He received his semicha (rabbinical ordination) in Jerusalem in 1984 from Rabbis Chaim Brovender, Yaacov Warhaftig, and Zalman Nechemia Goldberg.

He became a candidate Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute and a graduate student in Medieval and Modern Jewish Thought at Hebrew University, where he completed his MA in 1989.

Following the publication of The Necessity of Exile, Magid became a prominent voice for American Jews who wish to rethink the place of Zionism in their Jewish identities, recentering Judaism over nationalism and calling for "a return to religion as 'always the thing that's going to keep us together.

'"[11] In May 2024, Magid co-convened (with Terrence L. Johnson) an academic conference: "Jews and Black Theory: Conceptualizing Otherness in the Twenty-First Century."

[13] He is often quoted on such issues in the popular press; for instance, he recently discussed Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead in relation to Judaism, speaking from the perspective of "an ordained rabbi and a professor of Jewish and religious studies at Indiana University who was also present for the Dead’s legendary performance on the grounds of Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey on Sept. 3, 1977.