Podcast | Cup of Salvation

January 22, 2018Podcast

Rejoicing with Trembling (Episode 15)

Psalms 114:4 tells us that the Mount Sinai “danced” at the moment of the great Revelation of the Torah. But Exodus 19:18 states that Mount Sinai “trembled violently.” So which is it – dancing for joy or shaking in fear? What is Scripture trying to tell us by using two contradictory metaphors to describe the same phenomenon – and how can that help us better understand our own relationship with G-d? Hosts David Nekrutman and Rabbi Pesach Wolicki offer a deep and beautiful understanding of the Psalms, and even use the life and times of Winston Churchill to demonstrate the truth of “rejoicing with trembling.”

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January 8, 2018Podcast

Two Prototypes of Miracles (Episode 14)

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Psalms 114:3 tells us that during the Exodus from Egypt, “The sea looked and fled, the Jordan turned back.” But while Israel crossed the Sea as the culmination of the Exodus, the waters of the Jordan turned back forty years later, long after the Exodus was over! And that’s only the first problem; what about the fact that the miracle of the Jordan River’s drying up was completely unnecessary? Join David Nekrutman and Rabbi Pesach Wolicki as they discuss these problems, and teach two crucial lessons about the meaning of the Exodus and the purpose of miracles (and somehow connect it to Rembrandt…).

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December 25, 2017Podcast

Episode 13: The Definition of Holiness

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Psalm 114:2 states, “Judah was His holy one, Israel His dominions” – but as the Bible very rarely uses the name “Judah” to refer to the entire people of Israel, why does it do so here? What does it mean that Judah – or anything – is holy? Join David Nekrutman as he is shocked by Rabbi Pesach Wolicki’s assertion that charity is not actually holy, and discover why, in Rabbi Wolicki’s words, “Art is the companion of history.”

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December 11, 2017Podcast

Episode 12: Jacob’s House, Egypt’s Culture, and a World Series to Remember

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Psalm 114 verse 1 states, “When Israel came out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of foreign tongue…” Isn’t this verse needlessly repetitious? What is the difference between the parallel terms “Israel” and “house of Jacob,” on the one hand, and “Egypt” and “a people of foreign tongue” on the other? Isn’t this verse only half a sentence? And is the Astros victory in the World Series relevant to this discussion? Join David Nekrutman and Rabbi Pesach Wolicki to find out.

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November 27, 2017Podcast

Episode 11: Unity Behind The Diverse Themes of Psalm 113

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Psalm 113 explains that G-d is the Lord of history, that He cares about individuals as well as nations, and that the pagan perception of how gods interact with the world is incorrect. But what connects these disparate themes? Join David Nekrutman and Rabbi Pesach Wolicki for an important discussion about why these ideas all appear in the same psalm, and how they serve as an introduction to the five psalms that follow.

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November 13, 2017Podcast

Episode 10: A Barren Woman… OF the Home?!

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Psalms 113:9 is almost always translated as, “He makes a barren woman who dwells in a home into a joyful mother of children.” But Rabbi Pesach Wolicki points out that in the original Hebrew, it should instead be translated as, “He makes a barren woman OF the home into a joyful mother of children.” What is a barren woman of the home, and what does it tell us about G-d’s love and kindness? Join hosts David Nekrutman and Rabbi Wolicki to discuss this Biblical verse, as well as the larger issue of appreciating (and properly translating) Biblical poetry. Along the way, they offer a surprising yet effective methodology for better recognizing the subtlety of the Scriptural text.

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