April 9, 2025
Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy Jews
Episode 78 - New Games, Old Wisdom

In this episode, we dice into the world of reboots, remastering, and retelling, both in the sacred and the pixelated. Ethan begins by sharing his love for the remastered version of one of his favorite games, Star Wars: Dark Forces, and what changed in its recent rerelease. We discuss movie reboots, and why it’s sometimes okay for things to change. And while some properties struggle with an updated version, some things in life seem to only get better with each replay.

00:00:41 Time Warps
00:02:45 Star Wars Dark Forces
00:05:08 Pirkei Avot Chapter 5
00:06:43 Love for Retro Gaming
00:13:05 Why retell and remaster?
00:15:42 Sometimes you turn it and nothing happens
00:18:01 Turn it and use it again
00:20:07 Retelling, Remastering, and Rebooting, Oh my!
00:24:02 What do we want to keep the same?
00:26:31 Changes we look forward to

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March 26, 2025
Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy Jews
Episode 77 - God Plans, Man Laughs

There’s a new episode of Torah Smash! Yes, and… the Jewish tie in is a story from Genesis! Yes, and… the hosts find more ways to comment about muppets. With a topic like improv, anything can happen! Let’s talk about laughter and where it can be found in the world and in our work as Jewish professionals. We also explore how laughter is utilized in Jewish holidays, even in the darkest of times.

00:02:40 Genesis 17:17
00:05:31 Improvisational Acting and Comedy
00:07:07 The 3 main rules of improv
00:09:40 Yes, And-ing Judaism
00:20:29 Laughing in the face of tragedy
00:25:40 Celebrating after redemption
00:27:32 Argumentative improv
00:30:19 Does comedy need darkness?

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March 12, 2025
Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy Jews
Episode 76 - Separating the Nerdy from the Mundane

After last episode’s connection to Shabbat, there was only one logical topic for the next conversation: havdalah! We learn about the ritual objects of havdalah and the meaning behind this short, weekly celebration. We discuss when we keep our nerdy parts of our lives separate, we find some sweetness in nerd culture, and we also talk about the bad body odor of gamers, for some reason. Once we’ve gotten to that point, how can we separate ourselves from that space?

00:00:41 Torah Smash Live!
00:01:32 Part II: Havdalah (Separation)
00:08:46 What are the nerdy things we do that we want to keep separate?
00:13:56 What are the spaces you wish were ceremoniously separated?
00:17:17 Sacred symbols of separation that bring us joy
00:21:51 Taking in the sweetness of nerd culture
00:28:13 Symbols of light in nerd culture
00:32:45 Ritual moments

Share this episode with a friend: https://www.torahsmash.com/post/episode-76-separating-the-nerdy-from-the-mundane

Connect with us online, purchase swag, support us with a donation, and more at www.torahsmash.com.