Today marks the thirtieth day since we buried Ran Gvili, the hostage who came home last. The thirty day mark, the Sheloshim, signifies the end of the period of intense mourning. It may also be taken as the end of the terrible war in Gaza that followed October 7. Noah explores how wars end in Israel, and what the end of this war is like for all of us going through it.

(This is the last of our special breaktime episodes. Stay tuned, the show is coming back soon!)

Uri Lupolianski was the first ultra-Orthodox mayor of Jerusalem, and he was convicted of corruption. A week after his death, Noah says that he was also a reflection of all of us, at our imperfect best.

In this last episode before our two month break (save for an occasional special, check your feed!) Linda Gradstein and Noah Efron talk about (1) What to make about Bondi Beach and the many, many violent things around the world that maybe led up to it, and (2) What does Hanukkah mean in 2025?

For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: What do we look for in a Rabbi?

All that and a Mufti and a Chief Rabbi studying the New Testament in Gaza City. Plus some really good music that sounds more or less how we feel these days.