All Episodes
Displaying 241 - 270 of 833 in total
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...
Parsha: Metzora - Barbarians at the Gate
The Metzora (one stricken with tzaraas) is unwelcome in polite society. Even impolite society doesn't want anything to do with him. They must leave the camp. They must...
Parsha: Metzora - 21st Century Prophecy (5782)
How involved is God in the day-to-day lives of humanity? What is the nature of divine communication to humanity? The central subject of our Parsha offers a fascinating...
Ethics: Loving Straightness (6.6.33)
Straightness is a virtue. Straightness means to be proper and upstanding in all of your conduct. It means doing what's proper and just and good. It also references thi...
Parshas Metzora (Rebroadcast)
A metzora is someone who is stricken with the tangible illness of tzaraas caused by a variety of sins, most notably the sin of lashon hara, evil talk and slander. Last...
Parsha: Tazria - Temporarily Embarrassed Millionaires
Like much of Leviticus hitherto, tzaraas - the skin malady that is a physical manifestation of a spiritual flaw - is a concept distant from our consciousness. The Tora...
Parsha: Tazria - Torah In A Box (5782)
The bulk of our Parsha deals with the inapplicable laws of purity and impurity, but we also told about a Mitzvah that is very much applicable today: circumcision. When...
Parshas Tazria (Rebroadcast)
A very large percentage of Torah is dedicated to the laws of purity and impurity. Parshas Tazria deals exclusively with these laws, first with respect to the impurity ...
Parsha: Shemini - Spiritual Cholesterol
Kosher food is good for you. Non-kosher food is bad. That much we learned in our parsha. But why? Why is kosher food good? In this exquisite podcast, we Go deep and de...
On Elevator Pitches for God with Bruce Licht and Ron Kardos
Many (most?) people believe in God. Believers accept the reality that the world, the universe, finite existence is the handiwork of an infinite God. Why do people beli...
Parsha: Shemini - Aaron's Credentials (5782)
In our Parsha Aaron is promoted to become the high priest. Previously, Moshe served as high priest in an interim role, henceforth Aaron and his descendants will serve ...
Ethics: Loving Charities (6.6.32)
Charity is a big element of religious life. Our Sages tell us that the mitzvah of charity equals all the mitzvos of the Torah combined. But monetary charity is only on...