In this conversation with Dr. Ayelet Hoffman Libson, we discuss the episode of the daughters of Tzelofechad who approach Moshe asking for the right to inherit their deceased father's land. Our conversation speaks about the strength of Moshe as a humble leader as well as the women's wisdom reflected in their request for legal latitude. Thank you to Chana Shefa, Adira Lautman Botwinick, and Sivan Krug who are celebrating one year of weekly parsha learning together, with a tefilla that their connec...
Jul 13, 2025•28 min
In this conversation with Dr. Tanya White, we discuss the theological import of the parsha's unusual point of view, the parallels between Pharaoh and Balak's fear of Israel, and why coming to conclusions based on incomplete perceptions is a destructive behavior. This week's episode has been sponsored by Carole Damon in memory of her father Simcha Yisroel ben Shmuel whose yartzeit is on the 6th of Tammuz. Our Bamidbar Series explores different forms of leadership in the book and in the Jewish wor...
Jul 06, 2025•40 min
Parshat Chukat opens with the ritual of the red heifer (para aduma) which purifies individuals from impurity caused by contact with a dead body. Leadership comes in all different shapes and sizes, and in this episode I had the privilege to sit down with a leader of Am Yisrael, one who leads behind the scenes in her life affirming work of caring for the dead. Sharon Laufer has been a member of the Chevra Kedisha (Jewish burial society) since she was 29 and pregnant with triplets. A hessed experim...
Jun 29, 2025•58 min
In this conversation with Matan faculty member Simi Peters, we analyze Korach's tactics that made his rebellion an initial success and what ultimately caused it to fail. In her unique way, Simi weaves in midrashic traditions that underscore deeper points present in the narrative's foundation. These parsha conversations are being recorded in an ever-changing reality here in Israel. This episode opens with some thoughts about the current moment, with full understanding that reality can change in a...
Jun 22, 2025•48 min
In this conversation with Rabbanit Rachelle Sprecher Fraenkel, we explore where the spies went wrong, the possibility that their sin was inevitable, and where this registers in the current Israeli reality. Rabbanit Rachelle is the director of Matan's Hilkhata program and is also co-founder of The Jerusalem Unity Prize and Unity Day. Our Bamidbar Series explores different forms of leadership in the book and in the Jewish world.
Jun 15, 2025•46 min
Over the last year and a half, many have reflected that these times feel 'biblical.' There is a sense that the ongoing war and the surrounding societal shifts feel more significant than ever. Some of this 'biblical' scale has to do with the struggle for land and legitimacy, and some of it seems to be rooted in the heroism and clarity of the soldiers, both those in active service and reservists. They know there is a job to do and that they are the ones destined to do it. In this sensitive convers...
Jun 10, 2025•46 min
In this week's conversation with Rabbanit Dr. Adina Sternberg, we discuss the breakdown of leadership in the parsha as well as the fascinating correlation between Moshe's self-perception as a mother to the people with the laws of the 'rebellious son.' Our Bamidbar Series is exploring different forms of leadership in the book and in the Jewish world.
Jun 09, 2025•39 min
In this moving conversation with Rabbanit Shani Taragin, we explore the different forms of religious and lay leadership in the parsha that will continue to guide the people as they travel through the wilderness. Our Bamidbar Series is exploring different forms of leadership in the book and in the Jewish world. This week's episode has been sponsored by Chava Mann in honor of her children and their continued success in learning and growing in their Torah lives.
Jun 03, 2025•34 min
In this meaningful conversation with Dr. Elana Stein Hain, we probe our individual spiritual biographies in search of what drew us into Torah life and a love of learning. We also reflect candidly about our roles as educators at work and in our homes. Chag Sameach!
May 29, 2025•52 min
In this episode with Matan president Rabbanit Malke Bina, we explore the Devorah narrative in Judges 4-5 and take a deeper look at her and Yael's roles in combat and as a religious leader. We then think about the changing role of women in combat and non-combat positions today. Rabbanit Malke Bina founded Matan in 1988 and served as Chancellor for 33 years. She has now taken on the role of President and she continues to guide Matan's growth and development. Rabbanit Bina is a visionary and is wid...
May 27, 2025•51 min
In this beautiful conversation with Gila Fine, we explore the textual complexities of the book of Bamidbar and uncover why it may be the most intricately organized book of the Torah. Moments of chaos and breakdown communicate the need for a new order, and this is exactly what the book of Bamidbar underscores. Our Bamidbar series will be focusing on issues of leadership but this first episode is an overview of the book. Check out our '7 Readings for a Post Oct. 7th World episode with Rachel Shara...
May 25, 2025•34 min
Jeremiah 30-31 are chapters often quoted and sung because of their beautiful images of divine closeness, renewal, and the posthumous figure of Rachel crying in prayer for the return of her exiled children. Dr. Malka Simkovich, who spent more than a decade teaching in Christian settings, always overlooked these prophecies as significant for the Jewish story, having long ago been adopted by the Christian world as the foreshadowing of their ‘new testament’ (Jer. 31:30-32). In this conversation, she...
May 20, 2025•55 min
This week's episode with Rabbanit Surale Rosen closes our series on the lived experience of Torah observance.The conversation begins with an idea rooted in our parsha regarding an ethic that may have preceded the official giving of Torah and continues on to explore some of the tensions between Halakhic life and secular sensibilities both in Israel and abroad. When does applying a halakhic frame feel absurd? How might broadening the purview of halakha actually help make its observance more organi...
May 18, 2025•57 min
In this moving conversation, we explore the book of Numbers through the lens of a short journey to a promised land that suddenly went awry, in search of emotional guidance in the face of a war that has continued for longer than the Israeli public anticipated. What does the book of Bamidbar have to tell us about daily life in the face of fear? Why does living in proximity to God feel so scary sometimes? What was the greatest strength of the wilderness generation? This episode is dedicated in memo...
May 13, 2025•1 hr 6 min
In this fascinating and sensitive conversation with Rabbanit Dr. Jennie Rosenfeld, we discuss her involvement in the world of Halakhic writing and guidance as well as the modern challenges that arise from observance of priestly marriage prohibitions. Our Vayikra series focuses on the lived experience of Torah observance and explores some of the harder issues within observant communities in accordance with the mitzvot taught in each weekly parsha.
May 12, 2025•46 min
In this difficult but important conversation, we explore biblical texts that illustrate how violence against women correlates with a morally decaying society. This episode directly responds to the world's horrifying silence in the face of rape and mutilazation on October 7th and candidly explores why this is such a hard topic to face head on. Yael Leibowitz is a senior lecturer at Matan and other Torah study institutions and has a forthcoming book with Koren Press on Ezra-Nehemiah called Retrogr...
May 06, 2025•55 min
This episode brings together the Matan Podcast with the hosts of Intimate Judaism, R. Scott Kahn and Talli Rosenbaum, to discuss the tensions between Jewish sexual ethics and modern sexual trends. What is a Jewish sexual ethic and how much is it related to what appears in the verses of the Torah? What are some of the biggest challenges facing the Orthodox world in the realm of sexuality and what central values would we like to preserve? These are some of the heavy questions we try to tackle with...
May 05, 2025•55 min
This week Dr. Tanya White shares a novel reading of Terah's journey to Canaan through the lens of grief and how Abraham manages to pick up where his father left off. Dr. Tanya White is a senior lecturer at Matan and Bar-Ilan and the host of the acclaimed podcast series, Books and Beyond: The Rabbi Sacks Podcast. This is a special podcast miniseries produced by Matan and hosted by Dr. Yosefa Fogel Wruble which will drop each week of the Omer counting between the holidays of Pesach and Shavuot. In...
Apr 29, 2025•46 min
In this fascinating conversation with R. Alex Israel, we explore several perspectives on Tzaraat impurity and what this means for us today. We conclude with a study of the parsha's haftara reading about the four lepers (II Melachim 7) and how it relates to this week's national days of remembrance and gratitude. Our Vayikra series focuses on the lived experience of Torah observance and explores some of the harder issues within observant communities in accordance with the mitzvot taught in each we...
Apr 27, 2025•52 min
This is a special podcast miniseries produced by Matan and hosted by Dr. Yosefa Fogel Wruble. The series will comprise seven episodes to be aired during the seven weeks of the Omer counting between the holidays of Pesach and Shavuot. Each week we will be re-reading iconic biblical texts in light of the changing Israeli, Jewish, and world realities. This first episode is a conversation with Judy Klitsner about the nature of successful and failed resilience in the stories of Noah and Jonah. Judy i...
Apr 22, 2025•54 min
In this fascinating conversation with Rabbanit Dena (Freundlich) Rock, we use the repeated verse, "Do not cook a kid in a mother's milk" to explore the relationship between Halakhic development and its divine source. Then we explore different rationales for Kashrut laws as well as the reasons why observant Jews wait different amounts of time between meat and milk. This week's episode has been sponsored in memory of Deanna Radin Lubin by her family on her 9th yahrtzeit. Our Vayikra series focuses...
Apr 20, 2025•1 hr 9 min
In this episode with R. Yitzchak Blau, we zoom in on the laws of the Pesach sacrifice in order to zoom out on its meaning within the Exodus experience. Taking the animal on the 10th of the month, spreading its blood on the doorpost and so many other details that seem far removed from our modern reality, become the keys to kernels of wisdom explored in this wonderful conversation. Tucked between Torah insights, are some educational ideas for Pesach at home with kids.
Apr 06, 2025•47 min
Our Vayikra series will be focusing on Mitzvah observance, but we wanted to make sure to include at least one broader conversation about sacrifices as a central form of worship. So this week we are re-broadcasting one of our most popular episodes about sacrifices with Dr. Tova Ganzel. Ganzel explores with us the ancient roots of sacrificial worship, the debates about its inherent worth within the rabbinic tradition, what this actually looked like in Biblical times, and how this relates to our wo...
Mar 30, 2025•38 min
In this episode, which closes our episodes on national formation, beloved tour guide Shulie Mishkin walks us through the biblical reality and significance of the Mishkan's long-standing home in Shiloh. Chazak, Chazak, V'nitchazek! Stay tuned for our Vayikra series which focuses on mitzvah observance and a Torah way of life. The series asked what axiomatic ideas sit at the root of Israel’s national formation, without which we wouldn’t be who we are? How might we adjust our current trends in the J...
Mar 23, 2025•1 hr
This week's conversation with R. David Fohrman, beloved Tanakh teacher and principal educator at Aleph Beta, was a joy. We begin by thinking about the connection between Betzalel and the world's creation. We ponder the wonders of AI and the relationship between the womb and God's contraction (tzimtzum), and then flesh out the fascinating textual and essential relationship between Betzalel and Yosef. Enjoy this magical Biblical tour with a true Tanakh giant. The series asks what axiomatic ideas s...
Mar 17, 2025•1 hr 1 min
For this week’s episode, we had the unique opportunity to sit down with Professor Leon Kass, Dean of Faculty at Shalem College and the author of Shemot commentary, 'Founding God's Nation. Leon Kass is a lifelong enthusiast of liberal education and was trained in medicine and biochemistry before shifting from the practice of science to thinking about its human meaning. The series asks what axiomatic ideas sit at the root of Israel’s national formation, without which we wouldn’t be who we are? How...
Mar 09, 2025•1 hr 10 min
In this illuminating conversation with Rabbanit Shayna Goldberg, we begin by discussing the centrality of priestly clothing in this week's parsha and then broaden the conversation by exploring other biblical manifestations of clothing alongside its personal and societal functions. This is an episode worth sharing with your teenagers. It really steers the conversation in a refreshing direction, away from 'tzniut' (halakhic modesty) of dress to an ethic more inherent, intuitive, and holistic. The ...
Mar 02, 2025•1 hr
In this whimsical chevrutah with Dr. Sam Lebens, we discuss the centrality of the Mishkan as a societal building project and why there really is no other rational way to understand God's dwelling among the people without the concept of 'contraction' (tzimtzum). To learn more about Sam and his work, check out his website: https://www.samlebens.com/ This week's episode has been sponsored by Barbara and Joel Rich in commemoration of the 12th yahrzeit of Leba bat Yitzchak Meir. The series asks what ...
Feb 23, 2025•1 hr 1 min
In this fascinating conversation with Professor Chaim Saiman, we explore foundational understandings of how the rabbinic system of law developed and is enforced. The conversation then turns to the judiciary role of American rabbinical courts today and how this compares and contrasts with trends in Israel. Check out Prof. Saiman's Book Halakha here: https://www.amazon.com/Halakhah-Rabbinic-Library-Jewish-Ideas/dp/069115211X The series asks what axiomatic ideas sit at the root of Israel’s national...
Feb 16, 2025•1 hr 5 min
In this candid conversation with Rabbanit Nechama Goldman Barash, we explore the halakhic obligations and limits of the commandment to honor one's parents in an age where the parent-child relationship has undergone tremendous change. The series asks what axiomatic ideas sit at the root of Israel’s national formation, without which we wouldn’t be who we are? How might we adjust our current trends in the Jewish world to realign with these principles? To donate to Matan or sponsor a podcast episode...
Feb 06, 2025•53 min
