Seven Minute Torah

One of Judaism’s most famous teachings is that every person is created B’tzelem Elohim—in the image of God. But what does that really mean for how we see and treat each other, especially those who have done wrong? In this episode, Rabbi Micah Streiffer digs into a surprising Torah passage and rabbinic midrash to explore dignity, justice, and the limits (or lack thereof) of seeing the divine in every human being.

This week’s Torah portion is full of laws—about food, tithes, debts, sacrifice. Hard to relate to? Maybe. But beneath the rules lies a profound truth: the Shema’s declaration that God is Oneness. What happens when we see the divine not as a distant lawgiver, but as the sacred unity that connects us to everything and everyone?

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• Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK: The Liberal Beit Midrash. For info on our weekly Zoom study groups and other learning opportunities go to https://laasok.org/.
• To support the production of this podcast, visit either laasok.org/support/ (for a tax-deductible one-time or monthly contribution) OR www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode contribution.
• Comments or questions? Email info@laasok.org, or contact Rabbi Micah Streiffer directly at micah@laasok.org. 

As two and a half tribes choose to settle outside the Promised Land, Moses asks: Will your siblings go to war while you stay here? This week's Torah portion raises timeless questions about what we owe each other as Jews—especially across distance, disagreement, and diaspora. Rabbi Micah Streiffer explores ancient texts, modern Israel-diaspora dynamics, and the Talmudic idea that all Israel are guarantors for one another. What does that really mean in 2025—and what happens when we stay silent?

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• Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK: The Liberal Beit Midrash. For info on our weekly Zoom study groups and other learning opportunities go to https://laasok.org/.
• To support the production of this podcast, visit either laasok.org/support/ (for a tax-deductible one-time or monthly contribution) OR www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode contribution.
• Comments or questions? Email info@laasok.org, or contact Rabbi Micah Streiffer directly at micah@laasok.org. 

How do we respond when the Torah condones violent extremism? How might our response shape our own Jewish lives, not to mention our relationship with Israel? In this episode, Rabbi Micah Streiffer argues for the importance of acknowledging when extremism is present, rather than trying to explain it away.

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• Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. For info on our weekly Zoom study groups and other learning opportunities go to https://laasok.org/.
• To support the production of this podcast, visit either laasok.org/support/ (for a tax-deductible one-time or monthly contribution) OR www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode contribution.
• Comments or questions? Email info@laasok.org, or contact Rabbi Micah Streiffer directly at micah@laasok.org. 

What does a donkey have to do with your soul? In this episode, Rabbi Micah Streiffer explores stories from Midrash and Torah about donkeys - and how they teach people about our ethical and spiritual responsibilities.

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• Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. For info on our weekly Zoom study groups and other learning opportunities go to https://laasok.org/.
• To support the production of this podcast, visit either laasok.org/support/ (for a tax-deductible one-time or monthly contribution) OR www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode contribution.
• Comments or questions? Email info@laasok.org, or contact Rabbi Micah Streiffer directly at micah@laasok.org. 

Korach is not just a rebel. He's the embodiment of what the prayerbook calls "the arrogance that thinks it knows all truth." The Torah comes to remind us that we have a lot left to learn - even from people we disagree with.

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• Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. For info on our weekly Zoom study groups and other learning opportunities go to https://laasok.org/.
• To support the production of this podcast, visit either laasok.org/support/ (for a tax-deductible one-time or monthly contribution) OR www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode contribution.
• Comments or questions? Email info@laasok.org, or contact Rabbi Micah Streiffer directly at micah@laasok.org. 

Many of us know very little about the biblical figure of Caleb. But he is a model of positivity, faith, and believing in what's possible - even when the world around you doesn't. Rabbi Micah Streiffer explores some midrash about Caleb, and asks what we can learn for the bleak world we're living in.

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• Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. For info on our weekly Zoom study groups and other learning opportunities go to https://laasok.org/.
• To support the production of this podcast, visit either laasok.org/support/ (for a tax-deductible one-time or monthly contribution) OR www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode contribution.
• Comments or questions? Email info@laasok.org, or contact Rabbi Micah Streiffer directly at micah@laasok.org. 

Far from being threatened by others, Moses acts in a way that upholds the rights of others to speak their minds. In that sense, this Torah portion portrays him as the opposite of an authoritarian ruler.

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• Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. For info on our weekly Zoom study groups and other learning opportunities go to https://laasok.org/.
• To support the production of this podcast, visit either laasok.org/support/ (for a tax-deductible one-time or monthly contribution) OR www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode contribution.
• Comments or questions? Email info@laasok.org, or contact Rabbi Micah Streiffer directly at micah@laasok.org. 

In this week's haftarah, the prophet Amos contradicts the Torah portion! How can he tell us we're not so special when the Torah called us kedoshim - holy? It's in that juxtaposition of ideas that the true essence of Judaism is found.

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• Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. For info on our weekly Zoom study groups and other learning opportunities go to https://laasok.org/.
• To support the production of this podcast, visit either laasok.org/support/ (for a tax-deductible one-time or monthly contribution) OR www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode contribution.
• Comments or questions? Email info@laasok.org, or contact Rabbi Micah Streiffer directly at micah@laasok.org. 

In this week's Torah portion, a moment of celebration and creation turns tragic. What is the relationship between creation and suffering? We look at some midrash and try to understand how these two very human experiences can coexist.

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• Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK. For info on our weekly Zoom study groups and other learning opportunities go to https://laasok.org/.
• To support the production of this podcast, visit either laasok.org/support/ (for a tax-deductible one-time or monthly contribution) OR www.patreon.com/sevenminutetorah (for per-episode contribution.
• Comments or questions? Email info@laasok.org, or contact Rabbi Micah Streiffer directly at micah@laasok.org.