Mining The Riches Of The Parsha

The Secret of Rashi's Greatness: He Said "I Don't Know" | 10@9 | 2026.04.19 by Rabbi Michael Whitman

A significant shift may be emerging from within the Religious Zionist movement in Israel. In recent months, respected Israeli Religious Zionist voices - many of them strong supporters of the settlement movement in Yehuda and Shomron - have begun speaking out against Jewish violence toward Arabs. This video briefly addresses the rise in such violence, but focuses on this new and potentially important internal response. Is this the beginning of a broader change? Are we approaching a tipping point on one of Israel's most urgent moral challenges? For the sake of Israel, I hope so. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (michael@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

This evening we find the connection between last week's Parsha and this week's through two stories about putting as much care into what comes out of our mouths as what we put into them. We examine the opportunity of being alone (not lonely), and see this as one of the magnificent goals of Shabbat, the purpose of pauses, and letting things sink in. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (michael@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

My love for Israel is deep and fierce. My desire for Israel to be better flows directly from that love. This issue is not new. Many of us have been speaking about it for years. But in the past two months, something has changed - both in intensity and in kind. A significant and largely overlooked story is unfolding in Israel, in two parts, concerning violence by Jews against Arabs in Yehuda and Shomron. It has received less attention than it deserves, overshadowed by the war with Iran and ongoing attacks from Hezbollah. Today, I present two primary sources. The first is an interview with Elisha Yared, who identifies himself as a leader of the Hilltop Youth. He describes his worldview, his strategy of what he calls “initiated friction,” his desire to increase Arab emigration, and his tensions with Israel's military and intelligence institutions. The second is a document recently delivered to Israeli security officials titled: “Summary of the Past Month in the Struggle Against the Arab Enemy in the Holy Land.” It details incidents including reported injuries to Arabs, arson against mosques, destruction of Arab property, uprooting of olive trees, and attacks on Arab villages. My goal is simple: to present these voices as clearly and fairly as possible - in their own words. Tomorrow: the response. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (michael@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

David Lazarus is 50 years old, a husband and father of three, living with a progressive, terminal illness. For years, he believed visiting the sick was simply a good deed. Now, from the inside, he understands it very differently. In his essay, David shares what actually helps a person who is ill - and what, despite good intentions, can make things harder. His insights are simple, practical, and deeply human. If you've ever visited someone who is sick - or will - this will change how you show up. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (michael@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

Today is Yom Hashoah - Holocaust Remembrance Day. We tell the story every year. We say: never again. And yet, the question lingers - has the world actually changed? Drawing on the haunting words of Elie Wiesel, we confront a painful possibility: that memory alone does not transform humanity. But if memory is not enough - what is? Through the story of Cathy Lawi, a trauma specialist in Israel, we explore two radically different responses to helplessness - shaped by histories from France and Iraq - and what they reveal about how people rebuild after devastation. And then, one final image: A 97-year-old survivor, Dov Landau, dancing at his great-grandson's wedding. In one moment, he lifts his sleeve - revealing the number etched into his arm in Auschwitz. In the next, he continues to dance. What does it mean to remember - not just the past, but the responsibility it places on us now? This is not just about history. It's about what we do with it - this year. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

Every morning, near the end of Shacharit, we say Shir Shel Yom—the Psalm of the Day, once sung by the Levites in the Beit HaMikdash. It feels like a closing note. Something we say and move past. But it's not random—and it's not just a memory of the Temple. Each day's psalm was chosen with precision. Each one reflects a different dimension of the world—and a different way we are meant to live within it. What if your week isn't just a cycle of days… but a structured opportunity to imitate God? In this video, we explore how Shir Shel Yom quietly shapes the spiritual architecture of your week—and how it can transform the way you step into each day. Once you see it, you won't say it the same way again. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

I was asked a simple question: Why are there three Rothko prints behind me? That question opens into something much deeper. Mark Rothko was born Jewish, and many have tried to read his work through that lens—seeing in it echoes of the Holocaust, the Temple, or even Kabbalah. But I'm not convinced. In this video, I briefly trace Rothko's life and then set those interpretations aside—not because they're impossible, but because they may be missing something more essential. Instead, I turn to what Rothko actually said and wrote… to how he constructed his paintings… and to what decades of living with his work have taught me. This is a personal attempt to answer a different question: Not what Rothko meant—but what his paintings do. And why they continue to hold me. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

At first glance, Sh'foch Chamatcha—“Pour out Your wrath”—feels like a jarring note near the end of the Seder. Why introduce anger at the very moment we should be moving toward redemption and joy? But in its deeper context, this is not a call to vengeance—it is a declaration of vision. We open the door not in fear, but in hope. It is an invitation: a call to all peace-seeking people and nations to join us. As God says, “My house shall be a house of prayer for all nations.” Those who choose peace are welcome. Only those who cling to violence exclude themselves. And that clarity leads us to the true climax of the Seder: Hallel. After everything we've experienced—slavery and freedom, questions and struggles, memory and meaning—we arrive at a place where praise is no longer scripted. It is real. We are ready for it. We want it. The Seder is no longer something we are observing. It has become something we are living. And in the final words—so often sung with a beautiful melody—we are reminded: this is possible. The Seder can be understood. It can be felt. It can change us. That is my hope—for myself, and for you. When the Haggadot are closed, something vital remains open. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

This is my 10@9 for Monday, March 30, 2026 Though every section of the Haggadah holds both slavery and redemption - as we explored yesterday - the real question is this: What are you meant to feel when the Seder ends? That question turns on a subtle but critical debate about the final passage of Maggid. How much of the story do we tell - and where do we stop? We explore the approach of Rabbi Tarfon, and why Rabbi Akiva insisted we go further. Because this is not just a technical dispute. It shapes the emotional trajectory of the entire Seder - and what you carry with you into the world afterward. At a time when many feel uncertain or discouraged about the Jewish present and future, the Haggadah quietly insists on something radical: You must end with hope. In this series, Unlocking the Haggadah, we uncover the hidden structure of the text so that each paragraph leads to the next - and the Seder becomes a coherent, meaningful conversation. In the final episode, we'll explore the climactic conclusion of the Haggadah—and of this entire journey. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

There is a clear chronological arc to the Haggadah. We begin as slaves. We end as free people. But beneath that story lies something far more unsettling - and far more powerful. At every single moment of the Seder, from Karpas to Hallel, we are experiencing both slavery and freedom at the same time. Not sequentially. Simultaneously. Why would the Haggadah be structured this way? And what does it mean for how we understand freedom - not just then, but now? In this episode, we explore this hidden layer through two familiar moments: Charoses and the Hillel sandwich - and uncover a deeper emotional truth at the heart of the Seder. Because real freedom is more complicated—and more fragile—than we like to admit. In this series, Unlocking the Haggadah, we reveal the underlying structure of the Haggadah so that each part flows into the next—transforming the Seder into a meaningful conversation rather than a disconnected collection of texts. In the next episode, we explore a historic disagreement within the Haggadah that still shapes how we see the world today. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

Why does the Haggadah give two different—and seemingly contradictory—reasons for eating Matzah? One appears near the beginning of the Seder. The other comes near the end. And they don't seem to say the same thing. This isn't just a textual question—it goes to the heart of what freedom actually means. In this episode, we uncover why these two explanations both exist—and how, when taken together, they redefine the freedom we celebrate on Passover. In this series, Unlocking the Haggadah, we reveal the hidden structure behind the Seder so that each part connects into a deeper, more meaningful conversation. In the next episode, we explore a historic disagreement within the Haggadah that still shapes how we experience the Seder today. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

This evening we discuss the significance of and practice of Eruv Tavshilin, a practice allowing us to prepare for Shabbat on Friday which is Yom Tov, which we will do this Wednesday. We examine the elusive paragraph in the Haggadah of Ha Lachma Anyah (this - Matza - is the bread we ate as slaves), and how this is connected with inviting guests to our Seder. Then we explore the special Haftorah for this Shabbat, the prophecy of Malachi, and how it is related to the Afikomen at the Seder. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

When was the last time you stopped and counted - not your problems - but your blessings, one by one? Why does the Haggadah spend time counting miracles - 60, 240, even 300? It feels like the kind of passage designed to lose the room. But what if this “technical” debate is actually pointing to one of the central goals of the entire Seder? In this episode, we uncover how the rabbis are teaching us not to count miracles - but to notice them. To break redemption into its smallest parts and recognize each one. This is the deeper meaning of Dayanu: not just a song, but a discipline of gratitude - appreciating every step, every layer, every element of every gift. And more than that: the Seder quietly asks us to add our own list. What are the blessings in your life right now? Because this is what transforms the Seder from history into experience. This is how we reach the goal: “to see ourselves as if we are being redeemed tonight.” Miss this - and the Seder is just storytelling. See it - and it becomes yours. In the next episode, we explore a historic dispute in the Haggadah that still shapes how we live today. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

We have a striking practice at the Seder: when we mention the Ten Plagues, we remove a drop of wine from our glass - diminishing our joy in recognition of the suffering of the Egyptians, even our enemies. And yet, at the very same Seder, many of us use finger puppets for the plagues, place toy frogs on the table, and sing playful songs about Pharaoh in pajamas. So which is it? Are we meant to restrain our joy at the downfall of our enemies - or to celebrate it? This is not a trivial question. It cuts to the heart of how Judaism understands justice, compassion, and the moral cost of victory - then, and in the complex and often painful realities we face today. We explored this tension at length in Mining the Riches of the Parsha (January 29, 2026), and I return to it here to take a clear and principled stand. In this series, Unlocking the Haggadah, we uncover the hidden structure of the Haggadah so that every paragraph leads logically to the next - and the entire Seder becomes a thoughtful conversation rather than a confusing collection of texts. In the next episode, we turn to Dayanu and discover why it may be one of the most misunderstood - and central - sections of the Haggadah. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: / @rabbimichaelwhitman Instagram: / adathmichael Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG... Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

Many people get lost when the Haggadah begins its detailed commentary on the four Torah verses describing the Exodus. At this point in the Seder, the method feels unfamiliar—and many quietly start counting the minutes until dinner. But this “Midrashic” method isn't random or obscure. It blends literal, metaphorical, and allegorical interpretations in a way that is designed to provoke discussion, disagreement, and personal insight. In other words, this is the moment the Haggadah stops being something you read - and becomes something you discuss and debate. In this episode, we show how this section invites participation and helps each person see the Haggadah as relevant to their own life and experience. In Unlocking the Haggadah, we reveal the hidden structure of the text so every paragraph leads logically to the next - turning the Seder into a genuine conversation. In the next episode, we'll explore the surprising insights this Midrashic method draws out of the Torah verses themselves.

The Haggadah does something strange. Instead of telling the Exodus story directly, it builds the entire narrative around a passage spoken 40 years later. Why? That unexpected choice reveals two hidden goals of the Seder: not just to understand what happened - but to experience it as if it happened to me; and to arrive at genuine, heartfelt gratitude. In this series, Unlocking the Haggadah, we uncover the hidden structure of the Haggadah so that every paragraph leads logically to the next — transforming the Seder from a confusing collection of texts into a meaningful conversation. In the next episode, we'll explore the unique and often misunderstood interpretive method the Haggadah uses — and why it matters. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

The Passover Haggadah is not just a script for telling the story of the Exodus. It is also a framework for discussing the Jewish story in every generation — including our own. One of the most powerful passages is “V'Hi She'amdah,” the paragraph that reminds us that in every generation there are those who rise against the Jewish people — and that God has protected us again and again. In Israel, many people sing these words to the famous melody of Yonatan Razel. It is often sung at weddings — sometimes even in bomb shelters during times of war — expressing the deep Jewish certainty that despite every danger, we will endure and ultimately triumph. In this episode of Unlocking the Haggadah, we explore why this paragraph may be the moment at the Seder when we talk about what is happening to Jews today — in Israel and around the world. In this series, Unlocking the Haggadah, we uncover the hidden structure of the Haggadah so that every paragraph leads logically to the next — and the entire Seder becomes a thoughtful conversation rather than a confusing collection of texts. In the next episode, we'll unlock the next piece of that structure. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

In the middle of the Haggadah, we suddenly encounter a bizarre idea: maybe the Seder should have taken place two weeks earlier. Why does the Haggadah suddenly suggest that the Seder might have taken place on the first day of the Jewish month of Nissan — two weeks before Passover? Why would anyone think that? And why raise the question when we are already in the middle of the Seder itself? The first of Nissan was a momentous day in Jewish history. The events of that day are what made the Exodus possible. In a profound sense, that day trumps the creation of the world as a turning point in history: it is the day the Jewish people earned God's respect and became God's partners — and two weeks later God takes them out of Egypt. In this series, Unlocking the Haggadah, we uncover the hidden structure of the Haggadah so that every paragraph leads logically to the next — and the entire Seder becomes a thoughtful conversation rather than a confusing collection of texts. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

At the Passover Seder, we are taught to respond differently to four types of children. Each one asks a different question, and each one needs a different kind of answer. But the Haggadah's response to the “wicked” child is deeply puzzling. Why does it sound so harsh? Why do we seem to insult a child who is simply asking questions? Many people feel uncomfortable when they reach this moment in the Seder. Drawing on the teachings of R. Tzaddok HaKohein, we explore a very different approach. The presence of this child at the table is itself a sign of hope. Questions and doubts are not enemies of faith — they are invitations to conversation. We also share a remarkable story from the first Jewish prayer service in Buchenwald, just days after the end of World War II, which reveals what it truly means to respond to doubt with sensitivity and compassion. In this series, Unlocking the Haggadah, we uncover the hidden structure of the Haggadah so that each paragraph leads logically to the next - transforming the Seder from a confusing collection of texts into a thoughtful and meaningful conversation. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

This evening we discuss our ability to choose the perspective we take on anything that happens, and where we see this in our Parsha. We analyze why the command to build the Mishkan must follow the Parsha of Mishpatim, because we cannot serve God with funds or objects we obtain unethically. And we provide a sweeping view of the narrative arc of the Book of Exodus, based on an essay by Ezra Sivan, that compares and contrasts the two national building projects, one at the beginning of Shmot and one at the end. And the difference between them is Shabbat. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

When the Haggadah begins telling the story of the Exodus — our national birth narrative — it starts in a surprising place. Before describing redemption, it reminds us of our lowest moments: that we were slaves, and that our ancestors were once idolaters. Why begin the story there? Because the Seder is not just about remembering the past. It is about learning how to see our own lives - recognizing the blessings we have today, and understanding how every personal story becomes part of the larger story of the Jewish people. In this series, we uncover the hidden structure of the Haggadah so that every paragraph leads logically to the next—and the entire Seder becomes a thoughtful conversation rather than a confusing collection of texts. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

Why does the Haggadah tell the story of rabbis staying up all night at their Seder - before the story of the Exodus even begins? According to Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, this moment is not only about the past. It is about how to create a meaningful conversation around the Seder table. The story shows how many voices can participate in the discussion while avoiding the kind of arguments that divide families and communities. In this series, we uncover the hidden structure of the Haggadah so that every paragraph leads logically to the next—and the entire Seder becomes a thoughtful conversation rather than a confusing collection of texts. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

The Passover Haggadah begins in a puzzling way. Before the story of the Exodus even starts, we encounter invitations to strangers, weird foods, and a story about five rabbis whose Seder lasted all night. It can feel random. But it isn't. These opening moments are carefully designed to create something essential for the Seder: not a reading, but a conversation. The Haggadah wants everyone at the table to participate — to ask questions, challenge ideas, and bring their own voice. That is why the Seder begins by creating an atmosphere of curiosity, comfort, and discussion. The more perspectives at the table — different ages, languages, and levels of knowledge — the richer the experience becomes. Only once everyone becomes a questioner are we ready to begin telling the story of the Exodus. In this series, we uncover the hidden structure of the Haggadah so that every paragraph leads logically to the next—and the entire Seder becomes a thoughtful conversation rather than a confusing collection of texts. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: / @rabbimichaelwhitman Instagram: / adathmichael Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG... Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

Many people attending a Passover Seder feel puzzled or bored by the Haggadah. The text can seem long, confusing, and difficult to follow. In this series leading up to Passover, we will unlock the structure, meaning, and goal of the Haggadah so that each section begins to make sense and lead naturally to the next. The first key is surprising: the Haggadah is not simply a text to be read. It is a carefully designed educational experience meant to guide us step by step toward a profound goal. And like any great learning experience, it does not begin with answers. It begins with curiosity, wonder, and questions. By the end of this series, the entire Seder becomes a thoughtful conversation rather than a confusing collection of texts. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

What keeps a relationship alive after disappointment? The Torah's most important relationship—between God and the Jewish people—nearly collapses at the Golden Calf. Yet strangely, it becomes deeper afterward. The Book of Exodus begins with one kind of relationship between God and the Jewish people—and ends with another. After the catastrophe of the Golden Calf, the original relationship of command, obedience, and punishment breaks down. In its place emerges something deeper: a relationship sustained by loyalty, patience, and love, even after disappointment. The Torah suggests that this is the foundation of every enduring relationship. We will sometimes fail each other. We will sometimes struggle to understand each other. Yet love grows precisely when we remain committed on the other side of disappointment. As Paul Weinfeld wrote: “True love begins on the other side of disappointment.” What might it mean to stay committed on the other side of disappointment? Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

All the utensils of the Mishkan (Sanctuary) are described together across the previous two Torah portions. Yet in this week's portion, Ki Tissa, one item appears by itself: the Kiyur, the basin where the priests washed their hands and feet before beginning the sacred service. The message is striking. Even the priests could not simply begin a holy act. They had to prepare themselves first. The same is true for our deepest Jewish experiences. If we arrive at a Passover Seder knowing nothing about it and having done no preparation, we may enjoy the evening - but it will not transform us. Jewish practice quietly insists that holiness begins before the moment itself, when we prepare to meet it. What would change if we prepared for our Jewish moments the way the priests prepared for theirs? Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

This evening we compare Rabbi Yehuda Amital's foundational story of the crying baby, with Moshe being disappointed with Yehoshua for misunderstanding the crying of the Jewish People. We tell the story of Tylenol package tampering and the revolutionary change it brought about as a modern day example of the main lesson to learn from the Golden Calf debacle. And we explore two sources and reasons for the requirement to start Shabbat at least 18 minutes earlier than necessary. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

One of the most puzzling subjects in the Bible is "tumah" and "taharah" — often translated (inadequately) as ritual impurity and purity. At its core is a profound spiritual claim: our true identity is the soul, the divine spark connected to God. The body is its garment, the vessel through which the soul acts during life. After death, the soul separates from the body. What remains is the garment the soul once wore. This helps explain the traditional Jewish reluctance to view the body before burial. Judaism insists on a radical distinction: the body matters deeply — but it is not who we are. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

How do we celebrate the joy of Purim while Israel is at war and under attack? Rabbi Yosef Rimon suggests a crucial distinction: between true joy — recognizing the strengths we have and the miracles unfolding even now — and mere frivolity or silliness. This year, perhaps Purim asks more of us. The Talmud speaks of “joy with trembling.” Not denial of darkness. Not surrender to it either. But holding both at once — light and fear, gratitude and grief — and serving God through that tension. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

What can we, here, do for people in Israel during this painful conflict? And what can we do for people in Iran who long to live in peace — with their neighbors and with their own government? The Iranian people are not the Iranian regime. And ordinary Israelis are not looking for endless war. Rabbi David Stav, drawing on the Book of Esther, suggests a radical shift in perspective: we are not separate souls watching events unfold elsewhere. We are one soul in many bodies. What happens to them is happening to us. At the beginning of Esther, Mordechai's deepest concern is for one young woman, alone in a palace. By the end, that same concern ripples outward into peace for the entire Jewish people. The path to collective peace may begin with something smaller than we imagine: making peace with one person in our own lives. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

One of the ways we celebrate Purim is by sending Mishloach Manot—gifts of food to friends. But what if the real purpose of this practice is not simply generosity, but reconciliation? This year, suggests Sivan Rahav Meir, consider sending Mishloach Manot to someone with whom you've had a falling out. It may feel uncomfortable. That may be the point. In doing so, we fulfill Esther's deeper strategy: “Go, gather the Jews.” Unity was her answer to danger then—and it remains our strength now. When we choose harmony over animosity, we don't just celebrate Purim. We protect one another. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: / @rabbimichaelwhitman Instagram: / adathmichael Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG... Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

This evening I share an expanded version of a wonderful and brilliant presentation given last Shabbat at ADATH by Professor Shawn Aster. He traces the narrative arc of the Book of Esther which precisely parallels what is happening to Israel and the Jewish world today. And Esther holds the key to winning this internal and external battle. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

What does it mean when a name disappears? Using a moment from the Torah and real-life encounters with people in pain, this video reflects on why the deepest listening—and the deepest intimacy—often begins when we stop focusing on names and start hearing the human voice in front of us. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

We tell the story of IDF officer Elkana Bar Eitan, who was seriously wounded in 2006. Living with constant, severe pain, he declined surgery and other treatment and carried on as if nothing was wrong. In 2023, he was called up again and returned to combat—afraid that if a medical committee knew the truth, they would stop him. Thousands of Israelis, and millions of people around the world, say the same words every day: “I'm fine, really.” Often, they're not. And they have many reasons for not telling the truth. If nothing else, this should make us more understanding—and more patient—when we hear those words. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

Bruno Goppian designs display cases and exhibits for some of the world's leading museums. He says that whenever he enters a space, he asks a simple question: What story is this place trying to tell about its history, meaning, or purpose? Is the space welcoming the visitor—or leaving them to search for a connection? The Torah applies this same idea to the Mishkan (Sanctuary). Every object, measurement, material, and placement is described in detail so we can visualize the space and uncover the story God is telling when we enter it. As the rabbi of ADATH, I find myself asking these same questions about our own building. Every synagogue, school, organization—and every home—is telling a story. The real question is whether it's the story we intend to tell. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

We explore the surprising origins of the now-universal system of Bible chapters and verses—and why it was adopted in the first place. The history behind this system is unexpected, and its underlying logic is captured by a commonly misunderstood phrase: Occam's Razor. Once you understand this, you may never look up a Bible verse the same way again. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

Last Friday at McGill Law School, I co-led a luncheon and public discussion with an Islamic Law scholar on Jewish and Islamic Law. What unfolded exceeded my expectations: a serious, animated, and deeply respectful exchange among people eager to understand one another. In this video, I reflect on that event - and on my lifelong effort to bring Jews and Muslims into meaningful conversation. There have been disappointments. There have also been remarkable moments of genuine connection. Some will say this work is naive. I believe it is necessary - now more than ever. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

While most Israelis fly to India to travel, two reservists are flying there to bring broken souls home. This morning I share part of an interview Daniel Gordis recently did with Tamar Friedman and Hezi Shohat, both IDF reservists, and social workers focusing on trauma. They saw the need to travel to India, which now receives more than 100,000 Israeli visitors a year, and provide immediate mental health first aid for those suffering there from trauma crisis. The numbers they help are in the thousands. And their motivation is to bring these people back to Israel, to recover, and to rejoin the greatest generation who will rebuild Israel. "It doesn't get more Zionist than that." Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

This evening we fail to identify the Tachash, whose skin covered the Mishkan (Sanctuary), but nonetheless derive a magnificent lesson according to Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch, about the multiple ways God wants to be served. We examine the financial and moral value of the precious gems donated by the Nesiim (the princes or heads of each tribe). And we derive the meaning of Shalom (peace) from the non-identical Keruvim (figures of cherubs) covering the Aron (ark of the covenant), also expressed by Rabbi Norman Lamm in the balance between the Shabbat lights and the Havdala candle. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

One of the strangest Torah lessons is that the moment you give something away, you often discover you've actually received far more. This morning we share important sources and practical examples showing the truth at the beginning of our Torah portion, Teruma, that when we give, we often receive much more. Ruth expresses this when she says she helped Boaz, when in fact it was Boaz who gave to her generously. We learn this from a moving quote from Henri J. M. Nouwen, and a great story from Rabbi Berel Wein's guest making a 2 a.m. phone call to a potential investor. Sometimes, letting someone do a favor or kindness for you is the best favor you can do for them. So when you are given that opportunity to give to or help another, say thank you! Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

The Torah uses the word take when God clearly means give - and that single word changed how I understand generosity forever. This morning I point out the Torah's verb problem. When God tells the Jewish people to give material to build the Mishkan (Sanctuary), the text uses the word that means "take" when the context clearly means to give. I share an unforgettable experience in my life over 45 years ago, about my grandfather, Sam Margolin, and Rabbi Meir Chodosh, a great man of Torah wisdom and personal integrity. R. Chodosh taught both of us that the opportunity to give is sometimes the most valuable gift we receive. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

Why Small Things Trigger So Much Stress | 10@9 | 2026.02.17 by Rabbi Michael Whitman

If modesty were only about how we dress, the Torah would not devote five entire sections to describing a Sanctuary. This morning we examine the level of detail with which the Torah describes the Mishkan (the modular Sanctuary that travelled with the Jewish People). Why does the Torah take five Torah portions to describe in minute detail every material, every object, and every dimension of every object? Only by knowing each of these details can we uncover a magnificent lesson applicable to all of us, an ethos of Tzniut, inadequately translated as modesty, but actually an entire way of being relating to dress, speech, and action. Tzniut is to reserve what is most beautiful for only the greatest intimacy. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

For nearly a thousand years, the closest a Jew could come to God was through an altar of fire — and today, that altar lives inside the human heart. This morning we provide an overture to the large next section of Torah, which begins about 800 years of Jewish service to God through sacrifices, though it is hard for us to understand today how that would be meaningful. But it was, until it wasn't, and it was replaced by prayer. Though the vehicle has evolved, the promise of goal is in the present tense, and remains true today. Every time we pray, we are promised to be able to connect with God, to have God dwell within us. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

When something precious is taken from us suddenly, it is a tragedy - but Jewish law asks us to first ask a much harder question: was it ever truly ours? This morning we analyze the rather technical laws of an object given to another for safekeeping, including not misusing the object or ignoring the directions of the owner. The Rav, Rabbi Yosef Soloveitchik, brilliantly widens this to include everything we have, and our lives themselves, are given to us by God for safekeeping. This means we must follow God's instructions or else we have misused (actually stolen) what is not ours, but what is given to us temporarily for safekeeping by God. And this includes that God, at any time, may claim what is God's and take it from us, sometimes, tragically, without warning. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: / @rabbimichaelwhitman Instagram: / adathmichael Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG... Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

This evening I share my spectacular experience teaching last May, 2025, at Bar Ilan University Law School, and the exhilarating exchange I had with my students on the (then theoretical) question of capital punishment for terrorists. This issue is now being debated in the Knesset, with strong support from the current Israeli government. We explore both sides of this complex issue from the military, intelligence, political, and Jewish Law perspectives. It's complicated. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

Most people think Herzl's story ends with politics—but if you read his last work carefully, it ends with something much more spiritual. This morning we examine a little-known but crucial fact of Theodor Herzl's spiritual growth from his essay, "The Jewish State, published on February 14, 1896, to his novel "Altneuland," published in 1902, especially its closing scene and the last word. According to Professor Csaba Nikolenyi, who gave me permission to share his recent presentation at ADATH, this is reflected in the non-eulogy eulogy given by Rav Avraham Kook when Herzl died in 1904. (For a fuller understanding please see my recording yesterday here: https://youtu.be/Gg6SYFD8pXU?si=ppXwWBy0A5kgV9ae.) This gives a new layer of meaning to Religious Zionism today. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

Israel's deepest problem isn't external enemies — it's that two forces meant to build the nation together have drifted apart. This morning I share part of a speech given by Rabbi Avraham Kook, just two months after he arrived in Israel as Chief Rabbi of Jaffo (and later Chief Rabbi of Israel). This is a magnificent expression of R. Kook's worldview of Religious Zionism and his intense love for every Jew. He describes two forces within the Jewish People, Yosef and Yehudah, who must work in harmony to create the ideal Nation of Israel and lead to the ultimate redemption. We see clearly, tragically where we fall short today, and what we need to do to fix it. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

If you underpay your taxes, Jewish law says you're not just breaking the law - you're taking money from your own family and neighbors. This morning we unpack the basic obligation for every Jew to give at least a minimal amount to Tzedakah (charity) to those in need, even if one has to beg or borrow for it. And this command is in the form of a tax. We survey the opinion of Rabbi Herschel Schachter that one who does not fully and accurately pay their taxes, regardless of whether they agree with how the funds are spent, is not only violating secular law (a serious Rabbinic prohibition) but also stealing from their family, friends, and community by requiring them to have to pay larger amounts for the services we all receive. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: / @rabbimichaelwhitman Instagram: / adathmichael Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG... Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

McGill Talmudic Law Class Recording #11 - 2/9/26 by Rabbi Michael Whitman