Best Megillat Esther Podcasts (2024)

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Parsha Talk End Of Passover 2024 5784 35:38

2h ago35:38

35:38

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. This Shabbat is Chol Ha-Mo’ed Pesach, the Shabbat which falls during the week of Pesach [Passover]. The Torah Reading is from Parashat Ki Tissa [Exodus 33:12–34:26], which includes the 13 attributes of God as well as one of the earliest festival calendars; it is also read …

1
Parasha Talk SPECIAL PRE PASSOVER EDITION 5784 2824 35:25

4d ago35:25

35:25

Parashat M’tzora [Leviticus 14-15] coincides with Shabbat Ha-Gadol, the Shabbat before Pesach which features a special haftarah [Malachi 3:4-24], but no special maftir [additional Torah reading]. The subject matter of Metzora is a continuation of the skin disease taken up in last week’s Torah reading [in particular Leviticus 13], which can also aff…

1
On Monsters, Goddesses and Myths: A Discussion with Author Katherine Marsh 44:54

13d ago44:54

44:54

“We’re not monsters, Mom. We’re goddesses—smart, fearless, and beautiful.” That’s the voice of Ava, the superpowered protagonist of Katherine Marsh’s captivating novel for children, Medusa (Clarion Books, 2024). Our discussion focuses on Marsh’s feminist retelling of the Medusa myth—and on the wider topic of the direction of children’s literature a…

1
Parsha Talk Tazria 5784 2024 36:41

14d ago36:41

36:41

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Tazria [Leviticus 12-13] flies solo this year because it is a leap year in the Jewish calendar. Most years it is paired with Metzora [Leviticus 14-15], which will be the Torah Reading next week. The double portion is preferred by most people because it is not so e…

1
Parsha Talk Shmini 5784 2024 38:49

22d ago38:49

38:49

Parsha alk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Sh’mini [Leviticus 9-11] coincides this year with Parashat Ha-chodesh [maftir: Exodus 12:1-20; haftarah: Ezekiel 45:16-46:18]. This is the last of the four special shabbatot before Pesach, which is now officially just over the horizon. Ha-chodesh is the first comma…

1
Laura Bower, "The Imposter" (Gnome Road Publishing, 2024) 43:23

27d ago43:23

43:23

In this heartwarming interview with Laura Bower, we celebrate the launch of her brand new, debut picture book, The Imposter, illustrated by Kerisa Greene, and published by Sandra Sutter, Gnome Road Publishing (2024). Laura talks about her life and writing career, the story behind The Imposter, and her advice for aspiring authors. Learn more about y…

1
Parsha Talk Tzav 2024 5784 37:46

29d ago37:46

37:46

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Tzav [Leviticus 6:1-8:36] coincides with Parashat Parah [maftir: Numbers 19:1-22; haftarah: Ezekiel 36:16-38], the third of the four special shabbatot before Passover. Tzav presents the priestly view of the sacrifices which were covered in last week’s parashah fro…

1
Amalekites, Gaza and the End of Megillat Esther on Purim 14:54

1M ago14:54

14:54

As Purim became a holiday of tremendous festivities and lightheartedness, the Rabbis knew that the end of the Megillah in Chapter 9 has a dubious quality, that of a massacre on Haman's people. Is this a happy ending, a desirable ending, that of massacre, that of Jews finally (and really for its time, only possible in the Jewish imagination but not …

1
Michelle Knudsen, "Luigi, the Spider Who Wanted to Be a Kitten" (Candlewick Press, 2024) 43:05

1M ago43:05

43:05

Michelle Knudsen is the New York Times best-selling author of fifty books for young readers of all ages, including the award-winning picture books (and personal favorites) Library Lion and Marilyn's Monster. In this, our second interview we celebrate the launch of her new picture book, Luigi, the Spider Who Wanted to Be a Kitten (Candlewick, 2024),…

1
Parsha Talk Shabbat Zachor - Megillat Esther 2024 5784 36:27

1M ago36:27

36:27

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Va-yiqra [Leviticus 1:1–5:26] coincides this year with Shabbat Zakhor [maftir, Deuteronomy 25:17-19; haftarah 1 Samuel 15:2–34] in anticipation of the holiday of Purim, which begins Saturday night, upon the conclusion of Shabbat. Parashat Va-yiqra, the opening par…

1
Shoshanna Lockshin and Efrayim Unterman, "The Devash Megillat Esther" (Hadar Press, 2024) 38:06

1M ago38:06

38:06

The Devash Megillat Esther (Hadar Press, 2024) includes the full Hebrew Megillah text, an original kid-friendly English translation, and carefully selected commentaries from 2,000 years of Jewish tradition brought to life in newly accessible ways. Devash unlocks sophisticated texts for learners of all ages and backgrounds, encouraging deep question…

1
Megillat Esther In Depth #3 39:43

1M ago39:43

39:43

Megillat Esther In Depth #3 by Rabbi Joshua MaroofBy Rabbi Joshua Maroof

1
Sue Fliess, "Octopus Acrobatics" (Albert Whitman & Company, 2024) 55:45

1M ago55:45

55:45

Sue Fliess ("fleece") is the award-winning, bestselling author of over 50 children's books including Sadie Sprocket Builds a Rocket, How to Trap a Leprechaun, Mary Had a Little Lab, Rumble and Roar, the Beatrice Bly's Rules for Spies series, the Kid Scientist series, the Magical Creatures and Crafts series, and many Little Golden Books. Her books h…

1
Emily Barth Isler, "The Color of Sound" (Carolrhoda Books, 2024) 1:03:30

1M ago1:03:30

1:03:30

Emily Barth Isler is the author of AfterMath, an award-winning middle grade novel, and of the forthcoming picture book Always Enough Love. In our interview, we celebrate the publication of her second middle grade novel, The Color of Sound (Carolrhoda Books, 2024), the story of Rosie, a musical prodigy with synesthesia. We talk about her transformat…

1
Parsha Talk Pekudei 2024 5784 36:18

1M ago36:18

36:18

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. With the reading of parashat P’qudai [Exodus 38:21–40:38] we conclude the reading of the Book of Exodus. We have already seen most of this material in parashat T’tzavveh three weeks ago. Our conversation focused on the last several verses [40:34–38], comprising the maftir …

1
Megillat Esther In Depth #2 1:04:22

2M ago1:04:22

1:04:22

Megillat Esther In Depth #2 by Rabbi Joshua MaroofBy Rabbi Joshua Maroof

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A Chat with a Children's Book Illustrator: Erin Kraan 51:11

2M ago51:11

51:11

Erin Kraan has illustrated over half a dozen children's books, with more on the way. In our interview we celebrate her latest illustrated picture book, Buffalo Fluffalo (Random House Studio, 2024) written by Bess Kalb. Erin talks about her life and career, and explains her unique process of carving her characters into wood and seeing how their quir…

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Suzanne Slade, "The Music in George's Head: George Gershwin Creates Rhapsody in Blue" (Astra, 2021) 58:03

2M ago58:03

58:03

Suzanne Slade is the Sibert Honor author of more than 170 books for children. A mechanical engineer by degree, Suzanne writes about STEM topics, fascinating figures in history, and occasionally lyrical fiction. Her newest books include Some Days are Yellow, Shining Star: Vera Rubin Discovers Dark Matter, Behold the Octopus!, and Dazzilin' Dolly: Th…

1
Parsha Talk Vayakhel 5784 2024 38:00

2M ago38:00

38:00

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Va-yaqhel [Exodus 35:1-38:20] coincides with Shabbat Sheqalim [special maftir (Exosdus 30:11-16) and haftarah (I Kings 12:1-17)], the first of the four special shabbatot preceding Passover. Whereas the previous three parashiyot concern the plans for the mishkan [t…

1
Megillat Esther In Depth #1 57:20

2M ago57:20

57:20

Megillat Esther In Depth #1 by Rabbi Joshua MaroofBy Rabbi Joshua Maroof

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Heather L. Montgomery, "Sick!: The Twists and Turns Behind Animal Germs" (Bloomsbury, 2024) 41:43

2M ago41:43

41:43

Heather L. Montgomery writes for kids who are wild about animals, masterfully employing yuck appeal to engage young minds. Her 17 nonfiction books include Something Rotten: A Fresh Look at Roadkill, What's in your Pocket? Collecting Nature's Treasures, and Bugs Don't Hug: Six Legged Parents and their Kids. Here we celebrate Heather's brand new book…

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Parsha Talk Ki Tissa 5784 2024 37:18

2M ago37:18

37:18

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Ki Tissa [Exodus 30:11-34:35] features the episode of the Golden Calf, one of the great sins of the Exodus generation. In the rabbinic imagination, it is paired with the sin of the spies, bracketing the 3-week period of mourning introduced by the 17th of Tammuz an…

1
Parsha Talk Tetzaveh 2024 5784 37:13

2M ago37:13

37:13

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat T’tzavveh [Exodus 27:20-30:10] deals mostly with the priestly vestments and the installation of the priests. It raises the question: do the clothes make the person or the person make the clothes? In our conversation we attempt to address this question, though you …

1
Get Signed: A Chat with Literary Agent Lucinda Halperin 34:56

2M ago34:56

34:56

Lucinda Halpern is a literary agent with over 15 years’ experience in both the publicity and agency sides of publishing. Before founding Lucinda Literary, she worked in the Publicity division of HarperCollins, where she assisted on the media campaign for Freakonomics among other New York Times bestsellers. She currently represents authors writing i…

1
The 19th Century Reform Rabbi Who Changed Physics 9:11

2M ago9:11

9:11

The most influential rabbi you've never heard of? Based on an episode of the RadioLab podcast ("Relative Genius") and a biography in the Jewish Encyclopedia -- https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/12611-rebenstein-aaron -- I tell you about the extraordinary Rabbi Aaron David Bernstein who likely accomplished more in his lifetime by himself t…

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Laurie Wallmark and Raakhee Mirchandani, "Journey to the Stars: Kalpana Chawla, Astronaut" (Beaming Books, 2024) 47:56

2M ago47:56

47:56

Laurie Wallmark is the award-winning author of picture book biographies of women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) as well as fiction. In our second interview, we celebrate Laurie's new picture book, Journey to the Stars: Kalpana Chawla, Astronaut, co-written with Raakhee Mirchandani, illustrated by Maitreyi Ghosh (Illustrator) ,…

1
Parsha Talk Teruma 5784 2024 36:15

2M ago36:15

36:15

Parsha Talk - with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat T’rumah [Exodus 25:1-27:18] is the first of three successive parashiyot which take up the plans for building the Tabernacle and its furnishings. Given the details I think it fair to say that the content is an acquired taste and not everyone gets that far! There …

1
My Friends Maurice Sendak and Leonard Bernstein 48:51

3M ago48:51

48:51

Christopher Swann is an award-winning producer and director of documentaries, a playwright, author and editor. In our lively interview we discuss his career, his thoughts on creativity, his friendship with two legendary geniuses: author-illustrator Maurice Sendak, and composer conductor Leonard Bernstein, and the monumental films which these friend…

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Rebecca Gardyn Levington, "Afikoman, Where'd You Go?: A Passover Hide-and-Seek Adventure" (Rocky Pond Books, 2024) 58:02

3M ago58:02

58:02

In this wonderfully candid conversation with children's book author Rebecca Gardyn Levington, we celebrate her new book Afikoman, Where'd You Go?: A Passover Hide-and-Seek Adventure from Rocky Pond Books (2024) and illustrated by Noa Kelner. This is her third published picture book (her previous books are Brainstorm! and Whatever Comes Tomorrow), w…

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Parsha Talk Mishpatim 5784 2024 34:15

3M ago34:15

34:15

Parsha Talk - with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Mishpatim [Exodus 21–24] is the sixth parashah of Sefer Sh’mot. It is made up almost entirely of what Biblical scholars call the Covenant Code, the exact parameters of which scholars disagree. Suffice it to say, after the drama of the Revelation at Mount Sinai c…

1
Parsha Talk Yitro 5784 2024 34:18

3M ago34:18

34:18

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Yitro [Exodus 18–20] is the fifth parashah in the Book of Exodus. It features the 10 commandments which was the topic of most of our conversation. How does the Sh’ma compare with the Ten Commandments? What meaning might these commandments have for us today? How do…

1
Talk to the Literary Agent: A Discussion with Victoria Selvaggio 1:01:54

3M ago1:01:54

1:01:54

For Victoria Selvaggio, books have always played an important role in her life. From an early age, she could easily be found reading in a corner with stacks of books or the opposite, crafting her own. Victoria was introduced to SCBWI (The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators). Once again, she was hooked! Like all passions, Victoria i…

1
The Israelites Left Egypt Armed: Gender & Chauvinism Preceding October 7 16:10

3M ago16:10

16:10

In the second verse of Parashat Beshalach (the flight from Egypt and the crossing of the Sea of Reeds), the Torah states that the Israelites fled fully armed. I explore the traditional commentaries on why, and connect this to the haftarah (story of Deborah and Yael) and to the intelligence failures in Israel caused by male chauvinism.…

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Parsha Talk Beshalach 5784 2024 38:16

3M ago38:16

38:16

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat B’shallach [Exodus 13:17–17:16], the fourth parashah in Sefer Sh’mot [the Book of Exodus] features the Song of the Sea [Exodus 15:1–19], which has become part of the morning prayer service. In introducing the show, Eliot framed our discussion as Anatomy of a Scene…

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What Makes A Great Picture Book? 54:57

3M ago54:57

54:57

Betsy Bird is the Collection Development Manager of Evanston Public Library and the former Youth Materials Specialist of New York Public Library. She writes for the School Library Journal blog A Fuse #8 Production and reviews for Kirkus. She is the host of the Story Seeds podcast as well as the co-host of the Fuse 8 n' Kate podcast that she creates…

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Meet the Literary Agent: A Chat with Leslie Zampetti 50:28

3M ago50:28

50:28

Today I speak to the wonderful literary agent Leslie Zampetti, who recently launched her own agency, Open Book Literary. A former librarian in special, public, and school libraries, Leslie’s focus is on the right book at the right time for the reader. We talk about her 'chocolate box' experiences as a champion of great children's stories. Mel Rosen…

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Parsha Talk Bo 5784 2024 37:52

3M ago37:52

37:52

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Bo [Exodus 10:1–13:16] is the third parashah in Sefer Sh’mot [Book of Exodus]. It relates the last 3 plagues, describes the original Passover celebrated in Egypt and prescribes what should happen in subsequent generations, and concludes with the first 16 verses of…

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Miriam Halahmy, "A Boy from Baghdad" (Green Bean Books, 2024) 45:21

4M ago45:21

45:21

Miriam Halahmy has published 9 novels for children and teens. Her new book A Boy from Baghdad (Green Bean Books, 2024), tells the story for children the first time in English, of the exile of the Iraqi Jewish community 1949-1951 to Israel and their subsequent difficulties in the Promised Land. The book was inspired by Miriam's husband's family who …

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Who Gets to Be a Spokesperson for Israel? The Soft of Heart and Slow of Speech 13:46

4M ago13:46

13:46

The focus of the American and international conversation about the Hamas attack and its aftermath has been "Ceasefire or No Ceasefire" by which people mean (since there was a ceasefire prior to Hamas's breaking it) whether Israel should cease its counter offensive due to civilian casualties. Who gets to be a spokesperson for Israel at this time in …

1
Meet the Librarian 1:05:05

4M ago1:05:05

1:05:05

Louise Lareau is the award-winning Managing Librarian at The New York Public Library and currently leads the Children’s Center team at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library. She calls herself a 'book detective. We talk about makes a great picture book, differences among cultures and languages, the role of the library in bringing books to the chil…

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Renée LaTulippe, "The Crab Ballet" (Abrams, 2022) 58:52

4M ago58:52

58:52

In this fun interview, we celebrate Renée M. LaTulippe's wonderful poem picture book The Crab Ballet (Cameron Kids/Abrams, 2022) and talk about her career and thoughts about children's literature, the importance of poetry in lyrical writing, her love for theater, and advice for aspiring authors. Renée's upcoming book is Limelight: Theater Poems to …

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Parsha Talk Va'era 5784 2024 36:14

4M ago36:14

36:14

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Va-era [Exodus 6:2–9:35] is the 2nd parashah of Exodus. Unlike many of the parashiyot, it takes its name from the first word of the 2nd sentence, in which God declares that He appeared to the patriarchs as El-Shaddai, but did not make known to them the 4-letter na…

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Parsha Talk Shmot 5784 2024 38:15

4M ago38:15

38:15

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Shemot [Exodus 1:1–6:1] opens the Book of Exodus [Shemot in Hebrew]. It summarizes the end of Genesis in a few verses wherein בני ישראל [b’nai Yisrael] the biological children of the patriarch Jacob who had been renamed Israel, becomes עם בני ישראל [am b’nai yisra…

1
Parsha Talk Vayechi 2024 5784 28:07

4M ago28:07

28:07

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Va-yehi [Genesis 47:28–50:26] is the twelfth and final parashah of Genesis. We address the overall theme/direction of the book, and how it fits into the Torah. We also discuss the burial of Jacob: why does he insist on being buried in the ancestral grave? As alway…