Parshas Nitzavim-Vayeilech 5786 ספר דברים פרק ל פסוק כ לאהבה את יקוק אלהיך לשמע בקלו ולדבקה בו כי הוא חייך וארך ימיך לשבת על האדמה אשר נשבע יקוק לאבתיך לאברהם ליצחק וליעקב לתת להם׃ {פ} Sefer Devarim Chapter 30 Verse 20 by loving the ETERNAL your Hashem, by heeding Hashem’s commands, and by holding fast to [Hashem]. For thereby you shall have life and shall long endure upon the soil that Hashem swore to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give to them.

This week’s episode explores Parshat Ki Tavo’s bikkurim declaration, focusing on the phrase acknowledging that the land was a gift from God, and uses it to launch a discussion of generational wealth. Rabbi Poupko and Rebbetzin Shoshana examine research showing inherited wealth can breed entitlement, but paired with a sense of story, identity, and responsibility, it instead fosters values-driven, motivated heirs — mirroring the Torah’s own model of humility plus gratitude. They connect this to relationships and community, urging self-aware, compassionate reflection on one’s own blessings so as to support others with dignity rather than judgment.

Parshas Ki Teitzei 5786 ספר דברים פרק כד פסוק יט כי תקצר קצירך בשדך ושכחת עמר בשדה לא תשוב לקחתו לגר ליתום ולאלמנה יהיה למען יברכך יקוק אלהיך בכל מעשה ידיך׃ {ס} Sefer Devarim Chapter 24 Verse 19 When you reap the harvest in your field and overlook a sheaf in the field, do not turn back to get it; it shall go to the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow—in order that the ETERNAL your Hashem may bless you in all your undertakings.

Parshas Shoftim 5786 ספר דברים פרק כ פסוק ח ויספו השטרים לדבר אל העם ואמרו מי האיש הירא ורך הלבב ילך וישב לביתו ולא ימס את לבב אחיו כלבבו׃ Sefer Devarim Chapter 20 Verse 8 The officials shall go on addressing the troops and say, “Is there anyone afraid and disheartened? Let him go back to his home, lest the courage of his comrades flag like his.”

Parshas Re'eh 5786 ספר דברים פרק יג פסוק א את כל הדבר אשר אנכי מצוה אתכם אתו תשמרו לעשות לא תסף עליו ולא תגרע ממנו׃ {פ} Sefer Devarim Chapter 13 Verse 1 aThis verse is labeled as 12.32 in some editions, and chapter 13 starts with the next verse. Be careful to observe only that which I enjoin upon you: neither add to it nor take away from it.

In this episode of the podcast, Rabbi Daniel Goldberg, Rabbi Chaim Poupko, and Rabbi Akiva Block explore the pasuk in Parshas Eikev about the manna in the desert — unpacking why the Torah paradoxically describes this miraculous heavenly food as both a gift and an affliction. Drawing on Rabbeinu Bechaye, the Sforno, and their own insights, the rabbis reveal how the manna’s day-by-day uncertainty was by divine design, forcing Bnei Yisrael to confront the spiritual challenge of living without security. The conversation takes a compelling modern turn as the rabbis wrestle with a timeless tension: whether abundance is a blessing or a burden, and how the choices we make with our wealth — and for our children — define our relationship with Hashem and ourselves.

Parshas Vaetchanan 5786 ספר דברים פרק ג פסוק כו ויתעבר יקוק בי למענכם ולא שמע אלי ויאמר יקוק אלי רב לך אל תוסף דבר אלי עוד בדבר הזה׃ Sefer Devarim Chapter 3 Verse 26 But Hashem was wrathful with me on your account and would not listen to me. Hashem said to me, “Enough! Never speak to Me of this matter again!

Parshas Devarim 5786 ספר דברים פרק א פסוק יב איכה אשא לבדי טרחכם ומשאכם וריבכם׃ Sefer Devarim Chapter 1 Verse 12 How can I bear unaided the trouble of you, and the burden, and the bickering!

This podcast episode discusses the mitzvah of arei miklat (cities of refuge) from Parshas Matos Massei, where someone who kills inadvertently must flee to a refuge city and remain there until the death of the High Priest. The rabbis explore why this sentence is deliberately open-ended and indeterminate, concluding that it reflects a Divine acknowledgment that human justice has inherent limits and cannot always achieve perfect clarity. The broader takeaway is a call for humility in administering justice — whether in biblical law, the death penalty, or modern social policy — recognizing that some moral questions resist clear-cut answers.

Parshas Pinchas 5786 ספר במדבר פרק כו פסוק יא ובני קרח לא מתו׃ {ס} Sefer Bamidbar Chapter 26 Verse 11 The sons of Korah, however, did not die.