Torah Talk
148 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 1 year ago - ★★★★★ - 25 ratingsa learner's guide by Michael Carasik (incorporating the "Torah Talk" podcast)
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Lech Lecha 5781
October 27, 2020 17:00 - 20.9 MBThis is Torah Talk for the week of October 25th, 2020 Gen. 12:5 Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother’s son Lot, and all the wealth that they had amassed, and the persons that they had made [וְאֶת־הַנֶּ֖פֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר־עָשׂ֣וּ] in Haran; and they set out for the land of Canaan. The medieval commentators explain […]
Noach 5781
October 20, 2020 16:00 - 20.7 MBGen. 11:4 And they said, “Come, let us build us a city, and a tower with its top in the sky, to make a name for ourselves; else we shall be scattered all over the world.” Amazingly, this tower has a name — and you can click below to see a picture of its remains. How […]
Bereshit 5781
October 13, 2020 17:00 - 23 MBThis is Torah Talk for the week of October 11th, 2020 In Gen 2:6 we learn that an אֵד rises up to water the ground. But … what is an eid, and when did this happen? This week’s handout: Learn Biblical Hebrew! Donate via Paypal! Donate via Venmo:
V’zot ha-Bracha 5780-81
October 06, 2020 17:00 - 22.4 MBThis is Torah Talk for the week of October 4th, 2020 At the end of Deuteronomy, we simultaneously go back to begin Genesis again and continue on by beginning to read Joshua. The link between them? It is the bones of Joseph. This week’s handout: 54 V’zot ha-Bracha 5780-81 Donate! […]
Ha’azinu 5780-81
September 22, 2020 17:00 - 23.8 MBThis is Torah Talk for the week of September 20th, 2020 Deut 32:1 tells the heavens to “give ear” [האזינו] and the earth to “listen” [תשמע] — using the fancy poetic word first and the prosaic word second. We’ll explore why, with help from Edward L. Greenstein, JeffreyTigay, H. L. Ginsberg, Moshe Seidel, and the […]
Nitzavim-Vayelech 5780
September 08, 2020 17:00 - 21.3 MBThis is Torah Talk for the week of September 6th, 2020 Deut 29:10 mentions (male) woodchoppers and water-drawers as if they were non-Israelites — but elsewhere drawing water is a (local) women’s job, not one for foreign slaves. What’s going on here … and what did the author of Ruth think about it all? This […]
Ki Tavo 5780
September 01, 2020 17:00 - 22.6 MBThis is Torah Talk for the week of August 30th, 2020 Deut 28:68 threatens the Israelites that they may be sent back to Egypt in ships. So what? This week’s handout: 50 Ki Tavo 5780 Donate! Learn Biblical Hebrew!
Ki Tetze 5780
August 25, 2020 17:00 - 23.2 MBThis is Torah Talk for the week of August 23rd, 2020 Deut 25:19 (like Exod 17:14) talks about erasing זכר עמלק — but is that זֶכֶר or זֵכֶר, five dots or six? And does the number of dots change the meaning of this word? This week’s handout: 49 Ki Tetze 5780 Donate! […]
Shoftim 5780
August 18, 2020 17:00 - 21.7 MBThis is Torah Talk for the week of August 16th, 2020 Deut 17:15 says that you must pick as king “one of your own people [מקרב אחיך]” — a provision that’s matched in the U. S. constitution. But why? This week’s handout: 48 Shoftim 5780 Donate! Learn […]
Re’eh 5780
August 11, 2020 17:00 - 21.3 MBThis is Torah Talk for the week of August 9th, 2020 Deut 15:21 says that if your firstborn animal has a defect — “lameness or blindness” — you must not sacrifice it to the Lord. Is this phrase the key to understanding how David got hold of Jerusalem? This week’s handout: 47 Re’eh 5780 Donate! […]
Ekev 5780
August 04, 2020 17:00 - 19.5 MBThis is Torah Talk for the week of August 2nd, 2020 Deut 8:9 says that Israel is “a land whose rocks are iron and from whose hills you can mine copper” — which leaves me with 2 questions. (1) Is it true? (2) Why are they telling us this now? This week’s handout: 46 Ekev 5780 […]
Va-etchanan 5780
July 28, 2020 17:00 - 22 MBThis is Torah Talk for the week of July 26th, 2020 Deut 7:9 says that God “keeps His covenant faithfully to the thousandth generation of those who love Him and keep His commandments” — but “commandments” is spelled as if it were singular. Is this a misspelling, an old-fashioned spelling, or something more significant? This week’s […]
Devarim 5780
July 21, 2020 17:00 - 23.7 MBThis is Torah Talk for the week of July 19th, 2020 Deut 2:36 (“not a city”) and 3:4 (“not a town”) both use the word קריה (kiryah) rather than the far more common עיר (ir). We’ll look at some possible explanations why — with a stop in the New Testament and another in the northern […]
Mattot-Masei 5780
July 14, 2020 17:00 - 23.5 MBThis is Torah Talk for the week of July 12th, 2020 Today Torah Talk goes to Tin Pan Alley. Num 31:21 features a list of six metals, and two of them — iron [ברזל] and tin [בדיל] do NOT have Semitic names. We’ll explore why. This week’s handout: 42-43 Mattot-Masei 5780 Contribute! […]
Pinchas 5780
July 07, 2020 17:00 - 20.7 MBThis is Torah Talk for the week of July 5th, 2020 In Numbers 27, Zelophehad’s daughters bring a complaint to Moses. Why didn’t Moses know what to do? This week’s handout: 41 Pinchas 5780 Donate! Learn Biblical Hebrew! • click here for more on Ben Sommer’s book Revelation and Authority
Hukkat-Balak 5780
June 30, 2020 17:00 - 23.6 MBThis is Torah Talk for the week of June 28th, 2020 Balaam was the prophet to the Gentiles, as Moses was the prophet to the Jews (listen to Vayikra 5780). Numbers 22 hints to us that Balaam was like Abraham (take my Biblical Hebrew course to see how). But there is one more biblical […]
Korah 5780
June 23, 2020 17:00 - 22.8 MBThis is Torah Talk for the week of June 21st, 2020 Num 16:17 features 252 firepans [מחתות]. And Numbers 16-17 uses that word almost as much as the rest of the Bible combined. Here’s why. This week’s handout: 38 Korah 5780 Donate! Learn Biblical Hebrew!
Shelach Lecha 5780
June 16, 2020 17:00 - 21.9 MBThis is Torah Talk for the week of June 14th, 2020 In Num 14:28-29, God literally swears to make the current generation of Israelites “drop dead.” Why does He add that this is an “oracle of the LORD [נאם-י.הוה]?” This week’s handout: 37 Shelach Lecha 5780 Donate! […]
Beha’alotcha 5780
June 09, 2020 17:00 - 21.5 MBThis is Torah Talk for the week of June 7th, 2020 Moses’ questioning of God in Num 11:11-15 is a little sharper than it seems. Ed Greenstein explains, with help from Moshe Held. This week’s handout: 36 Beha’alotcha 5780 Donate! Learn Biblical Hebrew!
Naso 5780
June 02, 2020 17:00 - 22.1 MBThis is Torah Talk for the week of May 31st, 2020 Num 6:24-26 is the Priestly Blessing: The Lord bless you and protect you! The Lord deal kindly and graciously with you! The Lord bestow His favor upon you and grant you peace! But v. 27 may be even more important: “Thus they shall link […]
Bemidbar 5780
May 19, 2020 17:00 - 21.9 MBThis is Torah Talk for the week of May 17th, 2020 Num 4:20 says “Let not the Kohathites go inside and witness the dismantling of the sanctuary, lest they die” — or does it? This week’s handout: 34 Bemidbar 5780 Donate! Learn Biblical Hebrew!
Behar-Behukkotai 5780
May 12, 2020 17:00 - 23.2 MBThis is Torah Talk for the week of May 10th, 2020 What is “liberty”? Not an abstract question; see below. Lev 25:10 You shall proclaim release [Hebrew דרור, OJPS “liberty”] throughout the land for all its inhabitants. This week’s handout: 32-33 Behar-Behukkotai 5780 Donate! Learn Biblical Hebrew! Click here for the […]
Emor 5780
May 05, 2020 17:00 - 23.6 MBThis is Torah Talk for the week of May 3rd, 2020 What is “the product of hadar trees”? It is an etrog “of course” — but when did it become that, and where do etrogim come from? Lev 23:40 On the first day you shall take the product of hadar trees [פרי עץ הדר], branches of palm trees, […]
Aharei Mot-Kedoshim 5780
April 28, 2020 17:00 - 21.6 MBThis is Torah Talk for the week of April 26th, 2020 What is sha’atnez/שעטנז … where does the word come from … why can’t you wear it … and why CAN the priests wear it? Lev 19:9 You shall not let your cattle mate with a different kind; you shall not sow your field with two […]
Tazria-Metzora 5780
April 21, 2020 17:00 - 21.3 MBThis is Torah Talk for the week of April 19th, 2020 Contagion and quarantine in the Bible. Lev 13:4 “The priest shall isolate the affected person for seven days.” Lev 13:45 “As for the person with a leprous affection, his clothes shall be rent, his head shall be left bare, and he shall cover over his upper […]
Shemini 5780
April 07, 2020 17:00 - 20.4 MBThis is Torah Talk for the week of April 5th, 2020 Lev 11:2 “These are the creatures that you may eat” — but what determines that? What do they have in common? And what connects this chapter to the story of creation? This week’s handout: 26 Shemini 5780 Donate! Learn Biblical Hebrew!
Tzav 5780
March 31, 2020 17:00 - 21.2 MBThis is Torah Talk for the week of March 29th, 2020 Lev 6:3 says that priests must wear linen מכנסיים — but what are they? And what do they tell us about the book of Leviticus? This week’s handout: 25 Tzav 5780 More links: James Diamond, Scribal Secrets [click the link to p. 110 for the tiny מ] […]
Vayikra 5780
March 24, 2020 17:00 - 20.5 MBThis is Torah Talk for the week of March 22nd, 2020 Lev 1:1 says that someone or something “called” to Moses — or does it? A tiny א makes all the difference in this word. This week’s handout: 24 Vayikra 5780 More links: James Diamond, Scribal Secrets [click the link to p. 106 for the tiny א] […]
Vayakhel-Pekudei 5780
March 17, 2020 17:00 - 22 MBThis is Torah Talk for the week of March 15th, 2020 Exod 36:1 Let, then, Bezalel and Oholiab and all the skilled persons whom the LORD has endowed with skill and ability to perform expertly all the tasks connected with the service of the sanctuary carry out [ועשה] all that the LORD has commanded. Why […]
Ki Tisa 5780
March 10, 2020 17:00 - 20.9 MBThis is Torah Talk for the week of March 8th, 2020 This week, God “catches his breath” (וינפש). Who else in the Bible does this? This week’s handout: 21 Ki Tisa 5780 Donate: https://www.paypal.me/mcarasik Learn Biblical Hebrew: https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/biblical-hebrew-learning-a-sacred-language.html
Tetzaveh 5780
March 03, 2020 17:00 - 21.3 MBThis is Torah Talk for the week of March 1st, 2020 Genesis was written with an eye on the story of David — and Exodus continues the story with an eye on Kings, as we learn from the names of Aaron’s two oldest sons. This week’s handout: 20 Tetzaveh 5780 Donate: https://www.paypal.me/mcarasik Learn Biblical Hebrew: https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/biblical-hebrew-learning-a-sacred-language.html
Terumah 5780
February 25, 2020 17:00This is Torah Talk for the week of February 23rd, 2020 How one letter splits into two, when you move into Greek from Hebrew. This week’s handout: 19 Terumah 5780 Donate: https://www.paypal.me/mcarasik Learn Biblical Hebrew: https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/biblical-hebrew-learning-a-sacred-language.html
Mishpatim 5780
February 18, 2020 17:00This is Torah Talk for the week of February 16th, 2020 Why is it 5 oxen for an ox but only 4 sheep for a sheep — and what else might cost you 4 sheep? This week’s handout: 18 Mishpatim 5780 Donate: https://www.paypal.me/mcarasik Learn Biblical Hebrew: https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/biblical-hebrew-learning-a-sacred-language.html
Yitro 5780
February 11, 2020 17:00This is Torah Talk for the week of February 9th, 2020 Should the second half of Exodus 18:24 be translated “just as he said” — or “just as He said”? This week’s handout: 17 Yitro 5780 Donate: https://www.paypal.me/mcarasik Learn Biblical Hebrew: https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/biblical-hebrew-learning-a-sacred-language.html
Beshalach 5780
February 04, 2020 17:00This is Torah Talk for the week of February 2nd, 2020 What does אדירים (addirim) mean … and does it describe the water or the people who sank in it? The Talmud explains. This week’s handout: 16 Beshalach 5780 Donate: https://www.paypal.me/mcarasik Learn Biblical Hebrew: https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/biblical-hebrew-learning-a-sacred-language.html
Hayyei Sarah 5780
November 19, 2019 17:00This is Torah Talk for the week of November 17th, 2019 Abraham buys a burial place: Does לו at the end of v. 5 really belong at the beginning of v. 6? (And why it matters.) This week’s handout: 05 Hayyei Sarah 5780 Donate: https://www.paypal.me/mcarasik Learn Biblical Hebrew: https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/biblical-hebrew-learning-a-sacred-language.html Advertisements
Vayera 5780
November 12, 2019 17:00This is Torah Talk for the week of November 10th, 2019 How did Abraham “remain standing” before the LORD — or did he? How did he “come forward”? And finally — how did the LORD “depart”? This week’s handout: 04 Vayera 5780 Donate: https://www.paypal.me/mcarasik Learn Biblical Hebrew: https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/biblical-hebrew-learning-a-sacred-language.html
Lech Lecha 5780
November 05, 2019 17:00This is Torah Talk for the week of November 3rd, 2019 Why were Abram and Sarai’s names changed? This week’s handout: 03 Lech Lecha 5780 Donate: https://www.paypal.me/mcarasik Learn Biblical Hebrew: https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/biblical-hebrew-learning-a-sacred-language.html
Noach 5780
October 29, 2019 17:00This is Torah Talk for the week of October 27th, 2019 Is the Flood story copying Gilgamesh, or was it assembled from two different versions? This week’s handout: 02 Noach 5780 Donate: https://www.paypal.me/mcarasik Learn Biblical Hebrew: https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/biblical-hebrew-learning-a-sacred-language.html Advertisements
Bereshit 5780
October 22, 2019 17:00This is Torah Talk for the week of October 20th, 2019 The “sons of God,” the “daughters of men,” and the mysterious word ידון. This week’s handout: 01 Bereshit 5780 Donate: https://www.paypal.me/mcarasik Learn Biblical Hebrew: https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/biblical-hebrew-learning-a-sacred-language.html
V’zot ha-Bracha 5779-80
October 15, 2019 17:00This is Torah Talk for the week of October 13th, 2019 The mysterious final ם (mem) in Deut 33:11, and how Jonah ibn Janah and Chaim Cohen solved it. This week’s handout: 54 V’zot ha-Bracha 5779-80 Link to the Haaretz article about Chaim Cohen: https://www.haaretz.com/1.5214058 Link to Alan Flashman’s memorial column about him: https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/in-memoriam-professor-chaim-cohen/ Donate: https://www.paypal.me/mcarasik […]
Ha’azinu 5779-80
October 08, 2019 17:00This is Torah Talk for the week of October 6th, 2019 Is there butter in the Bible? The dairy lobby said “Yes!” — and it’s in this week’s portion. This week’s handout: 53 Ha’azinu 5779-80 Link to the Distillations podcast: https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/podcast/butter-vs-margarine Donate: https://www.paypal.me/mcarasik Learn Biblical Hebrew: https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/biblical-hebrew-learning-a-sacred-language.html
Vayelech 5779-80
October 01, 2019 17:00This is Torah Talk for the week of September 29th, 2019 Moses says in Deuteronomy 31:2 that he can no longer “go out and come in.” What does he mean? This week’s handout: 52 Vayelech 5779-80 Donate: https://www.paypal.me/mcarasik Learn Biblical Hebrew: https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/biblical-hebrew-learning-a-sacred-language.html
Nitzavim 5779
September 24, 2019 17:00This is Torah Talk for the week of September 22nd, 2019 When the Torah says רחם in Deuteronomy 30:3, does God love Israel, have compassion for Israel, or … something else? This week’s handout: 51 Nitzavim 5779 Donate: https://www.paypal.me/mcarasik Learn Biblical Hebrew: https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/biblical-hebrew-learning-a-sacred-language.html
Ki Tavo 5779
September 17, 2019 17:00This is Torah Talk for the week of September 15th, 2019 Why does Deut 27:12-13 say “on” [על] Mt. Gerizim but “in” [ב] Mt. Ebal? This week’s handout: 50 Ki Tavo 5779 Read Zvi Koenigsberg’s column here and a newer column here. Donate: https://www.paypal.me/mcarasik Learn Biblical Hebrew: https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/biblical-hebrew-learning-a-sacred-language.html
Ki Tetze 5779
September 10, 2019 17:00This is Torah Talk for the week of September 8th, 2019 Why does Deuteronomy care so much about the “wayward” [סורר] and defiant son of 21:18? This week’s handout: 49 Ki Tetze 5779 Donate: https://www.paypal.me/mcarasik Learn Biblical Hebrew: https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/biblical-hebrew-learning-a-sacred-language.html
Shoftim 5779
September 03, 2019 17:00This is Torah Talk for the week of September 1, 2019 What is the priest in Deuteronomy 20 doing — and what is he missing? This week’s handout: 48 Shoftim 5779 Donate: https://www.paypal.me/mcarasik Learn Biblical Hebrew: https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/biblical-hebrew-learning-a-sacred-language.html
Re’eh 5779
August 27, 2019 17:00This is Torah Talk for the week of August 25th, 2019 Blessings, curses, and the place that’s MISSING from Deut 11:29-30. This week’s handout: 47 Re’eh 5779 Donate: https://www.paypal.me/mcarasik Learn Biblical Hebrew: https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/biblical-hebrew-learning-a-sacred-language.html For further reading: Yairah Amit, “Shechem in Deuteronomy: A Seemingly Hidden Polemic,” In History, Memory, Scriptures: A Festschrift for Ehud Ben Zvi, ed. Ian […]