Seforim Chatter x 18Forty: How Jewish History Changes the Way We Learn Torah

September 29, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Starting at around the 25-minute mark of this conversation, Rabbi David Bashevkin, host of the 18Forty Podcast, tells a story that captures the core of his new book and his entire approach to Jewish learning. He recalls how, when people in yeshiva would encounter a Rosh Yeshiva with deep historical knowledge, they would throw up their hands and say, “It’s not shy” — implying the knowledge was inaccessible, the result of secret mystical transmission. Bashevkin’s response is direct: “There’s no secret source of secret formula. I want to hand you the keys.” This is the animating principle behind I Read This Over Shabbos, a collection of essays that uses the weekly Torah portion as a springboard into Jewish history, and the broader movement of the same name that has turned Motzei Shabbos on X (formerly Twitter) into a moment of shared intellectual life.

The Mechanism: Using History as a Lens for Parsha

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What you'll learn

1 Seforim Chatter x 18Forty: How Jewish History Changes the Way We Learn Torah
2 (00:43) **Introductions and Background** - David Bashevkin joins the host to discuss his new book "I Read This Over Shabbos" and his journey into Jewish history
3 (05:41) **The Birth of the Twitter Persona** - How Bashevkin's online presence and "I Read This Over Shabbos" began
4 (11:55) **The Seforim Chatter Origin Story** - How the podcast evolved from live Periscope broadcasts
5 (16:57) **Gateway Books into Academic Jewish History** - A shared list of entry points for curious learners
6 (22:19) **How Jewish History Affects Religious Life** - Bashevkin explains why knowing history deepens rather than undermines faith
7 (25:30) **Why the Host Avoids Modern History** - The host explains his deliberate focus on pre-20th century topics

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

David Bashevkin

Show Notes

In this episode, Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin and Nachi Weinstein discuss Jewish history, reading, publishing, podcasting, and the ideas behind Bashevkin’s book I Read This Over Shabbos.

They explore how accessible writing and serious historical study can deepen Jewish knowledge while preserving intellectual depth, historical honesty, and the centrality of Shabbos.

In this episode we discuss:
—How can Jewish history can deepen our understanding of the Jewish present?
—Why is serious reading and careful sourcing matter for Jewish intellectual life?
—How does I Read This Over Shabbos seek to make Jewish history accessible while preserving intellectual depth

Tune in to hear a conversation about Jewish history, serious reading, the culture of books, and how accessible scholarship can strengthen Jewish intellectual life.

Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin is a writer, educator, and podcaster whose work focuses on Torah, Jewish history, education, and contemporary Jewish life. His writings include B'rogez Racheim Tizkor, Sinagogue, an NCSY Haggadah, Top 5, and I Read This Over Shabbos.

Nachi Weinstein is the creator of Seforim Chatter, a podcast devoted to Jewish books, scholarship, and history. His work has explored subjects including Shabbetai Tzvi, Spanish Jewry, the Ten Lost Tribes, the Zohar, and Italian Jewish history.

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