In the Podsha: A Weekly Parsha Conversation

In this week's Podsha, I talk to Rivka Herzfeld about being grateful for our bad history, and we let everyone know a secret about the curses promised if we don't listen.

Rivka got her MA in Bible from Revel, and has taught in a variety of Jewish settings.

In this week's Podsha, I talk with fellow Crown Heights resident Jon Leener about the nature of all the interpersonal commandments in Ki Teitzei, and how one thing leads to another in our personal and spiritual lives.

Jon, with his partner Faith, run BASE BKLN in crown heights, Brooklyn.

BASE is the home of a Rabbinic family which serves as a home-base, a grounding point for students, young adults, and their friends. While each Base reflects the personality of the Rabbinic couple and embodies their vision for a vibrant Jewish community, every Base is committed to pluralism and is founded upon three core values: hospitality, learning, and service.

Enjoy this free flowing conversation with Tzipporah Machlah from the Center for Modern Torah Leadership about the responsibility of our leaders to be part of the community, how those responsibilities are split up, and how our actions influence our personalities.

Rate and subscribe to In the Podsha wherever you get your podcasts

In this week's Podsha, I talk with Josh, Co-director of JLIC in Herzeliya, about how the rules of Avodah Zarah (foreign worship, usually understood as idol worship) can be relevant today, and how limiting can be a holy practice.

This week, I have some family time with an excellent Journalist, Hannah Dreyfus.

We talk about how the abuses of power that happen in the Jewish community (and beyond), the power of love over fear, and what Hannah should do with all the cattle she has.

Hannah Dreyfus is a Staff Writer for the Jewish Week. Check out her writing (hannahdreyfus.com) and her podcast (The Chutzpah Podcast)

This week brings Dovi Nadel, the coordinator for the Chidon HaTanach in the US, to talk about whats so special about Jewish people/Torah, what's up with the beginning of a really famous prayer, and we reminisce about an old teacher of his.

Dovi is also a Judiac studies teacher. You can read more about Chidon here: https://chidonusa.wordpress.com/coordinator-%D7%A8%D7%9B%D7%96/

In this week's Podsha, I bring back my sister Margot!

We talk about Moshe's unique ability to make a weakness a strength, the purpose of the book of Devarim, and Margot is far too kind to me.

This week I talk to Rabbanit Dasi Fruchter, Assistant Spiritual Leader at Beth Sholom Congregation and Talmud Torah in Potomac, MD. We talk about people's responsibility to be honest when asking for things, some guy that sounds like Dumbledore, and Dasi's love for Feminist documentaries.

Tal Attia, director of JLIC at Brandeis, joins me to talk about Pinchas, what it means to be zealous for G-d, whether Pinchas did the right thing, and why we should aim to be more like Joshua and less like Moshe

For Parshat Balak, I talk with Sarah Robinson about how we should relate to Balak as a character, why there is an entire Parsha from a non-Jewish perspective, how different challenges deserve different approaches, and Karma throughout the Bible.

Sarah graduated from Stern and GPATS (YU's Graduate Program for Advanced Talmudic studies), and now teaches Judaics in High School MDS, and previously Kushner, and has had a variety of teaching opportunities in MJE and Merrick, NY.