In this solo episode, Levi revisits his conversation with Rabbi Manis Friedman and argues that some of the deepest Hasidic ideas can become distorted when presented as shortcuts. Through a formative story from his teens—culminating in an extended personal conversation with Rabbi Yoel Kahn—Levi explores the full “ladder” of Hasidic consciousness: Daas Tachton (the world’s dependence on God) and Daas Elyon (the acosmic view that only the Divine truly is), and the paradox of living inside both at once. He then tackles the practical stakes: spirituality vs. godliness, inner work with the animal soul, prayer as contemplative avodah, and why mitzvot require love and awe to “fly.” The goal isn’t to attack a person—but to restore the missing context so God doesn’t get reduced to ritual.

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Levi Brackman is a rabbi, Ph.D. in psychology, best-selling author of Jewish Wisdom for Business Success, and founder of Invown, a platform for real estate fundraising and investing.

Does God need us? Does God need mitzvot?
In this episode of Truth: Jewish Wisdom for Today, Levi Brackman sits down with Rabbi Manis Friedman for a direct, unfiltered conversation about one of the most emotionally-charged theological debates online — and what people are often actually arguing about underneath the headlines.

We explore whether “need” implies lack, or whether it’s a sharper way of saying desire / ratzon — and what happens when you take that idea all the way into classic Chassidic territory: Tzimtzum, Atzmus, bitul, das elyon vs das tachton, and the tension between mystical “unknowability” and a relationship with Hashem that’s concrete, knowable, and obligation-centered.

In this conversation:

What Rabbi Friedman means by “need” (and what he doesn’t mean)

“Bitul to the mystery” vs “bitul to Hashem’s ratzon”

Is the world nothing… or essential… or somehow both?

Does chasing transcendence bring you closer to Hashem — or subtly make it about you?

Why some Orthodox religious culture can feel like “laws without God” — and whether that’s fair

Guests: Rabbi Manis Friedman
Also joining: Yoni Katz (setting up the debate + clarifying the question)

⚠️ Note: This is a philosophical / spiritual discussion, not practical halachic guidance.

If you enjoyed this, please like, subscribe, and comment:
When you hear “God needs us,” what do you think it means — and what should it mean?

Support the show

Levi Brackman is a rabbi, Ph.D. in psychology, best-selling author of Jewish Wisdom for Business Success, and founder of Invown, a platform for real estate fundraising and investing.

What happens when a leading Orthodox theologian says that parts of the Haredi world exclude dissenting voices — and that doing so can actually undermine the Torah’s deepest call to choose life?

In this episode of The Truth Podcast, host Levi Brackman sits down with Rabbi Irving “Yitz” Greenberg to talk about Haredim, dissent, ecstasy, and his new book The Triumph of Life: A Narrative Theology of Judaism.

Rav Yitz lays out a bold claim:
Judaism, at its core, is a religion of choosing life — and halakha is not just a legal code but a disciplined way of maximizing life and minimizing death in every action we take.

Together they explore:

• Haredim and dissent – what happens to a community when dissenting voices are shut out “to protect the Torah,” and why pluralism might actually be a religious obligation.
• How halakha can be re-seen as a life-maximizing practice, from eating and kashrut to work, speech and power.
• Why vegetarian ideals, environmental concerns, and climate questions can all be read through the lens of “living on the side of life.”
• The danger of letting left-wing or right-wing politics hijack Torah, and how to let Torah critique all ideologies instead of becoming their mascot.
• What it means to say that God is totally present and totally hidden in our time – and how that changes the way we daven, say berachot, and live as Jews in a secular age.
• Very practically: how an ordinary person can begin to cultivate divine consciousness so that daily life – going to work, making a bracha, meeting another human being – becomes an entry point to ecstasy.

This is not a bashing session and not fluffy spirituality. It’s a serious, honest, sometimes uncomfortable, but ultimately uplifting conversation about how to live a real Jewish life in a complicated world.

If you care about Judaism, spirituality, theology, Haredim and pluralism, or just how to live a life that leaves more life behind than it started with, this episode is for you.

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Levi Brackman is a rabbi, Ph.D. in psychology, best-selling author of Jewish Wisdom for Business Success, and founder of Invown, a platform for real estate fundraising and investing.