All Episodes
JTS Torah Commentary — 470 episodes
The Choice: Nitzavim - Vayeilekh 5786
After Liberation: Ki Tavo 5786
God's Love is Here to Stay: Ki Tetzei 5786
Who Was the Levite in Deuteronomy 18:6?: Shofetim 5786
The Power to Choose: Re'eh 5786
Full Stomachs, Forgetful Hearts: Eikev 5786
The Hidden Meaning of the Shema: Va'et-hannan 5786
Motivations for Storytelling: Devarim 5786
The Whole Journey: Mattot-Masei 5786
Pinehas and the Three Weeks: Pinehas 5786
Who Sees the Truth, and Who Speaks It? Hukkat-Balak 5786
When a Question Threatens: Korah 5786
Grapes of Canann: Shelah Lekha 5786
Independence Day: Beha’alotekha 5786
Barefoot and Backwards Levites: Naso 5786
We Were All Converts at Sinai: Shavuot 5786
How Do You Measure a Year? Bemidbar 5786
Remember the Land: Behar|Behukkotai 5786
Holy Frustration: Emor 5786
How to Be Holy-Aharei Mot | Kedoshim 5786
Gender Inside and Outside the Camp: Tazria-Metzora 5786
The Deathly Power of the Holy: Shemini 5786
Freedom through Torah: Pesah 5786
Elijah—and Santa Claus?! Shabat Hagadol 5786
A Covenant of Salt: Vayikra 5786
The Give and Take of Strength: Shabbat Hahodesh | Vayakel-Pekudei 5786
Kept By Shabbat: Shabbat Parah/Ki Tissa 5786
Zakhor in a Fractured Age: Tetzeveh, Shabbat Zakhor 5786
A Symbol of Peace: Terumah 5786
Before Them, Before Us: Misphatim | Shabbat Shekalim 5786
On Moses’ “Saying” and “Telling”: Yitro 5786
When Prayer is Not Enough: Beshallah 5786
Where We Stand is What We Learn: Bo 5786
Words Fail Me: Va'era 5786
Hearing the Cry: Shemot 5786
Pictures at a Benediction: Vayehi 5786
A Song of Hope: Vayiggash 5786
A Light for One, a Light for a Hundred: Miketz | Hanukkah 5786
Judah and Tamar: Writing the Story: Vayeshev 5786
Jacob's Fear: Vayishlah 5786
The Monumental Act of Listening: Vayetzei 5786
Finding Our Way (and God’s) in the World: Toledot 5786
Death and Dignity: Hayyei Sarah 5786
Recasting Lot's Wife: Vayera 5786
Claiming Our Ancestors: Lekh Lekha 5786
Species Purity and the Great Flood
Making Meaning from Chaos: Beresheit 5786
Impermanence, Empathy, and the Shadow of Faith: Sukkot 5786
Our Very Life: Ha'azinu 5786
The Meaning of Kol Nidre: Yom Kippur 5786
When Teshuvah Feels Impossible: Nitzavim 5785
The Blessings of Curses: Ki Tavo
Family Matters: Ki Tetzei 5785
Appoint Judges and Officials: Shofetim 5780
How to Practice Faith: Re'eh 5785
Adhering to God's Word: Eikev 5785
Holding Fast: Va'et-hannan 5785
Black North, White West: Devarim 5785
Boundaries on the Move: Mattot - Masei 5785
The Liberator and the Zealot: Pinehas 5785
Fear, Truth, and a Donkey: Balak 5785
The Humanity of Moses: Hukkat 5785
Introducing JTS's Expanding the Conversation
Where Does Holiness Come From?: Korah 5785
The Desert Dead: Shela Lekha 5785
New Generation, Old Leaders: Beha'alotekha 5785
The Problem with Priests: Naso 5785
Counting as Spiritual Practice: Bemidbar/Shavuot 5785
Grappling with Slavery: Behar-Behukkotai 5785
Who Belongs? Emor 5785
Love Beyond Grudges: Aharei Mot-Kedoshim 5785
The Torah's Prescription for Healing: Tazria - Metzora 5785
Six Takes on a Leader's Attributes: Shemini 5785
The Bones We Carry: Peash VII 5785
Can We Sanctify Incivility? Tzav-Shabbat Hagadol 5785
Who is Liable? Vayikra 5785
The Give and Take of Strength: Pekudei 5785
Sacred Gifts and the Holiness of Diversity: Vayak-hel 5785
The Day is Short, but Our Story is Long: Ki Tissa 5785
Remembering Who We Are: Shabbat Zakhor 5785
The Golden Crown of Parenting: Terumah 5785
Don’t Be the Terumah: Mishpatim 5785
The Confusion of Revelation: Yitro 5785
Aggressor and Aggrieved: Beshallah 5785
The Worst Possible Plague: Bo 5785
Moses’s Lessons in Interfaith Dialogue: Va'era 5785
A Turn for the Better: Shemot 5785
Angel or Avatar? Vayehi 5785
A Tale of Two Dreamers: Vayiggash 5785
The World That Isn't There: Miketz 5785
What Makes Groups Reject Their Own: Vayeshev 5785
When Jacob Met Esau--Facing Our Fears: Vayishlah 5785
Going Out To Meet God and History: Vayetzei 5785
On The Perils of Pregnancy--A Letter to Rivkah: Toledot 5785
“Ger Vetoshav”: A Lesson on Vulnerabilities and Humility: Hayyei Sarah 5785
Can You Spell-check the Tanakh?: Vayera 5785
How Can We Be a Blessing?: Lekh Lekha 5785
Living with Difference: Noah 5785
God’s Partners in Torah: Bereishit 5785
Lessons from Kohelet: Sukkot 5785
Sacred Words in Liturgy and Life: Yom Kippur 5785
Crying with God: Rosh Hashanah 5785
Where Did Moses Go—and Why?: Nitzavim-Vayeilekh 5784
Shattering Our Idols: Ki Tavo 5784
Is Modesty Still Relevant in the Twenty-First Century?: Ki Tetzei 5784
The King's Torah and the Torah's King: Shofetim 5784
Petition or Protest: Re'eh 5784
The Afterlife of Our Actions: Eikev 5784
Is Love Enough?: Va'ethannan 5784
The Rules of Rebuke: Devarim 5784
"What's God?"--And Other Questions Kids Ask: Mattot-Masei 5784
Making Space for Life: Pinehas 5784
The Sound of No Hands Clapping: Balak 5784
Heroes and Humans: Hukkat 5784
Not for the Sake of Heaven: Korah 5784
The Large Significance of the Littlest Letter: Shelah Lekha 5784
The Journey: Beha'alotekha 5784
What Blessings Do You Need Now?: Naso 5784
Becoming Like the Wilderness: Bemidbar 5784
The Terrifying Third Aliyah of Behukkotai: Behukkotai 5784
What Can a Bird and a Seed Teach Us About Shemitah?: Behar 5782
Are We Just Speaking, or Truly Communicating?: Emor 5784
Who among Us Is Holy?: Kedoshim 5784
What Do the Dead Know?: Aharai Mot 5784
Living at the Frontier: Pesah 5784
In Each And Every Generation: Shabbat Hagadol 5784
Introducing: Exploring Kabbalah from JTS Podcasts
Charting a Way Back: Tazria 5784
Honoring Aaron’s Tragic Sacrifice in the Laws of Mourning: Shemini/Shabbat Hahodesh 5784
Prayer as Resonance: Tzav-Shabbat Shekalim 5784
Amalek and the Torah of Purim: Shabbat Zakhor 5784
Playing Hide and Seek with God: Pekudei 5784
The People Step Up: Vayak-hel 5784
The Desperate (and Comprehensible) Project of the Golden Calf: KiTissa 5784
The Jewelry of a Master Teacher: Tetzavveh 5784
Terumah--The Gift That Elevates: Terumah 5784
How Can Humans Uphold Divine Justice?: Mishpatim 5784
The Limitations God Shares with Us: Yitro 5784
Destiny is in the Details: Beshallah 5784
What Do Tefillin Do?: Bo 5784
When the Nile Gave Up Its Terrible Secret: Va'era 5784
Moshe the Mindful?: Shemot 5784
Is it Heretical to Ask God for Protection?: Vayehi 5784
The Reason(s) Jacob Went Down to Egypt: Vayiggash 5784
A World in Crisis Needs a Yosef: Miketz 5784
Tamar, Our Mother: Vayeshev 5784
Remember Dinah: Listen to Women: Vayishlah 5784
Listening with Yaakov: Vayeitzei 5784
Isaac: Schlimazel, or Something More?: Toledot 5784
Who Was Abraham's Last Wife?: Hayyei Sarah 5784
Hagar's Tears and Ours: Vayera 5784
What Should We Call Our First Foremother?: Lekh Lehka 5784
What Is the Rainbow Really Teaching Us?: Noah 5784
An Anthology of Beginnings: Bereishit 5784
Dancing with Torah: Simhat Torah 5784
Why We Gather: Sukkot 5784
Weren't We Just Forgiven: Ha'azinu 5784
Returning With God: Nitzavim Vayeilekh 5783
What It Means to Enjoy: Ki Tavo 5783
Do Not Turn Away--Then and Now: Ki Tetzei 5783
Who Are You To Judge?: Shofetim 5783
To Know or Not to Know: Re'eh 5783
Would Our Mother Forget Us?: Eikev 5783
The Words Upon Our Heart: Va’et-hannan 5783
Taking Life's Journey with Torah: Devarim 5783
Upgrading the Torah--And the World: Mattot-Masei 5783
Life After Moses: Pinehas 5783
Dreaming of Being Balaam: Hukkat-Balak 5783
The Evolution of Torah: Season 2 Preview
Did Korah Get a Bum Rap?: Korah 5783
Always Something There to Remind Me: Shelah Lekha 5783
At the Threshold: Beha'alotekha 5783
The Power of a Blessing: Naso 5783
How Should We Know God?: Shavuot 5783
Reliving Revelation: Bemidbar 5783
Growing Into Torah: Behar-Behukkotai 5783
The Problem of Embodied Perfection: Emor 5783
Making God Holy: Aharei Mot-Kedoshim 5783
It Passes and We Stay: Tazria Metzora 5783
A Love That Transforms: Shemini 5783
Leaving Egypt with Compassion and Justice: Shabbat Hol Hamoed Pesah 5783
The Primacy of Questions: Tzav 5783
What Does It Mean to Be Called?: Vayikra 5783
Making Space for God’s Presence: Vayak-hel Pekudei 5783
When Is Humility Not a Virtue?: Ki Tissa 5783
The Meaning of Aaron's Holy Garments: Tetzavveh 5783
Gold and Incense--For Better or Worse: Terumah 5783
Why Does the Torah Care About Returning Lost Property?: Mishpatim 5783
How Do We Meet At Sinai?: Yitro 5783
How Do We Keep Our Hands Up?: Beshallah 5783
How Does Moses Cope When Expectations Fall Short?: Bo 5783
Why Did Moses Have a Speech Disability? : Va'era 5783
God's Human Partner: Shemot 5783
Parenting Lessons from the Parashah: Vayehi 5783
The Gradual Journey to Forgiveness: Vayiggash 5783
Joseph, Hanukkah, and the Dilemmas of Assimilation: Miketz 5783
The Power of Tamar: Vayeshev 5783
Can We Be Empowered by Patriarchal Texts? Vayishlah 5783
Was Laban Really Worse than Pharaoh? Vayetzei 5783
Two Nations in Your Belly: Toledot 5783
Rebecca the Patriarch: Hayyei Sarah 5783
Women of Faith: Vayera 5783
Learning as a Lifelong Experience: Lekh Lekha 5783
After the Flood: Noah 5783
The World of Creation in Each of Us: Bereishit 5783
Impermanence by Design: Sukkot 5783
Making Every Word Count: Ha'azinu 5783
The Courage to Hope: Vayeilekh 5783
Confronting Our “Concealed Things”: Nitzavim 5782
Count Your Blessings: Ki Tavo 5782
What Does the Torah Really Say about Cross-Dressing?: Ki Tetzei 5782
Prophets of Faith: Shofetim 5782
The Meaning of Repetition, Repetition: Re'eh 5782
Raising Children in the Land of Plenty: Eikev 5782
Never Too Late to Get Close: Va’et-hannan 5782
Moses's Retirement Speech: Devarim 5782
Do Women's Vows Count? A 21st Century Problem: Mattot-Massei 5782
The Liberator and the Zealot: Pinehas 5782
The Thrill and the Terror of the Foreign Prophet: Balak 5782
What If Moses Was Supposed to Hit the Rock?: Hukkat 5782
Your Authority is an Illusion: Korah 5782
Mapping Our Love: Shelah Lekha 5782
How Should One Shine One’s Light? Beha’alotekha 5782
Does God Speak: Naso 5782
Counting With the Full Severity of Compassion: Bemidbar 5782
The Blessings of Curses: Behukkotai 5782
The Limitations of Ownership: Behar 5782
For What Should I Compromise on Religious Observance?: Emor 5782
Fruit Trees and Foreskins: Kedoshim 5782
Who is the Stranger: Aharei Mot 5782
Rememembering Together: Last Days of Pesah 5782
Which is Wiser?: The Story of the Exodus or the Laws of Pesah?: Pesah 5782
Evergreen Lessons from the Haggadah: Shabbat Hagadol 5782
Here I Am, Tzara’at and All: Tazria 5782
Deathly Power of the Holy: Shemini 5782
Lessons From the Ashes: Tzav 5782
"Tis the Gift to Be Simple": Vayikra 5782
Can You Rival and Respect Your Teacher?: Pekudei 5782
The Sanctity of the Schoolroom: Vayak-hel 5782
On Needing Certainty Now: Ki Tissa 5782
Garments of Light: Tetzavveh 5782
Holding God, Our Tradition, and One Another Close: Terumah 5782
The Torah’s Creative Team: Mishpatim 5782
Strangers at a Revelation: Yitro 5782
Commanded to Remember: Beshallah 5782
Teach Your Children Well: Bo 5782
Cover Crop for a Hardened Heart: Va'era 5782
Who is “Us?”: Shemot 5782
Fear and Forgiveness: Vayehi 5782
Faith by Numbers: Vayiggash 5782
Joseph's Brothers and the Naked Truth: Miketz 5782
From Podcast to Parashah: Vayeshev 5782
Facing Our Fears: Vayishlah 5782
The Give and Take of Biblical Vows: Vayetzei 5782
May We Be Known by the Work of Our Hands: Toledot 5782
What Was Isaac Doing in the Field?: Hayyei Sarah 5782
Lessons from Lot’s Daughters: Vayera 5782
Was Avram a Second Language Learner?: Lekh Lekha 5782
Who Do You Think You Are?: Noah 5782
Is the World a Mirror?: Bereishit 5782
What Exactly Is A Sukkah: Sukkot 5782
In God's Image: Ha'azinu | Sukkot 5782
Moses's Journey, and Ours: Vayeilekh | Shabbat Shuvah 5782
Choosing to Choose: Nitzavim 5781
Reliving Sinai Every Day: Ki Tavo 5781
Before Going Out to Fight, Look Inside: Ki Teztei 5781
Making Space for Community: Shofetim 5781
Can We Mourn Too Much?: Re'eh 5781
A Legacy of Peace: Eikev 5781
The Commandments We Need: Va’et-hannan 5781
Rebuilding the Temple Within: Devarim 5781
Who Gets the Last Word?: Mattot-Masei 5781
In the Face of Violence, a Covenant of Peace: Pinehas 5781
Greater than Moses?: Balak 5781
Heroes and Humans: Hukkat 5781
Korah Had Options and So Do We: Korah 5781
Contempt for God’s Word?: Shelah Lekha 5781
Help Wanted: Beha'alotekha 5781
Parenting Lessons from the Priests: Naso 5781
Counting the Moments: Shavuot 5781
Why Do Jews Still Adhere to the Torah’s Covenant?: Behar-Behukkotai 5781
Struggling to Celebrate: Emor 5781
The Palace of Torah Expanded: Aharei Mot - Kedoshim 5781
The Values of a Jewish Home: Tazria-Metzora 5781
The Seed of the Rabbinic Revolution: Shemini 5781
Learning from God to Anticipate the Reactions of Others: Last Days of Passover 5781
A Holiday of Contradictory Emotions: Passover 5781
Standing at the Gates: Vayikra 5781
Holy Bling: Vayak-hel - Pekudei 5781
The Path to Justice: Ki Tissa 5781
The Masks that We Wear: Tetzavveh 5781
Remembering Our Sacred Spaces: Terumah 5781
God's Currency: Shabbat Shekalim 5781
Can God Prohibit an Emotion?: Yitro 5781
Speaking of Exodus: Beshallah 5781
Sworn to Sacred Service: Bo 5781
To Destroy and to Overthrow, to Build and to Plant: Va'era 5781
Guided by the Covenant: Shemot 5781
In Every Place: Vayehi 5871
A Song of Hope: Vayiggash 5781
Strangers to Ourselves: Miketz 5781
Miracles of Today: Hanukkah 5781
Having It All: Vayishlah 5781
The World in God: Vayetzei 5781
Esau's Primal Scream: Toledot 5781
Lessons on Leadership from Abraham and Sarah: Hayyei Sarah 5781
Running Far, Drawing Near: Vayera 5781
A Single Star: Lekh-Lekha 5781
Looking Beyond Our Arks: Noah 5781
Beginning, Rebuilding: Bereishit 5781
One Day More: Shemini Atzeret 5781
We are All Sukkah-Dwellers: Sukkot 5781
The Poetics of Loss: Ha'azinu 5781
Tip the Balance: Rosh Hashanah 5781
Democratizing Education: Nitzavim-Vayelekh 5780
Joy Is a Radical Act: Ki Tavo 5780
Who Are We?: Ki Tetzei 5780
Appoint Judges and Officials: Shofetim 5780
Gratitude During Challenging Times: Re'eh 5780
A Moment That Is Always Present: Eikev 5780
The Wholeness of a Broken Tablet: Va'et-hannan / Shabbat Nahamu 5780
Retelling the Past: Devarim 5780
Restorative Justice from Numbers to Now: Mattot-Masei 5780
The Courage to Not Know: Pinehas 5780
Taking the Long View: Hukkat-Balak 5780
When Push Comes to Shove: Korah 5780
What True Leadership Demands: Shelah Lekha 5780
The Journey: Beha'alotekha 5780
The Torah of Large-Scale Projects: Naso 5780
Ruth's Torah Matters Now: Shavuot 5780
Our Sacred Partnerships: Bemidbar 5780
The Nature of Peace: Behar-Behukkotai 5780
Opportunities in Jewish Time: Emor 5780
Holiness Through Restraint: Aharei Mot-Kedoshim 5780
Living Outside the Camp: Tazria-Metzora 5780
How Do We Mourn?: Shemini 5780
Matzah's Majestic Meaning: Passover 5780
Passover in the Time of Coronavirus: Shabbat Hagadol 5780
A Covenant of Salt: Vayikra 5780
Those Whose Hearts Lift Them: Vayak-hel Pekudei 5780
Does God Get Carried Away?: Ki Tissa 5780
The Sound of the Bells: Tetzavveh 5780
The Golden Crown of Parenting: Terumah 5780
Mother's Milk: Mishpatim 5780
Expanding the Circle of Revelation: Yitro 5780
Destiny in the Details: Beshallah 5780
The Liberating Power of the Calendar: Bo 5780
Finding Freedom: Va'era 5780
Spiritual Poetry Makes the Good Book Great: Shemot 5780
Difficult Blessings and the Love Within: Vayehi 5780
Why Everyone Should Cry In Public: Vayiggash 5780
Letters Unopened: Miketz 5780
To Fulfill a Mitzvah: Vayeshev 5780
Wrestling for Blessing: Vayishlah 5780
The Monumental Act of Listening: Vayetzei 5780
Introducing The Evolution of Torah: a history of rabbinic literature
Stumping Rashi: Toledot 5780
A Family Reconciles: Hayyei Sarah 5780
The Gravity of Laughter: Vayera 5780
Go Forth: The Grammar of Remembrance: Lekh Lekha 5780
Feeling the Flood: Noah 5780
Don't Wait Until Next Week: Bereishit 5780
Human Lives and the Natural World: Sukkot 5780
This is My Decree: Ha'azinu 5780
The Value of Doubt: Shabbat Shuvah 5780
We Need Each Other: Nitzavim 5779
Speaking God, Speaking Humanity: Ki Tavo5779
Do Not Turn Away—Then and Now: Ki Tetzei 5779
Prophets of Faith: Shofetim 5779
Blood, Water, and Desire: Re'eh 5779
A Land That's Too Good?: Eikev 5779
A Leader's Limits: Va'et-hannan 5779
Hope Amid Destruction: Shabbat Hazon 5779
Boundaries on the Move: Mattot-Masei 5779
In the Face of Violence, a Covenant of Peace: Pinehas 5779
The Sorcery in Our Midst: Balak 5779
Handling Our Anger: Hukkat 5779
How to Challenge Authority: Korah 5779
The Power of One: Shelah Lekha 5779
Modeling Behavior for the Sake of Humankind: Beha'alotekha 5779
How We Build Character: Naso 5779
Counting Ourselves as Israel: Bemidbar 5779
Introducing What Now? A JTS Podcast
Remember the Land: Behukkotai 5779
Leveling the Field: Behar 5779
Counting Whole Jews: Emor 5779
To Whom is Honor Due?: Kedoshim 5779
The Great Escape: Aharei Mot 5779
Fear and Faith at the Exodus: Last Days of Passover 5779
A Spiritual Caution For This Season: Passover 5779
Passover after Pittsburgh: Shabbat Hagadol 5779
Tazria 5779
Shabbat Parah 5779
Tzav 5779
Vayikra 5779
Pekudei 5779
Vayak-hel 5779
Ki Tissa 5779
Tetzavveh 5779
Terumah 5779
Mishpatim 5779
Yitro 5779
Beshallah 5779
Bo 5779
Va'era 5779
Shemot 5779
Vayehi 5779
Vayiggash 5779
Miketz 5779
Vayeshev 5779
Vayishlah 5779
Vayetzei 5779
Toledot 5779
Hayyei Sarah 5779
Vayera 5779
Lekh Lekha 5779
Noah 5779
Bereishit 5779
Sukkot 5779
Ha'azinu 5779
Shabbat Shuvah (Vayelekh) 5779
Nitzavim 5778
Ki Tavo 5778
Ki Tetzei 5778
Shofetim 5778
Re'eh 5778
Eikev 5778
Va'et-hannan 5778
Devarim 5778
Mattot-Masei 5778
Pinehas 5778
Balak 5778
Hukkat 5778
Korah 5778
Shelah Lekha 5778
Beha'alotekha 5778
Naso 5778
Bemidbar 5778
Behar-Behukkotai 5778
Emor 5778
Tazria-Metzora 5778
Shemini 5778
Hol Hamoed Pesah 5778
Pesah 5778
Shabbat Hagadol 5778
Vayikra 5778
Vayak-hel Pekudei 5778
Tetzavveh 5778
Terumah 5778
Mishpatim 5778
Yitro 5778
Beshallah 5778
Bo 5778
Va'era 5778
Shemot 5778
Vayeyhi 5778
Vayiggash 5778
Hanukkah 5778
Vayeshev 5778
Vayishlah 5778
Vayetzei 5778
Toledot 5778
Hayyei Sarah 5778
Vayera 5778
Lekh Lekha 5778
Noah 5778
Bereishit 5778
Sukkot 5778
Yom Kippur 5778
Rosh Hashanah 5778