EP 7: Talking Rocks - Parshat Vayetzei

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EP 7: Talking Rocks - Parshat Vayetzei

FromBest Book Ever

ratings:

Length:

14 minutes

Released:

Nov 9, 2021

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

A talking snake. A talking donkey. And now… talking rocks! Are we really supposed to believe this stuff?! A 16th-century Jewish philosopher offers us a novel approach for reading the wildest texts in our religious tradition.

Released:

Nov 9, 2021

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

Every week, Rabbi David Kasher takes us on a 15-minute dive into the Parsha (the weekly Torah portion), to see some of its layers and complexity. We'll try to get a feeling for why this text has captured the human imagination for millennia, and why the Torah truly is the greatest story ever told.

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EP 7: Talking Rocks - Parshat Vayetzei: A talking snake. A talking donkey. And now… talking rocks! Are we really supposed to believe this stuff?! A 16th-century Jewish philosopher offers us a novel approach for reading the wildest texts in our religious tradition. by Best Book Ever
14 min listen
Ep 10: Torah Dreams - Parshat Mikeitz: Joseph rises to power in Egypt on the strength of his dream interpretations. But where did he learn how to do this so convincingly? Listen carefully, and you’ll find out. by Best Book Ever
12 min listen
Ep 3: Children of the Torah - Parshat Lekh Lekha: The story of Abraham begins with a thundering call to action, but then quickly starts to sound like a travel itinerary. Why does the Torah give us all the little details of the journey? There are lessons for the future hidden here, by Best Book Ever
15 min listen
BONUS CLASS: The Woman Between the Walls - Parshat Vayigash: 70 people went down to Egypt. But we only count 69! Who's missing? The woman between the walls. by Best Book Ever
46 min listen
Ep. 1: Naked Torah - Parshat Bereishit: In this week's episode (Naked Torah - Parshat Bereishit), we examine the famous story of the Garden of Eden, and ask the question, "Is the forbidden fruit really just a metaphor for sex?" Answer: sort of, but not like you think. by Best Book Ever
17 min listen
Stopping the Spread - Parshat Va’era: Our experience of the pandemic has us asking all kinds of new questions about the Ten Plagues. Rabbinic tradition has answers, but they will take us into a very different reality. by Best Book Ever
13 min listen
Ep 9: Weird, Wild Stuff - Parshat Vayeishev: The rabbis of the Talmud dig their fingers into the Joseph story and come up with some weird, wild stuff. by Best Book Ever
17 min listen
Unicorns & Mermaids - Parshat Terumah: It all started with dolphins. by Best Book Ever
12 min listen
BONUS CLASS Our Dangerous God - Parshat Yitro by Best Book Ever
52 min listen
EP 6: Playing Favorites - Parshat Toldot: In this week's parsha, parents are playing favorites - and so is Rabbi Kasher. by Best Book Ever
16 min listen
Ep 11: A New Approach - Parshat Vayigash: This book has been analyzed and interpreted for millennia - so how can there possibly be anything left to say? But thanks to the concept of 'hiddush,' there's always room for a new approach. by Best Book Ever
20 min listen
Ep 5: Kindred Spirits - Parsha Hayei Sara: A Kabbalistic legend traces the Abrahamic family tree to a mysterious village of wise ones who possess great spiritual gifts. A 17th-century Hebrew printer thinks he’s figured out where it is. by Best Book Ever
16 min listen
A State of Moral Emergency - Parshat Emor: Right in the middle of the first major list of the Jewish holidays comes a major interruption. by Best Book Ever
16 min listen
Prophets and Builders - Parshat Vayakhel: Who knows how to take the prophet's heavenly vision and bring it down to the ground? The Shadow knows! by Best Book Ever
13 min listen
EP 8: Vampire Torah - Parshat Vayishlah: There's a vampire hiding in your Torah. To find him, you'll have to connect the dots. by Best Book Ever
15 min listen
Ep 4: Be Disturbed. Be Very Disturbed. - Parshat Vayera: The Binding of Isaac is such a nightmarish tale that it can leave us wondering how a holy book can contain such horrors. But what if the horror is intentional? by Best Book Ever
14 min listen
Ep 2: What's Wrong with Noah? - Parshat Noah: “Noah saved all animal species - and humanity itself - from extinction. He’s the ultimate hero! We should be singing his praises every day! But…there’s something wrong with Noah.” by Best Book Ever
13 min listen
Water, Water Everywhere - Parshat Beshalah: Water is the dominant motif in this week’s Parsha. Almost every event in the reading centers in some way around water: splitting water, begging for water, sweetening water, drawing water from a rock. Why so much talk about water? by Best Book Ever
11 min listen
Ep 12: Zombie Love - Parshat Vayehi: "Our Father Jacob never died.” That’s what our rabbis tell us. But he was embalmed and buried! So what could they mean? by Best Book Ever
11 min listen
BONUS CLASS: Jacob's Obsession - Parshat Vayechi: The family is back together again. Years of bitterness and resentment have been healed. Finally we're on the right track. But Jacob just can't let go of his great obsession... by Best Book Ever
50 min listen
BONUS CLASS: A Bridegroom of Blood - Parshat Shemot: Today we'll look at what is surely one of the strangest stories in the Torah. by Best Book Ever
46 min listen
New Year's Torah - Parshat Bo: Right in the middle of all the action in the Exodus story - with the plagues devastating the land and the Israelites preparing to leave Egypt - the Torah suddenly pauses to introduce us to... the calendar?! by Best Book Ever
12 min listen
One Little Verse - Parshat Shemot: How much work can one little verse do? We put that question to the test with the seventh verse in the Book of Exodus. by Best Book Ever
16 min listen
BONUS CLASS The Meaning of Freedom - Parshat Behar: Pop Quiz: What Biblical verse is on the Liberty Bell? by Best Book Ever
54 min listen
BONUS CLASS The Other “Justice” - Parshat Mishpatim by Best Book Ever
48 min listen
BONUS CLASS Shabbat in the Torah by Best Book Ever
52 min listen
Moses is Missing - Parshat Tetzaveh: Our reluctant protagonist just wants a week off. by Best Book Ever
13 min listen
The Most Important Thing - Parshat Kedoshim: This podcast was produced while standing on our heads. The rest is commentary. by Best Book Ever
16 min listen
Shedding Our S(k)ins - Parshat Metzora: What's the connection between gossip and skin disease? by Best Book Ever
16 min listen
In the Face of it All - Parshat Ki Tisa: Moses has just come back down from speaking with God. And he's glowing. by Best Book Ever
15 min listen

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LIFE AFTER PASSOVER - Parshat Beshalach by Best Book Ever
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DON'T DELAY! - Parshat Bo by Best Book Ever
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SHORTNESS OF BREATH - Parshat Va'era by Best Book Ever
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DREAM INTERPRETATION - Parshat Mikeitz by Best Book Ever
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RETURN TO THE HOUSE OF GOD – Parshat Vayishlakh by Best Book Ever
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WAS ESAU BAD? - Parshat Toldot by Best Book Ever
50 min listen
Legends of the Cave - Parshat Hayei Sarah by Best Book Ever
47 min listen
BEFORE THE BINDING - Parshat Vayeira: A recording of Rabbi David Kasher's weekly virtual parsha study class from 11.2.2023. Sign up for the class here: https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A... by Best Book Ever
49 min listen
DEFYING DESTINY - Parashat Lekh Lekha by Best Book Ever
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NOAH'S COVENANT - Parashat Noach by Best Book Ever
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DISSENT with Ezra Furman by Best Book Ever
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PRIMORDIAL PAIN - Parashat Bereishit by Best Book Ever
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THE DAY OF STOPPING - Parshat Emor: This is a condensed recording of Rabbi David Kasher's weekly parsha studies class from 5.4.2023. To watch the full class head over to IKAR's YouTube channel. by Best Book Ever
51 min listen
SPEECH LAWS: Gossip & Rebuke - Parshat Acharaei Mot-Kedoshim by Best Book Ever
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SCIENCE OF BELIEF with Mayim Bialik by Best Book Ever
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BONUS CLASS: THE HOUSE THAT NEVER WAS - Parshat Tazria-Metzora by Best Book Ever
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SERMON: A Holy Justice, and a Just Holiness - Rabbi David Kasher: Rabbi Kasher’s farewell sermon, a pre-Passover reflection on the role of mitzvot in Jewish life. by Best Book Ever
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BONUS CLASS THE HOLY BROKEN TABLETS - Parshat Ki Tissa: This is a recording of Rabbi David Kasher's Parsha class from March 10, 2023 by Best Book Ever
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EP 7: Talking Rocks - Parshat Vayetzei

EP 7: Talking Rocks - Parshat Vayetzei

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from Best Book Ever

Related podcast episodes