Making religious programming is always a tricky business. The program maker must always ask him or herself the questions, "For whom am I making this: the converted or for the general public?" "Will this be an entertaining secular exploration or a sober religious exaltation or a bit of both?"

This program seems to have chosen for a hybrid which, frankly, doesn't work. Two clearly erudite men, one a rabbi, ploddingly discussing the fine points of history and Talmud as plaintive Semitic hymns pop in and out behind them. The idea is to distill the modern and religious significance of the Jewish Festival of Lights over the unfortunate length of an entire hour. I say unfortunate because the format of such meditative discourse is somewhat soporific.

Ironically, this show is a good example of the Jewish culture of endless argumentation about tiny Talmudic issues that is the ancient predecessor of the Jewish neuroses powering the comedic generator behind Seinfeld. This, however, isn't at all funny; it’s just long.

Men like these should be respected for their towering scholarship, but they need help producing engaging radio: a missed chance.