Sivan Says: Taking the Torah Personally

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Sivan Says: Taking the Torah Personally Podcast

Each week, Israeli journalist and Torah scholar Sivan Rahav-Meir and Tablet’s own Liel Leibovitz discuss the week’s parsha, giving practical advice from our holiest book.

  1. 6 DAYS AGO

    Ki Tavo

    On this week's parsha, Parshat Ki Tavo, we discuss how to act when we enter the land of Israel. With all sorts of terrible things that can happen, what should we focus on? How should we act? As Sivan explains, one verse directs us: "Because you did not serve God with happiness and gladness of heart when you had an abundence of everything." We should pay attention to what we have. Thank God for what we are given. Appreciate the privilege in our lives. But how can we be happy after such a challenging year? How can we create happy Jewish futures? And what does this have to do with the famous Israeli singer Ishay Ribo? Tune in to find out. Sivan Rahav-Meir is a leading Israeli journalist, media personality and Torah scholar. You can sign up for her The Daily Portion WhatsApp group, where Sivan sends small insights about Judaism and current affairs. Check out Liel’s new book, How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher, or wherever you purchase books. You can find all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

    20 min

  2. 11 SEPT

    Ki Teitzei

    In this week's parsha, Parshat Ki Teitzei, we read seventy four mitzvot, the largest number out of all the parshot in the Torah. But Sivan zeroes in on just one: HaShavat Aveda, or lost and found. That if you see something astray, you are commanded to return it to its owner. Yes, this relates to physical objects in the world. But it's also about those who are spiritually lost. That when one strays away, we must help bring them back. How do we help others return to themselves? How do we help ourselves if we've gone adrift? What's this got to do with Sivan's first time keeping shabbat? Listen to find out. Sivan Rahav-Meir is a leading Israeli journalist, media personality and Torah scholar. You can sign up for her The Daily Portion WhatsApp group, where Sivan sends small insights about Judaism and current affairs. Check out Liel’s new book, How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher, or wherever you purchase books. You can find all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

    21 min

  3. 4 SEPT

    Shoftim

    On this week's parsha, Parshat Shoftim, we focus on a particular verse that can help us through this challenging week: "Tamim Tihiyeh Im Hashem Elokecha" - that we become wholehearted, blameless, innocent before God. At the funeral of Hersh Goldberg Polin, Sivan explains, we had an opportunity to see this command in action. In their eulogies, Hersh's parents praised God for gifting them their son. They thanked the nation of Israel for supporting them through their battle to bring him home. They asked Hersh to shine his light on them from above. Wondering how to take action in light of tragedy? To help support the families of the hostages? To become innocent before God, and to do so in this holy month of Elul? Tune in to find out. Sivan Rahav-Meir is a leading Israeli journalist, media personality and Torah scholar. You can sign up for her The Daily Portion WhatsApp group, where Sivan sends small insights about Judaism and current affairs. Check out Liel’s new book, How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher, or wherever you purchase books. You can find all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

    18 min

  4. 28 AUG

    Re'eh

    On this week's parsha, Parshat Re'eh, we learn to see. Of the fifty-five mitzvot laid out in the parsha, Sivan focuses on the very first verse, which, she explains, can help us keep them all: to see God's blessings and his curses. This is because the mitzvot are not there to be blindly obeyed. Nor are they there just for intellectual appreciation. It's about seeing the mitzvot clearly - about feeling God's spiritual world - and integrating them into your life. What's this got to do with the saying the mourner's kaddish for 10/7 victims? Tune in to find out. Sivan Rahav-Meir is a leading Israeli journalist, media personality and Torah scholar. You can sign up for her The Daily Portion WhatsApp group, where Sivan sends small insights about Judaism and current affairs. Check out Liel’s new book, How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher, or wherever you purchase books. You can find all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

    18 min

  5. 21 AUG

    Eikev

    This week's parsha, Parshat Eikev, is all about perspective. Because in Moses's closing speech, he tells the Israelites that if they fulfill the commandments, they will prosper, and if they don't, they won't. This, Sivan explains, is a warning to us moderns: that when one has everything, and in large quantities at that, we can easily lose focus on what really matters. Can we connect to the commandments and not just our pocketbooks? Can we zoom out, take a breath, and appreciate God's attention in the world? What's this got to do with fresh squeezed orange juice? Listen to find out. Sivan Rahav-Meir is a leading Israeli journalist, media personality and Torah scholar. You can sign up for her The Daily Portion WhatsApp group, where Sivan sends small insights about Judaism and current affairs. Check out Liel’s new book, How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher, or wherever you purchase books. You can find all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

    18 min

  6. 14 AUG

    Vaetchanan

    In this week's parsha, Parshat Vaetchanan, we talk about begging and repenting. Because when Moses begs to enter the promised land, his dream is not fulfilled. So how does he continue in the face of this hurdle? Tshuva, or repentance. The idea that you can falter and sin and still come back to yourself, others, and God. What does this have to do with survivors of the Nova music festival attack celebrating Shabbat? Listen to find out. Sivan Rahav-Meir is a leading Israeli journalist, media personality and Torah scholar. You can sign up for her The Daily Portion WhatsApp group, where Sivan sends small insights about Judaism and current affairs. Check out Liel’s new book, How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher, or wherever you purchase books. You can find all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

    17 min

  7. 7 AUG

    Devarim

    This week, as we start the Book of Deuteronomy, we begin with Parshat Devarim, which is about the words we speak. It's the words of Moses that guide us. In the parsha, Moses gives his final speech, telling the story of himself, and of us. In doing so, Sivan explains, he invites us to take part in this story. To transcend distractions and immediate satisfaction. To connect to collective meaning and universal truths. What's this got to do with Sivan waking up at 4am? Listen to find out. Sivan Rahav-Meir is a leading Israeli journalist, media personality and Torah scholar. You can sign up for her The Daily Portion WhatsApp group, where Sivan sends small insights about Judaism and current affairs. Check out Liel’s new book, How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher, or wherever you purchase books. You can find all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

    15 min

  8. 31 JUL

    Matot-Masei

    This week, as we come to the end of the Book of Numbers, we're met with a double parsha - Parashat Matot-Masei, or tribes and journeys. Sivan ties the parashot to her new free booklet, To Be a Jew: Faith and Hope in Challenging Times, where she channels Rabbi Jonathan Sacks thought to seek answers to the challenging questions that Jews face today. How can we better comprehend our personal journeys amidst the noise of our day to day lives? How can we escape the minutia of the moment and connect to the bigger picture - of oneself, and of the Jewish people? Why does this have less to do with politics and more to do with hugs? Tune in to find out. Sivan Rahav-Meir is a leading Israeli journalist, media personality and Torah scholar. You can sign up for her The Daily Portion WhatsApp group, where Sivan sends small insights about Judaism and current affairs. Check out Liel’s new book, How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher, or wherever you purchase books. You can find all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

    19 min
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Each week, Israeli journalist and Torah scholar Sivan Rahav-Meir and Tablet’s own Liel Leibovitz discuss the week’s parsha, giving practical advice from our holiest book.

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