Parashat Masei opens with a long and detailed recounting of all of the Israelites' journeys throughout the wilderness. This list takes up 49 verses, which prompts us to ask the basic question of why God felt that this should be included in the Torah. In this week's episode we contrast Rashi's opinion with the Seforno's, and what they can teach us about the beauty of relationships.
Parashat Pinchas contains the beginning of the story of B'not Tzlofchad, and then the conclusion is at the end of Parashat Masei. In each of these places the 5 daughters' names are mentioned, but they appear in a different order. In this week's episode we discuss a gemara in Bava Batra that explains why they appear in different order, and consider the implications for how we classify others with kindness and compassion.
The story of Balak and Bilaam is oddly out of place in the Torah; it doesn't concern the Israelites, nor does it affect them. This forces us to ask the question of - why is this story in the Torah? What does it come to teach us? In this week's episode we consider one possible answer to this question.
Parashat Chukat contains the brief story of Israel's encounter with Edom as they marched through the wilderness. In this week's episode we discuss this interaction and its significance in the story of Yaakov and Esav.
Parashat Korach tells the incredible story of a man who led an uprising against Moshe and Aharon's authority. In this week's episode we take a careful look at what the complaints were, and what the story can teach us about toxic leadership.
This week's sound effects are brought to you by Cocoa the dog, and my two kids.
If you would like to follow along with Rabbi Leibtag's analysis of the story you can do so here https://tanach.org/bamidbar/korach/korachs1.htm
Parashat Behaalotcha is wonderfully rich with short incidents that happened to Moshe and the nation in the midbar. One of them is the story of Eldad and Medad, which strikes us as a tense exchange between Moshe and Yehoshua. In this week's episode we discuss the story of Eldad and Medad in context, and consider the interpretation of the Kli Yakar, who sees it in a much different light.
Parashat Nasso is named for the opening command to count the members of the family of Gershon, Levi's oldest son. The commentators ask why Gershon is counted second, when he is the first born. In this week's episode we study their responses, and explore how this process serves as a corrective for the sibling rivalry that abounds in Breishit.
Parashat BaMidbar is largely devoted to getting the nation organized on what is supposed to be the eve of their entering the land of Israel. Part of this process involves dividing up the camp by tribe, each with a corresponding banner (or flag). In this week's episode we examine three explanations for what these banners looked like, and what these three explanations can teach us about how we bring our personal histories with us into new experiences.
Parashat Bechukotai is one of two parshiyot in the Torah that contains the tochecha, or God's warning to the people about the numerous ways that God will afflict them if they do not heed God's commandments when they enter the land of Israel. One of the key words in this section is קרי, a word that appears nowhere else in the Torah. In this week's episode we examine multiple interpretations of this mysterious word and what it can tell us about how societies fall apart.
The 5th pasuk of our parsha tells us that a sacrifice can only be offered to God if there is a רצון, or a will. This opens a big question - is it according to God's will, or our own? In this week episode we consider three different opinions, and what this can teach us about the true meaning of holiness.
In the first verse of our parsha, God speaks to Moshe after the death of Aharon's two sons. However, the Torah does not actually tell us what they discussed. In this week's parsha we look at these verses more closely through the lens of Rashi and the Kli Yakar, and consider what the connection is between the laws in Acharei Mot and the death of Nadav and Avihu.
Chapter 14 of Parashat Metzora details the purification process for the metzora, including the application of blood to the right ear, right thumb, and right big toe. In this week's episode we consider the meaning of this process and how it affected the psyche of the metzora.
Parashat Tazria opens with the laws of purification for a woman after childbirth. These laws differ between boys and girls, and clearly favor boys over girls. In this week's parsha we contrast these attitudes with contemporary American society, and consider the fragility of women and childbirth.
In the beginning of parashat Shemini, Aharon has the opportunity to offer an egel, or calf, as part of the inauguration of the mishkan as a means of closing the chapter on the sin of the golden calf. However, as soon as that situation is resolved, he is thrust into another tragedy - the loss of his two sons. In this week's episode we consider the parsha from Aharon's perspective and what it can teach us about how to navigate challenges in our own lives.
There is a classic debate between the Rambam and the Ramban regarding the significance of sacrifices; are they a way to worship God in concert with how other nations worshipped at the time, or is there a greater meaning behind slaughtering an animal to atone for your sins? This week we discuss this debate and what the Ramban can teach us about cultivating empathy for each other.
After Moshe assembles the mishkan at the end of our parsha, Hashem's presence fills the space. As the Torah explicitly tells us, once Hashem's presence filled the mishkan, Moshe was not allowed in. In this week's episode we discuss the significance of this and what it teaches us about how the people perceived their relationship to Moshe.
One of the mysteries of the mishkan is where all of the rare and expensive materials used to build it actually came from. In this week's episode we study a machloket between Rashi and Ibn Ezra and discuss the tension between fantasy and reality in our interpretation of the Torah.
At the end of our parsha Moshe comes down from the mountain with the two tablets. The torah says קרן עור פניו, or literally that the skin of his face was horned. In this week's episode we discuss three different interpretations of this perplexing description, and the different religious attitudes they have reflected over history.
Parashat Tetzaveh details the instructions to make the special clothing for the kohanim. God describes the garments as being for "kavod and tiferet," or "honor and glory." In this week's episode we study three rabbinic interpretations of these two words and what they can teach us about the complicated relationship we have with clothing and status in our society.
Parashat Mishpatim opens with the laws of the Hebrew slave. Coming right after the Exodus, these laws can be uncomfortable to study. In this week's episode we look at the experience of the Hebrew slave in greater detail and consider a way to view it not as a situation of submission, but of empowerment.