After 7 plagues, Pharaoh admits that God is right and he and his nation are in the wrong. Yet, he cannot stop his maniacal control of the Children of Israel. He sees the brick wall coming but cannot stop driving himself and his nation towards it. In this episode we explore what was happening with Pharaoh and why it was so important to God to bring him through the whole ordeal.

There is a curious sub-theme of reptiles in the story of the Exodus. A staff is turned into a snake (or is it a crocodile??), the haftara has Pharaoh as a crocodile. Pharaoh wears a serpent on his head... what might this be about? What could it have to do with freedom? And how does it touch our lives today?

Shemot opens the epic story of the Exodus from Egypt. It is a story that highlights freedom in all of its components. In this episode we explore the fact that Pharaoh believed the slaves had too much time on their hands and it threatened freedom seeping in to their slave mentality. What is the place of thinking time in a quest for freedom?

With the close of the first book of the Torah, Yaakob our forefather dies. But before he does he gives his last thoughts and blessings to his twelve sons. In this episode we look at the blessing given to Shimon and Levi. It does not on its surface sound anything like a blessing. In fact the word 'curse' is used in it! We look at the effects these last words had on these men and how it developed in their lives and tribes that followed them.

This is out of order because the audio was originally lost but now recovered! This was the episode on Bereshit in which we look at the layered readings of the creation story and discover an important way to understand its presentation. We also recognise that in the story there is much hope and an understanding that the world will be ok. In fact, it is getting better!

Yehuda and Yosef have a showdown at the pinnacle of the epic story. And Yosef falters. In this episode we examine the dynamics at play within the two brothers and between them. And recognise how hardships and personal change plays a role.

As Yosef is freed from jail by Pharaoh himself, he is quickly appointed to be viceroy of Egypt after interpreting Pharaoh's dreams and suggesting that Egypt could use some help with leadership. Pharaoh decides that Yosef is just what Egypt needs to bring them through years of famine so the country can remain intact. In this episode we recognise that Yosef was much more than just a director of agriculture. He became the face of Egypt and the question is, why? And what can we learn from his appointment for our own times?

Yosef and his brothers engage in an epic rift that has not been reconciled amongst us until this day. In this episode we look at the key features of the rift and how it manifests today, We take a special look at the role that Hanuka played here and what it might tell us about our current times.

The name Israel is presented for the first time in this parasha. We explore the significance of this name, its dormancy and rejuvenation and what it means to us today.

Yaakob Abinu dreams and sees a vision that changes his life and the lives of his progeny forever. A stairway to heaven. We consider the meaning of that nexus between Heaven and Earth and what it means for us as a people.