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
- 766
- Years Active
- 2022 - 2025
Nehemiah ch.13 - New Laws to Bolster Judaism
Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem and finds that Toviah has a office in the Temple (- he throws him out -) , that Shabbat is being widely broken in Jerusalem, and that intermarriage continues among the e…
Nehemiah ch.12 - Dedicating the Walls of Jerusalem
The walls of Jerusalem are dedicated with pomp and circumstance in a double procession, concluding with a feast at the Temple.
Why are the walls not merely ...walls? Why do they have religious signifi…
Nehemiah ch.11 - The Jerusalem "Volunteers"
In this chapter, a lottery is made and one out of ten families are "volunteered" to live in Jerusalem!
Nehemiah ch.10 - Renewing the Covenant
At the end of the national "happening" in Jerusalem, Ezra and Nehemiah have the people sign a covenant committing themselves to Torah and religious observance.
What are the implications of this moment?
Nehemiah ch.9 - Learning from History
Before the people disband, they dress in sackcloth and confess their sins before God.
The Levites lead a heartfelt prayer reviewing Jewish history - the people's rebellious nature, and God's forbearan…
Nehemiah ch.8 - Torah for the People
It is the 1st of Tishrei - what we call Rosh Hashannah.
Ezra and Nehemiah join hands and arrange a huge gathering in which the Torah is brought out of the Temple and read and translated. The text emph…
Nehemiah ch.7 - Who are the Samaritans?
The bulk of ch.7 is roster, a list of the community, which is essentially identical to Ezra ch.2. So we will take this opportunity to speak about the Samaritans and explain how they fit in to the wor…
Nehemiah ch.6 - Lies, Treachery and Plot
Sanvallat and Toviah and Geshem try to use everything in their power to frame Nehamiah, to defame him, possibly even to assassinate or physically attack him, as they engage in conspiracy and lies to …
Nehemiah ch.5 - Slavery and Freedom
The people cry out to Nehemiah because due to poverty and outstanding loans, their children and their farms are being siezed by lenders and loansharks. Nehemiah turns his attention to rectifying the …
Nehemiah ch.4 - Building and Defending
The enemies of Judah see that the building of Jerusalem's city wall is progressing. They threaten military action. As a result, Nehemiah has to divide the human resources - half the people will be on…
Nehemiah ch.3 - Building the Walls
Nehemiah divides the building of the wall between various villages, groups, families and guilds. In this way, each group works autonomously while everyone is coordinated into a national project. This…
Nehemiah ch.2 - A Nighttime Hike
Nehemiah receives a royal commission and is posted as governor of Yehud. As soon as he arrives, he goes out alone at night to survey the city walls, embarking on his most important project - rebuildi…
Nehemiah ch.1 - News from Jerusalem
We jump 13 years forward and meet Nehemia, a devout Jews in Shushan who works for the king. He hears about the derelict state of Jerusalem and the low situation of the Jews living there, he prays and…
Ezra ch.10 - Rain and Divorce in Jerusalem
Ezra is looking for a solution to the rampant intermarriage within the community.
He calls the community to a summit in Jerusalem. But it all goes rather wrong when they gather in a winter rainstorm. …
Ezra ch.9 - Intermarriage
No sooner has Ezra arrived in Jerusalem, he is informed that the community is intermarrying at a rapid rate; the leaders are the greatest culprits. Ezra falls to his knees in prayer.
In this podcast w…
Ezra ch.8 - Ezra's Aliyah
Ezra makes Aliyah with an entourage of approximately 10,00 people. This group consists of Kohanim (priests), Leviin, Israelites, and Netinim - a non-Jewish group who were adjunct to the Temple. Ezra …
Ezra ch.7 - Meet Ezra!
This chapter introduces Ezra as a religious figure, recognized by Persian royalty and government, who sets his heart on boosting and rehabilitating religious life in Jerusalem.
Ezra ch.6 - The Second Temple is Built!
In ch.6 we read Cyrus' original memorandum giving the Jews permission to build the Temple. We shall focus on some of the unique features of this document.
The Temple is completed on the 3rd Adar in th…
Ezra ch.5 - Do You Have a Planning Permit?
It is the 2nd year of Darius.
After a 15 year hiatus, the prophets Hagai and Zecharia encourage the Jews to renew the building of the Temple.
The Persan governor Tattenai hears of this and enquires whe…
Ezra ch.4 - Temple On Hold
The "Enemies of Yehuda and Binyamin" - the Samaritans, request to join the building of the Temple. When they are rebuffed by Yehoshua and Zeubavel, they turn against the Jews, appealing to central go…