What Makes the Exodus True with Joshua Berman

About this episode

Rabbi David Wolpe and Rabbi Dr. Joshua Berman discuss the historicity and deeper truths of the Exodus narrative.

Should it matter whether Yetziat Mitzrayim — the exodus of Israelites from Egypt, the defining story of the Passover seder that Jews around the world have retold for centuries — actually happened in the way the Torah describes? Twenty-five years ago, Rabbi David Wolpe posed this very question to his congregants — and it caused quite a stir. Now, a quarter century later, he sat down with Rabbi Dr. Joshua Berman of Bar Ilan University, one of today’s leading biblical scholars, to talk about the deeper truths behind the Exodus. Together, they probe the historicity of the biblical account, the enduring meaning of the story, and the timeless legacy of a narrative that is, ultimately, the closest approximation to a Jewish language of Aspiration. In that spirit, we hope this wide-ranging SAPIR Conversation enriches your Pesach Seder. From the SAPIR family to yours, wishing you and your loved ones a Happy Passover and Chag Sameach! Read the latest issue of SAPIR on ASPIRATION: sapirjournal.org Read Dara Horn's essay, "How To Teach the Jewish Story": How to Teach the Jewish Story – SAPIR Journal Music from #Uppbeat: ⁠https://uppbeat.io/t/theo-gerard/monsieur-groove

People in this episode

Host: Rabbi David Wolpe

Guest: Rabbi Dr. Joshua Berman

Topics covered

• Exodus
• Passover
• Jewish history
• biblical scholarship
• cultural legacy

Keywords

• Exodus
• Passover
• Torah
• Jewish narrative
• historicity
• Rabbi David Wolpe
• Rabbi Dr. Joshua Berman

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Bar Ilan University, SAPIR Journal

Books & works: How to Teach the Jewish Story

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