The Portion

This is it! The last episode of our first season, which strangely coincides with the conclusion of the weekly Torah readings and the end of the Book of Deuteronomy. The last Torah portion is bittersweet and cryptic, featuring Moshe's blessings to the tribes, which contain far reaching (and some oddly specific) references to future events. 

Rabbi Bienenfeld is back and he and Aaron take on the daunting poetry of Parshat Ha'azinu. 

This week is an off-week, as Aaron hosts the show alone. Rabbi Bienenfeld is taking a break following the passing of his father, Jeffrey Bienenfeld. Aaron talks about the image of Moshe and Joshua standing at the tent of meeting and whether they are both hearing the same message from G-d, or whether they're hearing different things. He also talks about the double meaning of the word "shira," which, in tradition refers to the actual poem that Moshe teaches the people in next week's Torah portion, as well as to the whole of Torah itself. 

How does the Torah expect us to correct other people's misdeeds in a society where being judgmental and telling others what to do is frowned upon? Following a comment by Rashi, in this episode we take up this question (among others). Rabbi Bienenfeld brings the Ohr HaChaim, Tosafot, and Rav Yehuda Amital to bear on the question. Aaron brings William Butler Yeats and Sarah Silverman. Join us for the discussion.

This episode is dedicated to Tzvi Yehuda Menachem ben Basya Chana. We are praying for your speedy recovery.

In this week's show, we talk about two important rituals that the Jewish people haven't done in centuries, bringing offerings of first fruits to Jerusalem, and proclaiming vidui ma'aser, a declaration that all tithes have been appropriately made. What are these all about and what important messages do they have to teach us on the eve of Rosh Hashanah 5780? Join us for the discussion.

This week's Torah portion is chock full of mitzvot but we ended up going deep into just a few of them, particularly the laws surrounding the yefat toar, the war brides that Jewish soldiers are permitted to capture and marry. Commentaries portray this law as a rare accommodation to human passion, which, for the soldier in the heat of battle, might be too strong to overcome, and so the Torah provides a framework for allowing what would otherwise be a sin. But is this law an isolated occurrence, or does it have something to tell us about the nature of all desire. Aaron brings up a provocative passage from the Izhbitzer Rebbe, leading to some very interesting back and forth about how (or whether) sin can be constructive. 

In this week's episode, we discuss two ideas that have engaged commentators for centuries: magic and monarchy. Is black magic - which is forbidden in this week's Torah portion - real? Is magic forbidden because it is utterly untrue, or because it is true but inappropriate? What about kings? Should Israel have a king? Is it ideal or an accommodation to human frailty? Join us.

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In this week's discussion, Aaron and Rabbi Bienenfeld talk about the theme of food and eating runs through the Torah portion of Re'eh. From the laws of slaughter, to kosher food, to the sabbatical year, laws regarding how the Israelites are supposed to eat in the land abound. What does it all mean? Why aren't Jews required to be vegetarians? If G-d is everywhere, why is animal sacrifice limited to a single location? And how do the laws that don't relate to food fit in?

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In this week's episode, we continue to discuss Moshe's long parting address to the Jewish people and derive lessons that it has to teach us about working, self-righteousness, and the Land of Israel.

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And please review the show on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. 

In this week's Torah portion, Aaron and Rabbi Bienenfeld look at how the Book of Deuteronomy develops thematically, as Moshe's address to the people continues. They talk about why Moshe might have thought that his final plea to enter the land might have been granted, what Moshe is trying to convey to the people, and how an impressively large number of important principles of Jewish thought are taught in this week's portion.

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 And please review the show on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.