Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchR. Nadav Berger: The Possibility of Intimacy with God and the Commandments
The midrashic composition, Shir HaShirim Rabbah, develops the allegorical reading of Song of Songs as a love story between Israel and God. The verse …
3 years, 6 months ago
R. Elie Kaunfer on Parashat Mishpatim: The Moral Dimension of Opening Our Eyes in the Morning
How are we meant to orient to our day when we wake up? In what ways can a short blessing about God opening our eyes set our intention for the day to …
3 years, 6 months ago
R. Avi Killip: Praying When the World is At Stake
As we watch storms surge and fires burn, the changing climate has moved from an abstract fear to an ever-present reality. The enormity of this crisis…
3 years, 6 months ago
R. Elie Kaunfer on Parashat Yitro: Struggling to Pray with Intention
Ideally, prayer is a pouring out of the soul. But in Jewish practice today, people don’t only pray when they feel moved to pray. We are mandated to s…
3 years, 6 months ago
R. Avi Killip: The Gestation of a Tree
Growth is gradual, so slow in fact that it cannot be tracked in real time. We need an annual date as a marker of a specific moment, before and after …
3 years, 6 months ago
R. Elie Kaunfer on Parashat Beshallach: Praying for Your Sake
What does it mean to pray to God when we are experiencing pain? One approach understands God as intricately tied to our suffering, and indeed, in nee…
3 years, 6 months ago
R. Tali Adler and Joey Weisenberg: Elevating God and Us
Rabbi Tali Adler teaches a beautiful combination of midrashim about the lulav and etrog—which completely rethinks our relationship with God and God’s…
3 years, 7 months ago
R. Elie Kaunfer on Parashat Bo: Praying For—or Against—Our Enemies
How do we relate to our enemies through prayer? Can we pray for their failure? Might we ever pray for their welfare?
3 years, 7 months ago
R. Elie Kaunfer: Hannah as Rebellious Worshiper
Our rabbis imagine an intense confrontation between Eli the high priest and Hannah, our model for how we recite the Amidah. Explore this fascinating …
3 years, 7 months ago
R. Elie Kaunfer on Parashat Va'Era: Eighty Years of Prayer
Is it worth persisting in prayer, even if we aren’t answered right away? What does it mean to pray for something for years—or even decades? Moshe can…
3 years, 7 months ago