28 October 2025
S1:E22- 100 is the new 50
Fresh off the plane from Atlanta, Marissa is back from the Civil Rights Trip and is ready to update us on that amazing experience and her first time at Buc-ee’s. We catch up on pre-Thanksgiving activities, Dan’s acorn squash, and “Nobody Wants This”, Talia gives us the latest on the bricks for the community pathway, and we hear firsthand about Mussar from the newest Mussarnik. We learn about the secret plagues of Lech Lecha and King Melchitzedek, Dan prepares to go to Israel, and we get ready for a gauntlet of November events. Also: The Dybbuk, the Reyim Dinner, and the closure of the Friendly’s in Pembroke. Stick around for a K-Pop inspired Hebrew song about the community pathway, of course.
15 October 2025
As XK celebrates its 21st birthday (of sorts), we also celebrate the return of the live hostages, the end of the holidays of Tishrei here at TST, and, of course, the release of the new album from Taylor Swift. We actually crown a Yom Kippur champion (no spoilers here), review the excitement of October 5 with the food drive, Sukkah building and softball bbq, and get ready for even more events coming up. We also celebrate the 95th birthday of Marissa’s Nana, learn some new things from Bereshit, and get ready for Rabbi Lisa’s class and Mussar kicking off next week. Stick around for a recording of the choir singing “Pitchu Li” from Yom Kippur morning and a next-gen audio track using an advanced model about the return of the hostages.
S1:E20- Who Won Rosh Hashanah?
9.25.25
While basking in the glory of a Rosh Hashanah well-celebrated, Dan, Marissa, and Talia are back with what can only be described as the Best. Pod. Ever. We review recent events like the Sept. 20 social night at TST, Dan’s day at Gillette with Talia’s husband, the Red Sox on the cusp of making the playoffs, and (finally) Jenna Brockman coming to temple. We also do a first-ever “Who Won Rosh Hashanah?” bracket featuring 16 holiday highlights going head-to-head (we could not crown a single winner, so we had FOUR champions), do a little bit of learning, and marvel at Talia saying yes to everything. Dan also attempts to discuss the "6-7" craze and fails spectacularly. Stick around for a little Rosh Hashanah bonus track. SHANA TOVAH!!!
S1:E19- Shofar, So Good
9.9.25
Some weeks we are too busy to podcast, and other weeks we are too busy to podcast but do it anyway- you can guess what kind of week this was! Today we welcome Marissa back to the pod and hear about her time away, and then launch into a review of a very busy week here at TST. The opening of the ELC, a pizza dinner for 200 people, Natick Days, the first Sunday of Hineni, and the Board Kallah all took place within just five days. We do some learning about the shofar, including the famous “interrupting shofar” from the Talmud, ask birthday girl Talia Hirsh four questions, and get jazzed for a fall full of programming here at the temple. Also, as usual, a bonus track about the shofar with a K-Pop vibe. See you next week for Episode 20!
S1:E18- The 614th Commandment
27.8.25
After a three-week break, we are back, sadly without Marissa, but with an appearance by TST’s newest staff member Renata Feinstein! We cover a lot of ground about what we’ve all been up to, review the ongoing work in and around the building, learn about some lesser-known material from Shoftim, and talk about a very busy few weeks just right around the corner. Renata comes by and we talk about East Coast/West Coast living, Come From Away and country music, preferred snacks from BJ’s, and climate zones at TST. Make sure to listen for updates about pizza dinners, High Holy Day registration, enrollment numbers for our education programs, Camp Shabbat with Omri Shklar, and more. We also struggle to agree on what the best episode of this podcast has been- what do you think? Not to be missed, a bonus track which honors Renata’s first few weeks with us.
5 August 2025: Everything Is Forward
Well- Logan’s back from the Mountain Time Zone, Marissa is Red Sox TikTok famous, Dan saw back-to-back wins at Fenway, Talia encountered sea snails, John Legg throws shade at… fish, and Jenna preps for Renata’s arrival next week. We talk about the end of ELC camp, TST’s PMC riders, and building improvements, review some ridiculous Talmudic arguments, check in on the community brick pathway, and get ready for a work-from-home week on Aug. 18. Later on, we’ve got some quality squirrel banter, not one, but two bonus post-outro audio tracks, and a potential road trip? You never know.
S1:E16- Land-Based, Water-Adjacent
29 July 2025
It’s our first episode without Logan, but we make it up with both Jenna and Talia in the studio as we hear about weekend travels, High Holy Day registrations, Alison’s borscht recipe and a congregant gazpacho recipe taking the world by storm, and the putting together of the FY25 Annual Report. Dan celebrates his 23rd wedding anniversary at Fenway and in Gloucester, Talia makes friends on her Wayland lunch excursion, Marissa gets ready for Bravo Night at Fenway, and Jenna pumps us up for the arrival of Renata Feinstein in less than two weeks! We do some learning about fast days on the Jewish calendar, do a little astrology, John Legg reminds us all about how he ended up at TST, Talia’s brother gets on board with KPop Demon Hunters, and somehow we get into some hot takes about coffee and the Cape. Stick around for a bonus song about, what else, fast days in Judaism. See you in August!
22 July 2025
Amidst a perfect stretch of summer weather, we make time to talk about kitchen demolition, Jenna’s camp trips, the excellent response to the High Holy Day registration email, and more! Dan endorses “KPop Demon Hunters”, we’ve got a rebellion in Nonantum, taco options in the Seaport, and the highs and lows of being a Red Sox fan, while learning about the magic of the number 42 in this week’s parasha, the Torah, and beyond. Logan gets ready to go to Montana, Marissa makes plans for Chicago, and Jenna preps for Ocean City, while Dan awaits his 23rd wedding anniversary next week. We also get into the ancient, modern, and natural wonders of the world, as John Legg envisions retirement in… Ecuador. Not to be missed, as usual, is this week’s bonus track about what else- the call that ended the Sox game on Monday night.
15 July 2025
After a below-average morning in the building, we dig deep to save the day with the help of Talia Hirsh. We recap Rabbi Lisa’s first class, Shabbat at the Lake, the new issue of Chai-Lights, and the successful end of the Imagine The Possibilities campaign.
We’ve also got the Red Sox on a heater, Marissa heading toFenway for a Red Sox-adjacent experience, Logan name-shaming Biblical Hebrew names, some Ring Camera shenanigans, and floods in the NY/NJ area. Dan talksabout the Daughters of Zelophehad from this week’s Torah portion, John Legg discusses potatoes and parking, and Talia elevates, perhaps, the TST Ice Program.
Not to be missed: Logan’s secret segment, a bonus track, and sipping gin with Ryan Reynolds.
7.7.25
After a one-week hiatus, we’re back this week and turn this podcast on its head as Marissa steps into the hosting chair. We jump off into a review of summer in the office, the start of camp in the ELC, a quiet Shabbat on July 4, and a bevy of staffing changes. Marissa participates in drill shaming, Dan plots to get down to the Oasis concert at MetLife Stadium, Logan gets jazzed about the Book of Judges, and given this week’s Torah portion, we have to talk about talking donkeys and other mystical/magical animals in the Jewish tradition.
Also this week: using the phrase “Writ Large”, Red Snapper Night in Portland, the double meaning of the term “Food Desert” this summer, all-you-can-eat pancakes in the Berkshires, the Hoosac Tunnel, John Legg weighs in on the metric system, and we talk about coins again for a second.
S1:E12- Almond Joy
24 June 2025
It’s 101 degrees today in MetroWest and John Legg isn’t here, but Jenna Friedman is and that’s all we needed for an epic show. We recap the ACE barbeque, the end of TST softball, the Monday board meeting, and our new vegetable beds, and hear about Kansas City burnt ends, a Brockman family dinner at The Chat, a yard sale in West Concord, and a U14 softball championship in Natick. A debate breaks out about the sandwich-or-not statuses of hot dog, hamburgers, falafel pockets, wraps, and more as Logan reviews potential b’rachot over those options, Dan recaps Korach and gives a pop quiz about almonds in the Jewish tradition, Marissa leads us on a show-and-tell escapade, and we look back up our family trees at the Borscht Belt and summers in the Catskills. We also discuss taking Rabbi Lisa’s summer class, Jenna’s upcoming camp visits, and look at some upcoming summer programming as Dan plans a next merch order. And, of course, we’ve got a pretty awesome song about almonds to bring it to a close post-credits. See you in July!
S1:E11- We’re Done With Pennies
18 June 2025
Now that we’re 11 episodes in, it’s time to expand the XK universe, so this week we level up and welcome two new voices into the studio- Jenna Friedman and Talia Hirsh. We recap last Friday night’s service celebrating Susan DeSelms, a Sunday softball victory for Chai Heat 1, and Father’s Day activities, and begin to say goodbye to the amazing Marissa Kaye. We give Jenna her flowers for being an XK OG but Dan and her disagree about “Tenet”, Marissa’s secret segment gets us into a debate on whether or not chocolate is candy, John Legg sends us into a tizzy about the phasing out of the penny as we debate both changing his name and his potential Hebrew name, and Talia tells us tales from a whale watch. We also have our first externally-submitted question for John, Dan talks about t’chelet and blue dye, Logan reminisces about his time in the youth choir, July 4 plans are shared, and we review karaoke songs that the internet says are popular as we get ready for the ACE barbeque, Red Cross blood drive, and prepare for a day off on Juneteeth. Finally, and obviously, we’ve also got a melancholy but boppy song for you about Marissa Kaye leaving- we will miss her!
S1:E10- A Series of Unfortunate Events
10 June 2025
TL,DR; this is our best pod yet. We’ve got something for everyone today: a pizza Friday, softball and a mini Brandeis reunion on Sunday, a Jewish-adjacent snapping turtle laying eggs at our playground playdate, and, of course, the Annual Meeting. Dan is unimpressed with a seasonal flavor of Polar seltzer, Marissa gets pulled over and is getting stalked by fire alarms, and Logan pops a tire in Cambridge. Logan comes in hot with a secret segment which shockingly results in a google search that turns up one of Dan’s blog posts from 2011, we offer to GoFundMe John’s diner “The Legg”, and we go over the Akkadian and Sumerian origins of the months on the Jewish calendar. We’ve also got a brand-new look for the membership newsletter, a karaoke preview for Friday night, and Dan shouts out the Massachusetts high school softball Gatorade player of the year from Bedford. Obviously we’ve got a new song about the upcoming summer vacation, but trust us— there’s a lot more.
4 June 2025
Happy Shavuot from all of us to you! This week we’ve got some merch unboxing, tales from a softball doubleheader, the debut of “what has Logan broken this week”, and some learning about the seven species and the Canaanite harvest calendar. We reflect on camouflage options, Sunday night’s “Wine & Cheesecake”, our upcoming pizza dinner, get ready for the Annual Meeting next week and the Shabbat barbeque on June 20, and more. And don’t worry, we’ve got another world premiere song.
27 May 2025
Back from a holiday weekend, our fearless hosts report out on last week’s events and their holiday travels across the northeast as Marissa reviews the Founders’ Lunch last Wednesday, Logan gets ready for the next Chai Lights, and Dan makes ready for the Annual Meeting on June 9. Dan drops some knowledge about the census in this week’s Torah portion and how the numbers can be explained, Logan reports out about Jewish Brooklyn, and Marissa prepares to open an ice cream shop in Sudbury (maybe).
We’ve also got John Legg surprising us with Frank Sinatra and sea shanties, Dan crashing Boston Calling after a Fenway rainout (among other events), rumors of walk-up music for Chai Heat 1, and don’t miss the world premiere of a song about… us.
S1:E7- 266 Chairs
20 May 2025
After a week off, we’re back together to talk about updates from recent TST events, the debut of our new podcast trucker hats, tales from Logan’s curling tournament, and some kvelling as Dan’s oldest kid graduated from Brandeis last weekend. Dan teaches about how the Tochecha (the “rebuke” in this week’s Torah portion) is kind of like a parent-teacher conference, John Legg talks about his encounter with a snapping turtle, Logan drops some very niche Biblical trivia knowledge, Marissa reviews Jewish Heritage Night at Fenway and we talk about the new Sox City Connect jerseys, and we’ve ongoing dialogue with the Postal Service about the TST mailbox. And yes, it wouldn’t be an XK episode without a bonus track, this one in advance of Yom Yerushalayim on Monday. See you next week!
S1:E6- Pod Merch
6 May 2025
With gloomy weather, a Celtics loss, and a Chai Heat loss weighing heavily on us, we needed a pod to lift the mood this week… and we did it. In this week’s episode we’ve got our Ordering Era in full bloom, bricks on the community pathway selling like hotcakes, a big Shabbat on tap both Friday night and Saturday, a big birthday celebration around the corner, and we’ve got pickleball in the Chickami Dome! Dan hands out some trivia about the number of verses, words, and letters in the Torah, John drops some knowledge about metal lathes and talks about getting a new dog, and we get ready to ready Holocaust survivor Kati Preston next Wednesday. Also: Logan preps for a visitor from France, Marissa gets ready for a week off, and a Brandeis graduation is around the corner for Dan.
Stick around for this week’s bonus track, which channels the spring rain here into a tune about a rainy day on Mount Gilboa- which Dan hiked on a muddy April morning a few years ago.
S1:E5- Home Alone29 April 2025
As we prepare to hit a busy few weeks at TST, we’re back with a whirlwind tour of upcoming programs, weekend activities, a 90th birthday party, and a wedding on the Cape. We recap a nail-biting softball victory for Chai Heat 1, ask John Legg four more questions and wonder if he’s actually a spy, and express concern that Logan is again at home without his parents for a few weeks. Dan drops some Jewish calendar trivia and angles for an invitation to lunch at the Dudley Chateau, Marissa breaks up a fight in the studio (sort of), and we spread the good word about the new fancy water stations in the building. And, of course, we’ve got another world premiere bonus track from the AI jukebox after the outro- this time a girl-band Hebrew smash hit about springtime. See you in May!
22 April 2025
After an action-packed Patriots-Day-and-end-of-Passover weekend, we are back with a vacation week podcast full of goodness… and a little sadness. We reflect on the funerals in the community last week, upcoming events at TST, and give an exciting update about the annual membership mailing. We’ve also got news about the community brick pathway, a May 9 Reyim dinner, and some positive plumbing work in the building. Not to be missed: John Legg talks about the re-enactment on Monday and his 15 hours in Concord; Marissa gets stuck on the T; Logan heads to Jersey again; Dan sits at the Pesky Pole for a Sox game. We also talk about psalteries and sistra in this week’s Haftarah reading and a wide range of shows on Hulu that we are watching. Our jukebox selection this week is, of course, a Hebrew country pop song about the Omer. See you next week!
15 April 2025
We’re back this week with a recap of Passover weekends across three states, reports from recent TST events, a review of the Chai-Lights readership count, an official counting of the Omer, and a discussion of the next steps for the Cricut Task Force. Dan quizzes Logan and Marissa about kosher animals, John Legg answers Four Questions (at least), Logan prepares for Jury Duty, and Marissa gets ready to watch the Marathon. We also talk about how Logan’s hasty exit from New Jersey mirrors that of the Israelites leaving Egypt, hear about Marissa’s unofficial Masters watch party on her flight home, and Dan geeks out about Colonial history in Bedford. Make sure to stick around for this week’s bonus track: a banger of a Hebrew song about the barley harvest right after the outro. See you next week