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Religion & Spirituality

Ta Shma

Hadar Institute

Bringing you recent lectures, classes, and programs from the Hadar Institute, Ta Shma is where you get to listen in on the beit midrash. Come and listen on the go, at home, or wherever you are. Hosted by Rabbi Avi Killip of the Hadar Institute.

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  • 780 episodes
  • Updated Monday

Episodes780

Newest first
  • Jan 23, 2023 · 57 min

    R. Elie Kaunfer: Hannah as Rebellious Worshiper

    Our rabbis imagine an intense confrontation between Eli the high priest and Hannah, our model for how we recite the Amidah. Explore this fascinating midrash and think about the power of prayer in the hands of forgotten members of society. This lecture was originally delivered at the Summer Learning Retreat in 2021.

  • Jan 16, 2023 · 14 min

    R. Avi Killip: "Anti-Idolatry" - Talmudic Wisdom on Fighting Racism

    Anyone living in America today will eventually encounter racism they cannot easily fix or change, just as our ancestors could not entirely avoid or correct idolatry. What do we do when that happens? How can we reject ideas as pervasive and corrosive as racism? The Talmud’s reflections on the struggle against idolatry raise similar questions and offer instructions on how to actively demonstrate objection through our behavior so that we do not unintentionally uphold the status quo. The anti-idol mandate can teach us a lot about how to live in a culture we see as fundamentally evil, even when we do not have the power to change it. Transferring idolatry to racism, the entire tractate of Avodah Zarah can be read as an attempt to think through how to live an anti-racist life.

  • Jan 10, 2023 · 9 min

    R. Elie Kaunfer on Parashat Shemot: Rethinking the Amidah

    Our most fundamental prayer, the Amidah, doesn’t mention Moshe by name. But the scene of Moshe at the burning bush is one of the central images of the Amidah’s first blessing. How does Moshe’s subtle presence change how we might experience the opening of the Amidah?

  • Jan 9, 2023 · 1 hr 21 min

    Dena Weiss: How to Have Difficult Conversations, Part 3

    Are you permitted to lie if the truth might be worse? In this series, Dena Weiss considers Jewish texts that span time and space in order to arrive at a set of concrete guidelines and best practices for having painful conversations. This lecture was originally delivered as part of Hadar's Winter Lecture Series in January 2021.

  • Jan 3, 2023 · 9 min

    R. Elie Kaunfer on Parashat VaYechi: Waiting for God

    Where is God in my life and why am I stuck in a difficult place? Will God ever intervene on my behalf, and help me—and all of us—come to a better place? What if I am skeptical if God can rescue at all? These are questions so often on the mind of those who pray. How do our prayer texts themselves give voice to some of these wonderings?

  • Jan 2, 2023 · 1 hr 12 min

    Dena Weiss: How to Have Difficult Conversations, Part 2

    How do you share painful or unsettling news? In this series, Dena Weiss considers Jewish texts that span time and space in order to arrive at a set of concrete guidelines and best practices for having painful conversations. This lecture was originally delivered as part of Hadar's Winter Lecture Series in January 2021.

  • Dec 26, 2022 · 1 hr 9 min

    Dena Weiss: How to Have Difficult Conversations, Part 1

    What do you say—or not say—to someone who has lost a family member? In this series, Dena Weiss considers Jewish texts that span time and space in order to better understand those types of situations and arrive at a set of concrete guidelines and best practices for having painful conversations. This lecture was originally delivered as part of Hadar's Winter Lecture Series in January 2021.

  • Dec 22, 2022 · 20 min

    Yael Jaffe: I Know of Nothing But Miracles, Part 2

    What do miracles tell us about God’s presence? How do we define the miraculous? Where does one miracle begin and human agency end? In this series, originally recorded in December 2021, we'll explore a text from Hadar's Hanukkah 5782 Companion, illuminating the evolving relationship between humanity and miracles.

  • Dec 19, 2022 · 18 min

    R. Avi Killip: I Know of Nothing But Miracles, Part 1

    What do miracles tell us about God’s presence? How do we define the miraculous? Where does one miracle begin and human agency end? In this series, originally recorded in December 2021, we'll explore a text from Hadar's Hanukkah 5782 Companion, illuminating the evolving relationship between humanity and miracles.

  • Dec 13, 2022 · 11 min

    R. Elie Kaunfer on Parashat VaYeishev: The Meaning of Judaism

    As we begin to close the Amidah, in the penultimate blessing that we call Modim, we say to God: “modim anahnu lakh,” we modim you. Drawing from the root י-ד-ה, the word modim has multiple meanings, each offering very different understandings of this blessing. This root word is also core to what it means to be a Jew, as it is the root word of Judaism (יהדות) and describes two aspects of the name of our ancestor Judah/Yehudah (יהודה). What does modim mean?

  • Dec 12, 2022 · 46 min

    R. Avi Strausberg: The Before and After - The Sudden Deaths of Nadav and Avihu

    The sudden death of Aaron's sons Nadav and Avihu leaves readers stunned and grappling for answers. By turning to a modern midrash in the form of an original short theatre piece written by R. Avi Strausberg, we attempt to pause time and make space to not only understand the motivations for their offerings, but also how their sudden deaths impacted their mother, their father, and their remaining brothers. This session was originally delivered at Hadar's Summer Learning Retreat in June 2021.

  • Dec 6, 2022 · 7 min

    R. Elie Kaunfer on Parashat VaYishlach: Dressing for Prayer

    Ya’akov is preparing to encounter God directly through sacrifice, an analog to our experience of prayer. It has been decades since Ya’akov actually encountered God in this way, and now he is preparing for this transition back into direct relationship. Critically, Ya’akov prepares by asking everyone to purify themselves and to change their clothes. What is the significance of changing clothes?

  • Nov 28, 2022 · 32 min

    R. Aviva Richman: Living in God's Shadow

    Our tradition sometimes uses the image of a shadow to describe human experience with God. This rich metaphor, which captures both a sense of safety and shelter as well as darkness and fear, helps R. Aviva to reflect on where we find ourselves in the complex and ongoing story of God and the Jewish people. This lecture was originally delivered at Hadar's Summer Learning Retreat in June 2022.

  • Nov 22, 2022 · 9 min

    R. Elie Kaunfer on Parashat Toldot: Blessing God

    A major theme of Parashat Toldot is “ברכה - blessing.” This root appears 32 times in this parashah, more than in any other in the Torah. In prayer, we use the Hebrew root ב.ר.כ as the main verb of our blessing formula. What does it mean to say, “ברוך אתה ה׳ - barukh attah Adonai,” usually translated as, “Blessed are You, God”?

  • Nov 21, 2022 · 38 min

    R. Shai Held: A God Who Weeps

    In several passages in the book of Jeremiah, the prophet seems to cry over the bitter suffering of his people; accordingly, Jeremiah has sometimes been referred to as "the weeping prophet." But there is another, very different way to read these passages, according to which it is God, and not Jeremiah, who is crying. In this lecture, Rabbi Shai Held explores the arguments for seeing the God of Jeremiah as "the weeping God," probing the theological implications of this startlingly anthropomorphic image. This lecture was originally delivered at Hadar's Summer Learning Retreat in June 2022.