All Episodes
The Pen & The Yad — 371 episodes
Bamidbar: Being Counted Before Being Led
Behar-Bechukotai: Whose World Is It: G-d's or Ours?
Emor: What's In A Name Anyway? A Warning on the Power of Words
Achrei Mot-Kedoshim: Who Is Your Brother Anyway?
Special Episode: Yom HaZikaron & Yom HaAtzmaut
Tazria-Metzora: The Compassionate Side of Religious Authority
Shemini: The Number Eight: From Infinity to Beyond
Tzav: The Value of Ashes
Vayikra: Sacrifice is More Than A Baseball Term, It Is a Way of Approaching the World and Each Other
Vayakhel-Pekudei: Does Integrity Matter Any More?
Ki Tisa: Why Is It Okay to Argue with God?
Special Episode: Purim: The Eternal Relevance of the Story of Purim
Tetzaveh: Strengthening the Bonds of Jewish Peoplehood
Remembering Reverend Jesse Jackson
Terumah: The Heart of the Tabernacle
Mishpatim: Unity of Action and Diversity of Opinion
Yitro: Unity of Action and Diversity of Opinion Are The Central Components to Judaism
Beshalach: What is The Song of Shabbat Shira?
Bo: Passover and the Inclusive Power of Ritual
Vayera: The Hardened Heart of Pharaoh Continues to Beat
Shemot: How Do You Explain Jewish Resilience?
Vayechi: Does Belief in An Afterlife Matter?
Vayigash: Taking Advantage of Second Chances
Miketz: What is the Significance of Hanukkah This Season?
Vayeshev: Jacob Never Gets to Retire
Vayishlach: Esau: Human Being or Biblical Avatar
Vayetzei: Climbing the Ladder of Life
Toldot: The Power of Small Acts
Chayei Sara: To Marry in the Jewish People, or Out?
Vayera: The Binding of Isaac
Lech Lecha: Do Jews Have a Mission in This World?
Noach: Does G-d Feel?
Bereshit: No, The Devil Did Not Make You Do It: Taking Responsibility for Our Actions
Sukkot: Finding Feeling: Our Fragility and Discovering Our Power
Shabbat Shuvah and Yom Kippur: What Does The Alarming Note Mean to Us This Year; What Gives Us Hope?
Nitzavim Rosh Hashana: What Do We Hear When The Shofar is Sounded?
Ki Tavo: The Chosen People: Misconception and the Search for a Treasured People
Ki Teitzei: The Torah's Version of Hate, The Sin, and Not The Sinner
Shoftim: The Torah's Transformational Idea of Justice
Re'eh: Tzedakah: The Torah That All Jews Practice
Eikev: Matters of Memory
Vaetchanan: Shabbat Nachamu: Where Shall We Find Comfort on This Sabbath of Comfort?
Devarim: Arguing With G-D: A Jewish Pastime
Matot-Masei: The Diaspora Existed Before Israel Even Entered the Promised Land
Pinchas: The Importance of Succession Planning in Leadership
Balak: Praising Israel Through Gritted Teeth
Chukat: When Dreams Go Unfulfilled, Then What?
Korach: Charisma Versus True Leadership
Sh’lach Lecha: Can the Whole World Be Wrong?
Beha’alotcha: The Power to Rise After Getting Knocked Down & The Menorah
Nasso: Choosing the Path of Moderation and Not That of Extremes
Bamidbar: Counting Lemmings or Individuals: The Possibilities and the Dangers of a Census
Behar-Behukotai: The Great Restart
Emor: Teach Us to Number Our Days
Achrei Mot-Kedoshim: The Steps to a Loving Society
Tazria-Metzora: Our Words and Our Humanity
Shemini: Is Spontaneity Overrated? The Role of Priests and Prophets
Pesach Day Seven: The Splitting of the Sea & The Power of Experience
Special Episode: Pesach: Dayeinu, Are You Kidding?
Tzav / Shabbat Hagadol: The Secret of Jewish Survival
Vayikra: No Excuses
Pekudei: The Importance of Trust in Our Leaders
Vayakhel: The Thing About Gold
Ki Tisa: The Soundtrack of Our Jewish Lives
Tetzaveh: Saving Tradition in a Throwaway Society
Terumah: The Angelic Essence of Judaism
Mishpatim: An Eye for An Eye, and Where?
Yitro: Does Sinai Still Matter?
Beshalach: The Bones of Joseph and What?
Bo: Speaking Truth to Power
Vaera: The Hardened Heart: Then and Now
Shemot: The Essential Role That Women Play
Vayechi: How Should We Assess the Legacies of Our Leaders, Whether It Be Jacob or Jimmy Carter?
Vayigash: What Should We Remember When Great Leaders Die?
Miketz: The Meaning of Hanukkah in 2024
Vayeshev: Almost Is Not Good Enough In Life
Vayishlach: The Power of Moving Beyond Our Fears
Vayetzei: Dylan or Springsteen? The Difference Between the Jews of The Diaspora and Israelis
Toldot: Is Winning the Only Thing That Matters?
Chayei Sara: What Are We Thankful For?
Vayera: Opening Yourself Up To Other Points of View
Lech Lecha: It's a Mitzvah to Vote
Noach: The Tower of Babel and Our Relationship to Technology
Bereshit: Recreating the World and Human Empowerment
Sukkot: Embracing Fragility
Nitzavim-Vayeilech: The Torah and The American Constitution: Are They Both Holy?
Ki Tavo: The Power of The Jewish Story
Ki Teitzei: What is the Purpose of the Law?
Shoftim: What Does It Take to Create a Just Society?
Re'eh: Kashered and Chosenness: A Path to a Higher Conscience
Eikev: Blessings: The Jewish Path of Satisfaction
Vaetchanan: The Sh’ma, Oneness, Unity, and the Search for Our Essence
Devarim: Integrity and Leadership
Matot-Masei: Should I Stay Or Should I Go: Israel vs. The Diaspora, Then and Now
Pinchas: To Stand Or Not to Stand Up for What is Right
Balak: Weasel Words and Words That Matter
Chukat: Do We Dream on a Star, or Are Our Dreams Deferred?
Korach: Populism: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Sh'lach Lecha: How Courageous Are You Really?
Beha'alotcha: Does Judaism Respect Other Religions?
Nasso: Maybe Abstinence Should Be a Jewish Value
Bamidbar: The Power of a Census: Encountering Hatred
Bechukotai: Blessings and Curses: Who's in Charge of Them?
Behar: Putting Meaning Into Our Words
Emor: Rabbis Are Not Priests
Kedoshim: Our Struggle with Cruelty as Individuals and a Society
Achrei Mot: The Scapegoat: Then and Now
Special Pesach Episode • April 2024
Metzora: We Are All Vulnerable
Tazria: The Resonance of Our Words
Tzav: Assuming the Flawed Humanness of Our Leaders Instead of Being Surprised By It
Shabbat Zachor: Remembering Amalek in America
Pekudei: We Are Off to See the Wizard: Not Oz, but G-d
Vayakhel: There is Nothing Like a Good Ritual to Bring a Community Together
Ki Tisa: Can You Handle the Truth?
Tetzaveh: The Creativity That Flows from Ritual
Terumah: Can Judaism Be Coerced?
Mishpatim: The World's Oldest Sermon
Yitro: Is All Killing Murder?
Beshalach: The Circuitous Road to Freedom
Bo: How Distinct Do We Really Want to be as Jews?
Vayera: What’s In a Name, and What Can We Learn from G-d’s Name?
Shemot: Writing the Biography of Moses
Vayechi: It Ain’t Over ’Til Its Over: The Jewish Argument Against Fate
Special Episode: Rabbi Michael Siegel Discusses His Recent Trip to Israel
Vayigash: Judah and the Hero that Exists Inside of Us
Miketz: Joseph, Chanukah, and the Limits of Assimilation
Vayeshev: Joseph and Where Does Greatness Come From?
Vayishlach: The Often Unseen Power of Women in the Torah
Vayetzei: I Have a Dream, Now What?
Toldot: Wisdom, Our Parents, and Redigging the Wells of Tradition
Chayei Sara: Abraham and His Descendants and the Ownership of Land
Vayera: Does the Arc of Justice Stop at Sodom and Gomorrah?
Lech Lecha: Lot: The Bibles First Hostage
Noach: Hamas in the Midst of the Flood
Bereshit: The Power of Words to Create and To Destroy
Special Episode: War with Gaza
Simchat Torah: Celebrating the Entire Jewish Community in the Embrace of the Torah
Sukkot: Enjoying the Imperfect Sukkah of Peace
Ha’azinu / Shabbat Shuva: The Role of National Shuva
Rosh Hashanah Episode: 80th Anniversary of the Rescue of Danish Jewry
Nitzavim-Vayelech: What, Me Worry?
Ki Tavo: The Dangers of Procrastination
Ki Teitzei: The Power of a Birds Nest: How Small Acts Can Have a Huge Effect
Shoftim: The Relevant Lesson of the Song Dovid Melech Yisrael
Re’eh: The Torah and Artificial Intelligence
Eikev: What Can the Idea of Mitzvot Teach Us About Climate Change?
Vaetchanan: Causeless Hatred Amongst Brothers and Sisters and the Path To Comfort
Devarim: The Purpose of a Memoir
Matot-Masei: War—What is It Good For?
Pinchas: Standing for Something: Rosa Parks and the Daughters of Zelophehad
Chukat: The Philosophy of Death and Life
Korach: Finding the Will to Speak Out in Dangerous Moments
Sh’lach Lecha: Letting Our Children Fail Forward: Parenting Lessons from the Torah
Beha’alotcha: Did Law Change Society, or Did Society Change the Law?
Nasso: What We Can Learn From an Ancient Ordeal
Bamidbar: Central Issues and the Power of Structure
Behar Behukotai: Liberty or Release From Poverty: The Message of the Liberty Bell
Emor: Counting Your Steps, and Your Blessings
Achrei Mot: Scape-Goating and Responsibility
Tazria: The Power of Child Birth
Pesach Episode 2023
Shemini: The Sounds of Silence: Getting Comfortable with Being Quiet
Pesach: Reflections on the Burning Issues of Prayer
Vayikra: The Power of the Peace Offering
Vayakhel-Pekudei: Come Together Right Now: Jew and Me
Ki Tisa: Assessing the Breakage: Lessons Learned from the Broken Tablets
Tetzaveh: The Scent of Authenticity
Terumah: The Importance of the Giving Heart
Mishpatim: Taking Another Look at an Eye for an Eye, and a Tooth for a Tooth
Yitro: The Ten Commandments
Beshalach: The Long and Winding Road to Freedom
Bo: Why Isn’t Lamb on the Seder Menu?
Vaera: Cecil B. DeMille and the One True God
Shemot: Moses and the Danger of Complacency
Vayechi: Bless Your Children Well
Vayigash: What Does it Take to Lead?
Miketz: What’s The Name (Change)?
Vayeshev: The Rhyming of Jewish History: Joseph and anti-Semitism in Our Time
Vayishlach: Going to the Mat with Jacob: Lessons We Can Learn from Wrestling
Vayetzei: Is the Diaspora Good for the Jews?
Toldot: Brothers and Others: The Power of Compromise
Chayei Sara: Isaac, Ishmael, and Thanksgiving
Vayera: Standing Up and Becoming a Blessing
Lech Lecha: Leaders Lead, But How?
Noach: The Arc of Justice
Bereshit: Shabbat: The Pause That Lends Holiness
V'zot Habracha: Do Funerals Really Matter?
Yom Kippur: Teshuva and The Age of Google
Vayeilech: The Writing of the Torah: Moses’ Last Will and Testament
Rosh Hashanah: Thinking of the New Year
Nitzavim: Reading the Future Through the Lens of the Past and the Present
Ki Tavo: The Art of Storytelling and The People of the Story
Ki Teitzei: Does Judaism Have to Be Defined by Our Suffering?
Shoftim: War: What is it Good For?
Re’eh: Virtually or In-Person: How Do We Experience God?
Eikev: Thinking About Food Consumption and Gratitude
Vaetchanan: Think Before You Speak, Think After You Speak: Considerations on the Shema
Devarim: Justifying the Conquest of Israel: Where Are The Silver Platters?
Matot-Masei: The Jewish Triptych: Myth and Reality
Pinchas: The Limits of Zealotry
Balak: Blessings and Curses, Then and Now
Chukat: Leading and Listening, Two of the Components of Great Leadership
Korach: The Risks and Rewards of Rebellion
Sh’lach: The Threads That Bind
Beha’alotcha: Leadership is More Than Just Slogans
Nasso: A Lesson On The Act and the Intention of Giving
Bamidbar: Parents As Friends, Or Parents as Parents?
Bechukotai: A Sense of Belonging
Behar: Does Charity Begin and End at Home?
Emor: What’s In a Name?
Kedoshim: The One Thing That All Jews Can Agree On
Achrei Mot: Parenting, Child Sacrifice, and Honoring the Name of God
Last Days of Pesach: Elijah’s at the Door…Now What?
Pesach: When Does Israel Fit Into the Story of Passover?
Metzora: The Riddle of Proper Speech
Tazria: The Healing Power of the Human Touch
Shmini: Overcoming Our Discomfort of Death and Responding to the Mourning
Tzav: Measuring Our Humanity by the Ear, Thumb, and Big Toe
Vayikra: The Sin Offering and Whoopi Goldberg
Pekudei: Is God a Parental Model?
Vayakhel: Effective Punishment Must Include Atonement
Ki Tisa: Is Anyone Beyond Reproach?
Tetzaveh: What if We Took Prophets Seriously in Our Day? Would the World be Any Different Today?
Terumah: The Revolution of Portability Is More Ancient Than You Might Think
Mishpatim: How We Treat Our Enemies is a Barometer of the Health of Our Society
Yitro: Dissecting the Ten Commandments
Beshalach: Choosing the Right Path
Bo: The Passover Lamb and the Courage of Your Convictions
Vaera: The Power and Mystery of Gods Name
Shemot: Killing the Egyptian Task Master: Different Perspectives on Moses
Parashat Vayechi: The Power of Myths
Parashat Vayigash: The Courage of Convictions
Parashat Miketz: Changing Our Names; Hiding Our Jewishness
Vayeshev: Judah, Tamar and the Art of Confession
Vayishlach: Going Into Battle and Retaining Your Humanity: Jacob and Esau
Vayetzei: Finding Our Moral Compass
Toldot: Family Feud: The Moral Implications of Family Dysfunction
Chayei Sara: Does Kindness to Animals Translate into Kindness for Humans?
Vayera: Too Salty? What We Can Learn from Lot’s Wife
Lech Lecha: Breaking the Idols: Then and Now
Noach: The Power of Diversity
Bereshit: The Image of God and Human Dignity
Sukkot: Float Like A Butterfly, Sit in a Sukkah: The Meaning of a Sukkah and the Life of Mohammad Ali
Ha’Azinu: God as Parent: The Transformative Idea of a Loving God
Special Episode: Shabbat Shuva
Special Episode: Rosh Hashanah
Nitzavim: The Power of Forgiveness
Ki Tavo: What is Your Jew-PS? Determining Your Location in the Jewish Story
Ki Teitzei: What You Can Get Out of a Get: A Conversation on Jewish Divorce
Shoftim: Aligning Judges and Judgement
Re'eh: A Return to the Garden of Eden
Eikev: The Blessing of Food
Vaetchanan: Are You Really Listening?
Devarim: Equity Begins with Brotherhood
Matot-Masei: The Power of a Jew-PS System
Pinchas: The Limits of Zealotry
Balak: How is a Culture and a Tradition Passed Down?
Chukat: When is the Time for A Great Leader to Step Aside for the Next Generation of Leadership?
Korach: The Limits of Protest and Managing Its Legacy
Shelach Lecha: Does The Way We Present Ourselves Make A Difference?
Beha’alotcha: The Challenge of a Selective Memory
Nasso: What Have We Learned from COVID?
Bamidbar: The Teacher as a Parent and the Parent as a Teacher
Behar-Bechukotai: Liberty: American or Biblical Style
Achrei Mot-Kedoshim: Whatever Happened to Love Your Neighbor as Yourself: The Derek Chauvin Verdict
Tazria-Metzora: Rugged Individualism and Communal Responsibility
Shemini: The Power of Eight
Pesach: Special Episode
Parsha Tzav: The Dignity of Labor: Torah Style
Vayikra: What We Can Learn About Innovation from the Sacrificial Order
Vayakhel: Living in the Shadow of Betzalel: What is Your Gift That God has Implanted in You?
Ki Tisa: The Breaking of the Tablets: the First Case of CONTROL-ALT-DELETE
Special Purim Episode: The Eerie Relevance of Purim on Saturday Night Live
Parsha Terumah: Who Needs a Synagogue Anyway?
Mishpatim: From Canaan to Whole Foods
Yitro: Getting Out of Our Bubble and Learning from Others
Beshalach: Where’s Naashon When You Need Him?
Bo: Don’t Let the Facts Get in the Way of the Meaning of the Exodus Story
Vaera: Standing Up for Justice
Shemot: Women Make The World Go Around: Then and Now
Vayechi: Joseph vs. Moses / Utilitarianism vs. Ideals
Miketz: Jewish Identities Hidden and Revealed from Joseph to Judah Maccabee
Vayeshev: Family Feud: Biblical Edition
Parsha Vayishlach: Wrestling with Our Better Angels
Parsha Vayetzei: Stairway to Heaven—Jewish-Style
Parsha Toldot: Judging Others and Getting Beyond the One-and-Done Syndrome
Chayei Sara: How Death Becomes Us
Parsha Vayera: Standing Up For Justice
Lech Lecha: Abraham and the Lessons that We Would Do Well To Learn From Thirteen-Year-Olds
Noach: Noach’s Modern Moral Arc
Bereshit: Finding God in the Order of Creation
Special Sukkot Episode: How Do You Measure Joy? Shemini Atzeret: One More Day
Special Yom Kippur Episode • Jonah: The Dove Who Refused to Return
Shabbat Shuva / Ha'Azinu Shuva: The Jewish Superpower
Rosh Hashanah: The Messiness of Redemption
Nitzavim-Vayelech: Hayom: The Power of Today
Ki Tavo: Identity and Memory: The Ultimate Jew-PS
Ki Teitzei: Sparing the Rod and Spoiling the Child, Torah Style!
Shoftim: Who Judges Our Judges?
Re’eh: We Are What We Eat As A Society: Jewish Views on Meat and Morality
Eikev: Rain, with a Chance of Punishment: The Weather and its Theological Implications
Vaetchanan: Making Sense of Hearing Over Seeing
Devarim: Compromise: Can You Compromise if You Feel Compromised?
Matot-Masei: Our Choice to Live in the Diaspora: A Response to Moses and Herzl
Pinchas: A zealot, A Reactionary, or Freedom Fighter and a Hero?
Balak: What is So Good About Jewish Homes and Synagogues?
Chukat: A Biblical Lesson in Anger Management
Korach: The Fine Line Between Leadership and Demagoguery
Shelach Lecha: What’s the Big Idea and What Does it Matter?
Special Episode: A Conversation on Racism: Dr. King & George Floyd
Beha'alotcha: Light My Fire: The Power of Human Potential
Nasso: Count Me In, Count Me Out: The Challenges of a Census
Shavuot: Pick a Commandment, Any Commandment
Bamidbar: Counting and Being Counted: The Power of a Census
Bechukotai: Truth or Consequences
Emor: Having the Time of Our Jewish Lives
Acharei Mot-Kedoshim: How Do We Define Holiness In Our Time?
Tazria-Metzora: Caring for the Ill in Time of Fear
Shemini: Living in Seven and Trying to Get to Eight: The Power of Numbers
The Challenge of the Coronavirus: Where Does God Fit In?
Tzav: Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust, Recycling to Recycling
Vayikra: Close to You: Before the Carpenters There was Leviticus
Vayakel-Pekudei: How Do We Define Labor? How Do We Allow Our Labor to Define Us?
Ki Tisa: How Far Do We Stick Our Neck Out for Others? The Leaders Responsibility to Love His People
Tetzaveh: The Garment of Leadership
Terumah: Does Giving from the Heart Lead to Giving with Heart?
Mishpatim: You Don’t Have to Live in the Past to Learn from the Past
Yitro: Jethro or Amalek - Rewards, Dangers and Responsibilities for Jews Living in a Non-Jewish World
Beshalach: Hardened Hearts
Bo: What Was the Purpose of the Plagues? It Depends on Who You Ask
Vaera: The Binding of Isaac: An Act of Faith or Recognition of Ownership?
Shemot: So--You Think You're God?
Vayechi: Are There Things That We Can Just Never Forgive—Even if It is Family?
Vayigash: It Is One Thing to Make Changes in Your Life, It is Another Thing Entirely For Others to Accept Those Changes, But It Can Make all the Difference
Miketz: Who Determines Jewish History? The Narrator, The Listener, or God?
Vayeshev: The Choice Between Being Right and Doing Right In Terms of Our Most Important Relationships
Vayishlach: Jewish Wrestling: What Makes It Real?
Vayetzei: Let's Make a Deal: Biblical Style
Toldot: Let's Make a Deal with God. I'll Take What's Up with the Ladder
Chayei Sara: How I hear You, But am I Hearing You: The Power and the Blessing of Focused Hearing
The Binding of Isaac: An Act of Faith or the Recognition of Ownership?
Lech Lecha: The Tears of Hagar and The Fulfillment of a Bitter Prophecy
Noach: Everyday Heroes
V'Zot Habracha: What Makes for a Jewish Hero? Why is Moses So High on the List?
Special Episode: Sukkot
Bonus Yom Kippur Episode: Jonah - Prophet or Realist?
Special Episode: Yom Kippur
Nitzavim: What is the Glue that Connects the Jewish People? Is It Strong to Hold Us Together
Ki Tavo: My Father was a Wandering What? Being True to Our Own Stories
Ki Teitzei Amalek: The Hatred that Refuses to Stay in the Past
Shoftim: It's Good to be King-Sort of: The limitations of Jewish Kingship
Re'eh: What is the Relevance of the Pilgrimage Festivals?
Eikev: Cloudy with a Chance of Exile
Vaetchanan: What does it mean to be a witness for God? Can a person be passive and still be a witness?
Devarim: Have I Got a Story for You!
Pinchas: The Problem with Zealotry
Balak: Woody Allen & Jewish Identity
Chukat: Cheeseburgers and Red Heifers: What Does Faith Have to Do with it?
Ko'ach: When Do We Challenge Authority?
Shelach Lecha: Great Acts and Great Confidence
Beha'alotcha: Saying It and Praying It with Feeling
Nasso: A New Take on an Ancient Blessing
Bamidbar: Community and the Challenge of Technology
Bechukotai: The Power of the word "If"
Behar: Release Us from Economic Bondage
Emor: Does God Care About Physical Imperfections?
Kedoshim: Defining Holiness
Achrei Mot: Send in the Goats
Metzorah: Gossip & Slander as the Leprosy of Our Time
Tazria: Discovering a New Understanding of the Role of Women in an Unlikely Text