Shows / Ta Shma
Ta Shma
Bringing you recent lectures, classes, and programs from the Hadar Institute, Ta Shma is where you get to listen in on the beit midrash. Come and listen on the go, at home, or wherever you are. Hosted by Rabbi Avi Killip of the Hadar Institute.
Episodes
- Ta Shma
R. David Kasher on Parashat Tazria: Covenantal Numerology
From the very beginning, the Torah imbues certain numbers with great significance. The first chapter of Genesis carefully divides Creation into seven days…
- Ta Shma
R. Elie Kaunfer: Is the Seder Really So Ordered?
There's a catchy song that tells us what we're supposed to do during the Seder and when (Kaddeish Urhatz). But when you dig a little deeper, the song is a…
- Ta Shma
R. David Kasher on Parashat Shemini: Waters of Hope
Throughout our history, one of the central institutions of a Jewish community has been the mikveh. Immersion in this ritual bath was required in Temple times…
- Ta Shma
Jewish Law and Jewish Values: A Conversation with R. Ethan Tucker and R. Aviva Richman
In this panel discussion given at the February Learning Seminar 2024, Hadar’s rashei yeshiva, R. Ethan Tucker and R. Aviva Richman, reflect on their approach…
- Ta Shma
R. David Kasher on Parashat Tzav: Four Links in a Chain
For the most part, Parashat Tzav repeats much of what we learned last week in Parashat Vayikra. Again, the Torah details the choreography of the sacrificial…
- Ta Shma
R. Micha'el Rosenberg: Making Sense of Insensible Food Laws
To what extent is Jewish law “fake” or “real”? Is halakhah a game where you can say whatever you want, or does a ruling, once issued, create a new reality?…
- Ta Shma
R. David Kasher on Parashat Vayikra: A Prehistory of the Sacrifices
The laws of Leviticus appear to be entirely separate from the narrative and themes of the Torah so far. Exodus, by contrast, picks up directly from the…
- Ta Shma
R. Avi Strausberg on Purim: Look to the World and Find God
As someone who longs to feel God’s presence in my life in a clear and direct manner, I have always been struck by the fact that God is noticeably absent from…
- Ta Shma
R. David Kasher on Parashat Pekudei: The Invisible Palace
There is something hidden in the mishkan. A story of creation.Nehama Leibowitz, the great 20th century compiler of Torah commentary, calls our attention to a…
- Ta Shma
R. Leah Sarna and R. Tali Adler: The Torah of Pregnancy
From one perspective, pregnancy is a miracle. But from another, pregnancy is a nightmare. In her essay that won the Ateret Zvi Prize in Hiddushei Torah…
- Ta Shma
R. David Kasher on Parashat VaYakhel: Half-Measures
Is there meaning in a measurement? Two great masters of midrashically-styled Torah commentary—both writing in 14th century Spain—will offer two very different…
- Ta Shma
The Gift that Does Not Keep on Giving: The Tisch With Dena Weiss #25
Shabbat is described in the Talmud as a "good gift." But aren’t all gifts supposedly good? What makes Shabbat a gift that is uniquely positive in contrast to…
- Ta Shma
Soft and Strong: The Tisch With Dena Weiss #24
The person recovering from the biblical disease tzara'at has to bring, in addition to their offering, a piece of cedar wood and a piece of hyssop. The Ohev…
- Ta Shma
R. David Kasher on Parashat Ki Tissa: Facing the Fire
Parashat Ki Tissa makes repeated reference to God’s “face” when describing Moshe’s communication with God. But what exactly did Moshe see when he looked into…
- Ta Shma
Spiritual Retreat: The Tisch With Dena Weiss #23
According to the Ohev Yisrael, the Israelites preferred to live under physical oppression in Egypt than to live in a state of spiritual indebtedness to God…
- Ta Shma
New Podcast Trailer: Answers WithHeld
When kids ask big questions, how do you respond? Whether you are parent, educator, or just a curious person, you've probably asked yourself the same…
- Ta Shma
The Quest for Improvement: The Tisch With Dena Weiss #22
The Talmud recognizes two very different forms of teshuvah (repentance): "teshuvah out of love" and "teshuvah out of fear." Both of these forms of teshuvah are…
- Ta Shma
R. David Kasher on Parashat Tetzaveh: Following the Thread
One of the most dazzling of all the ornate garments worn by the Kohen Gadol, the High Priest, was the tzitz (ציץ), a tiara that that encircled the turban on…
- Ta Shma
It is Better to Give: The Tisch With Dena Weiss #21
Gifts are more than their monetary equivalents. A gift can be an expression of love and affection, of fear and obedience, an obnoxious demonstration of wealth…
- Ta Shma
R. David Kasher on Parashat Terumah: Holy Containers
This week, we are introduced to what will become the holiest object in the Hebrew Bible, although it is not really so much an object as it is a container. The…
- Ta Shma
R. Elie Lehmann: Torah of the People
How can we access Torah? Who has the right to speak Torah? The hasidic rebbes encourage us to reach deep inside ourselves for the eternal springs of Torah…
- Ta Shma
R. David Kasher on Parashat Mishpatim: Law as Commentary
Even as Parashat Mishpatim marks a sharp transition from epic narrative to dense legal code, the first law of that code makes it clear that the stories of the…
- Ta Shma
R. Shai Held: Build Homes and Pray for the Peace of Babylon
By looking closely at a passage from Jeremiah, Rav Shai in his lecture "Build Homes and Pray for the Peace" of Babylon, explores the relationship between hope…
- Ta Shma
R. David Kasher on Parashat Yitro: The Trouble With Desire
The last of the Ten Commandments is distinct from the rest in several ways. Structurally, it is in the second five, but it stands out from the others. After…
- Ta Shma
R. Ethan Tucker: Covenant, Land, Power, and Responsibility
The Jewish people live in eternal covenant with God, but what is the relationship of that covenanted people to the Land of Israel? Is it eternal, or affected…
- Ta Shma
R. David Kasher on Parashat Beshallah: Testing Each Other Out
In Parashat BeShallah, the Children of Israel are tested twice, and then they do some testing of their own.
- Ta Shma
R. Avi Strausberg on Tu Bishvat: Wait For It
Tu Bishvat is a holiday that is about slow growth, patience, and gratitude. In a culture that is all about instant gratification and next day delivery, Tu…
- Ta Shma
R. David Kasher on Parashat Bo: Hameitz u-Matzah
Just as we are about to arrive at the apex of the Exodus drama—the final plague and the actual departure from Egypt—the Torah makes a sudden shift in genre…
- Ta Shma
R. Avi Strausberg on MLK Day: They Should Have Learned
In Letter from Birmingham Jail, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. addresses his critics and writes, “Shallow understanding from people of good will is more…
- Ta Shma
Learning From Our Children: A Spiritual Perspective from on the Ground in Israel #7
R. Avi Killip rejoins R. Avital Hochstein and R. Elazar Symon to talk about our relationships with our children. What are we trying to inculcate in them? And…
- Ta Shma
R. David Kasher on Parashat Va'Era: Divine Disclosure
Many theories have been offered to explain the Torah’s use of multiple names for God. Medieval kabbalists understood the names to be expressing different…
- Ta Shma
R. Tali Adler: Challenging the Establishment
In the last of this series from Spring 2023, Rav Tali returns to R. Yehudah ha-Nasi and his interactions with another friend/antagonist: Bar Kappara. In what…
- Ta Shma
R. David Kasher on Parashat Shemot: Callbacks to Creation
From the moment we begin the Book of Exodus, we are already being called back into Genesis. The very first words of Parashat Shemot are: taken directly from…
- Ta Shma
R. Tali Adler: Inside / Outside
Part 2 this series from Spring 2023 centers the character of Rabbi, also known as R. Yehudah ha-Nasi, the leader of his generation. Rabbi is concerned lest the…
- Ta Shma
R. David Kasher on Parashat Vayehi: Echoes of Redemption
One of the Torah’s signature literary techniques is the use of textual echoes: the repetition of roots, words, or phrases that call us back to an earlier…
- Ta Shma
R. Tali Adler: When Your Torah Doesn't Belong
In this first lecture in a series of 3 taught in Spring 2023 (Who Does Torah Belong To?), Rav Tali Adler explores the character of R. Elazar ben Arakh and why…
- Ta Shma
R. Avi Strausberg on the 10th of Tevet: The Imperative of Hope
Asarah b’Tevet (the 10th of the month of Tevet), marks the beginning of the end of the First Temple. It marks the beginning of a 30-month period in which the…
- Ta Shma
R. David Kasher on Parashat Vayigash: The Story of Hushim ben Dan
My mother tongue was no tongue at all, but a pair of hands. My parents were both deaf, so my first language was American Sign Language. I didn’t think much…
- Ta Shma
What Are We Allowed to Feel? A Spiritual Perspective from on the Ground in Israel #6
R. Avi Killip and R. Avital Hochstein introduce Dr. Tsivia Frank Wygoda, a new member of Hadar's team in Israel who supports independent minyanim in Be'er…
- Ta Shma
R. David Kasher on Parashat Mikeitz: Yosef the Interpreter
In Parashat Mikeitz, a time of great crisis brings people together from across the world, desperate for help. Their savior will be a young Hebrew prisoner with…
- Ta Shma
R. Avi Strausberg on Hanukkah: A Strong Light
We are all plagued by fears and anxieties, both rational and irrational, founded and unfounded. Often, when we are afraid, we keep our fears to ourselves…
- Ta Shma
Holding on to the Value of Human Dignity: A Spiritual Perspective from on the Ground in Israel #5
R. Avi and R. Avital talk about the tumultuous week of the ceasefire and returned captives. What are the values that animate the conversation about who should…
- Ta Shma
R. David Kasher on Parashat Vayeishev: Midrashic Landscapes
Certain unique landscapes in the Torah carry a strong association with a particular kind of experience. A garden reminds us of innocence (Genesis 2:25). A…
- Ta Shma
R. Avital Hochstein and R. Elazar Symon: A Spiritual Perspective from on the Ground in Israel #4
R. Avital Hochstein and R. Elazar Symon take the opportunity - belatedly - of Thanksgiving to talk about what they're thankful for and the difficult but…
- Ta Shma
R. David Kasher on Parashat Vayishlah: Red Alerts
The Torah often employs a “bookending” technique, using similar words or phrases in both the first and last verses of the parashah, in order to create a…
- Ta Shma
R. Shai Held: Revisiting Post-Holocaust Theology, Part 3
What, if anything, can we say in the wake of the Shoah? In this series, we'll explore the main currents of post-Holocaust Jewish theology through thinkers like…
- Ta Shma
R. Avi Strausberg on Thanksgiving: Can We Be Worthy?
It can be hard to say thank you. I know, for myself, sometimes after abandoning the kitchen at night to a sinkful of dishes and a couch covered in clothes…
- Ta Shma
R. Avital Hochstein and R. Elazar Symon: A Spiritual Perspective from on the Ground in Israel #3
What happens in a beit midrash during a time of war, violence, and uncertainty? We checked in with R. Avital Hochstein and R. Elazar Symon, both members of…
- Ta Shma
R. David Kasher on Parashat Toldot: From Birthright to Blessing
By the time we arrive at Parashat Toldot and come upon two brothers vying for the mantle of family leadership, we can already predict with some confidence that…
- Ta Shma
R. Shai Held: Revisiting Post-Holocaust Theology, Part 2
What, if anything, can we say in the wake of the Shoah? In this series, we'll explore the main currents of post-Holocaust Jewish theology through thinkers like…
- Ta Shma
R. David Kasher on Parashat Hayyei Sarah: Camel Cameos
Animals often play a symbolic role in literature, sometimes as personified characters themselves, and sometimes through their frequent association with a human…
- Ta Shma
R. Avital Hochstein: A Spiritual Perspective from on the Ground in Israel #2
In the second part of this special series, we check in with Rabbi Avital Hochstein, President of Hadar in Israel, to hear about life in Israel, Tefillah, and…
- Ta Shma
R. Shai Held: Revisiting Post-Holocaust Theology, Part 1
What, if anything, can we say in the wake of the Shoah? In this series, we'll explore the main currents of post-Holocaust Jewish theology through thinkers like…
- Ta Shma
The Evils of Evaluation: The Tisch with Dena Weiss #20
In our society, everything - from commercials products to political ideas - is constantly being scrutinized. What is gained and what is lost in such a critical…
- Ta Shma
R. David Kasher on Parashat Vayera: Ambiguous Appearances
The Talmud (in Yevamot 49b) tells us that Moses’ prophetic powers were exceptional because he saw “באספקלריא המאירה - through a clear looking glass.” How…
- Ta Shma
A Spiritual Perspective from on the Ground in Israel
Avital Hochstein is a rabbi, a Jerusalemite, a mother of two soldiers currently serving in the IDF, and President of Hadar in Israel.In this episode of Ta…
- Ta Shma
Moral Licensing: The Tisch with Dena Weiss #19
Moral licensing is our tendency to excuse our own bad behavior based on prior good behavior. While the Ma’or VaShemesh did not use the language of modern…
- Ta Shma
R. David Kasher on Parashat Lekh Lekha: Reading the Signs
Our practice of cycling through the Torah over and over again, year after year, creates a unique reading experience. After we have been through enough times…
- Ta Shma
Impulsive Decisions: The Tisch with Dena Weiss #18
Taking a vow is a serious halakhic undertaking, and Rabbinic law warns us against taking them hastily. But even if a voew is ultimately annulled, it's possible…
- Ta Shma
Being Self-Ignited: The Tisch with Dena Weiss #17
God wants us to serve Him with excitement and joy, which is reflected in the lighting of the the Menorah. The Ma’or VaShemesh reads the lighting of this lamp…