Jewish Quest artwork

Jewish Quest

132 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 23 hours ago - ★★★★ - 4 ratings

Each week, join us on an adventure as we deconstruct that week’s parasha, exploring new insights and meaning in the Torah. Hosted by Simon Eder and sponsored by the Louis Jacobs Foundation, Jewish Quest aims to honour the statement of R' Jacobs z"l who said: 'The quest for Torah is itself Torah.' Welcome to that Quest. 

Find out more about our work at louisjacobs.org 

Judaism Religion & Spirituality Education
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Episodes

124 - Tzav with Rabbi Adam Zagoria-Moffat

March 27, 2024 14:00 - 22 minutes - 15.2 MB

Rabbi Adam Zagoria-Moffat discusses the sacrifices as psychological impulses and argues that we should reclaim the notion of fire as the primary symbol of the Divine. 

124 - Tzav with Rabbi Adam Zagoria-Moffet

March 27, 2024 14:00 - 22 minutes - 15.2 MB

Rabbi Adam Zagoria-Moffet discusses the sacrifices as psychological impulses and argues that we should reclaim the notion of fire as the primary symbol of the Divine. 

123 - Vayikra with Dr Yitzhaq Feder

March 21, 2024 07:00 - 20 minutes - 14.5 MB

Dr Yitzhaq Feder uncovers the fascinating and unexpected relevance of the sacrificial laws.  Dr. Yitzhaq Feder is a lecturer at the University of Haifa. He is the author of Blood Expiation in Hittite and Biblical Ritual: Origins, Context and Meaning (Society of Biblical Literature, 2011). His most recent book, Purity and Pollution in the Hebrew Bible: From Embodied Experience to Moral Metaphor (Cambridge University Press, 2021), examines the psychological foundations of impurity in ancient ...

Purim Special with Rabbi Jeremy Gordon

March 18, 2024 08:00 - 28 minutes - 19.4 MB

Rabbi Jeremy Gordon discusses his new commentary on the Book of Esther and the book's supreme relevance for our troubled times. 

122 - Pekudei with Rabbi Shimon Felix

March 13, 2024 10:00 - 29 minutes - 20.4 MB

Rabbi Shimon Felix discusses the importance of sacred space in Judaism.  Rabbi Shimon Felix is the Executive Director Emeritus of the program. He was born in New York, and has lived in Jerusalem since 1973. Rabbi Felix has been associated with The Bronfman Fellowship since 1991. He received his rabbinic ordination from Yeshivat Hamivtar, where he served as educational director. Rabbi Felix has worked in a wide variety of educational programs including Michelelet Bruria, the Israeli school s...

121 - Vayakhel with Rabbi Dr James Jacobsen-Maisels

March 04, 2024 09:00 - 25 minutes - 17.7 MB

Rabbi Dr James Jacobsen-Maisels shares the connection between the heart and the Mishkan.  Rabbi James Jacobsen-Maisels leads and directs the vision of Or HaLev. Ordained by Rav Daniel Landes, with a doctorate in Jewish Studies from the University of Chicago, he has been studying and teaching meditation and Jewish spirituality for over twenty five years. He was the founding Rosh Yeshiva of Romemu Yeshiva and has taught and innovated programs in Jewish thought, mysticism, spiritual practices...

120 - Ki Tissa with Rabbi Jeremy Tabick

February 27, 2024 09:00 - 18 minutes - 13.1 MB

Dr Jeremy Tabick uncovers a fascinating inner-biblical midrash.  Dr Jeremy Tabick is the content manager and faculty at Hadar, where he teaches, curates, and edits Hadar’s content – both online and in print – and project Zug courses. Jeremy recently completed a PhD in Talmud at JTS. He graduated from the University of Manchester (in the UK) with a Masters in Physics, and is an alumnus of Yeshivat Hadar and the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem. He is a member of the steering team of Kehilat...

119 - Tetzaveh with Rabbi Dov Linzer

February 19, 2024 18:00 - 18 minutes - 12.7 MB

Rabbi Dov Linzer asks what is signified by the lighting of the Menorah? Rabbi Dov Linzer is one of the leading voices of Modern Orthodoxy in the world today. He is the President and Rabbinic Head of the Modern Orthodox Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School in Riverdale, New York. He is a teacher, lecturer, podcaster, and author. Rabbi Linzer has been a scholar-in-residence in synagogues across the USA and has published in numerous Talmudic journals and Jewish newspapers.  In 2011, News...

118 - Terumah with Rabbi Sara Paasche-Orlow

February 12, 2024 11:00 - 15 minutes - 10.8 MB

Executive Director of Rabbi Sara Paasche-Orlow discusses the act of giving.  Rabbi Sara Paasche-Orlow is Executive Director of Northeastern Hillel, previously the director of spiritual care at Hebrew Senior Life and co-author with Rabbi Joel Baron of Deathbed Wisdom of the Hasidic Masters, The Book of Departure and Caring for People at the End of Life.

117 - Mishpatim with Professor Jacob Wright

February 09, 2024 08:00 - 25 minutes - 17.3 MB

Professor Jacob Wright explores the evolution of Shabbat.  Professor Jacob L. Wright is Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology and the Director of Graduate Studies in Emory’s Tam Institute of Jewish Studies. His doctorate is from Georg-August-Universität, Göttingen. He is the author of Rebuilding Identity: The Nehemiah Memoir and its Earliest Readers (which won a Templeton prize) and David, King of Israel, Caleb in Biblical Memory and Why The Bi...

116 - Yitro with Rabbi Worch

February 02, 2024 14:00 - 29 minutes - 20.2 MB

Rabbi Worch shares some of the Mei HaShiloach's insights on the giving of the Torah.  Rabbi Worch comes from a European Hassidic family. He translated Esh Kodesh, the Piacezna Rebbe’s Torah commentary from the Warsaw Getto (1939-42), published as Sacred Fire, and published his own Kabbalist Haggadah, a handbook of the Passover Seder as well as a translation of the writings of the Mei HaShiloach's commentary on Torah. 

115 - Beshalach with Rabbi Daniel Nevins

January 19, 2024 16:00 - 21 minutes - 15 MB

Rabbi Danny Nevins discusses both the cultic and covenantal response to freedom. Rabbi Danny Nevins is dedicated to exploring the sacred realm of Torah and its intersection with contemporary ethics, culture, and technology. Ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Rabbi Nevins was named Head of School of Golda Och Academy in 2021, dedicating himself to support the faculty and students in the creation of an outstanding and warm Jewish learning environment. Previously, he worked at The J...

114 - Bo with Rabbi Nelly Altenburger

January 17, 2024 17:00 - 26 minutes - 18.1 MB

Rabbi Nelly Altenburger shares different explanations as to the meaning and purpose of the plagues.  Rabbi Nelly Altenburger became the new spiritual leader of Congregation Adath Israel in Middletown in the summer of 2020. Rabbi Altenburger was born and raised in Brazil and received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Hebrew Language and Literature from the University of Sao Paulo. She received a Master of Arts in Rabbinic Studies in 2004 from the Zeigler School of Rabbinic studies and was ordai...

113 - Va'era with Professor Rabbi Shaul Magid

January 09, 2024 19:00 - 20 minutes - 14.3 MB

Professor Rabbi Shaul Magid explores the ethical problems of God hardening Pharaoh's heart.  Professor Rabbi Shaul Magid is the Distinguished Fellow in Jewish Studies at Dartmouth College, and the former Jay and Jeannie Schottenstein Professor of Jewish Studies at Indiana University/Bloomington. He is also the rabbi of the Fire Island Synagogue in Seaview, NY. His M.A. is from Hebrew University, his Ph.D. from Brandeis, and his ordination from rabbis in Israel. He is the author of American ...

112 - Shemot with Professor James Diamond

January 03, 2024 20:00 - 36 minutes - 24.9 MB

Professor James Diamond discusses the philosophical and kabbalistic meaning of God's names and the most enigmatic three words of the entire Torah.  Professor James A. Diamond is the Joseph and Wolf Lebovic Chair of Jewish Studies at the University of Waterloo and former director of the university’s Friedberg Genizah Project. He holds a Ph.D. in Religious Studies and Medieval Jewish Thought from the University of Toronto. He has recently been appointed as a fellow at the University of Hambur...

111 - Vayechi with Rabbi Dina Rosenberg

December 24, 2023 17:00 - 22 minutes - 15.5 MB

Rabbi Dina Rosenberg discusses lying and deception in the Joseph story.  Rabbi Rosenberg is the Senior Rabbi at CSI. She was ordained at The Jewish Theological Seminary in 2011 and previously served Conservative congregations in Mississippi, Brooklyn-New York, Maryland, and New Jersey. She has served as the secretary of the Interfaith Clergy Association in Freehold, New Jersey and currently serves on the Racial Justice Committee for the Rabbinical Assembly.

110 - Viyigash with Rabbi Nelly Altenburger

December 20, 2023 08:00 - 31 minutes - 21.9 MB

Rabbi Nelly Altenburger reflects on the meaning of Joseph's tears.  Rabbi Nelly Altenburger became the new spiritual leader of Congregation Adath Israel in Middletown in the summer of 2020. Rabbi Altenburger was born and raised in Brazil and received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Hebrew Language and Literature from the University of Sao Paulo. She received a Master of Arts in Rabbinic Studies in 2004 from the Zeigler School of Rabbinic studies and was ordained in 2006. Previous to joining ...

109 - Miketz with Rabbi Amanda Weiss

December 12, 2023 17:00 - 31 minutes - 21.4 MB

Rabbi Amanda Weiss discusses the importance of dreams in the Joseph story.  Rabbi Amanda Weiss is assistant Rabbi at Temple Isaiah, Maryland. 

108 - Vayeshev with Professor Alan Levenson

December 05, 2023 08:00 - 33 minutes - 23.3 MB

Professor Alan Levenson asks why the brothers really hate Joseph.  Alan T. Levenson holds the Schusterman/Josey Chair in Judaic History and is the Director of the Schusterman Center for Judaic and Israel Studies at the University of Oklahoma. Levenson has written extensively on the modern Jewish experience for both scholarly and popular audiences. His book, Between Philosemitism and Antisemitism: Defenses of Jews and Judaism in Germany, 1871-1932 was nominated for a National Jewish Book Awa...

107 - Vayishlach with Rabbi Adam Zagoria-Moffet

December 01, 2023 11:00 - 20 minutes - 13.9 MB

Rabbi Adam Zagoria-Moffet discusses Jacob's extra-human qualities and asks whether he is really worthy of bequeathing his name to the children of Israel. 

106 - Vayetzei with Rabbi Rebecca Rosenthal

November 22, 2023 16:00 - 17 minutes - 11.8 MB

Rabbi Rebecca Rosenthal shares the importance of Jacob's epiphany.  Rabbi Rebecca Rosenthal joined Central Synagogue in the summer of 2015 as the Director of Youth & Family Education. Prior to Central, Rabbi Rosenthal was the Director of Children and Family Education at IKAR, a nationally recognized, innovative spiritual community in Los Angeles. While at IKAR, she reimagined and redesigned the religious school, supervised IKAR’s Early Childhood Center from its creation to present, and crea...

105 - Toledot with Rabbi Adam Zagoria-Moffet

November 16, 2023 15:00 - 25 minutes - 17.6 MB

Adam Zagoria-Moffet is Director of the Louis Jacobs Foundation and the rabbi of St. Albans Masorti Synagogue. He was ordained from the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York where he also received an MA in Jewish Thought, studying the political philosophy of Rabbi Yehudah Ashlag (Ba’al haSulam). He grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, and has lived in Minnesota, New York, and Israel before moving to the UK. He co-edited the first Hebrew/English egalitarian Sepharadi siddur and runs the independent ...

104 - Chayei Sarah with Rabbi Dr Daniel Zucker

November 06, 2023 18:00 - 17 minutes - 11.9 MB

Rabbi Dr Daniel Zucker asks just who was Betuel? Rabbi Daniel M. Zucker, D.D. is the rabbi of Temple Hatikvah (Flanders, NJ) and President and CEO of Americans for Democracy in the Middle-East. He holds an M.A. in Hebrew Letters, a Doctor of Divinity (Honoris Causa) from JTS, and rabbinic ordination from HUC-JIR. A sampling of Zucker’s many articles on the Middle-East can be found on his blog.

Chayei Sarah with Rabbi Dr Daniel Zucker

November 06, 2023 18:00 - 17 minutes - 11.9 MB

Rabbi Dr Daniel Zucker asks just who was Betuel? Rabbi Daniel M. Zucker, D.D. is the rabbi of Temple Hatikvah (Flanders, NJ) and President and CEO of Americans for Democracy in the Middle-East. He holds an M.A. in Hebrew Letters, a Doctor of Divinity (Honoris Causa) from JTS, and rabbinic ordination from HUC-JIR. A sampling of Zucker’s many articles on the Middle-East can be found on his blog.

103 - Vayera with Professor Jon Levenson

October 28, 2023 17:00 - 33 minutes - 23.4 MB

Jon D. Levenson is the Albert A. List Professor of Jewish Studies at Harvard University, having previously taught at the University of Chicago and at Wellesley College. He has a strong interest in the philosophical and theological issues involved in biblical studies, especially the relationship of premodern modes of interpretation to modern historical criticism. Much of his work centers on the relationship of Judaism and Christianity, both in antiquity and in modernity, and he has long been ...

102 - Lech Lecha with Dr. Malka Z. Simkovich

October 25, 2023 11:00 - 31 minutes - 21.9 MB

Dr Malka Simkovich asks whether Avraham is the great circumcisor or in fact the great un-circumcisor of Jewish history.  Dr. Malka Z. Simkovich is the Crown-Ryan Chair of Jewish Studies and the director of the Catholic-Jewish Studies program at CTU. She is the author of The Making of Jewish Universalism: From Exile to Alexandria (2016), and Discovering Second Temple Literature: The Scriptures and Stories That Shaped Early Judaism (2018), which received the 2019 AJL Judaica Reference Honor A...

101 - Noach with Professor Edward Greenstein

October 17, 2023 13:00 - 35 minutes - 24.6 MB

Professor Edward Greenstein outlines the Tower of Babel story as indicating the limitation of one language to convey the sense of another.  Professor Edward Greenstein is Professor Emeritus of Bible at Bar-Ilan University. He received the Emet Prize in Humanities-Biblical Studies for 2020, and his book, Job: A New Translation, won the acclaim of the American Library Association, the Association for Jewish Studies, and many others. He has been writing a commentary on Lamentations for the Jew...

100 - Bereshit with Professor Menachem Kellner

October 10, 2023 16:00 - 29 minutes - 20.1 MB

Professor Menachem Kellner asks why the Torah begins with the account of creation and discusses the nature and purpose of Torah according to Rashi and Maimonides.  Menachem Kellner is a scholar of medieval Jewish philosophy  with a particular focus on the philosophy of Maimonides. He is a retired Professor of Jewish Thought at the University of Haifa and is the founding chair of the Department of Philosophy and Jewish Thought at Shalem College in Jerusalem. He has taught courses in philosop...

Special Rosh Hashanah Podcast

September 12, 2023 15:00 - 28 minutes - 19.6 MB

Avraham Leader discusses some of the important themes for this auspicious time of year as seen from the perspective of the Zohar and the Lurianic writings.  Avraham Leader is an internationally acclaimed teacher of various schools of Kabbalah, a founder of Jerusalem's Leader Minyan, and chairman of the Wuste Tzega Center for Culturally Adapted Psychotherapy . He has published primary Kabbalistic texts, and founded the Matzref Academy for the Study of Rabbi Avraham Abulafia's Teachings. His ...

99 - Netzavim with Dr David Lambert

September 08, 2023 10:00 - 26 minutes - 18.4 MB

Dr. David Lambert is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) where he teaches Hebrew Bible. He received his Ph.D., M.A., and A.B. from Harvard University’s Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. He is the author of How Repentance Became Biblical: Judaism, Christianity, and the Interpretation of Scripture.

98 - Ki Teitzei with Joy Ladin

August 22, 2023 17:00 - 29 minutes - 20.5 MB

Dr Joy Ladin discusses how we should dress without drawing the abhorrence of God.  Joy Ladin is an American poet and the former David and Ruth Gottesman Chair in English at  Stern College for Women at Yeshiva University. She was the first openly transgender professor at an Orthodox Jewish institution. She is the author of twelve books, including the National Jewish Book Award winning revised second edition of The Book of Anna (EOAGH, 2021). 

97 - Shoftim with Rabbi Eliyahu Jian

August 17, 2023 09:00 - 23 minutes - 16.2 MB

Rabbi Elihayu Jian discusses the connection between Shoftim and the month of Elul, drawing on important kabbalistic teaching from Rabbi Isaac Luria, the Sfat Emet and the Zohar. Rabbi Eliyahu Jian is a global thought leader, transformational life and business coach, spiritual coach, relationship coach, author and motivational speaker. He has been transforming thousands of lives around the globe for decades, including some of the world’s most famous and influential people, such as Madonna, D...

96 - Eikev with Associate Professor David Frankel

August 04, 2023 07:00 - 25 minutes - 17.4 MB

Rabbi David Frankel asks whether Moses or God is the commanding voice in the second paragraph of the Shema.  David Frankel is Associate Professor of Bible at the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies. He has been on the faculty since 1992. He earned his PhD from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem under the direction of Prof. Moshe Weinfeld. His publications include “The Murmuring Stories of the Priestly School,” and “The Land of Canaan and the Destiny of Israel.”  From 1991 to 1996, Frankel...

95 - Pinchas with Rabbi Cassi Kail

July 05, 2023 13:00 - 26 minutes - 18 MB

Rabbi Cassi Kail asks whether zealotry can ever be condoned Rabbi Cassi Kail is Rabbi of Temple Beth El in San Pedro, California. She was ordained in 2011 from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, where she also received a Master’s in Jewish Literature. For the past seven years, she worked as a congregational rabbi for Temple Emanu-El of Utica, NY and then Temple Or Elohim in Jericho, NY. Rabbi Kail is a proud member of the Interfaith Clergy Council of Syosset and Woodbur...

94 - Chukat-Balak with Dr Ethan Schwartz

June 28, 2023 08:00 - 26 minutes - 18.3 MB

Dr Ethan Schwartz discusses the character of Balaam.  Dr. Ethan Schwartz holds a Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible from Harvard University. He received his B.A. in philosophy and Jewish studies from the University of Chicago and his M.A. in Hebrew Bible from the Jewish Theological Seminary.

93 - Korach with Rabbi Nelly Altenburger

June 19, 2023 18:00 - 29 minutes - 20.6 MB

Rabbi Nelly Altenburger became the new spiritual leader of Congregation Adath Israel in Middletown in the summer of 2020. Rabbi Altenburger was born and raised in Brazil and received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Hebrew Language and Literature from the University of Sao Paulo. She received a Master of Arts in Rabbinic Studies in 2004 from the Zeigler School of Rabbinic studies and was ordained in 2006. Previous to joining Adath Israel, she was the Rabbi and Religious School Director at Cong...

92 - Shelach with Rabbi Francis Nataf

June 12, 2023 17:00 - 23 minutes - 15.9 MB

Rabbi Francis Nataf is a Jerusalem based thinker, writer, and educator. He is the author of the Redeeming Relevance in the Torah series and of many articles on religious thought, biblical studies, and current events and is Associate Editor of the Jewish Bible Quarterly. He is known for his independent thought and creativity that simultaneously puts him to the right and to the left of everyone he knows. 

91 - Beha'alotcha with Rabbi Alex Goldberg

June 05, 2023 14:00 - 23 minutes - 16.4 MB

Rabbi Alex Goldberg is a barrister, chaplain, and human rights activist. He is currently the Dean of the College of Chaplains and Coordinating Chaplain at the University of Surrey. He is the only rabbi within this role in Europe. He is currently working on a number of international and UK-based community relations and community development projects and is the Jewish chaplain to the University of Surrey. Alex regularly co-hosts a BBC radio show, a contributor to BBC Radio 2's Pause For Though...

90 - Nasso with Rabbi Sarah Bracha Gershuny

May 31, 2023 10:00 - 35 minutes - 24.6 MB

Rabbi Gershuny explores the meaning and power of the Priestly Blessing.  Rabbi Sarah Bracha Gershuny is a writer, ritualist, musician, healer and teacher. Originally from the UK, she currently lives in Boulder, Colorado, where from 2014-2020 she was the rabbi of Nevei Kodesh, a Jewish Renewal congregation. Rabbi Gershuny has received two ordinations: one as a Rabbi from Boston’s transdenominational Hebrew College Rabbinical School; the other as a Kohenet from the Kohenet Hebrew Priestess In...

89 - Bamidbar with Rabbi Alex Press

May 17, 2023 11:00 - 19 minutes - 13.4 MB

Rabbi Alex Kress discusses what it means to be a desert people and some of the central themes of the Book of Bamidbar. Rabbi Alex Kress serves Beth Shir Shalom in Santa Monica. He is passionate about innovating Jewish practice and making Judaism fun and meaningful. Born and raised in Philadelphia,  in 2012, he graduated from Temple University with a Bachelor of Arts in Jewish Studies and immediately flew to Israel to begin his studies at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. R...

88 - Behar - Bechukotai with Jeremy Tabick

May 09, 2023 16:00 - 23 minutes - 16 MB

Jeremy Tabick discusses the relevance of the Shmita and the Yovel for the world today.  Jeremy Tabick is the Content Manager and faculty at Hadar, where he teaches, curates, and edits Hadar’s content—both online and in print—and Project Zug courses. Jeremy is also pursuing a PhD in Talmud at JTS. He graduated from the University of Manchester (in the UK) with a Masters in Physics, and is an alumnus of Yeshivat Hadar and the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem. He is a member of the Steering T...

87 - Emor with Dr Abigail Uhrman

April 25, 2023 11:00 - 19 minutes - 13.2 MB

Dr Abigail Uhrman discusses holiness as being found between the polarities of separation and engagement.  Abigail Uhrman is an assistant professor of Jewish education in the William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary. She works extensively with The Davidson School’s Research Center and teaches courses in pedagogic skills, curriculum, and staff development and supervision. Dr. Uhrman completed her PhD in 2013 at New York University, where her diss...

86 - Acharei Mot and Kedoshim with Rabbi Steven Greenberg

April 25, 2023 07:00 - 29 minutes - 20 MB

Rabbi Steven Greenberg received his B.A. in philosophy from Yeshiva University and his rabbinical ordination from Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. He served as a Senior Teaching Fellow at CLAL (National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership), a think tank, leadership training institute, and resource center in New York City for over twenty years from 1986 to 2010. Steve is the first openly gay Orthodox Rabbi and a founder of the Jerusalem Open House, the Holy City’s LGBTQ+ commu...

85 - Tazria-Metzora with Rabbi Professor Rachel Adelman

April 19, 2023 06:00 - 28 minutes - 19.4 MB

Rabbi Professor Rachel Adelman considers the anthropological function of skin and Leviticus' concern with boundaries.  Rabbi Professor Rachel Adelman is Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible at Boston’s Hebrew College. She holds a Ph.D. in Hebrew Literature from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and is the author of The Return of the Repressed: Pirqe de-Rabbi Eliezer and the Pseudepigrapha (Brill 2009) and The Female Ruse: Women's Deception and Divine Sanction in the Hebrew Bible (Sheffield...

84 - Shemini with Professor Edward Greenstein

April 10, 2023 04:00 - 21 minutes - 14.9 MB

Professor Edward Greenstein discusses the incident of Nadav and Avihu and asks whether it says more about a mysterious transgression or a mysterious Deity.  Professor Edward Greenstein is Professor Emeritus of Bible at Bar-Ilan University. He received the EMET Prize (“Israel’s Nobel”) in Humanities-Biblical Studies for 2020, and his book, Job: A New Translation (Yale University Press, 2019), won the acclaim of the American Library Association, the Association for Jewish Studies, and many ot...

83 - Pesach 2 with Rabbi Tzemah Yoreh

April 03, 2023 05:00 - 17 minutes - 12.1 MB

Rabbi Tzemah Yoreh explores the original history of the Exodus narrative; one without God as master of the story.  Rabbi Dr. Tzemah Yoreh, leader of The City Congregation, is one of the intellectual leaders of Jewish humanism. He has been a student of the Bible since his earliest days, winning the Diaspora Division of the International Bible Contest in childhood. He attended the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he obtained his Ph.D. in biblical criticism in record time. He earned a sec...

82 - Pesach 1 with Professor Robert Harris

April 02, 2023 09:00 - 31 minutes - 21.7 MB

Robert A. Harris is professor of Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages at The Jewish Theological Seminary, teaching courses in biblical literature and commentary, particularly medieval Jewish biblical exegesis. Dr. Harris is an expert in the history of medieval biblical exegesis. His most recent book is Rabbi Eliezer of Beaugency: Commentaries on Amos, Jonah (with Selections from Isaiah and Ezekiel).  TEAMS Commentary Series. Kalamazoo, MI:  Medieval Institute Publications, 2017. In 2004 he p...

81 - Tzav with Rabbi Sam Blustin

March 30, 2023 06:00 - 23 minutes - 16.3 MB

Rabbi Sam Blustin explores the inner meaning of sacrifices today.  While in Rabbinical School, Rabbi Sam Blustin created Shira B’dira, a traditional egalitarian prayer community where melody is used to uplift the prayer experience. The monthly minyan gathers 25-50 20 and 30 year olds for prayer and potluck dinner, and has reached over 500 young professionals in the four years since it began. Sam has also spent time as the Rosh Shira (head songleader) at Chizuk Amuno in Baltimore, Beth El S...

80 - Vayikra with Rabbi Adam Zagoria-Moffa

March 19, 2023 13:00 - 24 minutes - 16.6 MB

Rabbi Adam Zagoria-Moffat shares the innovations in the book of Vayikra and how we might read it for our times.  Adam Zagoria-Moffet is the rabbi of St. Albans Masorti Synagogue. He was ordained from the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York where he also received an MA in Jewish Thought, studying the political philosophy of Rabbi Yehudah Ashlag (Ba’al haSulam). He grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, and has lived in Minnesota, New York, and Israel before moving to the UK. He co-edited the first...

79 - Vayakel-Pekudei with Dr Naomi Koltun-Fromm

March 12, 2023 19:00 - 17 minutes - 12 MB

Dr Naomi Koltun-Fromm discusses the differences between the Mishkan and the Temple.  Dr. Naomi Koltun-Fromm is Associate Professor of Religion in Haverford College. She holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in Jewish Studies from Stanford. She is the author of Hermeneutics of Holiness: Ancient Jewish and Christian Notions of Sexuality and Religious Community.