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The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind

The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind

De: Lobel Center for Jewish Classical Education
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Welcome to The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind, a podcast that tells the story of the prophets, philosophers, and poets who created the West. In this podcast, Rabbi Dr. Mitchell Rocklin guides listeners through more than 3,000 years of Western history, offering a coherent, civilizational story of how the West came to be—along with a deepened understanding of the challenges it now faces. While many of the texts discussed will be familiar to students of the humanities, Rabbi Rocklin offers a new framework for understanding them—a framework in which the teachings of the Jewish religious tradition play a central role. For, as Rabbi Rocklin explains, Western civilization can only be understood as the product of a transformative and ongoing collision between the great traditions of Jerusalem and Athens—between the religious spirit of the Jews and the philosophical spirit of the Greeks.2024 Espiritualidad Judaísmo Mundial
Episodios
  • Gulliver's Travels: Satirical Criticism of the Enlightenment

    Gulliver's Travels: Satirical Criticism of the Enlightenment
    Mar 31 2026

    The first real criticism of the Enlightenment can be found in Jonathan Swift's satirical novel Gulliver's Travels. While we survey the book, we'll address the following questions:

    1. How does Swift's emphasis on human character critique the Enlightenment notion of homo universalis?
    2. In what way does Gulliver's Travels argue that man is not nearly as rational as Enlightenment philosophers have presumed him to be?
    3. Why does Swift seem to reject the concept of striving for immortality?

    Recommended Reading: Swift, Jonathan. Gulliver's Travels. 1726. Reprint, England: Oxford University Press, 2008.

    This episode of The Pillars is generously sponsored by Denise and Camillo Santomero. If you are interested in sponsoring an episode of The Pillars, we invite you to join the Tikvah Ideas Circle by clicking here.
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    46 m
  • Robinson Crusoe II: Master of His Own Destiny

    Robinson Crusoe II: Master of His Own Destiny
    Mar 25 2026

    Daniel Defoe's Enlightenment experiment continues in the second half of Robinson Crusoe. As we continue our survey, we'll answer the following questions:

    1. How does the novel reflect the Enlightenment view of progress as vital for the development of human civilization?
    2. Why is there a notable lack of women throughout Robinson Crusoe?
    3. In what sense can the novel be considered an updated, Enlightenment version of the Christian story of the prodigal son?

    Recommended Reading: Defoe, Daniel. Robinson Crusoe. 1719. Reprint, New York: Modern Library, 2001.

    This week's episode of The Pillars is generously sponsored by Denise and Camillo Santomero. If you are interested in sponsoring an episode of The Pillars, we invite you to join the Tikvah Ideas Circle by clicking here.
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    38 m
  • Robinson Crusoe I: The Individual as a Thought Experiment

    Robinson Crusoe I: The Individual as a Thought Experiment
    Mar 18 2026

    Daniel Defoe will put Enlightenment thought to the test in his novel Robinson Crusoe. To help us explore the book, Rabbi Rocklin will answer the following questions:

    1. How does Robinson Crusoe develop a rational response to the question of how man should respond to suffering?
    2. Why do Crusoe's labors on his island occupy a central role in the narrative?
    3. In what sense can Crusoe's religious experience in the novel be considered Jewish-inspired?

    Recommended Reading: Defoe, Daniel. Robinson Crusoe. 1719. Reprint, New York: Modern Library, 2001.
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    32 m
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