The Parasha with Rabbi Dweck

The book of Vayikra ends with hard warnings against Israel should they walk with God with indifference. He too will be indifferent to them and the world will feel as though it is turning on them. Subsequently there is an intriguing mitzvah presented that deals with what's called "Temura" or "exchange". Prohibiting one from attempting to exchange an animal that was given to God for an offering with a different animal whether it be better or worse. In this episode we examine the problem with that and how fear and the need for control underlies it, as well as why it is related to the issue of indifference.

This parasha speaks of the restrictions for Kohanim (priests of Israel) in terms of the prohibition to come in contact with dead bodies, the prohibitions on marriage with certain women, and the restrictions on which kohanim can perform the Temple Service. There are a lot of restrictions. In this episode we discuss restriction as boundary and why they are so important in our lives.

In this episode, we explore the twin parashot of Ahare Mot and Kedoshim and the Torah's vision of holiness not as separation from the world, but as meaningful engagement within it. From the Temple service of Yom Kippur that allowed the Kohen Gadol to enter past God's most inner boundaries to the ethical demands of everyday life, and the boundaries we set for ourselves and those that we must respect with others. We consider what it means to be a unique, unrepeatable individual in society and how important it is to see others that way.

*This class is a recording from 2022*In this episode, we delve into the spiritual meaning of tsara'at, traditionally misunderstood as a physical disease but described by the Torah as a divine response to moral failings—especially leshon hara (negative speech). We explore how careless or harmful speech reflects a distorted inner vision and undermines both community and self.

Looking at what it means to be kadosh. The importance of identity and the ease of holding boundaries when that is clear and present.

In this episode that opens the book of Vayikra, we focus on the book's (and parasha's) first word. Famously it is spelled with a small alef in Hebrew. We explore the difference between the word with and without the alef and how central it is to our lives and our service of God and His world.

Pekude closes the book of Exodus and seems a bit anticlimactic. After epic narratives of plagues, splitting sea, and miracles galore, we are left with...accounts. A virtual spreadsheet of materials used in the construction of the Mishkan. In this episode we explore we this is where the great book of Exodus closes and what we might learn from it for our own lives.

Moses has returned with new tablets after shattering the first pair. He has negotiated not only forgiveness for the Children of Israel after the Golden Calf debacle, he has also made an agreement with God that He would dwell amongst the people. So Moses presents the Mishkan project and asks for the people to contribute to it. But this is no ordinary project, it will create the circumstances for God's presence to dwell amongst the people. They will need to bring their very souls, not just their gold and silver. In this episode we explore the nature of this giving and what it entails.

In this episode we look at the Kohen Gadol and explore the attributes of Aaron who served as the first and quintessential High Priest. We recognise the uniqueness of his heart, and what Hillel the Elder meant when he charged us in Pirke Abot to be students of Aaron. We discuss, Aaron's love and pursuit of peace, what peace for us is, and how we might find it.

In this episode we explore the concept of a Mishkan - a place in which God's presence resides within the people of Israel. Why this is historically unique and what it means in terms of the God-Israel covenant that has stood for 4 thousand years.

In this episode we consider the effects of the moral code that is presented in Mishpatim. We discuss the development of justice and morality as its result and ultimately its effects on the West through Christianity. We also discuss religious extremism and when religion goes wrong.

At the beginning of this Perasha, Moshe is reunited with his father in law, Yitro. Yitro observes how Moshe is sitting and judging the people from morning until evening with the people waiting to see him that entire time. He advises Moshe to stop it and get others to do it for him. Moshe agrees and does so.In this episode we explore the implications of this decision and understand what the cost of it was and how it affects our lives today.

it is here where we meet the arch-enemy of the Israelites - Amalek. They are the cousins of the Israelites - grandchildren of our twin brother Esav. And they present Israel early on with a fundamental ideological issue. It is an issue that runs throughout Jewish history and is as pertinent today as it ever was. Indeed, it is an issue we must come to terms with as a people if we are ever to be at peace.

The Children of Israel are finally free, and no sooner does that happen that God gives them commandments (20 in this parasha!). One of the first is the commandment of Matza, imploring us to watch the matzot. In this episode we consider the meaning behind this charge and how it connects to freedom, responsibility, and our own agency in life.

Moses mission of liberation is in full swing as he boldly stands before Pharaoh demanding that he free the Israelite slaves. His power grows and Pharaoh's wains. In this episode we look at how responsibility connects with the power that comes with freedom. We also look at a significant event in the news of this week that directly pertains to the issue.

Before Jacob dies he calls his sons to his death bed and speaks to them of his final thoughts about them and their future. King David does the same with Solomon in the haftara before he dies. The theme of legacy runs strong at the close of Genesis and we explore its elements and our modern responsibilities with it in this week's episode.

The Children of Israel finally come together in this parasha and on the surface it looks like rifts are reconciled between Yosef and his brothers. Yet, there are still unfinished differences between them. In this episode we look at the haftara in which the prophet Ezekiel proclaims that there will come a day when the core arguments within the nation of Israel will find resolution and the people will be unified upon their ancestral land. We explore this and consider its current and modern implications.

Yosef is set as Viceroy of Egypt. He is presented by Pharaoh as the very symbol of Egypt. All is going well for him when suddenly...his brothers show up. He must address historic rifts and unresolved conflicts and consider who he is in light of all that he finds around him. This parasha is always read during Hanuka. In this episode we look at the complementary aspects of the Hanuka story with Joseph's and how it might apply to our lives.

At 17 Yosef seems to lack basic tact and awareness of his social and circumstantial surroundings. It is so severe that he ends up being sold into slavery by his own brothers. But Yosef goes through profound hardship and deeply adjusts the way he is in the world. In this episode we examine these lessons and changes and how the difficulties he experienced triggered them.

In this episode we examine the episode of Dina's rape by Shekhem. We explore the response of Yaakob as well as his sons and what we learn about fundamental differences between their philosophies. We look at how those approaches manifest within us today and what we might do.

Yaakob has a dream in which God commits to keeping with him as he leaves the land and promises to bring him back to the land. We explore what this means for us, his descendants in our current lives.

Esav and Yaakob are twins. Yet, Esav the elder famously sells his birthright to Yaakob. In this episode we explore why Esav may have done that, and why Yaakob was better equipped to hold it.

After Sarah dies, Abraham makes his first purchase of land in Canaan. It is a burial plot for his family. When making the purchase, he refers to himself as ger vetoshab - a sojourner and a citizen. These terms seem to be contradictory. What could he have meant? In this episode we explore the meaning of the term and why it was later used in several instances when speaking about establishing a home.

Abraham is now in covenant with God. How he lives in the world changes because of this. And how he sees things is affected. We explore what has changed and what he sees highlighting that the name of the Parasha is Hebrew for 'seeing'.

Lekh Lekha begins the story of the Jewish people with the story of the founder of the movement - Abraham. God engages in covenant with Abraham and promises him not a Torah, but land and children. What are the implications of this for our modern Jewish identity?

The first covenant of the Torah is established in Noah. What was it about Noah that was worthy of surviving the flood and why is it presented in Torah for us?

Moses in his final words tells Israel that they are all "standing" In this episode we explore what that might mean and what implications it has for Rosh Hashana.

The famous charge to pursue righteousness, Sedek, sedek, tirdof! opens our parasha. We explore the implications of this charge and how we might apply it to our own lives.

This episode is in memory of Rabbi Israel Elia z"l. We look at the 3 festivals of Pesah, Shabuot and Succot and their significance in the Jewish calendar.

In this episode I share a reading of one of the pesukim of the parasha from the Ramhal z"l. A reading that, in my opinion, is foundational to Jewish life and thought.

As Moshe prepares the people for his departure, he reminds them that he prayed to enter the Land but was denied by God. He also reminds them that God will not tolerate breaching the covenant. What constitutes breach? We explore a specific point expressed by Moshe in this week's episode.

Moshe's time to die looms near. Before he does he spends the last month of his life speaking to the people of Israel preparing them for their lives in the Promised Land. He begins with a history lesson. And within it, tones of rebuke. The first point he makes is that they distanced themselves from him right at the start. It was a bad move...

Perashat Mas'ei opens with a fairly dry listing of places in which the Children of Israel journeyed on their way out of Egypt into the Promised Land for 40 years. God expressly commands Moshe to write all the places down. In this episode we explore why and what implications it has on our own lives.

The nation is preparing to enter the Promised Land. Yet, there are 5 sisters with no brothers who are set to lose their father's portion because there are no male heirs. They protest and God Himself comes out on their side. But why didn't He do that to begin with? In this episode we discuss the significance of the sisters' contention with the status quo and what that might teach us about living our own lives.

Balak hires Bil'am to curse Israel because he realises that no conventional means work to defeat them. Bil'am speaks of God as his God, and speaks to God directly in a way no other gentile in Torah does. We explore why Bil'am had this privilege and what he discovered that was special about Israel and, for that matter, God.

The people are on edge after a severe decree that all men over 20 years old will die in the desert over a period of 40 years. Korah and Datan and Abiram from the tribes of Levi and Reuben respectively, protest and challenge the leadership of Moses and the establishment of Aaron as Kohen along with his descendants. Jealousy is running high. In this episode we look at the issue of thinking with our emotions and why that almost certainly leads to terrible failure.

This parasha tells the story of the creation of the darkest day in Jewish history, the 9th of Av. In this episode we examine an element of this breakdown and its implications for us today.

We examine the story in which the people complain for meat. This becomes the worst personal breakdown of Moses' career leading the Children of Israel. In this episode we examine the dynamics of this breakdown and the interaction between Moses and God. In our study we reveal a fundamental secret to eliminating considerable distress and difficulty throughout life.

Bemidbar, the 4th book of the Torah begins with a census. We explore the meaning of this census and its reltion to the upcoming festival of Shabuot. How our names set us on the path of Torah.

Behukotai is mainly comprised of a harsh warning of what might become of the people of Israel should they reject their covenant with God and be repulsed by following the commandments. In this episode we consider what the frame is for this warning and what the main word, keri, repeated several times means.

Perashat Behar demands that every 50 years the ownership of the land goes back to its hereditary appointees by God. He calls us gerim vetoshavim - sojourners and citizens which ostensibly sounds like an oxymoron. In this episode we explore the meaning of the term and what it means to live on earth with God as Landlord.

Emor, as much of Vayikra, presents us with commandments and scenarios that we have not known for thousands of years. There is, however, an important charge in this perasha that is as relevant today as it was when it was first presented. In this episode we look at how we are meant to relate to God and why we must think of Him as times as a person.

Kedoshim is a parasha that presents a moral manual to the Nation of Israel along with admonitions against acting as the Ancient Canaanites did. It closed with prohibitions on sexual interactions. What is the message of 'Be Holy' and how are we to implement it into our daily lives? This episode explores that question and offers a frame of mind to approach it.

Two mistakes are made in this parasha. One, catastrophic and one, minor. What is the difference between them, and what might we do in our lives to mitigate at least the catastrophic ones from happening?

This parasha is filled with instructions for korbanot. But its name, Tsav, holds a great deal within it. We are taught that Tsav is a charge of sorts. In this episode we explore the youthful energy of that charge inside us all and what place it might take from a Torah perspective.

Vayikra - the opening parasha of the third book of the Torah, starts with a powerful word. Vayikra is an intimate invitation by God to Moshe to commune with him. But the letter that makes all the difference in its meaning is much smaller than the rest. Why? In this episode we look at a reason that ties together Purim, Zakhor, and our everyday lives.

Pekude ends the book of Shemot. The majority of it reads like a spreadsheet enumerating the the accounts of the Mishkan and its donations. But the ending has a foundational lesson for all about honour and dignity.

This is an episode from 2022 and is 45 min long. In this episode we discuss the negotiations of Moshe with God and his insistence that God remain closely connected with the people throughout time.

In this episode (from 2022) we explore the position of the Kohen Gadol, The High Priest of Israel. He was a major personality in the nation and the office had unique characteristics when it was held by faithful men. We look at the powerful role of the Kohen Gadol and why Hillel the Elder implored us to learn from him and follow his ways.

Amongst the vessels made for the Tabernacle, is the Ark of the Covenant. God commands Moses to adorn it on top with two golden cherubs. Rabbi Yehuda Halevi (12th century Spanish Rabbi) questions the difference between these golden images and the golden calf that incurred God's wrath in the desert. In this episode we explore his answer and its implications upon our beliefs and behaviours.

While the parasha seems to present a series of simple, everyday human laws to the people, the ending is as epic as it gets. The covenant between God and the Children of Israel is set and accepted. And the journey of the special relationship between God and His nation officially begins. But there is an interlude at at the end that is a bit peculiar. The dignitaries are invited by God for a more intimate meeting on the mountain, and God must restrain Himself from striking them. Why? In this episode we explore what happened at the episode and what it teaches us about our relationship with God.