Parashat Balak: The Outsider’s View

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Parashat Balak: The Outsider’s View

FromPardes from Jerusalem

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22 minutes

Released:

Jul 5, 2022

Format:

Podcast episode

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Parashat Balak: The Outsider’s View
Description: Parashat Balak narrates the strange tale of a foreign seer who is hired to curse the Israelites but is compelled by God to bless them. What is this story doing in the Torah? It … Read the rest
The post Parashat Balak: The Outsider’s View first appeared on Elmad Online Learning.
Continue reading Parashat Balak: The Outsider’s View at Elmad Online Learning.

Released:

Jul 5, 2022

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

This podcast features a weekly parsha commentary from one of the faculty members or guest lecturers at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem.

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5781 — Toldot: The Blessings of Putting On and Taking Off Disguises: Sometimes we need to shed our disguises in order to discover who we really are. At other times we need to dress up in disguises to remind us of who we want to be. The story of Jacob and Esau and their rabbinic commentaries help us to understand the com... by Pardes from Jerusalem
31 min listen
5780 — Matot-Masei: The Long Walk to Freedom: Parshiot Matot-Masei includes a long list of place names that trace the wanderings of the Children of Israel through the Sinai wilderness on their way to the Land of Israel. Is this simply a geographical-historical recording of the physical journey to ... by Pardes from Jerusalem
20 min listen
5780 — Korach: The Blossoming Staff of Aharon: In parshat Korach, the leadership of Moshe and Aharon is seriously challenged by the rebellion of Korach. Although Korach and his followers are defeated, the discontent of the Israelites lingers until the sign of the blossoming staff. In this podcast, by Pardes from Jerusalem
19 min listen
Beshalach 5781: Seeing is believing: The portion of Beshalach contains events of truly biblical proportions, and between the crossing of the Red Sea and the song which Israel sang on the other side there lies an important lesson. This podcast explores what the parasha can teach us about s... by Pardes from Jerusalem
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5780 — Chukat: Action vs. Intent: Human Domain vs. The Godly Realm: There is no Talmud on Tractate Parah, the Mishnah tractate which deals with the red heifer ceremony. What did the Babylonian rabbis learn from this temple ritual in the course of other discussions? In this podcast, by Pardes from Jerusalem
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5780 — Pinchas: From Pinchas to the Police: What Does it Mean to Truly “Keep the Peace?”: What does it mean to "keep the peace" in society? Is it about enforcing the law and order of society in order to ensure against anarchy or is it about balancing between conflicting perspectives and needs of various members and groups of society, by Pardes from Jerusalem
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Download the New Pardes Daily App: Kickstart your Torah routine with Pardes Daily! For the month of Elul, traditionally a time when Jews prepare for the upcoming new year, Pardes Daily will be offering three Rosh Hashanah themed daily learning tracks featuring beloved Pardes Faculty. by Pardes from Jerusalem
1 min listen
5780 — VaEtchanan: Committing to Love: In this podcast we will look at Shema as the affirmation of commitment to a loving relationship with God contingent about a structure of ritual, practice and belief that will be accessible to all Jews at any time and in any place. by Pardes from Jerusalem
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5780 — Devarim: What is in a name?: This week we begin a new book of the Torah, one which seems somehow different from the others. Devarim is also known a 'Mishne Torah,' meaning a repetition or retelling of what has come before. In this podcast, by Pardes from Jerusalem
24 min listen
VaYishlach 5781: Facing Forward: Jacob is a man divided within himself, as suggested by the paradoxical statement that "Jacob remained alone," yet "a man struggled with him." With an emphasis on the recurring "guiding words" in the text, we will explore the nature of Jacob's internal ... by Pardes from Jerusalem
25 min listen
5780 — Balak: How to Stop a Plague. And at what cost?: The end of parsha Balak presents three attempts to end a plague. The divergent approaches of Moses and Pinchas reflect different priorities, each essential for our consideration in modern times. Download the Source Sheet by Pardes from Jerusalem
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5780 — Shoftim: Shoftim v’Shotrim: Go together like a Horse and Carriage?: The juxtaposition of judges and police officers in the Torah is deliberate. What does this juxtaposition teach us about the inevitability of force in law? What do the rabbis have to say about recent calls to defund the police? Download Source Sheet by Pardes from Jerusalem
32 min listen
5780 — BeHa’alotecha: Cultivating the Jewish spiritual practice of humility: What is humility? Why is it important? What is its power? Based on a teaching from Rabbi Jonathan Sacks in his article, "Humility," in Covenant and Conversation, Parshat BeHa'Alotecha, 5768/2008, where he compares Moshe Rabeinu's responses to two diffe... by Pardes from Jerusalem
29 min listen
5780 — Nitzavim-VaYelech: Living for “Today!”: Nitzavim sees the Nation of Israel renew their covenant with God. One word - "Hayom - Today!" - repeats itself throughout the parsha. We offer four different meanings of this word, with some inspirational messages for the New Year and the period of Rep... by Pardes from Jerusalem
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5781 — Ha’Azinu: Cultivating the Spiritual Practice of Remembering: Moving away from feeling distant from the Divine Presence - the Shechina - towards sensing closeness to Her. Why do we in fact feel distant, feel far, feel disconnected at times? And why do we sense closeness and connection at other times? by Pardes from Jerusalem
20 min listen
5781 — Lech Lecha: Why is Avraham Really Chosen?: Avraham is both the Idol Smasher and the Harbinger of Justice and Righteousness. The Torah tells us explicitly why Avraham was chosen in Genesis 18:18-19, and the rabbis tell a story intended to explain what qualified him for the job. by Pardes from Jerusalem
32 min listen
5780 — Ekev: Bribing God–Not Such a Great Idea?: We hope that the Divine is on our side, especially when circumstances are far from optimal. How do we go about making sure that the Lord is with us in all of our earthly endeavors? In this podcast, Rabbi Howard Markose looks at one possible angle in ... by Pardes from Jerusalem
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5781 — Chaye Sarah: Looking for Love: At least half of the relationships in our modern times don't last. When we are looking for love that will last, how do we know what to look for? And once we find love, how do we rekindle the sparks despite the familiarity and routine of our years toget... by Pardes from Jerusalem
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5780 — Ki Tavo: Cultivating the spiritual practice of Walking In His Ways: Parashat Ki Tavo contains the command, found in Devarim 28:9: “And you shall walk in His ways.” The Rambam counts this as one of the 613 mitzvot, and explains that it charges us “to resemble Him according to our capacity. by Pardes from Jerusalem
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Hanukah 5781: Between Civil War and Nonviolent Demonstrations: How Best to Respond to Discriminatory Decrees?: This podcast examines the story of Hanukah as told in the Book of Maccabeus as a classic example of clash of civilizations and identity groups that ends in a violent civil war. The question is are there alternatives? by Pardes from Jerusalem
31 min listen
5780 — Ki Tetze: The Mitzvah of the Roof Rail – Guarding Against a Fall: This week's parasha (Deuteronomy 21:10) introduces us to a Torah command with a seemingly obvious rationale. We will explore the interpretation of the Sefer HaChinuch who sees in this mitzvah a foundation principle: we are subject to laws of nature tha... by Pardes from Jerusalem
17 min listen
5780 — Re’eh: Was there ever an Ir Nidahat or Subverted City?: In this podcast we will look at the moral complexity behind the command to utterly annihilate an Israelite city proven to be idolatrous. The debate around the practical application of this passage results in some interesting textual comparisons to othe... by Pardes from Jerusalem
20 min listen
5780 — Shelach: Tzitzit–A Model for a Rabbinic Sexual Ethic: The mitzvah of tzitzit commands the Jewish people not to lust after our hearts and eyes and to be holy. Through a Rabbinic story concerning a man, whose tzitzit smack some sense into him as he is about to bed a prostitute, by Pardes from Jerusalem
30 min listen
5781 — Vayera: Life’s Concentric Circles: This week's parasha contrasts two acts of hospitality: Avraham welcomes three strangers to his tent at Elonei Mamrei, and Lot later welcomes two of them to his home in Sodom. Superficially, the episodes are similar but we will discover that in fact the... by Pardes from Jerusalem
20 min listen
VaYetze 5781: The Twinning Relationship of Leah and Rachel: In this podcast we will look at the broad sweep of the narrative that includes the complex dynamic and relationship between two sisters married to one man. After summarizing the entire Torah portion through the lens of their relationship, by Pardes from Jerusalem
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5781 — Rosh Hashana: A Very Narrow Bridge: Getting to the Other Side: This Rosh Hashanah podcast is sponsored by Ricki and David Bernstein in memory of Ricki’s parents, Beatrice and Murray Kirschblat, each a sole survivor of large families which perished in the Shoah. This podcast compares the popular song "Kol Ha'olam ... by Pardes from Jerusalem
20 min listen
Vayakhel Pekudei 5781 – The Altar of Sacrifice: The exterior courtyard of the Mishkan/Tabernacle was dominated by a large bronze altar, used for animal sacrifice. In this podcast, we consider some of the altar's unusual features as we ponder the deeply symbolic ritual associated with it. by Pardes from Jerusalem
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5781 — Simhat Torah: Maimonides on How to Celebrate the Festivals: This podcast was first published in 2009, for Simhat Torah 5770. We hope you enjoy this replay. In this podcast, Rabbi Daniel Landes discusses Maimonides' teachings (Mishneh Torah, Rest on a Holiday 1) on how to properly celebrate the festivals. - by Pardes from Jerusalem
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5781 — Bereishit: From Creation to Destruction: Bereishit opens with the hope of a new world. But ends with God's decision to destroy his world. What happened. This shiur offers two readings of the final verses of Bereishit, verses that depict the moral descent towards the Deluge. by Pardes from Jerusalem
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5781 — Sukkot: The Ritual of Lulav; To Rejoice for Seven Days Before the Divine: Our practice today of shaking the lulav every day of Sukkot is based on a decree that R. Yohanan b. Zakai made post Temple destruction. From where did he get the daring to institute that we would continue to perform the ritual as it had been done in th... by Pardes from Jerusalem
20 min listen

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Parashat Balak: The Outsider’s View

Parashat Balak: The Outsider’s View

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from Pardes from Jerusalem

Related podcast episodes