Advertise on podcast: More Midrash

Rating

★★★★★

from

10 reviews

Description

Rabbi Jay Asher LeVine explores imaginative rabbinic readings of the Hebrew Bible. Each interpretation, called a "midrash", gives us insight into sacred stories from the Jewish tradition, and ultimately into the sacred story of our own lives.

Podcast episodes

Check latest episodes from More Midrash podcast

26. Assorted Ideas on Death and the Afterlife

2021/12/18

Bereishit Rabbah 96. Shadows, true kindness, and bones rolling to the Holy Land.

25. Expanding ‘Approach’

2021/12/09

Bereishit Rabbah 93:3-4. Two takes on what it means that Judah approached Joseph to ask for mercy.

24. Decoding Pharaoh’s Dream

2021/12/09

Bereishit Rabbah 89:4. Who needs Joseph? The midrash offers its own take on Pharaoh's dreams.

23. Joseph’s Coat (feat. Rabbi Laura Rumpf)

2021/11/25

Bereishit Rabbah 88:4. The midrash discusses the meaning of ben zekunim "son of old age"; favoritism; and various meanings of ketonet passim "coat of passim".

22. Jacob Prays

2021/11/18

Bereishit Rabbah 75:13 Jacob prays to God as he fearfully anticipates meeting his estranged brother Esau after decades apart.

21. Place and Prayer (feat. Rabbi Laura Rumpf)

2021/11/08

Bereishit Rabbah 68:9. Jacob encounters The Place. Also three opinions on where the daily prayers come from. We welcome guest Rabbi Laura Rumpf (and our son Ami giggles in the background.)

20. A Fair Enough Reward

2021/11/03

Bereishit Rabbah 64:10 This midrash begins with a problem in the biblical text, solves it with a technical maneuver, and then illustrates the broader point with a story that is summed up by a parable.

19. One Who Pursues Righteousness

2021/10/26

Bereishit Rabbah 58:9 The midrash applies a proverb to Abraham.

18. Sitting Under the Shekhinah

2021/10/17

Bereishit Rabbah 48:7 God visits Abraham while the patriarch sits. Should he have stood up in order to acknowledge the Divine Presence?

17. Fame and Fortune

2021/10/11

Bereishit Rabbah 39:11. Four biblical figures circulate coinage, according to the midrash.

16. The Wisdom of “Was”

2021/10/03

Bereishit Rabbah 30:8 Noah was perfect in his generation. What's the most interesting word in this sentence? Well, this midrash opts for "was", leading us to surprising wisdom.

15. Genesis in Every Generation (Bereishit Rabbah 2:3)

2021/09/25

Bereishit Rabbah 2:3 "The earth was formless and void…" (Genesis 1:2-5). Rabbi Yehudah bar Simone interpreted this reading as applying to [future] generations. This midrash explores references to later generations within the first few lines of Genesis.