Best Jofa Uk Podcasts (2024)

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PrayerFull trailer: discover curated guided prayer 1:30

3+ y ago1:30

1:30

If you have enjoyed #YourTorah, we invite you to experience PrayerFull: the guided prayer podcast, brought to you by our producer Rabba Dina Brawer with Rabbanit Leah SarnaBy JOFA UK

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Our Hadran! 10:09

6y ago10:09

10:09

Rabba Dina Brawer wraps up the YourTorah journey, and shares an overview of the project. Help us understand the impact of YourTorah by sharing your feedback here in our brief form. This episode is sponsored by Yeshivat Maharat, the first institution to ordain women as Orthodox clergy, and where JOFA UK's founder, Dina Brawer, recently received semi…

1
Oktzin: Creativity Stems from Frustration 13:59

6y ago13:59

13:59

Rabba Claudia Marbach opens up the final masekhet of the Mishnah, Oktzin, looking at the study of Mishnah and how it constitutes part of the pleasures of this world. Rabba Claudia Marbach recently received semikha from Yeshivat Maharat, NY. She has launched a pop-up beit midrash for women in Boston, called One Night Shtender. Before Yeshivat Mahara…

1
Yadayim: Can't Touch This 14:02

6y ago14:02

14:02

Leah Sarna opens up masekhet Yadayim, unpacking how hands are made impure and looking at how King Solomon created 'tumat yadayim' - the impurities of the hands. Leah Sarna is a fourth year student at Yeshivat Maharat, a Wexner Graduate Fellow and a Mishnah junkie. Leah has taught Torah to adults and teens around the world, stretching from New York …

1
Tevul Yom: Imparting Impurity 13:55

6y ago13:55

13:55

Yardaena Osband introduces Tevul Yom, looking into how different statuses - for instance that of the tevul yom - impact when and how a person imparts impurity. Yardaena Osband, MD is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at New York Medical College in Valhalla, New York. Yardaena studied for two years in Midreshet Lindenbaum and received he…

1
Zavim: Finding Meaning in the Mundane 14:07

6y ago14:07

14:07

Shayna Abramson dives into masekhet Zavim, unpacking its laws of ritual impurity, and demonstrating that even texts that may seem irrelevant to our lives have the capacity to teach us moral truths. Shayna Abramson is a native New Yorker and an alumni of Midreshet Harova and of Drisha's Beit Midrash programme. She is currently pursuing Masters degre…

1
Makhshirin: Triumph of the Will? 13:17

6y ago13:17

13:17

Rabbi Aviva Richman looks into masekhet Makhshirin, unpacking how its discussion of the purity of objects provides us with a chance to become more aware of our intentions in our day-to-day lives. Rabbi Aviva Richman is on faculty at the Hadar Institute in New York where she teaches Talmud, Halakhah, Midrash and Hasidut. She received private semikha…

1
Niddah: Tracing the Laws of Intimacy 19:08

6y ago19:08

19:08

Nechama Goldman Barash introduces masekhet Niddah, tracing the laws governing sexual intimacy from their origins in Torah, through to their explication in the Mishnah - and their application today. NB: This episode contains sexually explicit material Nechama Goldman Barash is a senior faculty member at Machon Pardes, Matan and Midreshet Torah V'avo…

1
Mikvaot: Returning to Nature 18:39

6y ago18:39

18:39

Ellyse Borghi introduces masekhet Mikvaot, looking at the way in which the mikvah serves as a reminder of our role in the world as creators seeking to emulate the Divine. Ellyse Borghi is a children's lawyer by day and a Torah learner and teacher by night. Ellyse is in her second year of studies for Orthodox smicha through Yeshivat Har'El in Jerusa…

1
Tahorot: Quantum Uncertainty 11:59

6y ago11:59

11:59

Atara Cohen unpacks masekhet Tahorot, looking at how impurity flows from one object to another and exploring how the Mishnah bestows certainty on an uncertain world. Atara Cohen graduated from Princeton University with a BA in Religion and a certificate in Judaic Studies, where she focused her non-academic time on interfaith work. After studying To…

1
Parah: Why We Study Torah 18:27

6y ago18:27

18:27

By JOFA UK

1
Negaim: Afflictions & Behavioural Insights 16:46

6y ago16:46

16:46

Devorah Zlochower unpacks masekhet Negaim, examining its categorisation of afflictions, and their corresponding symptoms and purification rituals, as well as drawing out its insights into human behaviour. Devorah Zlochower is Executive Editor of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School's Lindenbaum Center for Halakhic Studies and a rebbe at YCT. S…

1
Oholot: Understanding the Meaning of Tumah & Taharah 18:29

6y ago18:29

18:29

Rabba Dr. Carmella Abraham looks into masekhet Ohalot, reflecting on end of life experiences and inviting us to see the taharah (purity) behind the tumah (impurity). This YourTorah episode is dedicated by Rabba Dr. Carmella Abraham in memory of her mother Livana bat David ve'Batsheva z"l. With a medical degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine an…

1
Kelim: 'The Poetry of Things' 19:11

6y ago19:11

19:11

Leah Rosenthal presents masekhet Kelim, exploring its discussion of the purity of objects and noting the way physical objects act as a portal into daily life in Mishnaic times. Leah Rosenthal has been teaching Talmud at the Pelech High School for Girls and at the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies in Jerusalem for over thirty years. She has a BA i…

1
Seder Tohorot: The Mysteries of Purity 16:49

6y ago16:49

16:49

Dr. Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz introduces Seder Tohorot, looking into its exploration of the purity system, and noting the way it marks the boundaries between life and death. Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz studied archaeology at Cambridge and at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and recently completed a PhD at University College London on the religious liv…

1
Kinnim: An Exercise in Logic 19:24

6y ago19:24

19:24

Rabba Dr. Carmella Abraham introduces masekhet Kinnim, encouraging listeners to work through its complex mishnayot using logic and reasoning. With a medical degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine and semikha (ordination) from Yeshivat Maharat, Rabba Dr. Carmella Abraham brings her background as a physician to her study of Jewish texts and pract…

1
Middot: Measurements and Memories of the Temple 17:04

6y ago17:04

17:04

Shira Eliassian opens up masekhet Middot, taking us on an audio-visual tour of the Temple, and exploring how studying this masekhet serves as a psychological surrogate for making our pilgrimage there. Entry on Temple in Rabbinic Literature on JewishEncyclopedia.com - This article includes an overview of Har HaBayit and the Azarah with labels in Eng…

1
Tamid: From Daily Sacrifice to Daily Prayer 19:36

6y ago19:36

19:36

Leah Shakdiel introduces masekhet Tamid, opening up its account of daily Temple worship, and noting the importance of continually striving to link our ancestors' spirituality with our own. Leah Shakdiel was born in Jerusalem in 1951 to a family of Modern Orthodox pioneers. She moved to Yeruham, a small development town in the Negev Desert, in 1978,…

1
Meilah: Accidental Misuses 17:31

6y ago17:31

17:31

Yardaena Osband opens up masekhet Meilah, unpacking the laws surrounding the accidental misuse of consecrated objects. Yardaena Osband, MD is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at New York Medical College in Valhalla, New York. Yardaena studied for two years at Midreshet Lindenbaum and received her BA in Jewish Studies and Music at Yeshi…

1
Keritot: Cut-Off & Connected 17:14

6y ago17:14

17:14

Maharat Rachel Kohl Finegold introduces masekhet Keritot, exploring sins, their punishments and how karet can be instructive, informing our connectedness. Maharat Rachel Kohl Finegold is the Director of Education and Spiritual Enrichment at Congregation Shaar Hashomayim in Montreal. She received her B.A. in Religion from Boston University and is a …

1
Temurah: Committing to a Communal Cause 20:00

6y ago20:00

20:00

Judith Levitan opens up masekhet Temurah, unpacking how its laws give us a framework to negotiate between our competing urges: the desire to give love, and the desire to preserve ourselves. Judith Levitan lives in Sydney Australia. She holds degrees in Law and Social Work from the University of NSW. Her honours thesis examined community attitudes t…

1
Arakhin: The Value of Valuation 14:13

6+ y ago14:13

14:13

Dena Weiss introduces masekhet Arakhin, delving into Temple valuations and how we value people, and tracing the Mishnah's logic through its discussion of cases that demand one to be strict and cases where one can be less strict. Dena Weiss is the Rosh Beit Midrash of Yeshivat Hadar, a Halakhic, gender-Egalitarian and non-denominational full-time le…

1
Bekhorot: The Plague of the First Born 17:20

6+ y ago17:20

17:20

Michal Kohane opens up masekhet Bekhorot, asking what constitutes a firstborn - whether animal or human - and what makes a firstborn so special. Born and raised in Israel, Michal Kohane has been a leader and educator in the Jewish community of Northern California for over twenty five years. She is currently a student at Yeshivat Maharat and the Ros…

1
Chullin: On Food, Holiness and Worship 17:56

6+ y ago17:56

17:56

Dr. Elana Stein Hain opens up masekhet Chullin and its discussions of slaughtering meat, suggesting that eating is akin to offering sacrifices. Dr. Elana Stein Hain is the Scholar in Residence and Director of Faculty at the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America. She served as clergy at Lincoln Square Synagogue and the Jewish Center, received he…

1
Menachot: Our Intentions are Heavenward 16:43

6+ y ago16:43

16:43

Peta Jones Pellach opens up masekhet Menachot, unpacking its discussion of plant-based sacrifices and drawing out its lessons about serving God. A founder of Limmud-Oz in Sydney and teacher in the Melton programme for many years, Peta Jones Pellach is now a Jerusalem-based educator with the Elijah Interfaith Institute. She also teaches in the Oded …

1
Zevachim: Intention vs Action 16:01

6+ y ago16:01

16:01

Rachel Rosenthal examines the ways in which sacrifices can be rendered invalid, and considers the role of a person's intentions when offering a sacrifice and the lessons we can draw from tractate Zevachim when sacrifices are no longer offered. Rachel Rosenthal is a PhD candidate in Rabbinic Literature at the Jewish Theological Seminary, where she i…

1
Seder Kodashim: The Role of Sacrifice 18:30

6+ y ago18:30

18:30

Shira Hecht-Koller opens up Seder Kodashim, introducing its discussion about sacrifices, and considering the role sacrifices play in Jewish life and thought. Shira Hecht-Koller is the Director of Communal Engagement at Drisha. She has taught Talmud, Jewish Identity and Comparative Ethics, most recently at SAR High School. She is a founding member o…

1
Horayot: Trial ... & Error 20:27

6+ y ago20:27

20:27

Anne Gordon opens up masekhet Horayot, tracing its discussion of leadership and human error, and how one informs the other. Anne Gordon is the deputy editor of Ops & Blogs at The Times of Israel. Her bachelors in History and Philosophy and masters in Judaic Studies are from Harvard University, and she is pursuing a slow doctorate in girls’ Talmud e…

1
Avot: Not Chapters, Not Fathers, But a Whole Lot of Wisdom 17:16

6+ y ago17:16

17:16

Marianne Novak is a third year off site student at Yeshivat Maharat and a Rabbinic Intern at Hebrew Institute of Riverdale. She lives in Skokie, Illinois with her family where she has been teaching for the past 19 years for the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Education and is a Gabbait for the Skokie Women’s Tefillah Group. She has also taug…

1
Avodah Zarah: Exclusiveness or Tolerance? 14:49

6+ y ago14:49

14:49

Sarah Charak is a student of history and law at the University of Sydney. She learned at Midreshet Lindenbaum in Jerusalem, and has worked since then as Educational Director of Bnei Akiva Australia and the Australian Zionist Youth Council, and is currently part of the Limmud Oz team. Her favourite job is teaching Bat Mitzva girls to leyn and learn …

1
Eduyot: Promoting Peace 15:31

6+ y ago15:31

15:31

Rabbanit Bracha Jaffe unpacks masekhet Eduyot, explaining how it weaves together testimonies from multiple Sages, lifting up halakhic principles in its quest to promote peace and end controversy. Rabbanit Bracha Jaffe serves as Community Educator at Beth Tfiloh synagogue in Blatimore, MD and as a High School teacher in Beth Tfiloh School. She is a …

1
Shevuot: Words of Commitment & Integrity 15:10

6+ y ago15:10

15:10

Rabbi Sarah Mulhern examines the various categories of oaths in the Mishnah, their uses and application. Sarah Mulhern is the Manager of Rabbinic and Lay Education for Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, where she serves as a faculty and research team member and oversees educational programmes. She was ordained from the Rabbinical School of …

1
Makkot: Balancing Action & Intent 16:27

6+ y ago16:27

16:27

Gila Bieler-Hoch introduces masekhet Makkot, exploring what unifies its seemingly disparate content: false witnesses, cities of refuge, and the punishment of lashes. Gila Bieler-Hoch is a Jerusalem-based Talmud and halakhah teacher. She has taught in a variety of settings, from middle school to gap year programmes in America and Israel, including D…

1
Sanhedrin: Some Cases Should Never Make it to Court 11:01

6+ y ago11:01

11:01

Sharon Weiss-Greenberg opens up masekhet Sanhedrin, explaining how the example of the rebellious son teaches us how to work with the law to protect our sense of morality. Sharon Weiss-Greenberg is the Executive Director of JOFA. Sharon has served as the Rosh Moshava at Camp Stone, as the co-director of the Orthodox Union Jewish Learning Initiative …

1
Bava Batra: Won't You Be My Neighbour? 15:29

6+ y ago15:29

15:29

Meira Welt-Maarek looks into masekhet Bava Batra, drawing out the key themes of boundaries and responsibility. Meira Welt-Maarek teaches Talmud at Beit Midrash Arevot under the auspices of the Sephardic Educational Center in Jerusalem. Recently completed a Clinical Pastoral Education unit from the Schwartz Center, providing halakhic & spiritual gui…

1
Bava Metzia: Creating A Fair & Just Society 19:38

6+ y ago19:38

19:38

Davida Kollmar introduces masekhet Bava Metzia, highlighting the emphasis it places on treating other people fairly through fair interest rates, ethical working conditions and so forth. Davida Kollmar is the programme administrator for the Center for Modern Torah Leadership and a tutor for Statistics and Hebrew/Jewish Studies at Yeshiva University'…

1
Bava Kamma and What Comes After Revelation 19:55

6+ y ago19:55

19:55

Dr. Devorah Schoenfeld looks into masekhet Bava Kamma, highlighting its discussion of how to live in a world in which we sometimes fall, and how to take responsibility for our role in it. Dr. Devorah Schoenfeld is Associate Professor of Jewish Theology at Loyola University Chicago, a Jesuit Catholic University. She is also a student in the Yeshivat…

1
Seder Nezikin: The Good in Everyone 16:44

6+ y ago16:44

16:44

Lea Taragin-Zeller traces Seder Nezikin's journey from personal law, to the Jewish court of law, to individuals' ideological behaviour, noting how it highlights our responsibility to treat everyone with respect. Lea Taragin-Zeller is a Jewish chaplain at Cambridge University. She is also a research fellow at the Woolf Institute, where she is curren…

1
Kiddushin: To Sanctify & To Be Sanctified 17:50

6+ y ago17:50

17:50

Tirzah Meacham unpacks masekhet Kiddushin, exploring its central place in understanding the role of women in our communities today. Tirzah Meacham has a PhD in Talmud from Hebrew University. She works chiefly on Niddah, status of women, legal status and medical realia in Talmudic literature. Together with Miriam Frenkel she published Sefer HaBagrut…

1
Gittin: Repairing the Personal World 16:35

6+ y ago16:35

16:35

Dr. Rachel Levmore discusses the possibility of divorce within Judaism as a manifestation of tikun olam – as an ongoing challenge for the Rabbinical Courts and for individuals within Jewish society. For more information see the article: The Prenuptial Agreement of Mutual Respect, Get and English Law More information on: prenuptial agreements, gets,…

1
Sotah: The Power of Oral Torah 19:21

6+ y ago19:21

19:21

Miriam Gedwiser leads us through masekhet Sotah, examining exegetical rabbinic readings of the Sotah ritual and meditating on the power of the Oral Torah. Miriam Gedwiser is a faculty member at Drisha and at the Ramaz Upper School. She has a BA in the History and Philosophy of Science from the University of Chicago, and studied in the Drisha Schola…

1
Nazir: I am a Nezirah 14:15

6+ y ago14:15

14:15

Shira Eliassian opens up masekhet Nazir (someone who takes a particular ascetic vow), looking at nazirut in terms of inclusive religious practice and participation. Shira Eliassian is currently pursuing a Masters in Religion at University of Chicago's Divinity School. Her studies focus on how religion is expressed through literature and visual cult…

1
Nedarim: Vows in the Season of New Year’s Resolutions 17:35

6+ y ago17:35

17:35

Ilana Kurshan introduces masekhet Nedarim, explaining the process of making and dissolving vows, and noticing how it's not so different from how we make - and break - new year's resolutions. Ilana Kurshan is the author of If All the Seas Were Ink, a memoir of Talmud study published by St. Martin's Press. She has translated books of Jewish interest …

1
Ketubot: Documentary Facts of Marriage 19:41

6+ y ago19:41

19:41

Ranana Dine explores masekhet Ketubot, unpacking the ketubah's role, and the rabbis' realistic and structured presentation of marriage. Links Ranana refers to: Illuminated ketubah example: Casale Monferrato, Italy 1671, Organisation for the Resolution of Agunot (ORA), United Synagogue Pre-Nuptial Agreement Ranana Dine is a graduate student at the U…

1
Yevamot: The brother-in-law or the shoe 24:31

6+ y ago24:31

24:31

Rabbanit Chava Evans guides us through a complex labyrinth of intricate family relations to understand levirate marriage. Rabbanit Chava Evans holds a BA in Religion from Brown University, where she was awarded the James Manning Medal for Excellence in Religious Studies. Rabbanit Chava trained as a painter in Israel and the United States and holds …

1
Seder Nashim: About Women 18:34

6+ y ago18:34

18:34

Nechama Goldman Barash opens up Seder Nashim, giving an overview of the ever-relevant areas it covers: levirate marriage, procreation, family relationships, marriage and divorce, death and inheritance, and time-bound mitzvot. Nechama Goldman Barash is a senior faculty member at Pardes, Matan and Midreshet Torah v'Avodah - three learning institution…

1
Chagigah: Giving Roots to the Holidays 19:50

6+ y ago19:50

19:50

Miriam Gedwiser unpacks masekhet Chagigah, and its rules of pilgrimage - as made on the shalosh regalim (the 3 pilgrimage festivals) - exploring the themes of community and transmission. Miriam Gedwiser is a faculty member at Drisha and at the Ramaz Upper School. She has a BA in the History and Philosophy of Science from the University of Chicago, …

1
Moed Katan: Framing Festive Time 17:28

6+ y ago17:28

17:28

Dina Brawer considers how the Sages set boundaries on permitted work to preserve the sacred and joyous tone of festive days. Dina Brawer studied Torah in Jerusalem, New York and London. Dina’s life journey led her to do things she never dreamed of, including launching an Orthodox feminist movement in the UK and studying for Orthodox semikha (rabbin…

1
Megillah: Ritual Reading Unraveled 16:56

6+ y ago16:56

16:56

Dina Brawer unravels the laws and customs that apply to Megillah, Torah reading, and the use of synagogue space. Dina Brawer studied Torah in Jerusalem, New York and London. Dina’s life journey led her to do things she never dreamed of, including launching an Orthodox feminist movement in the UK and studying for Orthodox semikha (rabbinic ordinatio…

1
Ta'anit: Rebuilding Relationships 11:14

6+ y ago11:14

11:14

Rabba Yaffa Epstein introduces masekhet Ta'anit, looking at communal fast days as reparative following destructive behaviour, and the ever-pressing call to wake up and rebuild the world. Rabba Yaffa Epstein serves as the Director of Education, North America for the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies. She received Rabbinic Ordination from Yeshivat M…

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