Best Jewish History Torah Israel Jews Podcasts (2025)

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Episode 497: Survival Guide for a Spiritual Wilderness V - with Gemara/Commentary from Lex and Rena Yehuda 1:02:10

6h ago1:02:10

1:02:10

Miriam’s well sustained her people step by step in the wilderness. In this episode of Survival Guide for a Spiritual Wilderness (featuring Judaism Unbound Gemara/commentary from Lex and Rena Yehuda), to tap into this wellspring of belonging. In addition, connect to the Tao de Ching, what it means to be a “Miriam person,” twilight creations, the mys…

1
Parsha: Reeh - Path Independence 1:00:15

1d ago1:00:15

1:00:15

We like to maintain optionality and delay decisions if possible. The idea of being pigeonholed into one path irks us. But Moshe tells the nation that we must make a choice: "Behold I have placed before you today a blessing and curse." The path of blessing is the total acceptance and adherence to God and His word. The path of curse is the repudiatio…

1
The Book of Jubilees and 1 Enoch 27:26

2d ago27:26

27:26

A discussion of two books dating from the third or second centuries, BCE, Jubilees and 1 Enoch. Both books, part of a collection traditionally known as "the Pseudepigrapha," testify to a Jewish understanding of continuing direct divine revelation in the Hellenistic period.By Michael Satlow

1
Parsha: Reeh - Making Dough (5783) 43:30

3d ago43:30

43:30

The Parsha ends with a delineation of the festivals. When discussing Passover, the verse notes that for 7 days we eat matzah because we left Egypt within great haste. The Exodus was so rapid and frantic, that the dough that we had been preparing was unable to rise and we did not have fluffy, puffy bread. Why is this trivial factoid so central to th…

1
Elul: Month of Personal Reinvention 46:07

4d ago46:07

46:07

We are on the doorstep of the month of mercy, the month that precedes the high holidays, the month of Elul. The high holidays are very significant and auspicious days, and it is imperative that we prepare for them. How ought we prepare? What are the particular points of emphasis that we should stress during these days? In this podcast we are guided…

1
Parshas Reeh (Rebroadcast) 1:00:31

5d ago1:00:31

1:00:31

This week’s parsha marks a transition in the Book of Deuteronomy: it is no longer primarily about admonishment and rebuke and warnings, instead we read a bevy of mitzvos – some repetitions and some new ones that have hitherto not been mentioned. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – DONATE to TORCH: Please consider supporting the podcasts by …

1
Episode 496: Smashing the Tablets - Sara Lippmann, Seth Rogoff 56:05

7d ago56:05

56:05

Sara Lippman and Seth Rogoff believe that "foundational texts must be read anew or they become tools of conservatism and reaction." But it's not just a belief they hold -- together, they actualized it into a new book, entitled Smashing the Tablets: Radical Retellings of the Hebrew Bible. This book offers a wide variety of new texts, radically revis…

1
Parsha: Eikev - Tefillin' Good 1:20:20

8d ago1:20:20

1:20:20

This is a very special episode of the Parsha podcast. Exactly 5 years ago, the Parsha podcast began a streak of producing a brand new episode each week. With the unending help of the Almighty, we haven't missed in five years. To celebrate this momentous accomplishment, we tackled a very ambitious project: our Parsha contains the fourth and final pa…

1
Hellenism Arrives 28:03

9d ago28:03

28:03

A discussion of Alexander's conquest of west Asia and its aftermath (323 - 200 BCE). What is "Hellenism," and how did the Jews react to it?By Michael Satlow

1
Parsha: Eikev - Longevity Pill (5783) 39:02

10d ago39:02

39:02

A ubiquitous feature in Jewish homes, the Mezuzah contains a scroll with two paragraphs from the Torah, one from this week's Parsha and one from last week's. This mitzvah bears a distinction that it shares with no other mitzvah. In this interesting and useful podcast, we explore the secrets represented by the Mezuzah, and learn how it can serve as …

1
TORAH 101: Second Order of Mishnah (Festivals) 1:05:21

11d ago1:05:21

1:05:21

The Jewish calendar is studded with days of great importance. Each week we relive Genesis by celebrating the holy Shabbos. At half-year intervals are the mega festivals of Sukkos and Pesach (Passover). There's also Shavuos, Rosh Hashanah, and the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. The second Order of Mishnah orients around all these days of importance. …

1
Parshas Eikev (Rebroadcast) 59:15

12d ago59:15

59:15

We pick up where we left off last week amid Moshe’s speech to the nation before his passing, and as in the previous few weeks, Parshas Eikev is jam packed with insights and timeless lessons. Moshe pivots between looking back on the conduct of the nation in the preceding 40 years and admonishing them for their misdeeds, and gazing forward to the con…

1
Episode 495: Israel-Palestine - Conversations Across Generations - Amy Eilberg, Penina Eilberg-Schwartz 52:20

14d ago52:20

52:20

Even the most intimate relationships can experience strain around the topic of Israel-Palestine. Dan and Lex are joined by Amy Eilberg and Penina Eilberg-Schwartz, who share their experience discussing and processing their conversations about Israel-Palestine across generational divides. -------------------------- Judaism Unbound's offerings for 3-…

1
Parsha: Vaeschanan - Two of Hearts 1:06:38

15d ago1:06:38

1:06:38

Even believers are incapable of understanding God. It's supremely logical to observe that our wonderful world - our wonderful universe - certainly had a Creator, but how can we connect with God? How can we develop a relationship with Him? In our Parsha, we are commanded to develop emotions of love and fear towards God, emotions that ought to be exp…

1
6 Chofetz Chaim - Mistakes yes, Excuses no 15:09

17d ago15:09

15:09

By Rabbi Naftali Kassorla

1
Parsha: Vaeschanan - Jordan Rules (5783) 59:08

17d ago59:08

59:08

As a result of Moshe's sin of striking the rock, he was barred from crossing over the Jordan River and entering the Land of Canaan. In Moshe's speech to the nation, he recounts how he petitioned God to have this decree rescinded. When studying Moshe's prayer to enter the Land, we discover several incredible insights about the nature of prayer, the …

1
Biblical Longevity 50:32

18d ago50:32

50:32

We all want to live long. But how long is a long life? Centenarians are still rare. Global life expectancy is around 70 years old. In healthier, richer countries, maybe 80. But when you open up Scripture, you find ages an order of magnitude larger. Adam lived to 930. Methuselah to 969. How do we understand the radical difference in the ages of the …

1
Parshas Vaeschanan (Rebroadcast) 1:04:12

18d ago1:04:12

1:04:12

This week’s parsha continues Moshe’s monologue to the nation in the weeks preceding his passing. He begins by recounting his repeated efforts in trying to convince God to rescind His decree that Moshe not enter the Land; Moshe then begins the retelling of the Torah; and we read many warnings and predictions about proper behavior and the consequence…

1
Episode 494: Tisha B'Av (The 9th of Av) 2025 - Dan and Lex 1:00:17

21d ago1:00:17

1:00:17

Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg discuss the inherent potential, along with the limitations, of the Jewish holiday of Tisha B’av (the 9th of Av) — understood by many to be the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. What does it mean to mourn a past pain in the present? In this week’s episode, Dan and Lex consider the meanings of grief and reflection as t…

1
Parshas Devarim - Saying Goodbye 14:05

21d ago14:05

14:05

By Rabbi Naftali Kassorla

1
Parsha: Devarim - Wellsprings of Beer 1:00:17

22d ago1:00:17

1:00:17

There are many levels of Torah. There are many ways to acquire Torah, 48 by the calculation of our Sages. The human with the greatest understanding of Torah was obviously Moshe, the one who received Torah directly from God. In our Parsha we get a stunning description of the profound depth of Moshe's understanding of Torah. When we plumb the matter …

1
99 - My Last Pele Yoetz Shiur in the Kollel 8:47

23d ago8:47

8:47

By Rabbi Naftali Kassorla

1
The Torah 31:51

23d ago31:51

31:51

A discussion of the historical formation of the Torah, or Pentateuch, and an introduction to the documentary hypothesis.By Michael Satlow

1
Parsha: Devarim - Middling East (5783) 57:26

24d ago57:26

57:26

In his speech to the Nation, Moshe revisits the episode of the Spies that occurred 39 years prior. When the nation was on the verge of entering the Land, Moshe commissioned 12 distinguished men to reconnoiter the Land and to share their findings with the nation. It was a debacle and a fiasco. As a result of the report, the nation abandoned hopes to…

1
98 Pele Yoetz - Love Thy Neighborino! 10:07

25d ago10:07

10:07

By Rabbi Naftali Kassorla

1
Tisha Bav: Why We Mourn 40:10

26d ago40:10

40:10

The ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av is the saddest day of the Jewish calendar. All manner of calamities and tragedies and disasters befell our people on this day. On this day the nation was condemned to wonder in the wilderness for 40 years. On this day both Temples were destroyed. On this day, the last stronghold of the Jewish rebellion in Bet…

1
Parshas Devarim (Rebroadcast) 49:45

26d ago49:45

49:45

5 weeks before his passing, Moses gives a three-parsha-long speech to the nation, which constitutes his last will and testament. He begins with a retrospective of the history of the nation over the past 40 years since the Exodus – subtly rebuking the nation, guiding them, admonishing them, ensuring that they don’t repeat their mistakes of yore. – –…

1
Episode 493: Tarot and Teshuva - Mandie McGlynn 56:31

28d ago56:31

56:31

For Mandie McGlynn, founder of Selah Spiritual Care, tarot can serve as a deeply meaningful modality for Jewish experience. McGlynn joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg on this week’s episode to discuss her use of tarot as part of the preparatory work of the month of Elul (the on-ramp month before the High Holidays), through an initiative she create…

1
Nehemiah 30:29

29d ago30:29

30:29

Nehemiah's reforms, from 445 BCE to ca. 432 BCE.By Michael Satlow

1
Jews of the Persian Empire 28:28

29d ago28:28

28:28

This episode discusses two Jewish communities outside of Jerusalem, that represented by the biblical book of Esther, and that of Elephantine, Egypt.By Michael Satlow

1
Parsha: Mattos Masei - Greatness and Anti-Greatness 56:20

29d ago56:20

56:20

Accidents are unfortunate. Accidents that lead to death are a catastrophe. Among the myriad of subjects discussed in this week's double Parsha is the law of the accidental murderer. When someone kills accidentally, they are punished by being confined to certain cities from which they mustn't leave. These cities of refuge serve as open-air prisons, …

1
Parsha: Mattos & Masei - 49-Step Program (5783) 57:09

1M ago57:09

57:09

What did the nation do over the course of the 40 years in the wilderness? What was their objective? In our parsha we read that the nation stopped in 42 locations over the course of their 40-year sojourn. The Torah delineates the names of the 42 different venues where the nation encamped. What is the salience of such a detailed recounting of the nat…

1
97 Pele Yoetz - We Are Guests Here 17:33

1M ago17:33

17:33

By Rabbi Naftali Kassorla

1
TORAH 101: First Order of Mishnah (Planting) 46:00

1M ago46:00

46:00

The Mishnah is a massive, sprawling, and utterly comprehensive canon of Torah law. Spanning 60+ books over 6 Orders, the Mishnah includes all the laws of the Torah. To study it all would take a very long time. To know it all, takes a lifetime. In this podcast, we try to gain an appreciation for the general concepts of Mishnah, beginning in the Orde…

1
An Enchanted World: Book Announcement 1:47

1M ago1:47

1:47

My new book, An Enchanted World: The Shared Religious Landscape of Late Antiquity, will be published by Princeton University Press (see here) in February 2026, and around the same time in Italian by Bollati Boringhieri.

1
Ezra 29:14

1M ago29:14

29:14

This episode deals primarily with the career of Ezra, in 458 BCE. I discuss intermarriage in the Bible and the emergence of the Torah as a source of authority in Israel.By Michael Satlow

1
Parshas Mattos & Masei (Rebroadcast) 1:00:56

1M ago1:00:56

1:00:56

By TORCH

1
Episode 492: The Torah in the Tarot - Stav Appel 52:07

1M ago52:07

52:07

Tarot is known to be a practice of reading, of uncovering important meaning behind the symbols each card evokes. But what if there’s an even deeper, secret connection to not just our lives as a whole, but our lives as Jews? For data scientist and author Stav Appel, happening upon a 17th century forgotten tarot deck took him on a journey through Tor…

1
Parsha: Pinchas - Sunday and Moonday 56:35

1M ago56:35

56:35

Great leaders are often irreplaceable. The greatest leader of them all is certainly irreplaceable. But even Moshe must have a successor. In our Parsha, Moshe asks God designate a successor for him after he passes. Who can possibly fill such large shoes? Who can possibly take upon themselves the mantle of leadership of God's Nation? Who can possibly…

1
Parsha: Pinchas - Sons of Anarchist (5783) 51:44

1M ago51:44

51:44

Korach's rebellion claimed many victims: Some of the perpetrators were swallowed up in a miraculous sinkhole; some were consumed by a divine fire; and some were killed in a plague. In our Parsha, we discover that the sons of Korach did not die. Although they were participants in the rebellion initially, at the very last moment, they repented and we…

1
Assault on Dina: A Deep Exploration of a Third Rail Topic 1:50:17

1M ago1:50:17

1:50:17

Some subjects are way too dicey address publicly - electrified third rail subjects which zap anyone who approaches it. But Blake Cohn is not afraid of third rails. In fact, he recently launched a podcast that is dedicated exclusively to the untouchable "Third Rails" of Judaism. Fittingly, his show was called "Third Rail Judaism", where he explores …

1
Parshas Pinchas (Rebroadcast) 51:44

1M ago51:44

51:44

Pinchas was a man of action, a zealot who avenged God’s vengeance and was handsomely rewarded for it. In this parsha we read about his reward, Moses’ succession plan, the methods through which the Land will be divided, and another census is done. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – DONATE to TORCH: Please consider supporting the podcasts by…

1
Episode 491: Survival Guide for a Spiritual Wilderness IV - Shiru L'Adonai - Sing Right -The F*ck] Now 1:04:31

1M ago1:04:31

1:04:31

We are proud to introduce the 3rd podcast in the Judaism Unbound family of podcasts: Survival Guide for a Spiritual Wilderness, hosted by Jericho Vincent. "We are the ancestors of the future." This new podcast offers a spiritual home for listeners seeking to connect Jewish ancestral, feminist wisdom with their own svara: moral intuition. Each episo…

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