All Episodes
Displaying 1 - 30 of 755 in total
Parsha: Terumah - Ark of History
The Tabernacle and all its vessels were steeped in miracles. They Ark did not take up any space. The Showbreads upon the Table did not get moldy. The construction of t...
Parsha: Terumah - Etched in Stone (5783)
Of the various materials needed for the construction of the Tabernacle were Shoham and Miluim stones. These stones were inlaid into the brackets in the Kohein Gadol's ...
TORAH 101: Testimony at Sinai
The Sinai Revelation was a mass testimony of faith. The only event of its kind saw God revealing Himself to a nation comprised of millions, who heard and experienced p...
Parshas Terumah (Rebroadcast)
One of the fundamental principles of Jewish philosophy is the idea of “Kedushah”, holiness. Holiness, according to the Jewish definition, is when the physical and spir...
Parsha: Mishpatim - Angels and Freemans
The first law (of dozens) featured in our Parsha tells of a Jewish bondsman who chooses to voluntarily extend his servitude past the required 6 years. This bondsman is...
Mishpatim - System of Sinai (5783)
The Parsha that follows the Revelation at Sinai contains an apparently motley potpourri of subjects: it begins with a wide variety of mitzvos of all types, presented i...
TORAH 101: Where Atheists Go Wrong
Some atheists are quite intelligent. Some atheists score highly on IQ tests. How can they be so wrong on matters of faith? Where exactly do the atheists go wrong? In t...
Parshas Mishpatim (Rebroadcast)
Parshas Mishpatim marks a stark change in the rhythm and pace of the Torah narrative. The preceding 17 Parshas contained a total of 41 mitzvos; this week we begin lear...
Parsha: Yisro - Resetting Expectations
Moshe's father-in-law Jethro is a fascinating and mysterious figure. He was Egyptian and served as an advisor to Pharaoh, but was ousted and exiled when he conscientio...
Parsha: Yisro - Sinai Sales Pitch (5783)
Our Parsha contains the most significant event in all of human history: the Revelation at Sinai. An entire nation comprised of millions of people heard the Almighty di...
More Secrets of the Month of Shevat with Rabbi Shmuel Botnick
The month of Shevat is associated with a tribe of Asher and corresponds to the letter Tzadik (צ) and its zodiac sign is a bucket. So much is told to us by the Kabbalis...
Parshas Yisro (Rebroadcast)
The most significant event in all of human history is the Revelation at Sinai, which occurs in Parshas Yisro. Prior to that monumental experience and the conveyance of...
Parsha: Beshalach - A Sliver of Gold
The Exodus was for good. When the Jewish people left Egypt, they did not return. Pharaoh pursued them (to his detriment) but the nation never turned back. When Moshe i...
Parsha: Beshalach - First Mover Advantage (5783)
After the Exodus, the Jewish people left Egypt, with no plans to return. But the Egyptians followed them in hot pursuit, and seven days later the nation was surrounded...
History: Ark of the Covenant: History and Current Whereabouts
The Ark of the Covenant was the holiest and most iconic vessels of the Tabernacle, and subsequently the Temple. It was placed in the Holy of Holies and visited only on...
Parshas Beshalach (Rebroadcast)
Parshas Beshalach may be the most action-packed parsha in the Torah. After the Exodus, God directed the people to not take the shortest route to the Land in order to f...
Parsha: Bo - Timelines of Exile
Our ancestors spent many years in Egypt prior to The Exodus. How many years exactly? That's a bit complicated. In our Parsha the verse says that after 430 years, the n...
Parsha: Bo - The Bloods and The Crisp (5783)
The dramatic events of the Exodus reach a crescendo with the nation's Exodus from Egypt. After 210 years of servitude and subjugation, the Almighty people leave Egypt ...
How to Raise Good Children Part 2
We all want to raise good children. We want our children to be healthy and balanced and good and righteous. The Torah is full of powerful lessons on how to raise good ...
Parshas Bo (Rebroadcast)
After the first seven Plagues of Egypt related in last week’s parsha, Pharaoh and his people were still unwilling to release the Children of Israel. In Parshas Bo, the...
Parsha: Vaeira - Hail to the Chief
Our Parsha details Moshe's repeated efforts to get Pharaoh to send the Jews free. Pharaoh proved to be a tougher nut to crack, as predicted by God. His intransigence w...
Parsha: Vaeira - Manufactured Adversity (5783)
Prior to Moshe and Aaron making progress in their mission to extract the Jewish people from Egypt - their first efforts yielded no success, at least not in that realm ...
How to Raise Good Children
It is incumbent upon parents to raise their children well, but how exactly do you do that? Babies are not born clutching parenting manuals. This is especially problema...
Parshas Vaeira (Rebroadcast)
Our Parsha begins in the middle of the dialogue between Moses and God. Moses’ initial foray into saving the nation has gone horribly awry. Instead of alleviating the p...
Parsha: Shemos - The Name Game
The Parsha and the Book are called "Shemos", meaning names. A review of the Parsha reveals all sorts of names-related subplots: The Parsha begins with enumerating the ...
Parsha: Shemos - Moshe's Moxie (5783)
The story of the Jewish people in the book of Exodus gets off to a difficult start. The nation is firmly ensconced in Egypt, but their experience there is decidedly un...
Mitzvah: Kosher Signs (#153, 155, 158, 470)
Some animals, birds, grasshoppers, and fish are kosher, some are not kosher. How do we know which animals are kosher and which are not? For that we have signs.– – – – ...
Parshas Shemos (Rebroadcast)
The Book of Exodus begins with the Egyptians cunningly enslaving their Hebrew subjects: mandating that they work in backbreaking labor, killing their male sons, and tr...
Parsha: Vayechi - Unexpected Greatness
Prior to his passing, Jacob gave a series of blessings to his descendants. He blessed Joseph and Joseph's two sons, Ephraim and Menashe. He gathered his sons and bless...
Parsha: Vayechi - Anti-Oxidance (5783)
Immediately prior to his passing, Jacob gathered his sons with the intention of revealing to them what will happen at the end of days. With his 12 sons coalesced aroun...