About this podcast
When people ask Rabbi Block a question they frequently preface the question by telling him not to answer with a question! And he can’t agree more. When People ask a question they are looking for an answer and not to be asked a question. “The Rabbi and I” podcasts are exactly that, answers to questions that Joe and Rabbi Block have been asked.
The podcasts begin with Joe asking for Rabbi Block’s opinion, thoughts, views, etc. on questions that have caught his attention. He is looking for moral, spiritual, and religious guidance. And that is what Rabbi Block provides, understandable and common sense answers from nor only the Jewish tradition, but from the wisdom of other traditions as well.
Rabbi Ken Block, aka “Rabbi On the Go” offers wit and wisdom on a variety of topics to Joe, the “not a Jew.” Rabbi Block is “Rabbi Emeritus” for a Reform, interfaith congregation in Chantilly, Virginia. Rabbi Block relies on his experience as a behavioral therapist and teacher to give spontaneous wisdom on any topic. Joe, like the Rabbi, was taught by Jesuits and together they explore the commonalities and contrasts in modern religion, events and experiences. Feel free to make requests or volunteer to be a guest with the topic of your choice.
Episodes
The newest 50 of 391 episodes
- Donald the Lame Duck Trump · 15 min · Season 3 Episode 233We came up with 15 different actions that the lame duck could do. All are possible but which ones are probable. We threw the dice to determine the order of probability. Perhaps…
- What If The Democrats Roll Craps · 7 min · Season 3 Episode 232I don’t trust the polls either so let’s roll the dice to see who comes out ahead in the Midterms.
- A Roll of the Dice for Peace in Palestine · 9 min · Season 3 Episode 231Since everyone is entrenched in their solution for peace in the Middle East why not let the dice decide!
- No King · 6 min · Season 3 Episode 230In 1 Samuel chapter 8 the Israelites tell Samuel that they want a king. God tells Samuel to tell the people that a king is a bad idea. Samuel then lists all of the bad things God…
- Honesty, Why is it so Hard · 6 min · Season 3 Episode 229In a past episode we taught when the Talmud says that you are required to lie. Why do we have so much trouble being honest the rest of the time!
- The Voluntary Expulsion of The Citizens of Gaza · 10 min · Season 3 Episode 228An Israeli cabinet minister put out a government plan this week to move most of Gaza's population somewhere else. He's calling it voluntary. Palestinian officials, Arab…
- The Word Zionism is Failing to do Its One Job · 10 min · Season 3 Episode 227I open with a claim: the word 'Zionism' has stopped doing the one job it was created to do. And I'm going to make that case using the Torah and the Talmud, not a communications…
- No Israel, no Palestine unless Scripture says otherwise · 9 min · Season 3 Episode 226The 1988 founding covenant of Hamas explicitly called for the destruction of the State of Israel through jihad (holy war). In 2017, the group issued a new policy document that…
- Anti-Israel, Antisemite, or Both · 9 min · Season 3 Episode 225Real antisemitism looks different from anti-Israel: blaming random Jews for a government's choices, claiming American Jews are secretly more loyal to Israel than their own…
- Time to Remove the Israeli Flag from the Temple · 4 min · Season 3 Episode 224The founding of the State of Israel held the promise of creating a country that was guided by Jewish values. American Jews were proud of the accomplishments of Israel as it took…
- Pickaxe Mountain Just Nuke It Already · 8 min · Season 3 Episode 223Iran's been building a nuclear site buried deep inside a mountain — deep enough that normal bombs might not crack it. U.S. officials, including the President, have floated using…
- Forever War USA Iran & Israel · 7 min · Season 3 Episode 222Each country is spending upwards of 50 million dollars on advertising to convince us that their version of the war is the correct one! The goal is to sway public opinion not with…
- Are All Jews Zionists? · 10 min · Season 3 Episode 221The word "Zionist" is being used by different people to mean completely different things. To one person, "Zionist" just means "someone who supports the existence of a Jewish…
- After the Fourth Go Forth · 7 min · Season 3 Episode 220Now that celebrating the 250th anniversary of the founding of our country is over go forth and live the message of our founders. The consent of the people is needed not only to…
- Taking it Outside · 5 min · Season 3 Episode 219Don’t be tempted to declare that the glass is half empty or half full. The size of the glass does not determine the amount of liquid. The real question is do you want more or is…
- Happy Father’s Day From A Happy Father · 7 min · Season 3 Episode 218Semper Fi, children welcome to boot camp, this is my house and you will do what I say. You need to move away from the idea that being a gunnery sergeant makes you a good father…
- The Importance of Flag Day · 5 min · Season 3 Episode 217Don’t let jumping motorcycles and gladiators in a cage distract you from the importance of our flag. Honoring and respecting what our flag represents is a 365 day tradition. And…
- If You Want Success Don’t Bet on the Oz · 5 min · Season 3 Episode 216The system is rigged. We have been brainwashed into thinking that we don’t have the brains to make our own decisions. Or the heart to treat each other with kindness and…
- I am Ambitious, obviously you are Greedy · 7 min · Season 3 Episode 215Being ambitious is a positive attribute and leads us to doing great things. Avarice or greed is destructive and leads us to perdition. Unfortunately we can’t tell when ambition…
- How Do We Know What God Wants? · 5 min · Season 3 Episode 214Whenever I hear or read someone telling me that they know what God wants and it is not what I think, I am reminded of a baseball game! Someone in the nose bleed section of the…
- Israel Right or Wrong - Is that Wrong or Right? · 8 min · Season 3 Episode 213Israel Right or Wrong - Is that Wrong or Right? Judaism is not a Political Action Committee (PAC) for the State of Israel! Judaism is supported by God, Torah, & Israel. The first…
- Happy “God The Mother” Day · 4 min · Season 3 Episode 212We definitely need a “God the Mother” day. Since the “One” is unknowable then it is appropriate that we refer to “a higher Power” as either male or female. We can only know what…
- A Good Vaccine Protects Against the Hate Virus · 12 min · Season 3 Episode 211Hints, hacks, and tricks you can use to avoid being drawn into hating. Pundits and influencers use subtle and not so subtle ways to lure us into joining their campaign of hate…
- Some Indulgences and Pleasures are Required · 6 min · Season 3 Episode 210In “the world to come” you will be asked if you denied yourself any pleasures or indulgences that your faith community permits or allows? “And God looked upon creation and…
- Let Us Pray God Doesn’t Take Sides · 6 min · Season 3 Episode 209In high school, college, and professional sports sports everyone wants God on their side. In business negotiations, a divorce, or any competition everyone wants God on their…
- Jewish or Not Here is Why You Need to Remember · 10 min · Season 3 Episode 208I heard a famous podcaster call the Holocaust a lie, he said that only 40,000 Jews were murdered and not 6 million! According to him it is okay to murder 40,000 innocent people…
- Matzah & Easter Eggs · 7 min · Season 3 Episode 207Yes, the things around us would make us all give up. And everything around us would still be depressing if we give up our faith. Each of us needs a strategy to enjoy what we have…
- The Rabbi and Pope Leo XIV Agreee on the Bible, Koran and Torah · 8 min · Season 3 Episode 206Using Sacred Literature to promote war, conquest, and death has never had a good outcome. Political leaders use sacred literature to gather support and power for wars that only…
- Here Come the Marines · 7 min · Season 3 Episode 205Iran has been using its proxies, Hamas, Hezbollah, and Ansar Allah to kill, murder and create instability in the Middle East. These proxies were abetted by countries other than…
- How Close Are We to Armageddon? · 12 min · Season 3 Episode 204Christian Zionism is not fringe. It is organized, funded, politically sophisticated, and deeply sincere. And its view of Iran is not primarily strategic — it’s prophetic. That…
- Are We Fixing Iran or Making Things Worse? · 13 min · Season 3 Episode 203“War is worse than Hell, the people in Hell deserve to be there, in war innocent people die along with the guilty!” Said “Hawkeye” Pierce to Father Mulcahy. Iran had to be…
- Ask Not For Whom the Doom Scrolls-it Scrolls for Thee · 5 min · Season 3 Episode 202We all do it, except the birds and the bees don’t, the animals in the forest don’t, only humans use social media to avoid reality. How does “doom scrolling” work for you. Time to…
- Israel Will Annex The West Bank · 7 min · Season 3 Episode 201Israel has been steadily moving towards annexing The West Bank. The passage of the most recent legislation is one step away from Annexing The West Bank. With a wink and a nod…
- Monkey See Monkey Doo Doo · 6 min · Season 3 Episode 200At some point in your coming of age your parents or grandparents said to you “What were you thinking”. When you make jokes, use cartoons, or substitute language you are actually…
- A Special Message to VP Vance · 4 min · Season 3 Episode 199It is not too late to revise your Holocaust observance statement to include the reality that the Jews were the victims of Nazi antisemitism. Your opinion matters and what you…
- It’s Time to Wake Up America · 6 min · Season 3 Episode 198The shofar, a ram’s horn, is blown at the High Holy Days (Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur), serves as a call to wake up to the results of our actions during the past year. Four sounds…
- MacGyver · 6 min · Season 3 Episode 197ס'וועט גאָרנישט העלפן גאָרנישט העלפן Gar nicht helfen" or “gor nicht helfn” in Yiddish means "nothing helps" or "beyond help," expressing that a situation is hopeless or that…
- Interfaith Marriages Make Judaism Grow · 8 min · Season 3 Episode 196I had a sign on my computer in my Hospital office that read: “You Are Going to Have A Good Day Because You Found Someone to Blame For Yesterday’s Mistakes!” That is exactly what…
- You Should Be Able To Fire Whomever You Want, Unless · 7 min · Season 3 Episode 195Your company your rules. If you accept outside funding it is no longer your company. The distinction is important!
- In The Year 2025 We Made It Through Alive · 18 min · Season 3 Episode 194Joe and the Rabbi discuss the 10 events of the year 2025 that require our attention. In the year 2025 humankind survived
- Let’s Make These Holidays Ones To Remember · 6 min · Season 3 Episode 193Merry Christmas and a joyous Chanukah 365 days a year! There is no need to limit good will and peace on earth to just one day. Let’s take the holiday message seriously and…
- An Epistle from St Paul is the Rabbi’s Answer to Hate · 9 min · Season 3 Episode 192Laws need to be in place concerning firearms of all types. The sale, use, and ownership of guns should be regulated for public safety. Gun laws will not stop angry, hateful…
- The Department of War Takes to High Seas · 4 min · Season 3 Episode 191Drug use and abuse have reached a new high. Availability is not the cause it just fuels our inability to deal with our lives. Perhaps if drug escape is less available we will be…
- No Peace In Gaza Without the Next Step, the ISF · 8 min · Season 3 Episode 190President Trump’s peace plan requires an International Stabilizing Force (ISF) without a referee Israel and Hamas will keep fighting each other. The Arab League needs to step up…
- Don’t Blame AI When The Terminator Calls · 5 min · Season 3 Episode 189We have only ourselves to blame when the Terminator comes calling. It’s not too late for us to control AI and it will be soon! Watch the movie “I, Robot”
- Fake Nostalgia: The Myth of the Judeo-Christian Alliance · 8 min · Season 3 Episode 188Let’s put aside the history of how the Judeo-Christian developed and changed and realize that it is time for a change. “There is a time for everything under the heavens” and now…
- Hate is A Brain Virus · 6 min · Season 3 Episode 187Hate speech is free speech! What do you think we should do about it? Listen to the hate spewed forth from talk show hosts and then notice who doesn’t object. The Orcs are massing…
- The Republicans Should Use The Trump Plan To End The Shutdown · 7 min · Season 3 Episode 186In his first term as president Trump said that he had “A Big Beautiful Health Plan”. Now it is time to bring it out and show the Democrats that there is something better than the…
- Jesus Wants You To Go To Heaven and So Does Everyone Else · 6 min · Season 3 Episode 185Heaven is not owned by any one religion, it is God’s personal property. There are as many ways to get into heaven as there are blades of grass on the fairway! There are organized…
- Gaza Peace Guaranteed · 4 min · Season 3 Episode 184Yogi Berra said it best: “when you come to a fork in the road take it!” Peace in Gaza and the Middle East is upon us. It can really happen. Gaza peace and Israeli security







