Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchR. David Kasher: Midrashic Moves
The genre of midrash has a reputation for taking creative license. In midrash, we come across the wildest stories our Rabbis ever told, and it someti…
2 years, 1 month ago
R. David Kasher on Parashat Shelah: Uncovering the Spies
The big story in Parashat Shelah is the story of the spies. The people are nearing the Land of Canaan, and Moshe sends ahead men, one from each trib…
2 years, 2 months ago
R. Dena Weiss: The Torah is in the Details
Traditionally, the fabric of Jewish observance is composed of 613 mitzvot and many many more granular instructions. To some of us, these small detail…
2 years, 2 months ago
R. David Kasher on Parashat BeHa’alotkha: Prophecy—A Family Business
Moshe’s unique status as the greatest prophet of Israel is challenged twice in this week’s parashah—but in neither case does Moshe himself seem to ca…
2 years, 2 months ago
R. Shai Held: Love, Compassion, and the Future of Jewish Life
What is Judaism ultimately about? What vision of the good life does it offer us, and why might that vision be especially crucial during these dark ti…
2 years, 2 months ago
R. David Kasher on Parashat Naso: Out of the Camp
Parashat Naso is thematically structured in the form of two “exterior” chapters and two “interior” chapters. A careful study of this design can prov…
2 years, 2 months ago
R. Avi Strausberg on Shavuot: Forgetting the Torah
While I love learning Torah, I have a very poor memory for it. More often than not, when I re-encounter a piece of Torah that I have surely learned …
2 years, 2 months ago
R. David Kasher on Parashat Bemidbar: Naked as the Desert
The five books of the Torah—like the 54 parshiyyot—are by tradition each named after their first significant word or phrase. In the case of the four…
2 years, 2 months ago
R. Avi Strausberg on Pride Month 2024: Take This With You
I am blessed to have three kids, aged 9, 6, and 2—this means a lot of first days of daycare and school. These first days are always exciting for us …
2 years, 2 months ago
R. David Kasher on Parashat BeHukkotai : The Purloined Letter
One of Rashi’s comments in this week’s parashah highlights the rabbinic tradition of interpreting a feature of Hebrew script known as “אותיות חסירות …
2 years, 2 months ago