5780 — Ekev: Bribing God–Not Such a Great Idea?

5780 — BeHa’alotecha: Cultivating the Jewish spiritual practice of humility: What is humility? Why is it important? What is its power? Based on a teaching from Rabbi Jonathan Sacks in his article, "Humility," in Covenant and Conversation, Parshat BeHa'Alotecha, 5768/2008, where he compares Moshe Rabeinu's responses to two diffe... by Pardes from Jerusalem

29 min listen

5780 — Chukat: Action vs. Intent: Human Domain vs. The Godly Realm: There is no Talmud on Tractate Parah, the Mishnah tractate which deals with the red heifer ceremony. What did the Babylonian rabbis learn from this temple ritual in the course of other discussions? In this podcast, by Pardes from Jerusalem

29 min listen

5780 — Parshat Behar Bechukotai – Living with Compassion in a Competitive Society: Unemployed, and with a bleak economic forecast, many people we know have experienced a blow to their self-esteem, and a dampening of their ability to imagine how they will regain their financial and emotional footing. by Pardes from Jerusalem

20 min listen

5780 — Matot-Masei: The Long Walk to Freedom: Parshiot Matot-Masei includes a long list of place names that trace the wanderings of the Children of Israel through the Sinai wilderness on their way to the Land of Israel. Is this simply a geographical-historical recording of the physical journey to ... by Pardes from Jerusalem

20 min listen

5780 — Yom Hazikaron and Yom Haatzmaut: The Beginning of the Flowering of our Redemption: Praying for the State of Israel: Jews have been praying for the governments of the countries they lived in since the time of the Babylonian exile. Yet the founding of a Jewish and democratic state presents a radically different relationship between the State and its citizens, by Pardes from Jerusalem

32 min listen

5780 — Re’eh: Was there ever an Ir Nidahat or Subverted City?: In this podcast we will look at the moral complexity behind the command to utterly annihilate an Israelite city proven to be idolatrous. The debate around the practical application of this passage results in some interesting textual comparisons to othe... by Pardes from Jerusalem

20 min listen

5780 — Korach: The Blossoming Staff of Aharon: In parshat Korach, the leadership of Moshe and Aharon is seriously challenged by the rebellion of Korach. Although Korach and his followers are defeated, the discontent of the Israelites lingers until the sign of the blossoming staff. In this podcast, by Pardes from Jerusalem

19 min listen

5781 — Ha’Azinu: Cultivating the Spiritual Practice of Remembering: Moving away from feeling distant from the Divine Presence - the Shechina - towards sensing closeness to Her. Why do we in fact feel distant, feel far, feel disconnected at times? And why do we sense closeness and connection at other times? by Pardes from Jerusalem

20 min listen

5780 — Ki Tavo: Cultivating the spiritual practice of Walking In His Ways: Parashat Ki Tavo contains the command, found in Devarim 28:9: “And you shall walk in His ways.” The Rambam counts this as one of the 613 mitzvot, and explains that it charges us “to resemble Him according to our capacity. by Pardes from Jerusalem

20 min listen

5780 — Shavuot: From Sefirat HaOmer to Revelation: How the Rabbis Read Biblical Texts: What part do human beings play in the revelation of Torah in the world? How do the Rabbis see their role as interpreters of Biblical text? The Torah says to count the omer from the day after the Shabbat yet the Rabbis rule that we count from the day af... by Pardes from Jerusalem

19 min listen

5780 — Balak: How to Stop a Plague. And at what cost?: The end of parsha Balak presents three attempts to end a plague. The divergent approaches of Moses and Pinchas reflect different priorities, each essential for our consideration in modern times. Download the Source Sheet by Pardes from Jerusalem

24 min listen

5780 — Parshat Naso: Uncovering the Sotah: In this podcast we will read the Biblical text and compare it with the rabbinic text in the tractate Sotah in order to highlight some significant differences between the rabbinic interpretation and Torah portion. by Pardes from Jerusalem

20 min listen

Terumah 5781: Shabbat Zachor, the Mitzvah of Genocide: The obligation to destroy Amalek and their descendants, which is read of Zachor, is one of the most problematic commandments in the bible. See how medieval commentators explained it away and how modern commentators honed even this difficult mitzva for ... by Pardes from Jerusalem

20 min listen

5781 — Lech Lecha: Why is Avraham Really Chosen?: Avraham is both the Idol Smasher and the Harbinger of Justice and Righteousness. The Torah tells us explicitly why Avraham was chosen in Genesis 18:18-19, and the rabbis tell a story intended to explain what qualified him for the job. by Pardes from Jerusalem

32 min listen

5780 — Shelach: Tzitzit–A Model for a Rabbinic Sexual Ethic: The mitzvah of tzitzit commands the Jewish people not to lust after our hearts and eyes and to be holy. Through a Rabbinic story concerning a man, whose tzitzit smack some sense into him as he is about to bed a prostitute, by Pardes from Jerusalem

30 min listen

5780 — Parshat Bamidbar: The Theme of Passage: The midbar is both the name of the parsha as well as the setting for most of the narratives of the book of Numbers. While the word is often translated as "desert", we will discover that it means something else entirely, by Pardes from Jerusalem

28 min listen

5780 — Emor: A Blind, Toothless World: This podcast challenges traditionalists who believe "eye for an eye" always meant monetary compensation and liberals who believe that compensation is a rabbinic innovation. It does this using clues from the bible itself. Download the Source Sheet by Pardes from Jerusalem

25 min listen

5780 — Ki Tetze: The Mitzvah of the Roof Rail – Guarding Against a Fall: This week's parasha (Deuteronomy 21:10) introduces us to a Torah command with a seemingly obvious rationale. We will explore the interpretation of the Sefer HaChinuch who sees in this mitzvah a foundation principle: we are subject to laws of nature tha... by Pardes from Jerusalem

17 min listen

5780 — Pinchas: From Pinchas to the Police: What Does it Mean to Truly “Keep the Peace?”: What does it mean to "keep the peace" in society? Is it about enforcing the law and order of society in order to ensure against anarchy or is it about balancing between conflicting perspectives and needs of various members and groups of society, by Pardes from Jerusalem

20 min listen

5780 — Devarim: What is in a name?: This week we begin a new book of the Torah, one which seems somehow different from the others. Devarim is also known a 'Mishne Torah,' meaning a repetition or retelling of what has come before. In this podcast, by Pardes from Jerusalem

24 min listen

5780 — Ekev: Bribing God–Not Such a Great Idea?: We hope that the Divine is on our side, especially when circumstances are far from optimal. How do we go about making sure that the Lord is with us in all of our earthly endeavors? In this podcast, Rabbi Howard Markose looks at one possible angle in ... by Pardes from Jerusalem

15 min listen

5780 — Shoftim: Shoftim v’Shotrim: Go together like a Horse and Carriage?: The juxtaposition of judges and police officers in the Torah is deliberate. What does this juxtaposition teach us about the inevitability of force in law? What do the rabbis have to say about recent calls to defund the police? Download Source Sheet by Pardes from Jerusalem

32 min listen

5780 — VaEtchanan: Committing to Love: In this podcast we will look at Shema as the affirmation of commitment to a loving relationship with God contingent about a structure of ritual, practice and belief that will be accessible to all Jews at any time and in any place. by Pardes from Jerusalem

20 min listen

Ki Tissa 5781: Parashat Parah – A tale of two cows: When put together, Ki Tissa and parashat Parah make a tale of two cows - the Golden Calf and the Red Heifer. This podcast explores what each can teach us about the power and problematics of objectification in relationships, by Pardes from Jerusalem

23 min listen

5781 — Rosh Hashana: A Very Narrow Bridge: Getting to the Other Side: This Rosh Hashanah podcast is sponsored by Ricki and David Bernstein in memory of Ricki’s parents, Beatrice and Murray Kirschblat, each a sole survivor of large families which perished in the Shoah. This podcast compares the popular song "Kol Ha'olam ... by Pardes from Jerusalem

20 min listen

5781 — Vayera: Life’s Concentric Circles: This week's parasha contrasts two acts of hospitality: Avraham welcomes three strangers to his tent at Elonei Mamrei, and Lot later welcomes two of them to his home in Sodom. Superficially, the episodes are similar but we will discover that in fact the... by Pardes from Jerusalem

20 min listen

5781 — Simhat Torah: Maimonides on How to Celebrate the Festivals: This podcast was first published in 2009, for Simhat Torah 5770. We hope you enjoy this replay. In this podcast, Rabbi Daniel Landes discusses Maimonides' teachings (Mishneh Torah, Rest on a Holiday 1) on how to properly celebrate the festivals. - by Pardes from Jerusalem

20 min listen

Yitro 5781: “Do Not Go Near a Woman”: But Didn’t We All Stand at Sinai?: Judith Plaskow challenged us to confront the disturbing warning issued by Moses to "the nation" at the foot of Mt. Sinai: "Do not go near a woman." Were women not included in revelation? In our brief time together, by Pardes from Jerusalem

20 min listen

VaYechi 5781 – Everything Follows the End: VaYechi is more than the end of the book of Genesis, it is the end of an era. The Torah tells us of the death of both Yaakov and Yosef in this parashah, and each has a lesson to offer before he goes. One can teach us how to give a blessing and the othe... by Pardes from Jerusalem

20 min listen

5781 — Noach: To Meat or Not To Meat: There are many points of connection between the story of creation and the story of the flood, and at least one significant difference. The permission given to Noach and his descendants to eat meat is the opening of a new chapter in the relationship bet... by Pardes from Jerusalem

21 min listen

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5780 — Ekev: Bribing God–Not Such a Great Idea?

5780 — Ekev: Bribing God–Not Such a Great Idea?

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