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PODCAST

The Daily Tanach Podcast

Welcome to The Daily Tanach Podcast. Together we join the global 929 project, learning one chapter of the Hebrew Bible each day, with reflections from Rabbi Yoni Zolty.

religion & spirituality judaism

All Episodes

00:10:55

Shemot Ch. 12

The Daily Tanach Podcast ·

2025/11/24

Shemot Chapter 12 reframes the Exodus as a turning point in Israel’s spiritual identity—shifting from a people acted upon to a people who act. The chapter’s two nearly identical descriptions of the departure from Egypt highlight this shift through grammar itself: “they went out” versus “God brought them out.” Until now, Israel has been entirely passive—oppressed by Egypt, protected automatically during the plagues, and defined by forces outside their control. But the Paschal commands change

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00:09:58

Shemot Ch. 11

The Daily Tanach Podcast ·

2025/11/23

Shemot Chapter 11 presents the final moments before the plague of the firstborn, highlighting God’s dramatic promise to draw a sharp distinction between Egypt and Israel. The unusual assurance that “no dog will sharpen its tongue” against the Israelites becomes the chapter’s interpretive focal point. Some commentators take the phrase literally, reading it as a guarantee of total tranquility—Israelite homes will remain so undisturbed that even the night-roaming dogs of the ancient Near East will

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00:11:34

Shemot Ch. 10

The Daily Tanach Podcast ·

2025/11/20

The hardening of Pharaoh's heart is one of Scripture’s most challenging theological dilemmas, raising profound questions about justice, moral agency, and divine intervention. How can Pharaoh be held accountable for obstinacy that God appears to impose? Classical and medieval commentators grapple with this tension, offering a range of perspectives. Maimonides argues that Pharaoh had crossed a moral point of no return, making repentance impossible, so God’s hardening merely ratified his own

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00:13:56

Shemot Ch. 9

The Daily Tanach Podcast ·

2025/11/19

In this episode, we uncover a deep structural key to understanding all the plagues in Shemot: the distinction between makot—afflictive punishments—and moftim—demonstrative signs. Focusing on the plague of blood, the text presents two contradictory commands: Moshe is told to strike the Nile with his staff, while Aharon is told to stretch out his staff over all the waters of Egypt. Rather than a scribal inconsistency, this duality reflects two parallel divine actions. Moshe’s strike becomes the maka,

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00:13:34

Shemot Ch. 8

The Daily Tanach Podcast ·

2025/11/18

Shemot Chapter 8 presents the plague narrative as a theological showdown, not merely a political struggle. God’s repeated declaration that “Egypt shall know that I am the LORD” frames the plagues as a direct assault on Egypt’s religious worldview—its belief that natural forces are divine. Each plague dismantles a pillar of Egyptian “cosmic immanentism,” exposing the impotence of gods like Hapi, Osiris, Heqet, and even Pharaoh himself, who was revered as the living son of Re. Through the

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00:11:11

Shemot Ch. 7

The Daily Tanach Podcast ·

2025/11/17

Exodus 7 marks a dramatic shift in the Exodus narrative, presenting the third and most theologically weighty version of God’s commission to Moses and Aaron. Unlike earlier iterations that emphasized God’s compassion for Israel’s suffering or His fidelity to the patriarchal covenant, this chapter reframes the mission as a cosmic confrontation between God and Pharaoh. Israel’s liberation is no longer the central objective—it becomes the byproduct of a larger struggle over who truly governs the world

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00:11:58

Shemot Ch. 6

The Daily Tanach Podcast ·

2025/11/16

In this episode, the discussion centers around the theological puzzle in Exodus 6, where God seemingly repeats the promises already given to Moses in Exodus 3-4. This apparent redundancy raises the question of why God would restate a message that seems clear and complete. The episode explores how this repetition reveals two foundational aspects of Israel's redemption: divine compassion and covenantal obligation. In Exodus 3, God introduces Himself as the compassionate deity who responds to human

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00:14:12

Bereishit Ch. 45

The Daily Tanach Podcast ·

2025/10/30

In Bereishit Chapter 45, the Joseph story reaches its emotional and theological climax. When Joseph reveals his identity to his brothers, his words transform not only their family dynamic but their entire understanding of what has happened. “It was not you who sent me here, but God,” he insists—recasting their betrayal as part of a divine mission. For Joseph, the past has changed meaning: what once looked like sin and suffering now reveals itself as providence. His theology dissolves guilt through

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00:12:30

Bereishit Ch. 44

The Daily Tanach Podcast ·

2025/10/29

In this episode, we explore one of the most moving speeches in the entire Torah—Judah’s plea before Joseph in Bereishit Chapter 44. As Joseph’s final test unfolds and Benjamin is seemingly condemned to slavery, Judah steps forward not to argue his case but to surrender in humility and compassion. Instead of defending himself, he reframes the crisis as a story of a frail father and his beloved son, pleading for mercy on Jacob’s behalf. Through subtle retelling and emotional vulnerability, Judah

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00:10:47

Bereishit Ch. 43

The Daily Tanach Podcast ·

2025/10/28

Chapter 43 sharpens the mystery: why does Joseph prolong his brothers’ torment instead of revealing himself? Some read it as vengeance or the literal fulfillment of his dreams, but neither fits the Joseph who later forgives so fully. More plausibly, Joseph engineers a reenactment of his sale—not to punish, but to test. By placing Benjamin, the new favored son, in danger, he creates the same moral crossroads as before: abandon the brother or defend him. When Judah steps forward to protect Benjamin,

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00:10:28

Bereishit Ch. 42

The Daily Tanach Podcast ·

2025/10/27

In Bereishit 42, Joseph transforms Egypt into a stage for moral reckoning. Disguised and unrecognized, he recreates the circumstances of his own betrayal—imprisonment, accusation, and separation—to see who his brothers have become. Their immediate confession, “Indeed, we are guilty concerning our brother,” shows that conscience has already awakened, but Joseph’s test pushes deeper: will they repeat the sin when history repeats itself? By detaining Shimon and demanding Benjamin’s presence, Joseph

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00:15:59

Bereishit Ch. 41

The Daily Tanach Podcast ·

2025/10/26

In this episode, we explore Bereishit Chapter 41—the story of Joseph’s astonishing rise from prisoner to Pharaoh’s viceroy—and the deeper question it raises: who is Joseph, really? Pharaoh’s promotion of a Hebrew slave to Egypt’s highest political rank breaks every cultural norm, prompting a program of assimilation: Joseph is shaved, robed in royal garments, given a new Egyptian name, and married into the priestly elite. Through these transformations, Pharaoh seeks not only to empower Joseph but to

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00:13:31

Bereishit Ch. 40

The Daily Tanach Podcast ·

2025/10/23

In Bereishit 40, Joseph’s gift for interpreting dreams comes to the fore as he deciphers the visions of Pharaoh’s imprisoned cupbearer and baker. Both men dream on the same night, their experiences nearly identical in language, imagery, and circumstance. Yet Joseph perceives what others would miss: beneath the surface similarity, one dream foretells restoration and the other death. His brilliance lies not in decoding hidden symbols, but in distinguishing between dreams that seem

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00:09:37

Bereishit Ch. 39

The Daily Tanach Podcast ·

2025/10/22

In Bereishit 39, Joseph’s story in Egypt unfolds through a recurring motif — garments that both reveal and conceal. Potiphar’s wife seizes Joseph’s cloak, using it to frame him, echoing earlier moments when clothing marked deception: Joseph’s ketonet passim dipped in blood, and Tamar’s disguise before Yehuda. Across these stories, garments become symbols of recognition and misrecognition — of how easily appearances deceive.Yet beneath this narrative thread lies a deeper theological question. God

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00:09:19

Bereishit Ch. 38

The Daily Tanach Podcast ·

2025/10/21

In this episode, we turn to Bereishit chapter 38 — the surprising story of Yehuda and Tamar that interrupts the flow of the Joseph narrative. While Joseph’s descent to Egypt continues in chapter 39, this seemingly unrelated detour traces Yehuda’s own descent — from leadership among his brothers to moral crisis. Yehuda leaves his family, marries a Canaanite woman, and loses two sons. Tamar, his daughter-in-law, denied her rightful marriage, disguises herself and conceives twins by Yehuda himself. Far

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00:11:01

Bereishit Ch. 37

The Daily Tanach Podcast ·

2025/10/20

In this episode, we delve into Bereishit chapter 37 — the story of Joseph’s dreams, his brothers’ jealousy, and his sale into slavery — to explore why this seemingly familiar narrative is one of the most complex in the Torah. The chapter’s contradictions have long intrigued readers: Who actually sold Joseph — his brothers, the Ishmaelites, or the Midianites? Why does the text alternate between these groups? And where was Reuben when it happened? These questions have made the chapter a cornerstone of

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00:09:31

Bereishit Ch. 36

The Daily Tanach Podcast ·

2025/10/19

In this episode, we explore Bereishit chapter 36 — the long genealogy of Esau — and ask why the Torah devotes so much space to what seems like a dry list of names. Drawing on the Talmud’s story of King Menashe mocking such verses, we uncover that these genealogies are anything but trivial. Rather, they highlight the diverging destinies of two brothers: Esau and Jacob. Esau’s line rises quickly to political power, producing chieftains and kings, while Jacob’s descendants face centuries of exile

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00:14:30

Bereishit Ch. 26

The Daily Tanach Podcast ·

2025/10/05

In this episode, we explore Bereishit Chapter 26—the only chapter devoted entirely to Yitzchak. Though often seen as the “forgotten patriarch,” Isaac’s quiet story reveals the vital role of continuity in the covenantal drama.Where Abraham’s greatness lies in revolution—breaking from the past and founding something new—Isaac’s lies in preservation. He repeats his father’s actions almost step for step: famine and divine command, the “sister-wife” episode, disputes over wells, and a covenant with

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00:11:12

Bereishit Ch. 25

The Daily Tanach Podcast ·

2025/10/01

This podcast explores the conclusion of Abraham's story in Genesis 25, arguing that seemingly disconnected details about his final years reveal a sophisticated theology of inheritance and reconciliation. The speaker introduces a "geography of rejection," noting that Abraham sends his sons by Keturah "eastward." This direction consistently symbolizes exile and separation from the divine promise in Genesis (e.g., Adam and Eve, Cain, Lot), thus spatially securing Isaac's

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00:14:05

Bereishit Ch. 24

The Daily Tanach Podcast ·

2025/10/01

This podcast explores the famous repetition in Genesis 24, where the story of finding a wife for Isaac is told twice. The speaker argues this is a deliberate literary device, as the two versions are not identical. In his retelling to Rebecca's family, Abraham's servant strategically alters key details—changing a geographical mission into a genealogical one and smoothing over the fact that Rebecca didn't perfectly fulfill his divinatory test. By doing so, he presents an undeniable

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39 results

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