Self-Control Through Torah

David and Modya welcome Dr. Robert Barris to this episode. Robert is a NY-based psychiatrist, a deep thinker and a long-time student of Mussar who has been influenced by and learned from his father-in-law, a Mussar scholar from the Mir Yeshiva in Shanghai. This episode brings to a close the Torah cycle and allows the exploration of spiritual separation (perishut) as Moses leaves the world and the Torah ends its cycle. We learn that through separation we can find the path to holiness. May we all find joy along that path. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Modya and David explore Moses's final, poetic message to Israel (Ha'azinu, Deut. 32:1-32:52), through the lens of the trait of prishut, or "separation". As we begin to separate from the current year, Moses prepares to separate from Israel -- and from his dream of entering the Land. Moses calls heaven and earth to witness against the people, but depicts God as the enduring Rock on whom the people can and must rely. We ask ourselves: what must we separate from, and upon what can we enduringly rely? Thanks for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode, Modya and David explore the Double Torah portion of Nitzavim-Vayelech through the lens of the trait of Separation. Questions pondered: How do blessings and curses (and their consequences) help us separate from our baser desires? What does it mean to fully be present to the challenge Moses poses to the Israelites at the very end of his life? And what does it mean for us, at this moment in history, and at this time of year? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We begin our 13th and last middah (separateness - perishut) that we explore in conjunction with parsha Ki Tavo. David and Modya look at what separate means, why it's important, and why it is left as the last of the 13 character traits. In the parsha we apply the trait to an exploration of blessings and curses and the role of our inclination toward physicality. We see how building fences is one step toward separateness, and still requires action to develop the trait further. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Modya and David are joined by Rabbi Chaim Safren to discuss parshat Ki Teitzei through the Mussar lens of Emet, or Truth. Their discussion ranges over such topics as: What is truth, anyway? How do we find truth in commandments that today seem strange or repugnant to our modern sensibilities? How can we cultivate a closer relationship to truth now, during the month of Elul, as we prepare for the High Holidays? We hope you enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Modya and David discuss parshat Shoftim (Deut. 16:18-21:9) through the lens of the trait of Truth. How does the establishment of a system of justice preserve and advance -- and sometimes undermine -- the quest for truth? What is the relationship between truth and memory? How does one balance the elements of justice and mercy in the quest for pursuing (and even defining) truth? We hope you'll listen in as the hosts contemplate these and other questions raised by this week's Torah portion! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode, Modya and David discuss parshat Re'eh (Deut. 11:26-16:17) through the lens of Emet (Truth). Among other directives, Moses directs the people to choose between blessing and curse, and to adhere to the laws he has imparted throughout the course of the Israelite journey in the wilderness. Modya and David explore the sometimes stark binary between truth and falsehood that Moses depicts. They seek to derive lessons on the consequences of deception of self and other, and on cultivating a personal path of truth. We hope you enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Modya and David look at the weekly Torah portion through a new lens -- that of Truth. They explore whether there is absolute truth, and when and if to be truthful in thought, speech, and action. They explore how Moses changes some of the narrative of the past 40 years, and what that means for both the speaker (Moses) and the listener (ourselves). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Modya and David are joined this week by Ruth Schapira (about whose work you can learn more at innerjudaism.com) to look at the role of grace and calmness within this week's Torah portion. Together, they focus on the value of gentle words in Moses' plea to be allowed to enter the land, and how a calm orientation is necessary to navigate difficult conversations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode, Modya and David ponder the repetition that now unfolds in the Book of Deuteronomy (Devarim). As we read of Moses beginning to recount the travels of 40 years and the resistance of the Israelites, we look at the role of calmness in telling troubling stories about others, and challenging people to rise above their fears. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Modya and David explore the double parsha that ends the book of Numbers (Bamidbar). They explore once again the role of calmness in speech through taking on responsibilities that previously were only in the domain of the Divine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Pinchas (Num. 25:10-30:1), the Moses prepares the people for crossing over into the land. The preparations come on the heels of violence and plague, but are meant to maintain peace and communal cohesion. Modya and David discuss how an attitude of calm and deliberation can help both individuals and communities in times of dramatic change. Please listen and enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode, David and Modya speak with Rebecca Schliser, a core faculty member at the Institute for Jewish Spirituality and rabbinical student at Aleph, The Alliance for Jewish Renewal. They explore the middah of silence through the stories in parsha Balak and see how a donkey may be more in tune with the Divine than a human by employing silence as a contemplative tool. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode, Modya and David's method for exploring the Torah portion through the lens of a specific character trait lands them on Chukat (Num. 19:1-22:1) through the lens of Silence. In Chukat (spoiler alert), a lot happens: the law of the red heifer is expounded, Miriam and Aaron pass on, and Moses's exasperation with the people leads him to act in a way that causes God to forbid him to enter the Promised Land. The hosts explore how restraint in speech and action -- or lack thereof -- can lead to cascading consequences, and to an alienation of people from each other, and from the people to their God. Thanks for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Korach (Num. 16:1-18:32), one of the most riveting and dramatic narratives in all of Torah, is, perhaps counterintuitively, fertile ground for a discussion of the trait of Silence. When is speech destructive? When is silence -- a deliberate avoidance of harsh or provoactive speech -- healing? How do we balance our "inner Korach" and "inner Moses"? Modya and David explore these and other topics in this week's episode. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Modya and David discuss parshat Shelakh (also known as Shelakh Lekha) in the Book of Numbers, using the lens of the attribute of Shtikah, or Silence. In the Mussar tradition, silence refers to the deliberative pause taken before speaking, to make sure that what is said is truthful and beneficial to self and others. This Torah portion includes the fateful incident of the report of the spies who scout out the land and bring a pessimistic report. The hosts consider the ramifications and consequences of speech that is truthful but not beneficial, and they discuss how to build a practice of using speech sparingly and wisely. We hope you enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, Modya and David welcome Mindy Shapiro, a Philadelphia-based student and teacher of Mussar and an artist*, to discuss parshat B'ha'alotkha (Num. 8:1-12:16) through the lens of Zerizut, or diligence. Central questions explored in conversation: How do we bring the rebellious aspects of our natures into alignment with our higher purpose? How can we see our own "desert wanderings" as part of a meaningful experience? And how can we identify and address our fear of not being seen, and what that fear causes us to do? We hope you enjoy! *Mindy's work can be seen here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Modya and David dive into parshat Naso (Num. 4:21-7:89), the longest portion in the entire Torah -- 70 verses of which are identical! This parshah also features the Priestly Blessing (Num. 6:24-26), the laws of Sotah (Num. 5:1-31), and a host of lessons on the middah of Zerizut, or Diligence, for individuals and communities, in relation to each other and to God. We hope you enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What sort of people do you surround yourself with? And what is your mission in life? How best to marshal all aspects of your personality, and your community, in order to pursue it? And, on another note: what explains the Jewish aversion to being counted?These are just some of the questions Modya and David explore in this week's episode, in which they look at parshat Bamidbar (Num. 1:1-4:20). We hope you enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's episode, Modya and David switch lenses to the trait of Zerizut, or Diligence, and use that as a lens through which to explore parshat Bechukotai, the final Torah portion in the Book of Leviticus (26:3-27:24). In this portion, God delineates the good that will come of following divine laws and commandments -- and the ills that will befall Israel if they turn away. The hosts explore how diligence in following divine will can keep our selves, our communities, and our world in balance. We hope you enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week David and Modya complete their investigation of frugality looking at the parsha of Behar. We see how the lens is widened to include not only the self and community but also our orientation to the land and ultimately the Divine. In an agrarian culture, land represented economy and so the focus on letting the land lay fallow (shemitah and yoval) equated to frugality with finances. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In parsha Emor (Leviticus 21:1-24:23), David and Modya continue to explore "frugality." They look at it being part of a continuum of holiness and see how frugality in action needs to match an inner authentic orientation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Modya and David focus again this week on kimutz, or frugality, through the lens of the week's Torah portion, Kedoshim (Lev: 19:1-20:27). The central question: what do the priestly and ethical laws teach us about stewardship of our resources, both as individuals and as members of a community living in a covenanted relationship to each other and to God? We hope you enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Modya and David begin this week a focus on the trait of frugality, the careful shepherding of one's resources, monetary and otherwise. The Torah portion under consideration is Acharei Mot (Leviticus 16:1-18:30). Modya and David explore how the careful allocation and conservation of resources can help to create a balance between the divine and animal energies which comprise the human being and human societies. The rite of the scapegoat is also discussed as a way to recognize, honor, and maintain the balance between these energies. Thanks for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's episode, Modya and David are joined by the artist, writer, coach, and fellow podcaster Avrum Rosensweig to discuss parshat Metzora in the Book of Leviticus (Lev. 14:1-15:32), and what can be learned about the trait of tzedek, or righteousness. The wide-ranging discussion centers on the importance of being careful in one's speech, as one message of this parsha is how gossip and slander can throw an individual, and indeed an entire community out of balance. Modya, David, and Avrum also discuss how sacrificing for the greater good can help create and preserve healthy relationships and a righteous community. We hope you enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David and Modya know that beauty is more than skin deep. In this episode, they look at the parsha of tazria (Leviticus 12:1–13:59) through the lens of righteousness to see what we can learn about skin outbreaks, life and death and communal responsibility to the individual and the community. Modya Silver is an author and psychotherapist based in Toronto. David Gottlieb is a faculty member in the Jewish Studies program at Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership in Chicago. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Modya and David take a deep dive this week into Shemini (Lev. 9:1-11:47) to explore the content for lessons in tzedek, or righteousness. How might detailed instructions on the way to conduct different ritual sacrifices help build a society that cultivates righteousness and justice? What other middot (character traits) are related to righteousness? This Torah portion also contains the profoundly troubling episode of the deaths of Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, who offer a "strange fire" before God (Lev. 10:1-2). David and Modya discuss different commentaries on this episode, and how they illuminate the relationship between character traits, especially righteousness and humility. Thanks for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Modya and David discuss what can be learned about tzedek, or righteousness, from Tzav in the book of Leviticus (Lev. 6:1-8:36). What do priestly guidelines for conducting sacrifices tell us about righteousness and how to enact it in the world? What other character traits help us develop into people who advance righteousness, for ourselves and for others? And just what is righteousness, anyway? Listen and enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Modya and David are joined by Rabbi Marc Margolius, Vice President of Faculty and Program at the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, to discuss lessons for the character trait of humility that can be gleaned from Vayikra, the first Torah portion in the Book of Leviticus (Lev. 1:1-5:26). Beginning from the small letter aleph at the end of the first word of the Torah portion, Modya, David, and Marc explore the mystical, sociological, and ethical lessons to be gained by Israel through the order and methods of sacrifice outlined in the Torah portion. We hope you enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Modya and David discuss Pekudei (Ex. 38:21-40:38), the last Torah portion in the Book of Exodus, in light of the trait of Humility. Among the questions the hosts ponder: What does the contrast between the episodes of the Golden Calf and the construction of the Mishkan teach us about cultivating humility? Why is humility seen as the trait to start with in the Mussar tradition? How do we bring these lessons into our daily lives? And how can humility help us to be more responsive and responsible in our relationships? The hosts bring a variety of biblical and other sources to the discussion. We hope you enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Modya and David delve into Vayakhel (Ex. 35:1-38:20), the Torah portion that describes in great detail the specific materials and dimensions of the Mishkan, or Tabernacle, and what lessons this parsha holds for developing the trait of humility. The hosts ponder the meaning of the empty space at the center of the Mishkan, the communal efforts needed to produce the raw materials and the finish product, and thus, the relationship between humility and devoting oneself to the needs of the community, and to the indwelling divinity at the center of each community and each member of that community. We hope you enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Modya and David discuss the Torah portion of Ki Tisa (Exodus 30:11-34:35) in light of the character trait of anavah (humility). Their wide-ranging discussion covers such topics as what humility is and isn't; the perils of both arrogance and low self-esteem; the Mishkan, and how it represents the space we must maintain for the Divine; and of course the Golden Calf, which can represent our mistaken belief that we can change the basic nature of the human-divine order. The hosts ponder the human task of finding and claiming one's proper place in the world as an essential aspect of cultivating the humility. Thanks for listening! Modya Silver is an author and psychotherapist based in Toronto. David Gottlieb is a faculty member in the Jewish Studies program at Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership in Chicago. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode Modya Silver concludes our four week look into the middah of cleanliness. He reviews the focus on physical cleanliness and how it inspires us to spiritual cleanliness. He also explores how one's own cleanliness helps support others in their own quest for personal growth. All of this and more through looking at the Torah portion of Tetzaveh. Modya Silver is an author and psychotherapist based in Toronto. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Modya presents solo on what we can learn about the middah of cleanliness (nekiut) from the Hubble telescope! Specifically, there are steps we can take to further develop physical and spiritual cleanliness and reduce confusion and suffering in the world. The week's Torah portion of Terumah teaches us not only how to build a mishkan (tabernacle) but how to live life with a pure heart. Modya Silver is an author and psychotherapist based in Toronto.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's episode, Modya and David discuss the Torah portion of Mishpatim (Ex. 21:1-24:18) through the lens of the character trait of nekiyut, or cleanliness. In this Torah portion, the divine articulation of detailed laws helps to establish a culture in which physical, spiritual, and moral cleanliness are upheld on an individual and collective basis. What does this mean for how we, today, confront temptation, cultivate care for our physical selves, and support collective efforts toward elevating these aspects of our lives? Thanks for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Modya and David move on to the character trait of nekiyut, or cleanliness, and use it as a lense on the Torah portion of Yitro, in which the Theophany at Sinai takes place. Just some of the questions pondered by the hosts: How does the concept of ritual purity influence the concept of purification of one's character? How are "inner" and "outer" cleanliness related? How can we know the true location of the "border of the mountain" (Mount Sinai), which the Israelites are instructed not to cross as God makes God's Presence known? And in the same way, how can we know when we have "crossed the line" between the minor transgression and the slippery slope? Thanks for listening! Modya Silver is an author and psychotherapist based in Toronto. David Gottlieb is a faculty member in the Jewish Studies program at Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership in Chicago. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's episode, Modya and David are joined by Rabbi David Jaffe, a writer, Mussar teacher, and organizer, to discuss lessons on the middah of harizut (decisiveness) in parshat Beshalah (Ex. 13:17-17:16). Some questions discussed: What does the midrash about Nachshon bring the first to wade into the sea teach us about the line between divine providence and human agency? Why must God garden Pharaoh's heart and seal his fate, and the fate of the Egyptians? How should we understand the situatedness of our decisions, large and small, in the context of our relationships, our obligations, and our communities? Thanks for listening! Modya Silver is an author and psychotherapist based in Toronto. David Gottlieb is a faculty member in the Jewish Studies program at Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership in Chicago. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode, Modya and David delve into lessons on decisiveness (harizut) in the weekly Torah portion, Bo (Exodus 10:1-13:16). Our hosts discuss the linguistic commonality in Hebrew between decisiveness and speed. They also explore how the plagues, and Pharaoh's hardened heart, leads him down a path in which his free will to determine his own fate, and the fate of Egypt, grows progressively narrower. The hosts discuss decisiveness as an embodied discipline is forward moving but not hasty, deliberative but not endlessly analytical -- leading toward liberation from enslavement to fear and hesitation. Modya Silver is an author and psychotherapist based in Toronto. David Gottlieb is a faculty member in the Jewish Studies program at Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership in Chicago. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In discussing this week's Torah portion, Va'era (Ex. 6:2-9:35) in light of the character trait of Decisiveness, Modya and David ponder big questions: Do we have untrammeled free will? Or are there limits -- and how would we know? What is the right balance between decisiveness and the weighing of options? How can we make decisions more mindfully -- being cognizant of their effects on others? Pharaoh's hardened heart, Moses and Aaron's determination, and the Israelites' crushed spirits after centuries of slavery are also discussed. Thanks for listening! Modya Silver is an author and psychotherapist based in Toronto. David Gottlieb is Director of Jewish Studies at the Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership in Chicago. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode, Modya and David explore Sh'mot, the first parsha in the Book of Exodus, in light of the trait of harizut, or decisiveness. The hosts explore the idea, suggested by the relationship between God and Moses, that being decisive is not "all about us", but involves other traits, like humility and patience. We must be aware that others can help move processes forward, that we must let events unfold, and that decisiveness is not a purely intellectual process: it is, rather, a partnership, and it requires a balance between instinct, thought, and providence. Modya Silver is an author and psychotherapist based in Toronto. David Gottlieb is Director of Jewish Studies at the Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership in Chicago. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode David and Modya look at the final Torah portion of Vayechi in the book of Genesis through the lens of order (seder). In this parsha the patriarch, Jacob, bestows blessings on each of the 12 sons, well, 13 actually since Joseph's two sons each get the blessing. We look at the purpose of names and how our future may be determined by a complexity of current decisions. Modya Silver is an author and psychotherapist based in Toronto. David Gottlieb is Director of Jewish Studies at the Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership in Chicago. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David and Modya explore the challenges of balancing relationships with getting things done in life. They see how in parsha VaYigash order and disorder play against or with each other and how missteps can cause suffering for self and others. The path forward is to find one's purpose and see how the Divine is included or is central in life. Modya Silver is an author and psychotherapist based in Toronto. David Gottlieb is Director of Jewish Studies at the Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership in Chicago. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices