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R. Avital Hochstein on Parashat Ki Tissa: When Moshe Leaves
The absence of a leader creates a vacuum, and this vacuum invites a question: What kind of leadership are we seeking? At the beginning of Parashat Ki Tissa, Moshe is absent. When he ascended the…
R. Elazar Symon on Purim: Does God Sleep?
From a theological perspective, the most striking feature of the Book of Esther is God’s absence. God’s name does not appear anywhere in the megillah, which—at least on the level of peshat (the…
R. Avital Hochstein on Parashat Tetzaveh: “Who Stays Your Hand?”: On Interdependence
Being in a relationship is both an opportunity and a challenge. Relationships with others have the potential to be life-expanding, but to achieve this they must be built with delicacy and intention…
Searching for the Heart of Tanakh: R. Shai Held and R. David Kasher
Traditional Jewish exegesis and modern academic scholarship often speak in different languages—one theological and reverential, the other historical and critical. In this public conversation, Rabbi…
R. Avital Hochstein on Parashat Terumah: The Blueprint of Intimacy
Parashat Terumah opens with a divine request. God asks the Children of Israel for a contribution to achieve a specific goal: “And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them” (Exodus…
R. Shai Held: Loving the Stranger-Sojourner (Ger)
In addition to loving God and loving our neighbor, the Torah also commands us to love the stranger-sojourner (ger). This lecture delves into this surprising biblical mandate to love the…
R. Avital Hochstein on Parashat Mishpatim: Who Rests on Shabbat?
Parashat Mishpatim shines a spotlight on human beings and their responsibility for the rest of others on Shabbat.
R. Ethan Tucker: Reading the Torah Like a Love Letter
Do you love midrash? Hate it? In this class, Rabbi Ethan Tucker delves into this unique rabbinic genre to try and understand its essence: Reading the Torah like a love letter, poring over every…
R. Avital Hochstein on Parashat Yitro: An Intimate Meeting
The Torah describes a moving encounter between Yitro and Moshe, in which Moshe shares his journey and experiences. A close reading of the details reveals that the Torah offers us a model for…
R. Elazar Symon on Tu Bishvat: Celebrating a Birthday for a Tree
Tu Bishvat is often called the “birthday of the trees.” There is also a reactionary trend to reject this framework of “birthday” and go back to its original, technical and halakhic purpose, which is…
R. Avital Hochstein on Parashat Beshallah: Where Does Amalek Come From?
The Torah describes: “Amalek came and fought with Israel at Refidim” (Exodus 17:8). Where does Amalek come from? What is the context out of which this war begins?
R. Shai Held: Why Don’t We Make Blessings for Interpersonal Mitzvot?
On its face, it is a real anomaly in Jewish practice: we recite blessings before putting on tefillin or lighting Shabbat candles, but we don't recite any before we visit the sick or comfort a…
R. Avital Hochstein on Parashat Bo: Slaves or Warriors: Who Were We When We Left Egypt?
Woven into the account of the Exodus are two distinct and seemingly contradictory images of the Children of Israel. On one hand, they are a nation of oppressed slaves, redeemed from a bondage of…
R. Shai Held: The Riddle of Psalm 77
For many people, the conflict between faith and experience is difficult and often devastating to live through. Psalm 77 is a very odd text: the first part is a lament by a person who wonders whether…
R. Avital Hochstein on Parashat Va'Era: What is Slavery?
Pharaoh succeeded. He brought the Children of Israel into a state of slavery. The opening of Parashat Va’Era focuses on one particular consequence of this: the loss of the ability to listen.
R. Avi Strausberg: The Promise and Impossibility of Unity
What does it mean to strive toward unity and togetherness in a moment in which we are so divided? What is gained—and what is lost—by holding fast to notions of klal yisrael? Is it possible and even…
R. Avital Hochstein on Parashat Shemot: The Choice of Knowledge
The deterioration of relations between Egypt and the Children of Israel proceeds rapidly. What values, emotions, and perspectives make such a breakdown possible—and what could prevent it? The…
R. Avi Killip: And God Waited
For generations our relationship with God has been mediated through texts written almost entirely by men. In these sessions, Rabbi Avi Killip explores a collection of midrashim, written by…
R. Avital Hochstein on Parashat Vayehi: Truth and Peace
We find ourselves at the closing moments of the Book of Genesis—moments of transition as a family becomes a nation. We stand on the threshold between Yosef’s personal trauma and the national trauma…
R. Elazar Symon on the 10th of Tevet: “A Day of Hearing”: The Other Tevet Fast
We know about the fasts that mark the destruction of the Temple from a prophecy of Zekhariah. While the Jewish exiles were in Babylon, the prophet was asked whether traditional fasts would continue…
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Ta Shma has published 740 episodes since October 2017, covering topics in Judaism, Religion & Spirituality.
Ta Shma is currently highly active with new episodes every few days. Average episode length is 24m.
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