Torah Obscura Radio Hour

Torah Obscura Radio Hour

Season 1 presents ”A Mobster’s Midrash” read by the author, Michael Diamond. A gangster version of the Bible set in the 1970s/80s worlds of music and mobsters, it is a new twist on some old themes.

Episodes

January 1, 2025 46 mins

Listen. It's the 411 from Emmett the shamus at the club in "A Mobster's Midrash." "Chapter One: Bones" sets the stage for a the upcoming Battle of the Bands. As a roadie in the 'ecclesiastical' world, the world of the gatherers of souls, our narrator offers a unique, side-eyed perspective on the surreal performances and clandestine operations that unravel in vape-filled halls and shadowy nightclubs.

Follow the intrigue of Isis and ...

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Moishie and his mixed multitude navigate a surreal nocturnal journey, a caravan of over 600 souls on a mystery-filled highway escape. Dangers loom in a strange encounters along the way, the line between dream and reality blurs. Moishie’s band takes a roundabout route to shake their tail. It's a tale of mystery, layered with mythical encounters and primordial fears, a path illuminated by the past as much as by future uncertain...

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January 1, 2025 35 mins

Emmett the shamus unspools the thread of the treacherous and enigmatic world in which he finds himself in Chapter 3 of 'A Mobster's Midrash'. After being sideswiped by a mysterious truck from 'Eye on the Throne, LLC', our investigator takes a deep dive into the realm of the concrete.

As Emmett winds us through the digressive world of his intellect, the listener gets a glimpse of what makes him tick tick tick. He guides us through h...

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January 2, 2025 42 mins

Magic and intrigue captivate the diverse assembly that gathers under the hallucinatory spell of Mount Sinai Hospital. Visions of revelation and synesthesia entrain the imagination of Moishie Levy and his irrepressible Tribe. Through shared epiphanies and mysterious divinities, the intricate web of cultural appropriation and ownership leads their souls unite in spiritual commensalism.

The narrative weaves through hidden bureaucracie...

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January 9, 2025 45 mins

Moishie, Brother A, and Auntie Mim have gone underground where they ply the hallucinogenic tea trade in Babylon. Auntie Mim's secret brew is sold in clubs and coffeehouses with hushed whispers and discreet ads.

The story unfolds with the formation of a new band under the watchful eye of Delivery Boy and Fat Face Sandalphon, The Judges, who navigate their way through a transformed music scene. The band members include Sunshine, the ...

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January 19, 2025 37 mins

Emmett the shamus reveals the history and metaphysical mechanics of the ritual of self-nullification, an epiphany he achieves whilst walking the canal with his buddy Stretch. Then he shifts the reader's focus to Atlantic City's history as a premier seaside resort and mobster hangout. Along the way, Enoch's origin story, the nullification of his self in the service of the Interworld. The narrative winds its way around the New York, ...

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February 3, 2025 39 mins

Welcome to the clandestine world of Zion, a hidden encampment nestled in the greenway of Northern Jersey, just a stone's throw from Princeton University. Here, a wacky band of academic dropouts and nonconformists gather to grow weed and make music.

Hades, the first charismatic leader, rules the nocturnal assembly of misfits with a genial smile and an eye for pranks. Together with his companions, Wiggy and Jag and Uncle, they naviga...

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February 9, 2025 43 mins

In the explosive finale of "A Mobster's Midrash," "Chapter 8: Armageddon," chaos reigns as the Kings of Zion prepare for the Battle of the Bands in Atlantic City. Haunted by visions of ectoplasmic cows and prophetic utterances, the band navigates internal conflicts, mounting threats from rival bands, and bizarre supernatural elements.

Amidst artisanal pot dealings and music rag rumors, the band's journey is fraught with power strug...

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