Sprung On Torah

Rabbi Sprung explores the significance of the throne of King Ahasuerus.

Who are you related to?

Deep dive into the tactics of the enemy of the Jews through history.

episode 6

Episode 5

Esther, Chapters 4 & 5

Esther Part 3.

Esther Part 2

Esther Part 1 of a new weekly series.

Israel and its enemies. Then and now. And always.

Israel and its enemies.

Succos squared.

PG-13 Disclaimer: this episode contains some material that may be inappropriate for children. The best day of the year. The Righteous, the Wicked, and Everything in Between.

Curses. Absentee Covenants. Hakhel. Shmita. Replicating Cells.

Bikurim. Tefillin. Pairs.

Marrying a captive woman. Two wives. Rebellious son. Hanging. Returning lost possessions. Cross Dressing. Noticing.

Justice, judges, and officers. Carved altars, ashera trees, and idols. Corruption. Redundancy. Seat (location) of Sanhedrin.

Understanding repetition: idolatry, kosher laws, tumah/tahara (ritual purity).

Understanding Moshe's narrative. Seven Weeks of Comfort. Tohu.

Understanding Moshe's narrative. Seven Weeks of Comfort. Tohu.

Moshe's efforts to enter the Land of Israel. Rabbi Yochanan and Vespasian.

Moshe's final message. Judges, chacham vs. navon. Three eras of Israel.

Vows, oaths, & pledges. Mateh vs. Shevet.

Kahuna (priesthood). Earning vs. inheriting. Pinchas. Aharon. Bilam. Family. Marital purity.

Pairing Chukas & Balak. Moshe vs. The Rock. Moshe vs. Balaam.

Korach. Ketores (incense). Plague. Questioning God.

Caleb. Ancestral burial sites. The Spies' intelligence report.

The Spies. Espionage. Joshua vs. Caleb.

The Menorah, a deep dive.

Korbanos of the Nesi'im. Sotah. Nazir. Stealing from Converts. Bikurim.

Harvest laws. Davidic Dynasty. Crown Jewels.

The Desert. Counting Jews. Letters. Numbers. Flags. Wine.

Kedusha (holiness). Space. Time. Behaviors. Objects. Sevens. The structure of Sefer Vayikra (Leviticus).

Kohanim (priests). Levels of Kedusha (holiness). Purity & impurity. Cursing Gd. Sources: - Vayikra (Leviticus) 21:2 - Shemos (Exodus) 27:20

Blood. Impurity. Rome vs. Judaism. Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. Demons. Israel. Sources Discussed: - Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:14 - Talmud Meilah 17a-b - Talmud Sanhedrin 107b - M'lachim II (Kings II) 5:1

Leprosy vs. Tzara'as. Tumah and Tahara. Life and Death. Lashon Harah.

The Seder.

Elevation. Meal. Peace. Sin. Guilt. Shok. Chazeh. Shabbos Hagadol.

Small Aleph. Coincidence vs. love. God's eternal voice. Sinai to Mishkan. Blood, earth, and humans.

Hur. Betzalel. The significance of their ancestry. 

Golden Calf. Copper Snake. Golden Calves 2.0. Jews, symbols, and false gods.

The Mishkan, Kohanim, vessels, and vestments. Urrim V'tumim, Choshen, Ephod, and Shoham stones.  Sh'chem, mountains, and Jewish civil war.    

Moshe and Amalek. Esther, Mordechai, and Haman. Gd's Chair, the Mishkan, and the Ark.

Magic. Witches. The door to Hell. Shimon ben Shetach.

Yisro's names. Yisro's daughters. Yisro's advice.  

The bones of Yosef. The legend of the Sam Batyon River. The Lost Ten Tribes of Israel. Why the Jews go to Pi Hachiros and Baal Tzefon. 

The difference between Bo vs. Lech (come vs. go). A close look at the final three plagues and how they differ from the first seven. The connection between locusts and Egypt's past.

Magic. A closer look at the supernatural phenomena referenced in the parsha, including Pharoah's sorcerers vs. Moshe & Aaron, and the first four plagues.

A close look at Moshe's Mateh (staff): its origins, the connection to snakes, and what its true powers are. 

Preview questions of this week's podcast episode.