All Episodes
Displaying 751 - 780 of 838 in total
Parsha: 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 – Deathrow and Jethro
The eponymous protagonist of our Parsha – Moshe’s father-in-law, Jethro – makes three appearances in the Torah. His story, at first glance, seems wholly unremarkable. ...
Mitzvah: First Fruits (#91, 606)
When the Temple was extant, there were many more mitzvos that were applicable above what we can do today. One of these mitzvos is the requirement to bring the first fr...
Parsha: 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...
Tu B’Shevat: The Secret of the Rosh Hashana for Trees
The fifteenth day of the Jewish month of Shevat – known as Tu B’Shevat – is the New Year for trees and fruits. All the fruits that sprout before this cutoff are associ...
Parsha: Beshalach – Songworthy Sequels
The Exodus marked the severing of the Jewish people from their former masters, the Egyptians. With plagues and miracles, the Almighty extracted the Israelites from bon...
Mitzvah: Tri-annual Pilgrimages (#88, 488-90)
When our nation was fortunate enough to have a Temple, the highlight of the year was the tri-annual pilgrimage to the Temple on the Three Festivals. Throngs of Jews fr...
Parsha: 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 – Climbing Mount Exodus
The Exodus from Egypt was the founding event of our people. Our nation had been in Egypt for more than two centuries and we had become acculturated into the Egyptian w...
TORAH 101: Free Will and Divine Foreknowledge
We hold two beliefs that seem to be mutually exclusive. The 10th principle of the 13 principles of faith declares that God knows everything – including the thoughts, d...
Parsha: 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...
Mitzvah: Not Enticing Idolatry (#87, 457-62)
The worst criminal in the Jewish system of courts is someone who tries to entice others to worship idolatry. Our sages tell us that such a crime is worse than murder. ...
Parsha: Vaeira – The Endurance Expedition
As the tag team representing God in the Exodus, Moshe and Aaron pull off some incredible miracles and feats in this week’s Parsha. When they are formally introduced an...
Ethics: The Comprehensive Wisdom (5:26)
The Torah is the Almighty’s wisdom. Just as the Almighty is infinite, His Torah is likewise infinite. In this remarkable Mishnah, we are trained to view Torah in its p...
Parsha: 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 – Make Your Move
Our Parsha is a difficult one to read. Our nation was enslaved, tormented, oppressed, and murdered by the Egyptians. Although we don’t see the salvation in our Parsha,...
Ethics: Designing The Ideal Life (5:25)
What does it take to live a great life? How would such a life be structured? This Mishnah is a masterclass in unpacking the subject. What you are about to enjoy is an ...
Parsha: 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 – Brotherly Love: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Family is everything. If you are fortunate enough to have siblings, parents, and children you know that there are bonds of kinship and brotherhood (and sisterhood, of ...
Ethics: High and Mighty (5:23-4)
What forces must we use to try to bring about our life mission? Our mandate is to fulfill the will of the Almighty. He expects great things of us and created us for th...
Parsha: Parshas Vayechi (Rebroadcast)
Parshas Vayechi is the final portion of the Book of Genesis. Jacob is about to die and he tends to his affairs: He assures that he will not be buried in Egypt and will...
Mitzvah: Mocking Idolatry (#86)
There are many mitzvos in the Torah around idolatry, 51 according to Rambam’s delineation. This mitzvah tells that we may not utter the names of idols, not in an oath ...
Parsha: Vayigash – A Clash Of Kings
Amongst the sons of Jacob were two kings: Judah and Joseph. Joseph was viceroy of Egypt. He was a king in his lifetime. Judah was never crowned as King in his lifetime...
Ethics: Abraham’s Academy (5:22)
The founder of our nation was Abraham our patriarch. He was a paragon of faith and kindness, and also exhibited every positive character trait. By contrast, Bilaam the...
Parsha: Parshas Vayigash (Rebroadcast)
Twenty two years have passed since Jacob and Joseph were separated. Ever since Joseph was torn away from him, Jacob was bereft of prophecy and inconsolable. In Parshas...
Parsha: Mikeitz – Joseph’s Crime
Joseph is one of the all-time heroes of Jewish history. His strength of character was legendary, his faith was unflappable, and his storyline remains an inspiration fo...
Chanukah and Joseph (Rebroadcast)
Every year, Chanukah falls out during the weeks in which we read about Joseph and his exploits in Egypt. Our Sages tell us that there is a deep connection between Jose...
Chanukah: History, Laws, and Customs (Rebroadcast)
About 2,200 years ago, the Jewish Nation faced an existential threat: The Assyrian Greek Empire led by Antiochus and his Hellenist henchmen undertook a concerted campa...
Parsha: Parshas Mikeitz (Rebroadcast)
Parshas Mikeitz continues the narrative of Joseph in Egypt. We pick up his story two years after his failed attempt at earning a reprieve via his cellmate, Pharaoh’s b...
Parsha: Vayeishev – Pebbles and Diamonds
A pebble and a diamond are similar in one way: they are both rocks. That’s where the similarities end. A diamond is precious and valuable. Diamonds are things that we ...