In this episode, Rabbi Forhman and Imu finally discuss two long-awaited topics. Firstly, what really is so wrong about blasphemy? After all, blasphemy is just words. How can words hurt God? And secondly, the much-promised epilogue to the story of the Mekallel, buried in the book of Shoftim (Judges). And as it turns out, the epilogue deals with the exact same theological issue: the human instinct to control God.

This Tisha B'Av, join hundreds of Jews from around the world for live Torah learning with Rabbi Fohrman. Click here to learn more. 

A Book Like No Other is a product of Aleph Beta, and made possible through the generous support of Shari and Nathan Lindenbaum. Aleph Beta is a Torah media company dedicated to spreading the joy and love of meaningful Torah learning worldwide.

Rabbi Fohrman and Imu continue to search for justice in the Mekallel’s harsh punishment. Does the answer lie in the strange connection they found last episode between the Mekallel and Moses? To find out, they dive into Moses' coming-of-age story in Exodus, and discover an even deeper bond between these two men who on the surface couldn’t be more different. 

This Tisha B'Av, join hundreds of Jews from around the world for live Torah learning with Rabbi Fohrman. Click here to learn more. 

A Book Like No Other is a product of Aleph Beta, and made possible through the generous support of Shari and Nathan Lindenbaum. Aleph Beta is a Torah media company dedicated to spreading the joy and love of meaningful Torah learning worldwide.

Rabbi David Fohrman and Imu Shalev study the tale of the blasphemer, a dark and puzzling episode buried deep in Leviticus. The details of this story are scarce: an anonymous man provokes a fight in the Israelite camp, curses God, and ultimately is stoned to death as punishment. But a close read of these few short verses sends Rabbi Fohrman and Imu on a surprising journey, raising provocative moral questions about God’s judgment and uncovering an unlikely connection between the condemned blasphemer and one of the Bible’s greatest heroes.

For more information about our upcoming course on Midrash click here. When registering for this course you automatically become a member of the Patrons Circle. Click here for more information on becoming a Patron and its perks. 

This Tisha B'Av, join hundreds of Jews from around the world for live Torah learning with Rabbi Fohrman. Click here to learn more. 

A Book Like No Other is a product of Aleph Beta, and made possible through the generous support of Shari and Nathan Lindenbaum. Aleph Beta is a Torah media company dedicated to spreading the joy and love of meaningful Torah learning worldwide.

A Book Like No Other is a chance to learn alongside Aleph Beta Founder and Lead Scholar, Rabbi David Fohrman, a master close reader of Torah, as he embarks on his most far-reaching and in-depth explorations. Each season is a stand-alone journey into a different Torah text. Our only goal: reading the Torah carefully, on its own terms, and following wherever that leads. Together, we'll unwrap remarkable patterns and surprising connections that lie just beneath the Torah's surface, revealing the beauty and insight that truly make the Torah a book like no other.

A Book Like No Other is a product of Aleph Beta, and made possible through the generous support of Shari and Nathan Lindenbaum. Aleph Beta is a Torah media company dedicated to spreading the joy and love of meaningful Torah learning worldwide.

Rabbi David Fohrman and Imu Shalev study the tale of the blasphemer, a dark and puzzling episode buried deep in Leviticus. The details of this story are scarce: an anonymous man provokes a fight in the Israelite camp, curses God, and ultimately is stoned to death as punishment. But a close read of these few short verses sends Rabbi Fohrman and Imu on a surprising journey, raising provocative moral questions about God’s judgment and uncovering an unlikely connection between the condemned blasphemer and one of the Bible’s greatest heroes.

A Book Like No Other is a product of Aleph Beta, and made possible through the generous support of Shari and Nathan Lindenbaum. Aleph Beta is a Torah media company dedicated to spreading the joy and love of meaningful Torah learning worldwide.

If you loved this episode and are already a member of Aleph Beta, log in to alephbeta.org to listen to upcoming episodes. We’ll even give you a private RSS feed so you can keep listening to A Book Like No Other on your favorite podcasting app. Feel free to email [email protected] if you have any trouble.

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Support Book Like No Other today and gain access to tons of meaningful Tisha B'av content on the Aleph Beta website. Visit www.alephbeta.org and use the coupon code BOOK2023.

A Book Like No Other is a product of Aleph Beta, and made possible through the generous support of Shari and Nathan Lindenbaum. Aleph Beta is a Torah media company dedicated to spreading the joy and love of meaningful Torah learning worldwide.

Meaningful Judaism is Aleph Beta's latest podcast, dedicated to exploring why we do what we do in Jewish life, by diving deep into the Torah text. So many of our practices can feel like they’re just there; we go through the motions, but they don’t feel especially meaningful. In Meaningful Judaism, we search for that meaning. Each episode will take you on a journey, tackling questions such as “Why can’t we mix milk and meat?” and “What’s the meaning behind the laws of niddah?” Join our host, Imu Shalev, along with Rabbi David Fohrman and Aleph Beta’s other wonderful scholars, for this special journey. 

Meaningful Judaism is a project of Aleph Beta Labs. Aleph Beta is a Torah media company dedicated to spreading the joy and love of meaningful Torah learning worldwide. For our full library of over 1,000 videos and podcasts, please visit www.alephbeta.org.

To support this podcast, subscribe to Aleph Beta.

This Tisha B'Av, join hundreds of Jews from around the world for live Torah learning with Rabbi Fohrman. Click here to learn more. 

A Book Like No Other is a product of Aleph Beta, and made possible through the generous support of Shari and Nathan Lindenbaum. Aleph Beta is a Torah media company dedicated to spreading the joy and love of meaningful Torah learning worldwide.

Join Rabbi Fohrman for a live Q&A on March 16 and ask all your burning questions on the season. Click here for more info.

The exile from Eden might have been the first time humanity experienced being estranged from God’s word and presence, but it certainly wasn’t the last. How do we cope with feeling distant from God? What is a roadmap for a return to the closeness of Eden? Join Rabbi Fohrman and Imu in this bonus epilogue episode as they explore Parshat HaTeshuva, the Torah’s emotional roadmap for how any of us can come back.

To learn more about how God bears witness to the Israelites’ trauma in Egyptian servitude, check out the course, The Three Great Lies of the Exodus, which Imu mentions in this episode.

This Tisha B'Av, join hundreds of Jews from around the world for live Torah learning with Rabbi Fohrman. Click here to learn more. 

A Book Like No Other is a product of Aleph Beta, and made possible through the generous support of Shari and Nathan Lindenbaum. Aleph Beta is a Torah media company dedicated to spreading the joy and love of meaningful Torah learning worldwide.

In the sixth and final episode of this series, Rabbi Fohrman and Imu grapple with some of the big picture questions that emerge from their theory of the Tree and its connection to Torah – and consider what the Tree may ultimately be teaching us about how to connect to God’s words.

This Tisha B'Av, join hundreds of Jews from around the world for live Torah learning with Rabbi Fohrman. Click here to learn more. 

A Book Like No Other is a product of Aleph Beta, and made possible through the generous support of Shari and Nathan Lindenbaum. Aleph Beta is a Torah media company dedicated to spreading the joy and love of meaningful Torah learning worldwide.

In this episode, Rabbi Fohrman reveals where we find the second half of the return of the Tree and, in the process, offers a powerful message about the impact of our actions in this world.

Fascinated by the parallels Rabbi Fohrman points out in this episode? Check out these Aleph Beta courses mentioned in the podcast to learn even more: Moshe and Tzipporah at the Inn and Shavuot: Why do we celebrate “Law-Day”?

This Tisha B'Av, join hundreds of Jews from around the world for live Torah learning with Rabbi Fohrman. Click here to learn more. 

A Book Like No Other is a product of Aleph Beta, and made possible through the generous support of Shari and Nathan Lindenbaum. Aleph Beta is a Torah media company dedicated to spreading the joy and love of meaningful Torah learning worldwide.