Best Shma Podcasts (2024)

1
R. David Kasher on Parashat Balak: The View From Above 13:34

4h ago13:34

13:34

Balak, King of Moab, has been made uneasy by Israel’s recent string of victories over enemy nations, and has begun to worry that he will be the next to fall before them. He decides to seek the advantage with a preemptive strike, hoping to weaken the Israelite forces before they have a chance to advance against him. His first plan of attack, however…

1
Buy A Sword! 51:56

2h ago51:56

51:56

When the Messiah instructs His talmidim to "buy a sword", did He mean to go and gather arms to protect themselves, or was it something else?By The Messianic Jewish Moment

1
Better Than Cats 2:28

22h ago2:28

2:28

Join us tomorrow night for Shabbat led by Rabbi Scott and Rabbi Neal Katz!By Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

1
R. Ethan Tucker: The Multivocality of Halakhah 1:10:58

3h ago1:10:58

1:10:58

Halakhic works are often a dizzying compendium of multiple perspectives on a given issue, often making it difficult to determine how to behave in a given situation. In this lecture, R. Ethan Tucker argues this is a feature rather than a bug. Critical values that are meant to guide our lives are rarely fully manifest in any given time, place, or sit…

1
An Epiphany 41:14

3d ago41:14

41:14

A centuries old ponderance has been satisfied with simplicity and a keen sense of observation, please, indulge in the revelation with me.By The Messianic Jewish moment

1
R. David Kasher on Parashat Hukkat: Language Falling on Language 10:09

3d ago10:09

10:09

There is probably no more playful instance of wordplay in all the Torah than the nehash nehoshet, the copper snake described in Parashat Hukkat. With its string of repeated consonants, it sounds like it could be another of Dr Seuss’ whimsical creations, living in the same strange zoo with “the Cat in the Hat,” “Yertle the Turtle,” and “the Fox in S…

1
R. Dena Weiss: Serving God From Yuck to Yum 46:30

6d ago46:30

46:30

Rav Dena explores a Hassidic teaching from the Me'or Einayim which discusses a dimension of physicality that we rarely pay attention to: given that taste is not necessary to sustain us, why is food delicious? More perplexingly, why does some food taste good to some, but not to others? What is the relationship between what is physically nutritious a…

1
Looking Forward 3:32

13d ago3:32

3:32

Shabbat is the break our hearts and minds need to better do the work of our lives.By Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

1
Pre-Exodus Law 49:27

10d ago49:27

49:27

Just about all of the religions believe to one degree or another, that the Torah didn't come into existence until after the Israelites left Egypt, is this true?By The Messianic Jewish Moment

1
R. David Kasher on Parashat Korah: Hevel’s Revenge 9:56

12d ago9:56

9:56

From the very beginning of Parashat Korah, the Torah places unusually strong emphasis on his lineage. He is introduced not just with the standard patronym, but with three generations of ancestors, tracing him back to the tribal founder, Levi. A midrash in Bemidbar Rabbah picks up on this extended chain of forebears and suggests that it is there to …

1
R. David Kasher: Midrashic Moves 1:09:36

14d ago1:09:36

1:09:36

The genre of midrash has a reputation for taking creative license. In midrash, we come across the wildest stories our Rabbis ever told, and it sometimes feels like they can say anything. Yet the midrashic method was guided by precise rules of interpretation as well as general norms of discourse. But who keeps track of the rules and who monitors the…

1
Elohai - Gold 1:13

18d ago1:13

1:13

Elohai - Gold by Temple IsaiahBy Temple Isaiah

1
Mi Chamocha - AM - Friedman 1:28

16d ago1:28

1:28

Mi Chamocha - AM - Friedman by Temple IsaiahBy Temple Isaiah

1
The Devil's Lettuce 38:01

17d ago38:01

38:01

So many "Torah keepers" are out there, saying that YHVH gave them plants to smoke, which is why they smoke marijuana. Are they TRULY obeying Scripture?By The Messianic Jewish Moment

1
R. David Kasher on Parashat Shelah: Uncovering the Spies 12:26

19d ago12:26

12:26

The big story in Parashat Shelah is the story of the spies. The people are nearing the Land of Canaan, and Moshe sends ahead men, one from each tribe, to cross the border, check things out, and then bring back a report. So they head out for 40 days, return safely—and, at first, all seems well. They confirm that the land, as promised, “flows with mi…

1
R. Dena Weiss: The Torah is in the Details 1:00:24

21d ago1:00:24

1:00:24

Traditionally, the fabric of Jewish observance is composed of 613 mitzvot and many many more granular instructions. To some of us, these small details are a core piece of what it means for us to serve God, while for others of us these details seem like both an abstraction and a distraction. Does God really care about ounces and inches?! Recorded as…

1
Put In The Work. 1:05:49

24d ago1:05:49

1:05:49

Once saved, always saved? Who says we are saved?By The Messianic jewish moment

1
Ein Yaakov - Brachos 5b - giving honor to the Shechina 57:10

29d ago57:10

57:10

Harav Yussie Zakutinsky ShlitaBy K'hal Mevakshei Hashem KMH

1
R. David Kasher on Parashat BeHa’alotkha: Prophecy—A Family Business 9:34

29d ago9:34

9:34

Moshe’s unique status as the greatest prophet of Israel is challenged twice in this week’s parashah—but in neither case does Moshe himself seem to care.By Hadar Institute

1
R. Shai Held: Love, Compassion, and the Future of Jewish Life 57:26

28d ago57:26

57:26

What is Judaism ultimately about? What vision of the good life does it offer us, and why might that vision be especially crucial during these dark times? This discussion of Rabbi Shai Held's new book, Judaism is About Love, was held at Congregation B'nai Jeshurun in New York City on March 26, 2024, with Rep. Jamie Raskin, facilitated by Sandee Braw…

1
R. David Kasher on Parashat Naso: Out of the Camp 15:05

1M ago15:05

15:05

Parashat Naso is thematically structured in the form of two “exterior” chapters and two “interior” chapters. A careful study of this design can provide insight into the larger significance of “מחנה ישראל - the Camp of Israel.”By Hadar Institute

1
THE ANSWER 1:02:00

1M ago1:02:00

1:02:00

What do you say when people ask what religion you are?By The Messianic Jewish Moment

1
TNS 123: How the Western-Led Global Order Shackles Israel (with Jeremy England) 1:22:03

1M ago1:22:03

1:22:03

Can Israel truly receive a fair trial according to the moral standards of the West if Western civilization is fundamentally rooted in a Christian worldview?Yehuda HaKohen is joined by Professor Jeremy England to discuss his recent piece, Live by the Law or Die on the Cross, and the extent to which Israel could hope to survive and thrive as a Jewish…

1
R. Avi Strausberg on Shavuot: Forgetting the Torah 7:14

1M ago7:14

7:14

While I love learning Torah, I have a very poor memory for it. More often than not, when I re-encounter a piece of Torah that I have surely learned before, it’s as if it’s for the first time. Given on the one hand, my love for Torah and a genuine desire to learn Talmud and Midrash, Hasidut and Musar, and on the other, the inevitability that I will …

1
SHABBAT 1:04:46

1M ago1:04:46

1:04:46

We all have an idea of what Shabbat is, but what does scripture say?By The Messianic jewish Moment

1
R. David Kasher on Parashat Bemidbar: Naked as the Desert 12:00

1M ago12:00

12:00

The five books of the Torah—like the 54 parshiyyot—are by tradition each named after their first significant word or phrase. In the case of the fourth book, the name is taken from half of a semikhut (construct) phrase: “בְּמִדְבַּר סִינַי - in the Sinai Desert” (bemidbar Sinai). The custom has developed to use just the first of the two words: bemid…

1
R. Avi Strausberg on Pride Month 2024: Take This With You 5:52

2M ago5:52

5:52

I am blessed to have three kids, aged 9, 6, and 2—this means a lot of first days of daycare and school. These first days are always exciting for us and for them. We know that they will make new friends, have new experiences, grow and learn in unimaginable ways. Yet they are also days filled with trepidation; they set off for new and unknown experie…

1
Annual Meeting 2:33

2M ago2:33

2:33

Annual Meeting by Rabbi Scott Hausman-WeissBy Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

1
The Rainbow Bridge 53:36

2M ago53:36

53:36

The loss of a pet is pretty devastating, and it can take a long time to heal from it. This is how I got past losing my Dakota six years ago.By The Messianic Jewish Moment

1
R. David Kasher on Parashat BeHukkotai : The Purloined Letter 10:58

2M ago10:58

10:58

One of Rashi’s comments in this week’s parashah highlights the rabbinic tradition of interpreting a feature of Hebrew script known as “אותיות חסירות ויתרות” (otiot haseirot v’yeteirot), “missing and extra letters.” The Hebrew alphabet has no vowel letters, and in most Hebrew writing, the vowel notations (nekudot) are not included; we know how to pr…

1
R. Avi Strausberg on Lag Ba'Omer: From Wave to Wave to Wave 9:10

2M ago9:10

9:10

When my dad died in my early 20s, I remember being wowed by the ways in which grief came in waves. One minute, I was crying and couldn’t imagine ever moving through my sadness and several hours later, I was surprised to find myself laughing—actually able to laugh—within the first days of my dad’s death. With confidence, I realized, this was the way…

1
Musings - Jews Gone Wild 10:46

2M ago10:46

10:46

Musings - Jews Gone Wild by Rabbi Scott Hausman-WeissBy Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

1
Flesh Demons 55:21

2M ago55:21

55:21

They are among us, and we need to be aware of them and what can happen.By The Messianic Jewish Moment

1
R. David Kasher on Parashat BeHar: The Fragrance of Freedom 9:40

2M ago9:40

9:40

One of the hallmark Rabbinic interpretive techniques is the identification of parallel wording in two different sections of the Torah. In legal interpretation, this is the foundation for the second of R. Yishmael’s “13 principles by which the Torah is interpreted”: the gezeirah shavah, or “the rule of equivalence.” This principle, first quoted in t…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Shma Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide