{"podcast":{"title":"The Great Sources with Rabbi Shnayor Burton","slug":"the-great-sources-with-rabbi-shnayor-burton-1203468","podcast_index_feed_id":1203468,"rss_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/fb5467c/podcast/rss","website_url":"https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/shnayor-burton","image_url":"https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo/2535383/2535383-1669581270294-8c5f4d2d7739e.jpg","author":"Rabbi Shnayor Burton","episode_count":235,"summary":"To help support this podcast, please consider making a tax-deductible donation via Zelle to jacoblightsfoundation@gmail.com. Lecture series in Jewish Philosophy. What was the purpose of Creation? What is man's place in the world? What are prophecy and prayer about? What is the significance of Shabbos and the Promised Land? Explore these fundamental questions of Judaism from their sources, and become familiar with the systems developed by the great Torah thinkers: R' Saadiah Gaon, R' Yehuda HaLevi, R' Bachya ibn Paquda, Rambam and the school of the Mekubalim.","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-great-sources-with-rabbi-shnayor-burton-1203468"},"episode":{"title":"S10, E9 In Pursuit of Knowing Hashem: Why We Need the Torah and Why Freedom Is Impossible","slug":"s10-e9-in-pursuit-of-knowing-hashem-why-we-need-the-torah-and-why-freedom-is-impossible","published_at":"2026-01-22T07:44:03+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-great-sources-with-rabbi-shnayor-burton-1203468/s10-e9-in-pursuit-of-knowing-hashem-why-we-need-the-torah-and-why-freedom-is-impossible","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-great-sources-with-rabbi-shnayor-burton-1203468","url":"https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/shnayor-burton/episodes/S10--E9-In-Pursuit-of-Knowing-Hashem-Why-We-Need-the-Torah-and-Why-Freedom-Is-Impossible-e3e11c7","audio_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/fb5467c/podcast/play/114377543/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-0-22%2F416606013-44100-2-152f67c453a0f.mp3","summary":"0:00 What is Judaism all about? 2:00 Did the forefathers know the Name of Hashem or not? 4:00 Exodus initiated two seemingly different things: knowledge of Hashem and freedom from bondage 5:55 Where does the Torah fit into Exodus? 9:00 "Nobody is free but for he who studies Torah" – how does the Torah make a person free? 13:15 The prophets' opposition to sacrifices, in contradiction to the Torah 18:45 Midrash is the insistence to read verses closely and exactly 21:30 The focus of the prophets on da'as Hashem 25:45 The response to "I am Hashem" is da'as Hashem 29:30 Summary of the points made thus far 32:00 Moshe asked to know Hashem, and his request was denied 36:30 The contradiction between the Torah and the Prophets about whether Hashem can be seen 38:30 Two meanings of "seeing" and two meanings of "knowing" 43:00 A creature of super-human intelligence once visited earth and revealed that the totality of human knowledge is folly 46:15 It's easy to see Hashem – but then you die 48:00 Why sacrifices and da'as Hashem are mutually exclusive 50:30 Why suicide is the root problem of philosophy 1:02:00 Law is for those who don't have da'as Hashem 1:13:00 Moshe thought that his mission was one of bringing da'as Hashem to the people, just like all the prophets 1:18:45 Hashem told Moshe that the impossibility of da'as Hashem is also a fundamental component of the Torah 1:20:30 The one who has da'as Hashem is truly free, since his mind is the mind of Hashem 1:25:15 Judaism is fundamentally about freedom 1:28:45 "They did not listen to Moshe because of shortness of spirit and because of hard labor" – they refused to embrace da'as Hashem 1:31:30 You cannot understand anything about the Torah without realizing that there are two co…","meta_description":"0:00 What is Judaism all about? 2:00 Did the forefathers know the Name of Hashem or not? 4:00 Exodus initiated two seemingly different things: knowledge o…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":6868,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-great-sources-with-rabbi-shnayor-burton-1203468/episodes/s10-e9-in-pursuit-of-knowing-hashem-why-we-need-the-torah-and-why-freedom-is-impossible/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-great-sources-with-rabbi-shnayor-burton-1203468/s10-e9-in-pursuit-of-knowing-hashem-why-we-need-the-torah-and-why-freedom-is-impossible.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}