The Tanakh Podcast
Alex Israel
Study Tanakh with Rav Alex Israel.
10 mins a day.
One chapter a day.
929 schedule.
10 mins a day.
One chapter a day.
929 schedule.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Sep 15, 2025 • 17min
#14 | Genesis ch.13 - Lot and Avraham Part Ways
Lot has traveled all the way from Mesopotamia at Avraham's side! Why do they split up now?And why choose Sedom?
Sep 14, 2025 • 18min
#13 | Genesis ch.12 - Lech Lecha
Today our attention turns to Abraham and Sarah and their trek to the promised land.Why did God choose Abraham?Did God choose him *because* he was special or did God choose him to *become* special?
Sep 13, 2025 • 14min
#12 | Genesis ch.11 - From Babel to Avraham
We begin today with the Tower of Babel. What is wrong with building skyscrapers? Why did God intervene?
Sep 10, 2025 • 16min
#11 | Genesis ch.10 - The Seventy Nations
Our chapter depicts the three lines of the Sons of Noach - Yefet, Ham and Shem and the development of their civilizations. This is the story of the "Seventy Nations".
Sep 10, 2025 • 17min
#10 | Bereshit ch.9 - The New World
What is the symbol of the rainbow?Why does Noach get drunk and lol naked in his tent?And was Noach a Tzaddik?
Sep 8, 2025 • 18min
#09 | Genesis ch.8 - Re-Creation
Today we discuss:1. How the restoration of the world after the flood reflects the Creation of ch.12. Anthropomorphic expressions in the chapter3. The "evil inclination of the heart of man" - How can it be a reason to DESTROY the world and also to PRESERVE the world?4. The alienation between ADAM and ADAMA
Sep 7, 2025 • 14min
#08 | Genesis ch.7 - The Year of the Flood
Today we address 3 topics:1. The double story of the Flood2. The dates of the flood3. The notion of "Zikaron" And a few connections to the Yamim Noraim (the High Holy Days)
Sep 6, 2025 • 17min
#07 | Genesis ch.6 - The End of the World
Chapter 6 describes the cryptic episode of the "sons of God" and the "daughters of man". God's patience with humanity is running out!Soon, God decides to de-create his creation in a great "MAbul" - more a "confusion" than a flood.
Sep 3, 2025 • 14min
#06 | Genesis ch.5 - From Adam to Noah
This is a list of genealogies, of a family tree!We will discover that there is much that one can learn from a list! The key? - Look at the differences, the aberrations and deflections from the standard formula!
Sep 2, 2025 • 16min
# 05 | Genesis ch.4 - The Beginning of Violence
Cain and Abel. The first murder. Brother kills brother.It seems like Bereshit is addressing some of humanity's fundamental weaknesses and flaws.But then the chapter turns to the seventh generation, and the family and poem of Lemekh. We offer two modes of interpretation for this cryptic story.--- For my podcast in which I teach the story of the tension between Kayin and Hevel and the murder itself, listen here
