Do Jews Believe in Souls? Ari Shaffir's Crisis of Faith | Soul Boom | Ep 41

Comedian Ari Shaffir (America's Sweetheart, JEW) joins Rainn Wilson for an unfiltered conversation about faith, comedy, and mental health. Known for his no-holds-barred stand-up, Ari shares his journey from being an Orthodox Jewish yeshiva student to an outspoken atheist. They dive into his personal battle with depression, how psychedelics shifted his perspective on existence, and why he believes the concept of a soul is a mystery. Plus, Rainn and Ari debate whether religion is a force for good-or just another human-made construct. Ari hosts The Skeptic Tank podcast and his latest Netflix special America’s Sweetheart tackles taboo topics with his signature irreverence, following up his previous special KZbin special 'JEW,' which explored his Orthodox upbringing and departure from faith.
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In this episode, we discuss:
00:00 Does the Soul Even Exist?
06:12 Ari’s Crisis of Faith: From Yeshiva to Atheism
14:50 Why Religion Is Like Hockey (and Why Ari Doesn't Care About Either)
22:33 Depression, Psychedelics, and the Search for Meaning
30:05 The Darkest Years: Ari on Mental Health and Comedy as Therapy
40:19 Making Offensive Jokes That Actually Work
52:47 Why Gratitude is a Mental Health Superpower
Executive Produced by:
‪@KartikChainani‬
Executive Produced by: Ford Bowers, Samah Tokmachi
Companion Arts
Associate Producer: Mike O'Brien
Theme Music by: Marcos Moscat
Channel Branding Artwork and Graphics:
Jack Sjogren
/ sjogrenjack
Intro Animation by:
Sophie Ansari
/ scribbledbysophie
#SoulBoom #AriShaffir #RainnWilson #Judaism #Atheism #Spirituality #MentalHealth #StandUpComedy #depression