Friday, July 31, 2015

Va'eschanan - Staying Connected to God

What are the two modes of our relationship with Hashem? What is the path into ecstatic experience of God? How does one find God in the mundane - 'whenever we call out to Him?' Why is God's name 'Elokim' in the plural form? What is the concept of dew?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 24:18

Friday, July 24, 2015

Devarim-Tisha B'av - Rectifying a Splintered Reality

Why did Moshe translate the Torah into 70 languages if the Jewish people at that time only spoke Hebrew and Egyptian? What is the curative power of the Torah? How does the Torah transport a person to the World to Come? How did Moshe go from a person who was 'not a man of words' to being able to speak 'all of these words?' Why is this parsha read before Tisha B'av? Why don't we learn Torah on Tisha B'av?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 26:21

Friday, July 17, 2015

Matos-Masei - Good Subsumes Evil

Why did Joshua only live to be 110 years old as opposed to Moshe who lived until 120? Why did Moshe want to see the 'revenge' of the Jewish people on Midian before his death? What does the word nekama (revenge) really mean? What is the difference between seeing and hearing?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 25:19

Friday, July 10, 2015

Pinchas - Leadership by Example

Why does Bilaam direct Balak to cause the Jewish people to sin through immoral behavior with the daughters of Midian? What was the character of the leadership of Doson and Aviram in the rebellion of Korach? How does the same principle apply for good, as expressed in the leadership of Joshua?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 18:24

Friday, July 3, 2015

Balak - Amalek, Israel and Moshiach - who is Amalek today?

Why is the verse that speaks about the 'tents of Jacob' immediately before the verse that speaks of the destruction of Agag, king of Amalek? What is represented by the number 72? How does Amalek manifest as the counter-force to the Jewish people? Who is Amalek today? How do we 'fight' Amalek in our times?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 26:29