Into the Verse - Exclusive Podcast

Parshat Noach describes the extreme violence that led to God's decision to destroy the world with a flood. This violence is referred to as "chamas" in Hebrew, a term that bears an eerie resemblance to "Hamas." In light of recent devastating attacks by Hamas on Israel, Rabbi Fohrman and Imu Shalev engaged in a discussion, exploring how to react to a world that is suddenly f...

When life throws us challenges and doesn’t go the way we hoped, how do we avoid falling into despair?  In Parshat Lech Lecha, Abraham and Sarah struggle with infertility, and Abraham cries out to God, “I am childless!” What is the Torah’s message to Abraham on how to persevere through life’s trials and tribulations? Join Rabbi David Fohrman and Ari Levisohn as they explore Abraham and Sarah’s jour...

How can we ask God for forgiveness for the things we’ve done wrong? If we admit our mistakes, aren’t we acknowledging that we’re unworthy of His blessings? But could we be so bold as to demand God’s goodness when we know that we’ve made mistakes? Join Daniel Loewenstein as he explores the text of the Selichot prayers and discovers how the authors model their supplications after two seemingly oppos...

Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, should be a time of introspection, but it often feels like we're so overwhelmed by our own guilt, by the idea of coming to terms with ourselves, that we don't know where to start. In this episode, join Rabbi Fohrman as he takes a deeper look at the 13 Attributes of Mercy and uncovers a path to finding true forgiveness during the High Holidays. Check out...

The Torah commands us to “take” these plants but doesn’t tell us why. The only clue we get is what the Torah says next: “And you shall rejoice before God” on this holiday. But what exactly are we rejoicing about? And why is holding these plants supposed to bring us so much happiness? Ami Silver and Imu Shalev explore some unexpected connections between this mitzvah and another story in the Torah…...

Why does the Torah refer to the three harvest holidays as the “shalosh regalim,” the three legs? Join Ari Levisohn and Adina Blaustein as they explore fascinating intertextual parallels and discover a meaningful message about the holidays hidden in this strange name. For another look at the interesting textual connections from this week’s episode, check out this parsha video on Parshat Balak . Dow...

The Priestly Blessing, which parents use to bless their children Friday nights and Kohanim recite in synagogues, is familiar to so many people, but few are aware of the story of two brothers hidden in the blessing. What story could that be and how does that help us see the Priestly Blessing in a new light? Join Ari Levisohn, and his brother Tani, for a deeper look at the blessing you thought you k...

Parshat Beha’alotecha marks the tragic turning point in the Israelites’ journey, but is there any silver lining in the beginning of this generation’s downfall? Join Ami Silver and Rivky Stern as they explore the shifting dynamics of the Israelites’ desert story.  Check out our new YouTube channel: Meaningful Judaism. What did you think of this episode? We’d genuinely like to hear your thoughts, qu...

Parshat Shelach teaches us the mitzvah of Tzitzit. How are we to understand these little fringes? Sounds like a perfect job for the crew at "Meaningful Judaism," our new podcast dedicated to uncovering the meaning in mitzvot, so we invited them to take over "Into the Verse" this week. If you want to hear Part 2 about Tzitzit and more of the Meaningful Judaism Podcast follow it...

Why did Korach rebel? What if there was something in Korach’s family history that was motivating his revolt? This week Rabbi Fohrman joins Ami Silver to uncover the hidden backstory of Korach and his family, searching for exactly where he went wrong. Follow us on your favorite social media . What did you think of this episode? We’d genuinely like to hear your thoughts, questions, and feedback. Jus...

From a prophet-for-hire, to a talking donkey, to an invisible angel, Parshat Balak sports quite the interesting cast, but all these characters seem to be one hit wonders. It seems like Parshat Balak is almost entirely unrelated to the rest of the Torah and the Torah would be perfectly complete without it. But what if Parshat Balak is really the sequel to a much earlier story in the Torah? Join Rab...

In Parshat Pinchas, the daughters of Tzelafchad mysteriously gloss over the reason for their father’s death, but the Sages of the Talmud clue us into Tzelafchad’s true identity and surprising backstory. Join Rabbi Fohrman and Ari Levisohn as they uncover the hidden story of Tzelafchad and reveal the powerful lessons he and his family teach us.

When the tribes of Reuben and Gad say they prefer not settle in the Land of Israel, Moses is concerned, but accepts their request and decides that half of the tribe of Menasseh should join them. Why would Moses do that? How would the tribe of Menasseh make things any better? Join Ami Silver and Daniel Loewenstein as they explore the emotionally charged dynamics in this week’s parsha. Check out Rab...

In Parshat Devarim, Moses rehashes the sin of the Spies. The Spies did exactly what Moses told them to do. They reported back on every question Moses asked them, so why does God decide to wipe out that whole generation and only their children would enter the land? Join Beth Lesch and Ami Silver as they explore Moses' retelling of the Spies' story and discover the Spies’ real failure and...

In Parshat Eikev, Moses tells the Israelites he’s got breaking news to share about what God wants from us: to fear, love, and serve Him, and to do all the mitzvot. But what’s so new about that? We’ve been hearing that since humanity was first created. What could Moses really be telling the people? Join Ari Levisohn and Evan Weiner as they explore Moses’ speech and discover a message which has neve...

In Parshat Re’eh God commands the Israelites to bring their offerings only to the Temple “in the place I will choose.” But wait… we've heard before about a sacrifice location shrouded in mystery? The binding of Isaac shares this and many other parallels with Parshat Re’eh. But what are we supposed to make of these connections? How does Parshat Re’eh shed light on the binding of Isaac, and how...

How do the trials and tribulations of King David’s life shed light on the laws in Parshat Shoftim? What if he actually wrote a commentary on the parsha based on his experiences?  Join Adina Blaustein and Beth Lesch as they uncover fascinating insights into Parshat Shoftim embedded in Psalm 27, King David’s timeless prayer for God’s protection and closeness that we begin reciting this week.

This week’s parsha includes the commandment to wipe out the memory of Amalek, the nation who attacked the Israelites shortly after the Exodus from Egypt. It’s the kind of mitzvah that makes our skin crawl in the 21st century. Why would God command wiping out an entire people? What did they do that was so evil that they deserve to be completely erased from history? Join Ami Silver and Daniel Loewen...

Parshat Ki Tavo lists the blessings that will come if we keep God’s commandments and the curses that will follow if we don’t. But it also says that to be blessed, we need to serve God “with joy.” Isn’t it enough to keep the commandments? And what is this “joy” supposed to look like, anyway? The key to answering these questions may be in two seemingly unrelated commandments from Parshat Ki Tavo its...

Parshat Nitzavim warns that in the future, there might be someone who goes astray after other gods. God will “separate” that person for punishment, and future generations will see that the land was destroyed for this sin, “like Sodom and Gomorrah.” But wait, that doesn’t make sense! If God punishes guilty individuals, how do we get to the entire land being destroyed? Join Ari Levisohn and Tikva He...

(Part 1 of 2) At the burning bush, God told Moses to show the people of Israel three signs, so they would believe that God was in fact with them. Was there any significance to these three signs, or did God randomly select them? And were the signs even effective? Join Rabbi Fohrman in taking a closer look at these three signs from God. We'll see how the signs seem to correspond to three ways i...

(Part 2 of 2) At the burning bush, God told Moses to show the people of Israel three signs, so they would believe that God was in fact with them. Was there any significance to these three signs, or did God randomly select them? And were the signs even effective? Join Rabbi Fohrman in taking a closer look at these three signs from God. We'll see how the signs seem to correspond to three ways i...

The splitting of the Reed Sea was so miraculous that the Jewish people celebrated by singing a Song to God. And yet, immediately after the nation sings, Miriam then sings...another song? Why would Miriam do that? Did she think her song was better than the nation's song? Join Rabbi Fohrman & Imu Shalev as they explore the significance of Miriam's song and why she chose to sing it at t...

Of all God's commandments, counting the "omer," the days between Passover and Shavuot, seems kind of... well, like a trip back to kindergarten. Does God really think that if we don't count the days leading up to Shavuot, we would simply forget about it? And if that's the case, then why not have countdowns, or count-ups, before every major holiday? Join Daniel Loewenstein a...