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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00:03:18

Exodus 30: Altar-native Order

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2025/12/18

Chapter 30 discusses the golden incense altar. The altar was located inside the Mishkan structure in between the Shulchan and the Menorah right in front of the Holy of Holies. Why is the altar discussed here after the clothing of the Kohen Gadol and well after all the other vessels are discussed? Ramban explains that the altar is connected to the penultimate verse in the previous chapter where God proclaims that He will dwell amongst the people in the Mishkan. The incense altar is what allows God to

00:02:15

Exodus 29 Head, and Shoulders, Ears, Thumbs, and Toes

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2025/12/17

After the descriptions of the priestly vestments, the Torah discusses the inauguration ceremony for the priests. Aaron and his sons are instructed to place their hands on various sacrifices and to be anointed with the special oil. Moshe is also instructed to:“Slaughter the ram, and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear and on the ridges of his sons’ right ears, and on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet; and dash the rest of the blood

00:02:41

Exodus 28: Weight of the Nation

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2025/12/16

The Kohen Gadol had two pieces of clothing that reminded him of the people. The first was the ephod. On the shoulder straps of the ephod were two stones. Engraved on these stones were the names of the tribes.“Six of their names on one stone and six of their names on the other stone in the order of their birth” (verse 10):שֵׁשׁ מִשְּׁמֹתָם עַל־הָאֶבֶן הָאֶחָת וְאֵת שֵׁשׁ הַשְּׁמֹת הַנּוֹתָרֹת עַל־הָאֶבֶן הַשֵּׁנִית כְּתוֹלְדֹתָם (שמות כח:י)“Six of their names on one stone and the remaining six names

00:03:49

Exodus 27: Altar-ations

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2025/12/15

The outer altar was made of wood and covered in copper. Covering an altar with a precious metal is a new concept in the Torah at this point. Throughout Genesis, many people built altars. Noah built one after the flood, Avraham built many altars at points of interaction with God. Moses also built an altar. For most of these altars, the Torah does not specify what material was used. Almost all of them use the verb “and he built” to describe their assembly. The assumption then is that these were all

00:02:48

Exodus 26: Take Cover!

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2025/12/14

“And make for the tent a covering of tanned ram skins, and a covering of Tchashim skins above” (verse 14)וְעָשִׂיתָ מִכְסֶה לָאֹהֶל עֹרֹת אֵילִם מְאָדָּמִים וּמִכְסֵה עֹרֹת תְּחָשִׁים מִלְמָעְלָה (שמות כו:יד)Two questions from this verse. First, why does the goat hair cover need two more covers? The second is what does Tchashim mean? Tchashim is translated as fine leather in some places. Tachash also means an aquatic mammal—like a dolphin or seal. It is unclear where the Israelites would procure

00:03:48

Exodus 25: What were the Cruvim?

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2025/12/11

The holiest object in the Temple/Mishkan was the Ark. The cover of the ark had two כרובים (cherubim) on top. What exactly was a כרוב?The כרובים first appear in Genesis chapter 3 after Adam and Chava are expelled from Gan Eden:“It was driven out; and east of the garden of Eden were stationed the cherubim and the fiery ever-turning sword, to guard the way to the tree of life.” (Genesis 3:24)וַיְגָ֖רֶשׁ אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֑ם וַיַּשְׁכֵּן֩ מִקֶּ֨דֶם לְגַן־עֵ֜דֶן אֶת־הַכְּרֻבִ֗ים וְאֵ֨ת לַ֤הַט הַחֶ֙רֶב֙

00:04:00

Exodus 24: We Will Do and We Will Listen

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2025/12/10

“All that God tells us to do we will do and we will listen” (Verse 7).וַיִּקַּח סֵפֶר הַבְּרִית וַיִּקְרָא בְּאָזְנֵי הָעָם וַיֹּאמְרוּ כֹּל אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּר ה׳ נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמָע׃ (שמות כד:ז) This famous utterance has become symbolic of the selfless trust and blind faith that the people had in God. They agreed to act on the laws of God even before they heard them, goes the popular saying. However, the text itself does not seem to match this grand assumption.First, the people have twice already

00:03:42

Exodus 23: Finders Returners

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2025/12/09

“When you encounter your enemy’s ox or ass wandering, you must take it back. (כִּי תִפְגַּע שׁוֹר אֹיְבְךָ אוֹ חֲמֹרוֹ תֹּעֶה הָשֵׁב תְּשִׁיבֶנּוּ לוֹ) (Verse 4). The Koren Tanach of the Land of Israel notes that the laws of returning lost animals appear in various other cultures in the ancient Near East. The laws of Eshnunna from the northern Mesopotamia region state that an official that seized a stray animal was required to return the animal or it was considered theft. In Hittite laws, a stray

00:02:40

Exodus 22 Interest-ing Laws

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2025/12/08

“If you lend money to My people, to the poor among you, do not act toward them as a creditor; exact no interest from them.” (Verse 24)אִם־כֶּ֣סֶף תַּלְוֶ֗ה אֶת־עַמִּי֙ אֶת־הֶ֣עָנִ֣י עִמָּ֔ךְ לֹא־תִהְיֶ֥ה ל֖וֹ כְּנֹשֶׁ֑ה לֹ֥א תְשִׂ֖ימוּן עָלָ֥יו נֶֽשֶׁךְ׃ (שמות כב:כד) This verse provides a good example of the various laws that can be derived from a single verse. The Gemara in Bava Metzia gleans the following:1. The fact that the verse says “My people” means that if a Jew and non-Jew come to you to

00:04:16

Exodus 21 Oh, and These Too!

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2025/12/07

“And these are the rules that you shall set before them” (verse 1).וְאֵלֶּה הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים אֲשֶׁר תָּשִׂים לִפְנֵיהֶם (שמות כא:א)The chapter (and Parsha of Mishpatim) begins with the word “and.” Why does the Chater begin with “and”? Rashi offers two explainations that the “and” is meant to link the Ten Commandments and this portion to explain that these were also given on Mt. Sinai. His second answer links these civil laws with the preceding laws about the altar to explain that in the future, the

00:05:52

Exodus 20 (redo to fix upload cut off): What were the...

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2025/12/06

See description in original upload

00:03:49

Exodus 20: What were the Ten Commandments?

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2025/12/04

The Torah refers to them as Ten Commandments in chapter 34, but where do the ten break up? The verses are as follows:The Torah breaks after verse 6, 7, 11, and 12. 13 is split into four, verse 14 in two. Certain commentators read it differently. Ibn Ezra reads honor thy parents as the fifth with the first five each using God’s name. This reading follows the Talmud (e.g., Makkot 24a), where verse one is Commandment 1, and verse two is commandment 2. Devarim chapter 5 places breaks for the verses of

00:05:16

Exodus 19: Where was Moshe?

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2025/12/03

The drama builds in chapter 19 to the giving of the Ten Commandments. In the attached picture from 17th-century Dutch artist Ferdinand Bol, Moshe descends the mountain with the Tablets. This scene depicts when Moshe received the Tablets themselves in a few chapters. Chapter 19 reveals the actual Ten Commandments. But where was Moshe when God gave him the Ten Commandments?Here’s the chart of Moshe’s movements up and down Mount Sinai in Exodus 19:Verse Action Moshe’s Position19:3 Moshe goes up to

00:04:45

Exodus 18: What Did Yitro Hear?

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2025/12/02

“Yitro priest of Midian, Moshe’s father-in-law, heard all that God had done for Moses and for Israel, God’s people, how God had brought Israel out from Egypt” וַיִּשְׁמַע יִתְרוֹ כֹּהֵן מִדְיָן חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה אֵת כָּל־אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה ה׳ לְמֹשֶׁה וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵל עַמּוֹ כִּי־הוֹצִיא ה׳ אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל מִמִּצְרָיִם. (שמות יח:א)Yitro then brings Moshe’s wife and children to meet the Israelites in the wilderness. The two meet and then the text seems to repeat itself:“Moshe then recounted to his father-in-law

00:04:14

Exodus 17: Who was Amalek?

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2025/12/01

Chapter 17 has the first encounter with the sworn enemy of the Israelites—Amalek. Where did Amalek come from? Amalek first appears in the battle between the four kings and five kings in the time of Avraham. The text describes the battle:“On their way back they came to En mishpat, which is Kadesh, and subdued all the territory of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who dwelt in Hazazon tamar.” (Genesis 14:7) —וַיָּשֻׁבוּ וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶל־עֵין מִשְׁפָּט הִוא קָדֵשׁ וַיַּכּוּ אֶת־כָּל־שְׂדֵה

00:03:27

Exodus 16 The First Snow Globe

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2025/11/30

“Moses said, ‘This is what God has commanded: Let one omer of it be kept throughout the ages, in order that they may see the bread that I fed you in the wilderness when I brought you out from the land of Egypt.’ וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה זֶה הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה׳ מְלֹא הָעֹמֶר מִמֶּנּוּ לְמִשְׁמֶרֶת לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם לְמַעַן יִרְאוּ אֶת־הַלֶּחֶם אֲשֶׁר הִאֲכַלְתִּי אֶתְכֶם בַּמִּדְבָּר בְּהוֹצִיאִי אֶתְכֶם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם׃And Moses said to Aaron, ‘Take a jar, put one omer of manna in it, and place it before

00:03:30

Exodus 15: Brick by Brick

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2025/11/27

Chapter 15 begins with Az Yashir, the famous song of the sea commemorating the miracle of the splitting of the sea:“Then Moshe and the Israelites sang this song to Hashem. They said: I will sing to Hashem, for He has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider He has hurled into the sea.”אָז יָשִׁיר מֹשֶׁה וּבְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת־הַשִּׁירָה הַזֹּאת לַי־הֹוָ־ה וַיֹּאמְרוּ לֵאמֹר אָשִׁירָה לַי־הֹוָ־ה כִּי־גָאֹה גָּאָה סוּס וְרֹכְבוֹ רָמָה בַיָּם (Shemot 15:1).There is so much that can be written about this

00:02:54

Exodus 14: The Malach of God

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2025/11/26

When the Israelites stood trapped between the sea and the Egyptian army, the Torah describes a striking shift: “The malach of Hashem, who had been going ahead of the Israelite army, now moved and followed behind them; and the pillar of cloud shifted from in front of them and took up a place behind them” (וַיִּסַּע מַלְאַךְ הָאֱלֹהִים הַהֹלֵךְ לִפְנֵי מַחֲנֵה יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֵּלֶךְ מֵאַחֲרֵיהֶם וַיִּסַּע עַמּוּד הֶעָנָן מִפְּנֵיהֶם וַיַּעֲמֹד מֵאַחֲרֵיהֶם, Shemot 14:19). This contrasts with an earlier

00:03:59

Exodus 13: Back to the Future

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2025/11/25

With the exodus imminent, Hashem now looks to the future. Most of the mitzvot in this chapter are meant to remind the Israelites about the exodus itself.1) Consecrating the first born – This halacha requires that all first born people and animals be set aside as holy for Hashem. The first born animals must be brought to the Beit Hamikdash to be sacrificed or redeemed with the priests. This is meant to remind the Israelites that Hashem killed the first born Egyptians and saved those of the

00:03:38

Exodus 12: Like Diamonds in the Sky

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi ·

2025/11/24

“This month shall be for you the first of the months”הַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה לָכֶם רֹאשׁ חֳדָשִׁים (Exodus 12:2).Rashi famously asks why this verse was not the first verse of the Torah. This is the very first mitzvah given to the Israelite nation. Rashi’s answer is that Genesis until now was setting the stage to show that God was the true custodian of the world and therefore could give the Land of Canaan to the Israelites. What Rashi’s answer does not address is why this was the first mitzvah given to the

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YINR 929: Tanach Yomi

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