Explore every episode of the podcast Tanach In Depth

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel

The Sabbath: Its Meaning for the Modern Man

Part Two: Chapter IX - Holiness in Time

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Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel

The Sabbath: Its Meaning for the Modern Man

Part Two: Chapter VIII - Intuitions of Eternity

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Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel

The Sabbath: Its Meaning for the Modern Man

Part Two: Chapter VII - Eternity Utters a Day

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Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel

The Sabbath: Its Meaning for the Modern Man

Part Two: Chapter VI - The Presence of a Day

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Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel

The Sabbath: Its Meaning for the Modern Man

Part Two: Chapter V - Thou Art One

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Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel

The Sabbath: Its Meaning for the Modern Man

Part Two - Only Heaven and Nothing Else?

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Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel

The Sabbath: Its Meaning for the Modern Man

Part Two - The Splendor of Space

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NOTE: This is an AI generated podcast.

The literary and textual similarities between 1 Kings 1 and the story of Esther are numerous and readily apparent.

I took a basic outline of this idea and had Claude turn it into a full-blown essay. Then Notebook LM turned the essay into a podcast.

What comparisons did the AI miss? What else did it get right/wrong?

Thanks for listening

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel

The Sabbath: Its Meaning for the Modern Man

Part One Continued: Beyond Civilization

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Yechezkel Chapters 9 & 10This week we learn of the punishment and destruction that ensued after surveying the wanton sinning in the last chapter.

Chapter 10 reminds us of the Yom Kippur ceremony with more discussion of the celestial retinue.

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Pirkei Avos 1:8-9

We note again how much of Avot is instruction not for the common person, but for the Avot, the leaders of the people (in this case judges).

Next we examine the life of Shimon ben Shetach and see how his teaching here reflects tragedy of his own personal story.

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Yechezkel Chapters 7 & 8: Comparative Religion or Lecha Dodi bête noire

With these chapters we finally begin to understand why Hashem is so angry with the people. Yechezkel is taken on an out of body tour of the sins being perpetrated in the Beit HaMikdash.

We try to explicate the various forms of idolatry that the prophet is witnessing including Tammuz and the Barsom ritual.

We note how much of the language in the chapter duplicates that of Devarim ch. 4 and explain just how disgusting the behavior is by referencing Kiddushin 72b.

Finally, on my soapbox I note a similarity to the practice of the congregation turning their backs to the ark (and the East) during the Lecha Dodi prayer Friday night. R' Abe Faur explores the halachic implications of this in his Hakirah article

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Pirkei Avos 1:6-7 (⁶🤷⁷)

We spotlight the strange phenomenon of Rabbi Yehoshua ben P'rachai being cited in 4-6th century magic bowls and tie this to his being the purported teacher of Yeshu who was assumed to use black magic (forces of tumah/impurity) to accomplish miraculous feats. For more on this see the links below.

Next we examine the mishna of Nittai or Arbel, which may have been a veiled reference to Yochanan Kohen Gadol (John Hyrkanus). We note a textual variant where the name Nittai is actually Mattai and speculate about the implications.

More on magic bowls

1. Article 1

2. Article 2

3. Book 1 

4. Aramaic bowl spells : Jewish Babylonian Aramaic bowls. Vol. one

5. Example of a magic bowl

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Note: This podcast is AI generated

This is an audio summary based primarily on Richard Hidary's article Talmudic Topoi: The Hermeneutical Methods of Midrash and Greco-Roman Rhetoric. This podcast explores how early rabbis integrated methods also found in Greco-Roman rhetorical schools into the development of Mishnaic hermeneutics. While scholars like David Daube and R' Saul Lieberman highlight direct parallels between Hillel’s seven rules and classical logic the rabbis themselves remained deeply skeptical of unbridled human reason. They utilized these tools to ground oral traditions in Scripture and engage with surrounding intellectual cultures, yet they simultaneously established strict legal limitations to prevent logic from undermining traditional authority. Ultimately, the sources depict a complex rabbinic encounter with Hellenism where rhetorical dexterity was embraced as a persuasive necessity but was always held subordinate to received tradition and divine revelation.

I do not necessarily personally subscribe to all the views contained in this recording and will be discussing this work as well as the sources upon which it is based when our Avot/Paterfamilias shiur gets up to Hillel's Mishnayot.

The previous AI podcast received positive feedback and we will try to include one any week where a live recording was not done. Any additional feedback is welcome and appreciated.

Pirkei Avot 1:5-6

This week we encounter the first zugot (pairs) and learn about their lives and how their statements reflect the period in which they lived (overlapping with Hanukkah) . The statement of these sages seems to be in dialog (tension?) and represents different priorities for the leaders of the generation. We use Yose ben Yoezer's statement to shed light on an enigmatic passage in Yerushalmi Kiddushin and point out a textual variant that makes Yose ben Yohanan's statement regarding conversing with women more comprehensible.

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TEST AI PODCAST: R' Yehoshua ben Perahia the exorcist

I used an AI pdf to podcast creation tool to create this recording analyzing an academic article which explores the fact that R' Yehoshua ben Perahia (of Pirkei Avot fame) is listed in 5-6 century magic Aramic bowls (sort of house amulets) as an exorcist. The source material is here. I thought the AI did a very nice job.

If you are interested in more content like this, or never want to see content like this again, please leave a comment and explain why.

Yechezkel Chapters 5 & 6: The Worst of the Cursed

We contrast the ghoulish prophecy of punishment with the curses of Vayikra 26

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Paterfamilias: Decoding the Secrets of Mishnah Avot - episode 8

Special Chanukah Excursus: Yohanan Kohen Gadol

We explore a missing link in the chain of the mesorah, John Hyrkanus of the Hasmonean family. Who was he and why is such an illustrious figure absent from the first perek of Avot?

Josephus tells a compelling story to explain all of this.

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Paterfamilias: Decoding the Secrets of Mishnah Avot - episode 7“The reward of a thing well done is having done it.” - Ralph Waldo EmersonIn this episode we offer two radically different resolutions for understanding the puzzling and perhaps controversial statement of Antigonis of Sokho.

And then we offer a third.

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**RE-RELEASE**

Learning Genesis in depth can feel a lot like trying to swallow the ocean. We start by setting a framework for our study, meeting some of the less-common commentaries who will help guide us such as Rabbi Shmuel Dovid Luzzato (ShaDaL), Rabbi Benno Jacob, Rabbi Moshe Dovid (Umberto) Cassuto, JPS/Nahum Sarna, Andre LaCocque and R' Yonatan (Jonathan) Grossman.

We discuss discrepancies between the Chumash and science; eg birds are created before land animals while evolutionarily that order is necessarily reversed - and propose to use the late Stephen Gould's NOMA framework so that while science may tell us the 'what' of our world, Torah tells us the 'so what', as in so what does God want from me and how can I have a relationship with God?

Yechezkel Chapter 4: Ezekiel Bread

More symbolic acts in this chapter, which challenges us to understand what Ezekiel is meant to understand from these behaviors. Are they for him? For others? Both? We offer an approach that relates these strange acts to components of the service in the Bais HaMikdash which is coming to an end.

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Paterfamilias: Decoding the Secrets of Mishnah Avot - episode 6

The controversy of Antigonis of Sokho

This week we ground the transition from Shimon HaTzaddik to Antigonis historically, and read exerpts from Ben Sira which is the source for the liturgical piyyut Ma'areh Kohen. We note Antigonis is a unique character in the chain of mesorah and explore whether or not his teaching can be seen as part of normative Judaism.

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Paterfamilias: Decoding the Secrets of Mishnah Avot - episode 5

Simon the Righteous, a thrice told tale?

We round out our discussion of siyag and share Elias Bickerman's observation regarding the chain of tradition in Avot as a response to Matthew 1. We move on to the second mishna and explore several stories of Shimon HaTzaddik.

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Yechezkel Chapter 3: Shhhh, it's a trap!

In this chapter the prophet is again prompted to deliver his message to a recalcitrant people. Once again he is instructed to perform symbolic acts including remaining mute, shut in his home, and bound by ropes.

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Paterfamilias: Decoding the Secrets of Mishnah Avot - episode 4

Who guards the guardians?

First we note that the idea of establishing many students is a Hillel, not a Shammai, pedagogical approach. Next we examine the concept of siyag (fence, boundry) in the historical context of the 2nd century CE's various Jewish factions. We note the source for this idea seems to be Vayikra 18:30 (see Yevamot 21a) which itself is a rabbinic derivation.

The idea of siyag was a point of contention between the Pharisees, Sadducees, the Dead Sea Sect, the Christians and many others. Next time we will see how critical it is to determining which which disagreements are tolerated and which are not, within the Rabbinic (Pharisaic) Judaism of Rebbi's world.

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Yechezkel Chapter 2: Eating Woe

In this chapter the prophet recovers from the overwhelming theophany of the previous chapter and is endowed with a mission whose chances for success appear bleak. We wonder why it was necessary for Ezekiel to perform this bizarre symbolic act of eating and offer an explanation tied to the first chapter of Daniel and the fruit of the tree of good and evil (please see the relevant previous recordings for more details).

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Paterfamilias: Decoding the Secrets of Mishnah Avot - episode 3

What was received at Sinai?

We return to the question of why the first Mishnah omits a mention of God as the giver of the Torah and instead focuses on the fact that the Torah was received from Sinai. We contrast this with Avot d'Rebbi Natan which does include Hashem in the process.

To explain this surprising composition we note another phrase that is described as 'from Sinai' - Halakha l'Moshe miSinai, and investigate how this concept can shed light on the intention of the Mishna to offer the broadest possible understanding of what exactly was transmitted as part of the 'oral' Torah.

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Excursus on Maaseh Merkava - Theophany? Mystical Experience? Mind Palace?

We take a deep dive into the meaning of Ezekiel's vision of the divine transport, arguing what was envisioned was not in fact a chariot at all. We discuss some of the history related to mystical approaches to Yechezkel's prophecy and offer an alternative understanding of the vehicle in question based on the description of the lavers in the Beit HaMikdash (Temple).

We also offer a sustained comparison between the language and motifs of the revelation in chapter 1 with very similar language used to describe elements of the flood in the story of Noah. We offer a theory as to why these textual hints are embedded in our story.

More on the omniwheel (and the notion of Ezekiel seeing a UFO) can be found here. A brief animation of the omniwheel in use by the lavers of the Bayit is viewable here

Lastly, here is a relief that is roughly contemporaneous to the time of Yechezkel showing a royal chariot

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Paterfamilias: Decoding the Secrets of Mishnah Avot - episode 2

What is Mesorah?

In this episode we discuss the historical context for the composition of the Mishnah. We then uncover perhaps the most profound lesson of Avot, that part of the Torah sh'Baal Peh are the new insights and innovations, not from Sinai, but created by those who are the conduit of the mesorah from one generation to the next. Those 'Avot' don't just transmit the oral Torah, they contribute to it. We see this from the first Mishna which itself was clearly not said at Sinai, and we see it from the fact that the innovative statements of Avot are (largely) not sourced in Torah verses, nor are they even Rabbinically required (one has not violated halacha or sinned if s/he has not made their house a meeting place for the Sages (1:4) for instance.

Lastly, we point out that the intended audience for Avot is not the average layperson. This is also seen from the first mishnah where the statements of the Men of the Great Assembly are addressed not to the average joe, but their colleagues, other Avot.

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The Work of the Divine Chariot

Welcome to Sefer Yechezkel, this week we introduce the book, provide some historical background and explain why we are learning this first chapter, known as Maaseh Merkava (full disclosure, no secrets were uncovered).

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Paterfamilias: Decoding the Secrets of Mishnah Avot - episode 1

What is Mishnah?

Where did it come from, what is its purpose, and who wrote it?

In this introductory shiur we try to look at as a stand alone work and understand it on its own terms. We challenge some of the basic assumptions about Mishnah which may have been picked up in grade school, and begin to build an argument for the geopolitical motivations for compiling and canonizing this body of work.

Finally we begin to study the first Mishnah in (Pirkei) Avot and begin to wonder about the phrasing of the chain of tradition.

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Prosthetics, Energy Healing and Psychedelics in Halacha

Each week I try to share some interesting or uncommon questions across a range of topics on various whatsapp groups, reddit threads, Facebook groups and the like.

If you have answers to any of these questions please feel free to leave a comment or reply to me on x.com/isaacson

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel

The Sabbath: Its Meaning for the Modern Man

Part One: A Palace in Time

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Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel

The Sabbath: Its Meaning for the Modern Man

Prologue: The Architecture of Time

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In lieu of a shiur, here is a preview of coming attractions. We have 2 series in the works. The first, which I’m calling paterfamilias, is an exciting look at the mishna called Avot.We will be guided by Rabbi Binny Lau’s work the sages, as well as modern scholarship on the poetics and historical context necessary for reading of Mishna.

The second series in an in depth look at Sefer Yechezkel, the book of Ezekiel. This bold and enigmatic prophet has many tantalizing visions and a message that I think resonates asmuch today as it did 2,600 years ago.

Episode 51: The Finale of Sefer Shmuel

In this episode we discuss why David retains the kingship and why Shaul didn’t. We uncover the depths of the concept of repentance and the necessity of suffering as a way to deconstruct the sinner.

Finally we compare David's character arc to that of Eli and find that while David was both a king and a judge at one point, after his sin with Batsheva and Uriah his faculty of judgement became corrupted. It was not until his son was able to judge between the two prostitutes that David's critical errors in judgement could be reversed.

All this and more.

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If you would like copies of the shiur notes please message me.

The (Second) Book of Samuel: chapter 24

Welcome to 2 Samuel, Shmuel part Bet, chapter twenty four

Episode 50: The Better Angels of Our Nature

Previously on the book of Shmuel part Bet we read David’s swan song and pointed out the similarities to Chana’s song. We also met David’s mighty men and closed the previous chapter by both awkwardly omitting Yoav and pointing out that the final warrior is intentionally listed as Uriah HaHittie.

In this, our final chapter and penultimate shiur, we are presented with another of David’s tribulations. With Hashem angry for an undisclosed reason, David is prompted to sin by conducting a census. From there David is given a ‘Sophie’s Choice’ of punishments, itself a hidden test. David seems to select correctly but cannot avoid a massive toll on the people. Yet in an effort to stop the carnage he is brought to the precipice of his dream of beginning the building of the temple.

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The (Second) Book of Samuel: chapters 22 & 23

Welcome to 2 Samuel, Shmuel part Bet, chapters twenty two and twenty three

Episode 49: David's Swan Songs

Previously on the book of Shmuel part Bet, we began the coda of the book with two perplexing stories. The first was David’s acquiescing to the killing of nearly the entire remaining family of Shaul by the Give’onim in order to end a 3 year famine. The second was David’s near death experience with one Ishbi B’nob, where he is saved by Avishai. That encounter spelled the end of David’s military career and it seems it precipitated the Batsheva incident. 

These chapters contain a poem which concludes with a victory song. There is some clear artistry in that songs begin and end the book, with the song of Chana being mirrored here. Chapter 22 is identical or nearly identical to Psalms 18 which was written when David was saved from Shaul and perhaps other enemies.

The next chapter contains another song and the exploits of David's mighty heroes. Many of the names of the warriors are interpreted midrashically.

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The (Second) Book of Samuel: chapter 21

Welcome to 2 Samuel, Shmuel part Bet, chapter twenty one

Episode 48: Polydactyly

Previously on the book of Shmuel part Bet: We saw the secret life of Amasa who we proposed was in fact the inside man propelling the rebellion of Sheva ben Bichri. We noted That Yoav seemed to be hunting Amasa and explained the poor handling of Amasa’s corpse as part of the fallout of the ongoing war. I know we mentioned the gemara about the halachic question as to whether or not Sheva should have been handed over to Yoav, but we didn’t quite touch on the fact that even if they were allowed to hand Sheva over, who says they could kill him? Meaning even if he was a mored b’malchut, doesn’t he get his day in court in front of David? The only answer I can come up with is that this is a proof that anyone can kill a mored b’malchut at the kings behest. 

In this chapter we begin the coda of sefer shmuel by pivoting back in time. David is dealing with a famine that is one again tied to Gibe’on, a place and a people which has outsized impact on our book as a whole. Perhaps now we can see why Shimi ben Gera was so livid at David, David had essentially wiped out nearly the entire remaining family of Shaul, even after he had made an oath to preserve them!

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The (Second) Book of Samuel: chapter 20

Welcome to 2 Samuel, Shmuel part Bet, chapter twenty

Episode 47: The Secret Life of Amasa

Previously we saw the return of the king, where David meets again with many of the cast of characters he encountered when he had to flee before Avshalom. We spoke about his misjudgement with Mephiboshet and Tzibah and at the end we saw that David’s efforts to reunite the nation, by appointing Amasa as the head of his army, were insufficient to prevent the beginnings of internal strife. The tribes are once again acting tribal, with bickering over who gets to be closer to the king being an example of the simmering unrest that will erupt into another rebellion in this chapter.

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The (Second) Book of Samuel: chapter 19

Welcome to 2 Samuel, Shmuel part Bet, chapter nineteen

Episode 46: The Return of the King

Previously on the book of Shmuel part bet - We saw what was referred to in Shir HaShirim 7:6 as מֶלֶךְ אָסוּר בָּרְהָטִים the king held captive in the hairlocks. David’s army, and the battle location was too much for Avshalom’s troops. Yoav callously put an end to Avshalom and then in the beginning of chapter 19 we saw a broken king mourning the death of yet another child. 

The rest of the chapter will remind you, if you are a Tolkein fan, and if you are not we need to speak to remedy that, of the Gray Heavens, or in Joseph Campbell language, the concluding return of the Hero’s journey, where he meets upon his return the same cast of characters he met on his way out.

But first we take a brief excursus to note the many thematic and textual parallels between Saul's son Jonathan, and David's son Absalom.

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The (Second) Book of Samuel: chapter 18

Welcome to 2 Samuel, Shmuel part Bet, chapter eighteen

Episode 45: One Tin Soldier

Previously on the book of Shmuel part bet - David was able to successfully flee Jerusalem thanks in no small part to the spy network he put in place and the chicanery of Chushai. Achitofel, seeing the writing on the wall, kills himself as Avshalom pursues David in the transjordan region. 

In this chapter the battle will be met in earnest, and a tragedy, perhaps avoidable, will ensue. The first half of our story is the battle, the second is the aftermath. None of it is good. We continue to live in a world post the sin with Batsheva and as David continues to receive his comeuppance the question that continues to dangle over our heads is, why exactly is he still king.

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The (Second) Book of Samuel: chapters 16 & 17

Welcome to 2 Samuel, Shmuel part Bet, chapters sixteen and seventeen

Episode 44: Ramble On

Previously we saw the beginning of Avshalom’s rebellion which happened in stages, all while David sat on his hands. Then we saw David’s reaction, which was to neither confirm nor deny the new king, but rather to leave the scene. In his travels he meets a number of supporters and establishes his network of spies. This will come in handy in the upcoming chapters as those men go to work disrupting Avshalom’s counselors and informing David of what is to come.

In these chapters we meet 2 additional people who met David on his way, who were from Binyamin, Ziba who is clearly on David’s side but perhaps with dubious motives, while Shimi is clearly against David, though perhaps for purer motives, especially given that David had several other members of Shaul’s family killed (we kinda foreshadowed this previously, don’t worry, we’ll see more about that at the end of the book). In the meantime there is descension in the ranks of Avshalom as Achitofel’s first suggestion was accepted but his latter was foiled by Hushai. This leads to Achitofel’s demise by his own hand, and David’s successful escape with the help of his spy network. 

The (Second) Book of Samuel: chapter 15

Welcome to 2 Samuel, Shmuel part Bet, chapter fifteen

Episode 43: Rebel Rebel

This week Avshalom rebels in a not so subtle manner - this reminds us a lot of Shmuel Alef where sons did not continue the positive legacy of their fathers. Avshalom is methodical in probing and breaking down the various symbolic components of David's kingship.

David immediately accepts the coup d'état as a fait accompli. In his retreat, he meets 3 groups of loyalists sending at least 2 sets back to Jerusalem to be his eyes and ears, and to report back. He refuses to let the Aron be misused again and shows particular concern for his old advisor, Achitofel. 

We noted parallels in structure between the beginning and end of the chapter and how Ittai is both a recasting of David (in his time at Gath) and Ruth (when she showed fealty to Naomi).

Next time we will see David’s additional encounters, we will learn what happens when Hushai goes up against Achitofel and we will see Avshalom publicize his rebellion in earnest.Thanks for joining us. If you enjoy this content please consider giving us a 5 star rating and a brief review. Even better, share this with your friends and help our torah reach more learners. 

The (Second) Book of Samuel: chapter 14

Welcome to 2 Samuel, Shmuel part Bet, chapter fourteen

Episode 42: We Won't Get Fooled Again

David is once again duped into adjudicating against his own behavior. Yoav seeks to return Avshalom and uses a wise woman from Tekoa to fabricate a tale of one brother who kills another accidentally in the field and is being pursued by the blood avenger.

Eventually David uncovers the message and agrees to his son's return in a limited fashion, absent the permission to see the king directly.

Avshalom, ever the schemer, waits 2 more years sequestered away before demanding a familial reunion, only to be rebuffed by, of all people Yoav, his interlocutor. Avshalom's strongarm tactics bear fruit and Yoav eventually reunites father and son who kiss and make up.

We wonder if there is more lurking under the surface, to Yoav's behavior, what the wisdom of the wise woman really is and why David continues to be passive in all that occurs.

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The (Second) Book of Samuel: chapter 13

Welcome to 2 Samuel, Shmuel part Bet, chapter thirteen

Episode 41: Polyphonic Catastrophe

In chapter 13 there is a cacophony of intertextuality. References to other stories from Tanach abound, from the story of the rape of Dinah to the tragedy of Pilegesh b'Giveah, with references to the stories of Yosef and his brothers, Sodom and more. What all these incidents have in common with our story is that they are tales of how someone powerless is taken advantage of by those in a position of power. A fitting punishment for David after the incident with Batsheva and Uriah. 

In our story Amnon uses deception to seclude himself with his half-sister Tamar whom he rapes. Afterwards the response of two men are wildly divergent. David, her father, may be seething with anger, but takes no action. Avshalom, her brother, on the other hand, bides his time for 2 years before exacting revenge and killing his naval of a brother. Avshalom, like his father before him, flees to his royal non-Jewish relatives in Geshur and we are left to ponder questions such as how much of these events were driven by the Machievellian guidance of Yonadav? Is Avshalom a hero, villain or both? Why does David not act? All this and more.

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The (Second) Book of Samuel: chapter 12

Welcome to 2 Samuel, Shmuel part Bet, chapter twelve

Episode 41: The Aftermath

In this chapter we see the aftermath of David's sins with Batsheva and Uriah. We compare Natan's parable to the Bedouin law ofAdeyiah, and continue to drop hints at the comparison between David and Shaul. We discuss the meaning of the parable and consider who theIsh in question truly is. The question which looms largest is why David is able to retain his kingship when Shaul was not. We will try to look past facile explanations about the speed of David's confession of sin. All this and more

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Episode 40: Excursus: The David and Batsheva story

Welcome to our excursus on the David and Batsheba story. As I tried to point out in the shiur, we are tackling a unique and uniquely challenging topic. David is perhaps from the most beloved figures in Tanakh, and I believe we are rightfully apprehensive about discussing his sins, especially when they appear to be so egregious.

However, to fail to do so in a mature and exhaustive way shirks the responsibility entrusted to us by Hashem when he dictated that this story be included in Tanakh.

Furthermore, though we will cite sources from Chazal which seek to minimize if not essentially eliminate David’s transgressions, we will choose to follow Rishonim who, I believe rightly, see this as doing violence to the text. Such readings have a valid place as derash, but our goal is to hew as close to the text as possible. If the pesukim, the Navi and David all say he sinned, then we must contend with the actual events, not watered down apologetics.

In the end perhaps part of the reason David is so eternally and broadly loved in spite of his failings is because of how he chose to respond when he was forced to take a long hard look in the mirror.

Substantively, besides reviewing the statements of Chazal we look at the whole incident as an inversion of the Yosef-Eshet Potiphar story, we then look for a framework in the Torah which can give us a better psychological understanding of David, and find it in the parsha of Yefat Torah.

We then seek to expand the theological underpinnings by tracing the root of this sin throughout Tanach and back to Gan Eden.

Finally, we contrast what took place with the correct alternative model, that of shepherding. While leaving in abeyance (for now) the question of how a king who is supposed to be the paradigm of alignment with the will of God can recover from such a failure, and why David is even given that chance while Shaul was not

The (Second) Book of Samuel: chapters 10 & 11

Welcome to 2 Samuel, Shmuel part Bet, chapters ten and eleven

Episode 39: Into the Heart of Darkness

Welcome to Shmuel part Bet chapters 10 and 11. Don't worry this is the first of at least 2 sessions we will spend on chapter 11 and the sin of David with Batsheva.

Previously on the book of Shmuel we saw King David launch his first offensive campaigns to much success. David's entire warrior career was kaleidoscoped into a single chapter which stands outside of the chronology of the book. Then we saw David the oathkeeper as he did kindness for the remnant of the house of Shaul and Yehonatan by taking care of Ishboshet.

This time we are transposed back somewhere in the midst of chapter 8, and probably chapter 21 to further explore one of David's wars in detail. This conflagration is a prelude to a much more personal episode with Uriah and Batsheva, which we intend to treat in detail.

Fair warning some material in this chapter may be surprising and perhaps upsetting. We will read the text as straightforwardly as possible to start and return next time for additional explanation and commentary.

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