About

The Malcolm Gladwell of the Torah — That’s how listeners describe Madlik™ – where sharp insight meets sacred text. With the curiosity of a cultural critic and the soul of a yeshiva bochur, Madlik ignites Jewish thought from a post-orthodox perspective.

Each weekly episode explores the Torah with fresh eyes — drawing unexpected connections, challenging assumptions, and offering a heterodox yet deeply rooted take on halachic and philosophical questions.

Born of a lifelong love for Jewish texts and a refusal to let tradition become static, Madlik keeps the flame of Judaism burning — not by preserving the embers, but by lighting new fires.

In Hebrew, מדליק (Madlik) means to ignite. But in modern slang, it simply means cool. We aim to be both.

About the author; Geoffrey Stern (aka Shlomo Stern): I am a serial entrepreneur in the audio chip and self playing media playback product space. Our products are used to animate toys, social expressions, advertising and gift products as well as digital imaging products (www.voice-express.com) and can be purchased on our consumer site voice.gift

I am also privileged to be the President of PEF Israel Endowment Funds, Inc., (www.pefisrael.org) established in 1922 by Justice Brandeis, Rabbi Stephen Wise, Robert Szold and a group of distinguished Americans to enable the direct distribution of funds to selected and approved charitable organizations in Israel.

At age fourteen, I was exposed to a Hasidic Shabbos in Williamsburg Brooklyn by Rav Shmuel Dishon, a Karlin-Stolin Hasid and life-long Rebbe and friend. Thus began my lifelong journey, full of wonderlust and wanderlust to explore my Jewish roots and establish my Judaic legacy.

I transferred from The Dalton School in New York City to study and board at Yeshiva Torah Vodaas in Flatbush where I was privileged to be exposed to Rav Moshe Wolfson z’l, the Mashgiach and a living, shining example of the best of the Hasidic and mystical traditions. Every Wednesday night, I would “steal” out of the Yeshiva to take a course in “The Prayer Book” at the 92^nd St. Y from Rabbi Norman Lamm zt’l and attend a lecture at Lincoln Square Synagogue from Rabbi Shlomo Riskin. After graduating Torah Vodaas, I studied at the Mesivta of Long Beach for a year before transferring to Yeshivat Be’er Yaakov in Israel and had the honor of studying with and being part of a vaad hamussar with Rav Shlomo Wolbe z’l, arguably the last great master of Mussar.

After six years in the Yeshiva world I asked permission to take the Eged bus to the ZOA House in Tel Aviv to prepare (en route) and take the SAT. I received a BA in Philosophy and Economics from Columbia College and was fortunate to have Prof. Sidney “Magnificent” Morganbesser as my advisor, with a course in New Testament from Elaine Pagels and in the Graduate School with David Weiss HaLivini z’l in Talmud and Moshe Held z’l in Ugaritic Wisdom Literature. to hear more…. GeoffreySternJudaicJourney

I currently reside in Westport, CT with my wife of 42 years, as we work to stay a part of our children’s lives and four amazing little grandchildren…. My true Judaic Legacies…