Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchR. Elie Kaunfer: Is the Seder Really So Ordered?
There's a catchy song that tells us what we're supposed to do during the Seder and when (Kaddeish Urhatz). But when you dig a little deeper, the song…
2 years, 2 months ago
R. David Kasher on Parashat Shemini: Waters of Hope
Throughout our history, one of the central institutions of a Jewish community has been the mikveh. Immersion in this ritual bath was required in Tem…
2 years, 2 months ago
Jewish Law and Jewish Values: A Conversation with R. Ethan Tucker and R. Aviva Richman
In this panel discussion given at the February Learning Seminar 2024, Hadar’s rashei yeshiva, R. Ethan Tucker and R. Aviva Richman, reflect on their …
2 years, 2 months ago
R. David Kasher on Parashat Tzav: Four Links in a Chain
For the most part, Parashat Tzav repeats much of what we learned last week in Parashat Vayikra. Again, the Torah details the choreography of the sac…
2 years, 2 months ago
R. Micha'el Rosenberg: Making Sense of Insensible Food Laws
To what extent is Jewish law “fake” or “real”? Is halakhah a game where you can say whatever you want, or does a ruling, once issued, create a new re…
2 years, 2 months ago
R. David Kasher on Parashat Vayikra: A Prehistory of the Sacrifices
The laws of Leviticus appear to be entirely separate from the narrative and themes of the Torah so far. Exodus, by contrast, picks up directly from …
2 years, 3 months ago
R. Avi Strausberg on Purim: Look to the World and Find God
As someone who longs to feel God’s presence in my life in a clear and direct manner, I have always been struck by the fact that God is noticeably abs…
2 years, 3 months ago
R. David Kasher on Parashat Pekudei: The Invisible Palace
There is something hidden in the mishkan. A story of creation.
Nehama Leibowitz, the great 20th century compiler of Torah commentary, calls our attent…
2 years, 3 months ago
R. Leah Sarna and R. Tali Adler: The Torah of Pregnancy
From one perspective, pregnancy is a miracle. But from another, pregnancy is a nightmare. In her essay that won the Ateret Zvi Prize in Hiddushei Tor…
2 years, 3 months ago
R. David Kasher on Parashat VaYakhel: Half-Measures
Is there meaning in a measurement? Two great masters of midrashically-styled Torah commentary—both writing in 14th century Spain—will offer two very…
2 years, 3 months ago