This series is sponsored by our friends, Daniel and Mira Stokar.

On this episode of 18Forty, we have a wide ranging conversation with Shais Taub, a renowned Chabad scholar and author of the book God of Our Understanding: Jewish Spirituality and Recovery from Addiction, about the mechanics of teshuva. It's hard to put Rabbi Taub in a box. He is a candid speaker and an eclectic thinker who brings authenticity and honesty to otherwise formulaic topics. During our conversation we discussed:

—What's the difference between teshuva of innocence and teshuva of experience?
—What does Kafka have to do with teshuva?
—Why did the Alter Rebbe, the first Rebbe of Chabad, call his work the Sefer of Beinonim, the book for people in the middle?

Interview begins at 4:35

Rabbi Shais Taub is a rabbi and author. He writes about Jewish spirituality, addiction, and mysticism, and is the author of God of Our Understanding: Jewish Spirituality and Recovery from Addiction. Rabbi Taub is a noted speaker, and he currently serves as scholar-in-residence of Chabad of the Five Towns.

References:
Franz Kafka's The Trial
Tanya
SoulWords.org
Franz Kafka's The Trial
Tanya
SoulWords.org
B’Rogez Rachem Tizkor by David Bashevkin
The Trauma of Everyday Life by Mark Epstein
Laughing with Kafka by David Foster Wallace
Vidui HaTeshuvah by Tzemech Tzedek (Part 1, Part 2)
Orot HaKodesh by Rav Kook
Kabbalistic Writings on the Nature of Masculine and Feminine by Sarah Schneider