Sivan Says: Taking the Torah Personally

In this week's parsha, Parshat Kedoshim, we get holy. With 51(!) mitzvot - about family, salaries, sex, blindness, gossip, neighborly love, you name it - Sivan explains how the parsha is really about...everything. It's about your life. The lives of those around you. About loving others, and also ourselves. It's about elevating our worlds by becoming just a little bit holier. Wondering how? Tune in! Sivan Rahav-Meir is a leading Israeli journalist, media personality and Torah scholar. You can sign up for her The Daily Thought WhatsApp group, where Sivan sends small insights about Judaism and current affairs. Check out Liel’s new book, How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher, or wherever you purchase books. You can find all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Parshat Acharei Mot is all about taking action. Sivan brings three examples - from Aaron, Moses' brother, to Elie Wiesel, and to the founder of Zionism himself, Theodor Herzl - and explains how each took charge, even in the wake of major crises. How can we follow their lead? Tune in to find out. Sivan Rahav-Meir is a leading Israeli journalist, media personality and Torah scholar. You can sign up for her The Daily Thought WhatsApp group, where Sivan sends small insights about Judaism and current affairs. Check out Liel’s new book, How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher, or wherever you purchase books. You can find all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

On this week's episode, Sivan tells us a bit about Parshat Metzora, and a lot about Passover. The word Seder, as Sivan explains, means order. And in a chaotic world, a little Monday night Seder is what Jews around the world need right now. But what about the unaffiliated Jews, still in exile, not invited to a Seder? And what's the difference between discussing and eating Passover values? Listen to Sivan to find out. Sivan Rahav-Meir is a leading Israeli journalist, media personality and Torah scholar. You can sign up for her The Daily Thought WhatsApp group, where Sivan sends small insights about Judaism and current affairs. Check out Liel’s new book, How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher, or wherever you purchase books. You can find all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

As we start hodesh ha'aviv, the rejuvinating Passover-prep filled spring season, Parshat Tazria tells us all about...tzara'at - supernatural plagues! Sivan takes us from the RamBam to the Lubvutcher Rebbe to Rebbenu Jonathan Sachs in order to answer the question: What does tzara'at have to do with lashon hara - evil speech - social media, and quarantine? Listen and find out.  Sivan Rahav-Meir is a leading Israeli journalist, media personality and Torah scholar. You can sign up for her The Daily Thought WhatsApp group, where Sivan sends small insights about Judaism and current affairs. Check out Liel’s new book, How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher, or wherever you purchase books. You can find all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

This week we're talking Parshat Shemini, which tells the story of the death of Aaron's two sons, and gives insights into the laws of Kashrut. And, as Sivan tells us, the two go hand in hand: the death of Aaron's sons teaches us the importance of silence, while the laws of kashrut teach us how to differentiate. Got questions? Sivan's got answers. Sivan Rahav-Meir is a leading Israeli journalist, media personality and Torah scholar. You can sign up for her The Daily Thought WhatsApp group, where Sivan sends small insights about Judaism and current affairs. Check out Liel’s new book, How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher, or wherever you purchase books. You can find all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

On today’s episode, we discuss Parshat Tzav, the second parsha in the book of Leviticus, and it’s about…ANIMAL SACRIFICES. You would think sacrifices have very little relevance for us moderns. However, as Sivan explains, the parsha has two urgent messages: do hard things, and how gratitude, not attitude. How do you put these insights into practice? Sivan’s got you covered. Sivan Rahav-Meir is a leading Israeli journalist, media personality and Torah scholar. You can sign up for her The Daily Thought WhatsApp group, where Sivan sends small insights about Judaism and current affairs. Check out Liel’s new book, How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher, or wherever you purchase books. You can find all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Today is the debut of our brand new weekly parsha podcast, Sivan Says: Taking the Torah Personally. It’s with me, Liel Liebovitz, and Israeli journalist and Torah scholar Sivan Rahav-Meir. And we start things off by talking about, well, not parsha, but Purim! Sivan tells us all about the story in Megillat Esther, the Book of Esther; explains how this year’s Taanit Esther - Esther’s Fast - takes on new meaning for the families of female hostages; and teaches four Purim commandments for us to do in our own lives. Sivan Rahav-Meir is a leading Israeli journalist, media personality and Torah scholar. You can sign up for her The Daily Thought WhatsApp group, where Sivan sends small insights about Judaism and current affairs. Check out Liel’s new book, How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher, or wherever you purchase books. You can find all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Each week, Israeli journalist and Torah scholar Sivan Rahav Meir and Tablet’s own Liel Leibovitz discuss the week’s parsha, giving practical advice from our holiest book.