Audio with brief annotations. Let your eyes rest as you learn by listening. Exercise, walk your dog, or just kick back in a comfy chair and listen.
For some, reading Midrash is a beloved preoccupation, and others find it frustrating. Midrash can be beautiful and very inspiring, yet for those who lean toward more strict analytical thought, it seems to take way too many liberties in explaining biblical texts. This is exactly why Midrash needs to be...
In Torah, in parsha Shemot (Exodus 6), we read how a new king arose in Egypt, a king who did not know Joseph. This was not great for Jacob's family. His fear of the Unknown (in his case, foreigners living in his land) led to panic, and panic...
The story of Pinchas can be hard to take in. Pinchas intervened by taking on God’s jealousy, and that changed everything. And in verse 12, God rewards him, and he says, hineni notein lo et biriti shalom “behold I give to him my covenant of peace.” Peace is not...
Thousands of years ago, ancient Hebrews believed that their God was not tied to a specific place. They called his throne Merkavah (chariot). A throne with wheels and floating Keruvim moved to where He needed to be. The Bible depicted this reality in the visions seen by prophets of old,...
Exodus 28:29 says, Venasa Aharon et shemot benei Israel “and Aaron shall carry the names of the sons of Israel” bachoshen hamishpat, al libo - “on the breastplate of decision, over his heart.” Aaron’s vestments had a breastplate with 12 precious stones, and the names of the 12...
In a touching Torah story, Judah offered himself instead of Benjamin to the Egyptian ruler. Judah has come to terms with an intense attachment Jacob had to Rachel's sons. He was not angry with Jacob for favoring Benjamin anymore, not like he was jealous of Joseph earlier. Moments...
In Bereshit, in Gen 34, Jacob and his family settled near Shechem. Dinah was socializing with the local girls when Shechem the Hivite, a town’s nobleman, took advantage of her and violated her. Torah says he was drawn to her and so desperately wanted to marry her. So he...
If you obey my laws, says Hashem, I will maintain a covenant with you, and you will experience a life of blessing. I am sure you have heard this before. We all want a blessing. It’s the obeying part that is not always easy. In fact, the hardest part...
In Shemot, Exodus 1:8 says that “a new king rose over Egypt” – vayakam melekh chadash al mitzraim. As generations pass, new leaders rise all the time. New leadership often brings changes, and most of us are resilient enough to make adjustments through those changes. But Torah adds one more...