Mazel, Moses with Jonah Platt

Summary

Podcast Summary: Good Guys - "Mazel, Moses with Jonah Platt"

Episode Details

• Title: Mazel, Moses with Jonah Platt
• Hosts: Josh Peck and Ben Simon
• Guest: Jonah Platt
• Release Date: April 10, 2025
• Description: Hosted by actor & writer Josh Peck and entrepreneur & social media icon Ben Soffer, "Good Guys" delves into a variety of topics with humor and heart. This episode features Jonah Platt as they explore Jewish traditions, family dynamics, and personal anecdotes.

---

Introduction to Jewish Traditions and Camp Ramah

[00:22 - 02:04]

The episode opens with the hosts, Josh Peck and Ben Simon, welcoming Jonah Platt. They kick off the conversation by reminiscing about their shared experiences at Camp Ramah, the quintessential Conservative Jewish sleepaway camp prevalent across the United States and Canada.

Josh Peck:
"It's the quintessential conservative Jewish camp. They hoodwinked us. It's 90 minutes from Manhattan. They called it the Berkshires."
[01:02]

Jonah reveals that he attended Camp Ramah but did not participate in the Ramah Seminar in Israel, a summer program that Josh and Ben did attend.

Jonah Platt:
"I actually didn't go, but I was only one of my siblings who didn't get to go on seminar. I know. I still regret it."
[02:04]

---

Ben Platt Anecdote and Family Talents

[02:09 - 05:28]

The conversation shifts to Josh's wife mistaking Ben Platt for someone else who came out as gay during Ramah Seminar, highlighting the commonality of the name Ben within these camps.

Ben Simon praises the Platt family's talent, hinting at Jonah's brother Ben Platt's burgeoning success without Josh having foreseen it during their camp days.

Ben Simon:
"Was he in the kugel line at lunch? And you were like, that kid's headed for the stars."
[03:11]

Jonah discusses his family's strong musical background, with all siblings engaged in singing and musical theater, influenced by their parents' love for the craft.

Jonah Platt:
"My parents... raised us all on musical theater. We're all singers, and we all did musical theater growing up."
[04:02]

---

Health and Lifestyle Discussions: Ozempic and Mounjaro

[05:13 - 06:27]

The hosts and Jonah delve into discussions about weight loss medications Ozempic and Mounjaro. Josh shares his positive experience with Ozempic, leading to a significant weight loss of 60 pounds, and his transition to Mounjaro.

Josh Peck:
"I was down 60 pounds post Ozempic, so it's certainly in your blood."
[05:13]

Jonah mentions accessing Ozempic in Mexican pharmacies, noting the availability and cost-effectiveness compared to the U.S.

Jonah Platt:
"There are refrigerators full of Ozempic that anybody could come."
[06:00]

---

Passover Traditions and Seders

[11:10 - 32:24]

The core of the episode revolves around Passover (Pesach) traditions, exploring both the historical and contemporary practices associated with the holiday.

Historical Overview of Passover

The hosts and Jonah discuss the origin story of Moses and the Exodus from Egypt, touching upon the ten plagues and the significance of matzah.

Ben Simon:
"It's the story where Pharaoh enslaves the Jews, Moses becomes the leader, and the ten plagues lead to the Exodus."
[12:30]

They humorously critique elements of the biblical narrative, including the plausibility of certain events like Moses being carried in a wicker basket on the Nile.

Josh Peck:
"It's a bit of a stretch" regarding the survival of animals during Noah's Ark.
[18:48]

Contemporary Passover Practices

The discussion transitions to modern Passover seders, highlighting variations in duration based on family dynamics and levels of religious observance.

Jonah Platt:
"My family seders have always had so many children... somewhere between two and three hours."
[27:15]

They share personal anecdotes about seder lengths, reclining traditions, wine progression, and the hiding of the afikomen—a piece of matzah hidden for children to find.

Josh Peck:
"We can't ever acknowledge that something is good. Like we always have this complex that everything has to be bad."
[21:53]

Symbolism and Cultural Integration

The hosts debate the literal versus allegorical interpretations of Passover stories, agreeing that the traditions serve as moral and cultural reminders rather than strict historical accounts.

Jonah Platt:
"It's about learning morals and lessons."
[17:07]

Additionally, they discuss the integration of Jewish holidays with non-Jewish traditions, such as celebrating Christmas within their families.

Jonah Platt:
"My wife, who converted to Judaism, we do Christmas every year now with her family."
[37:08]

---

Kosher Practices and Family Dynamics

[36:34 - 51:34]

A significant portion of the episode delves into varying interpretations and practices of keeping kosher within Jewish homes, reflecting on personal experiences and family expectations.

Debate on Kosher Adherence

The hosts engage in a spirited debate about the extent to which one must adhere to kosher laws to authentically identify as Jewish.

Ben Simon:
"If you're not adhering to over 3/4 of it, I don't think you can call yourself kosher."
[45:07]

Jonah shares his journey from strict kosher practices during his upbringing to a more relaxed approach post-bar mitzvah, illustrating the challenges of maintaining tradition while assimilating into broader culture.

Jonah Platt:
"The day I turned 13, I was like, I'm getting cheeseburgers immediately. And I've been completely unkosher ever since."
[47:34]

Josh expresses his internal conflict between wanting to maintain kosher dietary laws and enjoying the flexibility of non-kosher foods, emphasizing a desire for a balanced approach.

Josh Peck:
"To me, what Judaism is, the key pillar, is always trying to do better... I'm mixing milk with meat."
[47:01]

Cultural and Familial Influences

The conversation highlights the influence of family, personal beliefs, and societal expectations on maintaining kosher practices. They discuss the impact of being part of an Orthodox community versus adopting a more liberal stance.

Ben Simon:
"I look up to Gabe and think he's kosher, but I also wish Gabe could have a piece of fish and come out to dinner with me."
[50:48]

Jonah reflects on the importance of allowing individual choice within Jewish dietary laws to prevent alienation and promote personal connection to tradition.

Jonah Platt:
"It's the quintessential assimilated Jew... assimilation is very important and a key issue today."
[51:03]

---

Listener Interaction and Community Engagement

[41:25 - 51:34]

Towards the end of the episode, the hosts introduce segments where listeners can engage with them, sharing personal stories or seeking advice on various topics related to Jewish life and traditions.

Speak Pipe Segment

The hosts attempt to respond to a listener's question about raising children with kosher dietary practices in an interfaith household. They discuss the complexities of balancing tradition with modern life and personal beliefs.

Listener Question:
"How do you handle raising children with non-kosher meat in a traditionally kosher household?"

Josh Peck:
"I hope BH when my son comes... this won't be a problem until he's eating solid foods."
[42:30]

Ben Simon:
"It's in four months... years down the road."
[42:47]

The segment highlights differing perspectives on maintaining kosher practices and the importance of creating a supportive and understanding environment for religious observance.

---

Closing Thoughts and Final Remarks

[51:34 - End]

In the concluding segments, the hosts introduce "Woody and Nuts," a segment dedicated to sharing their pet peeves and frustrations with various trivial annoyances. This light-hearted portion serves to wind down the episode with humor.

Josh Peck:
"Chopped Junior—what are you, nuts?"
[52:22]

Ben Simon:
"What are you, nuts?"
[52:34]

Jonah promotes his own podcast, "Being Jewish with Jonah Platt," emphasizing its focus on exploring contemporary Jewish identity and fostering inclusive conversations.

Jonah Platt:
"Our podcast explores the diverse spectrum of contemporary Jewish identity."
[54:12]

The episode wraps up with the hosts reiterating their appreciation for Jonah's participation and encouraging listeners to engage with their content across various platforms.

---

Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• Josh Peck [01:02]:
  "It's the quintessential conservative Jewish camp. They hoodwinked us. It's 90 minutes from Manhattan. They called it the Berkshires."

• Ben Simon [03:11]:
  "Was he in the kugel line at lunch? And you were like, that kid's headed for the stars."

• Jonah Platt [17:07]:
  "It's about learning morals and lessons."

• Josh Peck [21:53]:
  "We can't ever acknowledge that something is good. Like we always have this complex that everything has to be bad."

• Ben Simon [45:07]:
  "If you're not adhering to over 3/4 of it, I don't think you can call yourself kosher."

• Jonah Platt [47:34]:
  "The day I turned 13, I was like, I'm getting cheeseburgers immediately. And I've been completely unkosher ever since."

---

Conclusion

In this episode of "Good Guys," Josh Peck, Ben Simon, and guest Jonah Platt navigate through a rich tapestry of Jewish traditions, personal struggles with religious practices, and the balance between maintaining cultural identity and assimilating into broader society. Through humor and honest dialogue, they offer listeners an engaging exploration of faith, family, and the ever-evolving nature of cultural observance.

Transcript

[Ben Simon]

The following podcast is a Dear Media production. Two Jews, both big and tall. No subject too small for the good guys. A mother's dream Premium podcast team.

[Josh]

Make it your weekly routine.

[Ben Simon]

It's a Good Guys.

[Josh]

And if you don't give us five stars.

[Ben Simon]

What are you nuts?

[Josh]

What are you nuts? Yeah, we're the good guys.

[Ben Simon]

They're not the great guys.

[Josh]

We're just the good of the good guys.

[Ben Simon]

This episode's about to be so darn Jewish. I don't know. It's like. This is like a deli meetup. We're here with the great Ben Safer, Jonah Platt.

[Jonah Platt]

Thanks for having me, guys. Jonah.

[Josh]

Yeah. Thanks for coming on. We were discussing just before this that we have a little Jewish geography to play. I'm sure you guys went to a.

[Ben Simon]

Similar camp growing up.

[Jonah Platt]

Yes, Camp Ramah. The one and only Jewish sleepaway Camp of Kings.

[Josh]

It's the quintessential conservative Jewish camp.

[Jonah Platt]

That's right.

[Josh]

They are everywhere. From Massachusetts, Canada, California. We call it the Berkshires, even though it's New York. They hoodwinked us. It's 90 minutes from Manhattan. They called it the Berkshires. Did you also have what they called Ramah time, where they switch the clocks on you an hour?

[Jonah Platt]

No. What is that?

[Josh]

You get there and they switch the clocks so that you have more daylight during the day. You get there and you're on camp time.

[Ben Simon]

That's weather control.

[Josh]

Yes, that's the juice. But yeah, we both went to a Ramah, and I was telling you that I actually went on. It's called Ramah Seminar, where all of the Ramaz meet up in Israel for a summer. You're like 16 years old, really horny. Like, that's like the peak of camp. And you go to Israel, and I actually happen to be in Israel the same year as your brother. He's a year younger than me, Ben. But you guys go. I think you're 15. We go and we're 16.

[Jonah Platt]

Right. I actually didn't go, but I was only one of my siblings who didn't get to go on seminar.

[Josh]

Oh. Oh, you missed a great summer.

[Jonah Platt]

I know. I still regret it.

[Ben Simon]

What is seminar? You mean like seminary? Is that.

[Josh]

Just call it Rama seminar. Yeah.

[Jonah Platt]

I don't know why seminary is. What, like. Like theological school? Right.

[Ben Simon]

Which doesn't sound too different than what you guys were doing.

[Josh]

It's. It's not like.

[Ben Simon]

Really?

[Josh]

You go. You go.

[Jonah Platt]

Sure.

[Josh]

Like, we're praying, but we're also hanging. We're eating. Tons of eating. You're going to Masada you're eating. You're going to the Dead Sea. You're buying Naot. You're eating. That's all you're doing. It's just like you're eating across Israel. But I went with Ben, right?

[Jonah Platt]

Right.

[Josh]

And we weren't close, but I had known him, and we certainly weren't enemies. And he comes out with this comedy special or the special at the Beacon. Excuse me.

[Jonah Platt]

Yeah, like his concert. Solo concert thing.

[Josh]

His solar concert, solo concert. And my wife is watching it and she calls me. She's like, ben, you went on Ramas Seminar with Ben Platt, right? I'm like, yeah. She's like, well, he just said that a kid named Ben outed him as gay on Ramah Seminar. And I said that was not me. Different Ben. Ben is a very common name on Ramah Seminar. Not me.

[Ben Simon]

Dying to know this, because obviously the Great Platt family, a group of just real Jewish excellence, let's be honest.

[Jonah Platt]

Oh, that's very kind.

[Ben Simon]

And Ben, incredibly talented, you know, famous. I always love to think about people before they broke, before they made it, before they entered the lexicon. So, Ben, I ask you, Ben S. I ask about Ben P. Did you see glimpses of greatness? Was he in the. I don't know, the kugel line at lunch? And you were like, that kid's headed for the.

[Josh]

For the stars. I just remember him being funny, like, but so. No, I didn't. I didn't see that. No. I remembered him being nice and funny.

[Jonah Platt]

There probably wasn't much opportunity for, you know, show tunes and performances at Masada.

[Josh]

No, no, there weren't. There were none. None. But so now I didn't see it. But that doesn't mean that it wasn't there, I'm sure.

[Jonah Platt]

No, no. I mean, it was for him. It was from very young age, performing all of us. So I have four siblings.

[Ben Simon]

And you're all really talented.

[Jonah Platt]

We're all singers, and we all did musical theater growing up. My parents, part of what brought them together in college was their shared love of musical theater. So they raised us all on it. And we were doing backyard musicals and after school musicals and all that stuff, all five of us, from a very, very young age.

[Ben Simon]

And then when your dad becomes, like, this formidable producer when it comes to musicals and movies and all these different things, is there, like, pressure to join the family business?

[Jonah Platt]

I wouldn't say pressure, no. If anything, the opposite. No pressure at all. Like, please, do what makes you happy. Do your own thing. My sisters have nothing to do with the business and their Careers. My youngest brother works, like, in music. Not performing, really, or movies or anything like that, but, you know, the family business, when it's. Whether you're a producer or a plumber, like, whatever you're around is sort of in the water. So I think that's obviously natural that at least two of us gravitated in that direction.

[Ben Simon]

I mean, Ben's the son of a caterer. You should see his chopping skills. You've never seen mince plots like this. We call him Benny Mince.

[Josh]

Plus, I don't look like this for no reason, my friend. And this is me down 60 pounds post ozempic, so it's certainly in your blood.

[Jonah Platt]

How's that going? How's the Ozempic thing?

[Josh]

Great.

[Jonah Platt]

You look great.

[Josh]

I mean, I feel great. I feel great. I think it's a. It's a miracle drug. I can't stop talking about it. Whoever. Whoever I meet, I talk about Ozempic. I love it. Even though I'm now not on Ozempic. I'm on.

[Unknown]

What am I on, Josh?

[Ben Simon]

Moonjaro.

[Josh]

Mounjaro. Mounjaro, Yeah. I was on Ozempic. I then went off it. Me and my wife tried to have a child. Bh. He's coming in two months.

[Jonah Platt]

Amazing.

[Josh]

And Jonah, back in the Ozempic groove. What did you say?

[Ben Simon]

Jonah's got a baby coming in May as well.

[Jonah Platt]

Yeah.

[Josh]

Amazing.

[Jonah Platt]

It's our. Our third.

[Josh]

I know it's your first, but still, congrats.

[Jonah Platt]

Thank you very much. Thank you.

[Josh]

Our. Both of our Memorial Day plans are pretty.

[Jonah Platt]

They're pretty out the window.

[Josh]

I think they're out the window, but yeah. And now it's Mounjaro. It's doing great.

[Jonah Platt]

Well, I was in Mexico recently, and in the airport, you know, they have these incredible pharmacies, and there was just refrigerators full of Ozempic that anybody could come.

[Josh]

And I love an airport drug kiosk.

[Jonah Platt]

Like, this was.

[Josh]

Josh, are you thinner than a kiosk?

[Jonah Platt]

This was, you know, this was a full.

[Ben Simon]

In Mexico, Ben, you can get the drug kiosk is great to get all your CVS essentials, but in Mexico, they're like, oh, these psycho Americans are going to want to take some Vicodins on the plane.

[Jonah Platt]

Yeah. And they got it.

[Josh]

Oh, you think? I don't know. I've literally. I've been. I've been in those Mexican drug kiosks, and I have bought six months worth of Ozempic for my father because it's cheaper than the. Than going. If you don't have insurance.

[Jonah Platt]

There you go.

[Ben Simon]

But did you taste any of the wares of Ozempic or as they call it in Mexico, Ozempic?

[Josh]

What do you mean? I don't think I.

[Jonah Platt]

Could you try it yourself or was it just for dad?

[Josh]

Of course. No, of course I try every. Yeah, it's.

[Jonah Platt]

Was there a difference between. Between the Mexican blend and the American blend?

[Josh]

No. Name brand. Just on the back. It was also in Spanish. It's all good. Perfect, Josh. It's perfect.

[Ben Simon]

Let's just. Let's all compare the drug haul that we would take from Mexico if we were there. Right now. I'll start. Xanax. Xanax. Xanax.

[Unknown]

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[Ben Simon]

Well, you know, we've started this sort of tradition for Hanukkah. We had the great Robbie Hoffman on the podcast. Nice, brilliant comedian, grew up orthodox and we wanted to talk about, you know, our pod. We just embrace and love the Jewish hol. So, you know, we have Passover coming up, a great marquee holiday for the Jews. Yes, Jonah, I mean, let's start talking Passover, shall we?

[Jonah Platt]

I Would love nothing more.

[Ben Simon]

Yes. What was it like growing up for you kids?

[Josh]

Well, first and foremost, I need you both to recline. I'm reclining. And on Passover, we recline. So get in a more reclined position. Yes. We want it to look as terrible on video as possible. Okay, good. Now we're reclined. What was Passover like? Passover was terrible. Passover is the worst holiday. When you're a kid. You can't eat anything, Right. It's all matzah for a big fat fatty. You're clogged for two weeks, Josh. You're just eating this clogging matzah like, it's unbelievable. I didn't shit the whole month of April for the first 16 years of my life. But my dad did make something delicious. I'm sure, Jonah, you're familiar. Matzah braai.

[Jonah Platt]

Oh, yeah.

[Josh]

Oh, does he make a matzo bry that would knock your socks off? So good.

[Ben Simon]

Well, let's talk about. First, let's talk about the story of Passover, because it's a good one. There have been plenty of movies about it.

[Jonah Platt]

I think I can think of two.

[Ben Simon]

Yeah.

[Josh]

Rugrats being one.

[Jonah Platt]

Yeah. Well, Rugrats is like the classic. The best version of the Passover story is the Rugrats episode. And then there's the Ten Commandments. Charlton Heston. And there's Prince of Egypt, the animator.

[Josh]

Yes, yes.

[Jonah Platt]

That's basically it. As far as I'm aware.

[Josh]

We were slaves to pharaoh in Egypt.

[Jonah Platt]

Yep.

[Josh]

And then we weren't. That's the story.

[Jonah Platt]

You know, you skipped over all the drama.

[Josh]

Yeah, there was some drama.

[Jonah Platt]

There was 10 plagues, famously, there were wrought upon the Egyptian people.

[Ben Simon]

Now, let's start it at the beginning. So this is the intro. This is the Moses origin story, right?

[Jonah Platt]

Correct.

[Josh]

Yes.

[Ben Simon]

So he goes. The Jews are enslaved by Pharaoh. Moses goes. A middleman. I got this.

[Jonah Platt]

Well, you're skipping, like, the origin of the origin. Yeah.

[Ben Simon]

We have big issues with this.

[Jonah Platt]

This.

[Josh]

Let's talk about this.

[Ben Simon]

The wicker basket that somehow floated for miles. Go for it, Joe.

[Jonah Platt]

Well, I mean, you just. You just said it. So you know that all the Jewish kids were getting killed, I think. So they had to hide this Jewish baby boy. So his mom put him in a wicker basket, set him down the Nile, and he was discovered by Pharaoh's daughter, Batya, I think is her name. And she's like a hero and brought him in and raised. Moses was raised as, like, a Egyptian prince. And it's when he sees a slave master beating Down a Jewish slave. He, like, stays his hand and shows himself to be a person of integrity and great character, and then the rest begins from there.

[Ben Simon]

So Bhatia was telling Moses the whole time, you're Jewish?

[Jonah Platt]

I don't think so. I actually don't know. When he discovers he's Jewish, maybe Ben.

[Josh]

Yeah, No, I. He didn't know. He didn't know ever.

[Jonah Platt]

Maybe he didn't know until the burning bush.

[Josh]

Yeah, I don't. I don't know when he found out, but he didn't find out early. Yeah.

[Jonah Platt]

The first thing the bush said is.

[Ben Simon]

Hey, you're a Jew. Wow. The Bernie Bush was the original Internet comment.

[Jonah Platt]

That's right.

[Ben Simon]

Wow.

[Josh]

But back to the wicker basket, because Josh and I recently spoke about this. Do you not have. Take issue with Moses not drowning in the Nile being in a wicker basket in water?

[Jonah Platt]

Well, I think, you know, there's, like, tar or something underneath. Like, there's like a sealant.

[Josh]

There you go.

[Jonah Platt]

That goes under the basket.

[Josh]

There you go. There you go. But then there are these ten plagues. Oh, yeah, that hit. We got blood, we got frogs, we got vermin.

[Jonah Platt]

Let my people go. Him and his brother Aaron. We can't forget Aaron. Shout out to Aaron.

[Ben Simon]

Aaron. That's the two ways.

[Jonah Platt]

Yeah.

[Ben Simon]

I got a big issue with this name.

[Jonah Platt]

What are you trying to prove?

[Ben Simon]

Aaron.

[Josh]

You said if you just wrote Aaron with one A, it looks wrong.

[Jonah Platt]

It does look weird.

[Josh]

Yeah. I'm not a fan of Aaron, but Aharon is not good either. It's a terrible name, honestly.

[Jonah Platt]

Well, maybe because in Hebrew it's like Aharon. And then when you try to write it in English, you throw that second A in there.

[Josh]

Yes, maybe. Is your Hebrew name Jonah?

[Unknown]

Just Jonah?

[Jonah Platt]

It's Yonah.

[Josh]

Yonah.

[Jonah Platt]

Which means.

[Josh]

That's a great one. Beautiful stuff. Beautiful. I'm Ben Simon, a symbol of peace. What are you? Ben Sion, Son of God? Yes, I'm Jesus. I would have been Benyamin, but my dad took Benyamin. His name is Bruce. But Benyamin is normal for Ben. Josh, what's your Hebrew name?

[Ben Simon]

Yeshua. Jesus.

[Josh]

God, that's gorgeous.

[Jonah Platt]

Yeshua.

[Josh]

We should, for the rest of this episode, Yeshua, Yonah and Ben Siona.

[Jonah Platt]

No longer.

[Ben Simon]

I just got a live Update. We've got 11 listeners left. Let's try to get rid of all of them by the end of the episode.

[Josh]

Three bombs, threats to dear media.

[Ben Simon]

So he starts sending these plagues, right? And then the biggie comes, right? He goes, don't make me do number 10, right?

[Jonah Platt]

Number 10 is, you know, it's pretty abominable. It's the death of all the firstborn Egyptian children. And the angel of death knows not to kill the Jewish children because they put lamb's blood on their door posts.

[Ben Simon]

Right?

[Jonah Platt]

And that's where you get the Passover, because the angel passes over those homes as it goes to murder a bunch of children.

[Josh]

What a story.

[Ben Simon]

How violent. Ben and I, over Rosh Hashanah. Ben was teaching me about the Golden Calf and the whole thing, which we.

[Jonah Platt]

Just read like, that Parsha was like, last week.

[Ben Simon]

Oh, yeah, yeah. And I always feel like all of this is a pretty secular Jew, that it's all allegory, right? Like, it's all created in a way in which to just help people understand morals and values and lessons and how. So how literal do you think these things are?

[Jonah Platt]

I'm with you. I, I, you know, and we, we know, like, scholarship has shown this was written by, like, the Torah is written by guys, like, scribes over many decades of ancient times. So I, I feel like you, I feel like it's about learning morals and lessons and. Yeah, exactly what you said. It's. I, I can't take that stuff literally. You know, that's just me. There are plenty of people who do, but I'm not one of them.

[Ben Simon]

Ben, are you one of them?

[Josh]

I don't take it all. Thank you very much for addressing me by my given name. I don't take it all literally. I think that that, to me, to think that the Torah hasn't been touched in 4,000 years would be a little crazy. But I do think that there's gotta be some truth in some of these stories. But I do think that the main overall goal, regardless of truth or not, is to pull the way that you should lead your life and pull traditions from whether they're stories or truth or whatever it may be, that reading it and understanding it and living by it does lead to a great structured life.

[Jonah Platt]

I think you're right in that it's got to be somewhat based on reality because, like, across religions, you see similar stories. Like, so many different peoples have the flood story, right? In the Jews, it's Noah and the ark. But then you have, you know, indigenous tribes who have, like, flood stories at the same time. So there must have been stuff that happened that everybody kind of noticed. But then, you know, everybody extrapolated and expanded in their own ways.

[Josh]

There are artifacts that back up some of the stories. Yes. The Noah's Ark of it all is Pretty difficult for me to personally get behind that they were able to get to. Of every single animal on one arc.

[Jonah Platt]

That doesn't sound plausible to you?

[Josh]

It sounds like a bit of a stretch, Yonah. A bit of a stretch.

[Jonah Platt]

A bit of a stretch.

[Ben Simon]

And what about creepy crawlies? Right? Two millipedes?

[Josh]

Yeah. No, no, thanks. And, like, the fact that the elephant didn't step on them, like they survived transit. No.

[Jonah Platt]

Yeah.

[Josh]

No way.

[Jonah Platt]

Very hard. Very hard to buy.

[Ben Simon]

What about.

[Josh]

Okay, so you just see a monkey grab the millipede and Noah's like, no.

[Ben Simon]

Yeah, they're all. They all got to be eating half of it.

[Josh]

They're hungry.

[Ben Simon]

Yeah, they're hungry. So what? Okay, so now the Pharaoh goes. All right, all right, fine. Go. You win. Take them. Go. Let's introduce where matzah came from.

[Josh]

Right.

[Ben Simon]

Because that was kind of. It was really the first to go meal.

[Jonah Platt]

Wow.

[Josh]

40 days, no time.

[Jonah Platt]

They had to run.

[Josh]

No.

[Jonah Platt]

They didn't want to wait for Pharaoh to change his mind.

[Ben Simon]

Yes.

[Jonah Platt]

So they took their bread before it had risen at all. Apparently. Now we eat flat crackers that clog you up for a month.

[Josh]

They clog you up for a month. Are you a fan of shmura matzah or you're a regular matzah man. And for those that are still listening, shmurra is a very burnt circle matzah versus the regular matzo that you'd get in a square is a regular matzo. But the real hardcore juicy schmara and.

[Jonah Platt]

The schmara matzah somehow even flatter than the regular matzah.

[Unknown]

It's awful.

[Josh]

I don't understand why people do this. It takes. It's so burnt. It's so, like burnt. The top of burnt toast. If you were to take a piece of toast.

[Jonah Platt]

That's right.

[Josh]

And you were to try to remove the burn and just eat that pile of dust that is shimura.

[Jonah Platt]

I enjoy, like, one bite of it per holiday season. But I'm not, you know, I'm not making the sandwich with it. I'm not melting the cheese on it. I'm not doing anything else.

[Josh]

Is it makes you feel a certain way, Yonah and. Yeah, sure. Makes you feel like you're in the story.

[Jonah Platt]

Yeah, a little bit. Like, you know, a little, like a little helping of that burnt cardboard flavor is nice to like, break up the just, you know, straight cracker that you're eating repeatedly for days.

[Josh]

What's your go. What's your go to with matzah?

[Jonah Platt]

Like, I mean, the best version of matza's matzah pizza. In my opinion.

[Josh]

You know, for sure I go oven or microwave.

[Jonah Platt]

Oh, I think microwave because I haven't had the in my past. But now that I own an air fryer situation, like it's going to be in the air fryer. I will, I will say I went to my high school here in L. A. Would serve matzah pizza in the cafeteria during passover, but they, they would serve pepperoni matzah pizza.

[Ben Simon]

So good.

[Jonah Platt]

People actually love it. It was so annoying because the non Jewish kids would be like, oh, matzah pizza. So great.

[Ben Simon]

I'd be like, try eating it for eight days in a row.

[Jonah Platt]

So yeah, but they loved it. It was like, you know, delicious.

[Josh]

Cracker melted.

[Jonah Platt]

It's novelty.

[Josh]

I love that we can't ever acknowledge that something is good. Like we always have this complex that everything has to be bad. It's like, what do you mean you like matzah pizza? It's terrible. We endure pain for the bread of affliction. Yeah, matzah pizza is delicious.

[Unknown]

This episode of the Good guys podcast is brought to you by our [e-mail] booking. Yeah, spring is here, folks, which means that we're out of hibernation mode, baby. We're going traveling. I don't know where we're going. Maybe we're going to the beach, maybe we're going to the mountains, maybe we're going to a pool. Who knows? Wherever I'm going though, I'm booking on booking.com because of their wide variety of stays. There's something for anyone. Anyone, wherever you want to go. If you want a five star resort, if you want a three star motel, whatever floats your boat, you can find it on booking.com. oh, and did I mention that booking.com is again the official accommodation partner of the MLB? How cool is that?

[Josh]

When I go to a baseball game.

[Unknown]

One of my favorite parts is the whole stadium singing take me out to the ball game. I love it. Of course my voice is better than everybody else's and everybody honestly should pipe down and just let me sing it. But folks, I was so excited about booking.com being the official accommodation partner that I wrote my own version of Take me out to the ball game brought to you by booking dot com. Are you ready? Take me out of the city Somewhere less dirty and loud get me a cabana by the pool A five star meal that'll make me drool so it's book, book, book your next hotel if you don't go It's a shame so it's room, sweet apartment for your next great stay. You didn't think I could hit that high note at the end? You didn't think so. You didn't trust me. But trust me that you should be booking your next vacation on Booking.com the right state can make you a fan of any US city. Book today on the Booking.com site or app. Booking.com booking. Yeah, Booking.com wants to help make you a fan of any U.S. city with a chance to win $1,000 in Booking.com travel credit. Head to the Booking.com Instagram page at booking.com and check out our sweepstakes for more details. This episode of the Good Guys podcast is brought to you by DraftKings. The great rewards hunt is on, so join the adventure with DraftKings Casino. For fun seekers, follow the trail to huge jackpots, weekly bonuses and exclusive games. Plus, new players can get their losses back up to $1,000 in casino credits on their first day. Just sign up with Code Good Guys and start playing to get up to $1,000 in casino credits back with a minimum $5 net loss only on DraftKings casino. The crown is yours. Gambling problem Call 1-800-Gambler in Connecticut. Help is available for problem gambling. Call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org Please play responsibly. 21 plus physically present in Connecticut, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia only void in Ontario eligibility restrictions apply. New customers only losses back for 24 hours up to $1,000 in non withdrawable casino credits that expire in 168 hours.

[Josh]

[e-mail] promos okay, so now we've got the matzah.

[Ben Simon]

We're traveling. It's. It didn't have time to leaven, so it got baked in the sun. The bread is now this. This thin little cracker. But of course, Pharaoh, now he's got second thoughts. He's feeling he's in his hypocritical era. He goes, you know what? No. I want him back. So he sends the forces to go get them. Yes.

[Jonah Platt]

Yeah. All the chariots.

[Ben Simon]

Yes.

[Jonah Platt]

And they come to the sea. And God parts the Red Sea so that the Israelites can walk through it. And then as soon as those chariots come in, he closes it up. And there's more. Mass murder of Egypt and their horses. And their horses.

[Josh]

Gone now.

[Ben Simon]

Current day what does our Passover seders look like? Because I did bring up some fun facts about Passover because it is fun and fun and here are a couple of those fun 30 facts you didn't know about Passover. And this is from Good Housekeeping.

[Jonah Platt]

So they know a lot about the Jewish holidays over there.

[Ben Simon]

The meaning of its name is quite literal. Households were passed over as the 10th plague hit Egypt. The story can be found in the Bible.

[Jonah Platt]

We're crushing these facts so far.

[Ben Simon]

It's one of the oldest holidays at over 3500 years old. The Last Supper is believed to have been a Passover Seder.

[Jonah Platt]

That's right.

[Josh]

Yes, that's right.

[Ben Simon]

Three out of the four gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke describe Jesus last meal as occurring during Passover. I wonder who found the afikomen. And it's considered the most popular Jewish holiday. Here's a picture of Kathy Lee Gifford.

[Jonah Platt]

Well, she's doing.

[Ben Simon]

Said that 23% of people surveyed said they attend religious services, but 70% said that they do take part in a Passover Seder. And let's see. Oh, here's a good one. Here's a good way to start. The length of Passover seders vary. Boys, take it away. How long are your Passover seders?

[Josh]

Depends on where I go. If I go to my dad's brother's house, we're done in under an hour. If I go to my sister's boyfriend's family, we're at four hours. It depends on how religious you are, how much you want to just eat. But these seders can go deep into the night if. If you let them. They can go deep into.

[Jonah Platt]

Yeah. My family seders have always had so many children at them, so they've like my whole life there's just been children everywhere. So they can't go for too long because the kids can't hack it. You know, kids got to go to bed. So I'd say, I don't know, like somewhere between two and three hours. Including dinner. Including arrival. Including searching for Offie Coleman.

[Ben Simon]

Oh, that's fair.

[Josh]

Yeah, that is fair. That's nice. That's a nice evening amount of time. It is.

[Ben Simon]

I got to say, I find this rude when people send text messages like this, but I appreciate it when they go, the party will be from 6 to 9, and you just know there's like a hard out.

[Jonah Platt]

That's nice. You can plan your evening around it.

[Ben Simon]

I think. I think there should be a big clock like at Madison Square Garden, like counting down. Yes. Started at three hours. And we know that by the last 15 minutes. Get your coat.

[Josh]

Yeah, right. And if some. And if somebody gets up to go. No more of this. Oh, so soon. Then what do you expect them to do? Okay, they're now going to sit with you for more time after they clearly expressed that they wanted to leave Josh. Oh, so soon. No, if they are getting up to leave, leave.

[Jonah Platt]

It sounds like you leave things early a lot is what I'm getting from this.

[Josh]

Me too. So soon.

[Ben Simon]

It's so good.

[Josh]

Dan, you've been at dinner for 45 minutes. So soon. Yeah, I'm tired. We talked, we ate, we're done. Like, I don't.

[Ben Simon]

It's in.

[Jonah Platt]

Ben, you're going to have the babysitter excuse. You're going to be able to get out of there whenever you need to.

[Josh]

Great. Yes. I need another excuse. Yeah, Always need a good.

[Ben Simon]

Okay, so then, major tenants of Passover, you're supposed to recline because we made it. It's a bit of a celebratory meal. You're supposed to drink, drink, drink.

[Jonah Platt]

Right. Get a little sauce or four cups of wine.

[Josh]

Yes.

[Jonah Platt]

Here's a. Here's a nice tip. Something I like to do is I'll do like a wine progression through the night. Like, start with a sparkling, then go to a white and go to a light red, then do a heavy red or like a dessert wine.

[Ben Simon]

A port.

[Jonah Platt]

There you go.

[Ben Simon]

Yeah. An appetite.

[Jonah Platt]

Well, that would be the.

[Ben Simon]

Is that before? I don't know.

[Jonah Platt]

Steve is the Second one.

[Ben Simon]

I'm 17 years sober. The fuck do I know?

[Jonah Platt]

I got nothing there.

[Ben Simon]

A DJ Steve got.

[Jonah Platt]

There you go. Yeah. So that's a. That's a fun little tip. Spice up your seder.

[Ben Simon]

Okay, last couple questions because everyone wants to know. So then we hide matzah for the kids so that they have to find it. It's called the afikomen, by the way. What? Is that tradition? Or was that just like in the 1700s, someone said, let's add some fun?

[Josh]

I don't know. Do you know Jonah?

[Jonah Platt]

I don't know. I know the word afikoman is Greek. That's my one fun fact about afikomen.

[Josh]

Really?

[Jonah Platt]

That's all I know.

[Ben Simon]

And it sounded better than go find the tzatziki. Do you.

[Jonah Platt]

Did you guys get prizes as kids for finding the epic oven?

[Josh]

Stone cold cash range from a gold $1 coin to a $5 bill, depending on how cheap the guy was. I'm just saying, my. May he rest in peace. Great uncle Genius with the gold. Gold dollars? Yeah, that's a feel like you're getting a lot, but you're getting a buck. Genius.

[Jonah Platt]

Like getting treasure.

[Josh]

It's also like a $2 bill, which Josh and I love.

[Jonah Platt]

Love a $2 bill.

[Josh]

You could easily tip a 2 in lieu of a 5 anytime you want.

[Jonah Platt]

I agree. There's just the novelty, the magic of the two.

[Josh]

It's the novelty.

[Ben Simon]

It's tipping. Arbitrage. I don't know what that word means. I've been dying to use it.

[Josh]

No, that was properly used. We should start trying it, Josh, with half dollars. See how far we can get by dipping.

[Jonah Platt]

I don't think I made a half dollar in, like, 20 years.

[Ben Simon]

Do you like John F. Kennedy, friend?

[Josh]

Yes. So good.

[Ben Simon]

So the little kids get the. Get the matzah.

[Jonah Platt]

I find it.

[Ben Simon]

And then who is this Elijah and why can we not stop talking about it?

[Josh]

Well, we save a seat for Elijah. Eliyahu hanavi.

[Jonah Platt]

Nice.

[Josh]

Eliyahu Hatish. V. Eliyahu, Eliyahu. Eliyahu hanavi. Now, I know the song, but I don't remember why we save a seat for Elijah.

[Jonah Platt]

I don't know why he gets this seat of honor either. I'm trying to. I know he. You leave out a cup of wine for him that he's supposed to come and drink, and he's supposed to be a guest at your seder. But I don't know why.

[Josh]

I don't remember.

[Jonah Platt]

I don't remember either. I know. I know. He, like, was like. He went away from this mortal life in like, a blaze of fire. Like, he, like, flew like a chariot of fire into the sky is how he became this, like, prophet spirit. That's all I remember about him.

[Ben Simon]

He's the patron saint of the flaky. They may come, they may not. They deserve representation.

[Josh]

It's honestly very Santa Claus. It's very. Leaving out cookies and milk for Santa.

[Jonah Platt]

That's right. That's exactly what it is.

[Josh]

Who was also invented by Jews. Just so we're all on the same page.

[Ben Simon]

He was.

[Josh]

Yeah. The whole idea of Santa was invented by Jews. Unless that's just like an anti Semitic trope.

[Ben Simon]

I think so.

[Jonah Platt]

I thought Santa, like, as we know it, was invented by, like, American marketing firms.

[Ben Simon]

I thought it was like, I just.

[Josh]

Spew an anti Semitic.

[Jonah Platt]

I think you may have.

[Ben Simon]

I thought it was like, Swedish or Norwegian.

[Jonah Platt]

They had, like, Sinterklaus, like, over there.

[Josh]

Sinterkla was definitely an anti Semite. Just so we're on the same page.

[Jonah Platt]

Yeah.

[Ben Simon]

Yeah.

[Jonah Platt]

Sinterklaus is like the thing of nightmares for the Jewish children in the villages.

[Ben Simon]

But then, wasn't there Kris Kringle? Here's a more detailed look at the Origins of Santa Claus. The modern figure of Santa Claus has roots in 4th century Christian saint, Saint Nicholas, a Greek bishop known for his generosity and kindness, particularly towards children, and his affinity for Yummy cookies. No, I just added that last part.

[Jonah Platt]

Okay, you know what? I was referring to the modern characters characterization of Santa's like with, you know, bat with the beard and the red suit and all that. That guy sounds really nice.

[Ben Simon]

That's St Nicholas and Sinterklaas and the Dutch who settled in New Amsterdam. And then. You ever think the elves wanted to form a union?

[Jonah Platt]

They probably have one.

[Josh]

Yes, they, for sure.

[Jonah Platt]

That's got to be organized labor.

[Ben Simon]

It should be.

[Josh]

It should be.

[Ben Simon]

They live on site.

[Josh]

Yeah. There's more rights. Where they need more rights.

[Ben Simon]

Steam off in the North Pole.

[Jonah Platt]

Do they get a hiatus or are they working year round?

[Ben Simon]

And is it just. Is their holiday pay or is it kind of like. Dude, it's assumed.

[Josh]

I think that they only get paid during that time period. I think their work to the bone. We need a dark elf movie. Very dark.

[Ben Simon]

And who makes the elves theirs? Right? What do they do?

[Jonah Platt]

Wow.

[Ben Simon]

Think about that.

[Jonah Platt]

Deep questions.

[Unknown]

This episode of the Good Guys podcast is brought to you by Marley Spoon. Folks, it's busy being a celebrity. Sometimes, you know, you get home, you have this reputation for being a celebrity chef, but you don't want to cook anything. You don't want to cook anything because you're tired, you've had a long day, sometimes it's just a little bit overwhelming. So you want to order in, then you order in and everything tastes like crap, or everything takes a long time to come, or it's two, literally million dollars. That's when I found Marley Spoon. And it's genuinely changed the way that I cook at home because it is so much easier. And I'm genuinely excited about Marley Spoon because it's helping me fast track my way to eating well without all of the stress. And with my code good guys, you can get up to 27 free meals. And for those nights when you need dinner like yesterday, Marley Spoon's new 15 Minute Express recipes are exactly what they sound like. Convenient, delicious, and on the table in minutes. You'll find these on every weekly menu. And if you've got a few extra minutes, they have some great 20 minute options too. My favorite, hack their sheet pan dinners. Literally throw everything on one pan and boom, you're done. Same with their tray bakes and they even include the tray. My favorite recent meal was their herb roasted salmon. It was fantastic. Not fishy at all. Absolutely delicious. And you know, I love my Omega threes. If you're really in a hurry, Marley Spoon also has delicious ready to heat meals. These are life savers. I'm telling you, the celebrity life, it is what it is. It's busy and sometimes you just don't feel like cooking. So these ready to heat meals are fantastic. Overall, I just love Marley Swoon because of how ridiculously easy they make everything. Sometimes we're not in the mood to go to the grocery store, shop all these items. Sometimes that's really fun right when you have the time, but sometimes you simply don't have the time. But you still want great meals that you can make at home quickly, quickly, or meals that are just ready to heat quickly? Because we're hungry, we're growing boys, and we need food. This year, fast track your way to eating well with Marley spoon. Head to marleyspoon.com. offer GoodGuys and use code goodguys for up to 27 free meals. That's right. Up to 27 free meals with Marley Spoon. One last time. That's Marley spoon.com backslash. Offer goodguys for up to 27 free meals. And make sure you use my promo code Goodguys.

[Josh]

So they know I sent you.

[Ben Simon]

How was it treated with you guys growing up? Was it just a non thing?

[Jonah Platt]

It was a non thing, but we want, like, I had a Christian babysitter, so she introduced us to all the amazing animated Christmas movies like Frosty and Rudolph and all that stuff. You know, the Jewish kids always, you wish you had Christmas. Christmas is awesome. Everybody's doing it. It's magical. But we didn't get to participate. But luckily my wife, who converted to Judaism, we do Christmas every year now with her family. So I get the best of both worlds. So full Jew and full Christmas.

[Ben Simon]

That's so cool. My kids Irish Catholic. We get.

[Jonah Platt]

There you go. There you are.

[Ben Simon]

So fun.

[Jonah Platt]

My kids get presents for days and days and days at the Hanukkah. Presents. The Christmas presents. It's just like a win win for everybody. It took me a second, though. Like, when I first came into her family, I had this such a strong aversion because it was like the most not Jewish thing in the world this Christmas. And I was like, I couldn't. I couldn't get it. And I, like, I couldn't buy into it. And it felt weird. And then actually her dad was like, you know that feeling when you're a kid and you're on your way to Disneyland? That's Christmas.

[Josh]

I was going to say, okay, like.

[Jonah Platt]

That I can understand.

[Josh]

It's interesting. When I think of Christmas, I just think of American. Like, it just feels like a very American holiday to me. Like, my wife loves Christmas, and she's about as Jewish as it gets.

[Jonah Platt]

Yeah.

[Josh]

I was like, she loves Christmas time. The, like, Rockettes, like, all that stuff, like, it just becomes a part of society.

[Jonah Platt]

On my pod, one of my guests was the kid of Holocaust survivors, and they had a Christmas tree because it was like, it was American. And they wanted to feel like when they moved to this country, they wanted to be all American. And Americans had Christmas trees. And they were like, hell, yeah, we're American, too.

[Josh]

Love that. I need a Christmas tree.

[Ben Simon]

Yeah, it's very pretty. I've now had one for the last three years since we had a house. My wife gets one and does it up, and it just is. It's lovely.

[Jonah Platt]

It's lovely.

[Josh]

And who breaks it down? And how long do you wait to break it down?

[Ben Simon]

That tree is out of our house. It arrives at our house Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.

[Jonah Platt]

Is it a real tree?

[Ben Simon]

Real tree, always.

[Jonah Platt]

Beautiful.

[Ben Simon]

And it is out of our house by noon. November. I'm sorry. December 25th.

[Josh]

Oh, wow.

[Jonah Platt]

Gone.

[Ben Simon]

It's gone. She doesn't mean.

[Jonah Platt]

Do you open the presents in the morning, like, under the tree and then.

[Ben Simon]

Trees out, trees out.

[Jonah Platt]

Wow.

[Ben Simon]

Unacceptable. Get rid of it. Get rid of the wreaths. Get rid of the. Give the. Is that right? Yeah. Get rid of the adornment where the stockings are above the fireplace.

[Unknown]

Gone.

[Jonah Platt]

We do not.

[Ben Simon]

This is too quick.

[Josh]

This is too quick. Can we leave a little. Can we leave it through the new year?

[Jonah Platt]

No, that's way too long.

[Ben Simon]

That's. Well, but plenty of people do that, Ben. But no to my wife. She's like, it's unacceptable.

[Josh]

Okay. I trust Paige on this top.

[Ben Simon]

Yeah.

[Josh]

Quick.

[Ben Simon]

What are we going to do?

[Josh]

So we're asking these, like, nice Christians to come in on Christmas and pick up the tree. It's very dark.

[Ben Simon]

It's so funny that you think we. We invite Christians in to pick.

[Josh]

Oh, you toss it.

[Ben Simon]

Like the Jews have a service. Yeah. No, you toss it. I told you. I did a Woody Nuts on this. It is the greatest Christian privilege I've ever seen. This idea that you get to throw your tree a massive thing on the street, and somehow, some way, someone picks it up.

[Josh]

Yes, yes, we did talk about this.

[Ben Simon]

That's what we do.

[Jonah Platt]

That's nice.

[Ben Simon]

Someone. And I see it, like, throughout the week after Christmas, every couple of days. I'll see Two, three, ten trees. And somehow, some way, the garbage people just pick up a tree.

[Jonah Platt]

We have a fake tree that. So, like my. As I said, I was very Christmas averse. So my wife wanted to decorate because that's like just tradition for her, and she loved that growing up. But we had to find the medium that worked for the two of us. So we have this, like, our color scheme is like white and silver and gold and that kind of like, wintry situation. More so than the red, green fir tree. Red. Like, we have white stockings with, like, menorahs on them. And so our tree is this like silver leafless, wintry looking tree that we reuse every year. Yeah.

[Josh]

You know, I'm now thinking, since you said it, Josh, about this service run by Jews for Christians. We pick up your tree Christmas Day, we go into your house, we dispose of it, we collect on the recycling. It's genius.

[Jonah Platt]

Pretty good.

[Josh]

Genius, Josh.

[Ben Simon]

Great.

[Josh]

Okay, fine. I'll start with somebody else. You don't seem enthused, Jonah.

[Jonah Platt]

I'm trying to think of a clever name for it.

[Josh]

I don't know.

[Ben Simon]

Should we get to a speak pipe?

[Josh]

Yeah, please.

[Ben Simon]

All right, so speak pipe is we take calls or advice from people who want. Who have questions for us. They need advice. If you want to leave us a message, go to speakpipe.com goodguys keep it brief. Brevity is key. We don't want your Woody and Utzes. We don't love them. Let's hear from Aaliyah, guys.

[E]

We're on here. I had a question for you, Ben. I wonder if when you have your precious little baby Bhbhbh, will you let them eat non kosher? Being that Claudia is more kosher. You guys grew up more kosher. Coming from somebody who grew up quite kosher, was pretty religious, went to Stern College for women, but married a nice non Jewish man. Want to raise my kids Jewish. Still very much, much traditional. But I don't keep kosher other than no pork. But I'm like, whoa. Feels weird though, because I didn't eat it growing up. And so. Yeah, I just wonder, what's your take on it? Have you thought about that? Them non kosher meat, will you let them mix? Do you mix? Anyway, you get the gist. Thanks, guys. Love you both. Love you all. Oh, and love you, Olivia. Your laugh lights me up every time I listen. You guys are amazing. Thank you. Bye.

[Josh]

What?

[Jonah Platt]

Did not get the brevity memo?

[Ben Simon]

No, yeah.

[Josh]

No. Very long. They never do very long. Great question. I will say that I hope. Oops.

[Ben Simon]

Sorry. Oh, my gosh. Oh, God, this is horrible. Sorry. Okay. And go band.

[Josh]

I hope BH when my son comes. First of all, this is not going to be a problem until he's eating solid foods, which will be years down the road anyway.

[Ben Simon]

It's in four months. At four months, they start out solid.

[Jonah Platt]

Years down the road.

[Ben Simon]

Years down the road.

[Josh]

You're feeding him chicken. You're feeding them chicken. In four months, baby led feeding you.

[Jonah Platt]

Give him a chicken drumstick and just let them kind of gnaw on it when they're.

[Josh]

When they're super young. So then I have a lot to learn. Well, only my house is strictly kosher meat, so that won't be a problem. Early on, I do think that there is something to being too strict that pushes somebody in the opposite direction, which is what she's describing. The fact that she went to Stern College for Women, which is an offshoot of Yeshiva University, which is where I went, and is now asking these questions. Like, I recall, like, I went to Jewish day school, Jonah. So I would wake up in the morning and I would have to wrap tefillin every single morning. And for a long period of time, that made me not want to rap tefillin ever again in my life. And because I'm a spiritual person, I was able to bring myself back into loving Judaism. But I still don't rap to this day. And I think I would be rapping if I wasn't forced to rap. So there's something to setting structure, but then letting them explore and not coming down. I'm never going to be that parent that's like, I can't believe you ate non kosher. I would never do that ever. But I. But I am going to do my best to always keep a kosher home. And I hope that having children will make me be a little bit better with kashrut. Because me, Josh, and I joke all the time that I'm struggling with it. For sure. I've been far more kosher in my life than I am right now. And it's hard for me. Especially, like, I cook a lot on Instagram, and everybody's like, why the fuck didn't you put cheese on that? So then I put cheese on it. And then people say, oh, you're not kosher anymore. It's like, well, I'm trying to make things that are interesting.

[Jonah Platt]

You can't please everyone.

[Ben Simon]

But isn't the freedom in saying, I'm open. This is just my thought. So tell me, because I know I give Ben a hard time About, I think it's like you can't be a little pregnant. Like if you are kosher, you abide by this dietary set of law, you can only eat kosher meat.

[Josh]

So I disagree.

[Jonah Platt]

I disagree too. I feel like there's a spectrum.

[Josh]

I disagree vehemently.

[Ben Simon]

Okay, but what I'm asking is if the only thing you subscribe to in totality of in quotes, kosher is you don't eat pork. Yeah, but you mix meat and meat and cheese, you eat it. Non kosher restaurants, you eat non kosher meat. If you're out sometimes, then to claim kosher is. It's a misnomer.

[Josh]

It's. So I'll give two, I'll give two examples. The first is that's like saying that somebody whose reform is not Jewish. You're saying you're Jewish. Right. But by being Jewish, you're supposed to be subscribing to every single law. Technically. Right. But we have, we have varying degrees of Judaism and everybody's always trying to this, it's this idea of Judaism.

[Ben Simon]

Say I'm Orthodox. No, I disagree with you. I wouldn't say I'm Orthodox except I don't do 80% of it.

[Josh]

And I wouldn't see what I'm saying. And I would say that, I wouldn't.

[Ben Simon]

Say dietary set of laws. And if you're not subscribing to over 3/4 of it, I don't think you can call yourself kosher.

[Jonah Platt]

You could say, you could say you adhere to certain aspects of being kosher. You know, it's like unless you're somebody who follows letter of the law. Everything, Everything. The reason you would keep kosher is to like, it's a reminder every day in something that you're doing that you're.

[Josh]

Jewish and to do your, and to do your best. Like that's what, that's what kosher is to me is a constant reminder that God exists. And if I could, if I had the will to, I would be completely kosher. That is a dream. A dream would be to be completely kosher. For me. I can't do it. I love eating great foods too much. I think that unfortunately, kosher restaurants in the United States stink for the most part. There's. It's non comparable. Josh, me and you are going to go to dinner. We're going to go to Peter Luger's. That's going to be the best. It's just going to be a better stake. It's just because I don't have the will. But if I did have the will. I would love to be kosher. And to me, what Judaism is, and the key pillar for Judaism is always trying to do better. It's a constant reminder that there is, for me, a best version of me. And the best version of me is one that doesn't just have no. Like, it doesn't subscribe to nothing that does their best. Right now, I'm at the place where I am mixing milk with meat. I still don't eat any shellfish. I don't eat any pig products.

[Jonah Platt]

Here's how I look at it. Because I grew up, what I feel like was kosher, very kosher, certainly compared to what I am now, which was, you know, milk plates, meat plates, never mixing, no pork, no seafood, only kosher meat in the house. But when we would go out, we could eat meat out. So, like, I could go to McDonald's and have a hamburger. Can have a cheeseburger, but I could have a hamburger. So that was really strict. And then in my. In my household, the rules were when you got bar mitzvahed or bat mitzvah, you can make. You could decide for yourself. So, like, literally, the day I turned 13, I was like, I'm getting cheeseburgers immediately. And I've been completely unkosher ever since.

[Ben Simon]

Yeah.

[Jonah Platt]

So, like, comparing where I am now to what I was then, even if I wasn't doing, like, 100% of the kosher, like, we still went out and didn't go to only kosher restaurants, but it was so kosher compared to where I am now, where I felt like, okay, that's being kosher. And what I'm doing now is not really.

[Ben Simon]

Yeah, I guess it's just very. I heard someone explain it the other day. I think it was Matty Matheson was eating in Montreal, like, some great Jewish smoke, meet with this Chabad rabbi, and he was like, you know, so many of the laws in Judaism are inconvenienced to remind us about, like, the ability in which to be holy, even, you know, in the minutiae of our daily lives. So I'm a big fan of people being kosher and, like, adhering to the law. It's like, I just think that there's. I just think there's, like, if you're gonna live in that 70 to 80% not kosher, like, I don't think that there's a hierarchy of, like, kosher meat to mixing milk and meat. Like, one's not as bad as the other. I think it's all. It's either all good or all bad. But, like, let's not title it. Let's just, again, try to do the best we can, but leave kosher to the ones who are kosher and repping it.

[Jonah Platt]

Yeah. Too much kosher fugazi for you?

[Ben Simon]

Yeah, just like, rep it. Like, I have a good buddy, my buddy Gabe, who I grew up with, who was orthodox and kosher. When he comes here, it gives me a great opportunity to take him to the three kosher restaurants I know on Pico.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Ben Simon]

And we have it. And we. We love it.

[Jonah Platt]

Pkd.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Ben Simon]

My wife goes like, is Gabe coming over for dinner? I go, of course not. I go, but we love Gabe. And he'll come over and talk to the kids, and they'll be like, cool. What's that? Keep on your head. And they'll be like, well, let me explain. And it's this wonderful thing that I get. I guess what I'm saying is I look up to Gabe and I think it's. I'm proud of him and I honor his ability in which to be that strict.

[Jonah Platt]

Wow.

[Josh]

Sure.

[Ben Simon]

He deserves what, in my mind kosher is. And I think if you're not adhering to that, you're fabulous and righteous in all your own ways. But maybe leave that moniker to Gate.

[Jonah Platt]

That's fair.

[Josh]

I disagree, but I hear you.

[Jonah Platt]

That's fair, too.

[Josh]

I disagree, but I hear you. Because what Jonah described is the quintessential assimilated Jew. It is having a kosher home, growing up at the kosher home, doing your best. But when you're outside still being American, like, being the American Jewish, like, I don't want to not dine with my non Jewish friends or with my Jewish friends. Like, assimilation is very, very important and a key issue today. And why you'll see very Orthodox Jews, Hasidic Jews, not being a part of the true American culture is because they're forced to eat in restaurants that only they can eat in. And like my dream, it's an unrealistic dream. But, like, you go to every restaurant and every restaurant is kosher. That forces everybody to adhere to something that they don't believe in. So that doesn't make sense. But I think that the opposite isn't fair either. To say you can only feel really religious and Jewish if you completely cut yourself out from the rest of the world.

[Ben Simon]

I don't think it's a feeling or anything within yourself, like I think you should feel. I think you're a spectacular Jew and I look up to you in many ways of your Judaism. Ben, for Me, I'm playing semantics with the word.

[Jonah Platt]

Yeah.

[Ben Simon]

And no, no, I know. I know of it.

[Josh]

No, I told. I totally get it. I just like the same way you have an opinion. I just like it. It doesn't. It doesn't sit right with me that Gabe shouldn't like in that example, that, like, I look up to Gabe, but I also wish that Gabe could have a piece of fish and come out to dinner with me.

[Jonah Platt]

Right.

[Josh]

That's all like what I'm saying. And like, I think it's too strict.

[Ben Simon]

All I know is my wife's a vegan, so she's better kosher than all of us. The Irish Catholic is a better vegan than all of us.

[Jonah Platt]

That worse to me than being kosher.

[Ben Simon]

I know right now that's against God.

[Jonah Platt]

That's crazy.

[Josh]

I also want to say very quickly, and then we'll move on, this is a wonderfully spirited debate. Which is the key pillar of Judaism for sure.

[Jonah Platt]

This was. This is real chavruta right here.

[Ben Simon]

Correct.

[Josh]

The key pillar of Judaism is questions and answers.

[Ben Simon]

Should we get to Woody?

[Josh]

And that's yes.

[Ben Simon]

Our Woody and Nuts moment of the week is our gripes with people, places and things both big and small. Everything's sticking in your crawl. No bad answers. Take your time to think of one. Just whatever is annoying you right now. Ben and I will start so you have time.

[Jonah Platt]

Fabulous.

[Ben Simon]

Ben, you want to kick us off?

[Josh]

I was on a flight to Tampa on Thursday and I watched a little show called Chopped Junior.

[Ben Simon]

Ever heard of it?

[Josh]

Never seen it. Okay. This is Woody and Nuts to its core. You're watching four nine year olds get handed a wicker basket filled with shrimp. A chicken pot pie. They're asked to make a full meal. They work their ass off under pressure. 9 year olds, 30 minutes. They put it in front of some.

[Unknown]

Fat slob who tells them it's overcooked.

[Josh]

Kicks them off the show. They start to cry. What are you, nuts? These kids are so talented. Who put too much pressure on our youth? Chop Junior. What are you, nuts? Nuts.

[Ben Simon]

My what are you nuts is. I saw a post on the Internet. There is a doomsday bunker built in Norway by the Oreo company with the recipe for Oreo locked away in it. So that God forbid, the world comes to an end, the recipe for Oreo is safe. To which I'd say, what are you, nuts?

[Josh]

Also, how would they even know that the bunker existed?

[Ben Simon]

Who's going to make the Oreos?

[Josh]

Who's going to find the bunker?

[Ben Simon]

The dumb bunker? That's what made him the bunker? Jonah?

[Jonah Platt]

My turn. So we just moved to a new home, and in. My wife is amazing at getting shit done. But in the haste to get things done, the kitchen was very randomly unpacked. So to get a plate, I have to search random drawers. I gotta look over in the corner. I find the plate. Now, you would think the fork is, like, right above the plate, but they're not. Then I gotta go searching for the fork somewhere else. All the things that I use, like my protein powders or whatever, it's like on a bottom shelf. I'm the old man in the house. I got to bend over. I got to get this stuff out instead of the thing at eye level. And the. I don't know whether to blame my wife or the movers, but, like, what are you, nuts? Like, put the things that you use in the places where you are and not, like, in the bottom and in the corner and in the crazy. I'm not able to feel at home yet in this house because the most basic, like, I need a glass of water. I have to, like, search around for where a glass might be, and it's not where you think it would be.

[Josh]

Nuts. What are you. You need a kitchen organizer.

[Jonah Platt]

You just.

[Josh]

I'm sure that exists in la. It's just, you know, it's.

[Ben Simon]

It's.

[Jonah Platt]

It's function. It's like, you know, you can't feel at home if you can't grab a bowl of cereal because you don't know where the spoon is. You don't know where the bowl is, and you don't know where the cereal is.

[Ben Simon]

Get Jonah his protein powder, guys. In shapes. Great arms.

[Jonah Platt]

Thanks, man.

[Ben Simon]

Jonah, will you plug anything you want to pl.

[Jonah Platt]

Sure. I am. The second most Jewish podcast this week is my podcast Being Jewish with Jonah Platt. We have awesome guys like you guys on guys and gals and non Jewish allies on every week to explore the diverse spectrum of contemporary Jewish identity and talk about stuff that's on everybody's minds, but it's for everybody, Jews and non Jews. And that's always been important and from the beginning.

[Ben Simon]

Love it. Great.

[Josh]

Amazing. Well, Jonah, it was an absolute pleasure. You're a mensch. Thank you for coming on.

[Jonah Platt]

Thanks for having me.

[Josh]

This episode, this Pesach adjacent episode, if not five stars. What are you, nuts? Listen to us wherever you get your podcasts, watch us on YouTube, share our clips. Instagram and TikTok Mondays and Thursdays, folks. We will see you next time.

[Unknown]

Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services.

[Ben Simon]

Individuals on the show may have a.

[Unknown]

Direct or indirect financial interest in products.

[Ben Simon]

Or services referred to in this episode.