The Tanakh Podcast

Alex Israel

Study Tanakh with Rav Alex Israel.
10 mins a day.
One chapter a day.
929 schedule.

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20 episodes
Updated Yesterday

Episodes20

Newest first

Yesterday · 10 min
#244 | 1 Samuel ch.10 - Three Signs and a Coronation
Samuel anoints Saul as king. He tells Saul that once he experiences three special "signs", he will become overwhelmed by the spirit of God and become a "new man? What do these signs mean? And does Saul become a new man? His signature feature would seem to be his bashfulness or his humility. At the coronation that Samuel organizes, Saul doesn't occupy the limelight; He hides! Why did God choose Saul?
Saturday · 9 min
#243 | 1 Samuel ch.9 - Better Call Saul
God has decided to appoint a King. In this chapter we meet Saul. But his persona is a far cry from what we might expect. Humble and unambitious, Saul goes looking for his father's donkeys and has an unexpected encounter with the prophet.
Wednesday · 13 min
#242 | 1 Samuel ch.8 - "Give Us a King!"
The people request a king. Samuel is upset. God views it as a rejection. But God tells Samuel to appoint a king anyhow. Why? --- To donate, see https://buymeacoffee.com/alexisrael https://patreon.com/u51407457
Tuesday · 8 min
#241 | 1 Samuel ch.7 - Samuel the National Leader
Who was the person that managed to break the inexorable "Shoftim Cycle" - the constant waves of sin-invasion-salvation? It was Samuel! Under his twenty-years of leadership, he brings the nation to a point at which they will consider abandoning their idolatry! This chapter gives us a snapshot of Samuel in his role as national leader.
July 27 · 11 min
#240 | 1 Samuel ch.6 - Return of the Lost Ark
The Phillistines return the lost Ark. But when it arrives in Beit Shemesh, though the people bow and bring a sacrifice, 70 people lose their lives in a plague of God. Why? What did the people do wrong?
July 26 · 8 min
#239 | 1 Samuel ch.5 - God vs. Dagon
The Philistines perceive their defeat of Israel as a victory of their god Dagon, over the God of Israel. But God knows how to retaliate! The Ark of the Covenant unleashes a trail of havoc, destroying the Philistine's religious icons and causing death in their towns. The Philistines are petrified of the power of the Ark and decide to return it to Israel. As we shall explain, there is a remarkable affinity between the plagues of Egypt and those unleashed against Phillistia.
July 25 · 10 min
#238 | 1 Samuel ch.4 - The Ark is Captured!
Our chapter describes Israel's devastating defeat at the hands of the Philistines. But worse than the military defeat and the 30,000 casualties is the capture of the Ark of the Covenant. Why was it taken to the battlefront? And why did God allow His Ark to be taken captive by the enemy?
July 22 · 8 min
#237 | 1 Samuel ch.3 - God Calling!
In this chapter, Samuel receives his first prophecy. How does he know that God is calling him? What does God want to say to him? Looking at the bookends of this chapter we understand that this is a turning point. Samuel's role as prophet signifies and represents a return of the word of God to the Jewish people. -- Originally published December 28, 2022
July 21 · 11 min
#236 | 1 Samuel ch.2 - Corruption in the Sanctuary
Samuel grows up loyal to God, a devoted servant in the Temple. In contrast, the High Priest's sons, Hofni and Pinchas, are running a corrupt cartel, utilizing the Mishkan for their own desires. A prophet comes with a devastating denouncement of the priestly family.
July 20 · 10 min
#235 | 1 Samuel ch.1 - Praying for a Child
In this Chapter we witness a childless Channa praying desperately for a child. In our tradition, Channa is an model of how to pray effectively. But Channa has visited Shilo before. Each year, she cried, she did not eat. This year she prays. Why this year? What changed?
July 19 · 13 min
#234 | Shoftim ch.21 - Dancing in the Vineyards
The moral disarray of Shoftim comes to a climax in our chapter as vows and abductions take us to an absurd finale. This podcast ends with some concluding comments about Shoftim as a book. --- To donate, please visit https://buymeacoffee.com/alexisrael https://patreon.com/u51407457My website www.alexisrael.org
July 18 · 14 min
#233 | Shoftim ch.20 - The War Against Binyamin
Brother against brother. In this chapter, after hearing about the horrific rape in Givah, 400,000 soldiers wage war, a war of decimation and destruction, against The tribe of Benjamin. But they consult with God twice and each time they lose the battle. Why does God allow them to lose if this is a holy war, a legitimate cause? Or possibly, it is illegitimate?
July 15 · 10 min
#232 | Shoftim ch.19 - The Rape in Givah
In one of the most horrific episodes of the Tanakh, a rape, reminiscent of the Sedom story, transpires in Giv'ah. Israel has become like Sedom! Originally published - December 21, 2022
July 14 · 9 min
#231 | Shoftim ch.18 - Dan on the Move
The Tribe of Dan are in transit. They are looking for land. What happened to their tribal lands? The chapter described how they fund an quiet unsuspecting region in the North of Israel and, clothing their actions in religious language, sieze the land (and lives) of innocents. But this is not the only violent action that they perform. First published: December 20, 2022
July 13 · 13 min
#230 | Shoftim ch.17 - Micah's Idol and Oracle
Stolen money, a curse that becomes a blessing, an idol that becomes a center for asking questions of God, an unemployed Levite who functions as a priest in an unauthorized Temple. All of this represents the chaotic world of a society in which religion is influenced by pagan standards of other nations and in which Jewish leadership has broken down. Originally published: December 19, 2022
July 12 · 11 min
#229 | Shoftim ch.16 - Delilah
Samason meets Delilah and gives her the keys to his remarkable strength - his hair which is expressive of his Nazirirte status. The Chapter ends with Samson's suicide in which he "kills more in his death than during his life." We spend this podcast trying to offer some frameworks to understand this challenging personality. Originally recorded December 18, 2022
July 11 · 11 min
#228 | Shoftim ch.15 - Samson's Foxes, Fire, and Prayer
Samson continues his lone guerilla actions against the Philistines, setting fields on fire, and killing one-thousand of the enemy armed with a mere donkey's jaw bone. The chapter ends with the phrase: "And Samson judged Israel for twenty years" - but did he ever save Israel or shift the strategic power balance?
July 8 · 12 min
#227 | Shoftim ch.14 - The Lion, The Honey and the Riddle
Samson wants to be more Philistine than the Philistines! And when he gets angry, don't get in his way! But for Samson it is all personal. When will he "begin to save Israel"?
July 7 · 13 min
#226 | Shoftim ch.13 - Samson. A Nazirite from Birth
An angel announces Samson's birth to his mother. But Manoach, Samson's father, is skeptical. Why do we need to hear the drama of Manoah's skepticism? What does this story teach us?
July 6 · 8 min
#225 | Shoftim ch.12 - Yiftach's Shibboleth
This chapter narrates a bloody civil war. 5Yiftach doesn't manage to defuse a personal affront in the elegant manner exercised by Gidon before him. 5Ethnic tension and a bruised ego lead to an inversion of one of the paradigms of the book of Shoftim, as the crossing points over the Jordan River are used not to save the Israelites, but to have brother trap and execute brother. Yiftach has many virtues but in the final analysis, he is remembered as a shofet who murdered not only his daughter but 42,000 Israelites.