
Making modern meaning from ancient texts.! Each week Rabbi Micah Streiffer discusses the weekly Torah portion in about 7 to 12 minutes, through liberal Jewish eyes. We weave together philosophy, spirituality, tradition, and social justice - and derive meaning for today‘s life from our sacred sources. Longer episodes include a bonus interview with leading rabbis and Jewish thought leaders. Seven Minute Torah is a production of LAASOK, the liberal Beit Midrash (”House of Study”). Contact us at info@laasok.org with comments or questions.
Episodes

Tuesday Jun 14, 2022
B’haalotcha: Would that ALL God’s people were prophets
Tuesday Jun 14, 2022
Tuesday Jun 14, 2022
This parashah tells about a strange incident in which two Israelites prophesy "illicitly." Moses's reaction to them teaches something important about leadership and listening.

Wednesday Jun 08, 2022
Naso: Racism is still with us (encore)
Wednesday Jun 08, 2022
Wednesday Jun 08, 2022
Digging a bit under the surface of the parashah, we find a message about the responsibility to uphold the image of God in each person. And about what an individual, or a society, should do when it realizes that it has not done so.

Monday May 30, 2022
Bamidbar: Listing the Names
Monday May 30, 2022
Monday May 30, 2022
In the wake of yet another horrific mass shooting in the United States, this week's Torah portion has much to say about respect for life, about "bearing arms," and about the responsibility of a society to guard the safety of each of its citizens.

Tuesday May 24, 2022
Bechukotai: Causes and Effects (A conversation with Rabbi Karyn Kedar)
Tuesday May 24, 2022
Tuesday May 24, 2022
A conversation with Rabbi Karyn Kedar. We talk about the Torah's theology of Reward and Punishment - our challenges with it and how we might understand it through liberal Jewish eyes. In the bonus interview, we discuss prayer, presence, and mindfulness via a reading of Rabbi Kedar's new book of poetry.
Rabbi Kedar's book Amen can be found here: https://www.ccarpress.org/shopping_product_detail.asp?pid=50485

Tuesday May 17, 2022
Bahar: Boldly Go 🖖🏼
Tuesday May 17, 2022
Tuesday May 17, 2022
This week's parashah is about the Sabbatical year, in which the land lies fallow and all debts and servitude are forgiven. We find a lesson there, and in Star Trek, about living your best life.

Tuesday May 10, 2022
Emor: The Corners of Your Face/Field (encore)
Tuesday May 10, 2022
Tuesday May 10, 2022
The Torah's strange prohibition against shaving the corners of your face is an opportunity to talk about holiness and about the relationship between ritual and ethics.

Tuesday May 03, 2022
Kedoshim: You shall be holy
Tuesday May 03, 2022
Tuesday May 03, 2022
This week's parashah is about holiness - how we're supposed to strive for it, even through we'll never actually get there.

Tuesday Apr 26, 2022
Achrei Mot: Yom Kippur in April??
Tuesday Apr 26, 2022
Tuesday Apr 26, 2022
Sacrifice? Demons? A scapegoat?? This parashah describes the levitical practices of Yom Kippur - the Day of Atonement. What meaning is there to be found for modern Jewish life in this ancient, priestly ritual?

Wednesday Apr 20, 2022
Pesach: Fifty Exoduses
Wednesday Apr 20, 2022
Wednesday Apr 20, 2022
A single confusing word in the story of the Exodus yields a message about the lifelong process of becoming your best self.

Tuesday Apr 12, 2022
Pesach: Telling the Story
Tuesday Apr 12, 2022
Tuesday Apr 12, 2022
What is the power of the Passover story? How has it captured the hearts and minds of so many Jews for so many generations? I argue that this story brings out our sense of longing for a better world, and that it has helped Jews maintained a sense of cohesiveness as a people. I reference Susan Cain's new book Bitter Sweet and her argument about the power of longing.