Curb Your Enthusiasm. Is It More Important To Be Right, Or To Do the Right Thing? - Rabbi Rick Fox

Is it more important to be right, or to do the right thing? In this episode of Dilemmas On Screen, join me and Rabbi Rick Fox (MEOR Penn) as we turn to Curb Your Enthusiasm and Larry David’s hilarious obsession with social etiquette. Why should you have to stop and chat with someone? Why say “thank you for your service” simply because everyone else does? And how Jewish should you appear when you find yourself in a place where Jews aren’t necessarily welcome? The three Curb scenarios we cover are classics - the "stop and chat", the "thank you for your service" to a vet (with PTSD), and the infamous Palestinian chicken episode. We explore deeper Jewish ideas about gratitude, humility, sensitivity to others, and going beyond the bare minimum required by Jewish law. We also discuss the difference between doing what is technically required and becoming the kind of person who does the “right thing,” and why sometimes winning a social argument can mean losing the bigger moral battle. As always, we use the comedy and absurdity of popular television to ask some surprisingly serious questions about how Judaism thinks we should treat other people—and the kind of people we should strive to become.   I am excited to welcome Rabbi Rick Fox back to the podcast as he joins us on this episode to answer our questions. Rabbi Fox formerly joined us three times. First, to discuss the Matrix, and what the Torah approach is to taking the blue pill or the red pill. Second, to discuss Pulp Fiction and the Jewish perspective on the events in our lives, whether it is Divine intervention or luck. Third, to discuss how Judaism views intermarriage, through the lens of Nobody Wants This. Rabbi Fox is the Executive Director of MEOR Penn, which is a Jewish outreach organization, servicing the Jewish community at the University of Pennsylvania as a campus chaplain, educator and mentor. A graduate of the Wharton School of Business at Penn with a minor in music. Rabbi Fox began his career in marketing consulting even as he remained an avid musician. While on sabbatical in Israel, Rabbi Fox developed a passion for Jewish education, eventually returning to teach Jewish students at his alma mater in 2015. Rabbi Fox resides in Philadelphia with his wife and four children. His wife, Rivkah Fox, is an active shadchanit i.e. matchmaker and founder of BlindFate, a dating platform for Jews all over the world. You can find Rabbi Rick Fox online on his podcast, “So, What Does Judaism Say About..?”, which is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Amazon, and on Instagram @rabbirickfox. You can find his wife Rivkah Fox on Instagram @rivkahfox. If you enjoy this episode, please leave us a five star review, share it with your friends, and hit follow! That’s the best way to grow our following, and feel free to leave a movie suggestion and dilemma in the comments. We’d love to hear from you.   Rabbi Rick Fox: https://www.instagram.com/rabbirickfox/ Rivkah Fox: https://www.instagram.com/rivkahfox/