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PODCAST

Unperplexed: Parsha Lessons from Maimonides"s Guide of the Perplexed

Yitzchak Sprung

Each week, Rabbi Sprung uncovers a hidden layer of the Parsha through the lens of the Maimonides"s Guide of the Perplexed — where reason meets revelation, and ancient words illuminate timeless questions. Listen to Unperplexed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

religion & spirituality judaism

All Episodes

7:30

Tezaveh: Sometimes a Cigar is Not Just a Cigar

Unperplexed: Parsha Lessons from Maimonides"s Guide... ·

2026/02/26

Why is blood forbidden? Is it inherently wrong, or did it once mean something rejected by the Torah? As we shall see, sometimes a cigar is not just a cigar and we are going to turn the mirror on ourselves and our actions to see what they really mean.Sources: Ex. 29:21, Guide 3:46

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7:08

Bonus Episode!: Does the Rambam Believe in the Third...

Unperplexed: Parsha Lessons from Maimonides"s Guide... ·

2026/02/20

Our episode for Parshat Terumah raises some serious questions about the nature of Jewish Law and the Rambam's views in particular. So does the Rambam believe that Judaism requires building a third Temple? And if there are historical reasons behind the commandments, do we still need to keep them today? Tune in to this bonus episode to find out the answers and be sure to send any questions you have to rabbi@uosh.org.

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5:00

Terumah: The Truth is Not Enough

Unperplexed: Parsha Lessons from Maimonides"s Guide... ·

2026/02/20

The truth is very important. But it is not sufficient. So we see in the Rambam's famous explanation for the commandment to build the Tabernacle. There is a great lesson here, as always. The Rambam's views raise some fundamental questions about Jewish Law, so look out for a bonus episode to follow.

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4:03

Yitro: Jewish Belief is Not Enough

Unperplexed: Parsha Lessons from Maimonides"s Guide... ·

2026/02/05

Jewish belief is not enough, the Rambam says. This isn’t just about habits or culture- it’s about Jewish identity. And if we want that identity to last, we’ll need to learn the lessons of Shabbat.Sources: Ex. 20:10, Guide 2:31, Atomic Habits p. 36

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5:22

Beshalach: Don't Try to Change People

Unperplexed: Parsha Lessons from Maimonides"s Guide... ·

2026/01/29

God doesn’t change people. And we shouldn’t try to. In this week's episode, we see just how central this principle is to Torah. And then we think about how important it ought to be to us. Sources: Ex. 13:17, Guide 3:32, Avot 2:4

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4:52

Bo: Slaughtering Ideas

Unperplexed: Parsha Lessons from Maimonides"s Guide... ·

2026/01/22

How do we overcome false ideas and ideals? We slaughter them publicly. This is the purpose of the Paschal lamb and a great lesson for our time.

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9:00

Vaera: No Freedom to Choose

Unperplexed: Parsha Lessons from Maimonides"s Guide... ·

2026/01/15

What happened to Pharaoh's free will when God hardened his heart? And isn’t it unfair for God to punish Pharaoh for something he really didn’t have a choice in? These are great questions. And there are several ways we might think about the Rambam’s answer. Take a few minutes to explore what the Rambam thought and what it means for us. Sources: Eight Chapters, chapter 8, with commentary by Rabbi Yitzchak Sheilat (pp. 318-322), Guide 2:24, 48 with commentary from Goodman and Lieberman, Rabbi Sacks

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4:28

Shemot: Moshe before Prophecy

Unperplexed: Parsha Lessons from Maimonides"s Guide... ·

2026/01/08

Moshe was not always a prophet. First, he was a person inspired by the Spirit of God. And we can be too.

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4:56

Vayechi: How Do We Know It’s Prophecy?

Unperplexed: Parsha Lessons from Maimonides"s Guide... ·

2026/01/02

Who decides what’s prophecy- and who decides what to trust? And what surprising spiritual lesson is revealed when we learn the answers to these questions? Sources: Gen. 48:3, 35:6-11, Kings 1 3:15, Guide 2:32, 36, 39, 41, 45Painting by Yoram Raanan

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8:18

Vayigash: Unkelos's Translation, the Rambam, and...

Unperplexed: Parsha Lessons from Maimonides"s Guide... ·

2025/12/25

Why does Unkelos translate “I will go down with you to Egypt” literally—when he usually avoids any language that suggests God has a body? In this episode of Unperplexed, we follow the Rambam’s answer and discover a deep principle about prophecy, interpretation, and why reverence for great thinkers still matters today.

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6:32

Miketz: Money, Fear, and Moral Judgment

Unperplexed: Parsha Lessons from Maimonides"s Guide... ·

2025/12/18

We usually think the Torah is deeply critical of our attachment to money and property. But what if the law itself assumes that attachment—and even takes it seriously? This episode explores a surprising Rambam, an anxious moment in the Yosef story, and what they reveal about human nature and the Torah’s legal wisdom.Sources: Guide 3:40, De’ot 3:1-2, Gen. 43:18 with commentaries.

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5:26

Vayeshev: Debts We Carry

Unperplexed: Parsha Lessons from Maimonides"s Guide... ·

2025/12/11

The Rambam argues that sin offerings are so often goats because the brothers dipped Joseph's coat into goat blood. In fact, in just a few words, he reframes our understanding of offerings, sin, repentance, and Jewish peoplehood. And we learn of the debts we carry. Sources: Guide 3:46, Gen. 37:31

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5:13

Vayishlach: It's Just in Your Head

Unperplexed: Parsha Lessons from Maimonides"s Guide... ·

2025/12/05

Yaakov dreams that he wrestles and angel and somehow comes out with a limp. Is this possible? And what does it mean? In fact, it contains the kernel of a great and life changing idea. Sources: Guide 2:42, 6, Rabbi Avraham ben HaRambam to Gen. 32:26. Pictured: Gustave Doré, Jacob Wrestling with the Angel (1855)

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7:24

Vayetze: Rethinking Angels

Unperplexed: Parsha Lessons from Maimonides"s Guide... ·

2025/11/27

Jacob dreams of angels climbing a ladder and God standing above them. But God doesn't stand and angels don't need to climb. So what does his dream actually mean? In one of the famous passages of the Guide, the Rambam explains and- in doing so- he explains what Jewish spirituality really is.

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5:46

Toldot: Esav's Secret Considered

Unperplexed: Parsha Lessons from Maimonides"s Guide... ·

2025/11/20

Rivkah found out that Esav was planning to kill Yaakov, so she sent him away. What did she hear and how? And what lesson does that contain for us?Gen. 27:41-42 with commentators, Guide 1:65, Pesachim 54b.

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10:20

Chayei Sarah: Eliezer's Gamble

Unperplexed: Parsha Lessons from Maimonides"s Guide... ·

2025/11/13

This week, I will share a wonderful surprise with you. That is, according to the Rambam, Eliezer, the servant of Avraham, made a mistake. He was right that God runs the world. But he misunderstood how we, as God’s independent creations, need to act in that world. In fact, Eliezer was like a gambler, who flips a coin and wins big. The outcome doesn’t prove his method was wise, only that he was lucky. And that contains a central lesson for us, for how we think of Jewish faith in God, and for how we

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5:40

Vayera: Innocents Abroad

Unperplexed: Parsha Lessons from Maimonides"s Guide... ·

2025/11/06

Avimelech says he's righteous, Avraham says he's not. God seems to agree with both of them (this is Judaism, after all). So which is it and what should we learn from this moral conundrum?Pictured: Jan de Herdt, 'Abraham and Abimelech'.

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4:18

Lech Lecha: The Vindication of Avraham

Unperplexed: Parsha Lessons from Maimonides"s Guide... ·

2025/10/30

“I will bless those who bless you.” What does that really mean — and why did Avraham need to hear it? Find out in this week’s episode of Unperplexed.Pictured: Yoram Raanan: Lech Lecha - Biblical print

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4:14

Noach: Speaking to Only to Ourselves

Unperplexed: Parsha Lessons from Maimonides"s Guide... ·

2025/10/22

When God decided to destroy the generation of the flood, He did not warn them; He kept it to Himself, so to speak. But the Torah teaches us of His silence and we learn an essential lesson for our own lives from it.

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4:30

Bereshit: Beginning with the End in Mind

Unperplexed: Parsha Lessons from Maimonides"s Guide... ·

2025/10/17

The very first in the Torah is a real doozy and the Sages seem to almost willfully misread it. Yet, we can defend their interpretation. In fact, we will learn an important lesson from it.

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