Jewish Quest

Rabbi Ariel Abel explores how Joseph delicately balances his identity as an Egyptian leader with his Hebrew roots during the reunion with his brothers. Rabbi Abel lives with his wife Shulamit and two children together in Liverpool He is a rabbinic graduate of Midrash Sepharadi in Jerusalem, is a practising solicitor and a Sandhurst graduated chaplain in the British Army. Rabbi Abel encourages cooperation, discussion and debate across the spectrum of the J...

12-31

26:18

Professor Gary Rendsburg invites us to understand the Joseph story as ancient literary art at its very best. Prof. Rendsburg serves as the Blanche and Irving Laurie Professor of Jewish History in the Department of Jewish Studies at Rutgers University. His Ph.D. and M.A. are from N.Y.U. Rendsburg is the author of seven books and about 200 articles; his most recent book is How the Bible Is Written.

12-23

27:55

Dr Dov Berel Lerner considers what Joseph's dreams symbolise and their importance within the wider themes of Genesis. Dr Lerner is currently an associate professor of philosophy at the Western Galilee College in Akko and also teaches at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya. He is the author of many articles in philosophy and Jewish studies and of the book Rules, Magic, and Instrumental Reason (Routledge 2002). His latest book is Human-Divine Interactions in Hebrew Scriptures Covenants ...

12-19

33:40

Dr Alison Joseph asks just who is the victim of the Dinah Story? Dr. Alison Joseph is the Director of Digital Scholarship and Associate Professor of Bible at Gratz College, Assistant Managing Editor of The Posen Library for Jewish Culture and Civilization and an adjunct assistant professor of Bible and its Interpretation at JTS. She holds a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Studies from UC Berkeley and an M.A. in Jewish Studies from Emory University. Her first book Portrait of the Kings: The Davidic Pro...

12-10

22:30

Rabbi Dr Elliot Cosgrove discusses his timely new book:- For Such A Time As This: On Being Jewish Today Elliot Cosgrove is a leading voice of American Jewry and a preeminent spiritual guide and thought leader. The rabbi of Park Avenue Synagogue since 2008, he was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1999 and earned his PhD at the University of Chicago Divinity School. He sits on the Chancellor’s Cabinet of Jewish Theological Seminary and on the editorial board of Masorti: The New ...

12-06

29:13

Rabbi Dr Naomi Kalish uncovers what Jacob teaches us about listening and how it paves the way for peace. Rabbi Kalish is the Harold and Carole Wolfe Director of the Center for Pastoral Education and assistant professor of Pastoral Education at JTS. Prior to coming to JTS, Rabbi Kalish taught clinical pastoral education (CPE) at New York–Presbyterian Hospital (NYP) to students from diverse religious, denominational, national, and cultural backgrounds. Rabbi Kalish has extensive experien...

12-03

18:33

Rabbi David Kasher asks just who is the villain in the Toldot story?Rabbi David Kasher is the Director of Hadar West Coast. After graduating from Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, he served as Senior Jewish Educator at Berkeley Hillel, a part of the founding team at Kevah, and Associate Rabbi at IKAR. Rabbi Kasher completed a translation of Avot d’Rabbi Natan for Sefaria and is the author of ParshaNut: 54 Journeys into the World of Torah Commentary.

11-25

27:22

Rabbi Marc Soloway discusses the legacy of Sarah and the very contrasting responses of Abraham and Isaac to her death. Rabbi Soloway has been Bonai Shalom’s Spiritual Leader in Boulder, CO. since 2004, the same year that he was ordained at The Ziegler School for Rabbinic Studies at The American Jewish University in Los Angeles. His rabbinical training spanned six years in London, Jerusalem, and Los Angeles. Before that, he was an actor and storyteller in his native London, and developed and p...

11-20

24:04

Professor Kenneth Seeskin discusses the ambiguity and unresolved tension in the Akedah. Professor Seeskin is Professor of Philosophy and Philip M. and Ethel Klutznick Professor of Jewish Civilization at Northwestern University. He received his Ph.D in Philosophy from Yale University in 1972 and has been at Northwestern ever since. He specializes in the rationalist tradition in Jewish philosophy with an emphasis on Maimonides. Publications include Maimonides on the Origin of the World (C...

11-13

26:26

Dr Rabbi Joshua Garroway uncovers the importance of the minor character, Melchizedek. Dr. Rabbi Joshua Garroway is the Sol and Arlene Bronstein Professor of Judaeo-Christian Studies at HUC-JIR in Los Angeles. He holds a Ph.D. from the Religious Studies Department at Yale and ordination from HUC-JIR in Cincinnati. He is the author of, The Beginning of the Gospel: Paul, Philippi, and the Origins of Christianity.

11-06

22:47

Dr Jeremy Tabick discusses the centrality of God's transformation in the parsha. Dr Jeremy Tabick is the content manager and faculty at Hadar, where he teaches, curates, and edits Hadar’s content – both online and in print – and project Zug courses. Jeremy recently completed a PhD in Talmud at JTS. He graduated from the University of Manchester (in the UK) with a Masters in Physics, and is an alumnus of Yeshivat Hadar and the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem. He is a member of the steering t...

10-31

18:42

This week for Bereshit, our director Rabbi Adam Zagoria-Moffet fills in as host as we begin a new year, welcoming Rabbi Jeremy Gordon to discuss some of the ways in which Bereshit defies our expectations and requires new explanations. From the creation of the work to the creation of Adam and Eve - nothing is quite as it seems, 'in the beginning.' Rabbi Jeremy has a first-class honours degree in Law from Cambridge University and subsequently went to work in television for the BBC and a number...

10-27

29:37

Dr Rachel Havrelock uncovers the difference between the Priestly vision and the Deuteronomistic vision for the map of the land of Canaan. Dr. Rachel Havrelock is Associate Professor of Jewish Studies and English at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Rachel’s book, River Jordan: The Mythology of a Dividing Line combines biblical studies, literary and political theory, and the politics of interpretation. Rachel’s current book project, The Joshua Generation: Politics and the Promised L...

08-02

32:48

Rabbi Eliyahu Jian discusses the inner meaning behind Pinchas' act of zealotry.Rabbi Eliyahu Jian is a global thought leader, transformational life and business coach, spiritual coach, relationship coach, author and motivational speaker. He has been transforming thousands of lives around the globe for decades, including some of the world’s most famous and influential people, such as Madonna, Demi Moore, Blake Mallen, Eva Cavalli, Elie Tahari, Marla Maples, and Guy Ritchie.

07-26

28:46

Professor Everett Fox uncovers the unusual features of the Balaam narrative. Professor Everett Fox is the Allen M. Glick professor of Judaic and Biblical Studies at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. He received his M.A. and Ph.D. from the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies at Brandeis University. Fox is the translator of The Five Books of Moses (Schocken Books, 1995), and The Early Prophets (Schocken Books, 2014).