Refa'einu: Prayer, Sefirah and Healing from Trauma Aleph Beta

In this episode, Rabbi Fohrman and Imu conclude their exploration of Marah and its connection to Refa’einu. The piece of the puzzle lies in understanding the meaning of God’s very strange method for turning the bitter waters sweet: uprooting a tree and throwing it into the waters. What message is this symbol meant to teach us? And what does it have to do with healing? The answers Rabbi Fohrman and Imu discover lead to a revolutionary way of thinking about faith, and how we can respond to the ...

In episode three, Rabbi Fohrman and Imu journeyed back to Egypt, for an in-depth account of the trauma the Israelites experienced there. In this episode, Rabbi Fohrman and Imu return to the story of Marah, to see if it reads any differently with this backstory in mind. What they discover is an incredible new meaning to God’s promise to be our Healer--a meaning that extends beyond individual healing to touch on the very essence of our national identity as caregivers to the world. Could it be t...

In episode two, Rabbi Fohrman and Imu looked deeper into the Biblical sources found in Refa’einu--the story of the splitting of the sea, and the story of the bitter waters of Marah. They discovered that these stories point to a mysterious illness which God cures the Israelites of... but what is this illness exactly? In this episode, Rabbi Fohrman and Imu begin to answer this question. Their journey leads them back to Egypt, and an in-depth account of the trauma the Israelites experienced ther...

In episode one, Rabbi Fohrman and Imu discovered references in Refa’einu to two Biblical stories that appear at the very end of the redemption from Egypt: the story of the splitting of the sea, and the story that comes right after this: the bitter waters of marah. In this episode, Rabbi Fohrman and Imu dive even deeper into these two events, to discover why Chazal turned to them for guidance when writing Refa’einu. On the surface, neither event has very much to do with health or healing. Howe...

In this first episode of the series, Rabbi Fohrman and Imu begin their journey by looking closely at the language of Refa’einu. It turns out, this prayer is hinting at an event from the Exodus story. But it’s not one of the obvious contenders, like the plagues, or the splitting of the sea. It’s the strange story of the bitter waters the Israelites came to shortly after entering the desert, and how God turned these waters sweet for them. What does this have to do with Refa’einu? Listen to find...