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
Ezra ch.3 - Founding the Second Temple
The people have returned.
Now they set their attention to the Temple.
First they begin offering the Tamid, the daily sacrifice, on an altar on the Temple Mount.
Next they set the Foundation Stone of the…
Ezra ch.2 - The Returnees
42, 360 Jews return. This chapter gives a roster of sorts of all the returnees, according to their ancestral lineage and geographical origin.
Ezra ch.1 - The Cyrus Declaration
Cyrus takes the reins of the Persian Empire.
He allows the Jews, (and other nations) to return to their homeland and rebuild the Temple. He even restores the original 1st Temple vessels to the Jewish …
Daniel ch.12 - Resurrection of the Dead
Today our chapter provides fertile ground for the ideas of resurrection of the dead, the final judgement, the book of life, and the notion of a "ketz" a pre-prescribed end-point of history. Here are …
Daniel ch.11 - A Short History of the Greek Empire
Daniel ch.11 gives us the history of the Greek Empire until the period of the Maccabees. What implications might we draw from this historical overview?
Daniel ch.10 - Seeing Angels
Ch.10 is the introduction to the final vision of the book.
This chapter gives us a front-row seat as to the experience of prophecy, or at least, the encounter with a being - an angel - from the spirit…
Daniel ch.9 - Daniel's Prayer (and Yom Hashoah)
Daniel sees that 70 years have past but the Exile is not over. He prays to God for mercy.
One question raised by the Talmud is how a person's faith can remain intact after horrors like the Hurban (or …
Daniel ch.8 - Predicting the "End"
This chapter was used by many to try to calculate when the Redemption would arrive.
Daniel ch.7 - Four Wild Beasts
With ch.7 we begin the second segment of Sefer Daniel - Daniel's vision. We start with a vision of 4 terrifying beasts outlining the history of "Four Kingdoms" of which we have already learned in ch.…
Daniel ch.6 - In the Lion's Den
Chapter 6 bears a startling similarity to ch.3.
What are the unique lessons we can glean from this chapter? Why is the storyline repeated?
Daniel ch.5 - The Writing on the Wall
This chapter, immortalized in a historic painting by Rembrandt, tells how Belshazzar, drinking at a royal feast from the Temple vessels, is startled by the appearance of a hand, writing an indecipher…
Daniel ch.4 - The King who became a Bird
The king has a dreadful dream (- yet again!) Daniel interprets it. It is all about a tree being cut down. What does it mean?
Daniel ch.3 - The Statue of Dura and the Fiery Furnace
In an exciting story of religious defiance, self-sacrifice, and miraculous salvation, Daniel's three friends prefer death rather than bow to the great statue in Dura, set up by Nebbuchadnezzar. They …
Daniel ch.2 - The Dream Interpreter
In a nail-biting chapter, the king threatens his "wise-men" if they fail to recall and interpret his dream. Daniel prays to God and succeeds.
We discuss the comparisons and contrasts to the Joseph-Pha…
Daniel ch.1 - The Jew in a Foreign Culture
Today we introduce the book and figure of Daniel.
Daniel is a personality who is very much in dialogue with other "Jews in a foreign court" - the Biblical Joseph and Mordechai and Esther (And Nehemiah…
Esther ch.10 - Unstable Victory
Esther ch.9 - A Very Jewish Celebration
Esther ch.8 - Saving the Jews is Complicated
Esther Chapter 7 - "And also Harvona..."
Esther ch.6 - Assassination Intrigue
Why can't the king fall asleep? What is he worrying about?
Why does Achashverosh want Mordechai to be paraded around Shushan?
Does he suspect Haman? Of what?
The tables are beginning to turn!