Unlock the most serious Jewish, Zionist, and American thinking.
Subscribe NowPodcast • Episode 149
Psalm 135 references the different groups of people who will come to the Temple, joined in praise of God. Supplemental Materials: Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 135 in English. Click here to listen to a recitation …
Podcast • Episode 125
Utilitarianism was one product of the Enlightenment, but so was Romanticism. As we begin to unpack these topics, Rabbi Rocklin will answer the following questions: Why did Bentham argue in favor of uncapped interest rates even if it would not …
Podcast • Episode 148
A Hebrew phrase has opened the last 15 psalms. What does it mean? Supplemental Materials: Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 134 in English. Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 134 in Hebrew. Click …
Podcast • Episode 147
How is the famous verse that opens Psalm 133 linked with the other verses contained in it? Supplemental Materials: Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 133 in English. Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm …
Medicine, bioethics, technology, and what it means to be created in the image of God.
Podcast • Episode 146
Psalm 132 describes David’s search for the site of the future Temple. Supplemental Materials: Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 132 in English. Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 132 in Hebrew. Click …
Speech
Transmitting America's story to the next generation is the surest way to preserve freedom.
Speech
The power and popularity of Irving Berlin's "God Bless America" reveals that America’s passion for prayer and its love of liberty are always intertwined.
Essay
Norman Podhoretz, 1930-2025
Podcast • Episode 145
Psalm 131’s themes of humility and trust reflect the essence of David's spiritual life. Supplemental Materials: Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 131 in English. Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 131 …
Podcast • Episode 458
Ayaan Hirsi Ali was born in Somalia, grew up in Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, and Kenya, fled to the Netherlands in 1992 to escape an arranged marriage, became a member of the Dutch parliament, and collaborated with the filmmaker Theo van …
Podcast • Episode 124
The Biblical underpinnings of Judaism give us some important insights into modern economics. To help us explore the topic, we’ll address the following questions: In what sense can general economic productivity be understood as Biblical? Why did the Dutch …
Podcast • Episode 144
A famous phrase opens Psalm 130. What does it mean? Supplemental Materials: Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 130 in English. Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 130 in Hebrew. Click here to read …
Podcast • Episode 143
An allusion to part of the plot from the Book of Ruth may be found in our psalm. Supplemental Materials: Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 129 in English. Click here to listen to a recitation of …
Podcast • Episode 142
A wedding tradition allows us to more deeply understand Psalm 128. Supplemental Materials: Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 128 in English. Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 128 in Hebrew. Click here to …
Speech
Religious liberty is not merely tolerated in America but is essential to its founding character and constitutional order.
Podcast • Episode 141
Psalm 127 joins the themes of the Temple and spiritual posterity. Supplemental Materials: Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 127 in English. Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 127 in Hebrew. Click here to …
Course Lesson
How Do We Know God? The First Commandment: Judah Halevi pondered why the one true God revealed Himself not merely as Creator of the Universe, but as the God of Abraham Who took Israel out of Egypt. What does this …
Podcast • Episode 140
The topography of the land around Jerusalem is transformed into a sublime symbol in this psalm. Supplemental Materials: Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 125 in English. Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 125 …
Podcast • Episode 457
On May 4, President Trump issued a proclamation which reads: In special honor of 250 glorious years of American independence and on the weekend of Rededicate 250—a national jubilee of prayer, praise, and thanksgiving—Jewish Americans are encouraged to …
Podcast • Episode 139
The miraculous endurance of the Jewish people is the subject of Psalm 124. Supplemental Materials: Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 124 in English. Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 124 in Hebrew. Click …
Course Lesson
Who Is God? The Third Commandment and the Name of the Lord: What does it mean that the Creator has a personal and ineffable name? Rabbi Soloveichik explores how the sanctity of God's name illuminates the biblical vision of …
Course Lesson
When It Displeases the Court: Truth, Testimony, and the Ninth Commandment: What does it mean to speak "the whole truth, and nothing but the truth"? The Torah's prohibition on false testimony is a deeper call to honor truth itself …
Course Lesson
God, Father, and Mother: The Partnership That Defines the Jewish Family: Why is honoring one's parents listed alongside commandments about God? Judaism sees family as a sacred partnership in creation and as the foundation of faith itself. Human Life …
Course
Rabbi Meir Soloveichik explores the Ten Commandments as you've never understood them before.
Course Lesson
Family and the Seventh Commandment: Adultery is not only a private failing—it strikes at the covenantal heart of marriage. This commandment shows how Jewish tradition links faith in family to faith in God. Life, Liberty, and Judaism: The Eighth …
Podcast • Episode 138
Psalm 123 is a striking contrast to Psalm 122, teaching us about the different emotions reflected in the psalms in their entirety. Supplemental Materials: Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 123 in English. Click here to listen …
Podcast • Episode 123
Immanuel Kant is widely regarded as the greatest of the Enlightenment philosophers. Today, we’ll learn more about him and address the following questions: How did Kant’s Protestant background influence his approach to philosophy? In what way did Kant …
Podcast • Episode 137
Psalm 122 gives us David’s vision of Jerusalem. Supplemental Materials: Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 122 in English. Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 122 in Hebrew. Click here to read Psalm …
Podcast • Episode 136
Some modern commentators persuasively argue that this famous psalm is originally about a journey. Supplemental Materials: Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 121 in English. Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 121 in Hebrew …
Essay
To sanctify the age of technology, humanity must first learn to stop and ask why.
Podcast • Episode 135
Psalm 120 introduces the "Songs of Ascent" and has a seemingly jarring conclusion. Supplemental Materials: Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 120 in English. Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 120 in Hebrew. Click …
Podcast • Episode 134
Psalm 119 concludes with a surprising ending. Supplemental Materials: Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 119:153-176 in English. Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 119:153-176 in Hebrew. Click here to …
Podcast • Episode 456
Every year on Shavuot, many Jews have the custom of reading the book of Ruth. The holiday commemorates the giving of the Torah at Sinai—the moment when the Jewish people gathered at the foot of the mountain and declared …
Podcast • Episode 133
The psalm describes in an intriguing way how one can be near to God in this world. Supplemental Materials: Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 119:136-152 in English. Click here to listen to a recitation …
Podcast • Episode 132
A beautiful phrase about the luminous nature of the word of God could have a dual meaning. Supplemental Materials: Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 119:121-136 in English. Click here to listen to a recitation …
Podcast • Episode 122
The Scottish Enlightenment was markedly different than the Enlightenment on the European continent. To help us explore this topic, we’ll take a look at the following questions: How did David Hume influence the way in which history is recounted …
Podcast • Episode 131
The psalms describe the Torah as belonging to God, yet Jewish liturgy depicts the Torah as being given. How are these representations to be reconciled? Supplemental Materials: Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 119:113-120 in …
Podcast • Episode 130
A fascinating verse describes how the Torah guides everyday life. Supplemental Materials: Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 119:81-112 in English. Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 119:81-112 in Hebrew …
Podcast • Episode 129
A story of a Jew from early America relates to a term for certain commandments in our psalm. Supplemental Materials: Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 119:49-80 in English. Click here to listen to a …
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Podcast • Episode 128
The distinct names for certain commandments teach us about the larger symphony that is a life inspired by the Torah. Supplemental Materials: Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 119:33-48 in English. Click here to listen …
Podcast • Episode 455
In the spring of 2026, Israel and the United States conducted joint offensive military operations against Iran: coordinating targets, dividing airspace, and operating with a degree of integration that has no precedent in the history of the alliance. The operation …
Six conversations on the Book of Ruth, ranging from close reading to philosophy, theology, and ritual. Taken together, they trace a path from loss to renewal, and from private devotion to public covenant.
Podcast • Episode 127
The first section of the longest psalm reflects the complexity of the Torah and the way study sustains Jews throughout the generations. Supplemental Materials: Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 119:1-32 in English. Click here …
Video
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Podcast • Episode 126
The psalm speaks of a "rejected" stone. Who is it? Supplemental Materials: Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 118 in English. Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 118 in Hebrew. Click here to read …
Podcast • Episode 121
One of the most intriguing philosophers of the Enlightenment was Jean-Jacques Rousseau. As we learn about his assertions and contradictions, Rabbi Rocklin will touch on the following questions: In what sense is Rousseau at least partly responsible for the …
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Podcast • Episode 125
The complexity of the eschatological vision of the Hebrew Bible is contained in this short psalm. Supplemental Materials: Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 117 in English. Click here to listen to a recitation of Psalm 117 …
