The word that Amichai chooses to explore this week comes from Bamidbar (Numbers), Chapter Nine Verse Twenty-Three. He focuses on the marching orders of the Jews as they journeyed through the desert.

Listen to Amichai explore the power of these words this week’s Verse Per Verse.

The word that Amichai chooses to explore this week comes from Bamidbar, the first story in the fourth book of the bible. He focuses on the word Bamidbar and the words that are connected to it.

 Listen to Amichai explore the power of these words this week’s Verse Per Verse.

The word that Amichai chooses to explore this week comes from Vayikra, Chapter Twenty-Three, Verse fifteen. This verse discusses the confusion in the counting of the Omer.

 Listen to Amichai explore the confusion in this week’s Verse Per Verse.

The word that Amichai chooses to explore this week comes from Vayikra, Chapter Eighteen, Verse twenty-two. This verse discusses relationships between two men.

 Listen to Amichai explore the word Toyva “Abomination” in this week’s Verse Per Verse.

The word that Amichai chooses to explore this week comes from Vayikra, Chapter Thirteen, Verse Fourty-Six. This verse discusses the way that a person with leporacy must live.

What does Badad mean? Listen to Amichai explore it all in this week’s Verse Per Verse.

The word that Amichai chooses to explore this week comes from Vayikra, Chapter Ten, Verse One and Two. These verses discuss the priestly offering that was made of a fire that was Zara.

What does Zara mean? Translations are as far as wide as “other” or “outside” to “unholy” and “alien.” Listen to Amichai explore it all in this week’s Verse Per Verse.

As we are only days away from the start of Passover, Amichai, not surprisingly, delves into the word “Matzot”. This staple of Passover, has a much deeper meaning in the Jewish texts. In Leviticus, Chapter Six, Verses 7 and 8, Matzot are discussed.

While some would merely translate this word as unleavened bread, what would you think of a translation that says that it means “holy things”? 

Listen to this weeks episode to delve deeper with Amichai, “Verse Per Verse.”

The word that Amichai chooses to explore this week comes from Vayikra, Chapter One, Verse Two. The word is Korban. It is most often translated as offering, or sacrifice. Amichai explores the background to those words, and asks us to consider what they could mean, and how we could make the word personal to us today.

This week, Amichai explores Exodus, Chapter 38, Verse 8, and all that can be said, is that you will never read the portion the same way again.

There is nothing else to say, just listen.

Amichai focuses on Exodus, Chapter 32, Verse 6, and specifically, as his wont to do, on the translation of the word “Litsachek”. How would you translate this word? How did Amichai?

Listen to learn.

This portion deals with the garments of the high-priest, and Amichai explors Chapter 28, but focuses on the Urim and Tumim, words which are not translated well at all?

What do these two “mystical” words mean? Listen in to learn more.

While this portion (and the one’s to follow) focus on the building of the Mishkan (tabernace), a very male-centric activity, Amichai is intrigued by Exodus Chapter 26, Verse 3, and the feminine motif within.

Listen in to learn more.

More specifically, “Lauviticus” explores Exodus, Chapter 23, Verse 12 and the word Nafesh. Nafesh has many possible translations, but Amichai explores the connection between this word and it’s root word Nefesh. How do these two words connect?

Listen in to how Amichai explores grapples with this question.

In this portion, Yitro, for whom the parsha is named comes with his daughter and Moshe’s sons to see Moshe. In relationship, he becomes the first “Jew by Choice.”

Amichai explores Exodus, chapter 19, verse 5 and specifically the word Segulah. The word is translated as everything from treasure, to valued, to chosen… 

Listen in to how Amichai explores this theme.

In this portion, the Israelites have left Egypt, and the American Standard translation if Chapter 13, Verse 18 says “But God led the people about, by the way of the wilderness by the Red Sea: and the children of Israel went up armed out of the land of Egypt.”

The word “armed” in Hebrew is the word Chamushim and while some translations will use the word “armed” or “equipped for battle”, or “with weapons” others have translated it, by connecting it to the word Chamesh or “Five”. 

How is the word five used in this important verse? Listen to find out!

This weeks torah portion Bo uses this word in Exodus, Chapter Twelve, Verse Sixteen, when it talks about how future generations will commemorate the Exodus from Egypt.

But, why does this word have so many meanings? Work or Love, Worship or Bondage? Labor or Ceremony?

And Amichai ends up looking at the eerie role that this word has played in more modern history of the Jewish people.

This parsha, deals with the choosing of Moses by God to be the spokesperson, and Moses’s ambivalence is this role. Moses says that he has “Aral Sifatayim”. But what do those words mean?

A literal traslation is that he has “uncircumcised” lips. These are words that surely need some unpacking. Do the words mean tongue-tied? or with a lisp, or was there something deeper, were his lips “sealed” or truly “uncircumcised”?

This parsha, is the first in the book of Shemot (Exodus) and deals with the birth of Moses. Verse Nineteen focuses on a comment by the Jewish midwives, in which they indicate that the Jewish women, unlike their Egyptian counterparts seem to give birth before they arrive.

The translations in question is that of Chayot which is translated in a wide range of ways, from simply “Vigorous” to a much more inflammatory “Animals.”

*A reminder that this podcast was originally produced in 2007. In this episode, Amichai references the new film “Children of Men” which is no longer a new film.

The verse that Amichai has delved into focuses on the bracha, blessing that Jacob gives to his son Joseph on his deathbed. 

The translations in question are thw word for Schechem, which can be translated as mountain, or shoulder or portion or more specifically could reference the city of Shchem.

Also, what are thw translations of the weapons bow and swords? Listen to find out.

This week Amichai explores the relationship between Jacob and Serach, and what it meant when his heart “Pag”. What does Pag mean? Listen to the episode and find out.

An error occured last week, and we pre-posted this podcast, however, as if some larger power was watching out for us, the audio did not work, and thus no podcast was provided last week. For that, we apologize, but, this week, in its time, we are able to offer the podcast for Parshat Vayigash.

This week Amichai explores the relationship between Jacob and Serach, and what it meant when his heart “Pag”. What does Pag mean? Listen to the episode and find out.

What does the word Beged mean? Is it a piece of clothing or betrayal?

This weeks episode looks at words, and the creation of words in a magical new way. We hope you will enjoy.

Amichai comments on the importance of names, as there are two name changes in this torah portion, Bethlehem to Efrat, and more importantly, Benoni to Binyamin.

Amichai focuses on the multiple translations of both the old and the new name for Jacob’s youngest son, and tries to better understand what the names mean, and why the changes were made.

Well, that is unless you think some of the other translations for Rakot are correct… in which case, we hope that our fearless host will stop crying in time for next weeks episode.

Amichai explores Genesis Chapter 25, Verse 22, and more specifically the word Lidrosh, which can be translated in so many ways.

We hope that this episode will help you “grok” the nuance that is the wording of the torah.

What do you think “lasuach” means? This is the only time in the torah that the word is used, and there is a great debate in the translation as to its meaning. Could it be to meditate? To Have a conversation? To Bow Down?

Hear what Amichai thinks, and then explore your feeling about the word.

This week Amichai explores the translations of the words Eden & Edna. We hope you will get pleasure listening to this podcast, and wonder if it will be of the earthly or orgasmic kind.