The Book of Esther has no Divine instructions, no prophecies, no outright miracles. God doesn’t even get mentioned. We all love hearing how Mordechai and Esther saved their people in a time of crisis – but does this story have any moral message for us? As we’re listening to the Megillah on Purim, what can we learn about coming close to God in our everyday lives?

Join Imu Shalev and Rabbi David Fohrman as they dive deeply into Megillat Esther to find an answer to this question. They start off with a very odd set of comments from our sages, claiming that there were angels at work in the Esther story. The Megillah doesn’t say anything about angels, so what on earth made the rabbis think that? Rabbi Fohrman teases the possibility that these strange angel stories are all pointing to a link between Esther, a narrative from the end of Tanach, and another story all the way back in Genesis. If we explore that connection, we may eventually find the key to the Megillah’s moral message.

A Book Like No Other is a product of Aleph Beta, and made possible through the generous support of Shari and Nathan Lindenbaum. Aleph Beta is a Torah media company dedicated to spreading the joy and love of meaningful Torah learning worldwide.

If you loved this episode and are already a member of Aleph Beta, log in to alephbeta.org to listen to upcoming episodes. We’ll even give you a private RSS feed so you can keep listening to A Book Like No Other on your favorite podcasting app. Feel free to email info@alephbeta.org if you have any trouble.

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Into the Verse is a project of Aleph Beta, a Torah media company dedicated to spreading the joy and love of meaningful Torah learning worldwide. If you’re enjoying this podcast, help support our work by subscribing to Aleph Beta.

For past episodes of Into the Verse, go to our website, alephbeta.org, where a premium subscription gets you access to all of our past episodes and our full library of over 1,000 videos and podcasts on the parsha, holidays, and so much more

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A Book Like No Other is a chance to learn alongside Aleph Beta Founder and Lead Scholar, Rabbi David Fohrman, a master close reader of Torah, as he embarks on his most far-reaching and in-depth explorations. Each season is a stand-alone journey into a different Torah text. Our only goal: reading the Torah carefully, on its own terms, and following wherever that leads. Together, we'll unwrap remarkable patterns and surprising connections that lie just beneath the Torah's surface, revealing the beauty and insight that truly make the Torah a book like no other.

A Book Like No Other is made possible through the generous sponsorship of Shari and Nathan Lindenbaum, as well as the support of our members like you. Don’t forget, your membership gives you access to Aleph Beta’s full library of over 1,000 videos and podcasts, as well as bonus content for A Book Like No Other. Visit www.alephbeta.org to keep learning. And be sure to email us at info@alephbeta.org with any questions or concerns.

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Into the Verse is a project of Aleph Beta, a Torah media company dedicated to spreading the joy and love of meaningful Torah learning worldwide. If you’re enjoying this podcast, help support our work by subscribing to Aleph Beta.

For past episodes of Into the Verse, go to our website, alephbeta.org, where a premium subscription gets you access to all of our past episodes and our full library of over 1,000 videos and podcasts on the parsha, holidays, and so much more

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Parshat Mishpatim outlines the laws of indentured servants and maidservants, including servants going free in the seventh year, servants getting married while working, and a father making a deal for his daughter’s hand in marriage. This set of laws seems strikingly similar to an earlier story involving a worker and a father trying marrying off his daughters. Could these laws in Mishpatim actually be the Torah’s own commentary on the negotiations between Jacob and Laban back in Genesis?

Join Rabbi David Fohrman and Ari Levisohn as they discuss these surprising parallels and explore the relationship between the Torah's laws and its stories.

Into The Verse is taking a break for a little while. In the interim you can stay up-to-date on the parsha with last year’s episodes, which are available on https://www.alephbeta.org. And if you haven’t started the latest season of A Book Like No Other, you have to check it out. If you’re not a member…what are you waiting for? Go to alephbeta.org/subscribe and become a member to access the new season of A Book Like No Other, as well as our full library of over 1,000 videos and podcasts. Click here to subscribe.

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Into the Verse is a project of Aleph Beta, a Torah media company dedicated to spreading the joy and love of meaningful Torah learning worldwide. If you’re enjoying this podcast, help support our work by subscribing to Aleph Beta.

For past episodes of Into the Verse, go to our website, alephbeta.org, where a premium subscription gets you access to all of our past episodes and our full library of over 1,000 videos and podcasts on the parsha, holidays, and so much more

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In Parshat Yitro, we read about the revelation at Sinai and the giving of the 10 Commandments. The image of the 10 Commandments is one of the most familiar images from the Torah, but when you read the Sages’ description of the tablets, not only will you be shocked to hear that we may have been depicting the image wrong all along, but we may also be missing an important part of what the 10 Commandments are all about.

Join Ari Levisohn and Daniel Loewenstein as they explore the Sages’ words and discuss the powerful implications of a new way to see the 10 Commandments.

To hear Rabbi Fohrman's complete interview on the podcast excerpted in this week's episode, listen here.

To learn more about the suzerain-vassal treaties Ari discusses, check out this article.

What did you think of this episode? We’d genuinely like to hear your thoughts, questions, and feedback. Leave us a voice message – just click record, and let your thoughts flow.

Into the Verse is a project of Aleph Beta, a Torah media company dedicated to spreading the joy and love of meaningful Torah learning worldwide. If you’re enjoying this podcast, help support our work by subscribing to Aleph Beta.

For past episodes of Into the Verse, go to our website, alephbeta.org, where a premium subscription gets you access to all of our past episodes and our full library of over 1,000 videos and podcasts on the parsha, holidays, and so much more

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Rabbi David Fohrman and Imu Shalev study the tale of the blasphemer, a dark and puzzling episode buried deep in Leviticus. The details of this story are scarce: an anonymous man provokes a fight in the Israelite camp, curses God, and ultimately is stoned to death as punishment. But a close read of these few short verses sends Rabbi Fohrman and Imu on a surprising journey, raising provocative moral questions about God’s judgment and uncovering an unlikely connection between the condemned blasphemer and one of the Bible’s greatest heroes.

A Book Like No Other is a product of Aleph Beta, and made possible through the generous support of Shari and Nathan Lindenbaum. Aleph Beta is a Torah media company dedicated to spreading the joy and love of meaningful Torah learning worldwide.

If you loved this episode and are already a member of Aleph Beta, log in to alephbeta.org to listen to upcoming episodes. We’ll even give you a private RSS feed so you can keep listening to A Book Like No Other on your favorite podcasting app. Feel free to email info@alephbeta.org if you have any trouble.

And if you’re not a member…what are you waiting for? Go to alephbeta.org/subscribe and become a member to access this new season of A Book Like No Other, as well as our full library of over 1,000 videos and podcasts. Use coupon code BLNO2 for a 30 day free trial with a monthly membership OR $18 off an annual membership. Click here to subscribe.

What did you think of this episode? We’d genuinely like to hear your thoughts, questions, and feedback. Leave us a voice message – just click record, and let your thoughts flow.

Into the Verse is a project of Aleph Beta, a Torah media company dedicated to spreading the joy and love of meaningful Torah learning worldwide. If you’re enjoying this podcast, help support our work by subscribing to Aleph Beta.

For past episodes of Into the Verse, go to our website, alephbeta.org, where a premium subscription gets you access to all of our past episodes and our full library of over 1,000 videos and podcasts on the parsha, holidays, and so much more

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Parshat Bo tells the story of the last three plagues. The 10th plague, the death of the firstborn, ultimately compels Pharaoh and the Egyptians to free the Israelites from slavery, but was that really the purpose of the plagues? Were they just meant to punish the Egyptians? Or were the Egyptians meant to get something else out of these destructive plagues?

Join Tikva Hecht and Beth Lesch as they challenge a classic answer to these questions on the 10 plagues and develop a new understanding of what it means to “know God.”

Check out Rabbi Fohrman’s course “Why Did God Choose Israel As His Chosen People?” to explore these questions further.

What did you think of this episode? We’d genuinely like to hear your thoughts, questions, and feedback. Leave us a voice message – just click record, and let your thoughts flow.

Into the Verse is a project of Aleph Beta, a Torah media company dedicated to spreading the joy and love of meaningful Torah learning worldwide. If you’re enjoying this podcast, help support our work by subscribing to Aleph Beta.

For past episodes of Into the Verse, go to our website, alephbeta.org, where a premium subscription gets you access to all of our past episodes and our full library of over 1,000 videos and podcasts on the parsha, holidays, and so much more

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In Parshat Shemot, we read the story of the burning bush, where Moses was charged with a mission. We are often taught that Moses’ job was to take the Israelites out of Egypt, but a close read of the text suggests that there is actually something else Moses also had to do.

Join Ari Levisohn and Evan Weiner as they dive into Moses' encounter with the burning bush and discover allusions to an earlier mission in the Bible, one which sheds light on Moses’ true mission and what it means for a nation under attack.

Check out Rabbi Fohrman’s video about the Korban Pesach (Passover offering) and the Sale of Joseph mentioned in this week’s episode. To learn more about Joseph’s mission to check on his brothers, watch this amazing video from Rabbi Fohrman and this earlier episode of Into the Verse.

What did you think of this episode? We’d genuinely like to hear your thoughts, questions, and feedback. Leave us a voice message – just click record, and let your thoughts flow.

Into the Verse is a project of Aleph Beta, a Torah media company dedicated to spreading the joy and love of meaningful Torah learning worldwide. If you’re enjoying this podcast, help support our work by subscribing to Aleph Beta.

For past episodes of Into the Verse, go to our website, alephbeta.org, where a premium subscription gets you access to all of our past episodes and our full library of over 1,000 videos and podcasts on the parsha, holidays, and so much more

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In Parshat Vayechi, Jacob remembers when the God of his ancestors, “El Shaddai,” appeared to him and promised a bright future for his descendants. But what about the times when his life didn’t seem to be going according to God’s plan? Is God still present in times of suffering? Join Rabbi David Fohrman and Beth Lesch as they explore the question of God’s presence in our lives.

What did you think of this episode? We’d genuinely like to hear your thoughts, questions, and feedback. Leave us a voice message – just click record, and let your thoughts flow.

Into the Verse is a project of Aleph Beta, a Torah media company dedicated to spreading the joy and love of meaningful Torah learning worldwide. If you’re enjoying this podcast, help support our work by subscribing to Aleph Beta.

For past episodes of Into the Verse, go to our website, alephbeta.org, where a premium subscription gets you access to all of our past episodes and our full library of over 1,000 videos and podcasts on the parsha, holidays, and so much more

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