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Secrets of the Scroll
The Hidden Message of Megillat Esther
Hosted by: Rabbanit Shani Taragin
A podcast of Matan and World Mizrachi Powered by Walder Foundation
19 Episodes
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Faith under foreign rule creates new kinds of courage. Episode 18 explores Daniel and the challenge of staying loyal when everything around you pulls in the opposite direction. Watch Episode 18 now.
History is not just what happened. It is what we choose to remember. Episode 17 with Yael Liebowitz, author of a book on Ezra and Nehemiah, written through the Kitvuni fellowship, examines how the return to Zion and the shaping of the canon reflect interpretation, not just record keeping. Watch Episode 17 now.
Outsiders often become the heart of the story. Episode 16 with Rabbanit Jennifer Raskas and Adriana Fernandez, explores Rut as a model of loyalty, quiet courage, and belonging in a world of uncertainty. Watch Episode 16 now.
Hidden love is still love. Episode 15 looks at Shir HaShirim and the quiet intimacy between God and Israel that continues even when everything seems distant. Watch Episode 15 and feel the hidden closeness.
Wisdom Changes When the World Changes In this episode, together with Dr. Lisa Fredman, we see how Mishlei, Kohelet, and Iyov speak to a covenant that must survive distance, doubt, and complexity Watch Episode 14 now.
Sometimes redemption comes even when we resist it. In Episode 13 with Dr. Yosefa Fogel Wruble, we meet reluctant redeemers like Yonah and Esther, who must be pushed into their role in history. Watch Episode 13 now.
How do you keep faith when you no longer see God? Episode 12 explores the theology of exile, where God’s presence is felt not through visions, but through endurance, repentance, and moral courage. Watch Episode 12 and go deeper.
Empires rise and fall. God remains hidden but active. In Episode 11, the prophets teach us how to understand suffering, destruction, and survival in exile. Esther becomes the voice of a people learning how to live after catastrophe. Watch Episode 11 now.
What happens when the Temple is gone, but the covenant remains? Episode 10 continues our journey through Melakhim, showing how Jewish survival after sovereignty becomes the foundation of the Esther story. Watch Episode 10 and keep going.
Royal courts are not neutral spaces. They are spiritual testing grounds. Episode 9 explores how the palace can become a place of moral danger and quiet corruption, echoing stories from Melakhim and the tragic history of Israel’s kings. Watch Episode 9 now. Source sheets are avaliable here:
Power without legitimacy is always unstable. In Episode 8, we examine kingship, ego, and danger through the parallels between Shaul, David, and the Persian court. Haman emerges as the latest version of an ancient threat. Watch Episode 8 and uncover the deeper politics of Purim. Source sheets are avaliable here: https://www.matan.org.il/en/podcast/secrets-of-the-scroll-en/episode-8-shmuel-shauls-kingship-restored/
What does leadership look like when no one has full control? Episode 7 looks at Esther and Mordechai as leaders in a fragmented world, where power is uncertain and authority is never absolute. Watch Episode 7 to explore leadership in exile. Source sheets are avaliable at: https://www.matan.org.il/en/podcast/secrets-of-the-scroll-en/episode-7-shoftim-ben-yamin-revisited/
Victory does not always happen on the battlefield. In Episode 6 with Rabbanit Malke Bina, we explore how the story of Esther redefines what it means to win. Not through swords, but through law, strategy, and courage in foreign spaces. Watch Episode 6 now. Source sheets are avaliable here: https://www.matan.org.il/en/podcast/secrets-of-the-scroll-en/episode-6-yehoshua-where-true-greatness-lies/
When prophecy is silent, memory becomes sacred. In Episode 5, we see how Esther becomes a way of rereading Jewish history itself. Without God speaking openly, the people must remember, interpret, and take responsibility for their future. Watch Episode 5 and rediscover the power of memory. Source sheets are avaliable here: https://www.matan.org.il/en/podcast/secrets-of-the-scroll-en/episode-5-devarim-memory-and-moral-responsibility/
“A scattered and divided people.” That is how Haman describes the Jews. Episode 4 explores what it means to live without stability, without land, and without certainty. Esther becomes the story of a wandering people learning to survive through leadership and faith. Watch Episode 4 and see how exile reshapes identity. Source sheets are avaliable here: https://www.matan.org.il/en/podcast/secrets-of-the-scroll-en/episode-4-bamidbar-a-scattered-people/
What happens to holiness when there is no Temple? In Episode 3, we uncover the surprising parallels between the Mishkan and the palace of Shushan. Feasting replaces sacrifice. Fasting replaces ritual. And Purim becomes a kind of inverted Yom Kippur. This episode reveals how sacred space and sacred time are reimagined in exile. Watch Episode 3 now. Source sheets are avaliable here: https://www.matan.org.il/en/podcast/secrets-of-the-scroll-en/episode-3-vayikra-sanctity-without-sanctuary/
Redemption does not always come with miracles. Sometimes it comes through politics, courage, and silence. In Episode 2, Rabbanit Shani Taragin shows how the story of Esther mirrors the Exodus but in a radically different key. Moshe confronted Pharaoh with God’s voice. Esther faced a king without it. This episode explores what it means to be redeemed when God is hidden and leadership must operate in the shadows. Watch Episode 2 and continue the journey. Source sheets are avaliable here: ...
The story of Esther does not begin in Persia. It begins in Bereishit. In Episode 1 of the new podcast series hosted by Rabbanit Shani Taragin, we discover that Megillat Esther is built on the DNA of Genesis itself. Hidden identities, sibling rivalries, exile, and reversal are not new themes. They are the ancient language of Jewish survival. Yaakov and Esav. Yosef in a foreign court. Binyamin and Yehuda. Esther before the king. What looks like coincidence is actually a pattern. What feels like...
What if Megillat Esther is not the most hidden book in Tanakh, but the most brilliantly written one? We are launching a powerful 20 episode podcast series hosted by Rabbanit Shani Taragin that uncovers Esther as a text written in code. A story where God is hidden, miracles are quiet, and redemption unfolds through courage, strategy, and deep biblical memory. In the first episode, Shani sets the stage. Why God’s name never appears. Why Esther almost did not enter the canon. And how Jews in exi...
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