Advanced Bereshis for Beginners - Introduction

Paterfamilias: Decoding the Secrets of Mishnah Avot - episode 8Special 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. Thanks for listening. Please help us grow this channel by leaving an honest review and sharing with others.

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.Thanks for listening. Please help us grow this channel by leaving an honest review and sharing with others.

**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 BreadMore 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. Thank you for learning with usBy subscribing and leaving a review it helps our channel grow.

Paterfamilias: Decoding the Secrets of Mishnah Avot - episode 6The 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.Thanks for listening. Please help us grow this channel by leaving an honest review and sharing with others.

Paterfamilias: Decoding the Secrets of Mishnah Avot - episode 5Simon 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. Thanks for listening. Please help us grow this channel by leaving an honest review and sharing with others.

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. Thank you for learning with usBy subscribing and leaving a review it helps our channel grow.

Paterfamilias: Decoding the Secrets of Mishnah Avot - episode 4Who 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. Thanks for listening. Please help us grow this channel by leaving an honest review and sharing with others.

Yechezkel Chapter 2: Eating WoeIn 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). Thank you for learning with usBy subscribing and leaving a review it helps our channel grow.

Paterfamilias: Decoding the Secrets of Mishnah Avot - episode 3What 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. Thanks for listening. Please help us grow this channel by leaving an honest review and sharing with others.