In Parshat Vayechi, Jacob remembers when the God of his ancestors, “El Shaddai,” appeared to him and promised a bright future for his descendants. But what about the times when his life didn’t seem to be going according to God’s plan? Is God still present in times of suffering? Join Rabbi David Fohrman and Beth Lesch as they explore the question of God’s presence in our lives.

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In Parshat Vayigash, Joseph finally reveals himself to his brothers, and they realize that the Egyptian official they had bowed down to was none other than their long lost brother. What did Jacob's sons think about their powerful brother now? Why does Joseph have to emphasize God's role in orchestrating the events of their lives?

Join Ari Levisohn and Adina Blaustein as they explore the striking similarities between Joseph and the Golden Calf.

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In Parshat Miketz, Jacob sends his sons on a mission to get food from Egypt so they can survive a famine plaguing the entire Middle East. On the surface, it seems like a straightforward request, but a closer read reveals a deeper purpose in their mission.

Join Ari Levisohn and Rabbi David Fohrman as they uncover a hidden layer of meaning in this week’s parsha and discuss what we are meant to do with our material success in this world.

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In Parshat Vayeshev, the Torah tells us that Joseph’s brothers were so angry at him that they couldn’t even speak a word to his face. Yet, the very next thing we’re told is that Jacob sends Joseph, unsupervised, to go check on his brothers. What was Jacob thinking? Why wasn’t he worried that the brothers might hurt Joseph?

Join Ari Levisohn and Adina Blaustein as they dive into this week’s parsha to uncover Jacob’s hidden motives and find insights on how to mend broken relationships.

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When Esau came to meet Jacob with 400 men, it could only mean one thing: 20 years after Jacob stole Esau's blessings, Esau is finally seeking his revenge. But... what if we are misjudging Esau?

Join Beth Lesch and Rabbi David Fohrman as they explore some fascinating parallels between this week's parsha and a later story, all leading to a shocking conclusion: We may have been wrong about Esau's intentions.

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For past episodes of Into the Verse, go to our website, alephbeta.org, where a premium subscription gets you access to all of our past episodes and our full library of over 1,000 videos and podcasts on the parsha, holidays, and so much more. 

Parshat Vayeitzei begins with Jacob on the run from Esau and follows Jacob's trials and tribulations throughout his time in Laban's house. At the end of the parsha, Jacob is back on the run and gets into a heated argument with Laban. What is Jacob's role in this cycle of conflicts? 

Join Ari Levisohn and Tikva Hecht as they uncover a transformative way to read this week's parsha by picking up on some unexpected parallels to a random legal section later in the Torah.

To hear more about the parallels Ari uncovered, listen to the Parshat Vayigash episode Ari mentions. 

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For past episodes of Into the Verse, go to our website, alephbeta.org, where a premium subscription gets you access to all of our past episodes and our full library of over 1,000 videos and podcasts on the parsha, holidays, and so much more. 

The feelings of rage and desire for revenge against Hamas still boil strong in the hearts of many. How should those feelings motivate Israel and her supporters in the war against Hamas? What did Hamas want us to feel and how can we protect ourselves from the dangers of uncontrolled rage?
Join Rabbi David Fohrman and Imu Shalev as they explore several reasons Israel is engaged in this war and offer hope for a nation in pain.

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For past episodes of Into the Verse, go to our website, alephbeta.org, where a premium subscription gets you access to all of our past episodes and our full library of over 1,000 videos and podcasts on the parsha, holidays, and so much more. 

Parshat Toldot contains the only story in the Torah that is really only about Isaac: the often overlooked story of the wells. What does this brief story really teach us about Isaac’s character? The Sages associate Isaac with the attribute of strength, but how does the story of the wells show us Isaac's might?

Join Adina Blaustein and Beth Lesch as they discover the true greatness of Isaac by exploring the striking parallels between Isaac and another Biblical character known for his strength, Samson the Mighty. 

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Rabbi Fohrman and Imu are back sharing more stories from Rabbi Fohrman's last week in Israel, plus a fascinating discussion about last week's haftorah, its shocking conclusion, and the spiritual value of embracing "I don't know."

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For past episodes of Into the Verse, go to our website, alephbeta.org, where a premium subscription gets you access to all of our past episodes and our full library of over 1,000 videos and podcasts on the parsha, holidays, and so much more. 

The Midrash says that chesed and emet, Kindness and Truth, disagreed about whether God should create humankind. And the puzzling outcome of that argument was: “God took Truth and threw it to the earth.” But what does that actually mean? The answer may be in Parshat Chayei Sarah, where chesed and emet “meet up” for the very first time in a rather surprising place: the story of how Rebecca was chosen to be Isaac’s wife.

Join Ari Levisohn and Tikva Hecht as they dig into the details of this story and uncover a message about our human struggle to understand what God means by “truth.

Looking for Rabbi Fohrman’s video discussing Abraham, Nachor, and their marriages? Check it out here: The Meaning of the Book of Ruth

Subscribe to Aleph Beta to unlock the full season of A Book Like No Other and get access to a private RSS feed for seamless listening on your favorite podcast app!

For past episodes of Into the Verse, go to our website, alephbeta.org, where a premium subscription gets you access to all of our past episodes and our full library of over 1,000 videos and podcasts on the parsha, holidays, and so much more.