All Episodes
Displaying 181 - 210 of 784 in total
Ethics: Unenthusiastic Judgment (6.6.37)
There was a need to render halachic rulings. Sometimes there was uncertainty and there's a need to have a halachic decisor render a ruling. But what is the attitude ne...
Parshas Behaaloscha (Rebroadcast)
The Jewish nation has been encamped at Mount Sinai for nearly a year; in this week’s parsha they finally depart from the Mountain of God, and sadly leave gleefully as ...
Parsha: Nasso - Gordian Knot
Parshas Nasso is the longest Parsha in the Torah by verses. In this very special Parsha podcast we explore three different elements of the Parsha: We offer a deep exam...
Parsha: Nasso - The Fourth Crown (5782)
Our Parsha contains the interesting law of the Nazir. A Nazir is someone who has accepted upon themselves a vow to abstain from wine, haircuts, and contact with the de...
Ethics: Swelled Heart (6.6.36)
It is a mark of Torah ignorance to be content with the degree of Torah study that you have. It is broader than the land and deeper than the sea. Torah is effectively i...
Parshas Nasso (Rebroadcast)
In the longest parsha in the Torah by verses, we continue to read about the Levite families and their responsibilities, we learn about the three tiers of the Nation’s ...
Parsha: Bamidbar - Legion of God
At first glance, the subject matter of Parshas Bamidbar is quite bland and technical. It talks of a census, and the orientation of the tribes in the camp, and the vari...
Parsha: Bamidbar - Autopsy of Giants (5782)
Our Parsha recounts - for the third time hitherto in the Torah - the episode of the untimely death of Aaron's two eldest sons, Nadav and Avihu. These two young priests...
Five Fascinating Questions
Questions can be unsettling. Questions can cause dissonance. Questions can be painful. But questions can also be illuminating. They can open up new portals of insight ...
Parshas Bamidbar (Rebroadcast)
We kickstart the Book of Numbers with a census of the twelve tribes of Israel – not including the tribe of Levi who is counted independently – conducted by Moses, Aaro...
Parsha: Bechukosai - Impractical Torah?
Torah is absolutely vast. It is a veritable ocean. And we are privileged to be able to study it and immerse ourselves in it. Those of us who have had the great privile...
Mitzvah: Consuming Blood (#148)
Most of us are not tempted to taste blood. We find it repugnant and revolting. Nevertheless, in seven different verses, the Torah bans the consumption of blood. We mus...
Parsha: Bechukosai - Self-Assembly Kit (5782)
Why was our soul sent to this world? What was lacking for it in Heaven? That is not an easy question to answer. There are other hard questions to ponder: why are we so...
Ethics: Aversion to Honor (6.6.35)
Honor is a funny thing. It yields no tangible, discernible, sensory benefit to the recipient, yet it is so highly coveted and desired. We all want respect. We all want...
Parshas Bechukosai (Rebroadcast)
In two chapters in the Torah (Leviticus 26, Deuteronomy 28) we read about the positive consequences of obeying the Torah and heeding its laws; and the terrible, painfu...
Parsha: Behar - Intractable Land
The Land of Israel is special: It is the land of God. All other lands were given by God to humanity. The land of Israel He reserved for himself. The Torah gives us com...
Parsha: Behar - The Jubilant 50's (5782)
Being a farmer in antiquity was a hard job. Without any mechanized tools and plows, farming demanded a great deal of sweat and toil. But what choice did you have? If y...
TORAH 101: The Timeline of Resurrection
It is hard enough for us to keep track of what happens to us in our lifetime; what happens after we die is truly a mystery. But there are timelines that are even murki...
Parshas Behar (Rebroadcast)
At Mount Sinai, the Almighty instructed Moshe to convey a series of laws to the Jewish people. The first is the mitzvah of Shemittah, the prohibition of engaging in an...
Parsha: Emor - Simulated Martyrdom
Humans have a very important role to play in God's world. The Almighty created a world in which He is obfuscated. It is possible to live a whole life without acknowled...
Parsha: Emor - Spiritual Fingerprint (5782)
The Kohanic family is the most prestigious and sanctified family in our nation. Direct descendants of the legendary Aaron, this family was consecrated as the priests o...
The Infinity of Torah
The Torah is effectively infinite. It is longer than the land and broader than the seas. God is infinite and unfathomable; He gave us His Torah in order for us to conn...
Parshas Emor (Rebroadcast)
Parshas Emor contains a staggering 56 mitzvos, nearly all of them relating to either to the Kohanim, the priests, or to the Festivals, and the parsha ends with a very ...
Parsha: Kedoshim - Loving the Unlovable
Some people are easy to love. They are good people. They have a good character. They are righteous and noble and pleasant. People like that are very lovable. But there...
Ethics: Loving Rebuke (6.6.34)
No one likes criticism. To receive criticism is painful. To be told what we did wrong stings. We bristle at the notion that we are flawed and imperfect. The mere knowl...
Parsha: Kedoshim - The Superhuman Imperative (5782)
Our Parsha begins with an unusual ceremony: Moshe gathers the entire Jewish Nation, men, women, and children, to convey to them the mitzvos of our Parsha. Unlike the r...
Parshas Kedoshim (Rebroadcast)
This week’s parsha has the highest mitzvah density of any parsha: In its 64 verses we learn 51 separate mitzvos covering many different areas of Jewish practice, inclu...
Parsha: Acharei Mos - Fleshy Onesie
The first verse of our Parsha revisits a tragic event from the past. The Torah tells us that after the death of Aaron's sons Nadav and Avihu, Moshe was instructed to c...
Parsha: Acharei Mos - A Consequential Life (5782)
The verse in our Parsha makes a big promise: if you adhere to the Mitzvos and statutes and laws of the Torah you will be granted life. Life is what we all so deeply co...
Parshas Acharei (Rebroadcast)
The three chapters of our parsha cover three general categories. First we read about the Yom Kippur sacrifices and procedures; then we learn about the prohibitions aga...