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The Morning Scroll
The Morning Scroll is your weekly, bite-sized parsha study with Rabbi Deena Cowans. Every week, R'Deena will offer a thorough summary of the week's Torah portion, and a bit of reflection to follow. If you’ve been meaning to brush up on your Jewish literacy, or you’re looking for some inspiration to head into the weekend, then you’ve come to the right place. Brought to you by Mishkan Chicago.
Episodes
103 episodes
Parashat Nitzavim, September 23rd
This week's "Fun Size" parshah provides a fascinating insight into Bronze Age cardiology."If you seek eternal bliss / come to this aortic bris."-MosheProduced by Mis...
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4:00
Parashat Ki Tavo, September 15th
“If much of Deuteronomy is a prophetic vision or dream, the tochachah is the nightmare.”-Metallica"Exit light! Enter night! Take my hand — we're off to Never Never Land."-Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks[no...
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3:44
Parashat Ki Teitzei, September 9th
What's the deal with stoning your sons? Anybody ever stone their son in front of a live audience? Nobody? Gee, tough crowd.Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and per...
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4:39
Parashat Shoftim, September 1st
"Justice, justice, you shall pursue."What could those cryptic words mean? To find out, Rabbi Deena goes straight to the source: the most boring man no longer alive.Produced by Mishkan Chi...
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4:44
Parashat Re'eh, August 25th
"...Anyone who says they are a prophet with further instructions from God is to be treated as a liar and put to death, no matter how many tricks they perform." Magicians — you're on notice. Produced by
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5:04
Parashat Eikev, August 18th
Life is like a box of chocolates — you know exactly what you're going to get, because the packaging is well labeled and each chocolate looks slightly distinct, so you can tell the tasty ones from the ones filled with, like, raisin nougat. What ...
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4:41
Parashat Va'etchanan, August 8th
Listen up, G_d-Wrestlers! The Lord Our G_d is one, and the Lord Our G_d is having none of Moshe's nonsense today.Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by ...
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3:59
Parashat Devarim, August. 2nd
"...Numerous as the stars in the sky"Before reciting the Torah, Moshe echoes G_d's promise to Abraham. But wait, isn't this moment in the Torah, too? Did he recite his own recitation? Or is Moshe only repeating something he wrote down t...
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4:03
Parashat Matot-Masei
This week's parsha was hard to read. And judging by some telling word choice in the Hebrew text, it was hard to write, too.Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and per...
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4:22
Parashat Pinchas, July 22nd
Say what you will about his methods, but Pinchas makes a mean kebab. Also, Moshe takes a peek from a peak, and the people demand yet another census.Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music co...
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3:46
Parashat Balak, July 21st
Sometimes, the words just come out wrong. And sometimes, they come out of your donkey. This episode, we read one of the top three most buck-wild, sexual, violent, and miracle-stuffed portions in the whole Torah, and ask: "Hey! What is Mah Tovu ...
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4:36
Parashat Chukat, July 7th
Wondering if a snake is poisonous? Follow this simple rhyme: "Snake on a pole? You will be whole.Serpent of brass? The sickness will pass.But if the snake that you have foundIs made of meat and on the groundAnd ...
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3:30
Parashat Korach, June 28th
Tuesday, June 28th, 2022 is the primary election here in Chicago (go vote!). You may still be undecided on certain races, so here is our voter guide — when the earth swallows some candidates whole and the heavens rain down fire to consume the r...
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4:34
Parashat Shlach, June 24th
Could you take a moment to fill out this brief survey to let us know what you think of the show? It would help us out so much!Do not be alarmed by the size of these grapes. Yes,...
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4:39
Parashat Behaalotcha, June 16th
Could you take a moment to fill out this brief survey to let us know what you think of the show? It would help us out so much!Going up? No? Good, because tzaraat has been going ...
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4:36
Parashat Naso, June 9th
Could you take a moment to fill out this brief survey to let us know what you think of the show? It would help us out so much!Speaking of surveys, a brief survey of this week's ...
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4:46
Parashat Bamidbar, June 2nd
Could you take a moment to fill out this brief survey to let us know what you think of the show? It would help us out so much!Speaking of surveys, you know who took a survey? Th...
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4:50
Parashat Behukotai, May. 26th
Stop me if you've heard this one before: "halakhah" technically doesn't mean "the law," it's closer to "the path." Because that's what this tradition is! A path that you can always return to no matter how far you veer off course. Except it's mo...
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4:28
Parashat Behar, May 19th
This week's parsha has confusingly little to do with beloved television personality Joy Behar, but it does invite us to ask ourselves what constitutes a joyful life. Rabbi Deena thinks it might involve getting to know your neighbors. To...
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5:23
Parashat Emor, May 11th
Folks, this is a rough one. It's hard not to read some of this parsha as ableist, so we're not going to pretend otherwise. But we will follow the lead of the 16th century rabbi Kli Yakar by flipping this teaching on its head, updating ...
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5:57
Parashat Kedoshim, May 6th
This week's parsha is all about holiness, and features some of the most beautiful, wise, and enduring lines in the Torah. It also contains the most infamous line in Leviticus — yes, that one. Special guest Rabbi Steven shares his perspective on...
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6:17
Parashat Acharei Mot, April 27th
"If thy goal / is afflicting thy soul / thou shalt not be picking no leather insole."So goes the ancient saying. At least, it must be ancient — everything in our tradition is ancient, right? Wrong.Today's episode is sponso...
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5:00
A Very Morning Scroll Passover
Whose "mighty hand and outstretched arm" delivered us — Moses or God? With no Torah portion to recap over Passover, Rabbi Deena tells the Exodus story and explains why it kinda sorta doesn't gel with the story in the Haggadah but also super doe...
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6:09
