Making modern meaning from ancient texts! Each week Rabbi Micah Streiffer discusses the weekly Torah portion in about 7 to 10 minutes, through liberal Jewish eyes. We weave together philosophy, spirituality, tradition, and social justice - and derive meaning for today‘s life from our sacred sources. Longer episodes include a bonus interview with leading rabbis and Jewish thought leaders. Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK, the liberal Beit Midrash ("House of Study"). Contact us at info@laasok.org with comments or questions.
Episodes
Tuesday Mar 05, 2024
Tuesday Mar 05, 2024
In this episode we explore a Midrash on the Torah portion, in which the Rabbis talk about what it means to have a "good name."
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- Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. To support the production of this podcast, visit either www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode contribution) OR https://laasok.org/support/ (for a tax-deductible one-time or monthly contribution).
- For info on our weekly Zoom Torah study groups or other learning opportunities go to https://laasok.org/.
- To join the Seven Minute Torah Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/sevenminutetorahgroup
- Comments or questions? Email me at rabbistreiffer@gmail.com
Tuesday Feb 27, 2024
Tuesday Feb 27, 2024
A midrash blames the Golden Calf incident on the "mixed multitude" that accompanied the Israelites in the desert. What can we learn from it about acceptance and xenophobia in Jewish life?
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- Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. To support the production of this podcast, visit either www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode contribution) OR https://laasok.org/support/ (for a tax-deductible one-time or monthly contribution).
- For info on our weekly Zoom Torah study groups or other learning opportunities go to https://laasok.org/.
- To join the Seven Minute Torah Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/sevenminutetorahgroup
- Comments or questions? Email me at rabbistreiffer@gmail.com
Wednesday Feb 21, 2024
Wednesday Feb 21, 2024
This Torah portion is about clothes: colors, fabrics, hems, designs - the details of the priestly clothing. We talk about why the Torah goes into such a meticulous description, and what it has to do with our own spiritual lives. (Plus I sing for you!)
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- Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. To support the production of this podcast, visit either www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode contribution) OR https://laasok.org/support/ (for a tax-deductible one-time or monthly contribution).
- For info on our weekly Zoom Torah study groups or other learning opportunities go to https://laasok.org/.
- To join the Seven Minute Torah Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/sevenminutetorahgroup
- Comments or questions? Email me at rabbistreiffer@gmail.com
Tuesday Feb 13, 2024
Tuesday Feb 13, 2024
In the midst of a tedious Torah portion, the Rabbis tell a story that connects the building of the Mishkan (the portable sanctuary in the wilderness) with an audacious act of hope by Jacob 400 years earlier.
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- Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. To support the production of this podcast, visit either www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode contribution) OR https://laasok.org/support-laasok/ (for a one-time or monthly contribution).
- For info on our weekly Zoom Torah study groups or other learning opportunities go to https://laasok.org/.
- To join the Seven Minute Torah Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/sevenminutetorahgroup
- Comments or questions? Email me at rabbistreiffer@gmail.com.
Tuesday Feb 06, 2024
Tuesday Feb 06, 2024
We explore one of the Torah's most infamous laws - the "eye for an eye" passage in Exodus 21 - to discovery what it's REALLY about, and what it says about the imperative for building a just society. We also briefly explore how this law undergirds Jewish views of abortion.
To sign up for Rabbi Leah Berkowitz's class on Reproductive Justice in Judaism (this Thursday, February 8), visit https://laasok.org/current-offerings/#repro
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- Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. To support the production of this podcast, visit either www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode contribution) OR https://laasok.org/support-laasok/ (for a one-time or monthly contribution).
- For info on our weekly Zoom Torah study groups or other learning opportunities go to https://laasok.org/.
- To join the Seven Minute Torah Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/sevenminutetorahgroup
- Comments or questions? Email me at rabbistreiffer@gmail.com.
Wednesday Jan 31, 2024
Wednesday Jan 31, 2024
We are traditionally taught that we ALL stood together at Sinai. And yet the Torah reveals that certain people and certain voices were excluded from that pivotal moment. I talk with Rabbi Dalia Marx about finding and recapturing those silenced voices, in order to create a more inclusive Judaism.
Rabbi Dalia Marx is author of From Time to Time: Journeys in the Jewish Calendar.
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- Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. To support the production of this podcast, visit either www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode contribution) OR https://laasok.org/support-laasok/ (for a one-time or monthly contribution).
- For info on our weekly Zoom Torah study groups or other learning opportunities go to https://laasok.org/.
- To join the Seven Minute Torah Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/sevenminutetorahgroup
- Comments or questions? Email me at rabbistreiffer@gmail.com.
Tuesday Jan 23, 2024
Tuesday Jan 23, 2024
In this parashah, the Torah tells the story of the parting of the Red Sea. The Rabbis tell the story of the brave person who made that miracle possible. In doing so, they turn the story on its head - they make it about OUR capacity for miracle-making.
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- Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. To support the production of this podcast, visit either www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode contribution) OR https://laasok.org/support-laasok/ (for a one-time or monthly contribution).
- For info on our weekly Zoom Torah study groups or other learning opportunities go to https://laasok.org/.
- To join the Seven Minute Torah Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/sevenminutetorahgroup
- Comments or questions? Email me at rabbistreiffer@gmail.com.
Tuesday Jan 16, 2024
Tuesday Jan 16, 2024
The story of Pharaoh and the plagues is a story of how fear leads us toward actions that don't reflect our best selves.
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- Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. To support the production of this podcast, visit either www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode contribution) OR https://laasok.org/support-laasok/ (for a one-time or monthly contribution).
- For info on our weekly Zoom Torah study groups or other learning opportunities go to https://laasok.org/.
- To join the Seven Minute Torah Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/sevenminutetorahgroup
- Comments or questions? Email me at rabbistreiffer@gmail.com.
Tuesday Jan 09, 2024
Tuesday Jan 09, 2024
The idea that God "hardened Pharaoh's heart" is a major theological conundrum. Does it mean there's no free will?? We explore what some of the commentators have said about this, and what it means for our own lives.
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- Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. For info on our weekly Zoom Torah study groups or other learning opportunities go to https://laasok.org/.
- To support the production of this podcast, visit either www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode contribution) OR https://laasok.org/support-laasok/ (for a one-time or monthly contribution).
- To join the Seven Minute Torah Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/sevenminutetorahgroup
- Comments or questions? Email me at rabbistreiffer@gmail.com.
Tuesday Jan 02, 2024
Tuesday Jan 02, 2024
As we start a new book of the Torah, why does it sound like we're right in the middle of something? We talk about the significance of this transitional moment for Jewish identity and continuity, and for both Jewish and Palestinian self-understanding.
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- Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. For info on our weekly Zoom Torah study groups or other learning opportunities go to https://laasok.org/.
- To support the production of this podcast, visit either www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode contribution) OR https://laasok.org/support-laasok/ (for a one-time or monthly contribution).
- To join the Seven Minute Torah Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/sevenminutetorahgroup
- Comments or questions? Email me at rabbistreiffer@gmail.com.