PODCAST

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi

Josh Blechner

A short thought for each chapter/perek in Tanach for Tanach yomi/daily Bible study by Josh Blechner

religion & spirituality judaism

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00:03:57

Devarim 1: Moshe's POV

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2026/04/01

The last book of the Torah takes place at the very end of Moshe’s life and is told from Moshe’s perspective. The book begins where Numbers left off. The nation is at the Jordan River poised to enter the land. The entire Exodus generation has died off except for Moshe, Calev, and Yehoshua. Moshe gathers the people and begins his farewell address. There are some new stories and laws, and there are repeated laws and stories as well. Deuteronomy presents these older stories from Moshe’s perspective.The

00:03:38

Bamidbar 36: The New Normal

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2026/03/31

The book of Numbers ends in a seemingly very odd way with the continuation of the very personal story of the Tzelofchad sisters. The rest of the tribe comes to Moshe to complain about God’s decree that the daughters of Tzelofchad are granted their father’s inheritance. They are afraid that that may allow their tribal lands to be diluted.“The clan heads of the descendants of Gilead son of Machir son of Manasseh… came forward and spoke before Moses… saying… if they marry outside the tribe… their

00:03:29

Bamidbar 35:Fugees

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2026/03/30

The arai miklat were special cities for the Leviim who did not have a tribal portion in Canaan. These cities doubled as a place of refuge for individuals who committed unintentional murder. The Torah first hinted at these cities in Exodus. “One who fatally strikes another party shall be put to death / If a man did so but not by design—it came about by an act of God—I will assign you a place to which he can flee” (Exodus 21:12 13).מַכֵּה אִישׁ וָמֵת מוֹת יוּמָת׃וַאֲשֶׁר לֹא צָדָה וְהָאֱלֹהִים אִנָּה

00:02:06

Bamidbar 34: Mama Mia Here We Go Again

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2026/03/29

Chapter 34 is split into two parts. The first is the delineation of the borders of the land of Israel and the second is the list of the new princes. This chapter follows a simple A/B/B/A structure with the beginning of the book. Numbers began 38 years ago at Mt. Sinai. Following the giving of the Ten Commandments, God tells Moshe to appoint 12 princes to lead the people. These 12 princes are listed in chapter 1 of Numbers. Chapter 2 of Numbers described the set up of the camp in the desert. Each of

00:03:42

Bamidbar 33:Don't Stop Believing

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2026/03/26

As Numbers comes to a close, the Torah goes back and lists all the journeys that the Israelites made from the time they left Egypt.“These are the marches of the Israelites who started out from the land of Egypt, troop by troop, under the leadership of Moses and Aaron.”אֵלֶּה מַסְעֵי בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר יָצְאוּ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לְצִבְאֹתָם בְּיַד־מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן׃(Numbers 33:1)“Moses recorded their departures, stage by stage, as directed by ה׳.”וַיִּכְתֹּב מֹשֶׁה אֶת־מוֹצָאֵיהֶם לְמַסְעֵיהֶם

00:04:25

Bamidbar 32: Half and Half

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2026/03/25

Earlier, God decreed that each tribe would receive a proportional part of the Land. As the nation makes its way around the Jordan river to enter the land, they have been conquering the local peripheral populations. The tribes of Reuven and Gad see this borderlands and decide that they do not want to enter the land. They approach Moshe and ask if they can live in the trans Jordan area because of their large flocks and the fertile land. This conversation is reminiscent of Lot’s conversations with

00:02:56

Bamidbar 31: Hidden Stories Hidden Threats

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2026/03/24

Chapter 31 returns to the previous story of the Midyanite woman and Baal Peor. God has not forgotten the evil plot to seduce the population and cause them to sin. Were it not for the heroics of Pinchas, the plot would have succeeded. This is why God tells Pinchas to lead the army into battle against the Midyanites.“Moses sent them to the campaign—one thousand from each tribe—together with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, with the sacred vessels and the trumpets for sounding the

00:04:48

Bamidbar 30: I Vow this is a Good Episode

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2026/03/23

Chapter 30 can be a difficult read from a more modern standpoint. The chapter offers various scenarios in which a father has the ability to nullify the vows of his wife and daughter. The Torah takes vows very seriously. The prohibition against taking God’s name in vain is one of the Ten Commandments. Vows for sacrifices, property, and even oneself were discussed in Leviticus. Earlier in Numbers, the Torah discussed the laws of the Nazir vow. Like all of these previous chapters, this one is filled

00:05:44

Bamidbar 29: Is Shmini Atzeret its own Holiday?

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2026/03/22

“On the eighth day you shall hold an atzeret; you shall not work at your occupations” (verse 35).בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁמִינִי עֲצֶרֶת תִּהְיֶה לָכֶם כָּל־מְלֶאכֶת עֲבֹדָה לֹא תַעֲשׂוּ׃(Numbers 29:35)The Gemara Sukkah 47a–48a gives a mnemonic to capture Shemini Atzeret’s dual status: פזר קש״ב Each letter represents a criterion in which Shemini Atzeret is separate from Sukkot: פ – פיס (Lottery): The priestly lottery for sacrifices is redone; it does not continue the Sukkot rotation. ז – זמן (Shehecheyanu): A

00:02:19

Bamidbar 28: KAAAEEEELEEHHH!!!

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2026/03/19

Sit in most shuls during the Passover holiday and you probably experienced this phenomena. After the initial reading, the second Torah scroll is opened up for maftir reading. The reading is from chapter 28 in Numbers. Everything seems normal until the reader finishes verse 23, and suddenly, everyone in the room yells out the notation of the first word of verse 24: “KAELEH!!” Jewish Whatsapp and Facebook groups are also full of “KAELEH!” memes. What does this word mean and why does it appear here in

00:05:04

Bamidbar 27: Our Daughters' Daughters will Adore us

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2026/03/18

Chapter 26 discussed the census that would set the boundaries of the land of Canaan. Everything seemed to make sense. The land would be apportioned by the size of the tribes. “The land, moreover, is to be apportioned by lot; and the allotment shall be made according to the listings of their ancestral tribes” (Numbers 26:55).אַךְ בְּגוֹרָל יֵחָלֵק אֶת־הָאָרֶץ לִשְׁמוֹת מַטּוֹת אֲבֹתָם יִנְחָלוּBut five daughters saw a problem. They had no brothers and their father died. Why should they not get their

00:02:50

Bamidbar 26: Count-ering Authority

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2026/03/17

Why is there yet another census in chapter 26? This census happens after the plague in chapter 25. After another mass death, God wants another census. There are a few unique features about this counting. This counting is done by families and there are four stories mixed within the names. These four stories are: Datan and Aviram who were swallowed up by the ground during Korach’s rebellion, Korach himself and the 250 leaders who were burned to death (although Korach’s sons survived), Er and Onan who

00:03:56

Bamidbar 25: Peace in our Time

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2026/03/16

After the brief interlude to the story of Balaam and Balak, the story returns to the Israelite camp. Chaos reigns again, as the people are consumed by the orgiastic worship if the Moabite god Baal-Peor. Moshe and the elders (again) have fallen on their faces unable to respond. A grandson of Aaron takes things into his own hands, literally. Pinchas takes a spear and impales a prince of the tribe of Shimon and a princess of Moab mid-coitus. The people snap out of their trance and calm is restored to

00:04:21

Bamidbar 24: Balaam and Lavan

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2026/03/15

Chapter 24 opens with Balaam understanding that he no longer needed to seek God. He knows what God wanted. So instead, he turns to see the Israelites and proclaims the famous line: “How goodly are your tents O Jacob, your dwelling places O Israel!” (verse 5).מַה־טֹּבוּ אֹהָלֶיךָ יַעֲקֹב מִשְׁכְּנֹתֶיךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ (Numbers 24:5)This prophecy utilizes flora and fauna themes that will appear in prophecies of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. Looking to paint Balaam as evil, many commentators focus on God

00:02:44

Bamidbar 23: Poetic Justice

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2026/03/12

Chapter 23 begins with Balaam preparing to say whatever God commands. He tells Balak: “Stay here besides your offerings while I am gone. Perhaps God will grant me a manifestation, and whatever is revealed to me I will tell you” (verse 2).עֲמֹד כֹּה עַל־עֹלָתֶיךָ וְאֵלְכָה אוּלַי יִקָּרֶה ה׳ לִקְרָאתִי וּדְבַר מַה־יַּרְאֵנִי וְהִגַּדְתִּי לָךְ׃ (Numbers 23:3)Right off the bat, Balaam reminds Balak that he is at the mercy of God. God could appear to him or not and God will tell him what to say. This

00:04:29

Bamidbar 22: Big Bad Balaam

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2026/03/11

According to the Midrash, Balaam was a prophet almost on the level of “Moshe” for the other nations. Balaam is also universally regarded as a villain of the Torah on par with Lavan in Genesis. But like Lavan, a careful reading of the text paints a different picture. The story opens with Balak, the king of Moab gathering his cousins in Amon to brainstorm how to defeat the Israelites after their recent resounding victories. They decide to try to hire Balaam to curse the Israelites. A delegation

00:03:10

Bamidbar 21: Flying Solo

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2026/03/10

Last chapter saw the decree that Moshe would not lead the people into Canaan. Abarbanel’s explanation followed Moshe’s growing impatience with the people and ultimately God’s decision that Moshe was not the leader the people needed to enter Canaan. Besides Abarbanel’s opinion that Moshe was at his wits end, there may be another reason why God decided that Moshe was not the leader the people needed. Perhaps God felt that the people were too reliant on Moshe. From the very beginning of the exodus

00:04:51

Bamidbar 20: School of Rock

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2026/03/09

Why was Moshe not allowed to enter Canaan? The simple answer is that God commanded Moshe to speak to the rock and instead not only did he hit the rock like he did in Exodus 17, but this time Moshe to hit the rock twice. Water eventually flows, but God tells Moshe “Because you did not trust Me enough to affirm My sanctity in the sight of the Israelite people, therefore you shall not lead this congregation into the land” (verse 12).The classic interpretation is that Moshe was so holy, even this small

00:04:01

Bamidbar 19: Seeing Red

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2026/03/08

“This is a chok that God has commanded: Instruct the Israelite people to bring you a red cow without blemish, in which there is no defect and on which no yoke has been laid.” (verse 1 — זֹאת חֻקַּת ה' אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה' לֵאמֹר דַּבֵּר אֶל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִקְחוּ אֵלֶיךָ פָרָה אֲדֻמָּה תְּמִימָה אֲשֶׁר אֵין־בָּהּ מוּם אֲשֶׁר לֹא־עָלָה עָלֶיהָ עֹל).The rabbis instituted extraordinary safeguards to ensure absolute purity in the parah adumah ritual, including raising children from birth in

00:02:11

Numbers 18: 1/10th

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2026/03/05

Chapter 18 begins with the now oft repeated pronouncement that the kohamin and the Leviim are holy for God. At first this chapter seems to repeat what the Torah has dictated many times before- that the kohanim work in the Mishkan and the Leviim help as well. But this time when God explains that the Leviim and kohanim do not get any land, God also dictates the special gifts that they should receive. The kohanim get trumah, first fruits, and first born animal, and the Leviim get maaser- 1/10th of

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