Modern Torah

Nathan J Vaughan
  • 5.0 (5)
  • JUDAISM
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Modern Torah

I’m not a rabbi, so every week, I look at our Torah portion and try to put it in conversation with the world around me. Judaism is rich in tradition, and each of us deserves the chance to find our own meaning in its words, but like the text says, "there's nothing new under the sun."Whether you’re studying Torah daily, or taking a moment to prepare for Shabbat, new to text and maybe even Judaism, or a longtime yeshivanik, I hope you’ll make a few minutes of my Torah part of your week.Thanks for listening, and Shabbat shalom.

  1. Introducing 72 Miles til Kentucky

    FEB 12

    Introducing 72 Miles til Kentucky

    This is a bit of a break from the regular Modern Torah feed, but I want to share a new, limited-series podcast with you that I've just released. It's called 72 Miles til Kentucky, and it's a storytelling podcast all about Jewish life in my home state. Here's the quick blurb. You can check out the full podcast here.72 Miles features the stories of three separate interfaith Jewish families–two real, one not, and one mine. Together, they trace 150 years of Kentucky history, with experiences that...

    6 min
  2. Moses Benjamin Ezekiel

    12/21/2023

    Moses Benjamin Ezekiel

    This week, I was reading about the final stages of the plan to remove the Confederate Veterans Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. The memorial, if you’ve never seen it, is atrocious. It’s the tallest structure in the cemetery, for starters, and it’s covered with racist, apologist imagery that glorifies the Southern cause. The monument is scheduled to be removed this month, and relocated to a Virginia state park at the site of the Battle of New Market, in the Shenandoah Valley. But the p...

    10 min
  3. Elvis & Wisdom

    12/15/2023

    Elvis & Wisdom

    Sometimes, when I'm feeling bored in shul I flip to the back of the book, and read Pirkei Avot. There's a particular passage, in the fifth chapter, that I often find myself turning to, especially in weeks that I'm feeling old. Like this week. Because this year, and this week's Torah portion Miketz, marks 25 years since my Bar Mitzvah on December 19, 1998.Music by Chillhop Records:Aves - Cruisin' https://chll.to/60c1dd59Blue Wednesday - Slow Burn https://chll.to/fdcaa474I’m not a rabbi, so eve...

    8 min
  4. An Israelite in Egyptian Clothing

    12/08/2023

    An Israelite in Egyptian Clothing

    I went to graduate school at Brandeis University, and if I hadn't, I would've gone to law school at the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law, in Louisville, KY, where the first Jewish justice to sit on the Supreme Court was born, and raised. But what if I told you that story was almost wildly different. That the first Jewish nominee to sit on the bench was almost put forward almost 60 years before Brandeis was nominated, but he turned down the nomination. And thank goodness, otherwise the first Je...

    7 min
  5. The Two Obadiahs

    11/30/2023

    The Two Obadiahs

    Obadiah, Ovadiah. Obadi-ah. However you pronounce it, you might not remember it, but Obadiah is the name of the shortest book in the Hebrew Bible, and the Haftorah portion the rabbis chose to pair with this week's Torah portion, Vayishlach.Music Courtesy of Chillhop Records:Leavv, Maduk - Company https://chll.to/db033300Ian Ewing, Maduk - Stay Like This https://chll.to/2d387f49Masked Man - Joop https://chll.to/f6126588Poldoore, Maduk - Transformations https://chll.to/1b193db7I’m not a rabbi, ...

    8 min
  6. Two Nations Under Cucumbers

    11/14/2023

    Two Nations Under Cucumbers

    This week, I'm all about cucumbers. This humble vegetable, which the Talmud calls a delicacy of kings, became an internet craze a few years ago when Macka B released his "Cucumber Rap." Check it out in my source sheet for this episode.The Talmud has a lot to say about cucumbers, including a discussion about whether or not they're good for your body, even if they did grace the table of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi. In the end, they opt for a compromise, and all of it is driven by one line in this week'...

    10 min
  7. Repost: Choosing Choiceless Choices

    11/13/2023

    Repost: Choosing Choiceless Choices

    I updated my phone this week, which made it a great time to repost this episode, from two years ago. What does it mean to actually have choice? Are the choices we see the actual choices that we have? Are we supposed to pick a path through the woods, or turn around, or just sit in the mud and cry?I have a new episode coming later this week, in time for Shabbat as normal, but wanted to revive this old episode. I hope you enjoy.I’m not a rabbi, so every week, I look at our Torah portion and try ...

    9 min
  8. The Life of Sarah...The Death of Pearl

    11/10/2023

    The Life of Sarah...The Death of Pearl

    There's a poem I've been reading recently, a long form epic poem originally written in Yiddish, about a Jewish blacksmith who settles down in rural Kentucky, in the mid-19th century. It's part of a project called 72 Miles, which I'm about to release, but this week I couldn't get away from a scene in the story that seems ripped from the headlines of this week's Torah portion, Chayei Sarah — The Life of Sarah. Go deeper with my sources for this episode on Sefaria---Music courtesy of Chillh...

    14 min
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Ratings & Reviews

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5 Ratings

About

I’m not a rabbi, so every week, I look at our Torah portion and try to put it in conversation with the world around me. Judaism is rich in tradition, and each of us deserves the chance to find our own meaning in its words, but like the text says, "there's nothing new under the sun."Whether you’re studying Torah daily, or taking a moment to prepare for Shabbat, new to text and maybe even Judaism, or a longtime yeshivanik, I hope you’ll make a few minutes of my Torah part of your week.Thanks for listening, and Shabbat shalom.

Information

  • Creator
    Nathan J Vaughan
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2024
  • Episodes
    80
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2024 NJV Media
  • Show Website
    Modern Torah

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