How did the Dor Haflaga go from complete unity to fighting so bitterly that they could no longer live together? The answer reveals a mistake we all make, often without even realizing it. Rabbi Shafier explores why we assume other people see the world exactly as we do, how that assumption fuels arguments with spouses, family, and friends, and one surprisingly simple way to stop a misunderstanding from becoming a full-blown machlokes.  This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

Noach spent 120 years building the Teivah and warning his generation about the coming Mabul. Yet Rashi tells us that even Noach didn't fully believe it would happen. How is that possible? Rabbi Shafier explores the surprising gap between what we know to be true and what we actually feel, revealing why even the greatest tzaddikim struggle to turn emunah into a living reality. Discover why understanding that Hashem runs the world is only the beginning, and how the challenges of everyday life can help us develop genuine emunah and bitachon.  This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

You know what turns people off living an authentic Jewish life? Jews not living an authentic Jewish life. Of course, we all consider ourselves ehrliche yidden. We’d never steal. But when it comes to the government… taxes… some people “mach shtick”. It’s not geneivah, it’s “shtick”! Rashi’s first question in Chumash: Why does the Torah begin with maaseh Bereishis? To establish that Eretz Yisroel was given to us by the One who created it. We didn’t steal it. The Torah begins with integrity. Parshas Bereishis is full of fantastically deep concepts. (Ever seriously contemplated tohu v’vohu?!) But it’s also bursting with straightforward mussar lessons. Lessons to take to heart before we’re tempted to “mach shtick”.  This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

What happens when you don't have a good argument for why Hashem should say yes? Rabbi Shafier reveals one of the most powerful ideas behind tefillah: we don't always have to come before Hashem because we're worthy or because we deserve what we're asking for. Sometimes we can simply ask for rachamim. From Sarah Imeinu's frightening encounter with midas hadin to the extraordinary power of the Yud Gimmel Middos, discover how tefillah can change the way we're judged, and why sometimes the most powerful words we can say are simply, “Hashem, please have mercy.”  This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

The Torah tells us to be happy on Yom Tov. But how can you be commanded to feel something? Rabbi Shafier reveals that the key to simchas Yom Tov isn't pretending to be happy, but learning to notice how much good we already have. From the food we eat to the colours we see and the everyday comforts we barely notice, discover how recognising the countless gifts Hashem has placed in our lives can change the way we experience Succos, and help us find a happiness that was there all along.  This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

Every night of Succos, we welcome the Ushpizin into our sukkah. But what can these great figures teach us about the way we live? Through a fascinating question about Yaakov Avinu, Rabbi Shafier reveals how even moments of tremendous inspiration can disappear if we simply return to life on autopilot. Discover why our habits can be either the greatest obstacle or the greatest tool for growth, and how Succos gives us an opportunity to take the inspiration of the Yomim Noraim and turn it into real, lasting change.  This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

Yom Kippur forces us to confront the things we've done wrong. But how do you honestly admit your failures without allowing them to define you? Rabbi Shafier reveals the crucial difference between being flawed and being a failure, and why even the greatest people in history made mistakes. Through the powerful image of a diamond with a flaw, discover how to face your shortcomings without denying them or being crushed by them, do real teshuvah, and keep moving forward toward the person you're capable of becoming. This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

Not every thought that pops into your head deserves to be believed. Rabbi Shafier takes you inside the battle with the Yetzer Hara, revealing how it can make the wrong choice seem reasonable, convince you you're incapable of changing, and even turn against you after you fall. But that struggle has a purpose. Discover why the challenges that seem to hold you back may actually be the very resistance that makes you stronger, and how Yom Kippur gives you a unique opportunity to see your thinking more clearly, take back control, and choose where you want to go next.  This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

Why is it so easy to see what everyone else is doing wrong, yet so difficult to recognize our own mistakes? Rabbi Shafier reveals one of the most powerful tricks of the human mind: once we want something, our brain becomes remarkably good at explaining why we're right. Through the shocking story of the men who publicly humiliated Dovid HaMelech, he shows how easily anger, jealousy, and desire can distort the way we see reality. Yom Kippur gives us the chance to strip away those excuses, admit where we're really struggling, and turn to Hashem for the help we need to genuinely change.  This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

You put on tefillin. You hold back one piece of lashon hara. You say one tefillah with real kavana. It can feel like such a small thing. But what if the true impact of that mitzvah is far greater than anything you can see? Rabbi Shafier reveals a fascinating picture of how your choices affect not only yourself, but the spiritual worlds beyond you. Discover why even the smallest mitzvah matters more than you realize, why an aveirah carries such weight, and how understanding the true power of your actions can completely change the way you approach Yom Kippur.  This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate