Podcasts about Avot

What if Moshe couldn't see that the people had already grown up? In this episode, Parshat Pinchas takes center stage as Zvi Hirschfield and Aviva Lauer delve into the powerful juxtaposition of two pivotal moments in Bamidbar 27: the bold legal claim of the daughters of Tzlofchad and the appointment of Yehoshua as Moshe's successor. They explore rabbinic expansions from Avot de-Rabbi Natan, the challenge of seeing people as they are today—not as they were—and the evolving nature of Torah leadership and inheritance. Their discussion raises timely questions about authority, growth, and meeting learners where they truly are.

Avot 6:11 - Horayot 1:1 | Sunday, July 6th 2025 | 10 Tamuz 5785

Avot 6:9-10 | Saturday, July 5th 2025 | 9 Tamuz 5785

Avot 6:7-8 | Friday, July 4th 2025 | 8 Tamuz 5785

Avot 6:5-6 | Thursday, July 3rd 2025 | 7 Tamuz 5785

Avot 6:3-4 | Wednesday, July 2nd 2025 | 6 Tamuz 5785

Avot 6:1-2 | Tuesday, July 1st 2025 | 5 Tamuz 5785

Avot 5:22-23 | Monday, June 30th 2025 | 4 Tamuz 5785

Avot 5:20-21 | Sunday, June 29th 2025 | 3 Tamuz 5785

Avot 5:18-19 | Saturday, June 28th 2025 | 2 Tamuz 5785

Avot 5:16-17 | Friday, June 27th 2025 | 1 Tamuz 5785

Avot 5:14-15 | Thursday, June 26th 2025 | 30 Sivan 5785

Avot 5:12-13 | Wednesday, June 25th 2025 | 29 Sivan 5785

Avot 5:10-11 | Tuesday, June 24th 2025 | 28 Sivan 5785

Avot 5:8-9 | Monday, June 23rd 2025 | 27 Sivan 5785

Avot 5:6-7 | Sunday, June 22nd 2025 | 26 Sivan 5785

Avot 5:4-5 | Saturday, June 21st 2025 | 25 Sivan 5785

Avot 5:2-3 | Friday, June 20th 2025 | 24 Sivan 5785

Avot 4:22-5:1 | Thursday, June 19th 2025 | 23 Sivan 5785

Avot 4:20-21 | Wednesday, June 18th 2025 | 22 Sivan 5785

Avot 4:18-19 | Tuesday, June 17th 2025 | 21 Sivan 5785

Avot 4:16-17 | Monday, June 16th 2025 | 20 Sivan 5785

Avot 4:14-15 | Sunday, June 15th 2025 | 19 Sivan 5785

Avot 4:12-13 | Saturday, June 14th 2025 | 18 Sivan 5785

Avot 4:10-11 | Friday, June 13th 2025 | 17 Sivan 5785

The story is told that on one Erev Rosh Hashanah, Rav Bunim of Peshischa came to his Rebbe, the Chozeh of Lublin, to receive a berachah. However, he noticed that the Chozeh was hesitant. At the time, Rav Bunim had a successful business, but the Chozeh revealed to him that he had seen a decree in Heaven that during the coming year, Rav Bunim would lose all of his parnassah. On Yom Kippur, Rav Bunim poured out his heart in tefillah, with sincere tears and deep emotion. Though his business later faced serious challenges and was nearly shut down, not only was it saved — his parnassah actually doubled. When Rav Bunim returned to the Chozeh on Erev Pesach, the Rebbe greeted him warmly and told him he knew with certainty that Rav Bunim's tefillah on Yom Kippur had shaken the heavens and changed the decree from hardship to great blessing. This story reminds us that our tefillot can do wonders, but only if we truly believe in their power. The Nefesh Shimshon explains that when Avraham Avinu established the tefillah of Shacharit, he didn't merely create a morning prayer; he infused it with his own spiritual energy and power. Every time we pray Shacharit, we do so with the merit and spiritual momentum of Avraham Avinu behind us. The same is true for Yitzchak Avinu, who established Minchah, and Yaakov Avinu, who established Arbit. These tefillot were not only composed — they were charged with the deepest essence of the Avot, and that strength continues to support our prayers today. Similarly, every time a person opens a Tehillim, they are not just reading words on a page — they are connecting to the neshama of David HaMelech. Each word of Tehillim is imbued with his spiritual strength, his longing, his struggles, and his closeness to Hashem. Hashem is already close to us, waiting to hear our every word. But now we understand that our tefillot are not coming from us alone — they are carried by the koach of those who established them. Chazal teach us that there is special power in a tefillah that comes with kavanah and tears. When we realize just how valuable our prayers are and how much they can accomplish, we gain new strength and motivation to pray with deeper emotion and sincerity. One woman shared her personal experience: she had been struggling with shidduchim for years. The suggestions that came her way were few and far between, and none of them seemed right. Still, she prayed daily to Hashem to send her the right zivug. What kept her emotionally afloat was the fact that she had good friends that she was close to, and then one day out of nowhere, one of her closest friends who had gotten married told her she would no longer be able to continue their relationship. This news was devastating to her. She spoke to this friend every day. She was her lifeline of support. Shortly afterward, she traveled to Eretz Yisrael. Before returning home, she went to the Kotel to pray. Instead of complaining and bemoaning her fate, she decided to channel all of her pain and emotion into the most heartfelt tefillah. She cried to Hashem for her zivug and in her words, it was the most powerful tefillah she had ever made. The very next day, upon returning home, she received a call from a shadchan with a new suggestion — the man she would soon marry. These stories illustrate that tefillah has the power to change everything. It is up to us to believe that Hashem is listening, and that every word we say matters. We are never alone. When we pray with heart and connect genuinely to Hashem, we can draw down brachot that are far beyond anything we could expect. As the pasuk says: קָרוֹב ה' לְכָל־קֹרְאָיו לְכֹל אֲשֶׁר יִקְרָאֻהוּ בֶאֱמֶת (Tehillim 145:18) Let us strengthen ourselves to approach tefillah not as a routine, but as a living bridge to the Ribbono Shel Olam — a moment to pour out our soul, to draw from the merit of the Avot and tzaddikim, and to unlock the gates of blessing with every sincere word we say.

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