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Special Episode: Season 1 in the Books!

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Special Episode: Season 1 in the Books!

We celebrate the end of our first podcast season with some reflections from Jon and Dan, and our first young person interview with Lela Spira-Savett! Find out the score after one quarter of the series in the which-Good-Place-character-are-rabbis-most-like sweepstakes!

”Gilligan’s Island”

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Leviticus 19:14
“Do not curse a deaf person, and in front of a blind person do not put a stumbling block; you shall hold your God in awe, I am YHWH.”

Sifra Kedoshim 2:14
”And in front of a blind person do not put a stumbling block” — before someone who is “blind” in a certain matter…. If he came to you for advice, do not give advice that is not sensible for him…

Leviticus 23:40
And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of the beautiful tree, branches of palm, and a leaf of thick tree-foliage, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before YHWH your God seven days.

Midrash Vayikra (Leviticus) Rabbah 30:12
Another explanation: "The fruit of a beautiful tree" - these are [referring to] Israel. Just like this citron (etrog), which has taste and has smell, so too Israel has among them people that have Torah and have good deeds. "The branches of a date palm" - these are [referring to] Israel. Just like this date, which has taste and has no smell, so too Israel has among them those that have Torah but do not have good deeds. "And a branch of a braided tree (a myrtle)" - these are [referring to] Israel. Just like this myrtle, which has smell and has no taste, so too Israel has among them those that have good deeds but do not have Torah. "And brook willows" - these are [referring to] Israel. Just like this willow, which has no smell and has no taste, so too Israel has among them people that have no Torah and have no good deeds. And what does the Holy One, blessed be He, do to them? To destroy them is impossible, but rather the Holy One, blessed be He, said "bind them all together [into] one grouping and these will atone for those." And if you will have done that, I will be elevated at that time….