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The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind

The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind

By: 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 Judaism Spirituality World
Episodes
  • Schiller and Hoffmann: The Supernatural and the Sinister

    Schiller and Hoffmann: The Supernatural and the Sinister
    Aug 26 2026

    While Friedrich Schiller was a paragon of optimism, E.T.A. Hoffmann saw a darker side of human nature. To help us explore these two writers, Rabbi Rocklin will address the following questions:

    1. Why does tyranny feature so prominently in Schiller's early writings?
    2. Why was Schiller concerned with the general rejection of mythology and imagination that he perceived in society?
    3. In what way did Hoffmann lay the groundwork for the detective novels that would become popular in the nineteenth century?

    Recommended Reading: Schiller, Friedrich. "Ode to Joy."
    Schiller. "The Power of Song."
    Schiller. "The Gods of Greece."

    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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    37 mins
  • Trials and Tribulations: A History of the Early American Republic

    Trials and Tribulations: A History of the Early American Republic
    Aug 19 2026

    The viability of the newly formed United States would be tested in its early years. As we go back to those first few years of the republic, we'll answer the following questions:

    1. Why did slavery become such a divisive issue in the early years of the United States?
    2. What was unusual about the ministers whom Washington selected?
    3. What was so controversial about Hamilton's proposed national bank?

    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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    51 mins
  • We the People: The US Constitution and Federalist Papers

    We the People: The US Constitution and Federalist Papers
    Aug 12 2026

    The United States Constitution remains a brilliant legal document as significant today as it was in 1789. To help us understand why, Rabbi Rocklin will answer the following questions:

    1. Why did the Founding Fathers prefer the term republic over democracy when framing the Constitution?
    2. Why did the Framers insist on a clause that forbids Congressmen from adopting titles of nobility?
    3. What did James Madison, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton accomplish with the Federalist Papers?

    Recommended Reading: The United States Constitution

    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 mins
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