All episodes

Parshas Matos-Maasei: The Massacre of the Women and Children

Parshas Pinchas: After 40 years of Miracles Etc., the Jews Came This-Close to Extermination…

Parshas Balak: In Hiring Bilaam, was Balak Confusing Cause and Effect?

Parshas Chukas: Moses Deviates from His Instructions re: Edom, and Pays the Price

Korach and the Art of Timing (Parshas Korach)

Parshas Shelach: The מְרַגְּלִים Then…and Now

Parshas BeHaaloscha: A Storehouse of Biblical Rhetoric From Moshe and From HaShem

Parshas Naso: Why are Sotah and Nazir Davka in This Week’s Parsha?

Parshas Bamidbar: Recruiting an Army That was Not Destined to Fight

Was the Holocaust Indeed the Tochacha? – An Analysis (Parshas Bechukosai)

G-d is Not Only the Author, He is Also the Editor (Parshas Behar)

Parshas Emor: Nowadays We Have to Warn the קְטַנִּים re: the גְּדוֹלִים!

Parshas Kedoshim: What Does Hashem Mean When He Says He is קָדוֹשׁ

Parshas Acharei Mos: What Error of Aaron’s Sons is Rectified?

The Special-Role of Hyssop in Purifying Tzaraas and in the Original Passover (Parshas Metzora)

Parshas Tazria: Lashon Hara and צָרַעַת. Did Everyone Who Spoke It Get Tzaraas? It Doesn’t Seem So

Parshas Shmini: Aaron was Publicly, Ashamed, But Not Moses! (The Noam Elimelech vs. the Kli Yakar)

Parshas Tzav: Why Does Hashem Want Presents (מְנָחוֹת)?

Parshas Zachor and Parshas Vayikra: Contrasting the Rhetoric in Vayikra and the Rhetoric of Samuel’s Criticism of Saul

Parshas Pikudei: When Moshe Spoke to G-d, Why Did He Care What All the Hockers Were Saying?

The Gold and Silver: Was It Originally From the Egyptians or From the Jews? (Parshas VaYakhel)

Parshas VaYakhel: Was the Mishkan a Physical “Substitute” for Moshe to Steady the People?

The Golden Calf: Who Exactly Made It? (Parshas Ki Sisa)

The Tzitz – What Exactly was Its Role? The Interpretation of the Rashbam (Parshas Tetzaveh)

The Command to Build a Mishkan – A Response to Moshe’s Request to See G-d’s Face? (Parshas Terumah)

Is Shabbos Only for Jews or is There a Part of It That Applies to Gentiles? (Parshas Mishpatim)

Chronology and the Torah: The Narration Our Parshas MIshpatim and the Debate About Whether It is in Chronological Order

Is Unity More Important Than Mitzvah-Observance? (Parshas Yisro)

Moses the Rhetorician (Parshas Beshalach)

Parshas Bo: Moshe was Relentlessly Recruited for His Suffering When Other Jews Suffered

Parshas Shmos: Did the Jews Cause Their Enslavement By Their Real-Estate Tactics?

Parshas VaYechi: Did Yaakov Give Shechem to the Descendants of Prince Shechem?

Parshas VaYigash: Why Present a Whole Story on How Joseph Bought Up All the Real-Estate?

Joseph’s Economic Plan: Did G-d Tell Him or Did He Come Up With It on the Spot? (Parshas Mikeitz)

Parshas VaYeshev: Did the Brothers Realize Their Father Would Never Get Over It?

Jacob & Esau: A Mediated Encounter vs. Shechem & Dinah: An Unmediated Encounter (Parshas VaYishlach)

Parshas VaYetzei: Yaakov’s State of Mind When He Stops and Dreams

The Story of Rivkah: What Was Her Age? Did She Go to Shem V’Ever or Have an Epiphany on Mt. Moriah?

Eliezer – The Snoopy Shadchan (Parshas Chayai Sarah)

Why Does Lot Resent Abraham? Family Tensions (Parshas Lech Lecha)

Greece (Yefes) – Ironically Blessed for Covering a Naked Body (Parshas Noach)

Parshas Noach: Noah After the Flood – A Different Form of Paradise Lost

Parshas Bereishis: What Does G-d Mean When He Says ” Adam is Like One of Us?”

Parshas Haazinu: Just Before He Dies, Moshe Has the Jews Memorize a Scary Poem

Parshas Nitzavim: Moses Fears That Nostalgia for Egypt May Trump 40 Years of Miracles in the Desert

Parshas Ki Savo: Is the Speech We Read Identical With the One Delivered By Moses? Or is It Edited?

Parshas Ki Seitzei: The Strange Law About the Captive Woman.

Parshas Shoftim: How Can You Raise an Army If You Let All the “Chickens” Leave?

Parshas Shoftim: Moses’ Seemingly Confusing Political System

Parshas Re’eh: Moses Warns Against Seeking Novel Religious Experiences

Parshas Eikev: Was Moshe Responding Emotionally to the Faces and Expressions of His Audience?

Parshas VaEschanan: Why Was Moses Commanded to “Buck-Up” Joshua?

Parshas Devarim: Are These Moshe’s Actual Words? Or G-d’s Editing of Them?

Parshas Matos-Maasai: Is Revenge a Jewish Value? Nationally? Individually?

Parshas Pinchos: Did the Sin of Moabite Women Really Deserve Total Extermination?

Parshas Chukas: The Well of Miriam – What Exactly Was It?

Parshas Korach: Moses v. Korach – The Fickle Public Went For the Rich Guy in the Empty Suit

Parshas Shelach: The Meraglim and the Canaanites – Who Was More Scared?

Parshas Behaaloscha: The Political Message of the Menorah

Parshas Naso: The Adulterous Wife vs. the Hypocritical Husband

Parshas Bamidbar: The Flags – The Existential Struggle Between the Different Forces in Klal Yisroel

Parshas Behar-Bechukosai: The Tochachah – The Fate of the Survivors, the Nisharim.

Parshas Emor: The Kohen vs. the Talmid Chacham. Two Different Models of Elitism

Parshas Acharei Mos-Kedoshim: What is the Precise Meaning of “Kedoshim Tihiyu?”

Parshas Tazria-Metzora: Leprosy a Punishment for Lashon Hara – Really?

Parshas Shmini: Nadav and Avihu – What Exactly Happened?

Parshas Tzav: Reciting Korbanos vs. Understanding Korbanos

Parshas VaYikrah: King David’s Anguish at His Inability to Defend the Korbanos in Debate with Gentiles and Heretics

The Most Difficult Haftorah of the Year (Haftarah Parshas HaChodesh)

Parshas VaYakhel-Pekudei: Which Has Worked Better? Mishkan or Shabbos?

Parshas Ki Sisa: Where Does It Say You May Not Make an Idol of Hashem?

Parshas Tetzaveh: Aaron’s Splendid Clothes and His Splendid Temperament

Parshas Trumah: Why Did G-d REQUEST a Mishkan, But Seemed Not Interested At All in a Bais Hamikdash?

Parshas Mishpatim: Onkelos, His Audience, and Seeing G-d Standing Next to a Sapphire Brick

Parshas Yisro: Why the Preoccupation With Staying Away From the Mountain?

Parshas Beshalach: Why Did Miriam Organize a Dance at the Red Sea?

Parshas Bo: Why Does G-d Deceive Pharaoh With That Request to Leave for Only Three Days?

Parshas VaEra: Why Show Respect to a Bum Like Pharaoh?

Parshas Shmos (2020): Unpacking the Hotel Incident – Did G-d Really Intend to Kill Moses After so Heavily Recruiting Him?

Parshas VaYechi (2020): Why Did Yaakov Have a “Gentile” funeral?

Parshas VaYigash: The Revelation, Shock, and Heart-Attacks in the Parsha

Parshas Mikeitz (2020): Had They Succeeded in Killing Joseph, Would They Have Survived the Famine?

Parshas VaYeshev (2020): Why Doesn’t Joseph Try to Contact His Father?

Parshas VaYishlach (2020): Did Yaakov’s Children Really Have Idols? The Aftermath of the Massacre

Parshas VaYetzei: Where is the Yeshiva of Shem? Why is Yaakov There?

Parshas Toldos (2020): The Portentous Oracle – “Rav Yaavod Tzair”

Parshas Chayai Sara: The Strange and Enigmatic Keturah Story

Parshas VaYera: Whatever Happened to Lot, Anyway?

Parshas Lech Lecha: Abraham and the Two Fateful Interviews With Sodom and Malki Tzedek

Parshas Noach: Why Couldn’t G-d Think of an Alternative to Mass Genocide?

Parshas Bereishis: Blaming the Snake

Parshas Haazinu: The Interplay Between Divine Providence and Antisemitism

Parshas Nitzavim-VaYelech: What Does V’Hashevosah El L’Vovechah Mean and Can It Be Translated?

Parshas Ki Seitzei: Moshe Calls Attention to Various Dangerous Behaviors Between the Sexes

Parshas Shoftim: How to Be One’s Own Judge and Policeman

Parshas Re’eh: Moses Admonishes the Jews Not to Destroy the Bais HaMikdash….Hmm

Parshas VaEschanan: Shabbos- Theology or Gratitude?

Parshas Devarim: Does the Word “Devarim” Mean “Words” or “History”

Parshas Matos-Masei: Is Lebanon Part of Israel?

Parshas Pinchas: Strange Yichus – Pinchas, Potiphar, Shechem