20 | JANUARY 11 • 2024 J N OUR COMMUNITY T hey may seem like an unlikely duo, but an Orthodox rabbi and a former atheist offer the perfect complement to one another in a new Metro Detroit-based Jewish podcast. Together, Rabbi Alon Tolwin of Aish Detroit and financial planner Gary Rosenberg of Huntington Woods, a self- proclaimed “skeptic, ” blend thoughts, ideas and perspectives in “ A Rabbi and a Skeptic Walk Into a Podcast. ” Available on Spotify and other streaming platforms, the podcast released its first episode in August of this year and has since released 13 episodes, one a week. While the duo may come from different worlds, Tolwin and Rosenberg are an unlikely pair that cover the ins and outs of timeless Jewish wisdom and knowledge with grace and humor. THE PERFECT FIT As decades-long friends, Tolwin and Rosenberg go way back. Rosenberg was a longtime participant in Tolwin’s former weekly lunch-and-learn program at the Detroit Jewish News, and the pair previously traveled to Israel for a nine-day study trip. “He’s so dynamic and I learned so much, ” Rosenberg says of his friend and podcast co-host. “I got so much out of it. ” While no longer an atheist, Rosenberg still calls himself skeptical, though he says he’s “not the biggest skeptic in the world. ” He notes Tolwin, meanwhile, is flexible and understanding, and holds diverse viewpoints on ancient Jewish wisdom. Tolwin says the same about Rosenberg, explaining that the duo both “believe in the power of ideas. ” In addition, they share a deep love for music. While they still tend to disagree, Tolwin says the reason “ A Rabbi and a Skeptic Walk Into a Podcast” works as well as it does (and has generated hundreds of listeners in its short time on the internet) is because of its “three pillars” — Rosenberg, himself and the listener. “Someone once told me if you ask a policeman why they have three antennas on their car, it’s because of triangulation, ” Tolwin explains. “You have three points, and you can’t figure anything out location- wise unless you have three. ” “I look at the podcast as triangulation between the listener, Gary and myself, ” Tolwin continues. “You listen to the ideas and make a decision, otherwise you’re stuck. ” The moment there’s a third- party, he says, it creates “more dynamic tension. ” That healthy tension can be felt throughout the podcast’s 13 episodes, which cover a wide range of topics that include intermarriage, death, antisemitism and the meaning of life. “I don’t want it to get political, ” Rosenberg says of the podcast, which is ad-hoc and off-the-cuff — a true conversation between two individuals. “I don’t want to talk about current events. I want Tolwin’s great-grandchildren to listen to this 20 years from now and have it still be relevant. ” SHARING WISDOM With topics that stand the test of time, Rosenberg explains that the podcast is meant to be mostly philosophical. “I hope that other people hear it and find it enjoyable to listen to, and at the end of it learn something new, ” he says. In future episodes, Tolwin hopes to discuss education, a topic near and dear to his heart as a scholar and teacher. Rosenberg, meanwhile, wants to dive further into the basics that he says “aren’t restricted to this moment, ” such as the nature of the existence of God and other talking points that aren’t temporal. “We talk about some intense issues, ” admits Rosenberg, who recommends the episode about death to new listeners as one that’s particularly moving. Tolwin also enjoyed the episode about intermarriage and plans to revisit antisemitism in the near future. Tolwin says the podcast works because of two factors: its content, and hearing perspectives from two people with what he calls “such disparate backgrounds. ” “We have to find some things we disagree on more, ” he jokes of his friendship with Rosenberg. “It’s an ever-evolving conversation. Sometimes we go off-topic and start laughing, and we can have a good time [despite the seriousness of the topic]. ” At the end of the day, it’s all about having fun for the fast friends and podcast duo. “We have a really neat relationship, ” Tolwin says. “We’ve gotten really good feedback. ” An Orthodox rabbi and a former atheist host a new podcast on Judaism. Unlikely Pair ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER Gary Rosenberg and Rabbi Alon Tolwin in Israel about 10 years ago To listen to A Rabbi and a Skeptic Walk into a Podcast, go to www. buzzsprout.com/2236704/share. Email Rabbi Alon Tolwin at Rabbi2skeptic@gmail.com.