What do four political earthquakes in a single week – as the Knesset is on the brink of dissolving – reveal about the election that will define Israel's future?  In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi open Israel's election season by mapping the upheaval: the sudden formation of new parties, Gadi Eisenkot's rise to rival Likud as Naftali Bennett fades, a blitz of contentious legislation, and a government openly declaring it will defy the Supreme Court. Together they ask what Israelis actually want and whether this moment marks the true end of the Netanyahu era. A clear-eyed guide to the opening shot of the most consequential election in years.  This episode originally aired on July 8, 2026.  ----  Watch the video version of our podcast on our YouTube channel.   Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org.  For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org, or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST.  Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.  Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week:  College students, apply now for the 2026 Edward Fein Winter Student Seminar! 

Can the Jewish people hold on to moral tradition in the era of Jewish power?  In this special episode—recorded live in the courtyard of the Shalom Hartman Institute's Jerusalem campus on July 14, 2026, at the Institute's Wellspring Summit for Educators—Yossi Klein Halevi joins Sara Labaton, Director of Teaching and Learning at the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America for a candid conversation on Jewish anti-Zionism, the Israel–American Jewish divide, and the crisis of Jewish memory. Together, they reflect on power, victimhood, and what we owe the next generation of Jewish learners.   Watch the video version of our podcast on our YouTube channel.   Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org.  For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org, or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST.  Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more. 

What happens to our humanity when fear takes hold?  In this special summer episode, recorded live in the Beit Midrash of the Shalom Hartman Institute's Jerusalem campus during our Community Leadership Program, Donniel Hartman delivers a solo lecture on the journey from “mensch” to “warrior." He dissects the Jewish tradition's ambivalent view of human nature, the methodology of mitzvah as training for decency, and the IDF Code of Ethics now under pressure after October 7. A thought-provoking meditation on vulnerability, moral instincts, and whether a people with power can remain a people of conscience.  For the source sheet that accompanies this lecture: https://shalomhartman.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Hartman_D_Humaness-from-Mensch-to-Warrior_CLP-2_Plenary_Jul-2-2026-1.pdf   Watch the video version of our podcast on our YouTube channel.   Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org.  For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org, or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST.  Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.  Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week:  Watch select sessions from our summer learning in Jerusalem. 

How do the Jewish people reclaim our story when our very right to self-defense is under global assault? In this special episode, recorded live at the Shalom Hartman Institute’s Community Leadership Program in June, Yossi Klein Halevi sits down with author and former White House speechwriter Sarah Hurwitz for the annual Michelle Gary z”l Memorial Lecture. Together, they dissect the 80-year arc of post-Holocaust Jewish recovery, how the framing of "oppressor vs. oppressed" distorts the complex reality of Middle Eastern history, and the moral dilemmas inherent in wielding hard national power in a post-October 7 world. Watch the video version of our podcast on our YouTube channel.  Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org. For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org, or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST. Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.

How does a Jewish state navigate its future when the most fiercely contested issue at the ballot box is the definition of Judaism itself? In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi dissect the profound ways religion is shaping Israel's upcoming elections. They explore the Likud's historical transformation into enablers of the ultra-Orthodox, the messianic fervor driving the settlement movement, and the opposition's attempt to reclaim a broad, inclusive Jewish identity. ---- Watch the video version of our podcast on our YouTube channel.  Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org. For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org, or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST. Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more. Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week: Learn more about our Wellspring programming for young Jews and the professionals who serve them.

What happens to a nation's psyche when the basic need to breathe is blocked by the geopolitical reality of an endless war?   In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi explore this dreamlike summer interlude where Israeli life appears suspended between political campaign trails and impending regional conflict. They parse the deep frustration of a public realizing that its historic moment of deterrence may have slipped away, the dangerous escalations threatening international shipping lanes and neighboring countries, and an unsteady order where tactical firefighting has replaced genuine strategy.  ____ Watch the video version of our podcast on our YouTube channel.   Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org.  For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org, or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST.  Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.  Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week:  Learn here how Siach helps young Jews grapple with big questions. 

Is it possible to rebuild a shared national vision when a society remains deeply traumatized and divided over its own moral obligations? In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi examine the newly announced October election date and look beyond immediate legislative battles to articulate the change they truly hope for. They dissect the urgent structural need to undo mass ultra-Orthodox military exemptions, explore how to restore national accountability through an independent commission of inquiry into October 7th, and confront the total breakdown of principled moral discourse in the public square. Rather than focusing purely on political survival, they lay out a framework centered on repairing systemic damage, restoring civic responsibility, and reclaiming long-term vision. ____ Watch the video version of our podcast on our YouTube channel.  Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org. For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org, or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST. Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.

Hello For Heaven’s Sake listeners. We are adjusting our publishing schedule this week, and you won’t see an episode in your feed today. Please make sure you are subscribed to us wherever you get your podcasts, so new episodes download automatically as soon as they are released.   Thank you for listening to For Heaven's Sake.  ___ Watch the video version of our podcast on our YouTube channel.   Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org.  For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org, or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST.  Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more. 

What do four political earthquakes in a single week - as the Knesset is on the brink of dissolving -reveal about the election that will define Israel's future?  In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi open Israel's election season by mapping the upheaval: the sudden formation of new parties, Gadi Eisenkot's rise to rival Likud as Naftali Bennett fades, a blitz of contentious legislation, and a government openly declaring it will defy the Supreme Court. Together they ask what Israelis actually want and whether this moment marks the true end of the Netanyahu era. A clear-eyed guide to the opening shot of the most consequential election in years.  Watch the video version of our podcast on our YouTube channel.   Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org.  For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org, or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST.  Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.  Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week:  Read Covenant & Country: Jewish in America, the newest issue of Sources.  Watch our summer live streams HERE

Is Israel’s social contract breaking under the weight of the ultra-Orthodox draft exemption? In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi dissect the explosive civic and theological crisis surrounding the ultra-Orthodox draft exemption in Israel. They examine the historical roots of Haredi separatism, the post-October 7th need for additional soldiers, and the sense of mutual betrayal gripping secular and ultra-Orthodox communities. Watch the video version of our podcast on our YouTube channel.  Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org. For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org, or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST. Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more. Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week: Subscribe to our YouTube channel to receive alerts about special livestreamed programming from Jerusalem.