Tanach In Depth – Details, episodes & analysis

The (Second) Book of Samuel: chapter 2

Welcome to 2 Samuel, Shmuel part Bet, chapter 2

Episode 32: Who Rules Who

This week David becomes king yet again (this is his second inauguration). This time, his monarchy is over his tribe, Yehuda and is immediately tested as his troops come into conflict with those of his rival Ish-Boshet, the son of Shaul and the hereditary ruler of the Jewish people. What ensues is a battle that never should have happened as sparing gives way to warring.

Capped by the tragic death of David nephew Asa'el Avner is forced to retreat as Yoav and David's men claim victory. Next week we will see the repercussions of a battle that takes place in the strategic location of Give'on.

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Welcome to 2 Samuel, Shmuel part Bet, chapter 1

Episode 31: Lying and Dying

This week we transitioned from the death of Shaul to its immediate aftermath. We encounter a bizarre account of shaul's last moments told from the perspective of an outsider, an Amalekite

From a literary perspective the author wants us to recall the tragedy of the death of Eli and his sons from the beginning of Sefer shmuel. The context there is a failure of leadership which begets a national ruination. Such is there case again here where Shaul’s death precipitates a major military loss.

But somehow that loss is not truly our focus, because the paradigm has shifted to the role of the leader. There was no one to lament the death of Eli and his sons, but in our chapter that task falls to David who both acts decisively to show that he will brook no ill will towards his predecessor, as well as showing his compassion and admiration for his liege lord shaul and his dearest friend Yehonatan.

We end our chapter with some unanswered questions around the chronology from the combining of the Shaul and David narratives. Is it possible that David sent gifts from his spoils of war while the nation mourned the death of their king? It should go without saying that we cannot believe the Amalekite's account. He seems to be the first in a number of people who believe they can ingratiate themselves with David by being a part of the downfall of the king's perceived enemies, only to find that in doing so they themselves become David's enemy and are immediately vanquished.

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Whither Malchut

Welcome to our twenty-seventh in a continuing series on the book of Shmuel or Samuel and the founding of Jewish monarchy.

Episode 27: Avigail, Kingmaker

Chapter 25 is pivotal in the course of the life of David. We try to read past the surface and detect both a Naval whose actions appear justified and a David who seems to be on the verge of turning into Shaul. Avigail's message to David is nuanced and layered, she delicately points out the error in David's ways by, for example, alluding to David's victory with a slingshot, as a reminder that it was David who rejected the need for a sword in the first place.

All this and more.

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In this podcast we put the book of Yonah into context. The story is familiar to many but we try to unpack some of the information that is being alluded to for the reader. What is the city of Nin'veh supposed to conjure for the reader? Why is Yonah concerned with being labeled a false prophet? 

We also examine the book's structure and use of language and how these things shed light on some of the profound themes lurking beneath a superficial reading

Source sheets

This shiur covers two topics - the siman of Korech at the seder - what can we learn from this sandwich? - and Shir HaShirim, the megillah which is read over Pesach - how does it connect to the mysterious Keruvim? We offer a new perspective on how to relate to this holy song. 

Essays with sources

• Korech
• Shir HaShirim

Join us as we explore the symbolism of Yachatz at the seder. How does breaking apart underlie the seder as a whole and how we relate to the concept of chatzot? 

Read the full write up here

What is the meaning of a Seder, and how does having one allow us to achieve freedom from the servitude of Egypt? This shiur discusses the idea of a seder being a process towards an end goal, how that goal addresses issues raised both by Purim and the exile of Egypt and we find, startlingly enough that the root of all the issues raise can be traced back to Yaakov's encounter with Lavan. 

This shiur was based on my essay of the same name. Chag Sameach!

The final shiur on sefer Iyov we try to answer the most pressing questions - what is the book of Iyov trying to teach us? Who won the bet, God or Satan? What is the meaning of God's reply to Iyov? Why do bad things happen to good people? We review the answers of classical commentaries, Chazal and modern thinkers and then propose a radical reading with a little help from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Iyov's final defense, Elihu and God's first response

Discussion of whether or not Job (Iyov) passed Satan's test