In this timely course, Rabbi Fohrman considers how God's response to ancient trauma speaks directly to our present moment after October 7th.

Remember when God inexplicably tried to kill Moses and Tzipporah had to save him? This isn't a midrash —it's right there in the text. Why would God threaten the very messenger He just selected? Discover the hidden connection between this bizarre episode and the deeper meaning of the entire Exodus story.

The Exodus story ends in carnage for the Egyptians, and in glorious salvation for the Israelites – but could this story have ended differently? Could the Egyptians also have lived happily ever after? Rabbi Fohrman thinks we can find the answer by noticing some uncanny resemblances to another biblical story. Join us as we explore a new way of reading the Exodus story.

The seder is full of songs praising God for taking us out of Egypt – but He decreed to Abraham that we’d be slaves in Egypt centuries beforehand in the Brit Ben Habetarim. So did He save us or put us into slavery in the first place?

Rabbi Fohrman reveals how the often-overlooked 'shotrim' of Egypt provide a framework for understanding divine justice after the Holocaust. A powerful Passover exploration of how God responds when no punishment seems adequate.

Why did God begin the Ten Commandments by declaring, “I freed you from Egypt.” Is He buying our obedience? Or is there a deeper message to this first command… and what can it tell us about the exodus story?

In this video, Rabbi Fohrman introduces us to a very strange midrash, which tells us that as the nation of Israel walked through to freedom, there were fruit trees surrounding them, and explains that a parallel story, early in Genesis, is a clue to understanding this midrash.

Rabbi Fohrman and CEO Imu Shalev sit together on Zoom to discuss fresh ideas for your Seder.

We all know that we eat matzah because we left Egypt quickly. But that doesn't explain why we must eliminate all chametz. Investigate the surprising connection between Egyptian bread technology and Passover's restrictions.

Singing Dayeinu: Would It Really Have Been Enough? What do the lyrics of Dayeinu song really mean?

We add the prayer service of Hallel on holidays, but what exactly are we saying? Is it just a collection of Psalms? In this course, Rabbi Fohrman argues that not only are we learning what it is to be a servant of God, but we are also discovering the origins of the nation of Israel.

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?

There are several holidays mentioned in the Bible, including the Three Pilgrimage Festivals: Passover, Sukkot and Shavuot. What makes these days more significant than any other holiday? The Bible seems almost elusive when describing these holy days. Join Rabbi Fohrman as he uncovers the secret theme that permeates these days, allowing a deeper understanding of the holiday cycle to emerge.

In Parshat Pinchas, we read about the daughters of Tzelaphchad, who sought to inherit their father’s land. God granted their request, and even codified it into law. But there’s something unique about this story — it’s strikingly similar to the story of the Pesach Sheini offering. When a group of ritually impure people approached Moses and requested a way to make an offering, God codified a practice called Pesach Sheni, which acted as a “make-up” offering for the impure. But what does inheriting land and ritually impurity have to do with each other? Join Rabbi Fohrman and Daniel Loewenstein as they explore the meaning of nationhood and purity.