Into the Verse - A Parsha Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Reexamining Revelation: The Challenge of Chosenness [Introducing our new season of A Book Like No Other] Jan 21, 2025

Show notes

At the heart of Judaism's chosenness lies an unexpected twist that few have noticed. Rabbi Fohrman stumbles upon a shocking connection between two of the Bible's most pivotal moments - one that completely transforms our understanding of what it means to be chosen. This discovery not only challenges centuries of religious interpretation but might just change how you see your own relationship with God.
For more on Rabbi Fohrman's reading of the deception story, see this essay from his book Genesis: A Parsha Companion.
While A Book Like No Other remains available exclusively for our paid members, you can now listen to it directly in your preferred podcasting app alongside all your other shows with the click of a button. Click this link to sign up and set up your private feed.

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.

Parshat Shelach: Insights Into Tzitizt (Re-release of "What’s Meaningful About Tzitzit? Part 2) Jun 27, 2024

Show notes

(Part 2 of 2) Parshat Shelach teaches us the mitzvah of Tzitzit. How are we to understand these little fringes? Sounds like a perfect job for the crew at "Meaningful Judaism," our podcast dedicated to uncovering the meaning in mitzvot, so we decided to pop back into this feed and share this episode from our archives.

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!

Parshat Shelach: Insights into Tzitzit: (Re-release of "What’s Meaningful About Tzitzit? Part 1) Jun 26, 2024

Show notes

(Part 1/2) Parshat Shelach teaches us the mitzvah of Tzitzit. How are we to understand these little fringes? Sounds like a perfect job for the crew at "Meaningful Judaism," our podcast dedicated to uncovering the meaning in mitzvot, so we decided to pop back into this feed and share this episode from our archives. Enjoy!

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!

A Book Like No Other: Season 3 - Trailer Mar 09, 2024

Show notes

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 made possible through the generous sponsorship of Shari and Nathan Lindenbaum, as well as the support of our members like you. Don’t forget, your membership gives you access to Aleph Beta’s full library of over 1,000 videos and podcasts, as well as bonus content for A Book Like No Other. Visit www.alephbeta.org to keep learning. And be sure to email us at info@alephbeta.org with any questions or concerns.

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!

Mishpatim: The Legal Debate That Changed Jewish History Feb 06, 2024

Show notes

Parshat Mishpatim outlines the laws of indentured servants and maidservants, including servants going free in the seventh year, servants getting married while working, and a father making a deal for his daughter’s hand in marriage. This set of laws seems strikingly similar to an earlier story involving a worker and a father trying marrying off his daughters. Could these laws in Mishpatim actually be the Torah’s own commentary on the negotiations between Jacob and Laban back in Genesis?
Join Rabbi David Fohrman and Ari Levisohn as they discuss these surprising parallels and explore the relationship between the Torah's laws and its stories.
Into The Verse is taking a break for a little while. In the interim you can stay up-to-date on the parsha with last year’s episodes, which are available on https://www.alephbeta.org. And if you haven’t started the latest season of A Book Like No Other, you have to check it out. If you’re not a member…what are you waiting for? Go to alephbeta.org/subscribe and become a member to access the new season of A Book Like No Other, as well as our full library of over 1,000 videos and podcasts. Click here to subscribe.

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!

Yitro: What Was Really Written on the Tablets? Jan 30, 2024

Show notes

In Parshat Yitro, we read about the revelation at Sinai and the giving of the 10 Commandments. The image of the 10 Commandments is one of the most familiar images from the Torah, but when you read the Sages’ description of the tablets, not only will you be shocked to hear that we may have been depicting the image wrong all along, but we may also be missing an important part of what the 10 Commandments are all about.

Join Ari Levisohn and Daniel Loewenstein as they explore the Sages’ words and discuss the powerful implications of a new way to see the 10 Commandments.

To hear Rabbi Fohrman's complete interview on the podcast excerpted in this week's episode, listen here.

To learn more about the suzerain-vassal treaties Ari discusses, check out this article.

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!

The Blasphemer: Why Would Someone Curse God? [Introducing our new season of A Book Like No Other] Jan 23, 2024

Show notes

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 info@alephbeta.org if you have any trouble.
And if you’re not a member…what are you waiting for? Go to alephbeta.org/subscribe and become a member to access this new season of A Book Like No Other, as well as our full library of over 1,000 videos and podcasts. Use coupon code BLNO2 for a 30 day free trial with a monthly membership OR $18 off an annual membership. Click here to subscribe.

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!

Bo: What Did the Egyptians Get Out of the Exodus? Jan 16, 2024

Show notes

Parshat Bo tells the story of the last three plagues. The 10th plague, the death of the firstborn, ultimately compels Pharaoh and the Egyptians to free the Israelites from slavery, but was that really the purpose of the plagues? Were they just meant to punish the Egyptians? Or were the Egyptians meant to get something else out of these destructive plagues?

Join Tikva Hecht and Beth Lesch as they challenge a classic answer to these questions on the 10 plagues and develop a new understanding of what it means to “know God.”

Check out Rabbi Fohrman’s course “Why Did God Choose Israel As His Chosen People?” to explore these questions further.

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!

Shemot: What Was Moses’ Real Mission? Jan 02, 2024

Show notes

In Parshat Shemot, we read the story of the burning bush, where Moses was charged with a mission. We are often taught that Moses’ job was to take the Israelites out of Egypt, but a close read of the text suggests that there is actually something else Moses also had to do.

Join Ari Levisohn and Evan Weiner as they dive into Moses' encounter with the burning bush and discover allusions to an earlier mission in the Bible, one which sheds light on Moses’ true mission and what it means for a nation under attack.

Check out Rabbi Fohrman’s video about the Korban Pesach (Passover offering) and the Sale of Joseph mentioned in this week’s episode. To learn more about Joseph’s mission to check on his brothers, watch this amazing video from Rabbi Fohrman and this earlier episode of Into the Verse.

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!

Vayechi: God's Hidden Hand Dec 26, 2023

Show notes

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.

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!

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