Rappers and Rabbis

Rapper Eprhyme of Darshan, unpacks his incredibly rich, Rolling Stone sampled, Sukkot Rap "Give Me Shelter." Expertly produced by Erez 'Diwon' Safar. The Limmud Midwest audience helps Eprhyme unwind the endless Torah in his bars about what sitting in a sukkah on Sukkoth is all about.

What are the different models of tshuva Jonah encounters? Rabbi AdAm's Torah gets deep like a Leviathan. Rapper Matt spits bars like a whale spits prophets! Get dizzy following Jonah on his roller-coaster of an adventure (geographically and spiritually). “Rappers & Rabbis” is hosted by Rapper Matt Bar, Rabba Yaffa Epstein, Rabbi AdAm Mayer and Rabbi Ethan Witkovsky. Join us every two weeks for a lively hip hop havruta-style Torah conversation with a rotating cast of Pardes alumni and holy MCs. Each episode is framed by a question with metaphysical ramifications, such as “Why did God create the snake?” Or “Can Rabba Yaffa Epstein rap?” See https://elmad.pardes.org/topic/rappers-and-rabbis/ to listen to more episodes in the series.

Rappers and Rabbis did a great session at the recent Bible Raps "Hip Hop and Judaism" retreat in Philadelphia. It was amazing to hear Rabba Yaffa break down the Oral Tradition with Pirkei Avot texts and a stable of emcess. The connections made between Rap and Rabbinics were fascinating. “Rappers & Rabbis” is hosted by Rapper Matt Bar, Rabba Yaffa Epstein, Rabbi AdAm Mayer and Rabbi Ethan Witkovsky. Join us every two weeks for a lively hip hop havruta-style Torah conversation with a rotating cast of Pardes alumni and holy MCs. Each episode is framed by a question with metaphysical ramifications, such as “Why did God create the snake?” Or “Can Rabba Yaffa Epstein rap?” See https://elmad.pardes.org/topic/rappers-and-rabbis/ to listen to more episodes in the series.

A conversation between Rabba Yaffa and Tefillah Rapper Eden Pearlstein!? We must be doing something right. The Rabbis and Rappers were truly geeked to chop it up with Eden Pearlstein who just released his new project "Raza" with Pharaoh's Daughter. "Raza" is a radical rap reimagining of traditional prayer. “Rappers & Rabbis” is hosted by Rapper Matt Bar, Rabba Yaffa Epstein, Rabbi AdAm Mayer and Rabbi Ethan Witkovsky. Join us every two weeks for a lively hip hop havruta-style Torah conversation with a rotating cast of Pardes alumni and holy MCs. Each episode is framed by a question with metaphysical ramifications, such as “Why did God create the snake?” Or “Can Rabba Yaffa Epstein rap?” See https://elmad.pardes.org/topic/rappers-and-rabbis/ to listen to more episodes in the series.

The whole gang +1 are here. And that +1 says "1+1=1" because his name is Ephryme and he rappeth divine mathematics. In this episode, we all make different arguments as to the moral inferiority of Idol Worship. And in doing so we all explain what we mean when we say 'idol,' and why it is problematic. Ephryme, after laying in the cut, comes out swinging with a louisville slugger showing us so-called Monotheists have Idols of God too! Matt promises to try to see the Shekina and Hashem as 1. “Rappers & Rabbis” is hosted by Rapper Matt Bar, Rabba Yaffa Epstein, Rabbi AdAm Mayer and Rabbi Ethan Witkovsky. Join us every two weeks for a lively hip hop havruta-style Torah conversation with a rotating cast of Pardes alumni and holy MCs. Each episode is framed by a question with metaphysical ramifications, such as “Why did God create the snake?” Or “Can Rabba Yaffa Epstein rap?” See https://elmad.pardes.org/topic/rappers-and-rabbis/ to listen to more episodes in the series.

What drove the people of Babel to build the Tower? Perhaps it was a preemptive strike on God before the next flood? Perhaps it was simply to have something with which to unify the people? The Bible Raps boys are honored to discuss the story of Babel and get into Abraham's life too with the great Rabbi Zvi Hirschfield of Pardes on Rappers and Rabbis. Make some Torah lovin' noise! “Rappers & Rabbis” is hosted by Rapper Matt Bar, Rabba Yaffa Epstein, Rabbi AdAm Mayer and Rabbi Ethan Witkovsky. Join us every two weeks for a lively hip hop havruta-style Torah conversation with a rotating cast of Pardes alumni and holy MCs. Each episode is framed by a question with metaphysical ramifications, such as “Why did God create the snake?” Or “Can Rabba Yaffa Epstein rap?” See https://elmad.pardes.org/topic/rappers-and-rabbis/ to listen to more episodes in the series.

Rabbi Zvi Hirschfield joins us as we follow the concept of "righteousness" all the way from Noach to Abraham to Rambam's “Eight Levels of Tzedaka.” Of course, there’s also the Bible Rappers 16 Bars of Tzedaka! We prove to ourselves that concepts “grow up” through history. Noach seems to be the inception of righteousness; it's seed. And "the seeds of change need the rains to grow, soil turned and the wind to blow..." On another note, the fact Rabbi Zvi came through to do two podcasts at the crib is a highlight of Matt's Jewish “Journey.” Rabbi Zvi and Micah, Matt's three-year-old, had an extensive discussion of another prophet altogether – Jonah – in which Micah often corrected Zvi's Hebrew pronunciation back into English. While prompt and unforgiving, Matt was proud of how kind his boy's Torah corrections of Rabbi Zvi were!

This podcast is a Pardes-Bible Raps co-production. Written and performed by Bible Raps. In the latest episode from Rappers and Rabbis, the crew is asked about their favorite source that answers the question "Am I My Brothers Keeper?" Rabba Yaffa is mad sick. Bar feigns unawareness with a cold insensitivity and demands Yaffa's dying voice to scratch out what Torah she can. "More Torah! More Torah!" Bar shouts periodically loud enough that it couldn't be edited out. Rabbi AdAm, the more sensitive one, takes the mic and goes in on some of the illest Torah one could hope for with the story of the time Rabbi Azzazi stood up to the Great Rabbi Akiva. Rappers and Rabbis is happy to welcome back our special guest, alumni Mira Bee Shore. She is currently working in Philadelphia while getting her Doctorate in clinical psychology. We brought her on to wax reflective on Cain's psychology and what we should do when sin is crouching at our door. Rabbi AdAm and Mira Be Shore talk about their favorites from the Jewish Tradition. “Rappers & Rabbis” is hosted by Rapper Matt Bar, Rabba Yaffa Epstein, Rabbi AdAm Mayer and Rabbi Ethan Witkovsky. Join us every two weeks for a lively hip hop havruta-style Torah conversation with a rotating cast of Pardes alumni and holy MCs. Each episode is framed by a question with metaphysical ramifications, such as “Why did God create the snake?” Or “Can Rabba Yaffa Epstein rap?” See https://elmad.pardes.org/topic/rappers-and-rabbis/ to listen to more episodes in the series.

This podcast is a Pardes-Bible Raps co-production. Written and performed by Bible Raps. The crew is joined by Mira Bee Shore and reckon with the most pregnant Ellipsis in the history of books. It says in Genesis chapter 4, after God favors Abel's gift over Cain's gift "So Cain spoke to Abel his brother.... It happened when they were in the field that Cain rose up against his bother and killed him." Rabba Yaffa brings in a number of commentaries which frame the fight between Cain and Abel as different things that Humans deem worth killing for. Which begs the question: what would you kill for? Rabba Yaffa and Rabbi AdAm take the text further that the murder may be due to a misunderstanding between God and Cain. When God says to Cain "you have the capacity to rule over HIM" God is referring to Cain's Yetzer whereas Cain may be thinking God is referring to Abel. “Rappers & Rabbis” is hosted by Rapper Matt Bar, Rabba Yaffa Epstein, Rabbi AdAm Mayer and Rabbi Ethan Witkovsky. Join us every two weeks for a lively hip hop havruta-style Torah conversation with a rotating cast of Pardes alumni and holy MCs. Each episode is framed by a question with metaphysical ramifications, such as “Why did God create the snake?” Or “Can Rabba Yaffa Epstein rap?” See https://elmad.pardes.org/topic/rappers-and-rabbis/ to listen to more episodes in the series.

This podcast is a Pardes-Bible Raps co-production. Written and performed by Bible Raps. Rabbi Ethan notes that the existence of evil is the trickiest question for the monotheist. Rabbi AdAm completes Rapper Matt's apologetic portrait of the snake ("When your people write their scrolls, I'll be your nemesis/ Without me though, there would be only Genesis.") by calling the Snake the מַכֶּה בְּפַטִּישׁ, the final masterstroke of creation. But does finding cosmic justification for evil somehow degrade our compulsion to recognize and fight it? Rabba Yaffa Epstein is very wary of "it's all good it's all God." All the while, the “wild world” cackles at our so-called wisdom. “Rappers & Rabbis” is hosted by Rapper Matt Bar, Rabba Yaffa Epstein, Rabbi AdAm Mayer and Rabbi Ethan Witkovsky. Join us every two weeks for a lively hip hop havruta-style Torah conversation with a rotating cast of Pardes alumni and holy MCs. Each episode is framed by a question with metaphysical ramifications, such as “Why did God create the snake?” Or “Can Rabba Yaffa Epstein rap?” See https://elmad.pardes.org/topic/rappers-and-rabbis/ to listen to more episodes in the series.

This podcast is a Pardes-Bible Raps co-production. Written and performed by Bible Raps. After God saying everything is good, the first moment of divine dissatisfaction is when God sees that Adam is alone and deems it "not good." According to some rabbis, as a consequence, God "splits" the first human into male and female. Rabbi Ethan focuses the group on the key term "ezer kenegdo." The Torah says Eve was created as Adam’s ezer kenegdo. So what does ezer kenegdo mean? The ancient sages have more than a few scintillating answers. But is it all mansplaining? You decide. "Rappers & Rabbis" is hosted by Rapper Matt Bar, Rabba Yaffa Epstein, Rabbi AdAm Mayer and Rabbi Ethan Witkovsky. Join us every two weeks for a lively hip hop havruta-style Torah conversation with a rotating cast of Pardes alumni and holy MCs. Each episode is framed by a question with metaphysical ramifications, such as "Why did God create the snake?" Or "Can Rabba Yaffa Epstein rap?" See https://elmad.pardes.org/topic/rappers-and-rabbis/ to listen to more episodes in the series.

Rabba Yaffa Epstein makes hip hop history as she raps the first love poem ever: “Bone of my Bone, Flesh of my flesh…” A contentious discussion over Rabbi Samuel Hirsch’s commentary notes that Eve is more pure than Adam, because Adam is refined dirt and Eve is refined flesh. Rabbi AdAm Mayer and Rabbi Ethan Witkovsky flank Rabba Yaffa for "Feminist of the Episode" Award, while Bar lets his song about his wife do the talking. “Rappers & Rabbis” is hosted by Rapper Matt Bar, Rabba Yaffa Epstein, Rabbi AdAm Mayer and Rabbi Ethan Witkovsky. Join us every two weeks for a lively hip hop havruta-style Torah conversation with a rotating cast of Pardes alumni and holy MCs. Each episode is framed by a question with metaphysical ramifications, such as “Why did God create the snake?” Or “Can Rabba Yaffa Epstein rap?” See https://elmad.pardes.org/topic/rappers-and-rabbis/ to listen to more episodes in the series.

This podcast is a Pardes-Bible Raps co-production. Written and performed by Bible Raps. After an enthusiastic introduction to the podcast, the Prophet Elijah Shows up to humble Matt Bar, who calls himself the “Best Bible Rapper Alive.” Rabba Yaffa then grabs the mic from Bar for some, ‘I’m gonna let you finish, but Genesis Rabbah 8:5 is one of the greatest drashes of all time!’ This source focuses the conversation on the exceptionalism of humanity compared to all other creation, be it atom, animal or angel. "Rappers & Rabbis" is hosted by Rapper Matt Bar, Rabba Yaffa Epstein, Rabbi AdAm Mayer and Rabbi Ethan Witkovsky. Join us every two weeks for a lively hip hop havruta-style Torah conversation with a rotating cast of Pardes alumni and holy MCs. Each episode is framed by a question with metaphysical ramifications, such as "Why did God create the snake?" Or "Can Rabba Yaffa Epstein rap?" See https://elmad.pardes.org/topic/rappers-and-rabbis/ to listen to more episodes in the series.