The name of this week's Torah portion Emor literally means "speak." Why is it important that we speak? What is the special power of speech?
May 2, 2023
25 min
The Torah reading of Kedoshim begins: "You shall be holy because I, the L-rd your G-d, am holy." Why is this single statement considered to be the foundation of mitzvah observance?
Apr 25, 2023
27 min
Why does the Torah require one to bring a sin offering for an inadvertent sin? What is the point of atoning for something that was an accident? The answer can only be understood by first explaining the Torah's view on our subconscious motives.
Mar 21, 2023
46 min
In this week's portion, Moshe makes a financial audit of the charitable contributions made toward the building of the sanctuary in the desert. Why does Rashi say that Moshe counted "the weight" of the donations made by the people and not the value?
To answer this question, we must answer another question: What is the value of a mitzvah that is performed without feeling?
Mar 15, 2023
39 min
What are the real causes of shame and self-consciousness and what can be done to overcome them? The answer lies in understanding the mysterious "tachash" animal (sometimes translated as a unicorn) whose colorful skins were used to decorate the sanctuary in the wilderness.
Feb 21, 2023
37 min
Four fifths of our people did not leave Egypt at the time of the Exodus. Why will the coming redemption with Moshiach be different? Why is the answer to the wicked son of the Haggadah to remind him that if he had been in Egypt he would not have been redeemed? We will understand all of this in light of a little known story about when the Lubavitcher Rebbe reached out to chess master Bobby Fischer who had renounced his Jewish identity.
Jan 24, 2023
58 min
Just before they were separated for twenty-two years, Yaakov shared a final message with his son Yosef. How did these words keep Yosef alive through all of his trials and travails? What message would you want to be your last to your child?
Dec 27, 2022
41 min
How did our patriarch Yaakov finally separate himself from his abusive father-in-law Lavan? What can we learn from this story about how to deal with people whose fragile egos feel assaulted by our very existence?
Based on Hasvaaduyos 10 Kislev, Shabbos Parshas Vayeitzei 5746 pp. 655-656 and 664-666.
Nov 29, 2022
35 min
Which is more essential to life: material security or spiritual clarity? Looking at the first Jewish home, our mother Sarah's tent, we can answer this question and also settle an ideological debate between two great 20th century Jewish psychologists, Abraham Maslow and Viktor Frankl.
Nov 15, 2022
42 min
Should we be concerned when high profile celebrities spread anti-Jewish hatred? The answer is contained in this week's Torah portion of Vayeira.
Nov 9, 2022
46 min
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