Friday, May 29, 2015

Nasso - Protecting the Blessings

What is the concept of Blessings? Why do they need protection? What does it mean that the 'vessel that holds blessings is peace?' Why did the priestly blessings take a different form in Temple? Why does the form of the blessings increase at it goes along? Why did Isaac want to give the blessings to Esau? How does one make proper use of one's blessings?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 23:24

Friday, May 22, 2015

Bamidbar-Shavuos - Destination Within the Journey

Why is the parsha of Bamidbar always read right before the holiday of Shavuos? What is the parallel between the journey of the Jewish people through the wilderness and the counting from Pesach to Shavuos? What is greater - the traveling and counting or reaching the destination? What is the paradox of counting or journeying toward a specific goal?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 18:14

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Behar-Bechukosai - 50,000 Years of the World

What is the 'secret' of the Shmitah and Jubilee years? How do they correspond to the 50,000 year cycle that the world will last for? How does the Yovel (Jubilee) correspond to Shavuos, which is on the 50th day? What is the difference between the concepts of six and seven (Moshiach ben Yosef and Moshiach ben Dovid) as opposed to the eighth and fiftieth? Why couldn't Moshe get into Israel? Why couldn't he perceive the fiftieth gate of intuition? Why is exile the punishment for not keeping Shmitah and Yovel?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 23:14

Friday, May 1, 2015

Emor - Secret of the Omer Offering

What is the depth of the Omer offering? Why do we count 'the omer' instead of counting the weeks, or counting up to receiving the Torah? What are the 'evil winds' and 'evil dew' that we hope to counteract with the waving of the Omer? What is the connection between the omer and the Sotah (wayward wife)? How does the barley flour offering serve to bring peace between man and wife? Why is the Omer the merit to inherit the land of Israel and for numerous redemptions that occurred to the Jewish people?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 26:39

Acharei-Kedoshim - Who's Holier?

What is the concept of holiness? What does it mean when the midrash says that Hashem takes one crown of holiness for Himself and gives two crowns of holiness to the Jewish people? Why does another midrash seem to imply that Hashem's holiness is greater? What can one do if one has fallen in to sin in order to rectify his misdeed?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 24:19