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PRS founder Rabbi Sandy Zisser and cohost Rabbi Patrick Beaulier give you an intimate look into what it takes to create a rabbinical seminary in the age of Covid. You’ll meet the educators, students and creatives who make it all possible.
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In Season two of The Evolution of Torah, Rabbi Mordecai Schwartz takes usto four regions of the Medieval world to understand the specific Torah cultures that emerged from each place and their approach to Torah learning. The season covers Muslim Spain and North Africa, France, Germany, and Christian Spain over the course of 500 years, from the closing of the Talmud around the year 800 to the Spanish Inquisition. There is also one episode about Maimonides.
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Check out this new series from JTS Podcasts, Exploring Kabbalah. Dr. Eitan Fishbane shares the complext history of Jewish mystical thought from the Torah to Hasidism. Subscribe now: RSS: https://www.spreaker.com/show/3550593/episodes/feed Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/exploring-kabbalah/id1739159484 Hosted by: Dr. Eitan Fish…
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All the legal cultures we discussed in this season come together in Christian Spain in the 14th Century. Rabbi Asher ben Yehiel (the Rosh) is one of the rabbis leading the integration of the legal culture of Muslim Spain, with the interpretative work of France and the rabbinic authority that was standard in Germany. This episode traces the Rosh’s i…
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The German Jewish community was at once highly organized and prosperous. At the same time, they were subject to the potentially violent whims of non-Jewish community around them. These parallels of strength and challenge are at the core of this episode about rabbinic culture in the Germanic provinces in the 13th century. We will focus on the specif…
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For this episode, we focus solely on Rabbi Moses ben Maimon (1138–1204, Maimonides/Rambam), whose work in diverse disciplines from medicine to philosophy worked to elevate rabbinic legal culture. We examine the Mishneh Torah, Maimonides’s companion to the written Torah, which is the oldest in existence and delve into his rigorous work life. Through…
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This episode focuses on Rashi (1040 - 1105, Rabbi Solomon ben Isaac) and his intellectual (and genetic) heirs. We start by exploring the significant differences between French rabbinic culture and that of North Africa and Muslim Spain. As opposed to summarizing the law as presented in the Talmud which was the central aim of scholars like the RIF, R…
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The legal culture of Muslim Spain and North Africa from the ninth to the thirteenth century focused on making the Talmud accessible through practical applications of Gaonic interpretations. This episode follows two scholars: Rabenu Hananel ben Hushiel whose approach is one of the earliest known attempt to provide a systematic commentary on the Talm…
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How did geographic diversity and separation impact rabbinic culture? In the season opener, we begin with the story of the four captives, the story that ended season one. This narrative offers an example of how rabbinic learning spread. We introduce the challenges and opportunities that faced Jewish communities which connect our four regions: Muslim…
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Get ready for Season 2 of the Evolution of Torah: Establishing Rabbinic CultureDi JTS
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This week we sit down with Heather Miller, a current student at the Pluralistic Rabbinical Seminary. Besides being a student at PRS, Heather is also a synagogue president, school administrator, and most importantly a mother of two! Apply: https://jewishpluralism.org/apply-to-our-program/ Join the Bet Midrash: https://jewishpluralism.org/enroll-comm…
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Alumni time! Recent PRS graduate Rabba Amanda currently serves as a chaplain resident at Emory University healthcare while she pursues board certification through Neshama: the National Association of Jewish Chaplains and launching her PRS innovation project: Sinai Pastoral Care, a concierge-style spiritual and pastoral care service. Rabba Amanda ta…
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What is true freedom? Surprise…it’s God! A Passover message in less than five minutes. Apply: https://jewishpluralism.org/apply-to-our-program/ Join the Bet Midrash: https://jewishpluralism.org/enroll-community-beit-midrash/ Reach Out To Us: https://jewishpluralism.org/contact/Di Pluralistic Rabbinical Seminary
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PRS Talmud instructor and text electives educator Rabbi Eric Wasser sits down with Rabbi Sandy to talk about teaching old ideas in new mediums and share a few stories of his time at PRS Apply: https://jewishpluralism.org/apply-to-our-program/ Join the Bet Midrash: https://jewishpluralism.org/enroll-community-beit-midrash/ Reach Out To Us: https://j…
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Starting a pluralistic rabbinical seminary is no easy task. The rabbis reflect on the past two years of ups and downs, including what they would do differently if they had the choice. Apply: https://jewishpluralism.org/apply-to-our-program/ Join the Bet Midrash: https://jewishpluralism.org/enroll-community-beit-midrash/ Reach Out To Us: https://jew…
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How do you build a multinational Jewish nonprofit from your kitchen? Rabbi Sandy interviews Rabbi Patrick on the history of the PunkTorah network of websites, his most controversial moments of his career, and whether he’ll ever live down being “Patrick Aleph, the tattooed rabbi”. Apply: https://jewishpluralism.org/apply-to-our-program/ Join the Bet…
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Rabbi Patrick interviews Rabbi Sandy for a candid look at his life, what brought him to the independent rabbinate, and his hopes for the future. Apply: https://jewishpluralism.org/apply-to-our-program/ Join the Bet Midrash: https://jewishpluralism.org/enroll-community-beit-midrash/ Reach Out To Us: https://jewishpluralism.org/contact/…
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Happy Purim with Rabbi Sandy! Rabbi Sandy shares a Purim message along with some teachings about the holiday. Text can be found on Sefaria.org Apply: https://jewishpluralism.org/apply-to-our-program/ Join the Bet Midrash: https://jewishpluralism.org/enroll-community-beit-midrash/ Reach Out To Us: https://jewishpluralism.org/contact/…
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The rabbis reflect on the fateful day they said, “let’s do this” and started the Pluralistic Rabbinical Seminary. Apply: https://jewishpluralism.org/apply-to-our-program/ Join the Bet Midrash: https://jewishpluralism.org/enroll-community-beit-midrash/ Reach Out To Us: https://jewishpluralism.org/contact/…
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Rabbis Sandy & Patrick talk about why PRS was so badly needed, the problems they attempt to solve with an online rabbinical seminary. Apply: https://jewishpluralism.org/apply-to-our-program/ Join the Bet Midrash: https://jewishpluralism.org/enroll-community-beit-midrash/ Reach Out To Us: https://jewishpluralism.org/contact/…
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Founder & Director Rabbi Sandy Zisser along with Rabbi Patrick (PRS Director of Innovation) give you the inside scoop on what it’s like to start a rabbinical seminary in the era of COVID, the victories and setbacks along the way, and what to expect from this podcast. Apply: https://jewishpluralism.org/apply-to-our-program/ Join the Bet Midrash: htt…
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How did the Babylonian Talmud become a fixed, closed book, the most influential one in the Jewish world? In this episode, we discuss the final layers of interpretation and editing that made it into the Talmud. We’ll also see how the influence of the Geonim, the heads of the Babylonian academies, together with immigration, spread the authority of th…
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The Rabbis were not only interested in compiling and interpreting the Mishnah. In this episode, we look at some examples of Midrash, rabbinic interpretation of the Bible to derive both legal and narrative insights. We also hear how study of Midrash experienced a renaissance in the hands of modern scholars and ask if genuine Midrash can be found aft…
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Interpreting the Mishnah evolved into a creative process where pairs of Rabbis would argue with each other. In this episode, we discuss how these debates about interpretation developed into a primary component of the Babylonian Talmud and the Jerusalem Talmud. Credits: Produced by Rabbi Tim Bernard Cover art: Rabbi Tim Bernard Theme music: Stock me…
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The Mishnah is the foundational rabbinic text. How did it come to be? Who authored it? And what’s in it? In this episode, we look at an example of a mishnah and Rabbi Schwartz also gives an overview of the role of women in and around the Mishnah. Credits: Produced by Rabbi Tim Bernard Cover art: Rabbi Tim Bernard Theme music: Stock media provided b…
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What led to the emergence of the group of scholars and teachers we call the Rabbis? What motivated them and what did they value? The Rabbis looked to their forebear, Hillel, as an exemplar of religious leadership, and in this episode, we’ll look at three stories they told about Hillel to see what we can learn about the Rabbis’ self-conception. Cred…
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