Explore every episode of the podcast Rav Joe's 929 Tanakh Podcast

Bonus episode, President Yitzchak Herzog on Megillat Esther!

Esther #10 - one of the shortest chapters in Tanakh I'm excited to share two different audios on the chapter which connect its 3 verses to two very large themes in the megilla. The second audio explores the meaning of the many connections between the story of the megilla and that of Yosef - with a surprising twist connected to chapter 10. Text here: https://www.sefaria.org/Esther.10?lang=bi

Esther #10 - one of the shortest chapters in Tanakh I'm excited to share two different audios on the chapter which connect its 3 verses to two very large themes in the megilla.The first audio uses our chapter to track the moral development of Achashverosh throughout the story - could he be seen as the hero of the megilla:

Text here: https://www.sefaria.org/Esther.10?lang=bi

Esther Chs. 8+9 - the Jews fight against their enemies and after the victory begin the celebration which will become known as Purim. Calev Ben Dor explores the connections between the Jews of Purim and those at Sinai in explaining the nature of Jewish identity and obligation.

Text here:

https://www.sefaria.org/Esther.9?lang=bi

Esther Chs. 8+9: The Jews fight against their enemies and after the victory begin the celebration which will become known as Purim. Sam Lebens explores the apparently genocidal actions of the Jews against their enemies.

Text here:

https://www.sefaria.org/Esther.8?lang=bi

Esther 6 and 7 - where Mordechai is paraded through the streets and we reach the dramatic high point of the story with Esther’s banquet and petition to the King.

Rafi brings us his overview of the text inspired by Disney fairytales and Malcolm Gladwell.

Text here:

https://www.sefaria.org/Esther.6?lang=bi, https://www.sefaria.org/Esther.7?lang=bi

Ilana Stein considers the heroism of Esther through the prism of her clothing and the significance of learning Esther before Yom Kippur. Text here: https://www.sefaria.org/Esther.5?lang=bi

Aliza Libman Baronofsky considers what sort of feminist hero Esther is and what we can learn from her about women's voices. Text here: https://www.sefaria.org/Esther.4?lang=bi

Sam Lebens unpacks the nature of Mordechai's antipathy to Haman.

https://www.sefaria.org/Esther.3?lang=bi

Chapters 1 and 2 introduce us to Achashverosh, the feast, Vashti's demise, and the rise of Esther.

Calev Ben Dor, on chapter 2, provides historical context to the book of Esther and an intriguing explanation of the backstory of tensions between Mordechai and Haman.

Text here:

https://www.sefaria.org/Esther.2?lang=bi

Chapters 1 and 2 introduce us to Achashverosh, the feast, Vashti's demise, and the rise of Esther. In my recording on chapter one, I consider the character of Vashti - a heroine according the the peshat straightforward reading of the text but a villain according to the midrash. Text here: https://www.sefaria.org/Esther.1?lang=bi

Kohelet #12 - the dramatic conclusion of the book and of Kohelet’s wisdom on human mortality. Kohelet appears to end where he began - all is hevel? But what does this word actually mean? What if this word has consistently been mistranslated for centuries? Our audio today explores an alternative translation which presents a remarkably different understanding of the work as a whole and is a fitting conclusion to our studies of this misunderstood book. Speaking personally, this idea completely changed my appreciation of Kohelet and I think others will like it too.

Text here:

https://www.sefaria.org/Ecclesiastes.12?lang=bi

Kohelet #11 - 'Rejoice in your youth... but know that God will bring you to judgement for all this'

Rafi Addlestone shares thoughts on the interwoven nature of joy and loss in both Kohelet and Jack Antonoff.

https://www.sefaria.org/Ecclesiastes.11?lang=bi

Rabbi Dr Sam Lebens offers reflections on the many possible reasons why the wise man turns to the right but the fool turns to the left.

Text here:

https://www.sefaria.org/Ecclesiastes.10?lang=bi

Kohelet 8 & 9: wisdom, kings, enjoying this life even if you can't take it with you.

Tzivia Appleman considers what Kohelet has in common with Ted Danson in The Good Place in their reflections on mortality.

Text here: https://www.sefaria.org/Ecclesiastes.9?lang=bi

Kohelet 8 & 9: Wisdom, kings, enjoying this life even if you can't take it with you. Aliza considers the links between ch.8 and the festivals of Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur that we are about to enter into.

https://www.sefaria.org/Ecclesiastes.8?lang=bi

Kohelet 7 - see the works of God, for who can fix that which has been perverted

What does our tradition have to say about human-induced damage to our environment? What can it add to the discussion on climate change? I think a midrash on our chapter contains one of the most powerful answers. The full text of the midrash can be found in this article I wrote a number of years ago: https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/a-tu-bshvat-midrash/

Text here:

https://www.sefaria.org/Ecclesiastes.7?lang=bi

Kohelet #6 - the paradox of plenty as Kohelet grapples with too much abundance and success
Rabbi Gamliel Shmalo marshalls insights from Rashi to the Dalai Lama to the head of the Bank of Israel to shed light on the challenges facing a hedonist.

Text here:
https://www.sefaria.org/Ecclesiastes.6?lang=bi

Kohelet #5: The dangers of dreams, vows and of speaking too freely - and the risks that wealth brings 'for one who loves money will never be satisfied with money.`

In our audio we focus upon a powerful midrashic commentary to verse 14 about the nature of wealth in this world and what we take with us when we leave it:
כַּאֲשֶׁר יָצָא מִבֶּטֶן אִמּוֹ עָרוֹם יָשׁוּב לָלֶכֶת כְּשֶׁבָּא וּמְאוּמָה לֹא־יִשָּׂא בַעֲמָלוֹ שֶׁיֹּלֵךְ בְּיָדוֹ׃
"He must depart just as he came. As he came out of his mother’s womb, so must he depart at last, naked as he came. He can take nothing of his wealth to carry with him." Text here: https://www.sefaria.org/Ecclesiastes.5?lang=bi

Happiest are those never born and there is no end to the tears of the oppressed. Calev Ben Dor shares a midrashic teaching on the tears of the oppressed, mamzerut and a moving story about Rav Ovadia Yosef.

https://www.sefaria.org/Ecclesiastes.4?lang=bi

Kohelet #3: there is a time for everything, to love, to hate...

Rabbi Dr Sam Lebens shares thoughts on joy and its absence in Kohelet.

Text here:

https://www.sefaria.org/Ecclesiastes.3?lang=bi

Hi Everybody!

Purim is almost here. According to the 929 schedule we will be reading Megillat Esther in just a few weeks,

which is unfortunatley too late for Purim itself. Since it's so close, we wanted to give you the episodes a few weeks ahead of time, though we will publish them again on the 929 schedule.

Trying something new for this one, and combining chapters 6-10.

Let us know if you liked this or not!

Happy Purim!

Timestamps:

00:00 Esther Ch.6-7 Rafi Addlestone brings us his overview of the text inspired by Disney fairytales and Malcolm Gladwell.

03:05 Aladdin and Esther: Parallels in Storytelling

05:51 Esther's Empowerment and the Role of Women in Fairy Tales

08:46 Modern Fairy Tales: Empowered Heroines in Disney

11:10 Conclusion: The Legacy of Esther and Modern Narratives

11:59 The Legal Right to Defend: A Turning Point in Esther (Esther Ch. 8 by Rabbi Sam Lebens)

17:48 Yom Kippur and Purim: Themes of Decrees and Transformation

25:11 Calev Ben Dor explores the connections between the Jews of Purim and those at Sinai in explaining the nature of Jewish identity and obligation. (Ch. 9)

28:10 The Significance of Jewish Celebration

32:04 Understanding Mitzvot and Community Obligation

35:16 Introduction to Chapter 10 of Esther (Esther Ch.10 pt 1 by Rabbi Joe Wolfson)

36:15 The Dual Conclusions of Esther

38:19 Achashverosh: From Buffoon to Hero?

41:16 The Moral Transformation of Achashverosh

43:42 Parallels Between Esther and Yosef (Rabbi Joe Esther Ch.10 part 2)

46:41 Leadership in Exile: B'nai Rachel vs. B'nai Leah

49:34 The Temporary Nature of Political Success

52:44 Linking Esther to the Book of Shemot

Hi Everybody!

Purim is almost here. According to the 929 schedule we will be reading Megillat Esther in just a few weeks,

which is unfortunatley too late for Purim itself. Since it's so close, we wanted to give you the episodes a few weeks ahead of time, though we will publish them again on the 929 schedule.

Trying something new for this one, and combining chapters 1-5, and generated the track titles and subtitles with AI.

Chapters

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Esther and Vashti's Role (Ch.1 by Rabbi Joe Wolfson)

02:50 Vashti: The Objectification and Rebellion

05:49 Comparative Analysis: Vashti and Yosef's Refusal

09:04 Midrash Perspectives on Vashti and Feminism

09:27 Ch.2 by Calev Ben Dor | The Rise of Esther: A New Queen Emerges

12:28 Historical Context: The Persian Empire and Jewish Exile

15:38 The Four-Year Gap: War Preparations and Political Intrigue

18:36 Mordechai and Haman: A Complex Relationship

20:39 The Rise of Haman and Mordechai's Defiance (Chs. 3-5 by Rabbi Professor Sam Lebens))

26:41 The Hidden Hand of God in Esther

31:35 Esther's Strategy and Haman's Downfall

36:32 Ch.4 by Aliza Libman Baronofsky

39:28 Esther's Role and Agency

42:18 The Significance of Voice and Silence

43:42 Ch. 5 by Ilana Stein | Esther's Transformation and Royal Approach

46:53 The Significance of Clothing and Inner Strength

49:44 Spiritual Preparation and Divine Connection

Let us know if you liked this or not!

The authors of these audio clips are as follows:

Esther Ch. 1: Rabbi Joe WolfsonIn my recording on chapter 1, I consider the character of Vashti - a heroine according the the _peshat_ straightforward reading of the text but a villain according to the midrash.

Esther Ch. 2: Calev Ben Dor:Calev Ben Dor, on chapter 2, provides historical context to the book of Esther and an intriguing explanation of the backstory of tensions between Mordechai and Haman.

Esther Chs 3-5: Rabbi Professor Sam LebensSam Lebens unpacks the nature of Mordechai's antipathy to Haman

Esther Ch. 4: Aliza Libman BaronofskyAliza Libman Baronofsky considers what sort of feminist hero Esther is and what we can learn from her about women's voices

Esther Ch. 5: Ilana Stein Ilana Stein considers the heroism of Esther through the prism of her clothing and the significance of learning Esther before Yom Kippur.

Happy Purim!

Ilana uses ch.2 to think about our responsibility to future generations. Text here: https://www.sefaria.org/Ecclesiastes.2?lang=bi

Kohelet chapters 1 and 2: a different darkness to Eicha. Not suffering and persecution but the meaninglessness of abundance. I introduce the book and how the Sages struggled with Kohelet's proposition while Ilana uses ch.2 to think about our responsibility to future generations.
In arguing for the contemporary relevance of Kohelet to our modern predicament I quote at length from Rav Soloveitchik. Here is the full piece:
Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Worship of the Heart, p.38
Man is bored. Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on his entertainment and amusement. He pays enormous sums to anyone who can elicit a smile from him and make him forget his daily worries. What are these worries? Poverty, sickness, persecution, physical pain? None of these. His
main worry is existence itself. He is dissatisfied with what he is doing, with his job, trade or profession. He hates the routine of getting up at 7, catching the 7:45 train, and arriving at the office, where one meets the same people and discusses the same affairs. He finds no joy in what he is
doing; he wants to free himself from his daily obligations and activities. He resents the repetition,
which is basically a natural phenomenon. He is the most miserable of creatures because he is confined to a cyclic existence which keeps on retracing its steps afresh; for he knows what he is going to do next and what is expected of him. He travels to far-off places, because he is tired of his hometown, with its familiar surroundings, and he engages in an incessant quest for new experiences and stimuli… He soon realizes that whatever he was looking for does not exist and he comes home, back to his old surroundings and duties. He chases a mirage that recedes endlessly upon his
approach.

https://www.sefaria.org/Ecclesiastes.1?lang=bi

In the final chapter of the book of our national lament, the acrostic is broken and we begin to move towards a brighter day. In our audio we look at how both our chapter and the midrash on Eicha move the reader from despair to hope. Text here:
https://www.sefaria.org/Lamentations.5?lang=biii

Eikha #4 - perhaps the most graphic and disturbing of the Eikha chapters with the most disturbing image of all as mothers cook their children.

Despite the content, Rabbi Gamliel Shmalo, marshalls the scholarly work on trauma, to make the arresting claim that our chapter in fact sets forth a process of recovery from trauma essential to the survival of the Jewish people.

Text here:
https://www.sefaria.org/Lamentations.4?lang=bii

Eicha #3 - "I am the man who has seen suffering"- the epicenter of the megilla.

Our audio once again focuses on a single verse which is taken by the midrash as the model for what all prophets should aspire to. Text here:
https://www.sefaria.org/Lamentations.3?lang=bii

Eikha #2 - the lament continues, with a prominent theme being that God Himself perpetrates this act 'in his devouring anger... Good was like the enemy. In our audio today we connect a single verse in our chapter to a parallel verse in Tehillim 48 to try and unpack how this tragedy occurred.

https://www.sefaria.org/Lamentations.2?lang=bi

https://929.org.il/lang/en/today

Greetings everybody!
It took nearly a year to do the 220 chapters of Tehillim, Mishlei and Iyov but now we're on our third book in as many weeks.
Shir HaShirim and Ruth - two books told primarily through female protagonists. Now Eikha - how she, Jerusalem, sits alone bereft of those who loved her, in the aftermath of destruction of the Temple in 586BCE.Aliza Libman Baronofsky starts us off with the first chapter, placing it in the context of the life and work of its author, Yirmiyahu.
https://www.sefaria.org/Lamentations.1?lang=bihttps://929.org.il/lang/en/today

Ruth chapters 3 and 4: the nighttime meeting between Boaz and Ruth and... it works! Desolation and despair is replaced with birth and gladness.
Rabbi Gamliel presents on ch.4 with the beautiful insight that if Shoftim teaches us that individual acts of evil can metastasise into society wide calamities, Ruth teaches that small acts of kindness can become waves of societal regeneration
A wonderful book, superlatively taught.https://www.sefaria.org/Ruth.4?lang=bi

Ruth chapters 3 and 4: the nighttime meeting between Boaz and Ruth and... it works! Desolation and despair is replaced with birth and gladness.
For ch.3 my fantastic colleague, Margot Botwinick, co-director of JLIC @ IDC Herzliya shares thoughts on Naomi's reversal of Bereishit in her daring suggestion that Ruth seduce Boaz.
https://www.sefaria.org/Ruth.3?lang=bi

Rabbi Dr Sam Lebens presented ch.2s audio, focusing on Boaz's role in Ruth's conversion. Text here: https://www.sefaria.org/Ruth.2?lang=bi

One megilla down, four to go! Today begins the story of Ruth, the widowed young gentile woman from Mo'av whose kindness and loyalty leads to King David and, according to Jewish tradition, to mashiach. Most of you will have already heard many ideas on Megillat Rut. In my recording today I focus on the deceptively simple question of when the story took place to understand its overall place in Tanakh and how this quiet pastoral story of kindness moves Jewish history forward. My audio is based on a longer written piece which all are welcome to read here https://joewolfson.com/2014/06/01/why-rut/

Text here:

https://www.sefaria.org/Ruth.1?lang=bi

https://929.org.il/lang/en/today

Shir HaShirim #8 - the final chapter of this beautiful love song, but an unexpected ambiguity of distance and not togetherness concludes the sefer.
My fantastic colleague, Shira Kahn, JLIC co-director at Princeton, shares beautiful thoughts based off of the fascinating readings of Ibn Ezra and the Malbim where the Song of Songs is a metaphor for the individual soul encased in the physical body. Text here:
https://www.sefaria.org/Song_of_Songs.8?lang=bi

Text here: https://www.sefaria.org/Song_of_Songs.6?lang=bi, https://www.sefaria.org/Song_of_Songs.7?lang=bi

Text here: https://www.sefaria.org/Song_of_Songs.5?lang=bi

Kohelet 7 - see the works of God, for who can fix that which has been perverted.

What does our tradition have to say about human-induced damage to our environment? What can it add to the discussion on climate change? I think a midrash on our chapter contains one of the most powerful answers. The full text of the midrash can be found in this article I wrote a number of years ago: https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/a-tu-bshvat-midrash/

Text here: https://www.sefaria.org/Ecclesiastes.7?lang=bi

Shir HaShirim 4 and 5: songs of love, longing and missed opportunities.
Yonatan Rahmani provides commentary, alongside beautiful chanting on chapter 4. Text here: https://www.sefaria.org/Song_of_Songs.4?lang=bi

Kohelet #6 - the paradox of plenty as Kohelet grapples with too much abundance and success
Rabbi Gamliel Shmalo marshalls insights from Rashi to the Dalai Lama to the head of the Bank of Israel to shed light on the challenges facing a hedonist. Text here:
https://www.sefaria.org/Ecclesiastes.6?lang=bi

Shir HaShirim #2 and #3: springtime in the land of Israel, lovers longing for one another, but rivals and destructive foxes lie around them.
Audio from Aliza Libman Baronofsky on daughters of Jerusalem in ch.3. Text here:
https://www.sefaria.org/Song_of_Songs.3?lang=bi

Shir HaShirim #2 and #3: springtime in the land of Israel, lovers longing for one another, but rivals and destructive foxes lie around them.
Audio from me in ch2 pulling out some of the key features of Shir HaShirim from verses in our chapter. Text here: https://www.sefaria.org/Song_of_Songs.2?lang=bi

Text for this chapter can be found here: ⁠https://www.sefaria.org/Song_of_Songs.1?lang=bi⁠

Our first audio is from my good friend Hakham Yonatan Rahmani who shares an introduction to the work as well as beautiful chanting and interpretations of the first verses.

Today is a big day. We finish Iyov and begin Shir HaShirim, the first of the megillot. Here's a thought - Iyov, a book so great, heavy and dreadful about a man who suffers - is book ended by two of the ultimate love poems celebrating different aspects of femininity, Eishet Chayil in Mishlei 30, and Shir HaShirim.
To conclude the final mighty chapter of Job, we celebrate with two superb recordings from two of our fantastic teachers - Calev Ben Dor and Rabbi Dr Lebens (who also provides a bonus one). Two very different recordings a tribute to both the teachers and the text - אחת דבר אלוקים, שתים זו שמעתי Text here: https://www.sefaria.org/Job.42?lang=bi

Today is a big day. We finish Iyov and begin Shir HaShirim, the first of the megillot. Here's a thought - Iyov, a book so great, heavy and dreadful about a man who suffers - is book ended by two of the ultimate love poems celebrating different aspects of femininity, Eishet Chayil in Mishlei 30, and Shir HaShirim.
To conclude the final mighty chapter of Job, we celebrate with two superb recordings from two of our fantastic teachers - Calev Ben Dor and Rabbi Dr Lebens (who also provides a bonus one). Two very different recordings a tribute to both the teachers and the text - אחת דבר אלוקים, שתים זו שמעתי

Text here: https://www.sefaria.org/Job.42?lang=bi⁠

Today is a big day. We finish Iyov and begin Shir HaShirim, the first of the megillot. Here's a thought - Iyov, a book so great, heavy and dreadful about a man who suffers - is book ended by two of the ultimate love poems celebrating different aspects of femininity, Eishet Chayil in Mishlei 30, and Shir HaShirim.
To conclude the final mighty chapter of Job, we celebrate with two superb recordings from two of our fantastic teachers - Calev Ben Dor and Rabbi Dr Lebens (who also provides a bonus one). Two very different recordings a tribute to both the teachers and the text - אחת דבר אלוקים, שתים זו שמעתי. Text here: https://www.sefaria.org/Job.42?lang=bi

Iyov #40 &41 - consider Iyov, says God, the Levitathon and the Behemoth.
Audio from a location where I can appreciate God's argument. Text here: https://www.sefaria.org/Job.40?lang=bi, https://www.sefaria.org/Job.41?lang=bi

Iyov #39 - God gives Iyov a description of the wild animals that populate our world - a response that could alternatively aim to overwhelm, humble or calm Iyov.
Ilana Stein brings all her love of zoology to our chapter including a wonderful story of the ostrich and Lord Rothschild to explain a peculiar detail. Her recording concludes with a deeply moving quote of Anne Frank about the restorative power of nature.
If the group will forgive my sharing of holiday snaps, we currently find ourselves standing at a 315ft 2,400 year old Redwood tree - likely alive when our sefer was written - and the chapters feel wonderfully relevant. In Anne Frank's words, time in nature alone with God is undoubtedly the ultimate solace. Text here: https://www.sefaria.org/Job.39?lang=bi

Greetings all from the lost coast of Northern California - an appropriately dramatic place for the climax of our book as God speaks to Job out of the whirlwind - where were you when I founded the earth. And who better than Rafi Addlestone to teach us this chapter. Text here: https://www.sefaria.org/Job.38?lang=bi

929 bonus: Rabbi Gamliel Shmalo completes his series on the Elihu chapters with a bonus recording on the book of *Iyov in the writings of Maimonides* - a hugely important topic. On behalf of the whole group, a huge thank you to Rabbi Shmalo for his great work on the Elihu chapters