The Tanakh Podcast
Study Tanakh with Rav Alex Israel.
10 mins a day.
One chapter a day.
929 schedule.
- Update frequency
- every day
- Average duration
- 11 minutes
- Episodes
- 767
- Years Active
- 2022 - 2025
Tehillim. Psalm 81 - "If Only My People..."
This is the Psalm that we recite every Thursday.
It begins with 6 verses of joy.
Then it turns to rebuke.
What causes the stark turn in the chapter?
Tehillim. Psalm 80 - Like a Ravaged Vine
The Tribes of Ephraim Menashe and Binyamin are compared to a vine whose walls have been broken down and wild animals enter, eating the grapes, trampling the vine. This is the state of Israel after in…
Tehillim. Psalm 79 - In the Ruins of the Temple
What do you say to God when the Temple lies ruined before you and carnage surrounds in every direction?
This Psalm gives us an insider view of the immediate response to the Hurban.
Music. The Portno…
Tehillim. Psalm 78 - History and Politics
Our chapter is a historical review, expressing God's power kindness and forbearance, and Israel's waywardness and non-adherence to God's covenant.
But why do we tell history?
Is this merely about rel…
Tehillim. Psalm 77 - What Do You Remember?
What do we remember? What do we forget?
The first half of this chapter is about Exile and God's abandonment of Israel.
The second half of the mizmor is about victory, redemption and Divine salvation.
…
Tehillim. Psalm 76 - If you Want Peace, Prepare for War
How do we effectively work towards world peace?
How do we encourage society away from resorting to self-interest, violence and ugly opportunism, and more to altruism, justice and integrity?
Our chapt…
Tehillim. Psalm 75 - God's Cup
This chapter speaks in God's name, promising destruction to the evil, vain and violent elements in the world.
Tehillim. Psalm 74 - "Have You abandoned us forever?"
This Psalm reflacts the dismay and bewilderment of the Exile and Temple's destruction:
- God! - What about the covenant?
- God! - Can't You hear them blaspheming and mocking You?
- God! - Have You ab…
Tehillim. Psalm 73 - God's Closeness
Why do the evil prosper? Why is the world so unfair? That is the question that throws Assaf into theological turmoil. And yet, a visit to the Mikdash seems to have offered him a radically different p…
Tehillim. Psalm 72 - To Solomon
Tehillim. Psalm 71 - The Virtues of Old-Age
David looks back on his life and fears for the future.
What can he offer at this stage of his life?
What is occupying his mind?
Tehillim. Psalm 70 - Optimism
Psalm 70 is a repeat of Psalm 40.
It seems that this text was particularly popular.
Why is repeated?
And what is its particularly optimistic message?
Tehillim. Psalm 68 - The Most Baffling Mizmor of All
With a dazzling range of references, and 15 words that appear nowhere else in Tanakh, this chapter has mystified commentators.
Tehillim. Psalm 67 - Blessing, Justice & Global Unity
Seven verse, 49 words - a vision of global unity in which justice is manifest on earth, and God showers humanity with prosperity and blessing.
This psalm is like an extended "Birkhat Kohanim"
A utop…
Tehillim. Psalm 66 - Jewish Survival
This psalm calls upon the world to acclaim God for our survival through both miracles and through the fires and waters of persecution.
Tehillim. Psalm 65 - Singing in the Rain
This chapter is seen as a song of praise, after a drought, when the rain falls, and people can breath a sigh of relief knowing that their crops will sprout and grow, and their herds will be fed.
We a…
Tehillim. Psalm 64 - Like an Arrow
"They sharpen their tongues like swords; they aim their arrows with cruel words to shoot the innocent from a hidden place."
Today we the arrow as a metaphor for speech.
Tehillim. Psalm 63 - "My Soul Thirsts for You!"
One of the sublime expressions of craving for God.
Tehillim. Psalm 62 - Mixed Messages
God is my salvation. But the world is full of injustice, violence and treachery: "God spoke one thing; I heard two!" Sometimes it is hard to discern the message of God in our confusing world.