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Dr Anna Urowitz-Freudenstein joins Simon on the podcast to discuss Rebecca as a Knight of Faith. She explores the particularly challenging theological question: what happens when someone believes they know the will of God, but fulfilling it appears to require them to act against the very moral principles that ordinarily govern human relationships?

Dr. Anna Urowitz-Freudenstein received both her Ph.D. in Midrash and her M.A. in Ancient Judaism from the Jewish Theological Seminary. Her dissertation investigated the workings of Midrash, focusing on te...

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Professor Nehama Aschkenasy discusses the story of Dinah from multiple-perspectives. 

Professor Nehama Aschkenasy is Professor (emerita) of Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies at the University of Connecticut. Aschkenasy is the author of Eve’s Journey: Feminine Images in Hebraic Literary Tradition a Choice selection and winner of the Present Tense Literary Award, and Woman at the Window: Biblical Tales of Oppression and Escape. She has also contributed numerous chapters and articles to edited books and scholarly journals, and served as Associate Editor of the...

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Rabbi Gabriel Botnick explores questions of identity, the boundaries between God's will and human agency and the legacies left unresolved in the Parashah. 

Rabbi Gabriel Botnick joined Belsize Square Synagogue in April 2021, becoming just the 5th Rabbi in their 80 year history. He was ordained at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, also subsequently serving as part of their faculty. He sits on the Masorti Bet Din in the UK. 

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Rabbi Yerach Meiersdorf guides us through the notion of hospitality (hachnasat orchim) as spiritual practice which is so crucial to Abraham's development. 

Rabbi Yerach Meiersdorf is rabbi at Adath Israel in Toronto. He is the author of a book on educating spirituality, and this year is publishing a new book on Hebrew Shamanism, exploring the spiritual and mystical traditions of Judaism in a fresh and insightful way. His teachings combine traditional wisdom with contemporary insights, making Jewish learning accessible, engaging, and transformative.

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Rabbi Alex Matthews explores the relationship between universal faith and a particular covenant. 

Rabbi Alex Matthews has been congregational leader of Ahavas Achim in Newburyport, Massachusetts since 2019. Rabbi Matthews was ordained at Hebrew College in June 2023. He completed the 18 Doors Rukin Rabbinic Fellowship focused on interfaith engagement, as well as the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies Machloket Matters fellowship, focused on working toward and through constructive disagreement.

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This week, Simon speaks with Dr Lisbeth Fried, who asks: "Who wrote the story of Noah and when?"

Dr. Lisbeth S. Fried is Visiting Scholar at the University of Michigan’s Department of Middle East Studies. She holds a Ph.D. in Hebrew and Judaic Studies from NYU and another in psychology from University of Michigan. Among her many publications are The Priest and the Great King: Temple-Palace Relations in the Persian Empire, Ezra and the Law in History and Tradition, Ezra, a Commentary (Sheffield Academic Pr...

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Professor James Diamond joins Simon as we open our fifth season to discuss the key questions of Bereishit.

Professor James A. Diamond is the Joseph and Wolf Lebovic Chair of Jewish Studies at the University of Waterloo and former director of the university’s Friedberg Genizah Project. He holds a Ph.D. in Religious Studies and Medieval Jewish Thought from the University of Toronto, and an LL.M. from New York University’s Law School. He is the author of Maimonides and the Hermeneutics of Concealment, Converts, Heretics and Lepe...

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In a special interruption of our typical weekly programme, this week's episode is a recording of the 20th Annual Louis Jacobs Memorial Lecture, delivered by Rabbi Danny Nevins at New London Synagogue. Rabbi Danny discusses the question, 'Can Judaism Survive the AI Revolution?' and explores questions of agency, personhood, and halakhic precedent governing our interaction with artificial intelligence. 

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Rabbi Roni Tabick joins Simon to discuss Pinchas, zealotry, and his upcoming novel, Radiance. 

Rabbi Roni Tabick is rabbi of New Stoke Newington Shul. He was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. With a Masters in Ancient Judaism, Roni specialises in Talmud, mysticism and Jewish Mythology, especially the Leviathan and other sea monsters.

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Professor Eichler from Bar-Ilan University joins Simon to discuss the episode of Moses (and Aaron) hitting the rock, and the consequent punishment. 

Prof. Raanan Eichler is an Associate Professor of Bible at Bar-Ilan University in Israel. He received his Ph.D. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and completed fellowships at Harvard University and Tel Aviv University. He is the author of The Ark and the Cherubim (Mohr Siebeck, 2021) and many academic articles.

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Rabbi Samuel Klein joins Simon to discuss Korach, Salcedo and Rothko – among others! 

Rabbi Samuel Klein is Director of Jewish Engagement at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, where he leads strategic initiatives that build meaningful connections to Jewish life. He directs the Francine R. Loeb Leadership Institute, which empowers emerging Jewish leaders in Seattle, and Reset & Refresh, a nationally scaled learning experience for mixed-heritage couples, developed in collaboration with the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA). Rabbi Klein also currently serves as Rabbinic Advisor to Togethering, a new...

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Professor Idan Dershowitz (Monash University) joins Simon to discuss Joshua Chapter 2, this week's Haftarah and the mysterious nature of the symbol 'ot' referenced in both the Parashah and Haftarah.


Idan Dorshav Dershowitz joined the Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation (ACJC) at Monash University in 2024. Previously, he was a Junior Fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows and served as Director of the School of Jewish Theology and Chair of Hebrew Bible at the University of Potsdam. His current research focuses on the evolution of biblical religion, the techniques employed by...

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Dr. Angela Roskop Erisman joins Simon to discuss the biblical text of Numbers 12, focusing on Miriam and Aaron's criticism of Moses for marrying a Kushite woman

Dr. Angela Roskop Erisman is owner of Angela Roskop Erisman Editorial and was the founding editorial director of the Marginalia Review of Books. She earned her M.A. in Hebrew and Northwest Semitics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her Ph.D. in Bible and Ancient Near East at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. She is the author of The Wilderness...

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Reverend Patrick Moriarty joins Simon to discuss the Ten Commandments and their significance for Western civilization. Rev Moriarty, who previously served as head teacher at JCOSS (Jewish Community Secondary School) from 2012 to 2022 and currently works as rector of the parish of Harpenden, explores how the Ten Commandments function as "moral grammar" in modern society, emphasising the value of faith-based education in forming ethical human beings, concluding that modern society most urgently needs to rediscover the ability to live with mystery and uncertainty rather than seeking complete understanding.

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Rabbi Wittenberg, Senior Rabbi of Masorti Judaism in the UK, joins Simon to talk about Bamidbar, the spiritual potential of the desert, the environment and ecology, and the wisdom of Rabbi Louis Jacobs and others for our current moment. 

Jonathan Wittenberg was born into a family with a long rabbinical tradition going back several generations in Germany and Eastern Europe. Having earned his degree in literature at the University of Cambridge, he studied for the rabbinate at Leo Baeck College in London, and i...

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Newly-minted Rabbi Zachary Bernstein-Rothberg joins Simon to discuss Shemittah and agriculture as we focus in on Parashat Behar. Rabbi Bernstein-Rothberg has recently been appointed the rabbi of  South Herts and Edgware Masorti (SHEMA) in the UK and will be moving to the UK with his husband this Summer. 

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Dr. Adriane Leveen received her Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible from the University of California and her M.S. in Social Work from Columbia University. She served as Senior Lecturer in Hebrew Bible at Hebrew Union College until June, 2024. She is the author of Biblical Narratives of Israelites and their Neighbors: Strangers at the Gate (2017) and Memory and Tradition in the Book of Numbers (2008) and has contributed essays to the Oxford Handbook to Biblical Narrative and The Torah: A Women’s Commentary. She is currently at work on a modern reception history of th...

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David Frankel is Associate Professor of Bible at the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies. He has been on the faculty since 1992. He earned his PhD from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem under the direction of Prof. Moshe Weinfeld. His publications include “The Murmuring Stories of the Priestly School,” and “The Land of Canaan and the Destiny of Israel.”  From 1991 to 1996, Frankel was rabbi of Congregation Shevet Achim in Gilo, Jerusalem.

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Rabbi Ariel Abel discusses both the physical and spiritual implications of Tzara'at (leprosy)

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Dr Rabbi Joshua Garroway discusses the rationale for the dietary laws at various junctures in Jewish history and he also asks whether personal interpretations remain secondary to the enduring act of obedience.  

Dr. Rabbi Joshua Garroway is the Sol and Arlene Bronstein Professor of Judaeo-Christian Studies at HUC-JIR in Los Angeles. He holds a Ph.D. from the Religious Studies Department at Yale and ordination from HUC-JIR in Cincinnati. He is the author of, The Beginning of the Gospel: Paul, Philippi, and the Origins of Christianity.

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Rabbi Alex Matthews asks what the perpetual altar fire symbolises. 

Rabbi Alex Matthews has been part of the Congregation Ahavas Achim in Newburyport since 2015 and has been serving as its congregational leader since 2019. Rabbi Matthews was ordained at Hebrew College in June 2023. He serves part-time as a staff chaplain at Beverly Hospital. He completed the 18 Doors Rukin Rabbinic Fellowship focused on interfaith engagement, as well as the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies Machloket Matters fellowship, focused on working toward and through constructive disagreement.

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Dr Jeremy Tabick is senior editor and faculty at Hadar. Jeremy received his PhD in Talmud at JTS, writing "'Our Holy Rabbi': A Reassessment of the Historical Evidence about Rabbi, His Role in the Rabbinic Movement and in Reconstructing Late Antique Jewish History". He graduated from the University of Manchester (in the UK) with a Masters in Physics, and is an alumnus of Yeshivat Hadar and the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem. He lives in Riverdale with his wife and three children.

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Professor Kenneth Seeskindiscusses how the luxurious design of the Tabernacle contrasts with simpler forms of worship described elsewhere in the book of Exodus. 

Professor Kenneth Seeskin is Professor of Philosophy and Philip M. and Ethel Klutznick Professor of Jewish Civilization at Northwestern University. He received his Ph.D in Philosophy from Yale University in 1972 and has been at Northwestern ever since. He specializes in the rationalist tradition in Jewish philosophy with an emphasis on Maimonides. Publications include Maimonides on the Origin of the World (CUP, 2005), Jewish Messianic Thoughts in an Age o...

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Rabbi Alex Matthews asks how we should understand the sin of the golden calf. 

Rabbi Alex Matthews has been part of the Congregation Ahavas Achim in Newburyport since 2015 and has been serving as its congregational leader since 2019.  Rabbi Matthews was ordained at Hebrew College in June 2023. He serves part-time as a staff chaplain at Beverly Hospital. He completed the 18 Doors Rukin Rabbinic Fellowship focused on interfaith engagement, as well as the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies Machloket Matters fellowship, focused on working toward and through constructive disagreement.

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Rabbi Ariel Abel asks why the Torah moves so abruptly from the cosmic revelation of Sinai to the detailed civil laws outlined in Mishpatim. 

Rabbi Abel encourages cooperation, discussion and debate across the spectrum of the Jewish community. He is a rabbinic graduate of Midrash Sephardi in Jerusalem. He is a practising lawyer and a Sandhurst graduate chaplain in the British Army. 

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Rabbi Ariel Abel encourages cooperation, discussion and debate across the spectrum of the Jewish community. He is a rabbinic graduate of Midrash Sephardi in Jerusalem. He is a practising solicitor and a Sandhurst graduate chaplain in the British Army. 

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Rabbi Samuel Klein discusses the remusiking of the Children of Israel. 

Rabbi Samuel Klein is Director of Jewish Engagement at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, where he leads strategic initiatives that build meaningful connections to Jewish life. His work focuses on strengthening community through education, leadership cultivation, and multigenerational programming. 

Rabbi Klein brings an interdisciplinary perspective to his work, shaped by a foundation in theology, the arts, and Jewish thought. He holds advanced degrees in Theology (Cambridge University), History of Art (University College London), and Jewish Studies (Spertus In...

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Professor Ishay Rosen-Zvi discusses how the Mekilta and the Wisdom of Solomon differ in their portrayal of the plagues

Prof. Ishay Rosen-Zvi is Professor of Rabbinic Literature in the department of Jewish Philosophy and Talmud at Tel-Aviv University, and a research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute’s Kogod Center. He holds a Ph.D. in rabbinic literature from Tel-Aviv University and was elected to the Israel Young Academy of Sciences in 2013. Among his many publications are Demonic Desires: Yetzer Hara and the Problem of Evil in Late An...

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Dr. Rabbi Tzemah Yoreh has a PhD in Bible from Hebrew University, as well as a PhD in Wisdom Literature of the Hellenistic period from the University of Toronto. He has written many books focusing on his reconstruction of the redaction history of Genesis through Kings. He is the author of The First Book of God, and the multi-volume Kernel to Canon series, with books like Jacob’s Journey and Moses’s Mission. Yoreh has taught at Ben Gurion University and American Jewish University. He is currently the leader of the City Congregation for...

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Dr Angela Erisman shares why the Exodus story serves as an allegory for King Hezekiah of the 8th Century in Judah.

Dr Erisman is owner of Angela Roskop Erisman Editorial and was the founding editorial director of the Marginalia Review of Books. She earned her M.A. in Hebrew and Northwest Semitics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her Ph.D. in Bible and Ancient Near East at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. She is the author of The Wilderness Itineraries: Genre, Geography, and the Growth of Torah (2011), for which...

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Rabbi Nevins is dedicated to exploring the sacred realm of Torah and its intersection with contemporary ethics, culture, and technology. Ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary. He became Head of School of Golda Och Academy in 2021, dedicating himself to support the faculty and students in the creation of an outstanding and warm Jewish learning environment. Previously, he worked at The Jewish Theological Seminary as the Pearl Resnick Dean of the Division of Religious Leadership. He writes responsa on topics of contemporary halakhah, essays, prayers, and Torah commentaries, many of which can be viewed...

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Rabbi Alex Matthews has been part of the Congregation Ahavas Achim in Newburyport since 2015 and has been serving as its congregational leader since 2019.  Rabbi Matthews was ordained at Hebrew College in June 2023. He serves part-time as a staff chaplain at Beverly Hospital. He completed the 18 Doors Rukin Rabbinic Fellowship focused on interfaith engagement, as well as the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies Machloket Matters fellowship, focused on working toward and through constructive disagreement.

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Rabbi David Zucker discusses the theological role of dreams in Miketz. 

Dr. Rabbi David J. Zucker is an Independent Scholar. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Birmingham (UK), and Ordination and an M.A.H.L. from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. He publishes regularly (see www.DavidJZucker.org) and his latest book is American Rabbis: Facts and Fiction, Second Edition.

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Prof. Jack M. Sasson is the Mary Jane Werthan Professor (Emeritus) of Judaic and biblical Studies at Vanderbilt University as well as Kenan Professor (Emeritus) of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina. He holds a Ph.D. in Mediterranean Studies from Brandeis University. Sasson’s publications include commentaries on the Biblical books of Ruth (1979), Jonah (1991), Judges 1-12 (2014), and Judges 13-21 (forthcoming). His most recent monograph is From the Mari Archives: An Anthology of Old Babylonian Letters (Eisenbrauns, 2015).

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Dr George Savran asks whether Esau and Jacob really reconciled.

Dr George Savran taught at the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies since 1996, and was director of biblical studies. He received his Ph.D. from Brandeis University and is the author of Telling and Retelling: Quotation in Biblical Narrative (Indiana University Press, 1989) and Encountering the Divine: Theophany in Biblical Narrative (Sheffield University Press, 2005).

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Professor Zvi Ben-Dor Benite shares how Jacob's departure from Haran acts as a precursor for the Exodus from Egypt and how the Jacob story foreshadows so much else both in Torah and the development of Judaism itself. 

Professor Zvi Ben-Dor Benite is Professor of History, Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at NYU. He holds a Ph.D. in history from UCLA. He is the author of The Dao of Muhammad: A Cultural History of Muslims in Late Imperial China and The Ten Lost Tribes: A World History and i...

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Rabbi Alex Matthews discusses Rivkah's moment of existential and physical crisis. 

Rabbi Alex Matthews has been part of the Congregation Ahavas Achim in Newburyport since 2015 and has been serving as its congregational leader since 2019. Rabbi Matthews was ordained at Hebrew College in June 2023. He serves part-time as a staff chaplain at Beverly Hospital. Rabbi Matthews completed the 18 Doors Rukin Rabbinic Fellowship focused on interfaith engagement, as well as the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies Machloket Matters fellowship, focused on working toward and through constructive disagreement. 

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Professor Tammi Schneider discusses the life of Sarah in the context of the Ancient Near East. 

Tammi J. Schneider holds the Danforth Chair of Religion at Claremont GraduateUniversity. She specializes in the Hebrew Bible and the ancient Near East. She received her BA is in Hebrew Language and Literature from the University of Minnesota and her doctorate in Ancient History from the University of Pennsylvania. Her books include: Sarah: Mother of Nations published by The Continuum International Publishing Group, she serves as the secretary for the Council for the Society of B...

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Dr Noam Cohen uncovers the fascinating link between the background to Isaac's birth and the Ugaritic text of the Aqhat Epic. 

Dr. Noam Cohen is Visiting Assistant Professor of Hebrew and Jewish Studies at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA. He received his PhD from NYU, with a dissertation examining portrayals of spousal violence in the Hebrew Bible and other ancient West Asian texts.

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Due to several requests we are extending this series of audios featuring Rabbi Jacobs, from 2005 recordings. All are also avaialable with video by visiting www.booksof.louisjacobs.org. A free months subscription is available.

Rabbi Louis Jacobs reflects in this video upon his past appointments, starting from his early steps as assistant Rabbi in Eli Munk’s Beit Midrash in Golders Green, and concluding with the creation of the New London synagogue and the instigation of the Masorti movement. He offers intimate descriptions of his experience in these communities, ea...