Rabbi David Kasher
Best Book Ever
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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Episodes
What's Your Sin? - Parshat Vayikra 08.03.2022 15:08
The Book of Leviticus spends a lot of time explaining what to do once we have committed sins. But how did we get there in the first place? What drives us to sin? For that, we turn to the great commentary of the Kli Yakar.
A Doorway to Other Things - Parshat Pekudei 28.02.2022 16:02
As we close out the Book of Exodus, a 13th century Spanish preacher helps us, finally, make sense of all the details.
Prophets and Builders - Parshat Vayakhel 21.02.2022 12:35
Who knows how to take the prophet's heavenly vision and bring it down to the ground? The Shadow knows!
In the Face of it All - Parshat Ki Tisa 14.02.2022 15:05
Moses has just come back down from speaking with God. And he's glowing.
Moses is Missing - Parshat Tetzaveh 06.02.2022 13:24
Our reluctant protagonist just wants a week off.
BONUS CLASS The Devil and the Details - Parshat Terumah 04.02.2022 49:55
Parsha Study with Rabbi David Kasher from February 3, 2022.
Unicorns & Mermaids - Parshat Terumah 01.02.2022 12:24
It all started with dolphins.
BONUS CLASS The Other “Justice” - Parshat Mishpatim 28.01.2022 48:14
https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/379209?lang=bi
Kosher Heresy - Parshat Mishpatim 24.01.2022 15:15
"This week," says Rabbi Kasher, "we are going to look at an idea that seems so far outside of mainstream Jewish thought that if I came up with it myself, they’d kick me right out of Judaism!"
Relatives and Revelations - Parshat Yitro 18.01.2022 15:16
Why is the most important parsha in the Torah named after a foreign priest?
Water, Water Everywhere - Parshat Beshalah 11.01.2022 11:19
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? The Talmud provides us with some symbolism that will lend a new layer of meaning to all these watery scenes.
New Year's Torah - Parshat Bo 03.01.2022 12:11
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?! This week I'm remembering an old friend who once taught me just how important this moment was.
Stopping the Spread - Parshat Va’era 27.12.2021 13:00
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.
BONUS CLASS: A Bridegroom of Blood - Parshat Shemot 23.12.2021 46:05
Today we'll look at what is surely one of the strangest stories in the Torah.
One Little Verse - Parshat Shemot 21.12.2021 15:45
How much work can one little verse do? We put that question to the test with the seventh verse in the Book of Exodus.
BONUS CLASS: Jacob's Obsession - Parshat Vayechi 17.12.2021 49:34
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...
BONUS CLASS: The Woman Between the Walls - Parshat Vayigash 14.12.2021 45:48
70 people went down to Egypt. But we only count 69! Who's missing? The woman between the walls.
Ep 12: Zombie Love - Parshat Vayehi 13.12.2021 11:02
"Our Father Jacob never died.” That’s what our rabbis tell us. But he was embalmed and buried! So what could they mean?
Ep 11: A New Approach - Parshat Vayigash 07.12.2021 20:15
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.
Ep 10: Torah Dreams - Parshat Mikeitz 29.11.2021 11:49
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.
Ep 9: Weird, Wild Stuff - Parshat Vayeishev 22.11.2021 16:39
The rabbis of the Talmud dig their fingers into the Joseph story and come up with some weird, wild stuff.
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