Speaking Torah

What happens when we begin reading the Talmud with an assumption of female presence rather than female absence? In this episode of Speaking Torah , Rabbi Dr. Jane Kanarek, Professor of Rabbinics and Dean of Faculty at Hebrew College, joins her longtime havruta partner Dr. Judith Kates to explore Jane's book Beyond Brutality: Reclaiming Female Presence in the Bavli Sotah .   Focusing on Tractate So...

What does it mean to be a boundary crosser, to leave what is familiar and find your truest home? In this episode of Speaking Torah, we share a powerful conversation from Hebrew College's event celebrating the release of Rabbi Angela Buchdahl's new memoir, Heart of a Stranger .    You'll discover how she cultivates joy through music and intentional attention, and why she believes that feeling like...

Who was Abraham Joshua Heschel, and why does his life story matter to young Jews today? In this episode, Rabbi Or Rose and rabbinical student Risa Dunbar explore these questions through the lens of Or's new young adult biography, My Legs Were Praying . Their conversation reveals how a boy from Warsaw who grew up in a Hasidic dynasty became one of the most influential Jewish thinkers and activists...

How can Jewish tradition help us build a world that embraces all bodies? In this episode, we share a powerful conversation between Rabbi Minna Bromberg, author of the new book  Every Body Beloved , and her friend and colleague, Jordan Namerow. Through personal letters, mystical teachings, and reexamined Jewish texts, you'll discover how pursuing health as a mitzvah can include mental and spiritual...

Rabbi Lavitt shares insights from Jewish Studio Project's innovative approach, which combines Torah study with creative practice. Drawing from both ancient Jewish wisdom and modern neuroscience, he explains how creativity allows us to access deeper ways of knowing and understanding. This integration of traditional texts with artistic exploration opens new pathways for problem-solving and personal...

Dr. Judith Rosenbaum, CEO of the Jewish Women's Archive, explores the rich legacy of Jewish women's leadership through the lens of biblical and modern examples. Through a careful examination of historical documents and personal letters, she reveals how Jewish women have creatively and courageously shaped their communities while pursuing justice.   Drawing connections between biblical Miriam and co...

In the months following October 7th, Israeli poets responded to the tragedy through powerful verses that gave voice to the nation's grief, rage, and despair. This episode explores selections from Shiva: Poems of October 7th, an anthology containing 59 Hebrew poems alongside English translations, examining how poetry serves as a distinctly Jewish response to catastrophe.   Hebrew College faculty me...

How can Jewish and Christian leaders engage in meaningful dialogue about the most pressing issues of our time? In this episode of Speaking Torah, we explore the power of interreligious learning and leadership through the eyes of two remarkable faith leaders.   Discover how Rabbi Or Rose, director of Hebrew College's Miller Center for Interreligious Learning and Leadership, and his colleague Revere...

Over the past year, discussing the subject of Israel has been incredibly difficult for families everywhere. Does it feel like you're speaking different languages when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? Many Jewish parents are grappling with a growing generational divide on this complex and emotionally-charged issue.   Join us as we discuss with Rabbi Dan Judson, the Hebrew College Provo...

Have you ever wondered how traveling to the places where Jewish history unfolded can deepen your understanding and connection to Judaism? In this episode of Speaking Torah, we explore the educational power of travel and learning with Rabbi Leonard Gordon, instructor for Tamid of Hebrew College, and Kim Bodemer, Tamid's director.   Tune in to discover how Tamid of Hebrew College is creating unique...

This week, Hebrew College rabbinical student Jessica Spencer is here to talk about how she helped found a yeshiva in her hometown of Edinburgh, Scotland. Modeled after projects like Pardes and Hadar, Azara brings together Jews from across the denominational spectrum to study sacred texts and stories.   Tune in this week to discover how Azara is guiding Edinburgh's Jewish community through their fi...

This week, we're pleased to bring you a discussion with three Hebrew College rabbinical students, Becca Heisler, David Mahfouda, and Chaim Spaulding, who have started a food coop for the Hebrew College community.   Using local sources, students work together in preparing the meals, taking turns, and sharing responsibilities. Spending all day filling up your brain can only sustain you for so long,...

On this episode of Speaking Torah, we're introducing you to a tefillah with a difference. In this particular tefillah group, Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld leads the students not only in writing reflections on the prayers, but writing as an act of prayer. It is both the writing and the reading of poetry that allows for a deeply creative connection to The Divine. The poems are based on liturgy, combin...

In this episode, we're sharing a discussion between Hebrew College faculty member Rabbi Rachel Adelman and her Rabbinical Student Risa Dunbar, about the power of poetry as midrash: the stories that open our text to even more questioning, along with understanding. Both writers bring their individual voices and experiences into the conversation with the text, allowing the ancient words a new place i...

Rabbi Jane Kanarek shares a story about humility.

Tune in this week as Rabbi Genevieve Greinetz weaves together the words of the Bavli, Ancient Greek Philosophers, contemporary literature, and her own thoughts on finding women's voices in our ancient texts, and Rabbi Jane Kanarek discusses the importance of observing Talmud with an assumption of women's presence, rather than an assuming their absence.   Get full show notes and more information he...

Tune in for this episode to discover Hebrew College's and our wider community's work in creating community and hope across difference. Our panelists are discussing what hope means to them, the practices they have discovered help find common ground and acknowledge differences and their insights into building a world where all voices are heard. Get full show notes and more information here: http://h...

Tune in for a dynamic talk between Rabbi Dan Judson and Dr. Jonathan Sarna, giving us a deep insight into Hebrew College's commitments to Jewish culture, Jewish leadership, and passing wisdom from generation to generation, even giving you a glimpse into the cultural curriculum at the college 100 years ago.   Get full show notes and more information here: http://hebrewcollege.edu/podcast-13

Tune in for a unique insight into the experience of Jewish soldiers fighting in World War II. These letters contain heartwarming details of Hebrew College alum eating challahs on an unknown island in the Pacific, catching up with old friends in London, and reciting excerpts from the Haggadah in Fiji.   Get full show notes and more information here: http://hebrewcollege.edu/podcast-12

Tune in to discover two unique takes on contemporary Eastern European and Klezmer music. Hankus Netsky is sharing his inspiration and wealth of experience on the revival of Klezmer music, and how it has been evolving over the past 45 years. And Cantor Rebecca Khitrik is discussing her influences and the musical melting pot that has brought Eastern European Yiddish music to where it is today.   Get...

Rabbi Jordan Braunig's essay, read by Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld, brings us into an unsettling and deeply personal story of love and fragility, giving us an account of a time when it's so difficult to express the complexity of emotion, that even the walls of metaphor cannot hold.   Get full show notes and more information here: http://hebrewcollege.edu/podcast-9

Dr. Shively Smith reads us through and reflects on Rabbi Or Rose's gratitude of Howard Thurman and the impact he had on the landscape of what is possible for interreligious harmony and cooperation -- as well as how we can all carry on this work in our own religious practices.   Get full show notes and more information here: http://hebrewcollege.edu/podcast-8

Join us in this episode to discover the lessons from the ancient stories of Noah and the flood, and Abraham's intervention in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. And in the post-sermon discussion, both reader Bill McKibben and Rabbi Shoshana Friedman share their thoughts about our role and responsibility to take action and speak up to encourage the collective consciousness needed to save our pl...

Listen in this episode as Anne Germanacos reads Mónica's d'var Torah , written in 2019, highlighting this piece's ever-increasing relevance in a world of post-truths and "alternative facts". Mónica shares with us how leaning into that which doesn't make narrative sense highlights the greater truths that can fly under our rational mind. Get full show notes and more information here: http://hebrewco...

Listen in on this journey through Lydia Kukoff's sensory memories and discover the product of combining her Italian heritage with her chosen Jewish faith, melding her experiences, creating new traditions for her family, expanding the definition of Judaism while also connecting deeply with its traditions. Get full show notes and more information here: http://hebrewcollege.edu/podcast-5