edJEWcation
edJEWcation
edJEWcation
Of Kings and Kvetching: The Book of Samuel, Part 2
1 hour Posted Jul 10, 2025 at 12:53 pm.
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In this week’s edJEWcation bonus episode, Jay ditches Montreal, loses his tefillin (almost), and gains a crash course in the most Hamish transit option known to mankind: Hyman’s bus. We then pivot—seamlessly, obviously—from gefilte-fish-scented buses to one of the most dramatic political moments in Tanakh: the Israelites demanding a king.

Why did God get so cranky about the request for a king when He literally told them they’d have one? What makes a king kosher? And does asking nicely actually matter to God—or is He just like the rest of us with a fragile ego and a long memory?

We unpack the tragedy of Saul, the responsibilities of a Jewish monarch, and the eternal struggle between libertarian fantasy and Torah reality. Also: the Pope, the president of Iran, Tucker Carlson’s missing follow-up questions, and the underrated importance of being short and handsome in ancient Israel.