Meaningful Judaism

Jun 27 2024 17 ep. 35 mins 94

Meaningful Judaism Podcast artwork

Meaningful Judaism is a podcast dedicated to exploring why we do what we do in Jewish life, by diving deep into the Torah text. So many of our practices can feel like they’re just there; we go through the motions but they don’t feel especially meaningful. In this podcast, we search for that meaning. Each episode will take you on a journey, tackling questions such as “Why can’t we mix milk and meat?” and “What’s the meaning behind the laws of niddah?” Join our host, Imu Shalev, along with Rabbi Fohrman and Aleph Beta’s other wonderful scholars for this special journey.

Meaningful Judaism is a project of Aleph Beta Labs. Aleph Beta is a Torah media company dedicated to spreading the joy and love of meaningful Torah learning worldwide. For our full library of over 1,000 videos and podcasts, please visit www.alephbeta.org. To support this podcast, subscribe to Aleph Beta.

Religion & Spirituality

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Rediscovering Tzitzit: Insights from Parshat Shelach (Re-release of "What’s Meaningful About Tzitzit? Part 2)

Jun 27 2024 28 mins

(Part 2 of 2) Are tzitzit supposed to “mean” something? Most people who wear tzitzit probably don't find it especially objectionable or burdensome, but how many people can honestly say that wearing tzitzit is a deeply meaningful spiritual practice? That it helps them to be a better Jew, a better person, to feel closer to God? Probably not so many. For everyone else, tzitzit is,

Rediscovering Tzitzit: Insights from Parshat Shelach (Re-release of "What’s Meaningful About Tzitzit? Part 1)

Jun 26 2024 37 mins

(Part 1 of 2) The Aleph Beta Team is hard at work on new episodes of Meaningful Judaism. But in the meantime, we decided to go back to our archives and share this episode about tzitzit, which is discussed in this week's parsha. Are tzitzit supposed to “mean” something? Most people who wear tzitzit probably don't find it especially objectionable or burdensome, but how many peopl

The Hidden Angels in the Megillah [Introducing our new season of A Book Like No Other]

Mar 11 2024 33 mins

The Book of Esther has no Divine instructions, no prophecies, no outright miracles. God doesn’t even get mentioned. We all love hearing how Mordechai and Esther saved their people in a time of crisis – but does this story have any moral message for us? As we’re listening to the Megillah on Purim, what can we learn about coming close to God in our everyday lives?Join Imu Shale

A Book Like No Other: Season 3 - Trailer

Mar 09 2024 2 mins

A Book Like No Other is a chance to learn alongside Aleph Beta Founder and Lead Scholar, Rabbi David Fohrman, a master close reader of Torah, as he embarks on his most far-reaching and in-depth explorations. Each season is a stand-alone journey into a different Torah text. Our only goal: reading the Torah carefully, on its own terms, and following wherever that leads. Together, we'

The Blasphemer: Why Would Someone Curse God? [Introducing our new season of A Book Like No Other]

Jan 15 2024 46 mins

Rabbi David Fohrman and Imu Shalev study the tale of the blasphemer, a dark and puzzling episode buried deep in Leviticus. The details of this story are scarce: an anonymous man provokes a fight in the Israelite camp, curses God, and ultimately is stoned to death as punishment. But a close read of these few short verses sends Rabbi Fohrman and Imu on a surprising journey, raising p

Join Us for a Meaningful Tisha B'Av

Jul 27 2023 1 mins

Support Meaningful Judaism today and gain access to tons of meaningful Tisha B'av content on the Aleph Beta website. Visit www.alephbeta.org and use the coupon code MJ2023. Check out the 2024 Perks campaign here! Go ahead, treat yourself and make a difference at the same time! Thank you for your support!Meaningful Judaism is a project of Aleph Beta Labs. Aleph Beta is a Torah media

What Else Is Meaningful About Tzitzit and Kashrut? (Season Finale)

Jul 02 2023 38 mins

Season 1 of Meaningful Judaism is ending, but before we go, we just have to share some extra Torah that didn’t make it into earlier episodes. There’s the beautiful idea about angels that got cut from our episode on tzitzit – but we’ve found some amazing new evidence, so we’re bringing it back! And then there’s the problem of fish and birds. They got left out of the epis

What’s Meaningful About Not Eating Bacon?

Jun 28 2023 59 mins

It’s one of the most famous of the Torah's laws: no eating bacon! But is there any particular reason for this restriction? Why does God permit us to eat cow but forbid pig? In this episode, Imu Shalev and Beth Lesch look for clues in the Torah’s language and zoom in on something that’s easy to miss: The Torah never actually says "Pigs aren't kosher." Actually, the word “kos

Questioning Whether This Podcast Should Exist

Jun 18 2023 39 mins

Yep, you read the episode title right. Should this podcast even exist?? We here at Meaningful Judaism put our hearts into creating quality podcasts that probe the meanings behind the mitzvot… but what if this whole premise is misguided? What if there’s a fundamental flaw? Does God really want us to be demanding reasons for the mitzvot? If we were really pious, maybe we would be

What’s Meaningful About Tzitzit? (Part 2)

Jun 04 2023 28 mins

(Part 2 of 2) Are tzitzit supposed to “mean” something? Most people who wear tzitzit probably don't find it especially objectionable or burdensome, but how many people can honestly say that wearing tzitzit is a deeply meaningful spiritual practice? That it helps them to be a better Jew, a better person, to feel closer to God? Probably not so many. For everyone else, tzitzit is,