Shows / YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
A short thought for each chapter/perek in Tanach for Tanach yomi/daily Bible study by Josh Blechner
Episodes
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
II Kings 1: Balaam and Eliyahu
The opening chapter of II Kings continues the Eliyahu story. Ahaziah falls through the roof of the palace and is bedridden. Instead of inquiring of God, he…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
I Kings 22: Not the Prophet you were Expecting
The first part of Chapter 22 reads like a well written comedy script (more on the comedy of the funniest chapters in Tanach in II Chronicles 18). In addition…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
I Kings 21: Vineyard Whines
Chapter 20 ended with the mystery prophet’s prophecy of doom for Achav and his household: “Thus said the LORD: Because you have set free the man whom I doomed…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
I Kings 20: Self Inflicted Wounds
The chapter begins with Achav actually standing up for his people. Ben Hadad demands a tribute of gold and silver and slaves and women and Achav rebuffs the…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
I Kings 19: A Quiet Place
Elijah loves bombast. He brought about a famine. He has no qualms threatening the king to his face. He orchestrated an epic showdown with the prophets of Baal…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
I Kings 18: This Reference Rocks!
Chapter 18 details the famous confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Baal. Elijah utilizes anger, humor, bombast, and a miracle to convince the…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
I Kings 17: Oh NOW I Believe You!
Eliyahu appears at the start of the chapter with absolutely no fanfare. He just starts talking. This opening verse is in stark contrast to everything else that…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
I Kings 16: King for a Week
Chapter 15 began with the rule of Abijam, the son of Rechavam. Abijam was an evil king, but God made it clear that the Davidic line would continue because of…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
I Kings: 15 Ping Pong
Shaul (c. 1050–1010 BCE) to David (c. 1010–970 BCE) to Shlomo (c. 970–931 BCE) to Rechavam (c. 931–913 BCE) and Jeroboam (c. 931–910 BCE). This sequence led to…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
I Kings 14: Kings of Egypt
The regional power in the Near East until the ascent of the Assyrian empire was Egypt. As such, Egypt has played and will play an outsized role in Tanach…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
I Kings 13 Arm-aggedon
Jeroboam goes all in with his worship of thetwo new Golden Calves. He even appoints himself as a priest as if to show thepeople that anyone can be a priest in…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
I Kings 12: The New King is a Cow-ard
The new king is faced with an early dilemma. What will happen when holiday season rolls around and the people return to the Temple to worship? Sensing there is…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
I Kings 11: Another Ripped Cloak
Chapter 11 has a thematic parallel to two different stories. The first is from the beginning of the book of Kings when David instructs Shlomo to tie up all of…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
I Kings 10: The Queen of Sheba
Knowledge of Shlomo’s wealth and wisdom spread throughout the known world according to chapter 10. The Queen of Sheba hears about Shlomo through the name of…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
I Kings 9: Whistling past/present/future the Graveyard
Chapter 9 is God’s response to Shlomo’s prayer during the dedication ceremony. The structure is similar to the tochacha/rebuke and blessings and curses in…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
I Kings 8: Party on Shlomo
It is party time in Jerusalem. The Temple iscomplete. The Ark and some of the vessels are now in their new (hopefully)permanent home in the Temple. Shlomo…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
I Kings 7: 13 going on 7
In chapter six, the texts states that the building of the temple took seven years. According to chapter 7, Shlomo took 13 years to build his palace. The…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
I Kings 6: Illegal Building Permit
Four hundred and eighty years after the Israelites left Egypt, Shlomo begins to build the Temple. Back in Exodus, God was very clear with Moshe about the plans…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
I Kings 5: Smarter than the Average Bear
He was the wisest of all men: [wiser] thanEthan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Chalkol, and Darda the sons of Mahol. His famespread among all the surrounding…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
I Kings 4: How Many Priests Does it Take to Screw in a Lightbulb?
David was king over Judah, then all of Israel, but it never seemed like he had steady control over the many tribes. Shlomo sets up a sophisticated…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
I Kings 3: Split Second Decision
Chapter 3 details the famous story of the two women fighting over a baby. After an introduction highlighting Shlomo’s wisdom, the chapter jumps directly into…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
I Kings 2: The Godfather
To the best experience possible reading chapter 2, one needs to play Nino Rota’s famous score for The Godfather in the background. With all the transitions in…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
I Kings 1: What did David Promise?
The books of Kings opens with a continuation of the political intrigue that plagued the latter part of David’s reign. David is old and weak, and requires the…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
II Shmuel 34: David's Choice
According to chapter 24, God looked for a way to punish the people by enticing David to conduct a census. Counting the nation is against the will of God…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
II Shmuel 23: Water Break
Chapter 23 continues the summation of David’s rule. After another brief mini prophecy/prayer, the chapter goes on to list the many warriors who aided David…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
II Shmuel 22: Psalm Psreview
Chapter 22 and chapter 18 of Psalms are almost identical chapters. David wrote most of the psalms in the book of Psalms, but obviously they all do not appear…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
II Shmuel 21: Humane Sacrifice?
Chapter 21 reads differently than the previous chapters. Until this point, the chapters were written in simple chronological order describing the trajectory of…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
II Shmuel 20: Two Wise Women and a General
The appearance of an אשה חכמה in II Samuel 20 immediately recalls the אשה חכמה of Tekoa in II Samuel 14. The parallels are striking: in both, Yoav faces a…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
II Shmuel 19: Protect the Crown
This moment has been simmering for a long time. David was king over Israel, but he owed a lot of his military success to his top general Yoav. They were…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
II Shmuel 18: Missing the Forest and the Trees
The chapter begins with almost a mirror image of the Batsheva story. There, David remained behind in the city while Yoav and the army went out to fight. Here…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
II Shmuel 17: Achito-fall
Who is Achitophel? And why does the Navi give us such a long and dignified end? Achitophel first appears out of nowhere. Avshalom is beginning his rebellion…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
II Shmuel 14: Tekoa Gedola
Yoav once again intervenes in David’s story. This time, he senses that David wants a reunion with Avshalom, but does not want to make the first move. Yoav…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
II Shmuel 16: Isn't it Ironic
Everyone loves to misuse the word irony. Alanis Morissette’s 1990s hit was famously criticized for not containing much actual irony at all. In Tanach, however…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
II Shmuel 15: Rebel Without a Cause
Why does Avshalom rebel? The text is unclear. Avshalom was next in line to be king. David had not yet announced any intention for succession, so Avshalom’s…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
II Shmuel 13: Tamar
Chapter 13 is another difficult read. Amnon’s rape of Tamar is an idea of his brilliant friend and seems to be condoned by David. Like Yaacov’s failure to act…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
II Shmuel 12: I Will Kill You Until You Die From It
The chapter begins with Natan’s brilliant parable and trap for David. David himself grew up as a shepherd, so he would have been particularly sensitive to the…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
II Shmuel 11: A Millstone around your neck and a Millstone one your head
David and Batsheva is one of the more controversial stories in Tanach. Did David sin with Batsheva? Was Batsheva really divorced so it was not an affair? Did…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
II Shmuel 10: Spy Games
When a ruler dies, his offspring have an opportunity to change course. Other rulers who want to keep things the same will try to appease the new leader…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
II Shmuel 9: The Curious Case of the Dead Dog Metaphor
David made a promise to Jonathan that he would watch over his descendants (וְלֹא־תַכְרִית אֶת־חַסְדְּךָ מֵעִם־בֵּיתִי עַד־עוֹלָם) (I Samuel 20:15). He searches…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
II Shmuel 8: Eye of the Tiger
The average movie is around 2 hours, however the timeframe of the movie usually takes place over longer periods of time. To solve for this, films employ the…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
II Shmuel 7: A House or a Temple
David is in a palace and the Ark sits under a tent. Irked by this imbalance, David wishes to build a Temple for God. Initially, Natan the prophet is all in…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
II Shmuel 6: Dancing in the Street
After conquering his capital city, David now turns his attention to the Ark of the Covenant. Since the Philistines returned the Ark on two wandering cattle, it…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
II Shmuel 5: Three Blind Mice
David’s first act as king is to attempt to conquer Jerusalem. As he approaches the city, the Jebusite inhabitants call out to the approaching army: “You will…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
II Shmuel 4: Right to Execute?
Sometimes you read a chapter of Tanach and it immediately clicks that the chapter reminds you of a similar story you just read in Tanach. For example, the two…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
II Shmuel 3: Did He or Didn't He?
Avner returns to Ish Boshet following the debacle at the pool in chapter 2, only to be greeted with a shocking accusation. Ish Boshet charges his general with…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
II Shmuel 2: Did Han Fire First?
In the original Star Wars there is a scene where Han Solo meets with Greedo, a green colored galactic bounty hunter, at a bar in Tatooine. After a tense…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
II Shmuel 1: And I Will Always Love You
David and Jonathan have had a very close relationship. From the moment Jonathan set eyes on David, “When [David]finished speaking with Saul, Jonathan’s soul…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
I Shmuel 31: A Tragic End to a Tragic Story
Shaul knew that this battle would be his last. He knew his troops would be decimated and his children killed. But he had to try to defend his people from the…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
I Shmuel 30: Why Ask the Question if you Know the Answer?
David and his troops return to Ziklag, but someone else got there first. Amalek attacked the city while David was out to battle with the Philistines. They…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
I Shmuel 29: The Philistine Carta
Chapter 29 is a very short chapter with a view of the final battle between Shaul and the Philistines from the viewpoint of the Philistines. We get a little…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
I Shmuel 28: But What About the Ewoks?
Shaul is at the end of the line. The Philistines prepare for battle and Shaul is cut off from God. He tries in vain to speak with God to ask God whether the…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
I Shmuel 27: Searching for Ziklag
Finally realizing that Shaul will never end his quest to kill him, David resigns himself to returning to Achish and living among the Philistines. David at…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
I Shmuel 26: Spearmint
Chapter 26 plays out almost the same way aschapter 24. Shaul and his forces close in on David. In the middle of the night,David sneaks into Shaul’s camp. David…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
I Shmuel 25: Heartbreaker
Chapter 25 tells the sidebar story of Avigail and Nabal. David’s band of warriors protects the wealthy Nabal and his shepherds from danger. At the time of…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
I Shmuel 24: David the Tailor
Faced with his pursuer, David has a very tough choice to make in chapter 24. Shaul is lying in the cave fast asleep. David enters the cave with sword in hand…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
I Shmuel 23: Divine Distraction
The dance between Shaul and David continues. David runs away, and Shaul chases him. The chapter ends with a very intense scene. David is hiding on one side of…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
I Shmuel 22: Avimelech and Achimelech
Chapter 22 is a difficult read. David has to jump from location to location to save himself and his family. He only finds refuge in foreign lands. The…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
I Shmuel 21: The Sword in the Sanctuary
David escapes from Shaul and runs to Nov, a city of priests. There, David asks Achimelech for bread and a weapon. Achimelech replies that the only bread…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
I Shmuel 20: Goodnight New Moon
No one knows for sure why the Haftorah is read every week. The practice appears in the Talmud, but no reason is given. The popular opinion is that during…
- YINR 929: Tanach Yomi
I Shmuel 19: Dovid ben Yishai's Day Off
In the 1986 teen comedy Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Ferris, played by Matthew Broderick, is a wise cracking high school kid. Ferris has a grand idea of playing…