Best Hadar Institute Podcasts (2025)

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R. Dena Weiss: The Mechanics of Mercy: How Does Forgiveness Actually Work? 1:00:14

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20h ago1:00:14

1:00:14

The liturgy of the High Holiday season is replete with promises about God's forgiveness but is less specific about how God forgives. In her lecture, R. Dena Weiss explores how forgiveness works, and asks if there are any strategies that we can adopt to make us more forgivable and forgiving. This lecture was delivered in memory of Rabbi Jonathan D. …

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R. Tali Adler on Ki Teitzei: Living in the Double Exposure 7:02

6d ago7:02

7:02

I was eight years old in Basel, Switzerland the day I learned about the way places have layers. It was a chilly, autumn shabbos, and my father and I were on a walk by the river. My father pointed out different sights as we walked: there is the house where his elementary school friend lived. There is the gate they walked through to get to school, th…

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Where is God? Lessons from the Book of Ruth 41:58

6d ago41:58

41:58

What does it mean to embody God’s love in a world where God sometimes feels absent? In this episode, Rabbi Shai Held is joined by Christian biblical scholars Dr. Judy Fentress-Williams and Dr. Ellen Davis to explore what the Book of Ruth reveals—not just about loyalty and love, but about God’s subtle presence in human lives. Together, they ask: Wha…

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R. Shai Held: Biblical Theology in a Time of Climate Emergency Part 3 34:46

8d ago34:46

34:46

What can the Bible teach us about navigating our way through a time of climate emergency? In this series, R. Shai Held explores three key biblical texts that offer differing (but perhaps complementary) approaches to understanding our place in this divinely created and much-more-than-human world. Recorded in Winter 2025. Source sheet: https://mechon…

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R. Tali Adler on Parashat Shoftim: Even So 7:30

13d ago7:30

7:30

What do you do when you feel—or when you know—that because of your actions, you are entirely alone in the world?By Hadar Institute

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Questions That Can't be Answered: The Theology of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik 36:04

13d ago36:04

36:04

What do we do with the questions that have no answers? How does Jewish faith confront suffering, loneliness, and finitude? And how did Soloveitchik's own life—marked by grief, tradition, and the tension between reason and revelation—shape his unique theological voice? In this episode, Rabbi Shai Held and scholar Arna Poupko Fisher explore the life …

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R. Micha'el Rosenberg on Rosh Chodesh Elul: Teshuvah: Light or Salvation? 9:22

15d ago9:22

9:22

Thinking about our own transgressions and repentance is hard, and so it makes sense that we often latch on to metaphors to help us think about these ideas. Perhaps the strangest metaphor I know of appears in the Zohar.By Hadar Institute

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God in Search of Man: The Theology of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel 40:29

20d ago40:29

40:29

What if God isn't just the one we seek—but the one who seeks us? In this episode, Rabbi Shai Held is joined by Rabbi Dr. Michael Marmur for a profound and passionate exploration of the theology of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel—one of the most influential Jewish thinkers of the 20th century. Together, they unpack Heschel’s daring idea that God is not…

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R. Tali Adler on Parashat Re'eih: Mourning as Children of God 7:26

20d ago7:26

7:26

There is something about our relationship with God that holds us back from unbridled grief.By Hadar Institute

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R. Shai Held: Biblical Theology in a Time of Climate Emergency Part 2 31:06

22d ago31:06

31:06

What can the Bible teach us about navigating our way through a time of climate emergency? In this series, R. Shai Held explores three key biblical texts that offer differing (but perhaps complementary) approaches to understanding our place in this divinely created and much-more-than-human world. Recorded in Winter 2025. Source sheet: https://mechon…

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I and Thou: The Theology of Martin Buber 37:09

27d ago37:09

37:09

Warning: This episode includes discussion of suicide. What does it mean to truly meet another person—or even God—as a “Thou” and not an “It”? In this episode, Rabbi Shai Held and Dr. Arnie Eisen dive into Martin Buber’s transformative philosophy of relationship. They explore how Buber’s I and Thou challenges us to encounter others with presence and…

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R. Tali Adler on Parashat Eikev: Back to Eden 5:09

27d ago5:09

5:09

Of course the Jews thought that they would starve when they left Egypt. In Moshe’s retelling of the story of the mann (manna), that is deliberate. There is something about the mann that is inextricably linked to hunger—or, at least, our fear of it.By Hadar Institute

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R. Shai Held: Biblical Theology in a Time of Climate Emergency Part 1 47:24

29d ago47:24

47:24

What can the Bible teach us about navigating our way through a time of climate emergency? In this series, R. Shai Held explores three key biblical texts that offer differing (but perhaps complementary) approaches to understanding our place in this divinely created and much-more-than-human world. Recorded in Winter 2025. Source sheet: https://mechon…

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R. Tali Adler on Parashat Va'Ethanan: With All Your Heart 7:02

1M ago7:02

7:02

There is no such thing, for a Jew, as loving God without loving human beings as well. Our love for God is bound up with our love for others: for the parents who taught us His name, and the grandparents who taught them. For the children we raise to know Him. For every ancestor, too far back for us to remember their names, who remembered God’s covena…

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God Has No Attributes: The Theology of Maimonides 40:14

1M ago40:14

40:14

Can we really describe God—or does every word fall short? In this episode, Rabbis Shai Held and Jason Rubenstein explore the bold theology of Maimonides, who argued that the only true way to speak about God… is not to speak at all. Together they unpack why saying “God is loving” might actually be misleading, what it means to worship a God beyond hu…

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R. Shai Held on the Jewish Philanthropy Podcast: Judaism is About Love 52:29

1M ago52:29

52:29

In this episode of What Gives?, The Jewish Philanthropy Podcast, JFN CEO Andrés Spokoiny welcomes Rabbi Shai Held to discuss the claim that love is Judaism’s central value. Together, they confront common misconceptions about the "God of the Old Testament," reflect on theology in the shadow of October 7, and consider how Jewish philanthropy can help…

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R. Tali Adler on Parashat Devarim: The Torah of Exile 10:18

1M ago10:18

10:18

The danger, when the two tribes decide to stay on the other side of the Jordan, is not just that we might become two peoples: it is that we may develop two Torahs.By Hadar Institute

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What is Obligation? 44:16

1M ago44:16

44:16

Rabbis Shai Held and Tali Adler explore one of the most provocative images in rabbinic tradition: that at Sinai, God held a mountain over the Israelites’ heads and threatened them into accepting the Torah. What does this say about the nature of faith, agency, and obligation? In this episode, Rabbi Shai Held and Rabbi Tali Adler explore deep questio…

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R. Micha'el Rosenberg on Tisha B'Av: Between Exodus and Exile 7:32

1M ago7:32

7:32

One of the poetic laments we recite on Tisha b’Av is the poem that begins Eish tukad bekirbi (“A fire shall burn within me”). An acrostic, each stanza of the poem juxtaposes something glorious that occurred during the Exodus from Egypt, with something equally ignoble from our exile from Jerusalem.By Hadar Institute

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R. Tali Adler on Parashat Mattot-Mas'ei: On the Other Side of the Jordan 9:12

2M ago9:12

9:12

Moshe’s real concern, when Reuven and Gad ask to remain on their side of the Jordan, is the way that distance can split families apart.By Hadar Institute

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Can We Judge Everyone Favorably? 38:39

2M ago38:39

38:39

Can we really judge everyone favorably? Rabbis Shai Held and Steve Greenberg dive into this Jewish idea, exploring how a generous outlook can transform relationships, personal healing, and even our view of God. But where do we draw the line? Tune in for a candid conversation that gets real about the power – and potential pitfalls – of seeing the be…

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Dr. Jeremy Tabick: Is Tisha B'Av Eternal? 41:14

2M ago41:14

41:14

Both Talmuds record that Rabbi, one of the last leading sages of the Tannaim, tried to abolish Tisha B'Av. Why would someone want to abolish this fast day? Through this surprising example and its aftermath, this class explores the role of myth and history in the Jewish calendar. Recorded on Tisha B'Av 2024. Source sheet: https://mechonhadar.s3.us-e…

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Welcome Back for Season 2 of Answers WithHeld! 1:31

2M ago1:31

1:31

Rabbi Shai Held returns with a new cast of guest for another season of Answers WithHeld, the podcast where we confront big questions with bold thinking and honest searching. Every week, Rabbi Shai Held invites a leading thinker or teacher to explore one powerful Jewish idea or the life and legacy of a great Jewish thinker: Can We Really Judge Every…

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R. Tali Adler on Parashat Pinhas: A Father’s Daughter 7:20

2M ago7:20

7:20

Daughters of fathers are different from sons. Daughters, as they grow, do not take on their father’s image. A daughter’s voice will not deepen into her father’s baritone. Her jaw will not sharpen to resemble his, and, in all likelihood, she will not reach his height. Rarely will anyone ever be startled when they encounter her on the street after he…

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R. Dani Passow: Reading the Rabbis Part 3 49:00

2M ago49:00

49:00

The Talmud is notoriously complex, and its stories are no exception. In this class, we will learn strategies for how to understand these texts such as structural analysis, to explore the narrative flow and construction; interiority, to uncover the unstated emotions and motivations of the sages; and contextual analysis, to place each story within th…

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R. Tali Adler on Parashat Balak: Turning to See 7:00

2M ago7:00

7:00

The moment when Bilaam can’t see the angel is familiar to us—too familiar for comfort. We’ve seen this scene before: a hidden angel, an unusual occurrence, the word of God. We’ve seen it all at the burning bush (sneh), the moment when Moshe, our greatest prophet, receives his first mission: speech.By Hadar Institute

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R. Micha'el Rosenberg on the 17th of Tammuz: The Memory of Tragedy 7:24

2M ago7:24

7:24

There shouldn’t be much ambiguity about why 17 Tammuz is a fast day; the Mishnah relates five tragic events that took place on this date.By Hadar Institute

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R. Tali Adler on Parashat Hukkat: Miriam of Words 5:28

2M ago5:28

5:28

It is Miriam who was always the speaker of the three siblings. Miriam, who, according to the Talmud, was also called Puah because of the sounds she made to soothe women in childbirth as their babies emerged into the world. Miriam, who used her words to stand up to her father when he separated from his wife, insisting that a chance at life, however …

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R. Avi Strausberg on Pride Month 2025: Flags of Love 4:42

2M ago4:42

4:42

The Song of Songs (2:4) imagines a boundless love between two lovers in which one lover says of the other, “his flag of love was upon me.” That’s how I felt at Pride this month—surrounded by flags of love.By Hadar Institute

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1
R. Dena Weiss: The Mechanics of Mercy: How Does Forgiveness Actually Work? 1:00:14

1
R. Tali Adler on Ki Teitzei: Living in the Double Exposure 7:02

1
Where is God? Lessons from the Book of Ruth 41:58

1
R. Shai Held: Biblical Theology in a Time of Climate Emergency Part 3 34:46

1
R. Tali Adler on Parashat Shoftim: Even So 7:30

1
Questions That Can't be Answered: The Theology of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik 36:04

1
R. Micha'el Rosenberg on Rosh Chodesh Elul: Teshuvah: Light or Salvation? 9:22

1
God in Search of Man: The Theology of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel 40:29

1
R. Tali Adler on Parashat Re'eih: Mourning as Children of God 7:26

1
R. Shai Held: Biblical Theology in a Time of Climate Emergency Part 2 31:06

1
I and Thou: The Theology of Martin Buber 37:09

1
R. Tali Adler on Parashat Eikev: Back to Eden 5:09

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R. Shai Held: Biblical Theology in a Time of Climate Emergency Part 1 47:24

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R. Tali Adler on Parashat Va'Ethanan: With All Your Heart 7:02

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God Has No Attributes: The Theology of Maimonides 40:14

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R. Shai Held on the Jewish Philanthropy Podcast: Judaism is About Love 52:29

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R. Tali Adler on Parashat Devarim: The Torah of Exile 10:18

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What is Obligation? 44:16

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R. Micha'el Rosenberg on Tisha B'Av: Between Exodus and Exile 7:32

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R. Tali Adler on Parashat Mattot-Mas'ei: On the Other Side of the Jordan 9:12

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Can We Judge Everyone Favorably? 38:39

1
Dr. Jeremy Tabick: Is Tisha B'Av Eternal? 41:14

1
Welcome Back for Season 2 of Answers WithHeld! 1:31

1
R. Tali Adler on Parashat Pinhas: A Father’s Daughter 7:20

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R. Dani Passow: Reading the Rabbis Part 3 49:00

1
R. Tali Adler on Parashat Balak: Turning to See 7:00

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R. Micha'el Rosenberg on the 17th of Tammuz: The Memory of Tragedy 7:24

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R. Tali Adler on Parashat Hukkat: Miriam of Words 5:28

1
R. Avi Strausberg on Pride Month 2025: Flags of Love 4:42