Mining The Riches Of The Parsha

Rabbi Menachem Shach once told a young man who had lost his way a remarkable story from his own life. Something that seemed terribly wrong at the time ultimately saved his life. R. Shach had learned what it means to place yourself wholeheartedly in God's hands - even when you cannot understand where God is leading you. That is one understanding of the Torah's command, Tamim Tihyeh Im Hashem Elokecha - "Be wholehearted with the Lord your God." Ramban understands it as wholehearted trust in God. But R. Aharon Lichtenstein points to two very different interpretations, from Ibn Ezra and Rambam, revealing more than one authentic way to fulfill this extraordinary command. And perhaps that is precisely what some of us need to hear. There is more than one way to come close to God. We do not all need the same religious personality or the same spiritual path. But we do need to find and cultivate the paths that allow us to reach toward God - with trust, commitment, and our whole heart. 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.

What happens when judges discover that a decision they reached - properly, carefully, and according to the evidence before them - was terribly wrong? The Torah's law of Eidim Zomemim - plotting witnesses - presents an extraordinary case. A second pair of witnesses establishes that the original witnesses could not possibly have seen what they claimed to have seen. The Torah prescribes a unique punishment: the false witnesses are subject to the punishment they sought to impose on the defendant. But Rabbi Henoch Singer points to a deeper lesson. The new testimony doesn't only expose the original witnesses. It forces the judges to confront the fact that testimony they had accepted as valid was false - and that their judgment could have cost an innocent person his life. Their response is a model of humility for judges, leaders, and every one of us. They don't defend the earlier decision simply because it was theirs. When new evidence establishes that they got it terribly wrong, they act to correct it. An ancient and highly technical rule of Torah evidence thus teaches something urgently relevant to our own lives: being responsible doesn't mean never getting it wrong. It means having the humility to recognize when we did - and the courage to make it right. 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.

Last time we asked whether admitting a mistake makes a leader - or any of us - weaker. Why does Moshe repeatedly remind the Jewish people throughout Devarim of where they failed, while also speaking openly about his own failures? Daniel Gordis recently did something that is much harder than pointing out where other people went wrong. Prompted by a news story in Israel, he turned the question on himself: Was I wrong? He revisited four contentious issues on which he had taken positions in recent years and seriously considered whether he had misunderstood something, failed to think deeply enough, or dismissed people whose arguments deserved more consideration. That may be exactly what Moshe is teaching us. Remembering our mistakes is not about guilt, humiliation, or proving that the other side was right. It is about learning. The people most in need of asking "Was I wrong?" may be those of us most certain that we weren't. If we refuse to question our own conclusions, we give ourselves very little chance of becoming wiser - and every chance of repeating our mistakes. 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 follow from the verse to the dramatic application of not creating Machlokes, based on our being children of God. We analyze our requirement of Dirshu, to seek God both in place and in time, and the promise God makes to us when we do so. And we uncover the reference at the beginning of our Parsha, Re'eh, to announcing Rosh Chodesh Ellul this Shabbat (it will fall this coming Thursday and Friday), and to Rosh Hashanah, giving us a month to prepare for this auspicious day. 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.

The Book of Devarim keeps returning to the mistakes of the past. Moshe reminds the Jewish people where they failed - and he openly recalls where he failed as well. Why would the Torah end this way? Today we look at several examples and ask why this theme dominates the Torah's final book. Is it about guilt, blame, or shame? Or is something much deeper taking place? Tomorrow we'll uncover an answer with profound implications for leadership, personal growth, and anyone who has ever had to say, "I was wrong." 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.

One verse tells us to do what is right and good. A few chapters later, the Torah tells us to do what is good and right. Is that just a change in wording, or is it teaching us something essential about the kind of people God wants us to become? Rashi offers two very different explanations for the relationship between "right" and "good." At first, they seem almost impossible to reconcile. Then Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch shows how they fit together into a profound vision of Jewish character - one that demands more than simply following the rules. A humorous sign on a receptionist's desk illustrates the difference between being right and being good. A remarkable story about Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach shows what it looks like to live that ideal. Can you be right and still fail to be good? This week's parsha gives a surprising answer. 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.

Most people assume that compassion and economic prosperity pull in opposite directions. The Torah says they don't. God's design presents an economic vision built on interest-free loans, debt cancellation, and other commandments that seem, at first glance, to be acts of compassion alone. But economist Dr. Meir Tamari argues that they are also sound economic policy. By helping people remain independent instead of trapped in poverty, the Torah reduces the need for charity, preserves dignity and self-worth, strengthens the entire economy, and creates greater prosperity for everyone - rich and poor alike. God's commandments are not only morally right. They are designed to help human beings and human societies flourish. 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.

One of the greatest medical breakthroughs of the twentieth century began in a place few people have heard of. In the mid 1960s, Freedom House Ambulance Service in Pittsburgh trained Black men from the Hill District to become the world's first modern paramedics. Instead of simply transporting patients, they brought advanced medical care directly to the scene, saving lives and laying the foundation for the emergency medical systems and CPR training we rely on today. Despite their extraordinary success, they faced suspicion, hostility, and racism. When the city adopted their model, many of the very men who had built it lost their jobs. This is more than a forgotten chapter of medical history. It is a reminder that when prejudice prevents people from contributing their talents, everyone loses. Freedom House didn't just save thousands of lives in Pittsburgh. Their work changed emergency medicine around the world. Their legacy continues every time an ambulance arrives with trained and equipped paramedics ready to treat a patient before reaching the hospital. 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.

The Mitzvah of Tzedakah is often translated as "charity," but that misses its deeper meaning. Tzedakah is about justice, responsibility, and caring for another human being with dignity. In this week's Parsha, the Torah introduces the Mitzvah with an unexpected word: Laymor - "to say." Why begin a commandment about opening our hands with a word about speaking? Perhaps because the greatest gifts are not only the ones we place in someone's hand, but also the words we place in their heart. Words can restore dignity, awaken hope, and give another person the strength to keep going. A remarkable story about the Tosher Rebbe, Rabbi Meshulum Lowy, shows how a few carefully chosen words transformed the life of a young man in crisis. It is a powerful reminder that the most valuable thing we give another person may not be our money at all. 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.

You can't describe God. Judaism insists on that. So why does Anim Zemirot spend an entire poem trying? Written about a thousand years ago and still sung in many synagogues at the end of Shabbat morning services, Anim Zemirot wrestles with one of the deepest questions in Jewish thought: How can finite human beings speak meaningfully about the Infinite? Its vivid images and metaphors are not literal descriptions of God, but attempts to bring us closer to a reality that ultimately lies beyond words. This is what we do when the most important realities in life are bigger than language. In this video we explore the poetry, theology, and profound yearning of Anim Zemirot. Sometimes love speaks even when it knows language will never be enough. I also share my favorite performance of this remarkable Piyut by Ishay Ribo and Motty Steinmetz. 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.

The Torah explicitly commands one Brachah - Birkat Hamazon, the blessing after eating a meal. From that single command, our rabbis built one of Judaism's most remarkable spiritual practices: blessings before and after eating, before performing mitzvot, upon seeing extraordinary beauty or power in the world, and throughout the ordinary moments of everyday life. They recognized in Birkat Hamazon two enduring principles - live with constant awareness of God's presence, and take nothing for granted. A Brachah takes only a few seconds. But a life filled with Brachot becomes a life shaped by gratitude, awareness, and the constant recognition that God is present in every part of our day. 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.

Revelation at Sinai began not with seeing, but with listening. The covenant between God and the Jewish people was formed through hearing God's voice, and the Shema is more than a declaration of faith - it is a command to listen. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks points out that the Book of Devarim uses the language of listening 92 times. Rabbi Zohar Atkins observes that the ear is the doorway to the body and the soul. Together they reveal a central truth: Judaism is fundamentally a religion of listening. Viktor Frankl tells the remarkable story of saving a life not through brilliant advice, but simply by listening. The deepest relationships - with God, with those we love, and even with strangers - begin the same way Judaism itself begins: by listening. 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.

Birkat HaMazon is the only blessing explicitly commanded in the Torah. But the Torah does not present it as a polite ritual after a meal. It places it between two stark possibilities - what happens when we remember, and what happens when we don't. “You will eat, be satisfied, and bless…” comes at the moment of greatest danger. Not when we are lacking, but when we feel full, secure, and self-sufficient. That is precisely when memory begins to fade. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks explains that this mitzvah is not primarily about food. It is about memory. A person who remembers being helped retains gratitude for that help. A person who forgets God's gifts begins to believe “my strength and the might of my hand made this.” Birkat HaMazon is a daily discipline designed to protect us from that drift. In this video, we explore the context of Birkat HaMazon in this week's Parsha and discover that it is far more than a blessing after eating. It is a daily discipline of memory. The Torah teaches that gratitude begins with remembering, and that forgetting God is most likely not when we are hungry, but when we are full. 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.

The weeks between Tisha B'Av and Rosh Hashanah are filled with the words of Israel's prophets. This Shabbat Isaiah declares that Jerusalem's ruins will be rebuilt. For centuries those words sounded like hope for a distant future. Then I walked into the Hurva Synagogue. Destroyed, rebuilt, destroyed again, and finally restored in magnificent beauty, the Hurva tells the story not only of one building but of the Jewish people themselves. Its history stretches back more than three hundred years, and today it stands in the heart of Jerusalem as something previous generations could scarcely imagine. When you stand inside its sanctuary, Isaiah's prophecy no longer feels abstract. It becomes visible. Not every promise has yet been fulfilled, and much remains to be rebuilt. But sometimes God allows us to see enough that hope becomes gratitude. The Hurva is one of those places. 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.

Every airline passenger eventually faces the same question: should you recline your seat? It seems like a small decision, but it raises surprisingly difficult ethical questions. You paid for the seat. Does that give you the right to use it however you wish? Should you first consider the person behind you? Does it matter whether they're working, eating, sleeping, or unusually tall? And what if the person in front of you has already reclined into your space? Inspired by Joshua Rothman's recent New York Times column, I explore what Jewish texts and values contribute to this familiar dilemma. The airplane seat is just the beginning. The real question is how we should act whenever our comfort, convenience, or rights come into conflict with someone else's. Jewish tradition offers a practical framework for navigating those everyday moments with wisdom, sensitivity, and clarity. 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.

Tisha B'Av is the day we mourn the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of the Jewish People. But Rabbi Yosef Soloveitchik taught that mourning alone is incomplete. Rabbi Yehuda Halevi, the great 12th-century poet and author of the Kuzari, composed one of the most beautiful Kinnot we recite on Tisha B'Av. In it, he does not dwell on destruction. Instead, he paints a breathtaking picture of the beauty of Zion and the Land of Israel. According to a famous legend, he sang these words as he finally reached Jerusalem, the destination he had longed for his entire life. In this 10@9, we explore why Rabbi Yehuda Halevi's Kinah is indispensable to Tisha B'Av. Before we can truly mourn Jerusalem, we must first remember her greatness, her beauty, and what was lost. Only then can our grief be worthy of the past - and become the foundation of hope for the future. 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.

One of the Torah's biggest surprises is that the Ten Commandments appear twice - and they aren't identical. Why did Moshe change them? Rabbi Ezriel Tauber suggests that the difference between "Remember the Sabbath" and "Guard the Sabbath" reveals something profound about our relationship with God. We begin as recipients of God's gifts, but we are meant to grow into partners who protect, build, and take responsibility for His world. That same journey defines Tisha B'Av. We begin by mourning the tragedies that happened to us. But Judaism refuses to let us remain there. The purpose of mourning is to transform grief into responsibility - to become active partners in rebuilding what was destroyed and bringing redemption closer. As Jalen Brunson put it: "You are allowed to think about the worst possible scenario, but then you gotta go out there and do something about 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 (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.

The Book of Devarim is full of stories we've already heard. Yet Moshe tells them again, choosing carefully what to emphasize. He isn't changing the facts. He's teaching us that the meaning of our lives depends on the story we choose to tell about them. A child falls while learning to ride a bicycle. Is that a story of failure, or the first step toward independence? Moshe tells us how God refused his request to enter the Land of Israel, yet he also shows us how to see the blessing he was given instead, and how to understand his life's mission in a new way. As Tisha B'Av approaches, the Talmud offers us two models to remember the destruction of Jerusalem. We use both. We begin by mourning with the rabbis who weep over what was lost. We end with Rabbi Akiva, who laughs because he sees in those same ruins the certainty of redemption. The facts have not changed. But the ending has. And the story we choose to tell shapes the people we become. 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.

I expected "The Future Is Peace" by Aziz Abu Sarah and Maoz Inon to challenge me. I didn't expect it to make me uncomfortable. The book asks something extraordinarily difficult of every reader: listen carefully to another person's story, even when every instinct inside you wants to argue, correct, or reject it. You don't have to agree. You don't have to abandon your convictions. But if we cannot hear one another's deepest experiences, we will never build anything beyond endless conflict. Peacemaking is not naïve. It is demanding. Those who pursue it are often mocked, dismissed, or accused of betraying their own people. Yet, as the authors write, "Ultimately, every conflict ends. It's up to us to decide how much blood must be spilled first." This episode explores the courage that peace requires - and why listening may be its hardest first step. 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.

I recently visited Professor Ben Mollov's Jewish-Arab Dialogue class at Bar-Ilan University, and it left me more hopeful about Israel than almost anything else I experienced during my trip. The class begins with something unexpected - conversational Arabic. From there, Jewish and Arab students learn, laugh, argue, and build genuine relationships. For many, it is the first time they have truly come to know one another as people rather than as representatives of opposing groups. Professor Mollov has spent years measuring the impact of this work, and his research shows that these encounters have a lasting impact long after graduation. He has created an environment in which stereotypes become impossible because real relationships replace them. I had the privilege of speaking to the students myself. Their openness, curiosity, and warmth convinced me that peace is not built only through diplomacy or political agreements. It is built one classroom, one conversation, and one relationship at a time. If Israel is ever to know lasting peace - and I am convinced it will, it will need courageous initiatives like this one - and they deserve far more attention than they 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 (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.

Rachel Goldberg-Polin has become more than the grieving mother of Hersh Goldberg-Polin. She has become the voice and vocabulary of October 7th and its aftermath. In her remarkable new book, "When We See You Again," she gives language to grief, faith, hope, love, and resilience with a precision that helps us understand not only what happened, but what it has done to us. In this episode, I share why I believe this is one of the most important books to emerge from October 7th. Rachel does not offer easy answers or comforting clichés. Instead, she offers something rarer: words that help us carry pain without surrendering to it, search for God without pretending to understand His plan, and embrace her daily conviction that "hope is mandatory." This is a book to read slowly, to underline, and to return to again and again. It deserves to be read not only because of Rachel's story, but because of the extraordinary way she tells 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 (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 morning we discuss three models of what a synagogue's purpose is. The model that is common in North America has a surprising origin. It was conceived and initiated by Rabbi Mordechai Kaplan at The Jewish Center in 1918, who later founded the Reconstructionist Movement. We at ADATH build on that model but with a critical difference. 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.

One of the most surprising details in this week's Parsha is easy to miss. Moshe doesn't simply tell the tribes of Gad and Reuven to fight alongside the rest of the Jewish people before returning to their own land. He tells them to go as Chalutzim - pioneers at the front of the army, leading the charge and strengthening everyone else's resolve. Why? Because serving the Jewish people means thinking not only about what is best for you, but also about the effect you have on those around you. Through this Torah insight, together with a story about Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook and an unforgettable encounter at a bank, I explore a lesson that reaches far beyond the battlefield. Our responsibility includes more than our actions and words. It includes our attitude, our presence, our body language, and the atmosphere we create for others. Sometimes the greatest act of leadership is simply helping the people around us become stronger. Most of us think responsibility ends with doing the right thing. The Torah says responsibility also includes the spirit in which we do 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 (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 analyze the requirement to not only speak truthfully but meaningfully. We explore the extent to which losing one's temper is harmful to oneself, even when it is justified. And we see the practical application of a not applicable Mitzvah, to make us more careful and less negligent. 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.

The tribes of Reuven and Gad asked Moshe for permission to settle east of the Jordan River rather than enter the Land of Israel with the rest of the Jewish people. Moshe reluctantly agreed, but only after insisting on conditions designed to preserve their connection to the nation and to the Land. History tells a sobering story. Those tribes were the first Israelites exiled by Assyria, disappearing from Jewish history long before the others. Their downfall was not simply geography, but their separation reminds us that distance from the spiritual center of Jewish life carries real risks. Most of us live outside Israel for good and legitimate reasons. This week's parashah challenges us with a timeless question: if we live far from Israel, what are we doing to keep our connection to the Land, the Jewish people, and our spiritual identity alive? That question mattered in Moshe's day. It matters no less in ours. 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.

A year ago, I was convinced AI had little to offer me. I was wrong. Today I use ChatGPT every day, and it consistently helps me think more clearly, and improves my work beyond what I could accomplish on my own. Precisely because it is such a powerful tool, I believe it demands thoughtful and ethical use. In this video I share the three principles that now guide my use of AI: transparency, retaining human judgment and responsibility, and careful verification. Drawing on examples from my own work - including questions of Halacha and kashrut - I argue that AI can make us more productive and better thinkers, but only if we never surrender the one thing it cannot replace: our own judgment. 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.

There are people whose cruelty makes us question humanity. But there are also people whose goodness raises an equally profound question. How is it possible for ordinary human beings to show such extraordinary compassion, forgiveness, and selflessness? Today I tell two remarkable stories. One is the ethical commitment of Magen David Adom, whose medics are taught to save every life - including those who have just committed acts of terror. The other is the heartbreaking story of eight-year-old Charlotte Herzberg of Monsey, New York. After Charlotte was tragically killed by her father's closest friend in a terrible accident, her parents publicly forgave him and transformed their grief into a movement encouraging forgiveness and reconciliation. Through the Shalom for Charlotte initiative, thousands of people have already shared stories of letting go of anger and choosing peace. If evil can spread from one person to another, perhaps goodness can too. Today, I invite you to honor Charlotte's memory in the same way her family has asked thousands of others to do: forgive someone, let go of a grudge, make peace where you can, or perform an unexpected act of kindness. The world has enough examples of hatred. It always needs another example of extraordinary goodness. 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.

The Torah's response to negligent homicide is remarkably humane. Rather than imposing a fixed prison sentence, it sends the offender to an Ir Miklat - a City of Refuge - where rehabilitation is the goal and release can come unexpectedly with the death of the Kohen Gadol. Yet our Parsha contains a remarkable detail. Rabbi Meir Simchah of Dvinsk explains that for fourteen years, this entire system could not operate. Why would the Torah suspend one of its own institutions? His answer reveals a profound principle: the Torah would not consign a person to a life without hope. Along the way, I explore this striking Torah insight through the words of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov and another inspiring voice. Their message is as relevant today as it was then: hope is not merely a comforting emotion. It is an essential part of living a human life. 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.

Yesterday marked the 50th anniversary of the Israeli rescue operation at Entebbe. Last week, newly released Israeli government documents and cabinet meeting minutes reveal a more complex picture of the deliberations that led to one of Israel's most celebrated military operations. Before anyone knew whether the mission would succeed or fail, another debate was taking place. Rabbi Ovadia Yosef examined the operation through the lens of classical Halachic sources and issued what remains the only major Halachic ruling written during the crisis itself, before the outcome was known. Entebbe became more than a military triumph. It marked a turning point in how Jewish law addressed the responsibilities of a sovereign Jewish state - protecting its citizens, weighing national risk, and applying timeless Torah principles to the realities of modern statehood. Fifty years later, the questions raised by Entebbe continue to shape Israel and the development of Halachah itself. 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.

America turns 250 this week. I love my country, and I worry about it. Like many Americans, I see division, anger, and a growing loss of trust. But I refuse to believe those problems tell the whole story. I love America enough to judge it by its highest ideals, not its lowest moments. This July 4, I reflect on the promise America was built upon - the revolutionary idea that "We the People" could govern ourselves while striving toward liberty and justice. That promise has never been perfectly fulfilled, but it has never stopped calling America to become better. Drawing on the words of President Barack Obama, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and the 19th-century minister Theodore Parker, I explore why hope is not the denial of our failures. Parker's famous image of the moral arc of the universe bending toward justice was born during one of America's darkest periods, reminding us that our greatest ideals matter most when reality falls furthest short of them. Hope is the courage to keep believing in those ideals - and to keep striving to live up to them. 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 remember and pay tribute to Aviva Ravel, a regular and beloved part of our group Thursday nights and every morning at our 10@9, who passed away last week. We discuss an insight from Rabbi Meilech Biderman on last week's Torah portion, Balak, gaining a profound lesson from the rebuke of Bilaam's donkey, which all too often could be directed to many of us. We examine when we should and should not identify someone who has acted improperly, learning that even the great Rabbi Akiva once got this wrong. And we investigate how Moshe intuited the motivation behind the question asked by the daughters of Tzelofchad, "raising" their question before God by assuming the highest motive and not the most malicious, another practice especially relevant to us now as we begin the Three Weeks when we should be especially careful to see the best in each other and not the opposite. 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.

Tehillim, the Book of Psalms, is more than a sacred text. It is the language Jews have used for centuries to express fear, hope, gratitude, grief, and faith. No book of Tanach is carried more deeply into the emotional moments of life. Perhaps no chapter is more beloved than Psalm 23. In it, King David describes God as a shepherd - a powerful image first used by Yaakov near the end of his life. Yet the shepherd never promises that the road will be free of danger. In fact, David speaks openly of walking through the valley of the shadow of death. Many people lose faith because life does not unfold the way they hoped or prayed it would. Psalm 23 offers a different promise: not that we will be spared every hardship, but that we will never face those hardships alone. Understanding that difference may be the key to understanding what faith truly is. 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.

Everyone remembers the staff that blossomed. After Korach's rebellion, God instructs Moshe to take twelve staffs - one from each tribal leader - and place them in the Mishkan. By morning, only Aharon's staff has blossomed, confirming that the tribe of Levi has been chosen for spiritual leadership. But what happened to the other eleven staffs? Their owners took them home. Those staffs bore the names of leaders who desired holiness, sought closeness to God, and were willing to stand before Him and be measured. They did not receive the role they hoped for. Their staffs did not blossom. Yet those staffs were not discarded. They were taken home and cherished because they testified to something real and important: the aspiration itself. We often evaluate ourselves only by what we achieve. The Torah suggests a deeper measure. We are shaped not only by what we become, but also by what we genuinely strive to become. Most dreams do not blossom exactly as we hope. Most goals are not fully attained. But the effort, the longing, and the willingness to reach for something holy are themselves part of who we are. The staffs that didn't blossom still mattered. So do the aspirations that shape our 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 (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.

Who greeted you every morning when you arrived at school as a child? For me, and for thousands of students who attended Memphis Hebrew Academy, that person was Mrs. Finkelstein. She smiled. She helped. She made people feel comfortable. Year after year, she was a warm and reassuring presence in the lives of generations of children. After her recent passing, I heard a story that surprised me. As a child, Mrs. Finkelstein was known by a very different nickname: "Grumpy." At some point she decided that was not the person she wanted to be. She chose to change herself - and she did. Most of us think of personality as something fixed. Mrs. Finkelstein's life suggests otherwise. Her story reminds us that while we cannot change everything about ourselves, we can change more than we think. And sometimes the person we become touches thousands of 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 (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.

Charedi society in Israel is not monolithic. It contains many voices, and it is changing in different directions at the same time. But recent acts of violence by Charedi extremists against those enforcing Israeli law have crossed a dangerous line. The issue is no longer simply disagreement about military service, public policy, or the role of Torah study in Israeli society. When protest becomes violence, something fundamental has changed. What troubled me even more was what I heard during my recent trip to Israel. Religious and secular, young and old, across the political spectrum, Israelis spoke with deep frustration and growing anger. Again and again, I heard people suggest that stronger force may be the only remaining answer. I left Israel deeply worried. Not because I think civil war is inevitable. But because I increasingly hear fellow Jews speaking about fellow Jews as enemies. And history teaches that once that happens, events can move faster than anyone expects. 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.

On a recent trip to Israel, I visited the family of a fallen soldier. His father spoke openly with me, a complete stranger, about his son, his loss, and his pride. Though his heart was broken, he expressed gratitude for having merited a son who gave his life protecting the people and State of Israel. What he said has stayed with me ever since. Later, I volunteered at Shuva Achim, a rest station for soldiers near the Gaza border. Together with others, I helped prepare lunch for more than one hundred soldiers and spent time speaking with them. These two experiences revealed something profound about Israeli society today: a resilience, sense of purpose, and generosity of spirit that will continue to inspire me long after returning to Montreal. 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.

Most people assume that loving their job depends on salary, success, recognition, or the work itself. I have come to believe that something else matters even more. Moshe receives a remarkable title from God: Avdi Moshe - "Moshe, My servant." Rabbi Yaakov Sikili explains that Moshe earned this distinction in Parshat Shmini. When a halachic dispute arose between Moshe and Aaron, Moshe realized Aaron was right and he was wrong. More than that, Moshe publicly acknowledged his mistake before the entire Jewish people. That willingness to admit error is deeply connected to another description of Moshe: that he was the most humble of all people. Humility is often admired in theory but rare in practice. It becomes especially rare when responsibility, authority, and public reputation are involved. As I reflect on the high points and low points of my own career, I am struck by a surprising conclusion. The periods that give me the greatest satisfaction are not necessarily those with the most success, recognition, or accomplishment. They are the times when I work closely with people who genuinely cared less about credit and more about doing what was right. Today I am fortunate to be part of such a group. This lesson is about Moshe's humility, the courage to admit mistakes, and why the character of the people around us may have more influence on our happiness at work than we realize. 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 trace two approaches to living a moral and holy life, so that a person who chooses to become a Nazir - prohibiting for themself otherwise permitted pleasures - is both praised and criticized. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks helps us understand how both can be true, and which is best for us. Rabbi Moshe Alshech helps us understand the convoluted wording concerning Birchat Kohanin, the Priestly blessing - who is giving the blessing: the Kohein or God? The answer is the key to parenting and other forms of leadership. 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.

T.S. Eliot once wrote: “There is only the trying; the rest is not our business.” This moving story tells of a high school teacher who refused to give up on a struggling student. Week after week, he made calls that seemed to go unanswered and unnoticed. Eventually, he assumed the effort had failed. Years later, he discovered he was completely wrong. Sometimes we never see the impact of our kindness, persistence, teaching, parenting, friendship, or concern for another person. But that does not mean the effort was meaningless. Some of the most important things we ever do may appear to bear no fruit at all - until one day we learn otherwise. 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.

A long and repetitive section of this week's Parsha can feel unnecessary at first. But beneath the repetition is a careful exploration of leadership - when it works, when it doesn't, and how it is repaired. A subtle inconsistency in the text leads Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfried to a striking suggestion: Nachshon, one of the central leaders, is mentioned without his title. Not because it was overlooked - but because it wasn't needed. His actions spoke for themselves. But that doesn't mean titles don't matter. In many settings - especially institutional and halachic ones - titles create clarity. They define roles. They make authority visible so that people and systems can function properly. I use my title when I am in the role of Dayan on the Bet Din for Geirut (Judge on the Court for Conversion to Judaism), as that formal setting requires a bit of distance. And yet there is a deeper question: do we need the title in order to feel respected? I don't. Over the years, I've noticed my own relationship with titles change. When I needed them, and when I didn't - and what that says about confidence, responsibility, and leadership. My inclination is to never use my title, and certainly never with someone who is vulnerable or anxious. In this recording, I explore the difference between authority that depends on a title and authority that stands on its own - and what the Torah might be teaching about both. 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.

We called my grandmother “Skip,” though her name was Rose Margolin. She was strong - but not in a way that drew attention. She expected a great deal of us, and even more from herself, and that shaped the atmosphere around her more than anything she ever said. On her Yartzeit, I remember her many quiet unrecognized acts of kindness, as well as her concern for our upbringing and proper comportment: sitting up straight, no bottles on the dinner table, don't compliment yourself. My grandfather was very different. More public, more outward. And yet together, they shared a clear sense of what kind of people they wanted to be in our lives - and they lived in a way that made that vision real. 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 Semicha (rabbinic ordination) gave me the ability to learn Torah at a high level - a gift I rely on every day. But when I began working as a rabbi, I discovered something I hadn't expected: I didn't actually know how to be a rabbi. Not how to lead a community. Not how to make real-world decisions. Not how to carry responsibility for other people's lives. Those are not things I learned in our Beit Midrash. I had been trained to learn Torah. I had not been trained to lead people. Almost everything I know about that, I learned on the job - slowly, sometimes awkwardly, with lots of mistakes, over time. And more than anywhere else, I learned it through the annual conventions of the Rabbinical Council of America - by listening, observing, and realizing what the role truly demands. As we approach Shavuot, a time of receiving Torah, I find myself thinking not only about what we are taught, but how we learn to live 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 (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.

Every community eventually faces moments of confusion and controversy. Recently, in Montreal, Kashrut has become one of those moments. And beneath the details, a deeper question emerges: who should we rely on when it comes to Kosher? Social media creates the illusion that everyone is an expert, and that every issue must be debated publicly. It may give us information - but not necessarily judgment, responsibility, or accountability. Frequently, it leads not to clarity, but to confusion and division. Jewish communities rely on recognized systems of Kashrut supervision - agencies built on expertise and normative Halachic standards. In Montreal that includes MK, KSR, Belz, and others such as COR, OU, OK, and Star-K. We may not understand every decision, and we may not agree with every policy, but without expert oversight, keeping Kosher becomes impossible. And what is at stake is not only what we eat. Keeping Kosher is one of the ways we live as Jews, and maintain a daily connection to something larger than ourselves. So especially in moments like this, the question is not: what did I read online? The question is: who do we rely on, and what kind of community do we want to be? Enjoy your Kosher cheesecake this Shavuot. 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.

Rabbi Yosef Soloveitchik, known simply as the Rav, was one of the greatest Torah teachers of the modern era. I had the privilege to hear him teach in person - and I was also there when his failing health began to take from him his most extraordinary gift: his precise, lyrical, and commanding voice. I still remember the moment he tried to speak - and could not. And yet, the Rav never stopped teaching. Through thousands of recordings, and through the vast body of his Torah now being published from handwritten notes, his voice continues to reach us - with clarity, depth, and urgency. What it meant to hear him is something I will never forget. What it means that we still hear him, in a different way, may be even more important. 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.

Rabbi Dr. Joshua Berman's new book "Echoes of Egypt" opens with a remarkable claim about the Torah's vision of society. In the ancient world - especially in Egypt - power flowed in one direction. Kings stood at the top, and everyone else existed beneath them. Access to dignity, to justice, even to the divine, was controlled by a small elite. Then the Torah appeared - and quietly overturned the entire structure. At Sinai, God does not speak to a king, or to a select few. God speaks to everyone. The Torah strips power away from human rulers and places it, in a profound sense, into the hands of each individual. Every person is called to live with dignity, responsibility, and holiness - like royalty. This is what we celebrate on Shavuot. Not only that God exists, but that God spoke and speaks to every one of us. According to Dr. Berman, this vision may be even more revolutionary than monotheism itself. It is a blueprint for a society unlike anything the ancient world had ever seen - and one we are still trying to live up to. 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.

Last week I had the privilege of hearing Rabbi Herschel Schachter, one of the foremost authorities in Jewish law. And yet, we call him a Talmid Chacham - not just a Torah scholar, but a student of a scholar. For anyone who wants to grow in Torah, that may be the starting point: never stop being a student. At last week's Rabbinical Council of America convention, Rabbi Schachter returned to the Mishnah in Pirkei Avot: “Acquire for yourself a rabbi.” But how do you actually choose? He offered clear criteria: someone who answers thoughtfully, who listens carefully - not only to the question, but to the person asking it - who lives with reverence for God, and who treats others with humility and respect. And then, in real time, I watched those very qualities come alive - in Rabbi Schachter, and in Rabbi Mordechai Willig. Not taught. Not abstract. In real life. 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 Yerushalayim - the day we celebrate the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967, and the enduring pull of a city that has never stopped calling to us. According to a well-known tradition, Jerusalem was built on the site of a quiet act of brotherly love. Long before it became a place people argue about, it was a place where people reached toward one another. Its very name carries that tension and aspiration. Yir'eh - awe. Shalom - peace. Jerusalem is where we are meant to see more deeply, and to become more whole. Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook taught that its stones are “stones of heart.” Rabbi Norman Lamm described it as the place where God awaits us. Not just a location, but a meeting point. Jerusalem isn't just a city. It is an encounter - between people, between ideals, and between ourselves and God. 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.

We can pray in any language, using any words, at any time, from any place. Yet the fixed prayers many of us say every day contain a hidden danger: repetition can become routine. The weekday Amidah is nearly identical three times a day, with only slight changes depending on the season or the nature of the day. And at least for me, there are far too many times when I suddenly realize I said the wrong words almost automatically, without enough attention or presence. Rabbi Meilech Biderman analyzes a fascinating Talmudic passage about one of those small seasonal changes, and draws from it a deeply encouraging lesson: even a distracted or imperfect prayer may still carry enormous spiritual power. And if prayer said half-awake, distracted, or imperfectly can still reach heaven - imagine what is possible when we truly bring our minds, hearts, and souls into the 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 (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 search for how we will make it through hearing (the second half of) this week's Torah portion, BeChhukotai, and what saves us are the first three words. We then explore the final, climactic blessing God bestows on us, with three brief explanations from The Rav, Rabbi Yosef Soloveitchik, Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner, and Bailey Newman quoting Mr. Rogers. 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.

The common translation in this week's Parsha, Behar, is to support our fellow in need. But Rashi understands the Torah differently: not merely to support someone after they fall, but to strengthen them before they fall. Sivan Rahav Meir explains that when we notice someone beginning to decline - that is precisely the moment we are called to help. In finances, relationships, raising children, and even caring for our own health, the Torah teaches a profound truth: the sooner we respond, the greater the chance of healing and recovery. Waiting for crisis is often waiting too long. 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.

I recently started watching "The Pitt," and I am deeply impressed. The acting, writing, and storylines are exceptional. What especially stayed with me is how human the show feels. Noah Wyle seems to have grown into the perfect role - experienced, compassionate, exhausted, imperfect, and believable. The series manages to be both entertaining and thoughtful, especially in its treatment of mental health, suffering, forgiveness, and end-of-life issues. I also discovered the Hawaiian practice of Ho'oponopono - and realized I have been practicing something very similar for more than 40 years without ever knowing its name. If you are watching The Pitt - or decide to start - I would genuinely love to hear what you think. 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.