Meir Soloveichik: Recent Episodes
Rabbi Meir Soloveichik (A Project of the Tikvah Fund)
Rabbi Dr. Meir Y. Soloveichik is one of America’s leading voices on Jewish ideas, religious freedom, and faith in the modern age. In conjunction with the release of his new YouTube lecture series, "Sacred Time: A Journey through the Jewish Holidays," this podcast will collect and feature Rabbi Soloveichik’s latest podcasts, lectures, live events, and more.
When It Displeases the Court: Truth, Testimony, and the Ninth Commandment What does it mean to speak “the whole truth, and nothing but the truth”? The Torah’s prohibition on false testimony is a deeper call to honor truth itself in all spheres of life.
The Green-Eyed Monster: Envy and the End of the Decalogue Why does the Ten Commandments end with “Thou shalt not covet”? This surprising finale unlocks the purpose of the entire code—and shows how civilization depends on them.
Family and the Seventh Commandment Adultery is not only a private failing—it strikes at the covenantal heart of marriage. This commandment shows how Jewish tradition links faith in family to faith in God.
Life, Liberty, and Judaism: The Eighth Commandment and the Birth of Human Rights “Thou shalt not steal.” Just two words in Hebrew—but within them lies a revolutionary idea: that liberty and property are moral concepts, and that justice begins with respecting what belongs to others.
God, Father, and Mother: The Partnership That Defines the Jewish Family Why is honoring one’s parents listed alongside commandments about God? Judaism sees family as a sacred partnership in creation and as the foundation of faith itself.
Human Life and the Divine Life: The Sixth Commandment “All humans are created in the image of God”—but what does that mean? The commandment not to murder offers a moral insight that shaped the West and needs to be recovered today.
Who Is God? The Third Commandment and the Name of the Lord What does it mean that the Creator has a personal and ineffable name? Rabbi Soloveichik explores how the sanctity of God’s name illuminates the biblical vision of divinity and reverence.
The Most Misunderstood Day: Sabbath and the Fourth Commandment Shabbat introduced the idea of a day of rest to the world—but what is its real purpose? Discover how the Sabbath reshapes our understanding of work, holiness, and human dignity.
How Do We Know God? The First Commandment Judah Halevi pondered why the one true God revealed Himself not merely as Creator of the Universe, but as the God of Abraham Who took Israel out of Egypt. What does this tell us about Judaism’s view of God—and the link between the particular and the universal?
Judaism vs. Idolatry: The Second Commandment Judaism’s confrontation with idolatry is far from ancient history. Here Rabbi Soloveichik reveals what paganism truly is and how its spirit is returning in modern forms.
American history is under siege today. Rabbi Soloveichik explores how can we make sure our children learn and appreciate the American story, and thinks about the role Jews have in this mission.
On America’s bicentennial, a remarkable Israeli rescue mission spreads the message of liberty throughout the world. Click here to read Rabbi Soloveichik’s essay about the Liberty Bell.
Thomas Jefferson and John Adams—the founding generation’s preeminent intellectual leaders—differed mightily about the value of the Jews and Judaism. Download the study guide here.
How the lives of John and Abigail Adams shed light on the meaning of the biblical Adam and Eve to America and the world. Text: Genesis 1-6
The Book of Kings figures in a fascinating debate from the first session of the House of Representatives. Text: 1 Kings 4-5, 8
A letter by John Adams about his presidential predecessor allows us to better understand the beginning of Saul’s story. Text: Samuel 7-12
Ezekiel has a unique emphasis on the way in which Jews testify to the world through Sabbath observance. Text: Ezekiel 20-23
In this episode, Rabbi Soloveichik quotes an article by Yehuda Avner. You can read it here.
A verse in Micah appears many times in George Washington’s words—including one of the most famous letters in American Jewish history. Text: Micah 1-4
In this episode, Rabbi Soloveichik discusses two of George Washington’s letters to Jewish communities in America. Click here to read Washington’s letter to the Hebreww Congregation in Savannah, GA. Click here to read Washington’s letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, RI.
The story of a committee formed on July 4, 1776, shows us how the founders read the Exodus story, and how they saw in it two separate and essential themes that they wished to impress upon America. Text: Exodus 13-16
A passage in the story of Gideon helped launch the American Revolution. Text: Judges 8-10
Just as he did in life, Menachem Begin channels the meaning of Jerusalem and Jewish eternity in passing.
Menachem Begin completes the Israeli withdrawal from Sinai, evacuating Israeli settlements there.
To Menachem Begin, the successful bombing of the Osirak nuclear reactor was both a strategic success and a gift from God.
In the midst of the 1981 election race, Menachem Begin gives a remarkable speech that embodies the central tenet of his worldview: love of all Jews.
Menachem Begin channels the Jewish past at the signing of the final peace agreement between Israel and Egypt.
In his Nobel speech, Menachem Begin provides the definitive Judaic worldview on war and peace.
At a historic moment for Israel and the Arab world, Menachem Begin makes sure that the Sabbath is honored.
On his first trip to the United States, Menachem Begin looks to the Jewish past in order to build the Jewish future.
After decades in opposition, Menachem Begin finally becomes the prime minister of Israel.
The future Israeli prime minister makes a powerful case for reuniting Jerusalem with the Jewish people.
Menachem Begin’s commitment that Jews shall not make war against Jews is put to the test.
As the War for Independence begins, Menachem Begin connects the Jewish past to the Jewish future in the new state.
While leading the Irgun, Menachem Begin resists the seductive urge to pit Jew against Jew.
Vladimir Jabotinsky founds one of the most important youth movements in Jewish history.
Even in this difficult time for the Jewish people, we are blessed to bear witness to the lights of the soldiers of Israel—who testify to the living legacy of Judah Maccabee.
By the end of his life, the achievements of Judah rivaled—and in some ways surpassed—those of every great general throughout history.
In the Battle of Beth Zechariah, the Seleucids defeated the Hasmoneans by using war elephants, but not before the Maccabee Eliezer did something that will be remembered forever.
It was the liberation and purification of the Temple in Jerusalem that inspired Judah and his men to fight.
Unlike any other leader in Jewish history, Judah combined faith in God, an ability to inspire his men, and strategic genius to lead the Hasmoneans.
The Maccabean fusion of public faith in God and a willingness to fight was born in the priest Mattathias.
The prophet’s discussion of repentance profoundly impacted the final prayer of Yom Kippur. Text: Ezekiel 18.
In this episode, Rabbi Soloveichik refers to a movie review by Roger Ebert. You can read it here.
Rabbi Soloveichik also references an essay by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. You can read it here.
Thirty years after his family was murdered by the Nazis, Begin recalled what the Yom Kippur service in the Temple meant to his father—and therefore what it should mean to us. Text: Leviticus 16.
In this episode, Rabbi Soloveichik refers to a speech of Menachem Begin, translated in Mosaic. You can read that speech here.
Kol Nidrei, one of the most awe-inspiring and misunderstood parts of Jewish liturgy, dramatizes the power of repentance. Text: Kol Nidrei.
The end of Jonah is best read together with a much less well-known biblical book. Text: Jonah 3-4, Nahum 1-3.
In this episode, Rabbi Soloveichik discusses the Un’taneh Tokef prayer from the High Holiday liturgy. You can read a translation of it here.
The tale of the fleeing prophet is ultimately about identity and the monotheistic vision. Text: Jonah 1.
The man selected by Babylon to lead the Jews it left in Judah is mourned to this day. Who was he? Text: Jeremiah 40-44.
In this episode, Rabbi Soloveichik discusses a Times of Israel article by Michal Avera Samuel. You can read it here.
A High Holy Day exhortation teaches us something profound about Rosh Hashanah, and about Judaism itself. Text: Nehemiah 8-13.
The conclusion of Micah’s prophecy is linked to a famous Jewish tradition. Text: Micah 5-7.
The Book of Joel elucidates the meaning of the most famous biblical instrument. Text: Joel 1-3.
In this episode, Rabbi Soloveichik discusses an article from Atlas Obscura. You can read it here.
The unique biblical approach to monarchy allows us to understand why we coronate God every year on Rosh Hashanah. Text: Deuteronomy 16-19.
A coin minted by Vespasian brings us back to a lost aspect of Judea—one which has now been reborn.
Supplemental Materials:
- Click here to read Menachem Begin’s speech upon being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1978.
- Click here to see the ruins of the Roman Temple of Peace.
- Click here to see one of Vespasian’s Judea Capta coins.
- Click here to read more about the resurrection of the date palm in Israel.
- Click here to see the ancient Jewish coin bearing the words “Israel Liberata.”
In the story of Jerusalem’s fall, there is a villain who must not be forgotten.
Supplemental Materials:
- Click here to read more about Tiberius Alexander.
In the “Year of Four Emperors,” a great sage receives an audience with Vespasian and serves as the link between destruction and redemption.
The unity implied by the coins of Jewish Jerusalem is belied by the fracturing inside the city.
Why did the Jews of Jerusalem attempt to overthrow the Roman yoke, and who supported the endeavor?
Ancient tablets testify to Jewish endurance after Jerusalem’s destruction.
Supplemental Materials:
- Click here to see an image of one of the Al-Yahudu tablets.
- Click here to read an article about the “By the Rivers of Babylon” exhibit, which featured the Al-Yahudu tablets.
We can touch the remnants of Jeremiah’s Jerusalem today.
Supplemental Materials:
- Click to here to watch Rabbi Soloveichik’s conversation with Rep. Ritchie Torres.
- Click here to watch the City of David video about the destruction of the First Temple and its archaeological remains.
- Click here to watch the video about the large royal structure discovered in the “Givati Parking Lot.”
- Click here to read the article about the archaeomagnetic techniques used to analyze the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem.
The failures of Jerusalem’s last Davidic king leave us with great lessons about leadership.
Supplemental Materials:
- Click here to read the text of Winston Churchill’s speech protesting the Munich Agreement.
Why did the prophet fail to convince Jerusalem of the coming disaster?
Supplemental Materials:
- Click here to view Rembrandt’s “Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem.”
- Click here to view Jan Lievens’s “Job.”
A free, 6-part audio course
Traditionally studied each week between Passover and Shavuot, Avot may be the most beloved tractate in the rabbinic cannon; but its purpose and teachings may also be misunderstood. In this new audio course from the Tikvah Fund, Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik provides learned insight into the unique lives and worldviews of the rabbinic sages featured in the tractate. He thereby shows how to understand Avot as what it really is: an intellectual history of Jewish minds that were often in debate, and who offered solutions to challenges in a post-Temple world that was in many ways not unlike our own.
Episode 6: The incredible story of the “Oven of Akhnai,” so rich in drama and meaning, sheds light on a jarring feature of Avot: Rabbi Eliezer’s critical comment against the sages. In his final lecture, Rabbi Soloveichik connects the dots, bringing together the themes of the previous lectures and highlighting Judaism’s “symposium of the generations.”
A free, 6-part audio course
Traditionally studied each week between Passover and Shavuot, Avot may be the most beloved tractate in the rabbinic cannon; but its purpose and teachings may also be misunderstood. In this new audio course from the Tikvah Fund, Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik provides learned insight into the unique lives and worldviews of the rabbinic sages featured in the tractate. He thereby shows how to understand Avot as what it really is: an intellectual history of Jewish minds that were often in debate, and who offered solutions to challenges in a post-Temple world that was in many ways not unlike our own.
Episode 5: Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai may be said to have single-handedly saved Judaism after the destruction of the Second Temple. In this lecture, Rabbi Soloveichik recounts and interprets this visionary realist’s place in Avotand in Jewish history.
A free, 6-part audio course
Traditionally studied each week between Passover and Shavuot, Avot may be the most beloved tractate in the rabbinic cannon; but its purpose and teachings may also be misunderstood. In this new audio course from the Tikvah Fund, Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik provides learned insight into the unique lives and worldviews of the rabbinic sages featured in the tractate. He thereby shows how to understand Avot as what it really is: an intellectual history of Jewish minds that were often in debate, and who offered solutions to challenges in a post-Temple world that was in many ways not unlike our own.
Episode 4: Great historical figures often cannot imagine the world without them. Rabbi Judah the Prince, one of the greatest leaders of Jewish history, presents a stark exception to the rule. Rabbi Soloveichik tells his story and examines the relationship between authority and mortality, greatness and humility.
A free, 6-part audio course
Traditionally studied each week between Passover and Shavuot, Avot may be the most beloved tractate in the rabbinic cannon; but its purpose and teachings may also be misunderstood. In this new audio course from the Tikvah Fund, Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik provides learned insight into the unique lives and worldviews of the rabbinic sages featured in the tractate. He thereby shows how to understand Avot as what it really is: an intellectual history of Jewish minds that were often in debate, and who offered solutions to challenges in a post-Temple world that was in many ways not unlike our own.
Episode 3: Avot includes the words of generations of renowned sages. But there are surprising omissions as well. In this lecture, Rabbi Soloveichik explores the “mystery of the missing Gamliel,” the grandfather of the author of the Mishnah, thereby throwing new light on the meaning of the whole composition.
A free, 6-part audio course
Traditionally studied each week between Passover and Shavuot, Avot may be the most beloved tractate in the rabbinic cannon; but its purpose and teachings may also be misunderstood. In this new audio course from the Tikvah Fund, Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik provides learned insight into the unique lives and worldviews of the rabbinic sages featured in the tractate. He thereby shows how to understand Avot as what it really is: an intellectual history of Jewish minds that were often in debate, and who offered solutions to challenges in a post-Temple world that was in many ways not unlike our own.
Episode 2: In his second lecture, Rabbi Soloveichik unravels the significance of the most famous Talmudic rabbi, Hillel, who summarized the whole of the Torah while standing on one foot.
A free, 6-part audio course
Traditionally studied each week between Passover and Shavuot, Avot may be the most beloved tractate in the rabbinic cannon; but its purpose and teachings may also be misunderstood. In this new audio course from the Tikvah Fund, Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik provides learned insight into the unique lives and worldviews of the rabbinic sages featured in the tractate. He thereby shows how to understand Avot as what it really is: an intellectual history of Jewish minds that were often in debate, and who offered solutions to challenges in a post-Temple world that was in many ways not unlike our own.
Episode 1: In this opening lecture, Rabbi Soloveichik introduces Tractate Avot, “the most beloved and most misunderstood book…in all of rabbinic literature.” Learn how the first chapter of this work embodies the history of Jewish theology and law from the end of the period of the prophets until today.
A free, 6-part audio course
Traditionally studied each week between Passover and Shavuot, Avot may be the most beloved tractate in the rabbinic cannon; but its purpose and teachings may also be misunderstood. In this new audio course from the Tikvah Fund, Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik provides learned insight into the unique lives and worldviews of the rabbinic sages featured in the tractate. He thereby shows how to understand Avot as what it really is: an intellectual history of Jewish minds that were often in debate, and who offered solutions to challenges in a post-Temple world that was in many ways not unlike our own.
Episode 1: In this opening lecture, Rabbi Soloveichik introduces Tractate Avot, “the most beloved and most misunderstood book…in all of rabbinic literature.” Learn how the first chapter of this work embodies the history of Jewish theology and law from the end of the period of the prophets until today.
A free, 8-part audio course / Passover 2020
The most widely read, beloved, and perplexing book of the Jewish tradition is the Passover Haggadah. It is also a serious work of Jewish political philosophy. This Passover, Tikvah brings you a free audio course from Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, exploring the social, civic, and political teachings of the Haggadah. He will show how every prayer, passage, symbol, and song aims to describe and preserve the Jewish understanding of the good society, and why the festival of freedom is so central to understanding what Judaism stands for in every generation.
Episode 7: In this episode, Rabbi Soloveichik demonstrates the often-missed political wisdom in the Haggadah’s story of the sages who were discussed the Exodus from Egypt “all night.” In doing so, he brings into relief how Judaism preserves rabbis’ philosophical and theological insights even when they do not become the law.
A free, 8-part audio course / Passover 2020
The most widely read, beloved, and perplexing book of the Jewish tradition is the Passover Haggadah. It is also a serious work of Jewish political philosophy. This Passover, Tikvah brings you a free audio course from Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, exploring the social, civic, and political teachings of the Haggadah. He will show how every prayer, passage, symbol, and song aims to describe and preserve the Jewish understanding of the good society, and why the festival of freedom is so central to understanding what Judaism stands for in every generation.
Episode 6: In this episode, Rabbi Soloveichik examines some misunderstandings about maror, the bitter herb of the Seder plate, and its relation to the paschal lamb. How does it point to the connection between the celebrations of our freedom and the suffering of past generations? And if maror represents our slavery in Egypt before liberation, why doesn’t it come first among the Seder foods?
A free, 8-part audio course / Passover 2020
The most widely read, beloved, and perplexing book of the Jewish tradition is the Passover Haggadah. It is also a serious work of Jewish political philosophy. This Passover, Tikvah brings you a free audio course from Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, exploring the social, civic, and political teachings of the Haggadah. He will show how every prayer, passage, symbol, and song aims to describe and preserve the Jewish understanding of the good society, and why the festival of freedom is so central to understanding what Judaism stands for in every generation.
Episode 5: Nowhere in the Torah is the holiday we know as Pesach given that name. Rather, it is called the “Festival of Matzah.” How does matzah, the iconic unleavened bread of the Seder, bind Jews together across past, present, and future, while reminding us of our loyalty to God even in our darkest moments?
A free, 8-part audio course / Passover 2020
The most widely read, beloved, and perplexing book of the Jewish tradition is the Passover Haggadah. It is also a serious work of Jewish political philosophy. This Passover, Tikvah brings you a free audio course from Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, exploring the social, civic, and political teachings of the Haggadah. He will show how every prayer, passage, symbol, and song aims to describe and preserve the Jewish understanding of the good society, and why the festival of freedom is so central to understanding what Judaism stands for in every generation.
Episode 4: The Hagaddah teaches us that Judaism does not view law as an imposition upon human freedom. Rather, we became free for the sake of the law. In this lecture, Rabbi Soloveichik elucidates the counterintuitive relationship between law and freedom in the Seder and highlights the resonance of this Jewish teaching in the modern world.
A free, 8-part audio course / Passover 2020
The most widely read, beloved, and perplexing book of the Jewish tradition is the Passover Haggadah. It is also a serious work of Jewish political philosophy. This Passover, Tikvah brings you a free audio course from Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, exploring the social, civic, and political teachings of the Haggadah. He will show how every prayer, passage, symbol, and song aims to describe and preserve the Jewish understanding of the good society, and why the festival of freedom is so central to understanding what Judaism stands for in every generation.
Episode 3: Eating, in Judaism, can be act of religious worship full of ethical meaning—perhaps never more so than during Pesach. Rabbi Soloveichik explains the deep political and theological significance of matzah and chametz as symbols of the Jewish attitude toward time.
A free, 8-part audio course / Passover 2020
The most widely read, beloved, and perplexing book of the Jewish tradition is the Passover Haggadah. It is also a serious work of Jewish political philosophy. This Passover, Tikvah brings you a free audio course from Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, exploring the social, civic, and political teachings of the Haggadah. He will show how every prayer, passage, symbol, and song aims to describe and preserve the Jewish understanding of the good society, and why the festival of freedom is so central to understanding what Judaism stands for in every generation.
Episode 2: One of the strangest facts about the Haggadah is that in telling the story of the Exodus, it doesn’t mention Moses. Rabbi Soloveichik explains how the rabbis sought to honor Moses not as leader, but as teacher, and how this helps us understand why children are the focus of the Seder.
A free, 8-part audio course / Passover 2020
The most widely read, beloved, and perplexing book of the Jewish tradition is the Passover Haggadah. It is also a serious work of Jewish political philosophy. This Passover, Tikvah brings you a free audio course from Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, exploring the social, civic, and political teachings of the Haggadah. He will show how every prayer, passage, symbol, and song aims to describe and preserve the Jewish understanding of the good society, and why the festival of freedom is so central to understanding what Judaism stands for in every generation.
Episode 1: Theology and politics are deeply intertwined in the text of the Haggadah. In this introductory lecture, Rabbi Soloveichik discusses the intimate link between freedom and monotheism in the story of the Exodus from Egypt.
Today, the Jewish state is restored and Jerusalem is in our hands. Why do we still mourn ancient Jerusalem's destruction when we have so much to celebrate?
On Shavuot, Jews celebrate receiving the Torah at Sinai. With all its commandments, the Torah is the source of Jews' most profound joy. But how can law, so complex and didactic, be a source of joy and inspiration that leads to an encounter with God?
The declaration of Israeli independence and the Israeli victories in 1967 were two of the most significant moments in Jewish History. But what does it mean to mark these moments as holidays, to commemorate and celebrate them as part of the Jewish calendar year? And how does Jerusalem Day allow us to fully understand the very meaning of Jewish statehood itself?
Passover, the Jewish festival of freedom, has extraordinary insight into the nature of liberty. Modeled after President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "Four Freedoms," Rabbi Meir Soloveichik delineates a more ancient set of four freedoms which derive from the Hebrew Bible and lay at the core of the Passover Seder and its rituals. These are the freedoms that Jews and all Americans must rediscover for the sake of their own spiritual health and political vitality.
Purim is a holiday marked by levity, costumes, and celebration. Yet its ultimate premise is deadly serious. It asks us to recognize not only that Haman exists in every generation, but also that our Jewishness binds us to one another, whether we like it or not. Purim is, in other words, the holiday of Jewish solidarity.
Today, Tu Bishvat has evolved into a kind of Jewish Earth Day. Yet the holiday’s contemporary transformation teaches us more about the crisis of modern identity than about the day's authentic meaning. Rightly understood, Tu Bishvat's history and traditions remind us of the roots of Jewish identity and its rootedness in the Land in Israel.
Families on Hanukkah gather together and celebrate around dreidels, chocolate coins, and presents. Yet the holiday's most profound meaning is in its core symbol and ritual: the lighting of the menorah. Rabbi Soloveichik takes us through Hanukkah's two pivotal historical stages, the age of the Temple and the age of Diaspora, teaching us about the triumph of monotheism and Judaism, and the lessons Hanukkah's miracles hold for anyone who cares about Jewish survival.
In the Hebrew Bible, the Jews are described as a chosen people—but what are they chosen for? Rabbi Soloveichik explains that each of Judaism’s two types of sacred time, Shabbat and the Jewish festivals, exemplifies a unique aspect of Jewish purpose.
Sukkot and its rituals speak to the meaning of Jewish history, and the moral and spiritual challenges of our day.
Rabbi Soloveichik explores Judaism's "Day of Atonement," the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. Does the process of repentance, wherein we recall our many failings, year after year, mean that man is inherently bad or “fallen”? Is there truth in the claim that man is merely a material being, wholly determined by his irrepressible urges? The Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, rightly understood, offers a resounding “no”—and conveys a message of faith and hope in the divinely-given purpose of man.
Drawing upon wide ranging sources—from the history of British royalty to the poetry and prayers of Rosh Hashanah—Rabbi Soloveichik invites us to explore the connection between the New Year and the Jewish family, Creation and procreation, divine love and human love from one Jewish generation to the next.
What is the Jewish idea of time? How can it be made sacred? Rabbi Soloveichik ties together three incredible stories about Hasidim in Alaska, former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, and former refusenik Natan Sharansky.