The stories in Genesis are familiar, but their meanings seem maddeningly elusive. Why would God deny us the knowledge of Good and Evil? Surely it is better to know right from wrong? Why did God destroy mankind – what happened to repentance? Revisit each story in Genesis through a new perspective, and discover their underlying powerful messages.

A Brief History Of The World: From Adam To Abraham in Genesis

What is the central theme that underlies all of the stories about Abraham's life? The Torah tells us how Abraham hears God’s call, ventures to Canaan, flees from famine, takes a second wife, gets involved in a war of kings, and more. This series explains the story of Abraham like never before.

Abraham's Journey 2

We all know the famous story of the binding of Isaac: God commands Abraham to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac atop a mountain. But did you remember that just a chapter before, God commands Abraham to disown his son Ishmael? You can’t understand the binding of Isaac without grappling with the story of the “phantom” Akeidah.

On Rosh Hashanah, we read about the Akeidah, when Abraham was asked to offer Isaac up as a sacrifice. But how are we supposed to make sense of this story that seems to pit obedience to God against our most basic sense of morality?

Jacob, our esteemed forefather, is looked to as a role model… our Sages even call him an ish emet, “a man of truth.” But what about that whole impersonating-his-brother-and-lying-to-his-father episode? Would a man of truth do that? It’s not easy to reconcile these things… but that is precisely what Rabbi Forhman manages to do in this provocative audio series.

The story of Joseph and his brothers is one of the most well-known in the entire Bible. And yet, the story – for all its familiarity and simplicity – is darker than the one we might remember learning as a child. Indeed, a sober reading of the text reveals that this is no child's story at all. What are we to make of this story of near-fratricide? What enduring meaning does it hold out to us?

Joseph has some bizarre dreams through the story of Genesis. Rabbi Fohrman points out that up to this point in the Torah, only two people have ever had dreams – Jacob and Joseph, father and son. Is that a coincidence? If not, is there a relationship between father's dreams and son's dreams? Could understanding the relationship between the dreams reveal what the dreams truly mean?

The most fundamental question we all want to answer is this one: What is the meaning or purpose of our lives? Rabbi Fohrman argues that the answer lies at the very beginning of the Bible, in Genesis.

Knowing Good and Evil What does it mean for us to recognize God as our King, Master of the universe? In this series, Rabbi Fohrman examines the early chapters of Genesis to discover just what God's mastery is all about – and what it really means to recognize it. Discover other great Rosh Hashanah videos at Aleph Beta, including ‘How To Prepare For Rosh Hashana”, “How To Do Teshuva”. and “Akeidah: The Story Of Abraham & Isaac”

The Bible uses many names to refer to God, the two most well-known being Elokim and YHVH (an unpronounceable name composed of the Hebrew letters <em>yud-hey-vav-hey</em>). What do these names mean, and why do they appear when they do? This is one of the Bible's greatest mysteries. Perhaps even more mysterious is that we find the highly uncommon "YHVH Elokim" — a combination of these two names — in the Bible's opening pages: in the story of God's creation of the world. Join Rabbi Fohrman for an exploration of what these names mean on their own, what they mean in combination, and how understanding God's names can, perhaps, help us to lead more godly lives.

Why were there six days of creation, at all? It seems like such a quaint notion, the universe being created in 6 days. But you didn't have to be a rocket scientist from the 21st century to realize that an Elenterprise like the universe might take a little more than the 6 days to construct. And you likewise don't have to be the world's most sophisticated scientist to realize that it's pretty hard to get days, in the traditional sense, without the sun and the solar system - which, inconveniently enough, only show up on day 4. So, what's with the days? Why does the Torah insist on them? In this course, we'll take a close look at the text of the Torah, with an eye toward solving these mysteries.

In this webinar, Rabbi Fohrman looks back at his past theories on the Garden of Eden and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. He shares the evolution of his thought process since he initially came up with those theories, and brings new questions and ideas to light. Why did God put the tree in the Garden in the first place? What was so bad about Adam and Eve wanting to gain knowledge of Good and Evil?

This series is recorded live at the Young Israel of Woodmere, in October of 2015.

What is the theme that ties together the seemingly disconnected stories of Lot and his daughters, Judah and Tamar, and Ruth? The obscure Biblical law of yibum, or Levirite marriage, has a lot to do with it. Rabbi Fohrman argues there is an important connection that hints at a generational saga of redemption.

The story of the Exodus reminds us of the experience of our ancestors, the Israelites, and their freedom from Egypt. And the climax, of the story, right before they're all taken out of Egypt, is when the Israelites bring the Korban Pesach, the Passover offering. Today, when we think of that story, we can't help but ask...what is the Passover offering all about? And, Rabbi Fohrman asks, how meaningful can the Exodus be to us today, if we don't understand the Passover offering at all?

Why do we count the Omer? A common answer is that we're counting down the days until we get to Sinai. But the Omer doesn't count down- it counts up. We don't say '8 days left to Sinai' we say '42 days are gone since we offered the Omer offering'. So what is this count about anyway? In this series, Rabbi Fohrman traces the roots of the Omer offering, taking us into a journey that explores the meaning of brick-making and bread-making, and the significance of both of these to the newly freed Israelites. What emerges is a view of the Omer that makes this offering a touchstone for an understanding of freedom, the Sabbath, and of law itself in our society.

Refa’einu is a plea for health found in the Shmoneh Esrei prayer. As the world continues to battle COVID-19, what better text to turn to for spiritual guidance. But when you take a close look at this prayer, something remarkable emerges. Refa’einu has an unexpected connection to Sefirat HaOmer, the period on our calendar that marks the time between the Exodus from Egypt and the giving of the Torah.  Could understanding the deeper meaning of the Omer somehow help us understand Refa’einu? Could this connection help us learn to relate to God as our healer?  In this course, Rabbi Fohrmand and Immanuel Shalev take a deep dive into Refa’einu and its Torah references, to shed light on what it means to truly heal, emotionally and spiritually--with empowering implications for us today.

All over the Torah, we see a running theme – where water goes, Miriam soon follows. But what is the odd relationship between the life force of water, and Miriam the prophetess?

Antisemitism. Where did it all originate and can we trace it through the Tanahk? Rabbi Fohrman argues that it may have begun with the story of Amelek, which is widely known as one of the most mystifying and difficult episodes in the Torah.

We're all familiar with the Golden Calf story, but there are some glaring questions we rarely address. For example, how could Israel possibly believe that the calf brought them out of Egypt, after seeing the spectacular ten plagues and splitting of the sea? In this 12-part series, Rabbi Fohrman studies the Golden Calf story in depth to search for answers.

In Emor, we read about the Mekalel (the "Blasphemer"), the man who is punished for cursing God. Cursing God doesn't sound like a very religious thing to do, but it raises the question: Is it ever OK to speak against God? What about arguing with God? Find out in this audio series.

Moses was barred from entering the land because he struck the rock, right? Turns out it's not so simple. Understand why our greatest leader was deprived of the opportunity to step foot in the Promised Land.

Pinchas is famously described as acting zealously for God – and so is Elijah the prophet. The Sages see these two figures as connected, one statement even claiming they're the same person. Watch to learn more about the Bible's other zealot.

The language the rabbis use to introduce the Sabbath Amidah prayers serves as a commentary on these biblical verses. These introductions show us how to read the verses and give us some insight into the meaning of the sabbath... join Rabbi Fohrman as he selves into the sage's words and uncovers The Meaning of the Sabbath Prayers.

Join Rabbi Fohrman for an in-depth discussion of Kabbalat Shabbat.

Rabbi Fohrman is working on a new book. Want a first look at each chapter as soon as it's written? Want to actually be a part of shaping and developing these absolutely fresh ideas? Then come join Book Club! Book Club is an exclusive weekly event for Producers Circle members. Participants join Rabbi Fohrman to read and discuss his latest manuscript chapter. This is an incredible opportunity to be a part of Rabbi Fohrman's learning and writing process, to offer feedback, and genuinely impact what will make it into the next book. Not to mention a chance to hear the extra “bonus” material that doesn’t make it in.