Yechezkel Chapters 5 & 6: The Worst of the Cursed

We contrast the ghoulish prophecy of punishment with the curses of Vayikra 26

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Paterfamilias: Decoding the Secrets of Mishnah Avot - episode 8

Special Chanukah Excursus: Yohanan Kohen Gadol

We explore a missing link in the chain of the mesorah, John Hyrkanus of the Hasmonean family. Who was he and why is such an illustrious figure absent from the first perek of Avot?

Josephus tells a compelling story to explain all of this.

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Paterfamilias: Decoding the Secrets of Mishnah Avot - episode 7“The reward of a thing well done is having done it.” - Ralph Waldo EmersonIn this episode we offer two radically different resolutions for understanding the puzzling and perhaps controversial statement of Antigonis of Sokho.

And then we offer a third.

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**RE-RELEASE**

Learning Genesis in depth can feel a lot like trying to swallow the ocean. We start by setting a framework for our study, meeting some of the less-common commentaries who will help guide us such as Rabbi Shmuel Dovid Luzzato (ShaDaL), Rabbi Benno Jacob, Rabbi Moshe Dovid (Umberto) Cassuto, JPS/Nahum Sarna, Andre LaCocque and R' Yonatan (Jonathan) Grossman.

We discuss discrepancies between the Chumash and science; eg birds are created before land animals while evolutionarily that order is necessarily reversed - and propose to use the late Stephen Gould's NOMA framework so that while science may tell us the 'what' of our world, Torah tells us the 'so what', as in so what does God want from me and how can I have a relationship with God?

Yechezkel Chapter 4: Ezekiel Bread

More symbolic acts in this chapter, which challenges us to understand what Ezekiel is meant to understand from these behaviors. Are they for him? For others? Both? We offer an approach that relates these strange acts to components of the service in the Bais HaMikdash which is coming to an end.

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Paterfamilias: Decoding the Secrets of Mishnah Avot - episode 6

The controversy of Antigonis of Sokho

This week we ground the transition from Shimon HaTzaddik to Antigonis historically, and read exerpts from Ben Sira which is the source for the liturgical piyyut Ma'areh Kohen. We note Antigonis is a unique character in the chain of mesorah and explore whether or not his teaching can be seen as part of normative Judaism.

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Paterfamilias: Decoding the Secrets of Mishnah Avot - episode 5

Simon the Righteous, a thrice told tale?

We round out our discussion of siyag and share Elias Bickerman's observation regarding the chain of tradition in Avot as a response to Matthew 1. We move on to the second mishna and explore several stories of Shimon HaTzaddik.

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Yechezkel Chapter 3: Shhhh, it's a trap!

In this chapter the prophet is again prompted to deliver his message to a recalcitrant people. Once again he is instructed to perform symbolic acts including remaining mute, shut in his home, and bound by ropes.

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