PLEASE FILL OUT OUR SURVEY: https://bit.ly/BLNOlistenersurveyPicking up from last week's cliffhanger, Rabbi Fohrman and Imu tackle an uncomfortable and paradoxical question: How can a perfect being—God—choose vulnerability? This unsettling concept seems to be at the heart of the parallels they uncover between Genesis 27 and the Revelation narrative. By analyzing the blast of the shofar at Sinai alongside Esav’s anguished cry, they explore what it means for God, the perfect being, to open Himself to vulnerability.This paradox leads them to a deeper understanding of the Ten Commandments and their articulation. Through this reflection, Rabbi Fohrman and Imu reveal how God’s first commandments speak to profound truths about divine love, family dynamics, and the nature of idolatry. What does Jacob’s invocation of God’s name reveal about the third commandment? And how might Isaac’s relationship with his sons offer insights into our own connection with the divine?Join Rabbi Fohrman and Imu as they unpack these questions and show how the Torah’s most foundational laws emerge from one of its most complex family dramas.For more on Rabbi Fohrman's reading of the deception story, see this essay from his book Genesis: A Parsha Companion, as well as this video Why Did Rebecca Trick Her Husband Isaac.A Book Like No Other is a product of Aleph Beta, and made possible through the generous support of Shari and Nathan Lindenbaum. Aleph Beta is a Torah media company dedicated to spreading the joy and love of meaningful Torah learning worldwide.
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A Message from Imu
PLEASE FILL OUT OUR SURVEY: https://bit.ly/BLNOlistenersurveyWe’re so grateful you’ve been listening to A Book Like No Other.Now, we’d love to hear from you!Podcasts can feel one-sided — we talk, you listen. But your voice matters.Please take 3–5 minutes to fill out this quick listener survey and help shape the future of the show.👉 Take the survey here: https://bit.ly/BLNOlistenersurveyYour feedback is invaluable and will help us grow this show and build our community together. Thank you!A Book Like No Other is a product of Aleph Beta, and made possible through the generous support of Shari and Nathan Lindenbaum. Aleph Beta is a Torah media company dedicated to spreading the joy and love of meaningful Torah learning worldwide.
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S4 Ep. 3 Can We Really Know God? What Jacob’s Deception Reveals About Revelation
What if the Torah provides its own commentary on its most pivotal moments? In this episode, Rabbi Fohrman and Imu continue uncovering a striking web of connections between Jacob’s deception in Genesis 27 and the Revelation at Sinai in Exodus 19. As they explore these interwoven parallels, they reveal a profound shift in roles—Father becoming Son, Son becoming Father—and examine how God’s choice to reveal Himself through cloud and sound echoes Jacob’s own veiled encounter with Isaac.But these parallels aren’t just literary—they hold deep theological stakes. If Jacob’s disguise at the moment of blessing teaches us something about hidden identities, what does that mean for how we perceive God at Sinai? And by embracing our own limitations, could we, like Yitzchak, learn to truly listen?Check out the scene from Close Encounters of the Third Kind that Rabbi Fohrman referenced in this episode: Watch here. For more on Rabbi Fohrman's reading of the deception story, see this essay from his book Genesis: A Parsha Companion, as well as this video Why Did Rebecca Trick Her Husband Isaac.A Book Like No Other is a product of Aleph Beta, and made possible through the generous support of Shari and Nathan Lindenbaum. Aleph Beta is a Torah media company dedicated to spreading the joy and love of meaningful Torah learning worldwide.
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S4 Ep. 2 Rethinking Chosenness: From Favoritism to Universal Blessing
What if one of the Torah's most troubling stories - Jacob deceiving his father to get a blessing - is actually the key to understanding why God chose the Jewish people? In this episode, Rabbi Fohrman and Imu make a surprising discovery: the story of Mount Sinai mirrors Jacob's deception in unexpected ways. But rather than just repeating a tale of favoritism, God transforms it into something beautiful: a story about being chosen not for power, but to bring blessing to all nations. Ready to see the Torah in a whole new light? For more on Rabbi Fohrman's reading of the deception story, see this essay from his book Genesis: A Parsha Companion, as well as this video Why Did Rebecca Trick Her Husband Isaac.A Book Like No Other is a product of Aleph Beta, and made possible through the generous support of Shari and Nathan Lindenbaum. Aleph Beta is a Torah media company dedicated to spreading the joy and love of meaningful Torah learning worldwide.
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S4 Ep. 1 Reexamining Revelation: The Challenge of Chosenness
At the heart of Judaism's chosenness lies an unexpected twist that few have noticed. Rabbi Fohrman stumbles upon a shocking connection between two of the Bible's most pivotal moments - one that completely transforms our understanding of what it means to be chosen. This discovery not only challenges centuries of religious interpretation but might just change how you see your own relationship with God.For more on Rabbi Fohrman's reading of the deception story, see this essay from his book Genesis: A Parsha Companion, as well as this video Why Did Rebecca Trick Her Husband Isaac.A Book Like No Other is a product of Aleph Beta, and made possible through the generous support of Shari and Nathan Lindenbaum. Aleph Beta is a Torah media company dedicated to spreading the joy and love of meaningful Torah learning worldwide.
A Book Like No Other is a chance to learn alongside Aleph Beta Founder and Lead Scholar, Rabbi David Fohrman, a master close reader of Torah, as he embarks on his most far-reaching and in-depth explorations. Each season is a stand-alone journey into a different Torah text. Our only goal: reading the Torah carefully, on its own terms, and following wherever that leads. Together, we'll unwrap remarkable patterns and surprising connections that lie just beneath the Torah's surface, revealing the beauty and insight that truly make the Torah a book like no other.A Book Like No Other is a project of Aleph Beta, a Torah media company dedicated to spreading the joy and love of meaningful Torah learning worldwide. A Book Like No Other is made possible through the generous support of Shari and Nathan Lindenbaum. For our full library of over 1,000 videos and podcasts, as well as bonus content for Book Like No Other, please visit www.alephbeta.org.
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Canada - english