo Levi and Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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David
Discussed“So, your latest book, it's called David, the Divided Heart, and the Book of Samuel is probably the greatest political biography of all time, one of the most significant books on politics.”
Where to get it
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The book of Genesis
The book of Genesis by Victor P.
Discussed“If you think of it being an implicit question in the Book of Genesis, first, how is there political order at all? And also, why is it that brothers do not kill each other?”
Where to get it
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Chronicles
Chronicles by Bob Dylan is the celebrated first volume of memoirs by the legendary singer-songwriter, offering his own reflections on his early career, artistic philosophy, and life in New York City.
Discussed“Now, on page 18, there's a claim you make and I I don't want to misquote you here, but I understand you to be saying something like that Chronicles is like a boring retelling of the story of David. That's an almost a direct quote.”
Where to get it
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Survival in Auschwitz
Survival in Auschwitz by Primo Levi is a harrowing autobiographical account of the author's imprisonment in the Auschwitz concentration camp during the Holocaust, detailing the profound degradation and resilience of the human spirit under unimaginable totalitarian cruelty.
Discussed“There's one place, I think in Survival in Auschwitz, where Primo Levi talks about a bricklayer that the Nazis asked him to build a wall and he couldn't persuade himself to build it badly.”
Where to get it
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The Sabbath
The Sabbath by Abraham Joshua Heschel is a profound theological exploration of time, sacred rest, and the spiritual dimensions of Judaism.
Recommended“But there are some passages where like in his little book, The Sabbath, which everybody who's interested in Judaism or in God or theology should read, where you think it's like just so extraordinarily beautiful that it's an illustration of what it talks about.”
Where to get it
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Lolita
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov is a controversial and acclaimed novel about an adult man's obsessive and abusive relationship with a young girl.
Discussed“The reason is he said all love require all real love stories require an obstacle. And usually it was you know, adultery or something like that. He says but when all barriers have been leveled and the only obstacle less left is an adult may not touch a child. It was part of Nabokov's genius to make that into a”
Where to get it
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Zohar: The Book of Splendor
Zohar: The Book of Splendor, edited or translated by scholars like Gershom Scholem, stands as the foundational text of Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah, plumbing the depths of divine emanations, cosmic symbolism, and esoteric theology.
Discussed“Now that you mentioned the Kabbalists, why is there so much sex in the Zohar and so much talk of devils? And is that really part of the Jewish tradition, or is that going beyond and it's non-religious speculation, say?”
Where to get it
