How often do we dehumanize or ostracize people who are suffering from disease, poverty, mental health challenges, etc? This week we focus on some Midrash surrounding how you're supposed to treat people afflicted with leprosy. The Rabbis find some surprising and affirming messages embedded in this strange Torah portion. --------------------------------- Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. To support the production of this podcast, visit either www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for...

Tazria is about scaly skin disease and priestly diagnosis. But when we examine it through the Rabbis' eyes, it is about our responsibility to each other in times of suffering. We explore a story from the Talmud that helps drive home that idea. --------------------------------- Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. To support the production of this podcast, visit either www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode contribution) OR https://laasok.org/support/ (for a tax-deductible...

Sh'mini outlines the laws of kashrut - which animals traditionally may and may not be eaten in Judaism. How does liberal Judaism approach the rules and traditions around keeping kosher in modern Jewish life? --------------------------------- Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. To support the production of this podcast, visit either www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode contribution) OR https://laasok.org/support/ (for a tax-deductible one-time or monthly...

In this portion we find an obscure rule about the thanksgiving offering: it must be eaten on the day that it is offered. Turns out there is an important lesson there about our need for community. --------------------------------- Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. To support the production of this podcast, visit either www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode contribution) OR https://laasok.org/support/ (for a tax-deductible one-time or monthly contribution). For info on...

This week's Torah portion is about sacrifice in the ancient Jewish Temple. It's a good opportunity for us to talk about the purpose(s) of prayer, and about how we can relate to prayer if we're not sure that God is on the other end listening. --------------------------------- Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. To support the production of this podcast, visit either www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode contribution) OR https://laasok.org/support/ (for a tax-deductible...

The book of Exodus ends with the completion of the Mishkan - the portable sanctuary in the desert. Why do the Rabbis compare the creation of the Mishkan with the creation of the entire world? --------------------------------- Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. To support the production of this podcast, visit either www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode contribution) OR https://laasok.org/support/ (for a tax-deductible one-time or monthly contribution). For info on our...

In this episode we explore a Midrash on the Torah portion, in which the Rabbis talk about what it means to have a "good name." --- Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. To support the production of this podcast, visit either www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode contribution) OR https://laasok.org/support/ (for a tax-deductible one-time or monthly contribution). For info on our weekly Zoom Torah study groups or other learning opportunities go to https://laasok.org/. To...

A midrash blames the Golden Calf incident on the "mixed multitude" that accompanied the Israelites in the desert. What can we learn from it about acceptance and xenophobia in Jewish life? --- Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. To support the production of this podcast, visit either www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode contribution) OR https://laasok.org/support/ (for a tax-deductible one-time or monthly contribution). For info on our weekly Zoom Torah study groups or...

This Torah portion is about clothes: colors, fabrics, hems, designs - the details of the priestly clothing. We talk about why the Torah goes into such a meticulous description, and what it has to do with our own spiritual lives. (Plus I sing for you!) --- Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. To support the production of this podcast, visit either www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode contribution) OR https://laasok.org/support/ (for a tax-deductible one-time or monthly...

In the midst of a tedious Torah portion, the Rabbis tell a story that connects the building of the Mishkan (the portable sanctuary in the wilderness) with an audacious act of hope by Jacob 400 years earlier. --- Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. To support the production of this podcast, visit either www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode contribution) OR https://laasok.org/support-laasok/ (for a one-time or monthly contribution). For info on our weekly Zoom Torah study...

We explore one of the Torah's most infamous laws - the "eye for an eye" passage in Exodus 21 - to discovery what it's REALLY about, and what it says about the imperative for building a just society. We also briefly explore how this law undergirds Jewish views of abortion. To sign up for Rabbi Leah Berkowitz's class on Reproductive Justice in Judaism (this Thursday, February 8), visit https://laasok.org/current-offerings/#repro --- Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. To support the...

We are traditionally taught that we ALL stood together at Sinai. And yet the Torah reveals that certain people and certain voices were excluded from that pivotal moment. I talk with Rabbi Dalia Marx about finding and recapturing those silenced voices, in order to create a more inclusive Judaism. Rabbi Dalia Marx is author of From Time to Time: Journeys in the Jewish Calendar. --- Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. To support the production of this podcast, visit either...

In this parashah, the Torah tells the story of the parting of the Red Sea. The Rabbis tell the story of the brave person who made that miracle possible. In doing so, they turn the story on its head - they make it about OUR capacity for miracle-making.  --- Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. To support the production of this podcast, visit either www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode contribution) OR https://laasok.org/support-laasok/ (for a one-time or monthly...

The story of Pharaoh and the plagues is a story of how fear leads us toward actions that don't reflect our best selves.   --- Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. To support the production of this podcast, visit either www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode contribution) OR https://laasok.org/support-laasok/ (for a one-time or monthly contribution). For info on our weekly Zoom Torah study groups or other learning opportunities go to https://laasok.org/. To join the Seven...

The idea that God "hardened Pharaoh's heart" is a major theological conundrum. Does it mean there's no free will?? We explore what some of the commentators have said about this, and what it means for our own lives. --- Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. For info on our weekly Zoom Torah study groups or other learning opportunities go to https://laasok.org/. To support the production of this podcast, visit either www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode contribution) OR...

As we start a new book of the Torah, why does it sound like we're right in the middle of something? We talk about the significance of this transitional moment for Jewish identity and continuity, and for both Jewish and Palestinian self-understanding. --- Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. For info on our weekly Zoom Torah study groups or other learning opportunities go to https://laasok.org/. To support the production of this podcast, visit either www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah...

One of the subtexts of the Joseph story is the ongoing growth of Judah, who increasingly demonstrates an ability to take responsibility and to care about the needs and well-being of others. This makes him a secondary "hero" of Joseph's story. --- Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. For info on our weekly Zoom Torah study groups or other learning opportunities go to https://laasok.org/. To support the production of this podcast, visit either www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for...

Joseph's story is the story of how holding a vision of a better world helps us work toward a better world.   --- Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. For info on our weekly Zoom Torah study groups or other learning opportunities go to https://laasok.org/. To support the production of this podcast, visit either www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode contribution) OR https://laasok.org/support-laasok/ (for a one-time or monthly contribution). To join the Seven Minute Torah...

The terrible story of the rape of Dinah, Jacob's daughter, teaches about cycles of violence and vengeance, and about how victims' voices can so easily be erased or ignored. --- Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. For info on our weekly Zoom Torah study groups or other learning opportunities go to https://laasok.org/. To support the production of this podcast, visit either www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode contribution) OR https://laasok.org/support-laasok/ (for a...

What does it mean when Jacob exclaims, "God is in this place and I did not know it!" How can we work to recognize, and bring, the Divine into the world during dark times? --- Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. For info on our weekly Zoom Torah study groups or other learning opportunities go to https://laasok.org/. To support the production of this podcast, visit either www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode contribution) OR https://laasok.org/support-laasok/ (for a...

The story of Isaac quarrelling with the Philistines over the digging of wells is a reminder that living in the land of Israel has always meant sharing the land and its resources, making space for multiple peoples and multiple stories. --- Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. For info on our weekly Zoom Torah study groups or other learning opportunities go to https://laasok.org/. To support the production of this podcast, visit either www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode...

The story of the death of Sarah and Abraham is also a story about their children, and how we are all family. --- Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. For info on our weekly Zoom Torah study groups or other learning opportunities go to https://laasok.org/. To support the production of this podcast, visit either www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode contribution) OR https://laasok.org/support-laasok/ (for a one-time or monthly contribution). To join the Seven Minute Torah...

Abraham's argument with God over the residents of Sodom and Gomorrah is actually a message - an eminently relevant message - about seeing the humanity in each person. --- Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. For info on our weekly Zoom Torah study groups or other learning opportunities go to https://laasok.org/. To support the production of this podcast, visit either www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode contribution) OR https://laasok.org/support-laasok/ (for a one-time...

A prominent feature of this week's Torah portion is the name changes of Abraham and Sarah. We discuss the meaning of their names, and what it means to have a name. --- Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. For info on our weekly Zoom Torah study groups or other learning opportunities go to https://laasok.org/. To support the production of this podcast, visit either www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode contribution) OR https://laasok.org/support-laasok/ (for a one-time or...