AND HERE’S MODI
AND HERE’S MODI is an inside look at the man behind the microphone. Hosted by comedian, Modi (@modi_live), AHM features a raw and unfiltered side of the comedian rarely seen on stage. He always finds the funny as he navigates the worlds of comedy, trending topics, his personal life and spirituality. AHM is co-hosted by Periel Aschenbrand (@perielaschenbrand) and Leo Veiga (@leo_veiga_).
AND HERE’S MODI
Bedtime Prayers
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Episode 188: Modi and Leo are record an inaugural episode from the Center for Jewish History's new podcast studio to discuss everything from a recent performance in East Hampton, what catches Leo's eye when he's in the Rabbi's study, and what prayers Modi says before bed.
Modi's special "Know Your Audience" is available on YouTube now!
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A New Studio And Warm Welcome
SPEAKER_01Hi everybody, we are back in the studio with and here's Modi, me and Leo Vega, my husband. We are now we're gonna do a massive Shechyano. We are in a new uh studio. Yeah, we are we are in the Center for Jewish History, one of the most stunning buildings in New York City. Uh, home to the biggest, the largest Jewish archive outside of Israel. And they have an amazing studio for us. And we we're here, it's our first time. Not only that, with a with a with a with a Bohima Ba'im welcome to the people. They we had a catered breakfast spreadfread from uh Chef David Tafe at uh Madison and Park. Wow, is it delicious?
SPEAKER_02How hamish is that? That's so haymish. They brought us in, they said, Come, we'll give you breakfast.
SPEAKER_01There's a cinnamon babka, which was unbelievable. The density was picky about 10 out of 10, 10 out of 10, and also chocolate, which I didn't taste yet. Locks and bagels, and it's just so sweet. What what a nice welcome.
SPEAKER_02No, it's Mashiach Energy because the studio we usually record out of downtown sent an email being like, Hi, we're getting kicked out of our space, like some drama with the landlord. And I was like, oh no, where are we gonna record? And then that same week, the Center for Jewish History reached out being like, We built out a whole podcast studio, please come use it.
SPEAKER_01It's for Moshiach energy because I met Lucy, who I have no idea what her title is. They're everybody has titles.
SPEAKER_02You met Lucy just like she came up to you at a coffee shop.
SPEAKER_01She I was in a coffee shop down that down the block, and she goes, Are you Modi? I go, Yes. And I gave her and whoever she was with a yarmulke. And then I she goes, We're the center, and I said, Oh, it's I I we began to talk, and she said, Come, we can do a podcast, and and she's amazing. And uh and that it's machiach energy, things just happen, things just aligned and here we are. Things aligned, and here we are. And um, and we are like on the precipice of of the high holidays. Do you feel it? Well, you well, you you hear it every morning when I blow the chauffeur on the apartment.
SPEAKER_02That is correct. Um it's an interesting time because it's also not to make it about me, but I will the ramp up to my birthday, the high holidays, usually. It is, it is so there's a lot going on. That's right. Um it's a very special time, yeah.
SPEAKER_01But I I want to talk about how God definitely speaks to us. Like when we met Lucy and she set this whole thing
Fire Island Ends With A Sign
SPEAKER_01up, yeah. But we we weren't Fire Island for uh a week. But we're supposed to be there for a week. Okay, right? Um so just so people know, what most podcasters only meet when they podcast. Leo Leo and I live every minute of our lives together, and then we sit down to podcast. So it's kind of like when we regroup on what has happened in our lives. But we we we had a week in Fire Island with Chef Jay Cohn and a few other friends. It was a last-minute thing. It's not the house we usually go to. It was somebody's house that just said to our friend, you can use our house, rent it out from us, and they didn't change anything to make it a rentable property. We were gonna be there for a Thursday to Thursday, and we ended up um we had a great weekend, amazing weekend, a fun weekend. And on Sunday, right before the last ferry, the air conditioning in our We were like in the pool house, so we had a separate air conditioner. Yeah, we broke. So I was out, I was uh, I was with a with a friend on the island doing some uh at the tea, at the bar, whatever it was called. I was socializing, and I get a text from Leo, come home, there's no air conditioning. I come back and I see you sitting in our room, and it was like a sauna. And uh, and we packed everything in two seconds.
SPEAKER_02I checked the it was eight fifty, it was 1015 when I called you. The last ferry was at 10:30, and we made the last ferry.
SPEAKER_01We got on the last ferry into our car and went to the Connecticut home. It God literally said to us, Enough, you had a good weekend, you don't need to be here for any more time. And there was there was a ferry, a 1030 ferry. It was just don't you feel like I feel like when God speaks to me, that's that's how he speaks to us. You had enough. This go and we went to our house in Connecticut, and my niece came up with her baby. Obsessed with the baby, and Leo's obsessed with this baby. Obsessed. Yeah, we we love to microdose a baby. No, no, no, no need to have one of your own, just just microdose a baby. Um, and that was that's kind of like where we've been since the last time we podcasted,
Synagogue Green Rooms And Weird Books
SPEAKER_01no?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so you also did a a show for the center, Jewish center of East Hampton. Oh, that was fun, and um, that was really fun, beautiful space. And so we were out in the Hamptons for a day and a half, and um there's just a funny moment when you do these synagogue gigs because usually there's no real green room, so to speak. So they stick you in like a study or the rabbi's office or some sort of room, and so I'm always with you, and there's always a big bookcase. Like sometimes it's a literal library, like collection of books, sometimes it's just like a personal reading bookcase. There's always tons of books. We're in a rabbi study, wall of books, and I always have like an hour to kill. We do sound check, this and that. Okay, and now the show's in an hour. What am I doing? I always look through the books. Yep. Always. I'm always scanning through what's in here, what's in here. And a lot of it I know, a lot of it I'm familiar with.
SPEAKER_01I'm gonna interrupt right now and say that for some reason he always grabs a book that is like the the craziest thing that you could imagine. It's not like, hey, here's Shabbat and here's the two. He grabs I remember one time he grabbed the book and goes, Modi, why would the rabbit need to check the underwear? Oh yeah. I'm like, oh my god, I have to explain that to him now. Oh god, no.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so I always I think the game is I'm always trying to find that book. Right. And um, but in the in the process of finding that book, I always see at least one, and I don't know what the joke is yet, but there's always one book that's like the title is something along the lines of, and maybe there is no god. Okay. It's always some rabbi wrote wrote a book that's like God question mark, and that is so indicative of Judaism, just like the questioning and like the maybe I you never see that in a priest's office. No, like, and maybe there's no God, but that's okay because this is what we're doing to make our time here better. Do you know what I'm talking about? I know it's funny.
SPEAKER_01I'm telling you, it's hysterical that there's always that book. There's always that book. Yeah, and everybody knows you've all seen those books, you know, and it it's just the titles. It's the titles uh is God is is man god is God for man? Those I know all those books. But what when you grab the ones that are like, why would the woman need to do that? Nida. Oh, is that what I gotta talk to you about before I do an hour and a half?
SPEAKER_02I've already gotten all of that out of the way, but I'm just searching for more deeper and deeper lore.
SPEAKER_01Synagogue gigs now have become like it's either I'm Joel Olstein in front of 2,000 people. Or this was like a love. We have one coming up in Jersey soon, but yeah. Wow, I love it. But this was like 300 people in the most gorgeous building you've seen. It's this, those of you who've been to the Hamptons, and you drive all the way down 27, which is uh Sunrise High, whatever that is. Um, before you make that left turn to East Hampton, there's this stunning synagogue. Uh the Jewish centered glass and wooden made by this architect named Jaffe. And I've driven by a million times, never been in there. We go in there, and it's super. It wasn't like this massive event. It was like whoever's a member and whoever's paying and coming, and like the There were some names in the front row. There was some names in the front row.
SPEAKER_02Names in the front row that are also on many buildings in New York. I will not name them.
SPEAKER_01It's like we we walk in and the rabbi who was so sweet. So sweet. Deborah Stein. And we love a female rabbi. It's it's fun to have a it's just hi, I'm Rabbi Deborah. I'm like, oh hi, I'm Rabbi Deborah. It's like it's fun. And so she's putting up the names of the of the big donors, and it's names that are on all the buildings. You don't need to Google those. Yeah, you know who they are. Yeah, you know who they are, and um, and they were great, and they were not like it, it was just it was so much fun. I don't know. I love synagogue glibs.
SPEAKER_02And and at the meet and greet after that, I actually have written down on my notes that yes. Um I think your name was Hillary. You came up to me at the meet and greet after the East Hampton show. You had glitter extensions in your hair. I don't know what the correct term for them is, but they looked amazing. You had these little glitter things in your hair, you had beautiful jewelry on, you came up to me and you said, I'm such a fan of the podcast, and it made my night because sometimes we I feel a little silly. We sit here and we yap into these microphones about nothing. And when someone comes up and they're like, I listened to you in the car, I listened to you at the gym, and she was so sweet. So I think your name was Hillary. If not, I apologize, but I just want you to know you made my night.
SPEAKER_01Reach out to us. We want I want to
Meeting Fans And Comedy Friends
SPEAKER_01hang with you. She stopped send us a DM. She had this gorgeous presidential Rolex with a white. You always clock the watch. She was thin, stunning thin, faced like everything just done so well.
SPEAKER_02And while we were in the Hamptons, we stopped and saw um Des Bishop and Hannah Berner.
SPEAKER_01Yes, that was amazing.
SPEAKER_02Two comedians who, if you're not familiar with, you should be. Yes. Uh a couple, married couple, both of them walking, successful comedians, hilarious. There is no better high than being in the room. So you have to imagine it's me, Modi, Des, and Hannah. Me and three professional comedians. Yeah. I was getting laughs. No, you were there was no better feeling in the world. When you're with a group of comedians and you were, I was getting laughs from both of them, and there were good laughs, but you I was slaying it.
SPEAKER_01But you're not a civilian. You're not, it's not like you're a civilian. You've been around comedy. I'm not a comic. To the point where you've written so many punchlines for me that you've had punchline tattooed on your shoulder. I do have a tattoo that says punchline, yeah. Right. So it's not like, and they know you, and they know that you know, that you know, that they know, that you know, that they know, and you book shows and you handle all this stuff. So they know you're not a civilian, but you're a massive fan of Giggly Squad. Yeah. And so am I. But Des and I go back to we're we're comedy seller comedians. Yeah. So we were catching up, and and they were just, they were so happy. And Des has a brand new special out. Um Bridge and Tunnel. It's on Hulu, and he's hysterical. He's Irish and speaks Mandarin Chinese, and it's insane to watch. I've seen it. When they when they bought their house in um in West Hampton, I went with him to sign some documents. We went to get it notarized in this um in this pharmacy in our neighborhood in the Lower East Side. There was a ch a full Chinese pharmacy. Everything is in Chinese, there's not one word written in English. And he walks in there and just you have to say he's the whitest guy you ever saw, white hair, but like he just comes in and he just goes right into Chinese, and she goes, ah, wah, wah, wah, wait. And then we had it signed. And it was just, and I'm like, I don't know what I'm signing, but it was it was so much fun to to to watch him speak Mandarin Chinese.
SPEAKER_02It's more fun to make him laugh, which I did. Yeah. Um, I have a question for you.
The Bedtime Shema And Night Prayers
SPEAKER_01Go ahead.
SPEAKER_02Do you say shma before bed?
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Ever? So you specifically do? Uh every night.
SPEAKER_01Don't you see me mumbling before I go to bed?
SPEAKER_02You're always mumbling.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So I'm always, yeah, but that's the but that's one of the night mumbles. You always every night do it. Like when you're in the bed, you do it. When I get in the bed, there's a shmah, I sit down the buckoh, I say, I say a whole bunch of prayers before I go before I go to bed. And then the thoughts, and then and the main prayers, please God, let the sleeping pills hit. Please, God, let one of these pills.
SPEAKER_02I'm shook of it. Because you live for someone with for 11 years and you think you know everything about them. Yeah. I didn't know that you say the shmah before like as you get in the actual bed. A hundred percent. And then I saw a TikTok or an Instagram or something, and these two girls were traveling together, and they were like sharing a hotel room, and it said something like, When you're traveling with your Jewish friend, and she turns over to the other, like the other bed, and she goes, 'Are you gonna say shmah?' And then they like she was like, 'Of course I'm gonna say sh'hab.' And like, it was a joke, but I was like, 'Oh, I don't know if Modi does that. Yes. Modi does that.
SPEAKER_01For a humble bunch of reasons.' It's it's it's it's also why. Isn't the Shmah when are you supposed to say it? The Shema, by the way, those of you who don't know, it's it's it's the hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Shma is Sarela Donaylohina Donay Chad, which is the most important thing, I think, in the Torah. Um because it's telling you that there is that the the God isn't um one person up there. God is one, it's oneness. That is God, not a person up there going, you were good, you were bad, you get this, you get that. So it's one of the prayers, but it's also one of the prayers you say before you die. That's what I was yeah, that's what I know. So I didn't know you saying is a it's considered a little bit a microdosing death. A micro-dosing death. Not no. Not no. I just know. And I'm really just wishing I'm just gonna get to it a little quicker, slide into it. If there's a little pill, that's a little I mean it's not not yeah, I totally get that makes sense. Yeah. So you say that prayer, and then I say the anabakh, and I say two other And which one's an I know it, but like what is Anabakoh again? Anabakok is uh is it's like a God's name, it's 42 words, seven lines.
SPEAKER_02Um how long thir how long does it take you to say Shmah Anabakoh? Like 30 seconds?
SPEAKER_01Very quickly, yeah. Well, you say it with consciousness. You say, I'm I'm about to die for a little while, so let's let's do that, let's focus on that. And what's the one you say before I go to the book? I say a whole bunch of things before before I go to bed.
SPEAKER_02I'm all ears. I literally did not know this about my husband, who I've lived with for 11 years, that you do this in bed next to you.
SPEAKER_01You see mumbling all day long before I move.
SPEAKER_02You're always mumbling, and sometimes you're just rehearsing jokes in your head. So I don't know what's happening. When we drive. When we drive, he's just like this. He's driving, he's like, I'm like, and I turn to, I literally turn to you, I go, what are you rehearsing? Where what bit are you on? Tell me.
SPEAKER_01That's what so I'm I'm going through my bit, especially after a show. Yeah. After a show, I'm fully like that. Could have gone this way, that could have gone that way. And then, and then Leo's DJing and goes, This is when Taylor Swift got into a fight with Jesse Billboard, and then he took her money and she left him dry, and then she's singing on there. You have nothing, I have everything. All right, um, so that's what's going on in the car. But I'm always So what other prayers are you doing? There's a few, there's a few other prayers that you say in the with with the Shema. There's a few psalms that are in there, and then I say to myself, um, I say, God, give me the energy to let go uh um of of things that aren't meant for me.
SPEAKER_02That's your prayer, or that's a prayer that people say. You made that up. No, I made that. That's a personal prayer.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it's one I got, like.
SPEAKER_02That's nice.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then um, Teach Me Through Peace, not pain. I'm listening. Whoa. Yeah. That goes on in my head before I go to bed, too.
SPEAKER_02Teach me through peace, not pain. I'm listening. You wrote you you formulated that?
SPEAKER_01No, I got that from some from in my spiritual journeys. That that was one of the things. I really like that. And then there's one more. Wait, I could like tear up right now.
SPEAKER_02And the other one is um is um Oh my god, I feel like emotional right now.
SPEAKER_00My god, you're crying. Are you crying? I don't know. I it's our it's our first time reporting at the center of Jewish history, and you're falling apart. They're never gonna bring us back here.
SPEAKER_01That's so n that's so nice. I didn't know. Then uh align me with what is meant for me. No, because I wonder. I'm ready to I am ready to receive without uh without uh resistance. Ready to receive resource out without resistance. What was it?
SPEAKER_02Teach me through pain, three through peace, not through pain.
SPEAKER_01Peace, not pain. I'm listening. Whoa. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02No, because I wake up in the morning and I see you dawgening. I see you putting, I see you praying in the morning. I don't know what's happening at night when we turn the lights off and we're just in bed.
SPEAKER_01No, but do you you God willing, we fall asleep. That's like please God. That's like the that's the main prayer. Please, God, let us fall asleep. Please let's just let the thoughts stop for just a minute.
Dreams, Sleep, And Letting Go
SPEAKER_01Um, but when you're in your conscious, when you're in your sleep stage, that's when you really can create and manifest. And you said sleep state. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02You said in Kabbalah, yeah, your dreams that happened between a certain time, you should pay attention to. Yeah, there's certain levels of hierarchy of dreams.
SPEAKER_01I'm not that great on it.
SPEAKER_02Um I don't know that much, but I think sometimes when I wake up and I tell you I had a bad dream, you ask me what time I had it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. If you had the dream at like three, four o'clock, yes, it's a real dream. If you had it at the end when you're just waking up after you hit the snooze button, it's like, eh, it's a little hefka. It's a little not so it's it's not so uh Yeah, but those are the things I say to myself. But what do you think? What what are you what what what's the first when you hit that bed? What what are you what what goes on in your head?
SPEAKER_02Oh, I'm replaying everything I did that day and everything I have to do tomorrow. Oh god, no, you can't do that. I know, it's horrible. It's horrible. Trust me, I don't want to be in there either, but I'm in my head.
SPEAKER_01No. But you recently found a very nice uh gummy that uh that that's been good for you. Interestingly. Yeah. We we we we found some it's we don't need to talk about that.
SPEAKER_02That's not interesting. I have more things to talk about. Oh, go ahead. Um Do you say schema before get bed? Check we we got that out of the way. Um, do you want to hear a quote that stopped me in my tracks this week? Absolutely. Just like your quote that you just said. Yeah. Teach me through peace, not pain. I am listening. I am listening. So I saw this quote this week.
SPEAKER_01But do but do you understand that? Like teach me through peace, not pain. I completely when God took us out of Fire Island and put us in the same night in our home in Connecticut. I was like, yeah, it was great. Was that unbelievable? Was that no? Come on, come on. We and it was funny because when we're walking on the beach, I said I said to you, how would we get to Connecticut from here? Like thinking there's some boat that brings you across the channel or the canal or something. We put that out there. And then God talks to you and says, Here you go. I'll show you how to get to Connecticut. Turn your AC off. Bye.
A Quote About Real Motivation
SPEAKER_02Um the quote is, are you climbing this mountain for the world to see or for you to see the world?
SPEAKER_01Wow. Are you climbing this mountain for the world to see you climbing the mountain or are you climbing it to see the world? Wow.
SPEAKER_02So it can be applied to a lot of things, I feel like.
SPEAKER_01But first of all, it's it's both because you I'm climbing the mountain for the world to see, so that they know that they can also climb this mountain. Yeah. Ugh. Oh. Oh, if I can have a mountain, so can they. Now. Okay. So yeah, when I so like the comedians that we invited to go see me in Radio City Music Hall, I invited them there so that they have a mountain in sight. That they're not like just my goal is to get uh pass at the comedy cellar. No, no, no. Your goal is to be doing this. So that's one of the things with that quote. And then the other part of that quote was what?
SPEAKER_02Are you climbing this mountain for the world to see or for you to see the world?
SPEAKER_01And then that's obvious too, to see the world too. We've traveled you when we first met. I hate traveling. I could if I could just live in New York and do shows in the area here, go to my own synagogue, my own gym, sleep in my own bed, you know that I would do that. But you said you put out there that you want to travel. Sure, it's my fault. No, no, and and and and here you go. We're traveling. We've seen through comedy, we've seen every country in Europe, Australia, Israel, um South America. We've been all over the world. So which we're climbing this mountain to see the world too. And the more I see the world, the more I love New
Supporting LGBTQ Orthodox Youth
SPEAKER_01York.
SPEAKER_02I think this was also on my list of things that I wanted to give a shout out to Eschel. We went to an event for them on Monday. They invited them to their summer soiree. Eschel is an organization providing support for LGBTQ Orthodox youth and young adults, and they do all sorts of programming. They have a warm line, I think they call it, a support phone line. They have a drop-in center. I think they do really amazing work. They're really sweet. We actually had Miriam on one of the podcast episodes, uh, who is in charge of it. But I I think that ties in, Eschel, when we were there and all these kids-ish, young people seeing you, that you climbed the mountain for them to see, yeah, in a way.
SPEAKER_01These are like young Jewish, gay people. One of the people that told me that um it was funny. Most people tell me things like um, you know, I I they say they say, I'm gay, and my parents loved you, and then when they found out you were gay, they were kind of more accepting of me. This one kid was a little self-hating. And his parents said, You should see this comedian, he's gay and he's he's out and he's Jewish and the whole thing. And doesn't hate himself. And he goes, Ugh, I'm gonna watch this comic who's probably self-deprecating and hating himself, and then he saw my act, and so it's not, and he goes, It changed him a lot.
SPEAKER_02So I guess the answer uh about the quote or kind of the analysis of the quote is that sometimes it's both.
SPEAKER_01Yes. Yes. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02I think it applies to struggles that we challenges and struggles that a lot of times are self inflicted too. Like, are you struggling with this so that you could say you're struggling with it? Or are you struggling with it because it's an actual challenge? Some people latch onto that, you know?
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Um yes. Yeah. And they let their struggles define them. Your hair looks so good in this lighting. I can't believe how good your hair looks. It's insane. Oh the way they lit. Do I look that good or no?
SPEAKER_02You look amazing. So we're here at the Center for Jewish History, who again have invited us into this beautiful state-of-the-art
Genealogy Clues And Bar Mitzvah Plans
SPEAKER_02space. There's a staff here that is so sweet. So sweet. We are so appreciative to be here. Yeah. And one of the things that they have here at the center are professional genealogists. Yes. And we are going to do some sort of programming on the episode, diving into Modi's family history, maybe diving into my history. And I wanted to give a shout out to uh Judith Jackson, who left us a voice note on our Speakpipe page, which is linked in the Instagram for AHM podcast. If you go to the bio, there's a link, and you can leave us a voicemail and it goes right to my email. Um so Judith Jackson left a voice note saying something that my father has told us always, even before I met you, that the way my last name is spelled from Spain indicates that maybe our family went into hiding during the Inquisition. So I maybe have more Jewish in there than we think. And we're hopefully gonna dive into that with some professional genealogists. Because Judith, Judith, who left the notes, said she's a she's a genealogist. That's what she does.
SPEAKER_01Now, genealogists is that someone that rubs the bottle and the thing comes out? What was it? I'm kidding, folks. Folks, try the veal, I'll be here all week. So what my question is, depending on what the results are. Nothing on the genealogist bar. I'm not giving it to you.
SPEAKER_02Um when are we doing my bar mitzvah? Where are we doing it?
SPEAKER_01You tell me what you want to go to Israel and do your bar mitzvah? I'm at the cotel? No. You're thinking more Tuscany.
SPEAKER_02I want a destination bar mitzvah. Where? I don't know.
SPEAKER_01Where should Leo? Let us know where you think Leo should have his bar mitzvah. What parsha? Wait, you're sept. Oh my god, you're right before uh you're now. This would be your your this would be your um maybe you're a Rosh Hashanah, your Rosh Hashanah bar uh Rosh Hashanah baby. Rosh Hashanah baby, yeah. That tracks. I love apples. That tracks. And you're sweet as honey. So there you go. Exactly. Okay.
SPEAKER_02Okay, so I have my next thing that's I have written down.
Scheduling Shows Around Shabbat
SPEAKER_02This by the time this airs, this show will already have happened. But this Saturday, August 22nd, you are performing in Atlantic City at Ocean Casino on a Saturday night, and um it's sold out. Yeah. Basically, it's full of people, it's a huge show, and it's no one religious is gonna be in the audience because of the timing of the show. It's on a Saturday night.
SPEAKER_01Right. We're staying at the hotel, so but we will be there and was planned by our it was planned and it's sold out, and it um it shows that we've really we we really have uh because it kind of hit you yesterday or the day before.
SPEAKER_02You're like, wait, it what?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it hit me that it's on a Saturday night. It's after Shabbos, but it's it's right after Shabbos.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so it doesn't give you time. I mean, it doesn't give a lot of people. But it's sold out very fast, so it's people who who Yeah, so I'm guessing I guess what I'm asking is how do you feel about because it was a litmus test for us to see like because we usually never do Saturday night shows, let alone a huge show like at a casino.
SPEAKER_01Right. I I didn't um by the way, I I didn't realize that until last week. I got a few uh We I function week out. That's Leo is functioning two years out. I am we he sits me down Sunday and goes, here's here's the the here's the the mood board of the week. The itinerary, the itinerary, darling your majesty like your majesty. Uh, you know, and I sit there and and it literally is like in the crown where she sits there and they bring all those little papers for her to sign. Yes, yes, Tony. As in there, ma'am, you'll be visiting the contracting workers of the concrete society. Yeah, the Royal Concrete Society. Interesting. Three words there, you'll say, and then we go right on to the farmers, and you'll be speaking to them. It's literally not a good idea. And the Google Calendar. Thank you. Anything else, ma'am? And then they go, there is one other item. There's a Saturday night show in Atlantic City this week. Your your son Andrew, there's a situation that has arrived with him.
SPEAKER_02No, because I did get a few. She got that, she got that memo too. I I got a few disappointed DMs from fans who I guess live in the Atlantic City area, and they were like, this doesn't give us enough time to get there after Shabbat, and I understand.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02And I just want to keep in mind, we I plan 99.999% of shows with that in mind. Right. This was just the availability of this venue, and it's sold out. I mean, people are coming, so it's not the audience is changing.
SPEAKER_01The audience is changing, thank God. Um, I I I appreciate ever all the audiences, but like we said, we are now Goyam Gays and Theys. We're expanding the time. Super expanding, and um, and it's it's but we 99% of the time think about the Orthodox Jewish community and we plan for them and with them and uh Well, do we plan?
SPEAKER_02We do, we do. Do you want to talk about what happened in the Hamptons with Dovey Newberger? Oh, yeah, but that's oh no, but it it should serve as just like if you're planning a comedy night with a Jewish comedian, feel free to send me an email. Just an email or a DM, info at ModiLive.com. Be like, hey, just out of curiosity, where is Modi this night? Because the night you were performing in East Hampton, down the block, Dovey Newberger was performing at the Chabad.
SPEAKER_01Right. Down the block, literally. Apples and oranges.
SPEAKER_02Apples and oranges, but just it was a little reminder that not the or the organizations are not necessarily uh communicating with each other. Correct.
SPEAKER_01So we we were in this stunning synagogue of very affluent members who are, you know, imagine like the most goish dressed, you know, with the orange sweater over the in case the air conditioning's too tight, too, too strong, the white pants, the the the van clean dripping. But then there's also that Hamptons, and I'm not and I don't I'm not talking about I'm not talking about uh uh tax brackets or price ranges, they could all be the same. But then there's the ones who want to like say, we're going to this event, I'm wearing shorts and flip-flops. And the Chabad does that show. The Chabad of West Hamptons. Haven't you done it for them before? Yeah, I've done one of the best shows in the middle of COVID was that outdoor show. Oh, yeah. It was it was outdoors. We hadn't done shows. And I I said, um, I forgot what look like a dugout, the the the West uh Hampton Chabad. People there are so happy, they're so happy they don't have to get dressed and happy they can just go. So D Dobby texts me, are you at the East Hampton? I go, yeah. He goes, I'm at Bridgehampton. So I go, I turn to the guy, I go, where's Bridgehampton? It's one town over there, literally one town over there. And after the show, I go, how was it? He said, I was standing with an umbrella telling the jokes.
SPEAKER_02Your worst nightmare.
SPEAKER_01It was no, but we would never make sure. I'm not doing outdoor shows anymore. It's not like but he did it. Yeah, he did it, and um, and he and I I he's very funny. And I I get very people call me to tell me how he does for some reason. I don't know why, how Doby does, and they he's he's been kick killing it and doing it, doing great. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02But if you're doing a comedy night with a Jewish comedian or just just check in with me because if you look at your website, all the dates you see there, those are not the private, those don't include private events. Those are all public ticketed like theater or club events. There's a whole separate calendar that's not public facing, that is all the private events you're doing.
SPEAKER_01Right. And it could be right down the block from what it is.
SPEAKER_02It could be right down the block.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so so just stay in touch. We we want to make sure everybody has a great time and and has a good uh a good um I'm still shooketh by the schma thing.
SPEAKER_02I I I but I thought you knew I did that. How how would I have known? Do you think there's anything about me that I do in my day-to-day that you don't know? You know everything about me.
SPEAKER_01No, no, you no, no, no, you do things all the time. Like what? I know you plant things when you take your when you take your whatever new things you're taking from Dr. K, you never tell me.
SPEAKER_02Um I have to update you on my prescription regimen.
SPEAKER_01You don't, but but I don't I don't I don't need it. You don't tell me about I don't know what you're taking. I take nothing. You see exactly what I take. I'm taking like B12 shots and right, but whatever. You don't tell me. It's it's not like it's it's it's what it's so that's what that's where you're holding the the pharmacy drawer? I'm not holding by the pharmacy drawer.
SPEAKER_02I'm just saying that it's no, but just goes to show you that like you like there's like always little internal lives of people that you're not there's a whole bunch of other things that you don't know either.
SPEAKER_01Do you do you know that I want to know? Do you know that you you you you and I sponsor a lunch for a Chabad class at the Rabbi Mendel Bendit, who is an amazing friend and a Chabad rabbi and uh in the Poconos, but he teaches a class at the dental school of NYU. And you and I send money to that to pay for for for the lunch. Did you know that or no? No. Okay, well, now you know. I love philanthropy.
SPEAKER_02Wait, so he's it's a lunch for the dental school students?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it's the students from the dental school.
SPEAKER_02Wait, actually, no, I knew this. Well, I knew we were making donations to the chabad of the poganos, but I didn't know what the purpose was for it.
SPEAKER_01So so your telephone, by the way, is a pushka, is a charity box. You know how the rugby said always have a charity box? Your telephone, there's this thing called, where is it here? It's called Venmo. Venmo. And on the Venmo, you can just have on top of like when you so you I have Chabad of Poconos, we have Sixth Street Synagogue, we have organization. We have Boston University and Boston Chabad, two different organizations. Always keep it. And when things happen that are good or when you lose something. When you lose oh my god, we've talked about this, but I feel like it's more to my own. I cannot believe we didn't speak about this. I'm reminding you, that's what I'm here for. Wow. And they have an app. That is a whole other that is a beast of itself.
SPEAKER_02So start from the beginning, just assume um because we have talked about this before, but let's see. And it happened last time. It started again. It happened.
SPEAKER_01No, the different pair of glasses, the same situation. There
Lost Items, Donations, And Miracles
SPEAKER_01is a website and it's an app, actually, and it's called Rebbe Mayer Balhanes. Rebecca. I'll link it in the episode. Yeah. Balhaness, Master of Miracles. And when you lose something, so this is really amazing. When you lose something, um, a physical thing, you go there and you make a donation and it pops back up.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it's like we have the patron saying the Catholics have the patron saying of lost items too. Lost lost sailors, lost dogs, lost, we have we have so it's the same vibe.
SPEAKER_01It's the same vibe, 100%. It's it's it, yeah, but this is, you know, that's what that. So when we were fleeing, fleeing, fleeing Fire Island, when Hashem said, You've had enough, get on a ferry and go home. Um, we packed everything together. And I keep in mind we have things all over where we were staying. And I thought I misplaced my sunglasses, and I kept looking. So I we packed, we left, and I go, my sunglasses, I left my sunglasses there. And I'm very when you're when you're um dyslexic and you're you always have to have everything has to have its place and be in its place. It's a it's a very important thing that helps me function. And these glasses were not in their place, and they weren't in any pockets, and they weren't any bags we had, and I said, Oh my god, how did I lose them? I they were in my pocket, I put them away when we were packing, da da da. They were not anywhere. They were not anywhere. And then I said, Okay, let it go. Made a donation to this to this of this thing. And then we're in New York, and I said, you know what, I want to get new prescriptions. Let me go check what my eyes are doing, if they've changed since the last time I've done it. And I went and I keep all my glasses in a case in my in my bag, in cases in my bag. I have three different glasses for different sun shades and different uh, you know, if a prescription with with sunglasses, without a whole thing. And I went to sh to get it, and I opened up and they were there. But I promise you, I checked 500 times they were not there. I promise you, I checked 500 times, they were not there. So this, and the same thing happened last summer. Last summer we were walking home from some party in on Fire Island, and someone dropped something, and I went to bend over and my glasses were in my and they fell out. And I thought I lost them. And then we were walking on the beach, and I made a donation, and then I got home, I go, Oh my god, that's right. Last night I bent over when the glasses were in my in my shirt, and I went right back to they were in a bush. Wow. In a bush, and I saw them in the bush, picked them up. So this works. And I made an extra donation because I one because I it it really showed me that it works. I made a donation um a little bit more than I usually do for lost opportunities. Things that slipped away that need to come back.
SPEAKER_02Really?
SPEAKER_01Yeah. I just figured, you know, there's may maybe it's not just physical things, it's also interesting uh opportunities and and and property.
SPEAKER_02How did you learn about this uh organization rabbi? It's just common knowledge?
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Everyone knows about this?
SPEAKER_01No, not everyone. Not everyone. Uh to be honest, I think Elon Gold was the one that told me about it. Interesting. So he he yeah, he yeah.
SPEAKER_02And so it's a it's a rabbi who uh is dead, obviously, right? Like he's yeah, and his whole thing was lost things.
SPEAKER_01No, I don't know. It's a lot of other things too, but it's a part of it. Yeah, I don't really there's more to it. It's a huge uh we'll we'll get we'll get it, but it's it's a huge thing, and it's and now they have an app. Back in the day, I used to have to Google and then ta-da-da-da. Mail a check. Oh, and my Cashiest check. Now I just click, click, face, face, bye. It's so I'm telling you, your telephone is you should use it as a charity box. I have my mine says mashiach, I should say dzduka. Charity. Yeah. And it's and I don't really like the word charity, I like zduka, like energy. You give them energy, energy comes back to you.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah. Um all
Sponsor Thanks And Kosher Favorites
SPEAKER_02right. Well, we spoke about some spiritual stuff. And let's speak about our sponsors. Yeah, take it away. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Well, in the West Hamptons, we did stay with um Arthur and Randy Luxemburg from Of Whites and Luxembourg. Of Whites and Luxembourg, the Lord from that not only does well, they do good, super philanthropic, and they're amazing friends of the podcast, and we always thank them. Um, we thank Randy for listening to tell Arthur what we're talking about, and uh AH. Glat kosher uh provisions. The most delicious kosher uh glot kosher provisions there is, beautifully packaged, beautifully delivered. The best hot dogs in the world, kosher dogs.net and use promo code Modi for 30% off of your first order. Um and Seth is they're now in Trader Joe's Mazultov. Mazultov and uh Seth and everybody at AH, we wish you a happy, healthy new year. It's too early to wish happy new year. Is it too early? No, no, happy, healthy new year. We're in L. We're in the month of this is uh the month to be in. Um so we wish you all an amazing uh happy new year, and thanks for being sponsors and uh and a part of the podcast. And let's think where we are one more time.
Inside The Center For Jewish History
SPEAKER_01Center for Jewish History. This is a gold. Can I just tell you, you don't even realize when you walk around New New York and you're like in there, it's like this, it's like disgusting sometimes. There's like homelessness and there's the filthy there and garbage there. But then there's you walk into a door and you're in some magnificent place that you've never like really known about. This is one of those places. Yeah, this is one of the you walk in here, it's stunning. Everybody's sweet and happy. There's security that they're they're happy, and everyone's just got a smile on their face, and the place is gorgeous, and there's amazing things happening. It's uh the the largest collection of Jewish archives outside of of Israel, and we're gonna be delving into that. Delving?
SPEAKER_02Diving? Diving. Delving also kind of works. But diving into that.
SPEAKER_01We're gonna I said to them, I'm so stupid. I can't.
SPEAKER_02He thought we were gonna walk through the museum and just like grab a menorah out of a display case and like put it here and be like, so this is uh from when the the so-and-so family was fleeing, this is all they brought with them. You thought we were gonna go pillage the exhibitions and just bring stuff down here.
SPEAKER_00So I said to Lucy, and and uh uh I said to her, uh bring us something, bring us something from the from the archives and we'll talk about it.
SPEAKER_02There needs to be people consulted, you need to check it out, the collection, you need like security for certain things.
SPEAKER_00I said, so so so then on the way to go, let's make it up.
SPEAKER_01Grab his coffee table, stay in the Warsaw ghetto, and and they brought it with from the Warsaw ghetto. And um, and uh and and uh and that's uh so so our next time that we're here, we're gonna do an amazing uh one of the archival pieces here, something amazing. Hopefully, maybe a prayer book like uh from the high holidays. Or send us what you think would be interesting. What would you like to see?
SPEAKER_02If you uh visit the website for the Center for Jewish History, if there's any uh interesting topics or exhibitions or things you see, let us know. We have full reins that we've been giving the keys to the to the place, basically. It's amazing.
SPEAKER_01We're gonna uh get in there, and the studio is gorgeous. I mean and Ellen and what's Jason, Jason, the the engineer. Yeah, and making sure you cut any nonsense that we're talking about. So good. We're so excited. And you look, I mean, I do what isn't is it is it hitting me the way it's hitting him?
SPEAKER_02Well, we're at different angles, so uh um should we end or should we talk stus or should we save stus for the next episode? Well, we wrap it up.
SPEAKER_01Wrap let's wrap it up.
SPEAKER_02We'll wrap it up and we'll put another episode in the can. How about that?
SPEAKER_01Amen. Um,
Tour Dates, Waitlists, And Farewell
SPEAKER_01okay. So we have shows coming up. Are you gonna run us through this, Mr. Vega? Uh Mr. Vegawitz, we're gonna call you Vega Witz. Vegasteen, Vegeberg, Vegasteen. Um watch them finding out you're Jewish. I'm gonna be like, it's gonna come back super Jewish. I know it. Even if for not, we should just lie and just say yes because Jewish get off my back.
SPEAKER_02Okay, I don't know when this is airing, but we just put Huntington, New York on sale for December 10th out in Long Island. And the pre-the pre-sale is actually right now. Tomorrow, Friday is the general on sale, and I the the show sold out basically in the pre-sale. So working on maybe adding another show. By the time this airs, we'll probably be a show there. Um Huntington, it's amazing.
SPEAKER_01It's an amazing theater. It's it's the paramount we had the best. We did two shows there. It was that's it's such a good venue. The stages are the perfect height, it's not a high ceiling, and everybody was there, and it was a good seat no matter where you are, right? And last time we were there, I remember getting on stage and seeing that row of women wearing hijabs.
SPEAKER_02We know I wasn't there last time. That's right.
SPEAKER_01You had outside of surgery, right? Right. And I remember seeing the women wearing hijabs, and then after I spoke to them and they were the nurses that brought their Jewish colleagues. Yeah, and it's a special place, it's it's in the middle of Long Island. So wherever you are in Long Island, come on. And if you're in the city and you want to you miss Radio City, even though it's new material, come.
SPEAKER_02And then um, oh, one thing the we have a wait list feature for cities that we know we're for sure coming to, um, but we just not are not allowed to announce the dates yet. And so we've implemented this thing for the wait list. So if you live near that city and you want to know as soon as it goes on sale, you can sign up for the wait list. And we actually used it for the first time for the Huntington show at the Paramount. Um, we got hundreds of people signed up for the wait list, and I made sure that our marketing team sent you guys an email first. So if you were on the wait list, you had a full head start on tickets, and I think that's why it sold out so quickly. So please use the wait list feature. I'm gonna be, you know, rewarding people for that, incentivizing you guys to use the waitlist feature. And so there's a wait list for Montclair, New Jersey, if you live near there. There's a wait list for Stanford, Connecticut. Um, August 22nd, we're in Atlantic City. November 1st, we're in London at Drury Lane.
SPEAKER_01That's sold out.
SPEAKER_02That's sold out. November 3rd, we added a show in London at a different venue just because of availability at the Palladium. It's the same show, it's just two different venues on two different nights. Um, November 5th, you're in Toronto for McGuin Davida Dome. Only mentioning that because people in Toronto were very confused why.
SPEAKER_01But it they were even though it's uh it's it's a tick, it's not a ticket event, but you can buy tickets.
SPEAKER_02It's a charity, it's a fundraiser that you can buy tickets and register for. Period.
SPEAKER_01So come. So McGuin Davida Dome, the Ambulance Service of Israel, it's an amazing. It's uh wow, it's the ambulance service of Israel. It's unbelievable.
SPEAKER_02November 10th, you're in Rally, uh, North Carolina. Uh and November 11th.
SPEAKER_01That's how everything has been we are, we are, and now it's you are, you are, because it's a comedy club.
SPEAKER_02Well, these are two shows that we rescheduled because they were on Tish Above on accident. My bad. So we rescheduled these for November 10th in Raleigh and November 11th in Nashville, Tennessee. Then you're in Ottawa, November 19th, Montreal, November 22nd, Sacramento, December 7th. That's the rescheduled show because of your flight that got canceled. Correct. So that's on December 7th. Um, and then we have a wait list live for LA. That show is gonna be in December. I'm just not allowed to tell you when yet, but it's gonna be really good. It's gonna be a really good show in LA. The big deal.
SPEAKER_01The bleep, bleep, bleep that, redacted.
SPEAKER_02Redacted. Um, there's a wait list feature for LA. There's a wait list feature for Fort Lauderdale, which is not gonna be till 2027, but it's gonna be worth it, and a wait list for Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. So um sign up for the mailing list or sign up for the wait lists, and you'll get um special access to those tickets. And we're working on more.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, get some tickets for your friends. By the time the show shows up, someone's gonna need to laugh and be going through something, or it it's comedy. It's the easiest thing in the world to do. You just sit there, laugh, and then just that's it. That's all we need you to do. Yeah. Thank you very much for uh tuning in. Thank you, Leo, for looking so good. It was so so easy to stare at you the whole show. And um and thank you for the Center of For Jewish History. Okay.
SPEAKER_02Bye.