כ״ז תמוז ה׳תשפ״ו | July 12, 2026
Are Politics Podcasts the New ‘Galach in Our Home’?
“When the Rebbe spoke out against television, the Rebbe said that having a television is ‘bringing the galach into your home.’ Those words ring true to me when I see bochurim identifying as MAGA or listening to these podcasts.”
By A Concerned Bochur
When we see articles about yeshivos, they are generally regarding specific topics.
This one is different.
This is also for those not in yeshiva, although I will write as it pertains to yeshiva bochurim.
We, as frum Jews, never officially identified with any specific political party or group. In recent years, the actions and positions on the left have seemed to be immoral, as well as antithetical to many Torah ideas.
Bochurim, being the young, energetic individuals that they are, tend to get swallowed into the political world, podcasts, commentaries, etc.
If you’re a bochur, I’m sure you know exactly what I’m talking about.
Spending hours upon hours of your time listening to podcasts, scrolling through social media, and even engaging in plain discussion.
Now, here’s where I’m going with this.
“Judeo-Christian values” is something often discussed, and sometimes bochurim can get a bit too dragged into this concept.
In fact, a frum Jew owns a company that openly hosts similar-thinking, right-wing-minded individuals. It’s flat-out kefirah! They speak about Christianity all day, every single episode. Of course, most bochurim just roll their eyes during that part, but then listen right back in when the host returns to right-wing topics.
When the Rebbe spoke out against television, the Rebbe said that having a television is “bringing the galach into your home.”
Those words ring true to me when I see bochurim (even Chassidishe ones) identifying as MAGA or listening to these podcasts, which, as I said before, regardless of the truth of the political part of the episode, delve right into Christianity and connect it directly with the above-mentioned party and movement.
I even sometimes hear bochurim talking about political opinions, and I can clearly hear Christian ideas in their words (with regard to abortion and other such topics).
Yes, we all hope and pray that non-Jews take a more moral approach to life, but we know where we are meant to learn our morality from: the Torah.
I don’t have any solutions for this, obviously, other than just stopping this trend, but I’m wondering what others think about this topic.
COMMENTS
Thank you for speaking up, and sharing this phenomenon I’ve observed some of my close friends stumble for. I was afraid to approach them on this subject. I hope they read this!
the frum podcaster does a massive kiddush Hashem with what he does, but I agree a bochur should not be listening or reading goyshe politics.
This is a real chashuve point. In yeshiva, we are supposed to be building a sanctuary of Torah and single-minded focus. Bringing the street into the beis medrash completely ruins the atmosphere. A bochur should be arguing over a kasha in Gemara, not over what Matt Walsh or Ben Shapiro said on their show yesterday. It’s a major distraction.
You raise a very valid concern. It’s not just about politics, it’s about the entire cultural worldview we consume. When we listen to these hosts, we are slowly adopting their vocabulary and their way of thinking about human dignity, morality, and society. There is a huge difference between having a Jewish Torah perspective on these issues and simply repeating right-wing talking points. We need to be more conscious of what is shaping our minds.
I hear what you are saying, but let’s be practical. The alternative for these bochurim isn’t always 24/7 learning—sometimes they just need a break. Is it really worse for them to listen to clean political discussions rather than the secular music or junk that’s out there? At least these podcasts promote family values and basic morality. We should guide them on how to filter what they hear, rather than just telling them to stop.
You have a point but the alternative isn’t something that is wrong for our standards. The alternative is interesting topics, stories, Jewish music or podcasts that don’t have hashkafic or even halachic issues. I think it’s black and white thinking to think that the alternative of 24/7 (which is supposed to be the ideal for a tomim) is secular music or junk that’s out there. I think we all know better than that. Just adding my opinion in general about politics. I think each person should have their own opinions based on Torah that they learned and think for their own, instead of consuming other people’s opinions. A person who spends a lot of time stuffing themselves with other people’s opinions that’s outside of learning Torah, ends up not thinking and just repeating everything they heard. In Torah a person can also just spit back information without thinking and it’s definitely a skill to use critical thinking but politics leaves very little room for using that skill
Excellent write-up. I think the root of the problem is that yeshivos often don’t address contemporary issues from a Torah perspective, which leaves bochurim feeling intellectually hungry. So they turn to these podcasts because the hosts are articulate and speak to the real world. If our yeshivos spent more time teaching hashkafa that directly addresses modern challenges, our bochurim wouldn’t feel the need to look elsewhere for answers.
There’s never a bad opportunity to bash Yeshiva’s….
The homes can also address these issues!
The author is 100% correct. This goes back to the very basic idea of what a chossid’s head should be filled with. If a bochur spends hours every week listening to a goyishe podcast, he is bound to lose his Chassidishe hergesh. It’s not just about the explicit kefirah or Christian arguments; it’s about the entire ‘bittel’ to worldly things. How can a bochur go from listening to a debate on Fox News or Daily Wire to learning a sicha of the Rebbe with the proper kavanah? It creates a dual identity, and eventually, the street wins. The mashpi’im in yeshivos need to address this directly.
Thank you for this honest piece.
The author is right that the problem is not specifically politics; it is the endless consumption of divisive content by people whose avodas Hashem should be their primary focus.
I have a son in yeshiva and I have seen firsthand how even a single political podcast can derail a whole week of learning. Bochurim hear something on Monday and by Shabbos they are still arguing about it. The yetzer hara is clever – he takes something that feels “informed” and “responsible” and turns it into an obsession.
We need to teach our children that being a good Yid does not require having an opinion on every political issue of the day. A bochur who learns well, davens with kavanah, and minds his middos is a thousand times more “informed” about what matters than one who has a take on every news cycle.
Thank you to the bochur who wrote this. This is a real danger that starts in the home. Many parents leave these podcasts playing in the kitchen or in the car with the kids, thinking it’s safe because it’s ‘conservative.’ But we are bringing a completely non-Jewish way of thinking into our homes. The Rebbe was extremely clear about keeping our homes pure and holy. If we want our children to grow up as chassidim with a pure hergesh, we cannot allow these voices to become the background noise of our lives. We need more responsibility from parents!
Very well written. If you look at the Rebbe’s sichos about the influence of the ‘street,’ the Rebbe explains that a person cannot remain neutral. Whatever you listen to and think about shapes your Chassidishe worldview. If a bochur’s primary intellectual stimulation comes from secular commentators rather than from learning Chassidus, then his whole perspective on life will be secular, even if he dresses like a chossid. We need to create a stronger feeling for the sweetness of Torah so that our youth don’t feel the need to look for stimulation in these podcasts. Halevai we take this to heart.
Reading this as a mother of six, I was nodding the whole way through.
In our home we have a clear rule: no headphones in the house. Whatever you want to listen to, the whole family can hear. This single rule has changed our home. The kids know that anything they put in their ears will be subject to the same standards as anything they would say out loud. It works for podcasts, it works for music, it works for everything.
We are not policing thoughts, we are protecting the kedusha of our home. A home is a makom Torah, not a makol station. If a Yid can’t listen to it in front of his mother, his rebbe, or the Bachur who sits next to him in shul, he shouldn’t be listening to it alone in his room with the door closed.
I confess to having followed one of these, but when they said that the Jews are the chosen people because “if they can be saved, anyone can be saved”, it shocked me back to realty.
The galach element of the problem is real!
As someone in yeshiva I can say that there are discussions in the dorm about the trinity
All based on mat Walsh and Jordan Peterson
The emotional turmoil of that comes to a bochur thinking about another religion can derail all the years of success in yeshiva
It all starts with a parave podcast
As a menahel, I want to add something the article only touched on. The danger is not only the content of these podcasts – it’s the language. Bochurim who spend hours listening to political commentary start to speak and argue like the pundits they listen to. Lashon hara, hotzaas shem ra, machlokes – the host speaks that way as a matter of course. Vulgar language, the constant fighting and division. Even if the political views were 100% correct (which they never are, every show is biased), the medium itself trains the neshama in the wrong direction. We have enough Torah to fill every spare minute; there is no need to import the world’s garbage.
Podcast in general are a huge issue. They are basically sermons. We have to be so careful what we expose ourselves to. Please stop saying “I filter” you can’t. They deeply affect all of us. It’s not just what they say but also what they presume and assume as truth.
As a mother of many children who has a sweet tooth for politics. During election season, I became hooked on listening to all conservative outlets.
I really enjoyed it because they all make a lot of sense and a lot of their values are in line with Torah.
But then too many times they mentioned their religion, their person, their beliefs. And its NOT subtle its outright. I couldn’t believe it, as a mother of a chassidishe home and as a person who since I was a little child turned my head away when I saw a kloister or even a tzeilam was literally listening to this other religion in my own home.
I will say listening to these conservative outlets MAY be even worse than listening to left wing woke news. Because as a frum yid, we know a lot of that stuff is not sensible.
But right wing news makes more sense, and somehow brings avoda zara into an acceptable place in our minds and hearts.
This is not about spending more time learning torah. And this is NOT JUST ABOUT BOCHURIM. this is about keeping avodah zara out of our community.
I knew I had to put a stop to it.
My solution: I deleted Spotify and downloaded 24six. Kaput no more of that stuff. my neshama is too pure to sacrifice over listening to politics.
(And in case you were wondering i did not start learning all day and spending more time on torah i just got rid of the avodah zara from my home)
While having 24 six is indeed a million times better than Spotify. You are to be commended for what you did. 24 six is still not perfect and it is a good idea to use their parental controls and still be careful.