IKAR Podcasts

IKAR Podcasts


Latest Episodes

The Unreal and the Real - Rabbi Deborah Silver
September 07, 2025

As we move closer to the High Holydays, what do Ursula Le Guin, a provocative Midrash and the opening word of our Torah portion have to teach us about the demanding but essenntial work of teshuvah?

A Tale of Two Torahs - Rabbi Hannah Jensen
September 01, 2025

In this week's parsha we learn that the king had to write a Torah for himself. Or was it two - a Torah that accompanies him throughout his life and one that remains in a treasury locked away? From this we can learn a lot about our public and private selve

Preparing, and Unprepared - Rabbinic Intern Jacob Schatz
August 24, 2025

Both the Jewish calendar and the Torah come to a close leaving our people in a state of active preparation. But do we ever feel truly ready?

Show the World What a Jew Looks Like - Rabbi Sharon Brous
August 18, 2025

An earnest message to my child as she makes her own way in a broken, angry, anguished world, and a quiet plea to us all to open our hearts with love.

Break the Ax - Rabbi Morris Panitz
August 10, 2025

At first glance, Tu Bav, the Festival of Love, seems to be the Jewish equivalent of Valentines Day. But, a deeper look at the strange origins of this holiday reveals the transformative possibilities of this day. It all begins with an ax.

For Those Who Cannot Rise - Rabbi Deborah Silver
August 03, 2025

Tisha B'Av is the day we devote to contemplating destruction and ruin. How should we observe it, this year, when we are already carrying so much grief? And how can our tradition, and the story of one London rabbinical student, spur us to action?

Lonely Sits the City - Rabbi Hannah Jensen
July 27, 2025

Right now we are in the period of the most concentrated grief in the Jewish calendar leading up to Tisha b'Av next week. This year, in Los Angeles, we are in an extended period of the same. From the fires through the ICE raids beginning last month, we hav

The Best Seat in Hell - Rabbi Morris Panitz
July 20, 2025

Buried in a list of names is the mysterious fact that the sons of the mutinous leader Korah did not die. What follows is the bizarre journey of the sons of Korah to a ledge in Hell, where their song calls out to us, even today.

Reflections from a Bomb Shelter - Rabbi Morris Panitz
July 13, 2025

Sharing a personal, first-hand account of my time in Israel during the war with Iran.

The Folly of Those Dark Fantasies - Rabbi Sharon Brous
June 29, 2025

Trauma, history, fearall of these lead us down a path that is as futile as it is dangerous. At the end of one terrible war and in the midst of another, we can do better. We must grow in our ability to imagine one other.