Sivan Says: Taking the Torah Personally

This week’s parsha includes the instructions about the laws of Kashrut, which remain some of the most complicated and baffling commandments in Judaism. How can the things we choose to eat—or not eat—define us? And can keeping a mitzvah truly transform us even if we’re not feeling transformed? Tune in to find out.   Sivan Rahav-Meir is a leading Israeli journalist, media personality, and Torah scho...

As we celebrate Pesach, we’re reminded that the story of our freedom doesn’t end with leaving Egypt. It’s a continual process—one that asks us to look beyond the present moment, to imagine the future, and to carry the lessons of hope, unity, and perseverance forward. How do you become the best version of yourself? Tune in to find out. 

As we clean our homes and prepare for Pesach, this week’s parsha commands us to focus on what matters. The offerings, the rituals, the laws: it can all feel overwhelming. But sometimes, the holiest thing is the simplest one. Chametz is chametz. A mitzvah is a mitzvah. What does it mean to return to the basics—at the Seder and in life? Tune in to find out. Sivan Rahav-Meir is a leading Israeli jour...

On this week’s parsha, we begin the book of Vayikra, often dismissed as a list of sacrificial rituals. But beneath the detailed laws lies a deeper truth: giving—whether through korbanot, acts of kindness, or personal sacrifice—creates love and strengthens our connections to others and to God. How does this idea tie into Pesach and the concept of redemption? Tune in to find out.

In this week’s parsha, the Israelites finally complete building the Mishkan, God’s temporary dwelling place on earth. But finishing a task, or pausing en route to the Promised Land, doesn’t mean that the journey is over or even on hold. What does a wise commentary by Rashi teach us about carrying on when we feel stuck? Tune in to find out.

In this week’s parsha, the Israelites are faced with a pretty steep challenge: How do you bounce back from the sin of the Golden Calf? But instead of some cathartic, head-turning moment, we receive what sounds like a repetition of the instructions on how to build the Mishkan, God’s temporary dwelling place on earth. Why tell us things we’ve already heard? And what can this repetition teach us abou...

In this week’s parsha, the Israelites commit what may be their gravest sin: dancing in front of the Golden Calf. How do we make up for such a misstep? Maybe by observing the four commandments of Purim, which bring us back in touch with ourselves, our loved ones, and our community. How is a festive meal an act of spiritual affirmation? Tune in to find out.  

In this week’s parsha, the Torah delivers detailed instructions about the priestly garments, but because it’s the Shabbat before the holiday of Purim, we also revisit the ancient commandment not to forget the evils of Amalek. Why must we remember Amalek’s wickedness, and what does the war against Amalek, still raging on, look like these days? Tune in to find out

In this week’s parsha, the Torah instructs us how to build the Mishkan, God’s temporary dwelling place on earth. And whereas the entire creation of the whole entire world required 31 verses, instructions for building the Mishkan occupy a whopping 450 verses. Why is the Mishkan so important? And how did the hostages held captive by Hamas in Gaza give us all an inspiring lesson in the importance of...

After the grand revelation at Mount Sinai, this week’s parsha shifts from the dramatic to the practical, laying out 53 mitzvot that guide daily Jewish life—from civil laws to ethical responsibilities. But Mishpatim isn’t just a list of rules; it’s a blueprint for bringing Sinai into every moment. How do we take big, sacred ideas and make them part of our everyday lives? Tune in to find out.

In this week’s parsha, Moses' father-in-law, Yitro, joins the Israelites after hearing about their miraculous escape from Egypt. He offers Moses crucial leadership advice just before the defining moment at Mount Sinai—the giving of the Ten Commandments. These commandments shape not just Jewish identity but the foundation of moral law, emphasizing both commitment and restraint. What does true unity...

On this week’s parsha, Moses parts the sea and the Israelites spend 40 years in the desert. But the real miracle in this pasha isn’t the stunning feats God performs. The miracle is how the Israelites responded to their circumstances. How can we be the miracle in our own lives? Tune in to find out. 

On this week’s parsha, God delivers the last three of the Ten Plagues, and the Israelites are set free and receive no fewer than 20 new mitzvot. What do these commandments, interspersed as they are with the very dramatic tale of the Exodus, teach us about life under particularly trying circumstances? Tune in to find out. Sivan Rahav-Meir is a leading Israeli journalist, media personality and Torah...

On this week’s parsha, Moses and Aaron beg Pharoah to let the Israelites go, and God sends plagues to Egypt. Moses relates God’s message to the Israelites, but they’re so beaten down that they don’t realize they’re about to be redeemed from their enslavement. How are we similarly blinded by the trials of our everyday lives and how can we pay attention despite distractions? Tune in to find out.  Si...

On this week’s parsha, the children of Israel multiply in Egypt and Pharoah tries to wipe them out. We meet Moses for the first time and the story of the Jewish people’s redemption begins. What can we learn from our first impressions of Pharaoh, Moses, and the Jewish people? Tune in to find out.  Sivan Rahav-Meir is a leading Israeli journalist, media personality and Torah scholar. You can sign up...

On this week’s parsha, the last in the book of Genesis, Jacob blesses his descendants before his death. He gives his grandchildren, the sons of Joseph, a blessing that may strike us as strange. How do we develop our spiritual identity and independence? Tune in to find out. 

On this week’s parsha, Joseph and his brothers reunite and meditate on that thorniest of topics: Identity. How can we maintain our sense of self even in a world often determined to make us conform? And how does one act of bravery in the tunnels of Gaza teach us an inspiring lesson for Hanukkah? Tune in to find out. Sivan Rahav-Meir is a leading Israeli journalist, media personality and Torah schol...

On this week’s parsha, Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dreams to predict seven years of plenty and seven years of famine and becomes a governor of Egypt. Despite the trials that Joseph has endured, he never lost sight of his vision of how his destiny would unfold. What can we learn from Joseph seeing the bird’s eye view and taking an active role in how his story would play out? Tune in to find out.  S...

On this week’s parsha, the Torah raises one of its most difficult questions: How could Jacob’s righteous sons, the forefathers of us all, treat their brother Joseph so harshly? How could they plot to kill him, and why did they eventually sell him off to slavery? The question resonates with us today, as we continue to fight among ourselves, but the Torah, thankfully, gives us a powerful prescriptio...

On this week’s parsha, Ya’akov returns home to face his fears and his brother Esau, and earns his eternal name, Israel, by fighting with an angel. But this story of extraordinary struggles contains a few key insights for us ordinary people trying to bounce back from very difficult blows. How is an ancient ruling about not eating one specific cut of meat a reminder of what we ought to do when the g...

On this week's parsha, we meet Ya'akov as he flees his brother Esau's wrath. But as the story unfold, he transforms into a man in full, no long running away from something frightening but working towards a good and great goal. How can we, too, stop seeing ourselves as victims and connect instead to a higher, brighter calling? Tune in to find out. Sivan Rahav-Meir is a leading Israeli journalist, m...

On this week’s parsha, Toldot, the Torah gives us Isaac, a man with a dilemma: when the one and only Abraham is your dad, what do you do for an encore? The answer has to do with digging wells, an activity that may not sound glamorous but holds many key insights to happiness, community, and spiritual growth. What can we do in our lives to continue Isaac’s sacred and absolutely necessary well-diggin...

On this week’s parsha, Chayei Sarah, the Torah gives us one profoundly brilliant life hack: always do more. But what does it mean in practice? And how can we apply this principle, embodied by Rebecca, to continue and grow as people in every area of our lives? Tune in to find out.  Sivan Rahav-Meir is a leading Israeli journalist, media personality and Torah scholar. You can sign up for her The Dai...

On this week’s parsha, Vayera, the Torah teaches us that if we want to help people, we have to do more than merely offer them food, drink, and other basic necessities. True charity, we learn, involves giving people the education they need to have faith and strive to uplift themselves and others. What can we learn from Abraham about being kind to strangers? Tune in to find out.  Sivan Rahav-Meir is...

On this week’s parsha, Lech Lecha, the Torah gives us a master class on journeys, not just towards destinations unknown but also, and more importantly, into our own souls, our own destinies, and our own best selves. But what must we do when we’re seized by doubt and uncertainty? Tune in to find out.  Sivan Rahav-Meir is a leading Israeli journalist, media personality and Torah scholar. You can sig...