Podcasts about hasidim

Welcome to our daily Bitachon series. We are now on the last lesson of Chol Hamoed. The pasuk in Bereshit 15,14 tells us וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן יֵצְאוּ בִּרְכֻשׁ גָּדוֹל / After that (referring to the 10 plagues ), we will leave with a great wealth which Rashi explains - בממון גדול with a lot of money, as it says in Shemot 12 וינצלו את מצרים/They emptied out Mitzrayim Of course, Rashi is giving the simple explanation. Rechush Gadol means a lot of money . But the Chida in his sefer Nachal Kedumim on Bereshit 15,14 quotes the Arizal that says it means they sifted out and took out the sparks of holiness that were in Mitzrayim. What does that mean exactly? So the Sefer Pri Etz Chaim Shaar Keriat Shema perek asks, why is it that every day, we have to remember Yetziat Mitzrayim more than any other of the Geulot . He says that whenever the Jewish people go to a certain place, their job is to take out the Kedusha from that place. I once heard from Rav Wolbe, that every nation has in it good qualities. When Adam HaRishon sinned, he caused the good and bad to be mixed. So there are good qualities in every nation. The Germans are very meticulous and exacting. That's nice when it comes to being perfect with Mitzvot and having the right shiurim and sizes, but it could go a little haywire when it comes to creating extermination camps and gas chambers and use it that way. The French are very romantic. That might be good for developing Ahavat Hashem but it could go in the wrong way if you misuse it, and so on. So there are sparks of holiness in every nation, and throughout our years of exile, our job is integrate the holiness of each of the nations into our ways and lift it up and take out that Kedushah. In general, it doesn't happen that we take everything out. Only when Mashiach comes will we be able to fully integrate all of those qualities into the Jewish people. But the spot of Kedusha of Mitzrayim , he says, was totally taken out. That's what it means Vayinatzlu Et Mitzrayim , the same pasuk that Rashi says they emptied out Egypt monetarily also means they spiritually emptied it out and took everything out with it. With the other Geulot , we did not have that full cleansing. And he says with that, we can understand a unbelievable concept. Why is it that it specifically says we're never allowed to go back to Egypt again? Why are we stricter about going back to Egypt than other any place? Because there's no need to go back to Egypt. We took everything out of it. So why go back? The sefer HaKatav V'HaKabbalah was written by Rabbi Yaakov Tzvi from Kallenberg, who lived from 1785 to 1865. One of the great rabbis of Germany, he was very famous for his sefer, and was one of the original fighters against the Reform. movement. He quotes his Yedidi, Marash Chen Tov in Bereshit 15,14 and concurs that when talking about leaving Egypt and taking everything out, it means taking out the spiritual wealth. He points out that when we use the word Rechush for general wealth, it says Rechush Rav, like in perek 13 of Bereshit , which means they had a lot of wealth. The term Rav usually indicates a quantitative concept and it's used for money, generally speaking. Here however, we see a strange terminology. It says Rechush Gadol , not a lot, but great . The word great is usually qualitative. Li Gadol Hashem, Ish Moshe Gadol… Adam Gadol doesn't mean he's large in weight , it means he's qualitatively great. So the great wealth , is not a lot of wealth, but qualitatively great, which is a spiritual wealth. So continuing with this theme of going from place to place and sucking out the Kedusha, the sefer Shem Gedolim also from the Chida, in the section on Sefarim in an appendix on the topic of Talmud , says, an unbelievable concept. He says in the city where there were many great Amoraim who set up the Talmud, there was a pillar of fire there twice a year. They were great Geonim. But in his times (the Chida lived about 300 years ago), the Torah had dwindled so much in that place that they didn't even know how to pray-not by heart and not from a siddur. Most of them only know how to say Ashrei Yoshveh Betecha and Shema Yisrael. They go to the Mikveh before they pray. They're quiet throughout the prayers. And when they get up to Ashrei, they all say Ashrei together. They say Keriat Shema until V'Ahavtah and that's it. He says, What's going on over here? He says, this is not a coincidence, because there was such a strong, powerful force of Torah in that place through the Limud HaTorah (which is one of the main ways we suck out Kedusha) that the Kedusha was taken out and therefore there's not that much left. Then he says, they went to Spain, and Torah moved to Spain, and then again the Torah was developing until they were sent out to a new spot. Because we didn't need it anymore. So as we leave a city, it rarely comes back to its greatness. The great Spanish golden era is no longer. Then they went to Turkey, then it went to France, Germany and it went to different places.. Every time we go from place to place, it's for one goal for us to be there and integrate into ourselves, into our ways, the qualities of that nation. Certain Jews might be very hospitable. They were more hospitable towns, and they took that Kedusha out. And he says דכל עניני ישראל הם בכלל ופרט וגם כשהאדם הולך מעיר לעיר הכל היא סיבה לברר ניצוצי הקדושה , . Every concept of the Jewish people, whether it's in general or specific, when a person goes from city to city, it's all because there's some holiness there. There's something you have to integrate into yourself. Jews are traveling all over the world and there's a reason for it. He says this is all from the wonders of the God Who's perfect in His ways. We don't know why we move from place to place but it's not a coincidence. Suddenly all the Sephardic Jews left the Muslim countries, the Ashkenazi Jews leave Europe. And we go basically to America and Eretz Yisrael. No Jew lived in America. It was new country and it introduced a new concept. There's a some Kedusha that's here and we have to take out. What is that Kedusha? I suggest ( it's my own humble opinion, I have no backing for this) that America is a melting pot. America is all about tolerance and being open-minded and so on. There are people from China with people from Argentina, Mexico and New Zealand all living together; possibly we have to integrate that (what I'll call) tolerance because when Mashiach comes, we're going to have all different kinds of Jews together. We never had Sephardim, Ashkenazim, Hasidim, all praying in the same shtiebl or Bet Knesset. We have get to know each other and reconcile with each other. That American trait might be what's necessary for us to integrate into our ways. The Or HaChaim HaKadosh, in Shemot 19,5 says the same concept. He says that if we would have been learning Torah more intensely in Eretz Yisrael, we'd have no need to search the globe to bring back the kedusha.Rather, it would be like a magnetic force that would suck everything out without even going there. Additionally, the Chida says in sefer Chomat Anach in Melachim 1, chapter 11, Pasuk 1, that that's why Shlomo Hamelech married all of those wives- they were princesses from countries all over the world, because he thought that way he would be able to avoid the Galut by taking out the Kedusha from each nation. The Bitachon lesson for us is that sometimes we get stuck in situations and we don't know why. Why did the plane divert to a certain place and land on a certain runway and sit there for an hour? Because there's some Kedusha on the runway in Virginia, and you had to say Birkat HaMazon there at that spot. Everything is planned. Everything has a reason. Everything is an opportunity for us to gain and grow from. The Ramchal in his commentary to Nevi'im on Micha on the pasuk אל תשמחי אויבתי לי כי נפלתי קמתי כי אשב בחושך ה ' אור לי / Enemy don't be happy that I fell, because I got up, I'm in the darkness. Hashem is my light, he says, we go down to Galut in order to take out the Kedusha . And he says, when the negative forces see that the Jewish people are going to Galut , they say, Wow, we're controlling the Jewish people. That's it. They think we're going to sink down further. But the evil forces don't know that we're coming down here for a Tikkun and that's why it says Don't be happy, my enemies, when I fell in Galut, I'll get up and come out stronger and get even more. . And that's an important rule. Sometimes we see people fall and drop, but they bounce back. Sheva yipol Sadik v'kam A Sadik falls seven times and gets up.

Video link to this episode: https://youtu.be/pVfY5wZlPecThere's a whole emerging world of Hasidic theater, acted by men, and including a cast and stories of men only. This has been a tiny element of the Hasidic world for years - it definitely wasn't a viable career for anyone until recently. In recent years, the Hasidic theater scene has exploded. So much talent is coming to the fore. It was so much my pleasure to talk to Ari (Arye) Abromowitz, who is a veteran of this scene, who has been there from the beginning of this "revolution" and has been in many ways its face as he acted in many productions. I learned so much about this arts scene from Ari and this was just the tip of the iceberg.Link to Ari and Friends: https://mostlymusic.com/products/ari-friends-season-1-episode-1-videoEdited by Lee Korak / https://leekorak.site/

Welcome to our humility series. What was the reason Moshe Rabbenu was the greatest of prophets? What made him so special? The Nefesh HaChaim (gate 1, chapter 15) says that only Moshe Rabbenu merited that his full Neshama entered his body with all of its power and influence. That's why in Devarim 33:1, Moshe Rabbenu was called Ish HaElohim /a man of God. Rav Yaakov Hillel, in his commentary Nishmat HaYam on Nefesh HaChaim, connects this to what the Nefesh HaChaim writes in his third gate (chapters 13& 14), that Moshe Rabbenu stood out in the area of humility. It says in Bamidbar 12,3 וְהָאִ֥ישׁ מֹשֶׁ֖ה עָנָ֣ו מְאֹ֑ד מִכֹּל֙ הָֽאָדָ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הָאֲדָמָֽה׃ Moshe Rabbenu was the most humble of men. Furthermore, in Shemot 16,7 Moshe Rabbenu said about himself, ונחנו מה / What are we? Avraham Avinu said, I am dirt and dust , but even dirt and dust are something . It's not a lot, but it's something. However, Moshe Rabbenu said I am nothing . That's why, says Rav Yaakov Hillel, he was able to connect to Hashem on such a high level and reach such a high level of Holiness to the extent that the Shechina spoke through Moshe Rabbenu's throat, as it says, Moshe Rabbenu was different than all of the prophets . All other the prophets said Zeh Davar Hashem / this is the word of God. But Moshe Rabbenu said Ko Amar Hashem/ this is exactly what God says. It came from his throat as if God was talking through him. Why was this? Because he humbled himself to the extreme, and that humility purified his physicality to a point that no other person ever reached. Rav Chaim Volozhin, in his sefer Ruach Chaim Pirkei Avot (chapter 1, mishna 1) uses this to explain the Mishna that Moshe Kibel Torah M'Sinai/ Moshe accepted the Torah from Sinai in the zechut of his humility, more than any other prophet. That's why he was able to see with what's called a shiny window. Windows have different levels of clarity. Certain windows are tinted and you can't see through them well. The better or clearer the window, the better you can see through it. Since what separates us from God is our physicality, our holding of ourselves as a something (what's what we mean by physicality) interferes. But because Moshe's humility was so high, there was nothing to interfere with his connection to Hashem. The Baal Shem Tov has an interesting commentary on, אנכי עומד בין ה׳ וביניכם I am standing between you and your God. The simple meaning is that Moshe Rabbenu is the intermediary, but the Hasidim read it as, a person's Anochi , his egoism is what stands between him and God . Thus the interference between us and God is our egos. Since Moshe Rabbenu had no ego, there was no separation between him and God. This is a very interesting chiddush because the Rambam, in his Shmonei Perakim , where he talks about this concept of the clear glass and the unclear glass, says that every Middah creates an interference. And we see from here that the all/ powerful Middah that, so to say, cleans away all the dirt and grime from a person's soul, is the trait of humility. That was Moshe Rabbenu's greatness. The same Ruach HaChaim says that when it says, "Avraham, Avraham" in the Torah, there's a break between the two, like a line between the two Avrahams. But when is says Moshe Moshe , it doesn't have that. Why is that? Because one of the Avrahams is the Avraham down here, and the other Avraham is the Avraham above- the soul, or the source. His body and Neshama had some kind of separation, so there wasn't an exact connection (of course we talking about Avraham Avinu, so it was only the slightest little bit, but there was still some difference). Moshe Rabbenu reached even higher level. I saw in Rav Yisrael Eliyahu Weintraub's commentary on Nefesh HaChaim that he askshow we can make it sound like Moshe was greater than the Avot ? He explains that this is a concept we talked about before, of the Nanas/ the dwarf, Al Gaveh Anak standing on top of giants, which means Moshe (who, of course was not a dwarf) was building on what the Avot saw. The Avot were able to see Hashem. They used the term Elohim for Hashem. Rashi says, in the beginning of Vaera , that God appeared to the Avot with the name Elohim . But when He appeared to Moshe, it was with Hashem's Divine name of Yud and Heh and Vav and Heh . What's the difference? Elohim means God is in control of all forces. God's able to change nature. Avraham Avinu went into fire and the fire didn't burn him. That's changing nature. But Moshe Rabbenu was on a higher level. It was not like just changing the fire that it wouldn't burn. When he made the miracle of turning water into blood, and blood into water, that was a new creation. When God opened up the earth for Korach, it was a new creation. That higher level of there is no existence but God, which we call En Od Milevado, happened when Rabbenu gave us the Torah. Moshe Rabbenu reached that level and that connection, and his humility caused him to have that high level of understanding of God (Nefesh HaChaim Shaar 3,perek 13 where he discusses this difference between the two names of Hashem and how that impacted Moshe Rabbenu versus the Avot). Going back to our story of ego and I separating us from God, let's get more practical. We're not talking about levels of prophecy between us and Moshe and the Avot. Many political critics keep track of how many times a president or presidential candidate say I in their speeches. I did this and I did that. And I and I and I. That's the feeling of I am doing. That's the Anochi , the I , the ego . There's a beautiful to story told of Rav Shneur Zalman of Liadi who eventually became the famous Baal HaTanya. He was studying under the Hasidish Rebbe Rav Dov Ber, who's known as the Maggid of Mezerich. Late one night, young Zalman knocked on his Rebbe's door to ask him a question. The Rebbe called out, " Who's there ?" And the young boy responded, " It's me ," confident that he would be recognized. The Rabbi repeated, " Who's there ?" and again, he said, " It's me." After the third time that the Rebbe asked Who's there ? the young student finally said, " It's Zalman." The Rebbe then opened the door and said, " My dear Zalman, the time has come for you to have a self-imposed exile. When you return, we will analyze your experience together." In those days, great people went into exile and for some reason, at this point, it was his time. So he went to a certain inn and that very night, thieves broke in and stole the silverware of the innkeeper. The next morning, the innkeeper was suspicious of this young stranger, Zalman, accused him of stealing the the silver and demanded that he confess. Zalman cried, "It was not me! It was not me!" The innkeeper grabbed him by the neck and accused him again. And again he cried, " It's not me, it's not me!" He then pulled himself out of the innkeeper's grip and fled back to Mezerich. He told the Maggid the story and the Maggid said, " This, my dear Zaman, is a lesson which you should never forget. Do you see how many times you were forced to shout, "Not me, not me?"That was in order to undo the effect of calling out proudly, "It's me!" Yes, of course this is the high level training of a great Hasidic Rebbe who eventually started a great dynasty. But the point for us is that the greater the person is, the less the I is there. Moshe Rabbenu did not possess an I and therefore he reached the greatest of levels. And the opposite, the greater the I, the bigger the interference between the person and God.

Welcome to our series on humility. Yesterday we spoke about the concept of Rommemut HaNefesh/ an exalted uplifted soul . Today we'll continue with that topic, starting with a quote from Rabbenu Yonah in Shaare HaAvoda. It's worthwhile to read every word. He says, " The first opening of serving Hashem is that the person who's serving Hashem should know his value and realize his qualities, and the qualities of his forefathers; how great they were, how important they were, how dear they were to Hashem. And they should try and strengthen themselves constantly to keep themselves on that high level and to act on it constantly. And every day, continue to add strength to get even more qualities to connect to their Creator. It'll be slow at the beginning, but he will get even greater as time goes on." And then he says, " This will cause him that when he has a desire to do something negative or he becomes arrogant and wants to do something improper, he'll be embarrassed of himself and of his forefathers and he'll tell himself, 'Somebody great and important like me, with is so many wonderful qualities…I'm the children of the greats of kings of old, how can I do such a thing like this?'" And he quotes a term used by Yosef HaSadik, " איך אעשה הרעה הגדולה הזאת וחטאתי לאלקים /How could I do a sin like this and sin to God?" hinting to that's what saved Yosef. And the word that he uses in Hebrew is, I have qualities that are exalted… And he says the opposite: If heaven forbid, you don't realize your qualities and qualities of forefathers, very easily you're going to go in the ways of the Pritzim/people that breach the proper ways. He says The one that wants to serve Hashem has to constantly try to realize his qualities and the qualities of the Sadikim and Hasidim and how important and endearing they are to Hashem. He has to realize that he too can reach those levels of importance and endearment, as long as he serves Hashem the way they did and uses his time and abilities according to his strengths and talents . As the pasuk says in Devarim 30,14, כִּֽי־קָר֥וֹב אֵלֶ֛יךָ הַדָּבָ֖ר מְאֹ֑ד בְּפִ֥יךָ וּבִֽלְבָבְךָ֖ לַעֲשֹׂתֽוֹ / It's extremely close to you, in your mouth and your heart to do it which means Hashem is not asking you more than you can do. And our great forefathers Avraham Yitzhak and Yaakov served Him according to their abilities." Unbelievable words of hizuk from Rabbenu Yonah, That the first step towards serving Hashem is realizing your hashivut / importance . And again, that's not a contradiction to being humble. On the other hand, Rav Chaim Vital in his sefer Shaare. Kedusha , section 2 gate 4 says almost the same words in contrast, that being down on yourself is the gate of the beginning of the seduction of the Yetzer Harah. Even if you're a sadik, the Yetzer Hara will come to you as a pious man and say, 'How could you even entertain coming close to the Holy King of the world, you piece of dust, worms and maggots?' These attitudes come from the original snake that interacted with Adam and Chava. Last class we spoke about Amalek. Amalek is the evil force that tries to tell us, Rak Rah Kol HaYom/ You're only evil, all day . The pasuk in Yeshaya 14,29 says ךְ כִּֽי־מִשֹּׁ֤רֶשׁ נָחָשׁ֙ יֵ֣צֵא צֶ֔פַע וּפִרְי֖וֹ שָׂרָ֥ף מְעוֹפֵֽף׃ / From the root of the Nachash/snake will emerge a Sefa/viper. These are 2 different types of snakes. And our rabbis tell us that from the root of the snake (referring to the original snake, the sin of Adam HaRishon) will come out a viper- referring to Amalek. The Chida says in Nachal Eshkol , his commentary on Kohelet 10,11, that the numerical value of צפע is 90 + 80 + 70 = 240, the same numerical value as עמלק Amalek. Amalek is that continuation, the embodiment of the snake. And that's why just like in the future it says the snake will be wiped out, so too, Amalek will be wiped out. As we mentioned previously, the epitome of Amalek was Haman . And that's why the sefer Kehilat Yaakov, written by Rav Yaakov Tzvi Yalish (1777- 1825), one of the students of the Chozeh of Lublin tells us that Haman is Rasheh Tevot for ה וא מ שרש נ חש . He comes from the root of the snake. The opposite is Mordechai HaSadik. Haman was there to bring down the exaltedness of the Jewish people and Mordechai brought it up by not bowing. The snake is told, in Bereshit 3:15 וְאֵיבָ֣ה ׀ אָשִׁ֗ית בֵּֽינְךָ֙ וּבֵ֣ין הָֽאִשָּׁ֔ה I will put hatred between you and the woman. The word איבה spells is א יש י הודי ה יה ב שושן. Wonder of wonders, that we have this concept clearly brought out that it goes back to the snake who started all our problems. The snake tried to introduce the false Rommemut/ arrogance into man and he continues his mission with Amalek, and with Haman. Let us again go a little deeper into our story: As the Jewish people are leaving Mitzrayim, they're going out ביד רמה with an uplifted hand, with Rommemut. Amalek can't stand that. Amalek can't swallow the fact that we're coming out with Rommemut . Amelek's numerical value 240 is רם as well. Every concept has a negative and positive. The Jewish people are the Rommemeut of Kedusha/ the holy aspect of exaltedness, whereas Amalek is the opposite. He's the contaminated aspect of exaltedness. He misuses this concept of Rommemeut . He's a fraud. He's Haman who makes it look like he's רם Ram/exalted , important. But it's fake, because he is dependent on the world to give him that importance. It's not inherent. He goes wild when he doesn't get his importance because he's not really internally great. He doesn't have internal qualities of greatness. The Elder of Kelm in Shemot , essay 253 tells us that true honor cannot be taken by anybody else. As it says in Mishleh 3,35 כָּ֭בוֹד חֲכָמִ֣ים יִנְחָ֑לוּ l The wise inherit honor. Because they have wisdom, they have inherent greatness. If a person is always complaining and in pain because they don't get outside recognition and constantly feel chased by others, that is a sign that other people own his honor and they can give it or take it away from him. But not the Chachamim . They have inherent honor and no one can take it away from them. Look what Haman ended up saying. When one person, Mordechai, doesn't bow down to him, he says, " כל זה איננו שוה לי This is all worthless to me ." Of course, he can't show it, as it says, VeYitapek Haman. Haman holds himself back. He controls himself, but he knows, inside of him, how much it hurt. The rabbis tell us, based on Gemara in Masechet Megila that Yaakov Avinu requested from Hashem, " Don't let Esav HaRasha get his will. " And that refers, it says to גרממיא של אדם If Hashem would not have held them back, they would have destroyed the whole world. Rav Yaakov Emden, hundreds of years before the Holocaust, says there's a mistake in the text- It shouldn't say גרממיא , it should say גרמניה , Germany . So the Gemara clearly says that Germany is this force that comes from Esav (as does Amelek) that could wipe out the world. The Germans mimic the fake concept of Rommemut as well. As we know, Hitler professed the Aryan race, his pseudoscientific superior race concept. Now that we have DNA and RNA, there's nothing to support this claim. It's what we called pseudoscience. But they believed that they were some special, superior specimen of humankind. They thought they were a master race and they believed that non-Aryans were racially inferior. The term that Hitler used was Untermentsch/subhuman, and he claimed they were an existential threat that had to be exterminated. That was the state ideology that led to the Holocaust. Blonde hair, blue eyes- a made-up, fake Rommemeut . There's nothing there. It's Pseudoscientific. Rav Wolbe writes in his sefer at the end of Parashat Beshalach where it talks about Amalek's attack, that the Jewish people have quality . That we have what's called Azut D'Kedusha. We have a strength of brazenness, of holiness. We don't give up. Like Mordechai, we aren't impacted by outside world opinion. That's why we're still here today. We're called Azin Sh'bUmot the most brazen of nations , and we wouldn't survive without that. But Amalek has the Azut of Tum'ah. As it says, Every nation is in trembling, they were all impacted by the event of Keriat Yam Suf. And who was the one that said, I'm going to be brazen I don't care… That was Amalek. He's not impacted. He doesn't change from anything around him, from anything outside of him. He continues to do what he wants to do. That's the ultimate evil. As long as Amalek is around, Hashem's throne is not complete. He is the antithesis of a Hashem. Shaul Hamelech was the first king to take on Amalek but he didn't do it. Why not? In Shmuel 1, perek 15:24, Shaul excuses himself and says חָטָ֔אתִי כִּֽי־עָבַ֥רְתִּי אֶת־פִּֽי־יְהֹוָ֖ה וְאֶת־דְּבָרֶ֑יךָ כִּ֤י יָרֵ֙אתִי֙ אֶת־הָעָ֔ם וָאֶשְׁמַ֖ע בְּקוֹלָֽם׃ I sinned. I didn't listen to Hashem and to you. Because I was afraid of the people. You were afraid of the people? That's a lack of Azut D'Kedusha. You can't take on Amalek, the Azut of Tum'ah unless you possess Azut D'Kedusha. Lastly, we said there's difference between Ga'ava , which means you think you're great because you're above somebody, and Rommemut , which is inherent exaltedness. We say Romemtanu Mikol Leshonot/God lift us up/exalted us, above all other tongues. But why do we have to be above all other tongues? It should be inherent, shouldn't it? And the answer is, it is inherent. We are greater than all other tongues doesn't mean that we're just greater than all the nations. It means our language is greater, not by comparison, but it's inherently greater. The building blocks of creation were the 22 letters of the Alef Bet. Just like we have a periodical table elements, we have the 22 letters. They call water H2O, two hydrogen and one oxygen. But if you could look with spiritual glasses, you would see water is מים . Mem Yud Mem. That's the spiritual makeup of water, and that's why it's called the Mayim . When you call it water or agua or any other name, it's just a made up word to refer to it. It's not the inherent essence of the word. So the only language that is inherently exalted, because it's talking about the thing itself, is Lashon Hakodesh . That's why we're not just being arrogant about our language, like, " My language is more poetic than yours ." Or, " My language is richer than yours." No, it's inherently exalted. It's Rommamtanu M'kol Leshonot. This concludes our lesson on the contrast between exaltedness and arrogance.

While Catalina is hosting a conference, Ashley, friend of the pod, joins Dena for this week's episode. This week, you'll find Dena & Ashley talking about the most important event of the week… the New York City Marathon (which Dena ran)! One runner (@justinehuang_) is spotted spiking mimosas on the course (@dianabideamusic), Pilot Pete talks about listening to one song on repeat (@sarah.hearon), and Dena talks about her experience with the Hasidim on the race course (@friedavizel). Ashley's FYP has her crying over Cynthia Erivo (@culturemachineco) and while Dena is also getting a lot of Broadway content, she's also getting content to roast Catalina's voice notes (@jac_stern). They talk about what 7th graders consider “old people food” (@7thgradechronicles), Jennifer Hudson's show's TikTok account (@jenniferhudsonshow), and Girlwithnojob vs. Garrett from Goldie's (@justanother_millennial). Stay tuned til the end to see what Dena purchased from the TikTok shop (@yourfriendxan).  Check out all the videos we mention and more on our blog (2old4tiktok.com), Instagram (@2old4tiktokpod), and TikTok (@2old4tiktok_podcast).  

Video link: https://youtu.be/Ovl9HbcTuUIThis is a discussion about the documentary 'City of Joel', with the filmmaker Jesse Sweet. It's a documentary about a turf war in the insular Hasidic Village of Kiryas Joel. Kiryas Joel is a Satmar village in Orange County New York, and it's where I lived for the first twenty-five years of my life. The documentary includes amazing footage of the village I grew up in, with shots of several very close male contacts. It was a fun experience to watch it and to discuss the film with the filmmaker.Click here for the City of Joel documentary: https://amzn.to/4fsl5NSAnd here is Jesse's latest project, Nature of the Crime: https://www.docnyc.net/film/nature-of-the-crime/Please consider supporting my work by making a tax-deductible donation through Fractured Atlas fundraising.fracturedatlas.org/frieda-vizel-brooklyn-youtube-channel or sending a contribution via Paypal: paypal.com/paypalme/friedavizel This helps me to continue to bring to you more Jewish content, which requires a considerable investment on my part.

Send us a textThe Maccabees and the Hasidim had cleansed the temple, and then it all went wrong.  Join us as we discuss how things went wrong and gave rise to the Pharisees, Sadducees and the Essenes.

After almost 5 years of Mind Architect, we had the honour and privilege to host in our studio Dr. Gabor Maté, one of the people who inspired a lot of our work, for his first appearance on a Romanian podcast. Many people fell in love with Gabor Maté for his mind and ideas, but most of us actually started healing because he also opened his heart. Today we got to talk to the man behind the icon about the light and darkness that have always been part of his life. About his early childhood, teenage and adult experiences and all the things in him that needed and still need healing. Like us all, he's still a work in progress. Gabor Maté told us the story of his childhood and teenage years, the difficulty of moving to Canada and the changes that brought in his relationship with his parents. He talked about his desire to become a physician as something he always knew he wanted to do. He wanted to relieve suffering. He also shared less well-known struggles, like how his ADD was a big obstacle in fulfilling his dream of becoming a medical doctor. When it comes to his writing career, he remembers a pacient of his, a Canadian poet, who told him „You will write when you have something to teach the world”. He had, so he did! As for his personal life, Gabor Maté shared about his life-long relationship with his wife Rae, whom he met when she was 18 and he was 22. He recalls how she saw both the light and the darkness in him and committed to dispel it. In his words, „she shouldn't have done that, nobody should ever take dissipating someone else's darkness as their job”. Discover what made their relationship last and how they managed to get through times in which it seemed like there was no hope left. During this one hour conversation, we look at the intersection between man, child, father, husband and the professional who later became one of the most influential voices on trauma, ADD and addiction, all of them subjects on which he shared his views with us. Join us in this journey. 0:00 Intro 0:06 Key moments 1:58 Introduction to Compassionate Inquiry România with Cristina Bâră 13:35 Introduction Dr. Gabor Maté 14:35 Gabor Maté as a child and teenager under the hungarian communist regime 17:50 Gabor Maté's relationship with sports and physical movement 18:48 Most important needs to have been met as a teenager and the relationship with his parents during that time 20:30 The impact of moving to Canada 22:00 The impact of dislocation caused by emigration and/or having parents absent 24:50 How can we better manage the needs of children with ADHD 28:23 About Scattered Minds (Minți Împrăștiate) 29:55 Schools need to change the way they support children with ADHD 31:55 Gabor Maté on vocation. Why he always knew he wanted to be a doctor 33:06 How ADHD made his becoming a doctor even harder 35:00 The red thread between Gabor Maté's professional roles 36:40 Gabor Maté on addiction ahd his own addiction to work 40:48 The work on his addiction, once aware of it 41:50 The story of the relationship with Rae, Gabor's wife 43:55 Similarities and differencies in the relationship 44:44 We marry people who carry the same level of trauma that we have 46:30 Men are looking for women who can mother them. What are the problems with that and how did that apply in Gabor's relationship with Rae 50:35 How did Gabor and Rae navigate the moment of contemplating divorce 52:15 1/2 people who get married get divorced. What helped them stay together 55:40 The opportunity to heal together with the partner 57:15 The most important moments in Gabor's healing process 59:10 Healing has to happen in the mind, the heart, the gut and the whole body 01:03:40 Gabor's relationship with money throughout his life and in his marriage 01:07:35 On Gabor and Daniel Maté's next book, Hello Again 1:10:00 On the impact of screens and Social Media on children's brain development and wellbeing 1:13:00 Closing thoughts. On Palestine and "Tales of the Hasidim" by Martin Buber

The Shulhan Aruch (Siman 8) states that one should wear his Tallit Katan over his garments. The Torah explicitly required: "U'r'eetem Oto" (and you shall see the Sisit); hiding them under the clothes would seemingly defeat the entire purpose of the Misva. The Hafetz Haim (Rav Yisrael Meir Kagan of Radin, 1839-1933) in his Mishna Berura gives a stinging rebuke to those who are embarrassed by this Misva and wear their Sisit under their garments. He says that it is analogous to someone who received the royal seal from the king to wear proudly, but is ashamed and wears it under cover. He adds that such people are destined to give an accounting for their behavior. Today, the Hasidim do in fact wear their Sisit over their garments. However, Rabbi Bitan, in his English version of Yalkut Yosef cites testimony that the Hafetz Haim himself wore his Sisit inside, as did his grandson Rav Hillel Zacks. This was also the custom of the Lithuanian Rosh Yeshivas. The source for their practice is Rabbenu HaAri (Rav Yishak Luria of Safed, 1534-1572) and Rabbenu HaRashash, who had a different understanding of the Pasuk. They explain that when the Torah said to "see the Sisit," it only meant when you put them on, and not to have them constantly in view. On the contrary, they rule that it is preferable to keep the Sisit inside. The Hafetz Haim was only criticizing those who put the Sisit inside out of embarrassment; we wear it inside because we follow the tradition of the Arizal. In addition, we all wear a Tallit Gadol, which satisfies the requirement for an outward display of the Misva, whereas in the times of the Hafetz Haim, only married men wore the Tallit Gadol. Therefore, if an unmarried man would put his Tallit Katan under his garments, he would never have any outward display of Sisit. In light of this, no one should feel that they are in "contempt" of the Hafetz Haim by wearing his Tallit Katan under his garment. The custom of Sepharadim is to not only wear the Tallit Katan under the garments, but to keep the Sisit inside the pants, as well. If a Sepharadi wants to follow the Ashkenazi custom of wearing the strings out, he may do so only under one of the following two conditions: One, If he studies in an Ashkenazi Yeshiva and doesn't want to stand out. Second, if a person wants to inspire and strengthen himself by wearing the Sisit out, as part of the Teshuva process, he may do so. In both cases, once the special circumstance no longer applies, he must revert to the Sepharadic custom. Harav Ezra Attiah ZT"L, Rosh Yeshivat Porat Yosef, said that if a Sepharadi wears his Sisit out, in principle, just because he wants to adopt the Ashkenazi custom, he is casting aspersions on the great Sadikim and Hachamim of previous generations who wore their Sisit inside. Is he any better than the Kaf Hahaim or the Ben Ish Hai? SUMMARY A Sepharadi should wear his Tallit Katan and its Sisit under his garments.

J.J. and Dr. Eli Rubin revel in the traditional and rebellious thought of Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, author of The Tanya, and first Rebbe of the Chabad Hasidic sect. Thank you to Rabbi Gary Huber for sponsoring this mini-series! If you would like to support us directly please shoot us an email or visit torahinmotion.org/donateFollow us on Twitter (X) @JewishIdeas_Pod to argue with fellow listeners about the Hasidim of Vitebsk vs. the Hasidim of Horodok. Please rate and review the the show in the podcast app of your choice!We welcome all complaints and compliments at podcasts@torahinmotion.orgFor more information visit torahinmotion.org/podcastsEli Rubin, a contributing editor at Chabad.org, is the author of Kabbalah and the Rupture of Modernity: An Existential History of Chabad Hasidism (forthcoming from Stanford University Press). He was a co-author of Social Vision: The Lubavitcher Rebbe's Transformative Paradigm for the World (Herder and Herder, 2019), and received his PhD from the Department of Hebrew and Jewish Studies, University College London.

Joseph A. Skloot joins Jana Byars to talk about his new book, First Impressions: Sefer hasimdim and Early Modern Hebrew Printing (Brandeis UP, 2023). First Impressions uncovers the history of creative adaptation and transformation through a close analysis of the creation of the Sefer Hasidim book. In 1538, a partnership of Jewish silk makers in the city of Bologna published a book entitled Sefer Hasidim, a compendium of rituals, stories, and religious instruction that primarily originated in medieval Franco-Germany. How these men, of Italian and Spanish descent, came to produce a book that would come to shape Ashkenazic culture, and Jewish culture more broadly, over the next four centuries is the basis of this kaleidoscopic study of the history of Hebrew printing in the sixteenth century. During these early years of printing, the classic works of ancient and medieval Hebrew and Jewish literature became widely available to Jewish (and non-Jewish) readers for the first time. Printing, though, was not merely the duplication and distribution of pre-existing manuscripts, it was the creative adaptation and transformation of those manuscripts by printers. Ranging from Catholic Bologna to Protestant Basel to the Jewish heartland of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Skloot uncovers the history of that creativity by examining the first two print editions of Sefer Hasidim. Along the way, he demonstrates how volumes that were long thought to be eternal and unchanging were in fact artifacts of historical agency and contingency, created by and for human beings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Joseph A. Skloot joins Jana Byars to talk about his new book, First Impressions: Sefer hasimdim and Early Modern Hebrew Printing (Brandeis UP, 2023). First Impressions uncovers the history of creative adaptation and transformation through a close analysis of the creation of the Sefer Hasidim book. In 1538, a partnership of Jewish silk makers in the city of Bologna published a book entitled Sefer Hasidim, a compendium of rituals, stories, and religious instruction that primarily originated in medieval Franco-Germany. How these men, of Italian and Spanish descent, came to produce a book that would come to shape Ashkenazic culture, and Jewish culture more broadly, over the next four centuries is the basis of this kaleidoscopic study of the history of Hebrew printing in the sixteenth century. During these early years of printing, the classic works of ancient and medieval Hebrew and Jewish literature became widely available to Jewish (and non-Jewish) readers for the first time. Printing, though, was not merely the duplication and distribution of pre-existing manuscripts, it was the creative adaptation and transformation of those manuscripts by printers. Ranging from Catholic Bologna to Protestant Basel to the Jewish heartland of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Skloot uncovers the history of that creativity by examining the first two print editions of Sefer Hasidim. Along the way, he demonstrates how volumes that were long thought to be eternal and unchanging were in fact artifacts of historical agency and contingency, created by and for human beings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

Joseph A. Skloot joins Jana Byars to talk about his new book, First Impressions: Sefer hasimdim and Early Modern Hebrew Printing (Brandeis UP, 2023). First Impressions uncovers the history of creative adaptation and transformation through a close analysis of the creation of the Sefer Hasidim book. In 1538, a partnership of Jewish silk makers in the city of Bologna published a book entitled Sefer Hasidim, a compendium of rituals, stories, and religious instruction that primarily originated in medieval Franco-Germany. How these men, of Italian and Spanish descent, came to produce a book that would come to shape Ashkenazic culture, and Jewish culture more broadly, over the next four centuries is the basis of this kaleidoscopic study of the history of Hebrew printing in the sixteenth century. During these early years of printing, the classic works of ancient and medieval Hebrew and Jewish literature became widely available to Jewish (and non-Jewish) readers for the first time. Printing, though, was not merely the duplication and distribution of pre-existing manuscripts, it was the creative adaptation and transformation of those manuscripts by printers. Ranging from Catholic Bologna to Protestant Basel to the Jewish heartland of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Skloot uncovers the history of that creativity by examining the first two print editions of Sefer Hasidim. Along the way, he demonstrates how volumes that were long thought to be eternal and unchanging were in fact artifacts of historical agency and contingency, created by and for human beings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/german-studies

Joseph A. Skloot joins Jana Byars to talk about his new book, First Impressions: Sefer hasimdim and Early Modern Hebrew Printing (Brandeis UP, 2023). First Impressions uncovers the history of creative adaptation and transformation through a close analysis of the creation of the Sefer Hasidim book. In 1538, a partnership of Jewish silk makers in the city of Bologna published a book entitled Sefer Hasidim, a compendium of rituals, stories, and religious instruction that primarily originated in medieval Franco-Germany. How these men, of Italian and Spanish descent, came to produce a book that would come to shape Ashkenazic culture, and Jewish culture more broadly, over the next four centuries is the basis of this kaleidoscopic study of the history of Hebrew printing in the sixteenth century. During these early years of printing, the classic works of ancient and medieval Hebrew and Jewish literature became widely available to Jewish (and non-Jewish) readers for the first time. Printing, though, was not merely the duplication and distribution of pre-existing manuscripts, it was the creative adaptation and transformation of those manuscripts by printers. Ranging from Catholic Bologna to Protestant Basel to the Jewish heartland of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Skloot uncovers the history of that creativity by examining the first two print editions of Sefer Hasidim. Along the way, he demonstrates how volumes that were long thought to be eternal and unchanging were in fact artifacts of historical agency and contingency, created by and for human beings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies

Joseph A. Skloot joins Jana Byars to talk about his new book, First Impressions: Sefer hasimdim and Early Modern Hebrew Printing (Brandeis UP, 2023). First Impressions uncovers the history of creative adaptation and transformation through a close analysis of the creation of the Sefer Hasidim book. In 1538, a partnership of Jewish silk makers in the city of Bologna published a book entitled Sefer Hasidim, a compendium of rituals, stories, and religious instruction that primarily originated in medieval Franco-Germany. How these men, of Italian and Spanish descent, came to produce a book that would come to shape Ashkenazic culture, and Jewish culture more broadly, over the next four centuries is the basis of this kaleidoscopic study of the history of Hebrew printing in the sixteenth century. During these early years of printing, the classic works of ancient and medieval Hebrew and Jewish literature became widely available to Jewish (and non-Jewish) readers for the first time. Printing, though, was not merely the duplication and distribution of pre-existing manuscripts, it was the creative adaptation and transformation of those manuscripts by printers. Ranging from Catholic Bologna to Protestant Basel to the Jewish heartland of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Skloot uncovers the history of that creativity by examining the first two print editions of Sefer Hasidim. Along the way, he demonstrates how volumes that were long thought to be eternal and unchanging were in fact artifacts of historical agency and contingency, created by and for human beings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/intellectual-history

Joseph A. Skloot joins Jana Byars to talk about his new book, First Impressions: Sefer hasimdim and Early Modern Hebrew Printing (Brandeis UP, 2023). First Impressions uncovers the history of creative adaptation and transformation through a close analysis of the creation of the Sefer Hasidim book. In 1538, a partnership of Jewish silk makers in the city of Bologna published a book entitled Sefer Hasidim, a compendium of rituals, stories, and religious instruction that primarily originated in medieval Franco-Germany. How these men, of Italian and Spanish descent, came to produce a book that would come to shape Ashkenazic culture, and Jewish culture more broadly, over the next four centuries is the basis of this kaleidoscopic study of the history of Hebrew printing in the sixteenth century. During these early years of printing, the classic works of ancient and medieval Hebrew and Jewish literature became widely available to Jewish (and non-Jewish) readers for the first time. Printing, though, was not merely the duplication and distribution of pre-existing manuscripts, it was the creative adaptation and transformation of those manuscripts by printers. Ranging from Catholic Bologna to Protestant Basel to the Jewish heartland of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Skloot uncovers the history of that creativity by examining the first two print editions of Sefer Hasidim. Along the way, he demonstrates how volumes that were long thought to be eternal and unchanging were in fact artifacts of historical agency and contingency, created by and for human beings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joseph A. Skloot joins Jana Byars to talk about his new book, First Impressions: Sefer hasimdim and Early Modern Hebrew Printing (Brandeis UP, 2023). First Impressions uncovers the history of creative adaptation and transformation through a close analysis of the creation of the Sefer Hasidim book. In 1538, a partnership of Jewish silk makers in the city of Bologna published a book entitled Sefer Hasidim, a compendium of rituals, stories, and religious instruction that primarily originated in medieval Franco-Germany. How these men, of Italian and Spanish descent, came to produce a book that would come to shape Ashkenazic culture, and Jewish culture more broadly, over the next four centuries is the basis of this kaleidoscopic study of the history of Hebrew printing in the sixteenth century. During these early years of printing, the classic works of ancient and medieval Hebrew and Jewish literature became widely available to Jewish (and non-Jewish) readers for the first time. Printing, though, was not merely the duplication and distribution of pre-existing manuscripts, it was the creative adaptation and transformation of those manuscripts by printers. Ranging from Catholic Bologna to Protestant Basel to the Jewish heartland of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Skloot uncovers the history of that creativity by examining the first two print editions of Sefer Hasidim. Along the way, he demonstrates how volumes that were long thought to be eternal and unchanging were in fact artifacts of historical agency and contingency, created by and for human beings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/european-studies

Joseph A. Skloot joins Jana Byars to talk about his new book, First Impressions: Sefer hasimdim and Early Modern Hebrew Printing (Brandeis UP, 2023). First Impressions uncovers the history of creative adaptation and transformation through a close analysis of the creation of the Sefer Hasidim book. In 1538, a partnership of Jewish silk makers in the city of Bologna published a book entitled Sefer Hasidim, a compendium of rituals, stories, and religious instruction that primarily originated in medieval Franco-Germany. How these men, of Italian and Spanish descent, came to produce a book that would come to shape Ashkenazic culture, and Jewish culture more broadly, over the next four centuries is the basis of this kaleidoscopic study of the history of Hebrew printing in the sixteenth century. During these early years of printing, the classic works of ancient and medieval Hebrew and Jewish literature became widely available to Jewish (and non-Jewish) readers for the first time. Printing, though, was not merely the duplication and distribution of pre-existing manuscripts, it was the creative adaptation and transformation of those manuscripts by printers. Ranging from Catholic Bologna to Protestant Basel to the Jewish heartland of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Skloot uncovers the history of that creativity by examining the first two print editions of Sefer Hasidim. Along the way, he demonstrates how volumes that were long thought to be eternal and unchanging were in fact artifacts of historical agency and contingency, created by and for human beings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/communications

Joseph A. Skloot joins Jana Byars to talk about his new book, First Impressions: Sefer hasimdim and Early Modern Hebrew Printing (Brandeis UP, 2023). First Impressions uncovers the history of creative adaptation and transformation through a close analysis of the creation of the Sefer Hasidim book. In 1538, a partnership of Jewish silk makers in the city of Bologna published a book entitled Sefer Hasidim, a compendium of rituals, stories, and religious instruction that primarily originated in medieval Franco-Germany. How these men, of Italian and Spanish descent, came to produce a book that would come to shape Ashkenazic culture, and Jewish culture more broadly, over the next four centuries is the basis of this kaleidoscopic study of the history of Hebrew printing in the sixteenth century. During these early years of printing, the classic works of ancient and medieval Hebrew and Jewish literature became widely available to Jewish (and non-Jewish) readers for the first time. Printing, though, was not merely the duplication and distribution of pre-existing manuscripts, it was the creative adaptation and transformation of those manuscripts by printers. Ranging from Catholic Bologna to Protestant Basel to the Jewish heartland of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Skloot uncovers the history of that creativity by examining the first two print editions of Sefer Hasidim. Along the way, he demonstrates how volumes that were long thought to be eternal and unchanging were in fact artifacts of historical agency and contingency, created by and for human beings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/italian-studies

Author and librettist Leah Lax ("Not From Here: The Song of America") shares a series of incredible stories in a truly one-of-a-kind episode of the podcast! Leah grew up as a Jewish genderqueer lesbian in Northern Texas, and struggled with the fact that she didn't understand how to "be a woman" in the intuitive way that all of her (straight) friends seemed to. So when she was approached by members of the ultra-Orthodox Hasidic community at the age of sixteen, Leah felt "like somebody handed me a bulleted list. And all I had to do was follow it, and...I wasn't marginal anymore at all. I was completely accepted." Leah was matched with a man at eighteen; she had seven children in a ten-year period and spent thirty years with the Hasidim. Leah shares what ultimately made her leave the only community she had ever known, and explains the unlikely path that led to her writing down the life stories of over a hundred American immigrants for a new opera! It's a truly beautiful episode, and a reminder of why, to quote Leah, "we all need to be dangerous.""Not From Here: The Song of America" comes out on March 28th! To find out all about it (as well as Leah's memoir "Uncovered: How I Left Hasidic Life and Finally Came Home"), go to leahlaxauthor.com. And don't forget to preorder on Amazon! You can also follow Leah on Instagram at @LeahLax120, and on Facebook at @LeahLaxAuthor. Lastly, check out therefugemusic.com to hear snippets from Leah's opera!

There is a famous explanation of Vayikhu Ali Terumah/ Take for me a Terumah (type of donation). Why doesn't it say, Give me a donation? The lesson is that when you give something to God, you're really taking it for yourself, because we benefit when we give Sedaka. That is an important belief that we have to have. The Baal HaTurim in Shemot 30,12 points out that the word ונתנו VeNatnu can be read the same way backwards and forwards. W hat's the lesson? That whatever you give to Sedaka comes back to you- you will not be missing anything. In the Ramban's Sefer HaMitzvot , the 17th Mitzvah Lo Taaseh , is that we should not get upset when we give charity, and we shouldn't give it with an Ayin Ra'ah as if we just gave away money. Rather, we should look at charity like I'm putting money into high-yield bonds. God will pay us back many times. That's what it means. Give Him , and it shouldn't bother you when you give it to Him, because God will bless you in all your deeds. So we see that this concept that you're taking when you're giving is not just a mussar concept. According to the Ramban, this attitude, or the lack of such, is one of the 613 mitzvot in the Torah. There is no difference between shaving with a razor and giving charity and feeling that you're losing. It's a Lo Taaseh/ negative commandmen. In a related topic, there are many lessons that we learn from the Shulchan in the Mishkan . The Shulchan represents our own personal table; we invite guests to our table. The Rabbenu Bachye in Terumah 25,23 mentions the custom of the Hasidim of France who used the wood of their tables (that they used to serve their guests on) to create caskets for their burials. This was to show that there's nothing that you're take with you, from all your food and all your drink and all your hard work, except the the Sedaka that you did and the guests you had at your table. That is what you're taking that with you. That's why they would literally create caskets out of their tables. The sefer Sivtei Kohen Al HaTorah, written by a student of the Arizal, says that letters of the word Shulchan/ שלחן are an acronym for ש מור ל קבורה ח סד נ דבתך which means guard for your burial the kindness of your generosity- Because all that money that you gave and all the guests that you have, that's what's going with you. That's what you are actually saving for yourself. The money you give is really what you take . This is an important outlook and an attitude. The story is told about the great Kapishnitzer Rebbe. He once saw a poor man wearing a hat that was all smashed up, so he took his own new hat and gave it to this poor man. One of the Hasidim asked, “ You have many hats. Why do you have to give him a new hat? ” The Rebbe told him, “ I saved myself a new hat because what I give away is what is really is coming back to me.” There's a similar story with Rabbi Sholom Schwadron. A poor man came to before him before Pesach. Rabbi Schwadron had a shirt that he had brought back from America to save for the holiday, and he gave that shirt to the poor person. So that is our lesson of the Parasha, on the proper hashkafa of Emunah to have when you give Sedaka, B'Ezrat Hashem.

Oh, you thought we were done? That we'd talked "way more than a normal amount" about tunnels already? That there was "no possible way to generate more content on the subject"? Guess again, daywalkers: we're down there again, talking Centralia, Hasidim, hobby tunneling, and of course....Bruce Springsteen's overlooked 1987 record Tunnel of Love.This episode was posted early for our Patreon.Call us! 1-706-45-BIMBOJoin our Patreon: www.patreon.com/bimbosummit Join our Discord: www.hotboardz.chat Follow us on Instagram! instagram.com/bimbosummitpodcast www.bimbosummitpodcast.com

What is Tu Bishvat (also spelled Tu BiShevat)? Well it's the birthday of the trees, also called the New Year of the Trees, so happy new year to you, and happy new year to the trees, and welcome back to Jew-ish!  Trees have a very special place in Jewish life. We call the Torah, our holiest text (also known as the Five Books of Moses and the Pentateuch) the Tree of Life, and we plant trees to celebrate life events like the birth of a new child. Yep, trees are kind of a thing for Jews, and no one loves them more than Tobin Mitnick, who is probably better known by his IG handle, JewsLoveTrees. When you love something, why beat around the bush, amirite? Tobin is the perfect guest for this tree-centered episode, but he's so much more than his charming social media personality; he's a dad, an actor, a comedian, and avid reader and of course, a huge nerd (like me). So, this episode is a bit of a wild ride, but it's hilarious and you will definitely learn a lot, especially about trees. And, just a heads up: some of the stuff we talk about in this one might not be considered kid-friendly to some, Tobin is a comedian, after all, so give it a listen before playing with kids in the car. Don't forget to pick up Tobin's book: Must Love Trees!But as far as Tu BiShvat knowledge....well, we got a little distracted, so here's some knowledge for ya: The word “Tu” is actually a number, because in Hebrew, numbers are represented by letters, kinda like Roman numerals. Originally, the 15th day of the Hebrew month, Shevat, marked the age of trees for assessing tithing (taxes, essentially), and when it was ok to eat the fruit. But now, it marks the unofficial start of spring, we all get to eat lots of fruit, and some communities even have a seder (a ritual meal) modeled after Passover. More about Tu BiShevat: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/tu-bishvat-ideas-beliefs/ https://www.shalomdc.org/tu-bshevat-let-trees-teach-us-to-have-roots-and-wings/#:~:text=Some%20celebrate%20with%20a%20special,the%20peak%20of%20their%20power. https://www.jewfaq.org/tu_bshevat In this episode: Kabbalah (also spelled Kabalah, Cabala, Qabala): Jewish mysticism, based on mostly medieval commentaries on the Torah, primarily the Zohar.Hasidic (also spelled Chassidic): A branch of Orthodox Judaism originating in 18th-century Eastern Europe based on the teachings of Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer, also known as the "Baal Shem Tov," which means "Master of the Good Name." Jewish people who follow this tradition are known as Hasidim.Kaddish: One of the most important prayers in Judaism, the name translates to "holy." Different forms of the Kaddish are said at different times, including the Mourners Kaddish to remember the dead. The tradition of burying foreskins does indeed exist! Who knew?Support the showLike the show? Support it! Or don't, that's cool too. Just glad you're here! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2196108/supporters/new

What are the rules of expectation for Satmar Hasidic girls?In my most recent documentary on Hasidim and the internet, I showed a few pages of the Satmar Girl's school rulebook. This is the rulebook that contains a great many rules that the school has for its students. Among them are rules on modesty, vacationing, technology, college education, and more. Some people asked to see more of it, so I am here sharing the second half.Here is the video version of this segment: https://youtu.be/jcDFUDXa8jk

What are the rules of expectation for Satmar Hasidic girls?In my most recent documentary on Hasidim and the internet, I showed a few pages of the Satmar Girl's school rulebook. This is the rulebook that contains a great many rules that the school has for its students. Among them are rules on modesty, vacationing, technology, college education, and more. Some people asked to see more of it, so I am here sharing the first half. I hope to share the second half whenever I can.

This Tisha B'av, join Rabbi Breitowitz reading and explaining Kinnos followed by a day of Shiurim at https://ohr.edu/tishabav/ Dedication opportunities are available for episodes and series at  https://ohr.edu/donate/qa   Questions? Comments? podcasts@ohr.edu   Yeshivat Ohr Somayach located in the heart of Jerusalem, is an educational institution for young Jewish English-speaking men. We have a range of classes and programs designed for the intellectually curious and academically inclined - for those with no background in Jewish learning to those who are proficient in Gemara and other original source material. To find the perfect program for you, please visit our website https://ohr.edu/study_in_israel​ whatsapp us at https://bit.ly/OSREGISTER or call our placement specialist at 1-254-981-0133 today!   Subscribe to the Rabbi Breitowitz Q&A Podcast at https://plnk.to/rbq&a   Submit questions for the Q&A with Rabbi Breitowitz https://forms.gle/VCZSK3wQJJ4fSd3Q7   Subscribe to our YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/OhrSomayach/videos     00:00 What is the source of the custom not to do birkat kohanim, and how can a custom nullify a commandment?   08:03 Why do some say 'na' in the third blessing of birkat hamazon, and why do we not bless everyone in the 'harachaman's every time?   15:13 How does the idea of soulmates work with converts, and is it possible for one to miss out on their soulmate?   23:16 If a waiver only goes into effect when a person understands it, and it's safe to assume no one ever reads it, does it still apply?   29:00 Why don't we read megillas Eicha in the day?   29:55 Does a convert need to do tevilas keilim after conversion?   34:10 Did Ruth convert before marrying Naomi's son or after?   37:37 How can a Hacham's curse ever be hinam? And why should God's curse be avoidable but man's curse not?   43:50 Why does Rava forgive Bar Hedya for his children's deaths, but not for his wife's death?   46:44 What is the definition of kofer in halacha?   1:00:30 Is it true that we should only respect those non-Jews who do good for us?   1:05:33 Does a Levite get the first aliyah when there is no cohen?   1:05:56 What is the nature of the disagreement between the Hasidim and the Misnagdim?   1:15:36 Should we want trials and tribulations to get more reward? Why would one get more reward from trials anyway?   1:21:50 Does the Rav have book recommendations?   1:24:57 Are protests good?   1:29:53 Where do the tunes for Eicha and the other megillos come from?   1:33:56 How old are the brackets and parentheses in the Talmud?   1:35:25 Should one set high prices according to the rules of economics, or does halacha set a price ceiling?   1:41:04 How should one comfort their loved ones after having done the standard condolences?   1:44:34 What is the fundamental issue with non-kosher food?   1:46:24 What is resurrection and are there exceptions?   1:51:42 What should be done with the recent parah adumah?   1:55:10 Is it permitted to apply to jobs in the week before Tisha B'Av?   1:56:00 How does the Torah view money?   You can listen to this and many other Ohr Somayach programs by downloading our app, on Apple and Google Play, ohr.edu and all major podcast platforms. Visit us @ https://ohr.edu  PRODUCED BY: CEDAR MEDIA STUDIOS  

Most Hasidim don't have pets. Many of us who leave the Hasidic community, like myself and Naomi Seidman, adopt animals and come to love - deeply! - our furry friends. In this long-form conversation, I talk to Naomi about why we grew up without pets, our attitudes towards animals in the past, and how that has changed. Naomi draws from her recent research into Freud and Max Weinreich to look at the historical relationship between Jews and dogs, and how that might shed light on our own pet journeys.We also talk about the grief of losing an animal and the challenge of communicating it to the people in our former communities who never had pets. We also get to meet Naomi's most adorable dog Vanessa, whom you will all love, even if you never had a pet! Here are some links to Naomi's work: Heretic in the house: https://www.hartman.org.il/program/heretic-in-the-house/The Bais Yaakov project: https://thebaisyaakovproject.religion.utoronto.caNaomi's books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B00...If you enjoyed this interview and would like to see more, please subscribe to this channel.

You might have wondered: do Hasidic Jews get shunned if they leave the faith? Does their family sit "shiva" for them -- meaning, does their Hasidic family consider them as if they are dead, and perform the rituals of mourning? In this long-form interview, I talk to Zalman Newfield. Zalman is a professor, researcher, and fellow exiter from Hasidism. For his research, he set out to answer the above questions and many others. Zalman interviewed 74 people who left the fold and his findings tell a complex, yet universal, story. He published his findings in his wonderful book 'Degrees of Separation - Identity Formation While Leaving Ultra-Orthodox Judaism'. In our talk, we cover many topics about the relationship with the community while leaving: from the challenges of maintaining a relationship with family in the community, to custody battles, to ways of holding on to parts of the past that are valuable. Zalman's work can be found on his website at https://zalmannewfield.com/ and you can buy his book on Amazon or directly from the publisher here: https://tupress.temple.edu/...If you enjoy this interview, like, subscribe and leave a comment with your thoughts.

This is a question of semantics. If I wanted to be pedantic about this I would also say its is a matter of semiotics, epistemology, and theology, but the real problem is the semantic question that we are struggling with today.So many people have defined themselves as “spiritual, but not religious” that we are driving a wedge deeper and deeper between the two modes of thinking, acting, and believing. This is a form of tribalism that does not serve the question at hand, but is very much at the heart of the issues facing people of faith.The catalyst for this post was a video by Foolish Fish about perennialism, religion, spirituality and Jesus. I need to say from the start that while I mostly agree with Denis and everything he says in this video, I cannot redeem the term Perennialism like he does, and in fact, I have similar feelings about the word Christian.If you want to see Denis' video before we proceed, here it is. I want to stress that my disagreement with it is a semantic one, but when it comes to faith, spirituality, and religion, semantics are vital. Since we cannot share experience with others, we have to have a common vocabulary or at the very least a stipulated vocabulary so we can discuss these issues and experiences.I want to enter into conversation with Denis Poisson, because I respect his position, but I do not feel as comfortable with the term Perennialism as he does. Part of this is because I prefer the term Deep Ecumenism from my own Creation Spirituality practice, and because I fear that associating with perennialism might lead people into the darker sides of that movement.I have chosen to use Denis's name rather than the channel name because I fear that the word Foolish in Foolish Fish might distract from the points I want to make and might unfairly bias my readers. I have nothing but respect for Denis and his work and I want to be as fair as I can be.Denis mentions the discussion between Dr. Justin Sledge from Esoterica and Dr Dan Attrell from The Modern Hermeticist. They discussed the Dark Side of Perennialism (part 1 and part 2). I will not rehash all, or even most of the points brought up for or against perennialism from any of these three videos and I would encourage you to watch the videos if you want to dig deeper into these issues.The Problem of LabelsIt is possible to identify with and use a label without accepting, redeeming, or apologizing for the harm done by people who have used that label. When I don't want to go into a long winded explanation of my own faith I still tell people that I am a former Roman Catholic who is still Christian, because those words give a simple explanation that is mostly true. I still have to disavow the abuses of both the Roman Catholic and the Christian Churches, but the label is still useful.When I am willing to get into it I tell people that I am a wayfarer who walks the four paths of Creation Spirituality, but that takes a lot more unpacking. Why do I prefer to call myself a wayfarer to a christian?I do not want to appear to endorse the long legacy of imperialism, slavery, misogyny, queerphobia, and harm that the institutional christian church has wrought on the world for the last two thousand years. I do not want to include myself in with the christian fascists that are doing so much harm to the country and world right now. I also see it as a way to connect with the earliest followers of Jesus who referred to the life Jesus taught as the Way.Like Denis, I see Jesus as my teacher and everything else as commentary on his teachings and not even close to being on the same level as his teachings. My disassociation with the legacy of Christianity is not a rejection of my faith or people who still call themselves christians despite all the baggage that comes with it. I don't see the word Christian as redeemable. It is soaked in too much blood and wrongdoing, and I would rather do the work Jesus called us to do than fight to redeem a word that has betrayed its own meaning.Is Perennialism redeemable?For me, no. Perennialism has a colonizing tendency baked into it by so many of its early and even recent proponents that I don't see a way to redeem it. While it is true that it does not have the bloodstained legacy that christianity does. It also doesn't have the reputation for colonizing other people's faiths that I feel it deserves. I do not want to associate with it out of concern of accidentally promoting those aspects of it to people who might adopt it unaware of its darker history.Like with christianity, my condemnation of perennialism is not a condemnation of everyone who finds meaning in it. I used to identify as a perennialist and resonate with all of the arguments Denis makes for it. If he wants to call himself a perennialist, more power to him. This is more of an argument for why I can't than why he shouldn't.The biggest problem that I have with the perennialist approach to spirituality is the innate power imbalance at the heart of its practice which I worry can misdirect, misuse, and even abuse the wisdom it is trying to hold dear.Standpoint Theory and Perennialism“Standpoint theory contends that humans produce knowledge through power relations that construct and divide social groups into dominant and nondominant categories. Experiences within those categories produce different, unequal opportunities that cultivate distinct ways of knowing and being. Nondominant group members can provide more complete knowledge about reality than dominant ones because they understand the world from both perspectives.”Brenda J. AllenPerennialism is a dominant group harvesting wisdom from a nondominant one for its own use and purposes. Whether they are approaching the nondominant from a European school of philosophy, theosophy, mystagogy, or an other religious framework, they are not coming from an indigenous or traditional point of view. In such a mode, misunderstandings, misappropriations, and outright appropriation are not only likely, but to be expected.In interacting with any faith that is not our own, this sort of dominant/nondominant framework comes into play, and must be acknowledged as a warning sign on the path.In Deep Ecumenism, we listen to and learn from those who actually live the faith and practice. We approach and pay special attention to their mode of understanding and always defer to the the understanding of those we are in conversation with since we are visiting their faith tradition and not superimposing our own. In my own practice of Qabalah, I root my practice in the western esoteric practice of the tradition that has grown up over the centuries. While I do pay attention to Jewish practitioners of Kabbalah since my practice has roots in theirs, but like many others, I make attributions clear through the spelling conventions that have grown up within the tradition. I know that my practice is not the same as the Hasidim, or other Jewish Kabbalists, and any wisdom I glean from them must be carefully collected and translated into the Qabalistic tradition I do practice. The important part of this process is to strive to understand their perspective and not to misrepresent my understanding or practice for theirs.Like I said, this is a semantic problem. In any interfaith or interspiritual practice, it is important to bring to mind the barriers that make it more difficult for us to understand or accept the wisdom of others. I was raised as a white, male, conservative, christian, capitalist, American. While I am not, and never have been male, these frameworks of understanding were embedded into my mind since birth and it can be difficult to see those biases that form the bedrock of so many of our world views.As a nonbinary person, I see both the dominant and nondominant perspectives. As a leftist, I have not forgotten the conservative framings of my youth. The same is true for my socialist/capitalist, celtic/white, wayfarer/christian frames. I do not have this with many other faiths. I did practice Buddhism for a time, and once contemplated converting to Judaism. This does mean that I have a better understanding of Buddhism than I do of Judaism, but that will always be the perspective of a convert. Through this life experience, I can see the difference of my understanding of Christianity or Buddhism than any other religion or faith. That difference in experience gives me a very different experience to these faiths that I would never acquire through merely reading these texts, or having conversations with practitioners of those faiths.Deep Ecumenism invites us to enter this kind of interspiritual mode with these traditions other than our own and recognizes the distinction of the depth of wisdom we have access to through such practices and encounters.Perennialism, as a whole, developed from a idea that to know the good is to do the good. Simply reading the texts of others can give the same understanding as the community that generated those texts. I hate to sound so defensive, but I am not saying that this is Denis' point of view or belief. He has an understanding that wisdom needs to be embodied to be attained, but Perennialism as a whole does not.Does any of this really matter?Yes and no. Do I really care if Denis or anyone else call themselves perennialist? No, especially when they distance themselves from the more harmful aspects of the tradition like he does.My biggest concern is, as always, that we do not accidentally point people in a direction that will do harm rather than good. I no longer call myself a perennialist for that reason and will continue to try to persuade people to do the same thing. The Challenge Jesus madeWhen you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Most certainly, I tell you, they have received their reward. But you, when you pray, enter into your inner room, and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. In praying, don't use vain repetitions as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their much speaking. Therefore don't be like them, for your Father knows what things you need before you ask him.Matthew 6:5-8In the end, I want to encourage you like Denis did to take Jesus up on his challenge. When we connect to Spirit in the quiet places within us, we have access to so much wisdom and strength. Remember always, the One who sees in secret rewards openly what we seek in secret. Those who talk so much about their prayers and rituals receive the acclaim of their audience, and that is all.Enter your secret place and pray.Oh taste and see that Yahweh is good.    Blessed is the [one] who takes refuge in him.Psalm 34:8 Get full access to Creation's Paths at www.creationspaths.com/subscribe

In this long-form (podcast-style) interview, I talk to Steve Nolt about Amish life. So many people compare Hasidim to the Amish, and I've known so little about the Amish. This conversation brought so many differences into sharp contrast and left me with a sense that these two insular societies are different in very profound ways. There are also some interesting similarities in regards to modifying how modern society is negotiated and more. It left me hungry to visit the Amish world and learn much more.

New horror film The Offering (out Friday) paints an unusual setting for terror. Instead of the typical sleepy suburb, it's a tight-knit Jewish neighborhood. Instead of clueless homeowners, it's kind — and sometimes wise — ultra-orthodox Jews. Writer and Producer Hank Hoffman, Producer Jonathan Yunger, and lead-actress Emily Wiseman enter the Zal to discuss the film's content, intentions, and implications. Can the accurate depiction of Hasidim in film dispel anti-Jewish tropes, even in the world of horror? Beyond the Jewish context, how much of the genre is sheer entertainment and how much is meaningful metaphor? What does it mean to handle profound (mystical! fantastical! terrifying!) philosophy for insiders while not triggering misunderstanding. (Yup — we talk about Unorthodox, too. We had to.) The Offering opens in theaters and everywhere on demand starting Friday, January 13. Music: Sami Hope's "Tidal Wave" [Spotify] Yoel Baal Shem vanquishing demons. (Rock the) Belz by Socalled.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday. Political correspondent Jacob Magid and US reporter Luke Tress join host Jessica Steinberg for today's podcast. Magid discusses the UN security council emergency meeting regarding National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir's visit this week to the Temple Mount. Tress looks at another recent UN resolution against Israel and the many condemnations of the United Nations regarding Israel over the last year. Magid talks about the upcoming trip being planned for US national security advisor Jake Sullivan and what the Biden administration is thinking about with regard to Israel and its new government. He also briefly discusses US senator Lindsey Graham, usually a friend to Israel, and his warning about the new government's plan to remain quiet about Russia's war in Ukraine. Tress discusses ultra Orthodox group Agudath Israel and its protest against The New York Times' coverage of yeshiva education that is sharply critical about the lack of secular studies. Discussed articles include: UN Security Council slated to meet on widely decried Temple Mount visit by Ben Gvir UN asks world court to weigh in on Israeli ‘occupation' and ‘annexation' Top Biden aide set to visit Israel amid fears over Netanyahu's plans for West Bank GOP senator pans new government's plan to ‘stay quiet' on Russia's war in Ukraine US Orthodox group launches campaign against New York Times yeshiva coverage Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts. IMAGE: Tourists visit at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem, on January 3, 2023 (Courtesy Jamal Awad/Flash90)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Judaism's greatest philosopher, Moses Maimonides, believed that Judaism's ancient mystery tradition with all her secrets, had been lost to sands of time, and took it upon himself to reconstruct them, on his own, from scratch, with the tools of philosophy and rationality. Maimonides is known as the great Jewish rationalist of the Middle Ages, but his rationalism, goes deeper than most might suspect. Maimonides was a rationalist who believed that through the very tools of philosophy, with a perfect synthesis of mysticism and rationalism, he could re-discover the lost secret traditions of ancient Jewish mysticism, and uncover the true meaning of the bible. Join us in this final episode, where we hope to, for once and for all, answer the question of whether Maimonides was a rationalist or a mystic and find out he was really up to in his Guide for the Perplexed. Watch the rest of the Maimonides and Mysticism series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4ZgHJxQQVo&list=PL_7jcKJs6iwXUKaVOvNJWr5DSLPTYV0j9 00:00 Maimonides Rationalism 13:13 Maimonides Mysticism 28:42 Lost Traditions 31:47 Prophecy and Reason 48:09 Telling Secrets 53:41 Maimonides today Thank you to Elisha Pearl, David Fried, Jeffery Radon and Levi Morrow for their thoughtful feedback and suggestions on this episode. Sources and Further Reading: • J. Heschel, “Did Maimonides Believe That He Had Attained the Rank of Prophet,” in Prophetic Inspiration After the Prophets, 1996 • Alexander Altmann, “Maimonides' Attitude Toward Jewish Mysticism,” in Alfred Jospe, ed., Studies in Jewish Thought: An Anthology of German Jewish Scholarship (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1981), 200-219 • Diana Lobel, “Silence Is Praise to You” Maimonides on Negative Theology, Looseness of Expression, and Religious Experience, in American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly vol. 76, no. 1, 2002, pp. 35-6 • Elliot R Wolfson, Abraham Abulafia, Kabbalist and Prophet Hermeneutics, Theosophy, and Theurgy, 2000, pp. 9-93 • Elliot Wolfson “Via Negativa in Maimonides and Its Impact on Thirteenth- Century Kabbalah.” In Maimonidean Studies 5, 2008 • Gideon Freudenthal, The Philosophical Mysticism of Maimonides and Maimon • Ithamar Gruenwald, “Maimonides' Quest beyond Philosophy and Prophecy,” in Perspectives, ed. J. L. Kraemer (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996) • José Faur, Homo Mysticus: A Guide to Maimonides' Guide for the Perplexed, 1998 • Julius Guttmann, “Introduction” in Maimonides, The Guide Of The Perplexed, An Abridged Edition, East And West Library New York, 1947 • Louis Jacobs, Attitudes of the Kabbalists and Hasidim towards Maimonides, in The Solomon Goldman Lectures, vol. v, ed. Byron L. Sherwin and Michael Carasik (Chicago Spertus College of Judaica Press, 1990, pp. 45-55) • Moshe Halbertal, “The History of Halakhah, Views from Within: Three Medieval Approaches to Tradition and Controversy,” in Harvard Law School Gruss Lectures (Cambridge, MA: Harvard Law School, 1994), 1-19 • Moshe Idel, “Maimonides and Kabbalah,” in Studies In Maimonides, Isadore Twersky (ed.), Harvard University Press, 1990 • The Cultures of Maimonideanism, by James T. Robinson (ed.) 2009, p. xi • W. Z. Harvey, "The Return to Maimonideanism," Journal of Jewish Studies 42 (1980) 263, n. 1 • Yamin Levy, “How I was Taught to Read the Guide” in Principles, Essays on Halakha, Maḥshaba and History, Journal of the Ḥabura, January 2022, Edition 4 Join us: https://discord.gg/EQtjK2FWsm https://facebook.com/seekersofunity https://instagram.com/seekersofunity https://www.twitter.com/seekersofu https://www.seekersofunity.com Support us: patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seekers paypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU

In this episode, we explore the history of music in Jewish mysticism, from the ancient prophets to the Hasidim of today.Sources/Suggested Reading:Idel, Moshe (1987). "The Mystical Experience in Abraham Abulafia". State University of New York Press.Idel, Moshe (1988). "Studies in Ecstatic Kabbalah". State University of New York Press.Idel, Moshe (1988). "Kabbalah: New Perspectives". Yale University Press.Idel, Moshe (1997). "Conceptualizations of Music in Jewish Mysticism". In "Enchanting Powers: Music in the World's Religions" (ed. Lawrence E. Sullivan). Harvard University Press.Idel, Moshe (2002). "Music in Sixteenth-Century Kabbalah in Northern Africa". In "Yuval: Studies of the Jewish Music Research Centre", Vol. 2. The Hebrew University Magnes Press, Jerusalem.Kraemer, Joel L. (2010). "Maimonides: The Life and World of one of Civilization's Greatest Minds". Doubleday & Co Inc.Russ-Fishbane, Elisha (2015). "Judaism, Sufism, and the Pietists of Medieval Egypt: A study of Abraham Maimonides and his times". Oxford University PressScholem, Gershom (1995). "Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism". Schocken Books.Internet Sources:http://www.nigun.info/chassidic.html#Judaism #Kabbalah #Music Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Names are important in the Scripture. And this prophet that we're going to begin to study now. Zephaniah, his name means hidden of the Lord. Now, there's two ways to understand this. There are things there are truths that God hides from the world. We know that Messiah spoke in parables, that will be those that see but don't perceive those who hear but don't understand. But there's a second way to understand his name. To donate please visit us at: https://www.LoveIsrael.org/donate Checks may be sent to: LoveIsrael.org 6355 N Courtenay Parkway Merritt Island, FL 32953 https://www.instagram.com/mybiblestudyofficial/

Names are important in the Scripture. And this prophet that we're going to begin to study now. Zephaniah, his name means hidden of the Lord. Now, there's two ways to understand this. There are things there are truths that God hides from the world. We know that Messiah spoke in parables, that will be those that see but don't perceive those who hear but don't understand. But there's a second way to understand his name. To donate please visit us at: https://www.LoveIsrael.org/donate Checks may be sent to: LoveIsrael.org 6355 N Courtenay Parkway Merritt Island, FL 32953 https://www.instagram.com/mybiblestudyofficial/

Jewish Diaspora Report - Episode 37On this episode of the Jewish Diaspora Report, Host Mike Jordan re-tells some traditional stories about Yom Kippur and how the smallest action can save the world. Explore these challenging issues and join the Jewish Diaspora Report for future episodes on issues of Politics, Culture, Current Events and more! Check us out on Instagram @jdr.podcast

Something to nosh on as we go inside the world of Jewish food influencers. Kosher food influencers can often create a platform where niche religious content has an appeal beyond its immediate circle. Has social media brought Jewish food to the mainstream? Shayna Weiss, Associate Director of the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies at Brandeis University returns to Identity/Crisis to explore the overlap of eating and social identity, kosher food culture and the power of Jewish food influencers with host, Yehuda Kurtzer. This episode originally aired on May 3rd, 2022. You can listen to Shayna Weiss's previous Identity/Crisis appearance in Ep. 10: "The Hasidim of Netflix and the Israelis of HBO".

His fascinating description of Hasidim and Litvaks in 1940

There's been a lot of talk about whether Maimonides was a mystic. Unfortunately, the discussion has been sorely confused by a lack of clarity about the basic terms of the discussion. It's time to clear things up and get straight about the relationship between these misused and abused words: Kabbalah, Mysticism and Rationalism. Join us for the fourth installment of our series on “Maimonides and Mysticism.” Watch the rest of our Maimonides Series: Part 1: Who was Maimonides? https://youtu.be/w4ZgHJxQQVo Part 2: The Many Maimonides https://youtu.be/UbjX-ypvEys Part 3: Maimonides and the Kabbalists https://youtu.be/8fpQPAMqATk 00:00 Kabbalah vs Mysticism 08:40 Rationalism vs Mysticism Sources and Further Reading: Marc Saperstein, European Judaism Volume 41, Number 2, Autumn 2008: 161–172 David Fried, Mysticism and its Alternatives: Rethinking Maimonides, Lehrhaus, 2018 Menachem Kellner, Science In The Bet Midrash: Studies in Maimonides, 2009, p. 10 Alexander Altmann, Maimonides's Attitude Toward Jewish Mysticism Louis Jacobs, Attitudes of the Kabbalists and Hasidim towards Maimonides, in The Solomon Goldman Lectures, vol. v, 1990, pp. 45-55 Gideon Freudenthal, “The Philosophical Mysticism of Maimonides and Maimon,” in Maimonides and His Heritage, 2009, p. 116 Julius Guttmann, “Introduction” in Maimonides, The Guide of The Perplexed, An Abridged Edition, East And West Library New York, 1947, p. 7 Join us: https://facebook.com/seekersofunity https://instagram.com/seekersofunity https://www.twitter.com/seekersofU https://www.seekersofunity.com Thank you to our beloved Patrons: Andrew, Alexandra, Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre. Join them in supporting us: patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seekers paypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU

Exploring the relationship between Maimonides and the Jewish mystical tradition of Kabbalah. A history of rejection, acceptance, influence, secret conversions and archenemies. Join us in our attempt to get to the bottom of this love-hate relationship in this third part of our series on Maimonides and Mysticism. Sources and Further Reading: - Alexander Altmann, “Maimonides' Attitude Toward Jewish Mysticism,” in Studies in Jewish Thought, ed. Alfred Jospe (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1981), pp. 200–219 - Daniel Silver, Maimonidean Criticism and the Maimonidean Controversy 1180-1240 (London, 1965), 183. - Elliot Wolfson, Abraham Abulafia, Kabbalist and Prophet; Hermeneutics, Theosophy and Theurgy, Cherub Press, Los Angeles, 2000, Introduction. - Elliot Wolfson, “Beneath the Wings of the Great Eagle: Maimonides and Thirteenth-Century Kabbalah,” in Moses Maimonide, Würzburg: Ergon Verlag, 2004, pp. 209–237 - Felicia Waldman, ‘Some Considerations on Maimonnides' influence on Mysticism', Studia Judaica no.17 (2009). - Gershom Scholem, ‘Mehoker limekkubal, Sefer Harambam',Tarbiz, 6: 3 (1935), pp. 90-8 (Hebrew). - Harvey, Warren Z. “Aspects of Jewish Philosophy in Medieval Catalonia.” In The Life and Times of Mosse ben Nahman, Girona: Ajuntament de Girona, 1994, pp. 141– 157 - Hava Tirosh-Samuelson, “Philosophy and Kabbalah, 1200–1600.” in The Cambridge Companion to Medieval Jewish Philosophy, Cambridge University Press, 2003, pp. 218–257; - Joseph Citron, Maimonides and Mysticism (unpublished) - Jonathan Dauber, “Competing Approaches to Maimonides in Early Kabbalah,” in The Cultures of Maimonideanism, ed. James T. Robinson (Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2009), pp. 57–88. - Louis Jacobs, Attitudes of the Kabbalists and Hasidim towards Maimonides, in The Solomon Goldman Lectures, vol. 5, Judaica Press, 1990, pp. 45-55 - Moshe Idel, “Maimonides and Kabbalah,” in Studies In Maimonides, Isadore Twersky (ed.), Harvard University Press, 1990. - Moshe Idel, “Maimonides' Guide of the Perplexed and the Kabbalah” in Jewish History 18: 197-226, 2004. Join us: https://facebook.com/seekersofunity https://instagram.com/seekersofunity https://www.twitter.com/seekersofU https://www.seekersofunity.com Thank you to our beloved Patrons: Alexandra, Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre. Join them in supporting us: patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seekers paypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU

The Hasidic movement is pretty famous. But few are aware of its deep mystical teachings and connections with Kabbalah. In this episode, we explore the early history of the Hasidim.This episode was written by Seth Weprin and co-written by me (Filip Holm).Sources/Suggested Reading:Idel, Moshe (1995). "Hasidism: Between Ecstacy and Magic". SUNY Press.Idel, Moshe. “Modes of Cleaving to the Letters in the Teachings of Israel BaalShem Tov: A Sample Analysis.” Jewish History 27 (2013): 299-317.Jacobson-Maisels, James. “My Aid Will Come from Nothingness: The Practice of Negative Theology in Maggid Devarav Le-Ya'akov.” In Michael Fagenblat Negative Theology As Jewish Modernity. New Jewish Philosophy and Thought. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 2017.Krassen, Mosheh Aaron. “Introduction: Rabbi Israel Ba'al Shem Tov: Prophet of a NewParadigm.” In Israel ben Eliezer. Pillar of Prayer. Translated by Menachem Kallus. Louisville, KY: Fons Vitae, 2010.Magid, Shaul. “The Intolerance of Tolerance: Mahaloket (Controversy) and Redemption in EarlyHasidism.” Jewish Studies Quarterly 8, no. 4 (2001): 326-368.Nadler, Allan. The Faith of the Mithnagdim: Rabbinic Responses to Hasidic Rapture. Baltimore:Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997.Scholem, Gershom. “The Neutralization of the Messianic Element in Early Hasidism.” In TheMessianic Idea in Judaism. New York: Schocken Books, 1995 [1971]. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our previous episode, we discussed a critical passage in the New Testament that is typically viewed as anti-Jewish and anti-Semitism. I made mention of Martin Buber's Tales of the Hasidim and a specific story included that is titled "Satan's Hasidim." The story might provide a possible understanding of an alternative reading to passages in the New Testament and recenter the friction in the New Testament as an "intra-Jewish" debate much like the invectives at Qumran against the Pharisees. In the desire for intellectual honesty, I wanted to include this interesting text. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/juan-marcos-gutierrez0/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/juan-marcos-gutierrez0/support

This video is part of a research project to document the way Hasidim came to America after the war and turned Williamsburg into an insular religious enclave.Nelly Grussgott was born in 1930 in Berlin. In 1940, she and her mother fled nazi Germany for NYC, but her father could not make it out. Although Nelly and her mother were relatively modern, in 1946 her mother remarried a very pious Hasidic man, Moshe Nigreshel. The couple, along with Nelly, moved to the Williamsburg part of Brooklyn. There, Nelly's mother was expected to adopt rigid Hasidic customs like shaving her golden locks. This Nelly's mother did for life, but Nelly herself could never do it, and she struggled to understand her mother's path. Nelly moved out of Williamsburg when she got married, but her mother remained in the neighborhood until her death in 1990.Many thanks to Nelly for the lovely conversation and for sharing her memories.Please subscribe to this channel.Follow my blog on Hasidic Williamsburg at friedavizel.com/blogFor the video version of this podcast click here.

That's a wrap for the first season of my podcast! It was a great joy to make - I hope I shared links, articles, books, and more resources that you might find enlightening. I've listed some of my favorite episodes that flesh out some of my important foundational thoughts - here they are: #1: My background in the Hasidic community #2: Hasidim versus Safetyism - an analysis #4: Flaws in our modern thinking #6: The myth of the success story #7: How conformity works #9: The attention economy #10: Transhumanism #12: On empathy and masking #13 & 14: What political labels mean to me #18: Smarter gear, stupider people #22: The propaganda of WW2 INTERVIEWS: #25: Andy Libson #24: Alex Klaushofer #21: Shannon Kuta Kelly #20: Seth Vizel --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/frieda-vizel/message

The most widely spoken Jewish language on the eve of the Holocaust, Yiddish continues to play a significant role in Jewish life today, from Hasidim for whom it is a language of daily life to avant-garde performers, political activists, and LGBTQ writers turning to Yiddish for inspiration. In Yiddish: Biography of a Language (Oxford University Press, 2020), Jeffrey Shandler presents the story of this centuries-old language, the defining vernacular of Ashkenazi Jews, from its origins to the present. Shandler tells the multifaceted history of Yiddish in the form of a biographical profile, revealing surprising insights through a series of thematic chapters. He addresses key aspects of Yiddish as the language of a diasporic population, whose speakers have always used more than one language. As the vernacular of a marginalized minority, Yiddish has often been held in low regard compared to other languages, and its legitimacy as a language has been questioned. But some devoted Yiddish speakers have championed the language as embodying the essence of Jewish culture and a defining feature of a Jewish national identity. Despite predictions of the demise of Yiddish-dating back well before half of its speakers were murdered during the Holocaust-the language leads a vibrant, evolving life to this day. Jeffrey Shandler is Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies at Rutgers University Schneur Zalman Newfield is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Borough of Manhattan Community College, City University of New York, and the author of Degrees of Separation: Identity Formation While Leaving Ultra-Orthodox Judaism (Temple University Press, 2020). Visit him online at ZalmanNewfield.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The most widely spoken Jewish language on the eve of the Holocaust, Yiddish continues to play a significant role in Jewish life today, from Hasidim for whom it is a language of daily life to avant-garde performers, political activists, and LGBTQ writers turning to Yiddish for inspiration. In Yiddish: Biography of a Language (Oxford University Press, 2020), Jeffrey Shandler presents the story of this centuries-old language, the defining vernacular of Ashkenazi Jews, from its origins to the present. Shandler tells the multifaceted history of Yiddish in the form of a biographical profile, revealing surprising insights through a series of thematic chapters. He addresses key aspects of Yiddish as the language of a diasporic population, whose speakers have always used more than one language. As the vernacular of a marginalized minority, Yiddish has often been held in low regard compared to other languages, and its legitimacy as a language has been questioned. But some devoted Yiddish speakers have championed the language as embodying the essence of Jewish culture and a defining feature of a Jewish national identity. Despite predictions of the demise of Yiddish-dating back well before half of its speakers were murdered during the Holocaust-the language leads a vibrant, evolving life to this day. Jeffrey Shandler is Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies at Rutgers University Schneur Zalman Newfield is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Borough of Manhattan Community College, City University of New York, and the author of Degrees of Separation: Identity Formation While Leaving Ultra-Orthodox Judaism (Temple University Press, 2020). Visit him online at ZalmanNewfield.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Media's war against Chassidim & Jews is the topic of conversation on Talkline With Zev Brenner. Allison Josephs of Jew In The City, looks at NBC and some of the programs targeting Jews. What can be done to fight the stereotyping of Jews in the media is also discussed. This podcast is powered by JewishPodcasts.org. Start your own podcast today and share your content with the world. Click jewishpodcasts.fm/signup to get started.

Hasidim have gathered by the thousands and publicly burned masks. Why are they not following orders? In this episode, I dispel myths and put forth new theories. Discussion on the technocracy, community, safetyism, the whole delicious smorgasbord. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/frieda-vizel/message

He was addicted to drugs. He lost his faith. Finding his faith helped to get him clean but for him it was Hasidim. He stood out at performances, his dress didn't match his music. But he sings happy songs of triumph, with a twist almost like Sublime. His name is Matthew Miller but you may know him by his stage name, Matisyahu – popular reggae performer. He is still close to his faith but doesn't practice it in the same way, he's dropped the garb, it was a way to help him find stability again; he's found himself again and he's comfortable to be himself. When Matisyahu first started touring to packed clubs more than eleven years ago, it was prior to the release of Live at Stubbs, the now Gold record, and prior to that record's single “King without a Crown” reaching #1 on the alternative rock radio charts.  His performances were a raw expression of his spirituality at that time and were supported by musicians who played a foundation of roots reggae augmented by the energy of a rock trio. Fans latched on quickly for a variety of reasons, but in August of 2005, just months after the release of Live at Stubbs, Matisyahu found himself on stage at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival with the de facto leader of improvisational rock-n-roll; Phish's front man Trey Anastasio. Many early fans of Matisyahu remember that moment clearly not because of the songs he played in front of the 80,000 person crowd, but because of his seemingly unfettered confidence (or perhaps naiveté) in helping lead Trey and his band through an improvisational display of beat boxing and lyrical gymnastics during the two songs performed.  It may have been unrefined, but Matisyahu's passion for full band improvisation was laid bare. You may not know his whole story and how his music is created, but in this episode we dive into all of it. Matisyahu's Favorite Quote: “Listen oh Israel the Lord is our God, the Lord is one.” Matisyahu's Favorite Books: The Politics of Experience Get Your Free Audio Book Links From Today's Show:www.matisyahuworld.com