5781 — Lech Lecha: Why is Avraham Really Chosen?

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5781 — Lech Lecha: Why is Avraham Really Chosen?

FromPardes from Jerusalem

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Length:

32 minutes

Released:

Oct 28, 2020

Format:

Podcast episode

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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.… Read the rest
The post 5781 — Lech Lecha: Why is Avraham Really Chosen? first appeared on Elmad Online Learning.
Continue reading 5781 — Lech Lecha: Why is Avraham Really Chosen? at Elmad Online Learning.

Released:

Oct 28, 2020

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

This podcast features a weekly parsha commentary from one of the faculty members or guest lecturers at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem.

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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 — 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
VaYetze 5781: The Twinning Relationship of Leah and Rachel: In this podcast we will look at the broad sweep of the narrative that includes the complex dynamic and relationship between two sisters married to one man. After summarizing the entire Torah portion through the lens of their relationship, by Pardes from Jerusalem
20 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 — 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 — Nitzavim-VaYelech: Living for “Today!”: Nitzavim sees the Nation of Israel renew their covenant with God. One word - "Hayom - Today!" - repeats itself throughout the parsha. We offer four different meanings of this word, with some inspirational messages for the New Year and the period of Rep... by Pardes from Jerusalem
20 min listen
5781 — Sukkot: The Ritual of Lulav; To Rejoice for Seven Days Before the Divine: Our practice today of shaking the lulav every day of Sukkot is based on a decree that R. Yohanan b. Zakai made post Temple destruction. From where did he get the daring to institute that we would continue to perform the ritual as it had been done in th... by Pardes from Jerusalem
20 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 — 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
Download the New Pardes Daily App: Kickstart your Torah routine with Pardes Daily! For the month of Elul, traditionally a time when Jews prepare for the upcoming new year, Pardes Daily will be offering three Rosh Hashanah themed daily learning tracks featuring beloved Pardes Faculty. by Pardes from Jerusalem
1 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 — 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 — 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
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
5781 — Toldot: The Blessings of Putting On and Taking Off Disguises: Sometimes we need to shed our disguises in order to discover who we really are. At other times we need to dress up in disguises to remind us of who we want to be. The story of Jacob and Esau and their rabbinic commentaries help us to understand the com... by Pardes from Jerusalem
31 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
Miketz 5781: Human Effort and Faith in God. A Contradiction in Terms?: In a challenging comment at the end of last week's Torah reading, the Midrash condemns Joseph for putting his faith in human assistance rather than turning directly to God. We pose the question: Does faith entail an abandonment of human initiative? by Pardes from Jerusalem
20 min listen
5781 — Bereishit: From Creation to Destruction: Bereishit opens with the hope of a new world. But ends with God's decision to destroy his world. What happened. This shiur offers two readings of the final verses of Bereishit, verses that depict the moral descent towards the Deluge. by Pardes from Jerusalem
20 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
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
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
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
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 — 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
Mishpatim 5781: And They Saw the God of Israel? Language, Allegory and Representation: The essence of Judaism seems to be encapsulated by a broad reading of the first two of the Ten Commandments: There is one God, and God has no body. With that as a basis of faith, we may be unnerved by reading the verses from this week’s parashah, by Pardes from Jerusalem
20 min listen
Hanukah 5781: Between Civil War and Nonviolent Demonstrations: How Best to Respond to Discriminatory Decrees?: This podcast examines the story of Hanukah as told in the Book of Maccabeus as a classic example of clash of civilizations and identity groups that ends in a violent civil war. The question is are there alternatives? by Pardes from Jerusalem
31 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
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
Authentic Jewish Living with Yiscah Smith – Episode 32: Rabbanit Nechama Goldman Barash: This was originally posted on Authentic Jewish Living with Yiscah Smith. From Yiscah: "Nechama Goldman Barash is a role model for spiritual authentic living, a dedicated Torah scholar and educator specializing in matters of gender and Jewish law AND an... by Pardes from Jerusalem
50 min listen

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Metzora 5784: Transforming Curses into Blessings: Can we uncover hidden blessings, even from within painful experiences? Join us this week as we delve into the profound purification rituals surrounding the mysterious affliction of tzara'at (often translated as "leprosy") in the weekly Torah portion of... by Pardes from Jerusalem
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Tazria 5784: Reimagining Ritual Purity: How do we navigate the tension between devotion to mitzvot and the pursuit of understanding their significance in our lives? - In this week's parsha, we explore the seemingly archaic ritual purity laws. Rabbi Michael Hattin joins the discussion to hig... by Pardes from Jerusalem
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Shemini 5784: Going Beyond Our Mistakes: In this week’s episode, we navigate the complexities of failure and growth in the aftermath of pivotal moments in the Tanakh. - Rabbi Dr. Meesh Hammer-Kossoy draws a parallel between the incidents of the Golden Calf and the death of Aaron’s sons, by Pardes from Jerusalem
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Tzav 5784: In the Shadow of Failure: In this week's episode, we navigate the complexities of failure and growth in the aftermath of pivotal moments in the Tanakh. - Joined by Rabbanit Nechama Goldman Barash, we'll draw a parallel between the incidents of the Golden Calf and the death of ... by Pardes from Jerusalem
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Pekudei 5784: Constructing Connection: In what way does the Mishkan (Tabernacle) serve as a metaphor for organizing one's relationship with God, oneself, and others? - This week, we're joined by Rabbi Dr. Daniel Reifman for a discussion of the meticulous detailing of the construction of th... by Pardes from Jerusalem
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Vayakhel 5784: Gathering With Intention: What is it that makes us join together with different groups? - Over the past two parshiot, we've seen two gatherings, one in which the people gathered to create the Golden Calf, and another in which they gathered to build the Mishkan. by Pardes from Jerusalem
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5781 — Lech Lecha: Why is Avraham Really Chosen?

5781 — Lech Lecha: Why is Avraham Really Chosen?

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from Pardes from Jerusalem