Okay, God decided to destroy the world. But there are lots of ways to destroy a world: why a flood?

Why did God choose Abraham? What was so special about him? Through the stories in this parsha we can discover the central mission – and struggle – that his life revolved around.

All the great philosophers have offered their opinions about how to create the ideal society. What does the Torah say? Find out in this video, where Rabbi Fohrman reveals what the real sin of Sodom teaches us.

On Rosh Hashanah, we read about the Akeidah, when Abraham was asked to offer Isaac up as a sacrifice. But how are we supposed to make sense of this story that seems to pit obedience to God against our most basic sense of morality?

So you think you know the story: Rebecca and Jacob hatch a plan, he pretends to be Esav, lies to his father, and makes off with his brother’s blessing. But what if we told you that neither Rebecca nor Jacob ever intended this deception? That it was all an unfortunate misunderstanding? No, this is not an exercise in apologetics. It’s an exercise in reading the Torah with fresh eyes. Don’t you want to see what it’s all about?

We all know about Jacob’s vision of a ladder with angels going up and down - but what was the meaning of that mysterious dream? Could it have something to do with the very mission of Jacob’s family here on earth? Come see for yourself.

Yisrael – Israel; the name of God’s chosen people. The name of the holy land. It might just be the most important name in the whole Torah. And it was given to Jacob... for winning a wrestling match? If you find yourself craving to understand the deeper significance of this name, this video is for you!

Although we grow up learning that the brothers sold Joseph, a closer look at the text, and at the accompanying Rashbam, complicates that understanding. In this week's parsha course, we unravel the sale of Joseph and discuss the implications of such a theory: what is blame? Where does responsibility begin? And most importantly, how do I make moral decisions?

Bereishit ends with Jacob's blessings to his sons – but the blessings are so poetic that they are difficult to understand! The Torah rarely records intimate deathbed experiences, and yet a full chapter is devoted to Jacob's blessings. What is the meaning of them? This video looks at Joseph's blessing in particular, and aims to answer another mystery: Did Jacob ever find out that his sons sold Joseph?

Everyone loves a good origin story – how did Anakin Skywalker become Darth Vader? Who was Peter Parker before Spiderman? In this video for Parshat Shemot, we focus on Moses – what unique quality led him to be appointed by God? What character trait made Moses a hero?

The seder is full of songs praising God for taking us out of Egypt – but He decreed to Abraham that we’d be slaves in Egypt centuries beforehand in the Brit Ben Habetarim. So did He save us or put us into slavery in the first place?

At first glance, it seems like God took away Pharaoh's free will when he hardened his heart – how could He do such a thing? In this video, we explore the different words used by the Torah – kaved and chazek. Rabbi Fohrman argues that this language shows that God did allow Pharaoh to pursue his free will, even if the vision was in defiance of God.

Ten colorful and unique plagues... is that really so necessary? In this video, Rabbi Fohrman explores the plagues of Egypt – speficially the seventh, transitional plague – and argues that God played off of Pharaoh's ego to show the Pharaoh, the people of Egypt and the people of Israel, that only God is all-powerful.

We're about to embark on a 7-chapter detailed journey through the instructions for building the Mishkan, the Tabernacle. Most people skip over these sections or read them very fast because they are tedious and completely unrelatable. How can we, as 21st century learners of the Torah, find meaning and relevance in the construction of the Mishkan? And how do the laws shed light on the epic devastation of the story that follows, the Golden Calf? Join us in Terumah (Exodus 25:1-27:19) as we uncover the beauty and depth of the Mishkan.

In this course, Rabbi David Fohrman examines the meaning of Ten Commandments, why they are important & explores the most fundamental principles of Judaism.

We're all familiar with the Golden Calf story, but there are some glaring questions we rarely address. For example, how could Israel possibly believe that the calf brought them out of Egypt, after seeing the spectacular ten plagues and splitting of the sea? In this 12-part series, Rabbi Fohrman studies the Golden Calf story in depth to search for answers.

Using sacrifices as a way to connect with God seems alien. How are we supposed to connect with the myriad of details associated with animal sacrifice in the modern day? Join Rabbi Fohrman as he explores this fundamental question by reexamining the three categories of sacrifice, and discover how the ancient tradition creates a modern framework for how to connect with God.

Why does the Torah use the culminating moment for the priests to go through a long and bizarre induction ceremony? And what do its parallels to a certain other section of text teach us about the deeper role of the priests of the Temple?

Did you know that the Torah tells us Nadav and Avihu's "backstory"? Learn about the life-changing experience that led the sons of Aaron to their deaths – and avoid making the same mistake.

In Parshat Tazria, we are introduced to the concepts of Tumah and Tahara. Some translate them as cleanliness and uncleanliness, some say ritual purity and impurity, but we never seem to get a clear and relevant understanding of what they actually are. Join us in Part I of this quest as we begin to tackle both what Tumah and Tahara are, and how these new definitions can truly impact our lives today.

We talked last week about seeing shabbat in different worlds. But how do we understand, conceptually, what this means? In this week's video, we look at Pesach, Shmita and Yovel and ask, where do we see Shabbat, and why does it matter?

In this video, Rabbi Fohrman points out a textual oddity - why does the Torah use two different words for "to count," and what do they each indicate? Through a deep analysis of the terms, we will come out with a stronger understanding of what it means to be an individual, but still part of a larger community.

In Parshat Bamidbar, we read a genealogy of the families of the nation of Israel - but isn't that kind of boring? In this video, we get a closer insight into some strange verses about Aaron's family, and Rabbi Fohrman gives us insight into what it truly means to be a teacher.

What is the meaning of the Nazir, and what is the right way to elevate ourselves to a true relationship with God?

Ten spies brought back an evil report about the land. Two – Caleb and Joshua – courageously spoke up. Their little speech was no doubt stirring, but… would you say that Caleb and Joshua were heroes? Because – reality check – they didn’t accomplish anything. Nobody listened to them! So it seems. But it turns out that Caleb and Joshua accomplished something monumental on that day. Find out what it was…

Why did Korach and his followers get swallowed up by the earth? Did this bizarre punishment somehow fit their crime? The answer may surprise you.

Korach’s rebellion is part of a series of mistakes by the Israelite people in this section of Numbers, Bamidbar. This week, Rabbi Fohrman asks us, in addition to our struggle over the actions of Korach, why does this story happen here? What does the context, and language clues, teach us about the larger meaning of the story of Korach’s rebellion.

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.

In this week's parsha, we are introduced to the strange episode of Moses hitting the rock. Because of this small infraction, we are told, Moses will not be entering the land with the people of Israel. Why? What was the small act of Moses talking to the rock meant to teach the people of Israel?

Moses was barred from entering the land because he struck the rock, right? Turns out it's not so simple. Understand why our greatest leader was deprived of the opportunity to step foot in the Promised Land.

Rabbi Fohrman explores a mysterious Mishnah, in which Abraham and his students are compared to Balaam, the prophet in Parashat Balak, and his students. Why do the Sages make this odd comparison, and what is the message they want us to uncover?

Remember when Moses let Reuven, Gad and Menashe settle outside of Israel... What? Menashe didn't ask to live there!? Why did Moses put them there?

Parshat Devarim recounts the sin of the spies. If you’ve ever wondered what was so bad about what the spies did, and why they merited such a harsh punishment, this is for you.

What do Canaanite treaties have to do with Jacob – and us? Turns out, plenty.

In Parshat Shoftim, we're commanded to appoint police officers, shotrim. But there are strange parallels between these officers and another set of shotrim: the abusive officers in Egypt. What are these parallels trying to tell us? Watch and find out.

The mitzvah to erase Amalek's memory is both troubling and confusing. But what if there's more to it than meets the eye? This video will give you a whole new understanding of what this mitzvah means.

Parshat Ki Teitzei discusses the Torah's laws about a man with two wives, one who he loves, and one who he hates. Rabbi Fohrman suggests that this legal section of text is a hint to the story of Jacob and his wives.

The promise for long life only comes from two commandments: honoring your parents and sending away a mother bird before taking her young. What's the connection? Rabbi Fohrman brings new light to this strange commandment and explains why its reward is long life.

Ki Tavo describes for us the law of ma’aser, tithing, and the law of vidui ma’aser, the declaration of ma’aser. But why isn’t it enough to give ma’aser? Why the spectacle of the dramatic statement?

A few generations before the destruction of the Temple, there was a king who, the Talmud tells us, could have been the Messiah. How did the Jewish people get so close to redemption, only to end in exile? If we can answer this question, perhaps we can come to understand the power of our own potential and to reshape our destiny.

Recited every Saturday morning as part of the Shabbat morning liturgy, Psalm 19 is full of vivid poetry: descriptions of the sun, the sky, a groom and the Torah. Imagery and words that come together as the heavens declare the glory of God. Join Rabbi Fohrman & Imu Shalev as they discuss possible meanings to this Psalm, and why the Psalmist chose to structure Psalm 19 in this unique way.

For more courses that focus on Psalms, be sure to check out King David's Haunted Past (Psalm 30), Shir Hamaalot (Psalm 126), and Al Naharot Bavel (Psalm 137).

The Sale of Joseph doesn't affect only one or two generations – it goes all the way to King David, hundreds of years later. David inaugurates the Temple in Jerusalem with a special psalm – but nothing about the text seems to relate to the Temple at all! In this lecture, Rabbi Fohrman explains that in Psalm 30, David was hearkening back to his ancestor Judah to explain why Judah merited for his descendants to build the Temple.

Can we ever do something so bad there’s no coming back from it? In this series, Rabbi Fohrman grapples with the nature of atonement through a close reading of the story of Elisha ben Avuya, the famous apostate “Acher,” and his fiercely loyal student, Rabbi Meir.

We add the prayer service of Hallel on holidays, but what exactly are we saying? Is it just a collection of Psalms? In this course, Rabbi Fohrman argues that not only are we learning what it is to be a servant of God, but we are also discovering the origins of the nation of Israel.

Have you ever wondered why good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people? Doesn't that seem to fundamentally negate the Torah's concept of reward and punishment? And how can we live with these challenging questions when there doesn't seem to be an answer?

In the following learning session, Rabbi Fohrman compares 2 seemingly unrelated Biblical characters: Job (Iyov) and Abraham. Although they appear to live in totally different time periods, the Talmud seems to indicate that they really are deeply connected. The parallels that are explored here are striking, and offer deep new psychological insights into two of the most difficult stories in the entire Torah: the expulsion of Ishmael and the binding of Isaac.

To learn more about Job, check out our course Job: Am I Allowed to be Angry at God?

For more material on the connection between the expulsion of Ishmaels and the binding of Isaac, check out our course Phantom Akeidah: Abraham's Sacrifice of Ishmael?

Sometimes we find ourselves confronting a troubling reality: that seemingly bad things happen to seemingly good people. How do we deal with that? What is the “religious” response to that conundrum? This question is at the heart of the Book of Job. In this course, learn more about Job, and his struggles with God and suffering.

The story of Solomon and the two babies is one of the most famous and iconic in the entire Bible. The text seems to present it as a great test of Solomon’s marvelous wisdom. And yet, is it really? Sure, the solution of splitting the baby seems clever enough, but clever isn’t the same as… wise. Imagine a potential Supreme Court justice facing confirmation pointing to this incredible idea he once had – bring the sword – to establish his credentials; and imagine the Senate unanimously confirming him by acclaim. Wouldn’t happen, right?

I’ve  been working on this story lately. My theory is that the story of Solomon and the two babies isn’t meant as a proof of his wisdom, but something far more profound: a mechanism by which he achieves that wisdom. Hidden in the depths of the court case facing the king is everything he will need to know to achieve true understanding in his life.

I’m still working on the theory - and am excited to share this work in progress with you. I think it has some profound ramifications.

We don’t often talk about how the story of Lot and his daughters is a little risqué for Biblical literature. But looking back at similar illicit stories, of Yehuda and Tamar and Boaz and Ruth, a transcendent lesson emerges. Instead of sly sensuality defining the story, Rabbi Fohrman finds a redemptive love and kindness within the text, shedding new light and understanding on the concepts of kindness and recognition.