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Chukat: Why did Moshe hit the Rock?
In this week’s Torah portion is the famous story of Moses hitting the rock to get water and God subsequently barring him from leading the nation to the land of Israel. Why would Moses do that? What was his thinking? This week, we will explore this question in the context of water, Miriam, and the question of what it means to have faith.
Animated Video • 16 min
Balak: What is Israel's Purpose in the World
This week, we ask an incredibly broad question: what is the purpose of the nation of Israel in this world? To answer this, Rabbi Fohrman points out a fascinating connection between the three blessings Balaam (accidentally) gives the nation of Israel and the three blessings God gives to Abraham in Genesis. These links, Rabbi Fohrman argues, provide incredible insight into our purpose and our destiny, as a nation, and how we can bring God's blessings into the world.
Animated Video • 12 min
Pinchas: How to improve our prayers
Do you know the best way to ask for something from God? The daughters of Zelophehad do. Click here to learn the secret of their success.
Animated Video • 15 min
Matot-Masei: The Art of Negotiation
In this Matot-Masei parsha video, Rabbi Fohrman discusses the interesting conversation between the children of Gad, the children of Reuben and Moses, as they are requesting to live on the other side of the Jordan – not in the land of Israel proper. Rabbi Fohrman analyzes their exchange to get to the core of true communication – trust and respect.
Animated Video • 13 min
Mikvah: Why Does the Mikvah Make Me Pure?
Why does dunking in the mikvah’s waters leave us feeling “pure”? The meaning of this mysterious ritual may not be what you expect.
Animated Video • 15 min
Kashrut: What Does God Have Against Cheeseburgers?
What is so spiritually problematic about mixing milk and meat? Why is it so important to God that we abstain?
Animated Video • 13 min
Tzitzit: What's Meaningful About These Strings?
Why does God command the wearing of tzitzit? Is it arbitrary, or is it supposed to teach us some deep spiritual lesson… and if so, what?
Podcast • 37 min
Shabbat: Did God Really Need to Rest? Shabbat's Role in Judaism
Why does God command the wearing of tzitzit? Is it arbitrary, or is it supposed to teach us some deep spiritual lesson… and if so, what?
Animated Video Series • Part 1 of 4 • 8 min
Niddah: Why Do Husbands and Wives Need to Separate?
Why would God want to keep husbands and wives apart? What does menstruation have to do with it? The Torah's laws reveal a surprising answer.
Podcast • 50 min
The Expulsion of Ishmael
Before God told Abraham to give up Isaac, God told him to give up Ishmael. This 8-part series probes the stories’ eerie similarities.
Deep Dive Course • Part 1 of 8 • 48 min
Jacob’s Ladder
What was the meaning of Jacob's dream, a ladder with angels going up and down? It may just shed light on Israel’s mission in the world.
Animated Video • 14 min
The Golden Calf
What was the Golden Calf really about? In this 12-part audio series, Rabbi Fohrman raises glaring questions and offers surprising answers.
Deep Dive Course • Part 1 of 12 • 57 min
The Sin of the Spies
What was so sinful about the spies' report? We tackle that question by considering the Sages' comment that the sin occurred on Tisha B'Av.
Animated Video Series • Part 1 of 6 • 10 min
The Book of Job
In this 2-part audio series, we explore how to read the Book of Job, and wrestle with the book's central question: Why does God let us suffer?
Animated Video Series • 52 min
Why Does Judaism Need The Written Law And Oral Law?
Why did God write down some laws in the Torah, and reserve others for the Oral Law? Explore this by studying the law not to mix milk and meat.
Animated Video • 14 min
What Is the Meaning of Life?
In this 7-part audio series, Rabbi Fohrman argues that the start of the Torah offers a surprising answer to this most essential of questions.
Deep Dive Course • Part 1 of 7 • 34 min
Why Does the Torah Contain Laws That Seem to Promote Slavery?
Do these laws reflect outdated values? This video explores how the laws of female servitude may contain a message with lasting relevance.
Animated Video • 9 min
How Can We Respond to the Charges of Biblical Criticism?
In this audio clip, we explore how the Torah text itself – its chiasms and intertextual parallels – proves its singular authorship.
Recorded Lecture • 32 min
Why Aren’t Dinosaurs Mentioned In The Torah?
How could the Torah leave out such a big part of history? Does it mean Torah and science are at odds? The answer lies in how we approach the Torah as a book, and by grasping that Torah is meant to be a guidebook for life.
Animated Video • 8 min
How to Read Midrash
Is midrash meant to be taken literally? Looking at a midrash about Pharaoh's daughter and her magic arm, we explore how to read midrash.
Animated Video • 6 min
Intertextuality and Chiasms - How the Torah Encodes Meaning
We look at an incredible chiasm, one spanning over 15 chapters, and ask: What does it teach us about the Book of Exodus?
Animated Video Series • Part 1 of 2 • 11 min
How Our Stories Become Our Laws - The Surprising Relationship Between the Narrative and Legal Sections of the Torah
Is there a hidden link between the stories of Genesis and the Torah's later laws? In the law of manslaughter, we find a startling answer.
Animated Video Series • 13 min
The 7 Habits of Highly Intuitive Readers of the Bible
Watch this 8-part interactive course lead by Rabbi David Fohrman on how to read the Torah in its original Hebrew Aleph Beta style.
Animated Video Series • Part 1 of 8 • 2 hours, 2 min
Do You Actually Love Your Neighbor as Much as You Love Yourself?
This law is often quoted as a slogan or soundbite, but when you open up Lev. 19 to read it in context, a more nuanced meaning emerges.
Animated Video Series • 14 min
Why Does Honoring Our Parents Lead to Us Meriting a Long Life?
Only two commandments promise a reward of "long life": honoring parents and sending away a mother bird. What's the common denominator?
Animated Video • 13 min
How to Heal A Broken Relationship
A loving relationship that has come apart can be unbearably painful. But repair is possible. The story of Rachel and Leah shows us how.
Animated Video Series • 1 hour, 3 min
The Ultimate Parenting Guide: The Torah
Is there a parenting guide hidden in the Torah? In this video, Beth Lesch and Rabbi Fohrman share what may just be the closest thing.
Animated Video Series • 27 min
What Can We Learn from Moses’ Humility?
What is humility, in the eyes of the Torah? A study of the life of Moshe suggests that humility may not mean what we think it means.
Animated Video • 16 min
When Prayer Feels Rote: Rekindling Our Connection
How do we keep prayer from becoming an empty ritual? And does prayer actually "work"? The stories of Moshe and Adam offer answers.
Animated Video • 13 min
Hannah’s Prayer: How to Get Close to God
In this series originally created for Rosh Hashanah, Rabbi Fohrman explores how Chana experienced closeness with God - and we can, too.
Animated Video Series • Part 1 of 4 • 8 min
Shacharit: Making Sense of Morning Prayers
What is the unique power of Shacharit? How can we tap into it to infuse our prayer with intention and meaning? The Shema holds the key.
Animated Video Series • Part 1 of 6 • 11 min
Understanding Shabbat Prayers
On Shabbat, we insert unique prayers into the Amidah. This webinar explores the deep secrets they reveal about the essence of Shabbat.
Recorded Lecture • Part 1 of 3 • 1 hour, 6 min
The Meaning of Hallel
In this recording of a live lecture, Rabbi Fohrman delves into the text of Hallel, unearthing hidden clues to find surprising meaning.
Recorded Lecture • Part 1 of 7 • 56 min
The Meaning of the Book of Ruth: Yibum, Redemption, and the Power of Kindness
Most people know the Book of Ruth as the story of Ruth’s unparalleled loyalty to her mother-in-law Naomi and Boaz’s kindness in redeeming Naomi’s land by marrying Ruth. But in this illuminating course, Rabbi Fohrman reveals that the story of Ruth goes far deeper. Through surprising connections to Adam, Noah, Abraham, and even the Tower of Babel, Rabbi Fohrman uncovers how Ruth’s story is really an expansion of the biblical theme of yibum—the tradition of redeeming family legacy after loss. Ruth’s unwavering faithfulness isn’t just to Naomi; it speaks to an ancient human kindness that honors the dead and uplifts the living through kindness, weaving a narrative that connects us all.
Animated Video Series • Part 1 of 5 • 11 min
Did Ruth Seduce Boaz? A New Definition of Yibum and Kindness in the Book of Ruth
Are Ruth and Boaz truly biblical heroes? After all, the climax of their story is a night that seems to cross lines of seduction and impropriety—hardly what we might call virtuous. In this thought-provoking course, Rabbi Fohrman uncovers surprising links between Ruth’s bold actions and the stories of her and Boaz’s ancestors, connecting Ruth’s story to the uncomfortable tale of Lot’s daughters, as well as Tamar’s deception of Judah. Both stories reveal how yibum, an act meant to preserve family legacy, can go dangerously wrong when it’s forced or lacks true consent. Through Ruth’s relationship with Boaz, however, we witness a transformation in the meaning of yibum. While Ruth’s approach is audacious, she leaves Boaz’s choice in his own hands, bringing a new level of respect and integrity to this ancient tradition. Together, Ruth and Boaz reimagine yibum as an act not only of kindness, but one rooted in mutual respect and partnership.
Animated Video Series • Part 1 of 4 • 11 min
Yibum and Abraham’s Hidden Act of Heroism
Abraham is celebrated as the father of the Jewish people, the ultimate patriarch. Yet when the Torah first introduces him, it’s through a seemingly ordinary genealogy at the end of Parshat Noach. Why would the Torah introduce such a central figure in such a mundane way? And, perhaps more importantly, why was Abraham chosen by God in the first place? In this final lecture of the series, A Brief History of the World, Rabbi Fohrman uncovers a surprising answer: this genealogy may hint at an act of heroism by Abraham—yibum, stepping in to preserve the legacy of his deceased brother. This act, hidden within the family tree, may hold the key to why Abraham was chosen to shape a legacy of kindness for generations.
Deep Dive Course • Part 1 of 11 • 57 min
Yibum and Chalitza: The Thin Line Between Esther and Haman
In this two-part series, Rabbi Fohrman uncovers a hidden layer in the Purim story that might just change the way you see Esther and Mordechai’s heroism. In Part One, he reveals how the most climactic moment in the Megillah contains a surprising reference to the laws of yibum (levirate marriage) found in Devarim. Then, in Part Two, Rabbi Fohrman deepens these parallels, showing how Esther and Mordechai, descendants of Benjamin, take on a unique mission to save the Judeans—a bold, almost yibum-like act of preserving their people’s future. (And for a deeper dive into the connections between Mordechai and Esther and Judah and Benjamin, check out this animated course.) In stark contrast to Mordechai and Esther stands Haman, who is driven by self-interest, seeking only to promote his own name and legacy. Through these characters we see how the willingness to take on yibum responsibilities becomes the true measure of heroism and lasting success, inviting us to rethink the powerful message at the heart of the Purim story.
Animated Video Series • Part 1 of 2 • 1 hour, 5 min