Torah Insights

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Short, powerful Torah ideas delivered by Rabbi Danny Eisenberg

Rabbi Danny Eisenberg


    • Dec 23, 2022 LATEST EPISODE
    • monthly NEW EPISODES
    • 6m AVG DURATION
    • 70 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Torah Insights

    Shabbat Chanuka - The Pilot Light of Emuna

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 23, 2022 5:04


    Was the victory of the Maccabees really so conclusive? What are we celebrating?

    Chayei Sarah - Learning Greatness from a Servant

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 18, 2022 6:32


    Why does the Torah dedicate so much space to the story of finding a wife for Yitzchak?

    Bereshit - what was the Tree of Knowledge and what does it teach us?

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 20, 2022 5:38


    Examines the 4 opinions identifying the tree and consider what they mean

    Shabbat Shuva - The Awe in the Days of Awe

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 30, 2022 7:10


    What is our challenge on Yom Kippur? What is Hashem's role?

    Rosh Hashana - what we need to hear and what we need to proclaim

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 24, 2022 6:39


    What are the messages of the Shofar and how do they relate to the Creation on Rosh Hashana?

    How can one mourn the Temple today?

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 5, 2022 5:14


    Given all the blessings of Jewish life in modern times, what is there to feel mournful about?

    Rosh Chodesh Av - A Chance to Change the Outcome

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 29, 2022 3:35


    Why do our mourning practices build as we approach Tisha Be'Av? A powerful message

    Parashat Pinchas - The Shrinking of the Moon

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 21, 2022 5:48


    Why does the Midrash tell us that Hashem shrunk the moon? What is the deep message behind the Midrash?

    Parashat Balak - The Path of Bilam and the Path of Avraham

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2022 3:41


    Is it a coincidence that Bilam and Avraham are total opposites in character?

    Parashat Chukat - The Philosophies of Hitting or Speaking to the Rock

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 7, 2022 5:31


    What is the significance of Moshe and Aharon's sin of hitting the rock? How does it relate to today's educational and leadership models?

    Parashat Shelach - The Tragedy of Concealment

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 24, 2022 4:48


    Where did the Meraglim (spies) and the Jewish people go wrong? How could a situation that seemed so promising have turned out so badly? An important lesson in life from a careful reading of Rashi

    Parashat Naso - Hearing The Voice

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2022 6:32


    After the Nesi'im (Princes of Tribes) contribute to the Mishkan, the Torah brings a very random comment about Moshe hearing Hashem's voice from between the Keruvim. What does it mean and why is it there?

    Parashat Bechukotai - What Torah and life are ALL about

    Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2022 5:21


    On the surface, the parsha proposes to tell us what the goal of Torah and the world is all about, but then it seems to be a bit of an anticlimax. But if we read it carefully, a very powerful message emerges...

    Parashat Behar - A secret meaning of Shemitta

    Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2022 6:16


    Is Shemitta just about giving the land a rest? What deeper significance lies behind this mitzva?

    Parashat Emor - Matza on Pesach and Chametz on Shavuot

    Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2022 6:16


    Is Chametz a good or bad thing? On Pesach it seems bad, but on Shavuot - the opposite! What's going on?

    Parashat Kedoshim - Three Meanings of Kedusha (Holiness)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 6, 2022 5:21


    "Be holy" - but what does that mean?

    Yom HaShoah - Constructively commemorating the Holocaust

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2022 5:26


    How does one commemorate the Shoah without becoming desensitized to the horrors of our past? We offer 4 suggestions.

    What's so great about Shabbat HaGadol?

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2022 3:12


    How did the Shabbat before Pesach get this mysterious title?

    Parashat Tazria - Unlocking the Mystery of Tzara'at

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2022 4:27


    How do we come to terms with this mysterious illness associated with sin?

    Parashat Shemini - Climbing the ladder towards Hashem

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 25, 2022 5:57


    What were Nadav and Avihu thinking? And what was so bad about their sin?

    Parashot Vayikra and Tzav - Ethical Human Sacrifice

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2022 4:41


    What are Korbanot really about? What do they have to do with Adam HaRishon?

    Parashat Pekudei - The Mishkan - Creation All Over Again

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 4, 2022 5:11


    What is the mysterious connection between the Mishkan and Creation?

    Parashat Vayakhel - What We Bring to the Table

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2022 6:18


    What is the message behind the seeming repetition of detail with the construction of the Mishkan? And why does generosity feature so centrally?

    Parashat Ki Tisa - The Transformation from the First Luchot to the Second

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2022 5:14


    Was there any difference between the first luchot that the Jewish people received and the second? How has our relationship with Hashem and Torah changed as a result?

    Parashat Tetzave - The Essential Partnership

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2022 5:34


    Why does the parasha start with discussing the Menora and its oil? Shouldn't that have been discussed in last week's parasha?

    Parashat Teruma - The Essence of the Mishkan

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 4, 2022 5:11


    Why does the Mishkan have 3 different names?

    Parashat Mishpatim - Not an Anticlimax to the Sinai Experience?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2022 5:01


    At first glance, the legalistic, civil law focus of Parashat Mishpatim seems totally inconsistent with the powerful transcendent experience of Mount Sinai that immediately preceded it. What was Hashem thinking?

    Parashat Yitro - Is honouring parents between man and G-d or between man and man?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 19, 2022 5:18


    Why does honouring one's parents feature in the first 5 dibrot, which are generally between man and God?

    Parashat Beshalach - The Manna Then and Now

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 12, 2022 5:59


    What was the mysterious manna (מן) from Heaven all about? What happened to it once it stopped falling? Our answer might surprise you.

    Parashat Bo - The Freedom of Jewish Existence

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 7, 2022 4:15


    Why is the Jewish people's first mitzva to set up a calendar?

    Parashot Shemot and Vaera - The Philosophies Behind Moshe's Leadership

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 28, 2021 5:40


    Why does the Torah interrupt Hashem's conversation with Moshe to tell us about the Jewish tribal leadership structure? What does this have to tell us about Moshe and Aharon's leadership?

    Parashat Vayechi - Yaakov's Powerful Vision for the Jewish People

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 16, 2021 4:28


    Did Yaakov actually bless all his sons as the Torah states? Didn't he criticise some? What is the depth behind Yaakov's blessings?

    Parashat Vayigash - The Two Models of Jewish Leadership

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 9, 2021 4:31


    What we learn from the confrontation of Yehuda and Yosef and how it will shape Jewish history

    Parashat Miketz - Reading signs from Hashem

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 2, 2021 5:25


    When we feel Hashem is sending us a message, what does He want from us?

    Pre-Chanuka Edition - Understanding the Struggle with Greece

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 26, 2021 6:08


    Why did the Jews have to confront Greece? The Maharal has a fascinating analysis...

    Parashat Vayishlach - The meaning of Yaakov's struggle with the angel

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 18, 2021 5:15


    This encounter is completely unexpected and perplexing. What does it mean?

    Parashat Vayetze - Living as a Jew in two worlds

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 11, 2021 4:15


    Why did Hashem let Yaakov be tricked into marrying two wives? Was it a punishment? Or the secret of Yaakov's new destiny? And what does it mean for us today?

    Parashat Toldot - Yitzchak: The Model for Day-to-Day Spirituality

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2021 5:14


    Why does so much of Yitzchak's life revolve around digging wells and dealing with land disputes with his neighbours? Do we really need to hear all the ins and outs of this seemingly mundane activity? Listen to hear the powerful secret behind it all.

    Parashat Chayei Sarah - The secret of Jewish marriage and the Land of Israel

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 28, 2021 4:27


    Do Jewish men purchase their wives? Why does the Torah derive the laws of marriage from Avraham's purchase of Me'arat Hamachpela? This teaches us something new and profound about Jewish marriage and about the Land of Israel.

    Parashat Vayera - Why does Hashem test people?

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 21, 2021 4:47


    Why test people if Hashem already knows what they're going to do? If we understand this concept we can feel empowered to deal with the challenges in our lives.

    Parashat Lech Lecha - The challenge of uncertainty

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 13, 2021 5:27


    Why does Hashem leave Avraham in the dark? Why not tell him where he's going or give him guidance with the challenges he faces? This embodies an important lesson for us in how we must live our lives.

    Parashat Noach - What's so bad about the Tower of Bavel? Lessons for today

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 7, 2021 6:08


    What did the people do wrong? What was Hashem worried about? What lessons can we learn from this episode in our times?

    Parashat Bereishit - The Meaning of Life

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 30, 2021 5:41


    Why did Hashem created the world? Why are we here? What is our purpose in this world? What does the parasha have to say about these questions?

    Understanding Sukkot as an agricultural and historical festival

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 23, 2021 5:26


    We know the Torah describes Sukkot as Chag Ha-asif - the Festival of Gathering. It also commemorates the protection Hashem afforded the Jewish people in the desert. Is there a relationship between these 2 descriptions? Our answer might surprise you.

    A message of chizuk for Yom Kippur

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 15, 2021 2:41


    Yom Kippur is a time for great optimism if you understand it properly.

    Shabbat Shuva - What does Hashem do when we do teshuva?

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 9, 2021 5:28


    Why do we need to ask Hashem to forgive us so much? Is it so hard for someone to forgive another who apologises?

    Parashat Nitzavim - Seeing teshuva in the correct perspective

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 3, 2021 5:07


    Doing teshuva seems to be such an enormous undertaking. But is that what it's meant to be like?

    Parashat Ki Tavo - The message of the tochecha

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 26, 2021 6:00


    What a depressing parsha! Is there anything positive we can get out of it?

    Parashat Ki Tetze - Understanding ourselves and our responsibilities

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 21, 2021 4:21


    What is the unifying message behind this pot pourri of mitzvot? What lessons can we take from it this Elul?

    Parashat Shoftim - The Danger of Compartmentalisation

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 12, 2021 5:20


    Why does the Torah discuss planting ashera trees and setting up monuments in the middle of a parasha otherwise focused on affairs of state? The implications of the message for our lives as Jews are huge.

    Re'eh - Who is at the centre of our world?

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 5, 2021 4:52


    Why is it so important to serve Hashem in the "place that He shall choose"? What is the secret connection of the Beit Hamikdash and joy? Why must we never forget the Levi?

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