You Know What's Right. So Why Can't You Do It?

🌐 Link to our Guest and Books:As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.Book: Beyond Power https://amzn.to/4e0UCJD (paid link)Philipp’s BookAs an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.🌐Spiritual Parenting: https://amzn.to/4e0Xx5e (paid link)What happens when a spiritual conversation takes place in a city where sirens go off mid-sentence? In this episode, Philipp Kobald talks with Daniel Bookman, a Jerusalem-based lawyer and author, about the collision between spiritual ideals and lived reality, where ethics get tested every day.You Know What's Right. So Why Can't You Do It?Maybe you've read the books, followed the teachings, and felt certain about your values. Then life handed you a situation where the right thing and the necessary thing pulled in opposite directions.Daniel Bookman has spent decades navigating this territory. Trained in law, grounded in Talmudic study, and living in Jerusalem, he explores moral questions not as theory but as daily practice. His books examine religion through a rational lens and the ethical tensions within democracy and geopolitics.Together, Philipp and Daniel talk about:Why isolation weakens moral judgmentThe paramedic's dilemma: saving someone who tried to harm youHow democracy inherited structures of power from monarchyWhy marriage and parenthood are ethical training groundsThe danger of reacting to short-form media without reflectionJewish ethics on speech, gossip, and responsibility✨ Main TakeawaysWithout relationships that challenge us, selfishness becomes the defaultThe deeper divide in society is often about power, not ideologyA 30-second clip is not the same as understanding a conflictReligion may be more about ethical conduct than beliefThinking before speaking is essential for a functioning societyFirst answers rarely survive honest reflection💬 Quotes"You should know that you will fail, right? If you don't know that you will fail, why would we start in the first place?" — Philipp Kobald"We should think, not take everything for granted. We can save a lot of problems in the world if people would just think before we act." — Daniel BookmanAbout our GuestDaniel Bookman was born in Glasgow, moved to Israel for rabbinical studies, and has practiced law in Jerusalem for over twenty years. His work focuses on religion, democracy, anti-semitism, and ethics in modern geopolitics.Find the full episode on the @HolisticCircle YouTube channel.📖 CHAPTERS00:00 Introduction03:09 Guest Background11:40 Why People Seek God23:30 Moral Dilemmas34:26 Religion and Democracy48:17 Media and Antisemitism54:53 Jewish Ethics of Speech#holisticcircle #ethics #criticalthinking #jewishwisdom #faithandpolitics #selfinquiry #consciousliving #questioneverythingP 10 26 (E0123) - Mar 27, 2026