In 2023, contestants on the Jeopardy game show faced a question in which they were to identify the book of the Bible referenced in the line, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” As the buzzer went off, not one of the contestants knew the origin of the reference.
Former ROF speaker and Jeopardy fan, Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik was shocked that none of the contestants were able to recognize the excerpt from the Book of Psalms. In his article in Commentary Magazine, Rabbi Soloveichik laments that “civilization itself is in jeopardy” due to our disconnect from scripture.
As a remedy to this societal trend away from the Bible, another ROF speaker is working hard to educate young people on scripture. Rabbi Ari Lamm’s new podcast with social media influencer Nate Buzolic titled, “Gen 12”, analyzes the text of Genesis to make the readings more manageable and relatable for viewers. You may listen to the full second episode here titled, “Flood and Rebirth.”
We are delighted to share these excellent pieces by two former ROF speakers. Though game shows may lead you to believe that scripture is irrelevant, Western culture would not exist in the same way today without the influence of scripture.
