Ta Shma

Hadar Institute
  • 4.7 (90)
  • JUDAISM
  • UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY

Bringing you recent lectures, classes, and programs from the Hadar Institute, Ta Shma is where you get to listen in on the beit midrash. Come and listen on the go, at home, or wherever you are. Hosted by Rabbi Avi Killip of the Hadar Institute.

  1. 4D AGO

    R. Avital Hochstein on Parashat Vayehi: Truth and Peace

    We find ourselves at the closing moments of the Book of Genesis—moments of transition as a family becomes a nation. We stand on the threshold between Yosef’s personal trauma and the national trauma soon to come, the slavery in Egypt. What mindset does Parashat VaYehi seek to give us as a tool for facing the suffering of Egypt?

    13 min

  2. 6D AGO

    R. Elazar Symon on the 10th of Tevet: “A Day of Hearing”: The Other Tevet Fast

    We know about the fasts that mark the destruction of the Temple from a prophecy of Zekhariah.  While the Jewish exiles were in Babylon, the prophet was asked whether traditional fasts would continue to be observed.  In his response, Zekhariah refers to four fast days.

    10 min

  3. 12/24/2025

    R. Avital Hochstein on Parashat Vayigash: Three Paths to Closeness

    The word “vayigash” (“he approached”) opens one of the most dramatic scenes in the Torah: a climactic moment in the tense encounter between Yehudah, the brothers and Yosef, a moment in which the fate of the entire family rests on the words and actions of a single person.  “And Yehudah approached him and said…” (Genesis 44:18).

    11 min

  4. 12/22/2025

    R. Avi Killip: Birthing Worlds

    For generations our relationship with God has been mediated through texts written almost entirely by men. In these sessions, Rabbi Avi Killip explores a collection of midrashim, written by contemporary Israeli women writers, exploring images of God that are uniquely female oriented while being deeply rooted in the images and language of the Torah and classical midrash. “Birthing Worlds,” the second class in this series, introduces midrashim on the life experience of birthing and pregnancy loss as windows into the divine experience of creation and revelation. Recorded in Summer 2025.  Source sheet: https://mechonhadar.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/mh_torah_source_sheets/KillipBirthingWorlds2025.pdf

    37 min

  5. 12/17/2025

    R. Avital Hochstein on Parashat Mikeitz: How Do You Climb Out of a Pit?

    Parashat Mikeitz teaches that dreams hold immense power: the power to bring downfall or renewal, life or death, destruction or creation, war or peace. This means that the way we, as human beings, pursue a dream—whether out of spiritual emptiness or fullness, with an expectation that it will disconnect or connect—places before us both choice and responsibility.

    9 min

  6. 12/15/2025

    R. Elazar Symon on Hanukkah: The Miracle of Home Carried into the Street

    One of the differences between the Hanukkah candles and the other significant candles in our religious practice, the Shabbat candles, is their location. While Shabbat candles are lit inside the house, in the private domain (or, the technical term: reshut ha-yahid), the Hanukkah lamps are ideally lit in the doorway that connects to the public domain (reshut ha-rabim). But what is the significance of this difference? What is the meaning of the liminal space of the doorway? And what spiritual message does the invitation to illuminate it contain?

    6 min

  7. 12/10/2025

    R. Avital Hochstein on Parashat VaYeishev: Yosef's Father, a Symbol of the Future

    One of the most dramatic turning points in Yosef’s life is his fall from a respected and powerful position in Potiphar’s house in Egypt to the status of a prisoner in jail. In the Rabbinic tradition, this moment is seen not merely as a downfall but as a moment of personal choice, a point at which Yosef chooses to invest in a future. He chooses active continuity rather than starting anew. Interestingly the character who represents this choice is one from his past: his father.

    10 min

  8. 12/08/2025

    R. Avi Killip: The Kiss of Death

    For generations our relationship with God has been mediated through texts written almost entirely by men. In these sessions, Rabbi Avi Killip explores a collection of midrashim, written by contemporary Israeli women writers, exploring images of God that are uniquely female oriented while being deeply rooted in the images and language of the Torah and classical midrash. “The Kiss of Death” is a breathtakingly beautiful midrash about the death of Miriam, that opens layers of unexpected metaphors for God. Recorded in Summer 2025.  Source sheet: https://mechonhadar.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/mh_torah_source_sheets/KillipKissOfDeath2025.pdf

    45 min
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4.7
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About

Bringing you recent lectures, classes, and programs from the Hadar Institute, Ta Shma is where you get to listen in on the beit midrash. Come and listen on the go, at home, or wherever you are. Hosted by Rabbi Avi Killip of the Hadar Institute.

Information

  • Creator
    Hadar Institute
  • Years Active
    2008 - 2025
  • Episodes
    723
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Ta Shma
  • Show Website
    Ta Shma

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