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Episodes
75 episodes
S3 - Hamas in Parshat Noach: Rabbi Fohrman and Imu Discuss
Parshat Noach describes the extreme violence that led to God's decision to destroy the world with a flood. This violence is referred to as "chamas" in Hebrew, a term that bears an eerie resemblance to "Hamas." In light of recent devastating att...
S3 - Lech Lecha: Responding to Life’s Challenges
When life throws us challenges and doesn’t go the way we hoped, how do we avoid falling into despair? In Parshat Lech Lecha, Abraham and Sarah struggle with infertility, and Abraham cries out to God, “I am childless!” What is the To...
S2 Ep 45 - Sukkot: Why Do We Take the Lulav and Etrog? (Rebroadcast)
The Torah commands us to “take” these plants but doesn’t tell us why. The only clue we get is what the Torah says next: “And you shall rejoice before God” on this holiday. But what exactly are we rejoicing about? And why is holding these plants...
S2 Ep 44 - High Holidays: Just How Guilty Should I Feel?
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, should be a time of introspection, but it often feels like we're so overwhelmed by our own guilt, by the idea of coming to terms with ourselves, that we don't know where to start.In this episode, join Ra...
S2 Ep 43 - High Holidays: How To Make Selichot Meaningful?
How can we ask God for forgiveness for the things we’ve done wrong? If we admit our mistakes, aren’t we acknowledging that we’re unworthy of His blessings? But could we be so bold as to demand God’s goodness when we know that we’ve made mistake...
S2 Ep 42 - Nitzavim-Vayelech: Do One Person's Actions Really Matter?
Parshat Nitzavim warns that in the future, there might be someone who goes astray after other gods. God will “separate” that person for punishment, and future generations will see that the land was destroyed for this sin, “like Sodom and Gomorr...
S2 Ep 41 - Ki Tavo: Why Would God Curse Us for Not Being Happy?
Parshat Ki Tavo lists the blessings that will come if we keep God’s commandments and the curses that will follow if we don’t. But it also says that to be blessed, we need to serve God “with joy.” Isn’t it enough to keep the commandments? And wh...
S2 Ep 40 - Ki Teitzei: Can We Justify the Commandment To Annihilate Amalek?
This week’s parsha includes the commandment to wipe out the memory of Amalek, the nation who attacked the Israelites shortly after the Exodus from Egypt. It’s the kind of mitzvah that makes our skin crawl in the 21st century. Why would God comm...
S2 Ep 39 - Shoftim: King David’s commentary on Parshat Shoftim
How do the trials and tribulations of King David’s life shed light on the laws in Parshat Shoftim? What if he actually wrote a commentary on the parsha based on his experiences? Join Adina Blaustein and Beth Lesch as they uncover fa...
S2 Ep 38 - Re’eh: What Do the Laws of Eating Meat Teach Us About Parenthood
In Parshat Re’eh God commands the Israelites to bring their offerings only to the Temple “in the place I will choose.” But wait… we've heard before about a sacrifice location shrouded in mystery? The binding of Isaac shares this and many other ...
S2 Ep 37 - Eikev: A Revolutionary Way of Serving God?
In Parshat Eikev, Moses tells the Israelites he’s got breaking news to share about what God wants from us: to fear, love, and serve Him, and to do all the mitzvot. But what’s so new about that? We’ve been hearing that since humanity was first c...
S2 Ep 26 - Devarim: Seeing Life From God's Perspective
In Parshat Devarim, Moses rehashes the sin of the Spies. The Spies did exactly what Moses told them to do. They reported back on every question Moses asked them, so why does God decide to wipe out that whole generation and only their children w...
S2 Ep 35 - Matot-Masei: How Manasseh Prevented a Family Feud
When the tribes of Reuben and Gad say they prefer not settle in the Land of Israel, Moses is concerned, but accepts their request and decides that half of the tribe of Menasseh should join them. Why would Moses do that? How would the tribe of M...
S2 Ep 34 - Pinchas: Grappling With Mortality
In Parshat Pinchas, the daughters of Tzelafchad mysteriously gloss over the reason for their father’s death, but the Sages of the Talmud clue us into Tzelafchad’s true identity and surprising backstory.Join Rabbi Fohrman and Ari Levisohn...
S2 Ep 33 - Chukat-Balak: Talking Donkeys, Invisible Angels, and the Tree of Knowledge
From a prophet-for-hire, to a talking donkey, to an invisible angel, Parshat Balak sports quite the interesting cast, but all these characters seem to be one hit wonders. It seems like Parshat Balak is almost entirely unrelated to the rest of t...
S2 Ep 32 - Korach's Fatal Mistake
Why did Korach rebel? What if there was something in Korach’s family history that was motivating his revolt? This week Rabbi Fohrman joins Ami Silver to uncover the hidden backstory of Korach and his family, searching for exactly where he went ...
S2 Ep 31 - Shelach: Meaningful Judaism Takeover
Parshat Shelach teaches us the mitzvah of Tzitzit. How are we to understand these little fringes? Sounds like a perfect job for the crew at "Meaningful Judaism," our new podcast dedicated to uncovering the meaning in mitzvot, so we invited them...
S2 Ep 30 - Beha'alotecha: The Moment When Everything Changed
Parshat Beha’alotecha marks the tragic turning point in the Israelites’ journey, but is there any silver lining in the beginning of this generation’s downfall? Join Ami Silver and Rivky Stern as they explore the shifting dynamics of the Israeli...
S2 Ep 29 - Naso: Birkat Kohanim and a Story of Brothers
The Priestly Blessing, which parents use to bless their children Friday nights and Kohanim recite in synagogues, is familiar to so many people, but few are aware of the story of two brothers hidden in the blessing. What story could that be and ...
S2 Ep 28 - Shalosh Regalim: Why Does the Torah Call the Holidays “Legs”?
Why does the Torah refer to the three harvest holidays as the “shalosh regalim,” the three legs? Join Ari Levisohn and Adina Blaustein as they explore fascinating intertextual parallels and discover a meaningful message about the holidays hidde...
S2 Ep 27 - Bamidbar: How a Book Gets Its Title
How does "Numbers" make sense as a title for the Bible's fourth book? How is that name connected to what the book is about? Join Rabbi Fohrman and his daughter, Ariella, as they explore the titles of the Bible's books and stitch together the po...
S2 Ep 26 - Behar-Bechukotai: Are God’s Curses Just a Scare Tactic
Why does the Book of Leviticus end with scary curses, and why does the Torah link these curses to the mitzvah of Shemittah? Join Adina Blaustein and Ari Levisohn as the journey through this week’s double parsha and its haftorah to find...
S2 Ep 25 - Emor: Is the Omer Still Important?
During the time between Passover and Shavuot, we “count the Omer,” marking the number of days since the Omer offering would have been brought. Why is this Omer offering so important that we have to mention it 49 consecutive nights, and...
S2 Ep 24 - Yom Ha'atzmaut: Divine Kindness Isn't So Simple
The developments surrounding the return to the Land of Israel and the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 seem to be prophetically predicted in the verses of Psalm 107. That’s why Israel’s Chief Rabbinate selected this salvation-themed...
S2 Ep 23 - Tazria-Metzora: Tzara’at, Sinai, and the Transformative Power of Speech
What does Tzara'at have to do with the revalation at Sinai? Why did Miriam get tzara'at? In this week's episode Tikva Hecht untangles a web of intertextual parallels, that all revolve around the transformative power of speech.What did yo...