Podcasts about this shabbat

This Shabbat we begin reading the Book of Vayikra, much of which deals with the laws of the korbanot , the sacrifices which were offered in the Bet Ha'mikdash . For many of us, these laws seem very difficult to relate to, as the Jewish People have been unable to offer sacrifices for nearly two thousand years, since the destruction of the Bet Ha'mikdash . Ironically, however, the Midrash tells us that it is customary for schoolchildren to begin learning Humash specifically from this book, Sefer Vayikra. Although these laws strike us as dry, uninteresting and irrelevant, and we would never imagine making this part of the Humash the first section to teach our children, the Midrash tells us that this is precisely what should be done. The Midrash explains: הואיל וקרבנות טהורים והתינוקות טהורים, יבואו טהורים ויתעסקו בטהורים . Since the sacrifices are pure, and the children are pure, let the pure ones come and deal with that which is pure. Today, the custom is that when children begin learning Humash , they read the first several pesukim of Sefer Vayikra, and then they are taught the story of creation at the beginning of the Humash . But let us delve a bit deeper into this notion, that the children must be taught the concept of sacrifices already at an early age. A researcher named Dr. K. Anders Ericsson once conducted a major study, involving students at the Berlin Academy of Music. This school trains some of the greatest young musicians in the world, many of whom go on to become the most accomplished people in their fields. Dr. Ericsson studied the work habits of these students, since they began learning music. He and his team found that all of them had begun learning when they were very young, and all worked hard throughout their youth. However, there was a vast difference in the number of hours that the students had devoted to practicing. Some had spent a total of 10,000 hours of practice by the time they were twenty, some around 8,000 hours, and some just 4,000 hours. The researchers discovered that this factor – the number of hours of practice – was the main determinator of the students' level of achievement. Those who invested the most effort were the ones who showed the most promise and were on track to become the world's leading musicians. Natural talent was not nearly as significant a factor as hard work and effort. The most important thing we need to teach our children, already at a young age, is the value of korbanot – sacrifice, exertion, hard work, and effort. If our children get the message that success is determined by natural talent, by how smart a person is, by one's good looks, by the wealth of the family he was born into, or by any other factor other than hard work – we are lowering their chances of success. King Shlomo says in the Book of Mishleh (24:30-31): על שדה איש עצל עברתי, ועל כרם אדם חסר לב – "I passed the field of a lazy man, and the vineyard of a person without a heart." He then proceeds to describe how it looked: overgrown, abandoned, and in ruins. The lazy person's field does not produce much, if anything. There are so many people in our society – even adults in their 20s, 30s and 40s – whose lives look like these fields, who fail to produce, because they were never taught about the central importance of korbanot , of making sacrifices – giving our time, our energy, our attention, and our money for the sake of pursuing valuable and ambitious goals. This message needs to be taught to our children when they are still טהורים , when they are very young and still developing their habits. The earlier in life children learn this message, the easier it will be for them when they grow older to make the sacrifices and effort that they need to make in order to succeed and maximize their potential.

As Eliot notes, Parashat T'rumah [Exodus 25:1-27:19] begins the 2nd half of the Book of Exodus and is concerned mostly with the planning for and construction of the mishkan, the portable tabernacle which accompanies the people in their wandering in the wilderness. The purpose of the mishkan and how it fits into the larger religious life of the people is the basis of part of our conversation. We also take up the plans for the ark and its symbolism. We consider the roles of Moses, who conveys the plans for the mishkan to the people, and B'tzalel and Oholiab who actually construct it. This Shabbat is Rosh Hodesh Adar [the second day of Rosh Hodesh but the 1st day of the Hebrew month of Adar]. It is also Shabbat Sh'qalim, the 1st of the 4 special shabbatot preceding Passover. It is the official beginning of the Passover season, with all that implies. In this difficult week for Israel and the worldwide Jewish community we are ever mindful of the hostages, both dead and alive, and the need for their return to their families now, and of the soldiers who defend Israel as part of the Israel Defense Forces, may they be removed from harm's way. Shabbat Shalom, Hodesh Tov. With the onset of Adar, the month in which the joyous holiday of Purim is celebrated, it is said that simchah, joy, should increase. May it be so.

In this week's parasha , B'shalach , we read about monumental events, including Kriyat Yam Suf and the battle against Amalek. Yet this Shabbat is called Shabbat Shira —the Shabbat of Song—named after the song of gratitude that Bnei Yisrael sang upon being saved from the Egyptians. This highlights the immense power of expressing sincere gratitude to Hashem. The Sefer Sas B'Imratecha points out that when the shira describes how the Egyptians sank like stones, the pasuk says, " ידמו כאבן " —rather than the more common term, " יפלו כאבן ." He explains that ידמו is related to דממה —silence. At Kriyat Yam Suf , the Egyptians witnessed Hashem's greatness, and some were even moved to praise Him. Had they done so, they would have been saved. However, they were not worthy of this zechut , and so ידמו כאבן —they were silenced along to bring their downfall. A person has so much to be grateful for, yet it is human nature to focus on what is missing rather than appreciating the thousands of blessings already present. Even when we have every reason to sing to Hashem, the yetzer hara tricks us into complaining instead. When this happens, we must take a step back, see the bigger picture, and counter his tactics with gratitude. A woman in Israel gave birth to a child after waiting more than 13 years. The baby boy was born on Shabbat, and she and her husband were overjoyed. Her mother, who had stood by her side for all those difficult years, shared in their immense happiness. However, very quickly, she became deeply concerned about the logistics of the berit mila . The berit mila would be held the following Shabbat, and she realized that she lived in a small home, far from all her relatives. How could they celebrate the berit without their family present? She became so consumed by this worry that she was on the verge of tears. Then she stopped herself. "We waited 13 years for this miracle," she thought. "Now I'm going to cry over something so trivial?" She shifted her focus and instead spent her time thanking Hashem for the incredible chesed He had done for her family. The very next day, she was informed that one of her trust funds had matured and was available for withdrawal. The amount was more than enough to rent a hall in a hotel and book rooms for their entire extended family to stay for Shabbat and attend the berit mila . Gratitude brings yeshuot . Another woman was desperately trying to reach someone. She called the person nine times in a row, but there was no answer. Frustrated, she stopped, took a deep breath, and recited Mizmor L'Toda , sincerely thanking Hashem for always doing what was best for her. Then, she dialed the number once more—and this time, the person picked up right away. She said, " Whenever I have a problem, instead of complaining or getting upset, I choose to thank Hashem instead—and time after time, I see yeshuot unfold before my eyes." A fourth-grade rebbe shared with me: One morning, he woke up and realized he had lost his voice. He wasn't sick. He had no sore throat. But he simply couldn't speak. Assuming it would pass, he waited. But three days went by, and nothing changed. He went to his doctor, who was baffled—there was no clear medical explanation. Later, while driving, the rebbe was listening to a shiur in which the speaker told a story about a man who was at risk of losing his hearing. His rabbi asked him if he had ever thanked Hashem for the ability to hear. The man admitted that he had never given it much thought. Following his rabbi's advice, he spent the next few days sincerely thanking Hashem for the gift of hearing. Shortly after, his hearing was miraculously restored. Hearing this, the rebbe thought to himself, "I've never once truly appreciated my ability to speak." So he began thanking Hashem—silently, in his mind—for the wondrous gift of speech. He did this for three consecutive days. By the third day, without any medication, his voice returned completely. This Shabbat is called Shabbat Shira —the Shabbat of Song. Let us take this lesson to heart: to always focus on Hashem's blessings, thank Him for them, and even sing to Him for them. Shabbat Shalom.

After a chaotic 24 hours, a hostage deal is moving forward with the first day set to be Sunday. Hear everything you need to know about the hostage deal, a list of those who are set to be released and what's coming up next for Israel and Hamas. The show ends with an eerie Torah thought for this week, which discusses the Hebrews leaving the Egyptian desert. This Shabbat, the Jewish people open the “Book of Names” or “Book of Exodus” creepily in line with the timing of the list of hostage names released. Israel Daily News website: https://israeldailynews.org Israel Daily News Roundtable: https://www.patreon.com/shannafuld Support our Wartime News Coverage: https://www.gofundme.com/f/independent-journalist-covering-israels-war Links to all things IDN:⁠ https://linktr.ee/israeldailynews⁠ Music: Hayati; Ariella Zeitlin https://open.spotify.com/album/0b1GTxbA8t3GWEueyJLUi3

As the horrors of October 7th were unfolding, a common reaction was “ein milim,” no words. But it is not surprising that Hebrew poetry soon appeared that gave expression to the nation's raw feelings and emotions. Our teacher Rachel Korazim, our member Michael Bohnen and Heather Silverman of California have recently published a moving anthology of those poems which they have translated to English. Their book, Shiva: Poems of October 7, is available on Amazon, and all royalties go to the Israel Trauma Coalition for their work with victims of that terrible day and its aftermath. This Shabbat morning, October 5, Michael leads us in a discussion of a selection of those poems. They cover a wide range of reactions to tragedy, including poems about: • A voice mail message left on October 7 • A depiction of terror • Challenging God • Praying for the return of a child taken hostage • Answering a child's questions about death • A soldier emotionally impacted by his service returns home • A now sad poem of hope by Hersh Goldberg-Polin's mom View the poems HERE But we think you would find the whole anthology a meaningful way to commemorate October 7 and support the work of the Israel Trauma Coalition. See: https://a.co/d/5RoITJ8 A short, recorded introduction to each of the poems in the book is available HERE. “These pages take unimaginable pain and transmute them to art. The poems are powerful, important and remind us of the of the rawness and the resilience that poetry brings to our lives.” - Rabbi David Wolpe, Emeritus, Sinai Temple

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Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. This Shabbat is Chol Ha-Mo'ed Pesach, the Shabbat which falls during the week of Pesach [Passover]. The Torah Reading is from Parashat Ki Tissa [Exodus 33:12–34:26], which includes the 13 attributes of God as well as one of the earliest festival calendars; it is also read on Shabbat Chol Ha-Mo'ed Sukkot. The haftarah is from Ezekiel, and is the famous vision of the valley of the dry bones [Ezekiel 37:1-14]. Looking ahead to the concluding days of the holiday, the Torah Reading on the 7th day of Pesach [April 27] features Shirat Ha-Yam, the Song of the Sea [Exodus 15:1-19]. It is also customary to read The Song of Songs this Shabbat. Given the turbulence of recent times, our focus was on hope. Are there texts that are part of our liturgical calendar this week, and especially this Shabbat, which point to it? How do we understand the core texts such as the crossing of the Sea; do we see it as the end of a journey or the beginning of one? How do we see the crossing itself, from the point of view of an average Israelite? Does the allegorization of Song of Songs have anything to teach us about hope in the modern world? These are some of the questions we entertain. Let us know what you think of our answers either below or at parshatalk@gmail.com. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the hostages, may they be returned to their homes safely, and the soldiers defending Israel, may they be removed from harm's way. It is traditional to say during these intermediate days מועדים לשמחה, may it be a season of happiness, to which one responds, חגים וזמנים לששון, may these holidays and seasons be for joy. May it be so for all who have loved ones, here and in the Middle East, and throughout the world.

This Shabbat, we hear reflections from two visiting members of Brothers for Life. Since October 7, Amit Gilboa has served 155 days of active duty in the IDF and is currently participating in a workshop to facilitate support groups for newly wounded soldiers. Shahaf Segal, who served in the Golani Brigade, volunteers with Brothers for Life visiting newly wounded soldiers, showing them there can be a better future. 

This Shabbat is Shabbat Parah. It is the third of four special Shabbats begiining with Shekalim, Zachor, this week parah and then HaChodesh. Explain each Yesterday morning we were discussing the Keli Yakar - R Shlomo Ephraim ben Aaron Luntschitz b'1550 - served as the Rabbi of Prague from 1604 to 1619 and is buried next to the Maharal who passed away ten years prior – and his comments on the Red Heifer Adinah then sent me an article by CBS news and I looked to see who else is reporting on the same. We have all seen stories of Red Heifers – apparently there is a farm in Texas … In September 2022, five red heifers were flown from the state of Texas to the land of Israel. Farm owned by a Christian who raises Red Angus looking for the Parah Adumah – Since that time, one of them has been disqualified, but the other four continue to be candidates for a red heifer sacrifice. As I discussed last week, there was 'a practice run of the purification ceremony' in 2023. But an official ceremony must be conducted before the heifers get too old to be used for such a sacrifice. So will a red heifer be sacrificed in Israel in 2024? Accordingto CBS News, a 'massive altar' has already been constructed. I was absolutely floored when I first saw that. A red heifer sacrifice would need to happen on the Mount of Olives, and the land where the sacrifice would take place is owned by Rabbi Yitshak Mamo. According to those working on the project, the ceremony of the red heifer needs to be performed on the Mount of Olives, and in a place that would have looked directly into where the Temple stood. The land directly east of the Temple Mount, purchased 12 years ago, meets both of those standards. Rabbi Yitshak Mamo owns that land on the Mount of Olives. R' Mamo is with Uvne Yerusalim, a group that preserves Israel's history and works to educate future generations. Concerning the specifics of the land, he told CBN News, 'It had to be exactly at the front of the place that the priest that made this ceremony can see the Holy of the Holy Place.' But the clock is ticking. If the heifers get too old, they will no longer qualify.

The Zohar teaches that we are comprised of the spiritual higher self, which is called our "other half." We are also comprised of our lower ego-centric self. We are interested in uplifting the ego self by utilizing the power of choice and observation. This Shabbat is the first of four special Torah readings that spiritually prepare us for the holidays of Purim and Passover. The Zohar says that it corresponds to the four-letter name of G-d. This week, we read the additional Torah portion called Shekelaim, or the half-shekel coin. This half-shekel was collected as both a census and a donation to the Mishkan—the Tabernacle.  Why was a half Shekel asked for and not a full Shekel? We are all halves of a greater collective whole.  In this class, we will explore the deeper meanings of the half-Shekel coin as they apply to us in our lives.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/livekabbalah/message

This Shabbat, I'm going to share a personal story very different from the kinds of sermons I used to give when I worked in a congregation. I want to be clear it is my story. I recognize that in this room there are Autistic people and family members who have their own perspectives that may differ from mine. They are just as important and valid. We are a large and diverse community.   Three years ago, a neuropsychologist assessed our then 3-year-old son and called a few weeks later to tell us that was Autistic. I was so relieved. Our son was verbally precocious, made intense eye contact, and was very charismatic and social. He also loved being read a wall calendar or a Hebrew/English dictionary as a bedtime story, struggled with transitions and unpredictable meltdowns, and ran in circles around his preschool classroom here in Temple Emanuel, seeking sensory input he wasn't getting. Bedtime could take 2 manic hours. Like our ancestors in this week's parasha, my family was in an unknown wilderness, and we were ready to receive some Torah. Except the Torah the doctor delivered to us didn't seem right. Instagram: @rabbishoshana Web: https://www.rabbishoshana.com/

This Shabbat, we read Parashat Yitro which contains the story of the giving of the Torah and the 10 commandments. In this episode, Rabbi Dobrusin discusses a beautiful custom concerning the reading of the 10 commandments during the synagogue service. 

The Acts 15 Council, Where Do We Begin? Shalom Y'all, This Shabbat we talk about the subject matter of the Counsel in Jerusalem in the book of Acts, Chapter 15. When we enter this chapter we find ourselves asking questions about new believers and where do we start in instructing them? James gave his recommendation in the end and it seemed that all were in agreement. What was the decision and how does that affect us? Check it out

URGENT APPEAL for ISRAEL from ITORAH.COM https://itorah.com/campaigns/ special We can not go about our days regularly while there's a war going on with our people. Those who do not normally attend Minyan should be attending Minyanim now. Those who do not normally learn Torah should be learning Torah now. Those who may be lax in certain areas of kashrut must be extra careful during these times. Rav Shach said to his yeshiva before an impending war that the only advice was for everyone to improve themselves, especially in the areas of Limud Torah, Kashrut and Shemirat Shabbat. Those who are learning already have to learn better . They have to use every minute of their learning time for learning and not talk about other things. Someone who has difficulty doing any particular mitzvah should say to himself, ‘ I must strengthen myself now and do that mitzvah to help the situation. I have to be strong and overcome my laziness and Yetzer Harah.' Someone once went to the Chafetz Chaim for a beracha and the Rabbi replied, “ You're better off asking Shabbat for Beracha because it is the true source of all blessing.” Rav Shach said keeping Shabbat properly will save us from war. This Shabbat, we all have the opportunity to keep it the best we ever did, and that includes utilizing the time for learning and spirituality. The pasuk in Parashat Ki Tese says, כִּי ה' אֱלוֹהֶיךָ מִתְהַלֵּךְ בְּקֶרֶב מַחֲנֶךָ לְהַצִּילְךָ וְלָתֵת אֹיְבֶיךָ לְפָנֶיךָ That Hashem will walk in the midst of our camp and save us from all of our enemies. וְהָיָ֥ה מַחֲנֶ֖יךָ קָד֑וֹשׁ וְלֹֽא־יִרְאֶ֤ה בְךָ֙ עֶרְוַ֣ת דָּבָ֔ר But first, our camp has to be holy and that comes about through dressing modestly. Anyone who has difficulty with this mitzvah can help bring about protection and salvation by accepting to do the mitzvah properly. And even if the person is not able to do it permanently, at least do it now . We have the greatest power of all- the One who created the world, the One who obliterated Mitzrayim , and the One who has defeated our enemies time and time again throughout the course of history. All we need to do is His will. The first thing we have to realize is that we have nothing other than Hashem. There is no army that can help us. There are no powerful countries that can help us. The pasuk says, אִם ה׳ לֹא־יִשְׁמׇר־עִ֝֗יר שָׁ֤וְא ׀ שָׁקַ֬ד שׁוֹמֵֽר If Hashem does not guard the city, then all the efforts of the guards will be in vain . We may have the best military personnel, the best strategies, the most sophisticated weapons and tanks, but if we don't have Hashem guarding, all of it is worthless. Chazal tell us, in the end of days, the days preceding Mashiach, we must come to the realization of אין לנו להשען אלא על אבינו שבשמים that we have nothing else to rely upon other than our Father in heaven. We could accomplish that right now, in our own minds. We need to work on ourselves not to feel confident in the powers of man, but rather to know that all of man's strengths only come from Hashem. Whatever He says goes. The armies will just be carrying out His will. If we really believe that, then we'll do our utmost to improve our deeds because that is what He wants. B'Ezrat Hashem , in that zechut , we should see the Geula Shelemah B'Karov, Amen! URGENT APPEAL From iTorah.com https://itorah.com/campaigns/ special "Kol Yisrael Arebim Zeh La'zeh" All Jews are responsible for one another. Please donate to and provide for your brothers and sisters in Israel who are suffering and need your help! Our campaign will be used to fund purchases of… • Providing 2,000 meals PER DAY to IDF Soldiers around the country • Sisiyot and Siddurim for the soldiers • Supplies for the displaced • Battle Gear for families for protection • Food & Necessities • Financial Aid to Families whose wage earners have been taken from work and deployed into battle.

This Shabbat is called Shabbat Shuva – the Shabbat of teshuva. We know we don't repent for our sins on Shabbat, so why is it called the Shabbat of Repentance? The Yesod v'Shoresh HaAvodah brings the Chazal which says, whoever keeps Shabbat according to halacha will be forgiven for all his sins. At this time, we all need forgiveness. Our avonot have been piling up over the course of the year. If we will keep this Shabbat with all of its details, abstaining from melacha and business talk, sanctify the day with Torah study and enjoy the Shabbat the way it is meant to be enjoyed - that will be our zechut and that will give us mechila. During these days, teshuva is the mitzvah at hand. We need to think about what we did wrong and sincerely repent. As we know, in Hashem's infinite mercy, He cleanses us from our sins through different forms of yissurin. Every little inconvenience we experience in this world helps us remove the blemishes from our souls. It's called kapara. The best way to remove those blemishes without yissurin is by doing teshuva. But there are certain averot that require more than teshuva for the sins to get erased. Yissurin come and finish off the job. We know yissurin help us immensely, we would much rather experience the temporary hardships in this world, rather than the eternal ones in the Next World. But we would also prefer to be cleansed without having to experience any pain at all. Rabbenu Yonah, in the fourth chapter of Sha'areh Teshuva gives us wondrous advice on how to avoid yissurin in this world and still get full atonement. Everyone wishes they could just end all the hardships they are experiencing, and this advice will help. First, he writes, giving tzedaka saves from yissurin and if a person can't afford tzedaka, getting others to give will accomplish even more. Acts of kindness also take away yissurin. If someone invests his own time and energy into helping other people, that will take away from the suffering he was supposed to have. Whether he spends his time visiting a sick patient or helping someone organize an event for charity, or helping others with shidduchim and the like, every moment invested in chesed wards off yissurin. Torah study also takes the place of yissurin. Look at how kind Hashem is! Not only is learning Torah enjoyable, not only do we get rewarded for it, it even takes the place of suffering a person was supposed to get. Then Rabbenu Yonah writes further, if a person is already experiencing different types of hardship, but instead of complaining about it, he says, “Hashem I know this is best for me, I accept what you are doing to me with love.” That is a segula to prevent, in his words, “היסורין הרבים הראויים לבוא עליו - the abundant of afflictions that should have befallen him.” And he quotes a pasuk in Tehilim to prove it. This is an amazing segula. If someone, let's say, has been out of a job and suffering tremendously from it, it might very well be possible for his own good that he needs to be out of a job for a few more months, but if he'll say, “Hashem, thank You for putting me through this. It must be I needed this to cleanse myself. And in Your infinite kindness, You're allowing me to purify myself in this world.” Those words, with sincerity, can remove the necessity for the additional months of being jobless. Those words are so powerful, they take the place of the potential suffering that should have come. Then Hashem will open his eyes to find a job to work at. The same is true for all yissurin. Accepting them with happiness stops the remainders from coming. The main thing is, we want to be the pure children of Hashem we are supposed to be. If we could make teshuva, keep Shabbat properly, do additional good deeds and be satisfied with the way Hashem deals with us, we'll become purified and we will be able to enjoy this world and the Next. Shabbat Shalom.

This morning we discuss the highly problematic question of why we don't blow Shofar this year on the first day of Rosh Hashana, just because it is Shabbat. How can we give up the benefits hearing the Shofar bring us, because of the remote possibility someone may carry a Shofar in a public domain on Shabbat? Did it even ever happen? This Shabbat at ADATH I will propose one answer. Here is another. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/adathyoutube Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts - https://tinyurl.com/miningtheriches1 Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/miningtheriches3 Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions for feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

In the beginning of parashat Vayelech . Moshe tells the people, today I am 120 years old, לא אוכל עוד לצאת ולבוא– I am no longer able to go out and come in. On the surface level, it sounds like Moshe was saying due to his old age he could no longer lead the people. However, Rashi writes, we know from a pasuk at the end of parashat V'zot Haberacha that Moshe remained strong and vibrant up until his last breath on this earth. Therefore, the interpretation of this pasuk is that Moshe was telling them he was no longer able to be their leader only because Hashem told him his time was up. Everybody has their time and they must take advantage of it while it is there. Some times are more optimal than others. The Midrash Raba gives a mashal to explain how it was possible that Moshe Rabbenu was not answered to be allowed to go into Eretz Yisrael. The parable is of a king who had a beloved friend who he appointed to be the chief officer over his palace. One day, this officer was seen outside the gate of the palace and was being denied entry. Nobody could believe it because just the day before he was in charge of everything that went on in that palace. And now, he wasn't even allowed in! The guard explained it was because his time was up. The king appointed a new chief and this man was reduced to just a commoner. Similarly by Moshe Rabbenu. Anything he said Hashem listened to right away. He said קומה ה' – Rise Hashem, he said שובה ה' – Return Hashem. He said to Hashem to open the mouth of the earth and swallow Korach, and so on, and Hashem acquiesced to all of his requests on the spot. But then, when Moshe wanted to go into Eretz Yisrael, Hashem denied him, and the reason was because his time of always being answered immediately was up. Moshe had his time and then it was taken away. The key in all situations in life is to be aware of the opportunities we are being given and capitalize upon them. We are now in the most spiritual time of the entire year. The month of Elul is auspicious for spirituality. Everything we do counts more. Our prayers are more readily accepted. What may take dozens of tefilot to accomplish during the rest of the year can be accomplished now with much fewer. Our learning is worth more, our mitzvot are worth more. A man was once walking with a great rabbi. It was Erev Rosh Hashanah in the morning and he turned to the rabbi and asked for some final words of inspiration before Rosh Hashanah. The rabbi said in a raised voice, “Elul stands for אני לדודי ודודי לי , there is an outpouring of love from Hashem in Elul.” The man was wondering why the rabbi would speak about Elul when the month was practically over and Rosh Hashanah was at their doorstep. The rabbi then repeated, “ אני לדודי ודודי לי . ” He said, “There are still a few hours left of this precious month. Go now and use them wisely.” With those words, the man started to cry. It was then that he realized the value of every moment in Elul. We still have one week left of Elul. Tonight is the final Shabbat of the year. Let us take advantage and keep it the way it is supposed to be kept. This year on Rosh Hashanah there is no shofar on the first day because it will be Shabbat. The shofar is what arouses the mercy of Hashem during judgment. If we treat Shabbat the way it is supposed to be treated, then Shabbat will advocate on our behalf and arouse Hashem's mercy instead of the shofar . This Shabbat is extremely important. If we haven't kept it until now the way we are supposed to, we can still fix it. We should accept upon ourselves to do our utmost to honor Shabbat, not to speak mundane speech, to adhere to all the halachot and learn extra Torah. This opportunity is still here. Let us grab it while we have it. Shabbat Shalom

This Shabbat is the second day of Shavuot—a good time to think about our relationship to the Torah as a source of law (halakhah) that is supposed to shape how we live every day.  Problem: For most of us, it doesn't.  The Torah says: keep kosher. Many of us don't.  The Torah says: observe Shabbat. For many of us, Saturday is not Shabbat but another weekend day, not particularly distinguishable from Sunday.  The Torah (as the rabbis interpret it) says: we are obligated to pray daily. Many of us don't. Perhaps we come to shul when we have a Yahrtzeit, or when we are invited to a Bar/Bat Mitzvah or an auf ruf. But few of us actually believe we are required to pray every day. Witness that in our congregation of almost 4,000 souls, we average 20 to 40 people at our daily minyanim.  The Torah we received at Sinai posits a commanding God whose commands we are obligated to observe.  Few, if any of us, believe in that commanding God.  There is a disconnect between the commanding God we are supposed to believe in and the autonomous lives we lead, where we do what we want to do, when we want to do it.   How do we understand this disconnect? Can we solve for it, or at least ameliorate it?  To consider these questions, please read the attached article by Elliot Cosgrove, the rabbi of Park Avenue Synagogue in New York, “A Choosing People,” published in Sources: A Journal of Jewish Ideas, Spring 2023. In addition, Rabbi Cosgrove was in dialogue with Yehuda Kurtzer in this recent podcast.  Rabbi Cosgrove asserts:   While the language of “obligation” may have run its course, “commandedness” has not. The performance of mitzvot as an expression of service to God remains a powerful driver for Jewish practice.  Can we resuscitate commandedness as a relevant category in our religious lives? If not, do you have an elegant theory that explains why you do what you do as a Jew? What is your personal definition of the word mitzvah?

Parsha Talk; with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. This Shabbat features not only the weekly parasha, Tazria-Metsora [Leviticus 12-15], but also a maftir [Numbers 28:9-15] and haftarah [Isaiah 66] for Rosh Chodesh, the beginning of the new month of Iyar whose first day is this Saturday. In addition, it is the Shabbat preceding Yom Ha-Zikaron, Israel's Memorial Day, and Yom Ha-atzma'ut, Israel's Independence Day. The parashah describes the rituals for childbirth [ch. 12], the disease commonly referred to as leprosy in humans and its manifestation in clothing and in houses [chapter 13-14], and bodily discharges [chapter 15]. These are not the topics that normally provide rich conversation, so we devote the first half of the show to the meaning we might find in these chapters. In the second half, we discuss new rituals for Yom Ha-atzma'ut and how we might understand the religious signficance of the day. Shabbat Shalom!

Enjoy your day of rest with the family, loved ones, and your congregations. Shalom (Peace) on This Shabbat. 00:00:00 Brandt Brawer -  Mystery Of The Olives-The High Priests-And The Vine 00:34:21 Neil Surasky - Something's Different 01:24:15 Amon Shor - No Food, No Water, No Banks 02:19:28 Daniel Botkin - The True Judges 03:10:38 Jacob Rosenberg - Fresh Wind and Fire War and The Wilderness 04:00:32 Steven Feldman - We Need To Make Choices 04:53:32 Marty Waldman - The People's Party 05:45:57 Steven Ger - Moses and Hollywood 06:45:10 Steve Fenchel - Revelation Conflict

Enjoy your day of rest with the family, loved ones, and your congregations. Shalom (Peace) on This Shabbat.   00:00:00 Why are we Rejecting God? How, Why and When 00:52:08  Idolatry and Disobedience 01:22:17  In Defense of Messianic Congregations 02:22:12  Surviving the Walk Will you lay down your life   Visit: Solace Radio

Shalom everyone, Why is the death, burial, and resurrection of Yeshua timed along side of Passover? There are many appointed times and seasons that YHWH has set in place for revealing things concerning His character, and for certain events to occur. The Moedim (appointed times of YHWH) are not just actual dates and events that Israel was to observe, they are prophetic and they reveal the heart of YHWH for His people. The Spring appointed times testify of Yeshua at His first coming. The Fall appointed times testify of His return. This Shabbat we will focus on the timing of the Passover alongside Yeshua's life and reason for His coming. Check it out

Shalom everyone, We are in the midst of the Pesach season. This is a time that is to be forever observed as a time of deliverance, freedom, and thanking YHWH for covenant relationship. Pesach (Passover) is to be observed each year by those following YHWH, but what happens if someone is unable to observe? We again see the grace and goodness of YHWH in giving us another chance. This Shabbat we look at the second Pesach and also look at the Pesach to come! Check it out

The impasse over judicial reform in Israel continues to be concerning and unresolved. Protests continue. Conversations have not resulted in resolution. Positions are hardening. The compromise which President Herzog implored both sides to work towards remains elusive. Talk to Israelis—their morale is low. They are troubled. “We hope we get there”—to Israel's 75th. This Shabbat we are blessed to have a familiar voice and dear friend offering us a genre that we have not yet encountered regarding the impasse: poetry. Rachel Korazim, born in 1948, has lived her life in Israel. She is an expert in Israeli poetry. Before the pandemic, she would teach at TE in person every year. Since the pandemic, she has continued to offer classes to TE members on Zoom. In fact, one of the classes she is offering remotely now concerns how poetry speaks to this moment. On Shabbat, through the magic of technology (thank you Brian Lefsky and David Beckman), Rachel Korazim, in Israel, joins our clergy team and in person learners in Room 24-25 in dialogue. She will share her personal experience as a citizen of Israel who has attended many protests. And she will teach three poems, one by Uri Tzvi Greenberg and two by Nathan Alterman, that will give us a helpful frame for this heavy and hard moment. Thank you Rachel Korazim for helping us connect with Israel through the sacred text of Israeli poetry.

Shalom Y'all, this week we look at praying and laying on hands. There is more than one reason why someone in Scripture would lay hands on someone. This Shabbat we will look at a few examples from the Tanakh and the Brit Hadashah. This was recorded live at Ruach Ministries in Valrico, FL. You can find out more at www.Ruachonline.com  

Imagine if you could actually fulfill this Jewish teaching. It is short and seems simple. Yet it is somewhere between impossible and even against human nature to fulfill. And yet if we could somehow bring ourselves to do it, doing so would change our lives for the better: Reciting a blessing for health, happiness and good things feels intuitive. Hashem, thank you for our new child or grandchild. Hashem, thank you for my recovery from illness. Hashem, thank you for my surviving this accident or near miss. All that blessing flows from a grateful heart. But this famous teaching in Berakhot would challenge us to bless God for the reversals of life, for our loss, our illness, our pain. How is that even possible? This Shabbat we have a special treat. Rick Stone is a master story-teller, and an expert in the field of story-telling. Learn more about Rick here. At our Talmud class this Shabbat morning, Rick will teach these three brief, evocative Hasidic stories (Trusting in God's Goodness, The Leaf, and The Remarkable Horse).Each is a response to the above teaching from Berakhot. Do these stories convince you? How does story truth compare to our other modes of truth for engaging our mind, inspiring our heart, and motivating our deeds?

This Shabbat is called Shabbat Shuva – the Shabbat of Returning to Hashem. During these Aseret Yemei Teshuva , every good deed that we do and every little bit of teshuva that we do will positively influence our upcoming year. Besides for making teshuva for sins that we did between us and Hashem, we must also ask our friends for forgiveness for anything negative we may have done to them as well. Furthermore, if we are asked to forgive, we should not be harsh, but rather, we should forgive easily because Hashem deals with us mida k'neged mida – the easier we make it for others to be forgiven, the easier it will be for us to get forgiven by Hashem. We should always keep in mind, people do not have the power to harm us. Whatever happened due to the actions of others was going to happen anyway. The more we internalize this, the easier it will be to forgive. I read a story about a well-respected family with the father serving as a rebbe at one of the local yeshivot and the mother a well-known teacher in a local Bet Yaakov. They had also started a chesed organization and their activities became world renowned. One of their sons, who learned in one of the best yeshivot in America, was extremely successful there. He learned with great diligence and fervor and had the most wonderful middot . He was so sensitive when it came to others. He was very careful with his speech and was so modest about his good qualities. Yet, several boys in his shiur were envious of him and they started spreading lies about him to prove to everyone that he wasn't as great as they thought. They claimed that he did a terrible averah . The rabbis in the yeshiva knew it was a lie, but as the rumor spread more and the situation got worse, they had to ask him to leave the yeshiva temporarily. The boy's parents were furious. When they asked their son about it, he said, “I have never done such a thing, but I am not going to try to prove my innocence because if I do there will be a big machloket in the yeshiva.” Several weeks later, he was allowed to return to the yeshiva and when he came back, some of the other boys were giving him dirty looks, but he didn't pay any attention, he just kept learning with the same diligence as before. Then came shidduchim . This boy was looking for a girl with superlative middot who valued learning. But every family to whom the boy was suggested heard the story about the false accusations and declined. Months, then years passed this way. The boy was not overly concerned, he just kept learning with enthusiasm. One day, a talmid chacham , who also happened to be very wealthy, walked into the yeshiva and asked the Rosh Yeshiva to recommend a boy for his daughter. The Rosh Yeshiva didn't think twice and offered him this boy, who was still waiting for his zivug . The talmid chacham was very impressed with what he heard about the boy, but then he found out about the terrible rumor. He met with the boy, looked him in the eye, and asked, “Please be honest. Did you do it?” The boy said he was completely innocent, but he did not want to go into detail, so as not to speak lashon hara or cause machloket . He then said, “I have emunah in Hashem that when I find my kallah , she will believe me without the need to ask about it any further.” The talmid chacham was even more impressed and not too long after that, the couple was engaged. The wedding took place in Tishrei of 2017 when the boy turned 25. But the story did not end there. Every single boy who had falsely accused him was also not married. Four boys from the shiur that were not involved were married. The other boys realized they were having trouble with shidduchim because of the terrible thing that they did. And before this boy's wedding, they went to his house and asked for forgiveness. He forgave everyone on the spot and shook each one of their hands. And after that, spontaneously, they all danced together. They also asked forgiveness from the boy's parents. And slowly, the boys started to become engaged. This boy's attitude was truly inspiring. He knew the entire time that only Hashem was in charge of what would happen to him and he forgave all of those boys so easily for such a terrible thing that they did to him. May we all have the merit to make shalom and attain full teshuva . Shabbat Shalom.

[We are still working on our audio quality in our new 3-camera set up. We hope to have it perfected soon. Thank you for your patience.] This Shabbat, we leave the solemn focus of last week's "Tisha B'Av" behind, and pivot to comforting contemplations. Hence, the sermon to title, "And Now For Something Completely Different ..." – we dwell upon "the finished work" of Messiah's atonement through the Haftarah of Shabbat "Nachamu" – the amazing idea, "Your warfare over, your iniquity has been "nirtzah" factored into your path forward – and God has paid in full your debt of justice" (the idiomatic meaning of "keef-lai-eem" in Isaiah 40). Shalom!

This Shabbat we read about the journeys that the Jewish People made during their 40 years in the desert. One of the lessons we are able to learn from this is that Hashem brings each and every one of us on many journeys during the course of our lifetimes. The Jewish People left Mitzrayim on a high, with a fresh start, as the Nation of Hashem. And they entered Eretz Yisrael on a high as well, but the journeys along the way had their ups and downs. At times they were encamped in a given place for as many as 19 years. And at other times, for barely a day. At each encampment, there was a mission to be fulfilled. They had many tests and obstacles to overcome, but they were all necessary for the People to become the People they needed to be. The same is true of us. Sometimes people go through long periods of hardship and other times, they have long periods of tranquility. Sometimes they are tested with big tests, and sometimes little tests, but every single one of them is always planned very carefully by Hashem to bring each person to the level he needs to reach to fulfill his mission in this world. One of the stops the Jewish People made was at Pi Hachirot . There, they were tested with a very difficult nisayon . They were traveling back towards their pursuers, the Mitzrim, and they did not complain. Rather, they said whatever Moshe tells us to do, we will do. Then, when they were being pursued by Pharaoh and his army, they turned to Hashem and cried out in tefila , once again passing that test. But right afterward, they did a lot of complaining, which teaches us that although in life there are times when we feel we are doing very well spiritually, it is not uncommon to have a fall. And if we do, we should not get down on ourselves, but rather, we should quickly make teshuva and try to become even better than we were before. Another test they had was at Marah , when they were thirsty and had only bitter water to drink. There, the Torah writes clearly Hashem was testing them and Rashi explains, the test was even though they were going through a very difficult time, they were supposed to ask for help, but in a nice way, rather than in a complaining way. If people have to go through hardships, they must ask Hashem for help, but they also must do it without complaining. We are supposed to beg and are encouraged to be emotional, but never complain. We are always exactly where Hashem wants us to be and if we are able to feel that way, we won't complain. A woman, who we'll call Sarah, emailed that she was recently inspired by a speech that another woman gave about her many challenges and how she always felt that she was exactly where Hashem wanted her to be. And therefore, she is never worried or anxious. Sarah's three year old daughter has Down Syndrome and she drinks only formula. Sarah has an Amazon subscription to receive six bottles monthly, so she always feels secure that she is receiving her formula. She did not realize that, due to the shortage, she was going to stop receiving her order. When she found out that she had very little left, she began to worry. She searched online everywhere possible but no one carried the formula she needed. Now she was panicking. Her daughter is very fussy and will not drink any other liquids. Images of her daughter in the hospital on IV started popping into her mind. Then, she stopped herself saying, she is exactly where Hashem wants her to be. She made her hishtadlut and now the rest was in Hashem's hands. She calmed down and felt relaxed, being in the jurisdiction of Hashem. That very same evening, her daughter's therapist told her that her brother-in-law has some formula so she should check with him to see if he has the one she needs. She did not tell this therapist she needed formula but was happy to get the tip. Her brother-in-law said he did have six bottles of that exact formula. When asked why he carried formula, he replied, when the shortage began, he decided to open up a formula gemach to help others. He stocked up on whatever he could get a hold of and people now know to go to him to get what they need. Although he lives in Lakewood and she lives in Brooklyn, he sent a driver, free of charge, to hand deliver the formula that same night. Turned out, the therapist noticed the girl was thirsty but not drinking and the housekeeper told her it was because they were running out of formula. Sarah was crying tears of joy and felt so cared for by Hashem. Wherever we are, we are always in His embrace and if we learn to feel that way, it'll make our lives so much better. Shabbat Shalom.

This Shabbat arrives holding an impossible truth in its wings of peace: the two most transformative events in modern Jewish history: the Holocaust and the establishment of the modern State of Israel. This past week we made, as we must, the annual descent into the darkness of the hell of Jewish hatred and annihilation. Not doing so is a dangerous form of denial. This coming week we will make the annual ascent to the top of Mt. Scopus, in celebration of Yom Ha'atzma'ut, the establishment of Israel's independence and its statehood. We'll embrace all that its very existence means to Jews and the world. 

This Shabbat is Rosh Chodesh Nissan and B'ezrat Hashem we are going to read Parashat HaChodesh. In that parasha we were given the mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh, to sanctify the new moon based on the renewal of the moon. What's interesting about the moon is that the same moon is always there. We're just only able to see the parts that Hashem shines the sun's light upon. In a similar manner, we are supposed to feel as if any yeshua that we need is already in the world waiting for us. All we need is for Hashem to shine His light upon it so that we can discover it. Hashem has many ways of showing us where our help is meant to come from. Many times, even what appears to be a negative occurrence is Hashem disguising His light to reveal to a person the help that he needs. A man who owns an electronic store, who we'll call Yosef, told that he sold someone an expensive camera and he paid for it with two separate checks. A few months later, the man came back and informed Yosef that his checks were never cashed. Yosef was surprised as he needed every dollar that he earned. He searched for the checks, but they were nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, the other man asked his rabbi if he needed to pay again, and the rabbi said he didn't. Yosef was very upset about this, especially since the camera was so expensive, but he encouraged himself with thoughts of emunah assuring himself that Hashem would give him the exact amount of money he was supposed to make. Two weeks later, he misplaced his credit card and before canceling it, he turned over his entire house, searching for it. And low and behold under his mattress were those two checks along with 7,000 shekel. He had no recollection of any money being there, but he did feel a hug from Hashem in the way that Hashem guided him to discover what he was looking for. Hashem caused him to misplace that credit card so He could reveal the salvation that was waiting for him right under his nose. Another man, the administrator of a successful nonprofit organization, said that one of his former workers who was fired, sued them for a million shekel in compensation pay claiming that he didn't receive benefits that he deserved. This man had obviously been preparing for this for years, as he had saved every slip and letter that he ever received. His claim was well documented. The organization on the other hand was the type of place where finding forms from years before would be very difficult. So when this man's claim reached court, they were in pretty bad shape. The single form that could extricate them from this claim was the original form that the employee had signed when he was first hired for the job where all his rights and benefits were clearly listed. The problem was they had no idea where it was, and they couldn't find it no matter how hard they tried. This case went on for a couple of years. The organization head tried to prove his innocence, but when it came down to it, the judge was going to rule against him if he couldn't produce the form. Finally, the court gave a date for its final verdict. The day before that, this man got a phone call. On the line was the deep voice of the municipal inspector. He was told that they were registering a complaint against his organization for illegal deposit of construction waste. That was strange because they weren't doing any construction. The inspector said it from a building site on the other end of town. They found some folders with the organization name on it there. It turned out the garbage was near a building that housed their organization years before this. He told the inspector it wasn't his. The inspector said, I have proof in my hand and ten minutes later, a delivery man knocked on their office bearing all of the forms. The secretary saw the forms and ran into this man's office saying,” Look at this! The missing form is here! It's the original contract that we've been searching for! They found it!” They found out afterwards the current tenant was doing some renovations and had to clear out the storage. Together with a pile of building debris was the cherry on top, a clear plastic bag with their filing papers. Hashem opened their eyes to discover what they needed just in the nick of time. We have to pray for all of our salvations, realizing that they're already there. We just need Hashem to show them to us. Shabbat Shalom.

The Parasha (Story) of Tazria is the 4th Parasha of the Book of Leviticus – The Journey for Clarity and finding one's calling in life. This Parasha is focusing on the understanding of the true nature of Free Will. This Shabbat is, also, RoshḤodesh Nisan is called Shabbat HaḤodesh - In order to reenact our commitment and duty to take control over the Astrological influences. This is because we add a reading from Parashat Bo about the Exodus from Egypt, while the first stage was blessing the New Moon of the first month - Nisan. Now! When the world is still in a dangerous place of uncertainty, it is time to reflect and look inside. This is the time to ask: Who is the person that I want to become and not: 'What are the things that I want to have? the places I want to travel, the deals I want to make'. This the time to stop our slavery to habits, belief systems and objects, the time to prepare ourselves to the freedom awaiting us in the 5780's.

In this week's parasha Shemini , in the middle of the festivities of the inauguration of the Mishkan , Nadav and Avihu, two great tzaddikim were taken from the world and the Jewish People went from a state of celebration to a state of mourning. This past week, while Yerushalayim was celebrating the joyous day of Purim, the news came regarding the death of the Gadol HaDor and celebration turned into mourning. This Shabbat, we are also going to read parashat Parah and Rashi brings the Chazal who tell us the reason the Torah puts the death of Miriam next to the para aduma is to teach us that just like para aduma is michaper , so too the death of tzaddikim is michaper . We don't know why at this time we needed such a big kapara , but we do know there is definitely a massive void in the world that needs to be filled and every single one of us could do our part in trying to fill it. Although we have been hearing about the unparalleled greatness of Rav Chaim Kanievsky Z”l who became a master over every facet of Torah, it is not incumbent upon us to fill his shoes. Rabbi Menashe Reizman quoted from the Chovot HaLevavot in the Shaar Avodat Elokim who teaches us that every single person is sent to this world to do a different mission and nobody is expected to be someone he is not capable of becoming. Hashem chose this Gadol to lead the generation. He gave him the tools necessary for him to become the person he needed to become. And, he used those tools to their capacity and fulfilled his role. A boy learning in yeshiva should not feel bad if he doesn't remember his Torah like Rav Chaim Kanievsky did. A person doing his utmost to learn an hour in the morning and an hour in the night should not feel bad that he is not making a siyum on the entire Torah each year. It is known that Rav Chaim was not a public speaker. Only twice a year he gave a derasha in the Kollel Chazon Ish, on the yahrzeit of his father the Steipler and his uncle the Chazon Ish. He was not given the tongue of an orator because that was not his mission. He had a golden pen and a computer-like mind and the greatest diligence imaginable. Hashem gave him what he needed. Hashem wants all types of people serving Him in all types of ways. Some people need to excel in chesed , some in Yirat Shamayim , some in Talmud Torah and so on. Everyone needs to use the strengths that Hashem gave him to become the person that Hashem wants him to become. A person is supposed to feel good in his avodat Hashem and usually the area he is drawn to is the area that he needs to perfect to fulfill his mission. Of course, we have to follow every halacha , but regarding where we excel, it should be in an area that we feel drawn towards. So on the one hand, we need to hear about how great this Gadol HaDor was, we have to know what we had and what we are missing, but at the same time, we have to use that knowledge to improve ourselves and become the best we can be with what Hashem gave us. We don't have to know Shas baal peh , but we should know the Gemara that we are learning. Everyone can always improve, and now is a great time to do it. May Hashem give us the siyata d'Shamaya to grow more and fulfill the roles that He wants each of us to fulfill. Shabbat Shalom.

Marriage and family are a central part of God's design for our world. Through marriage and family God brings meaning, purpose, life and blessing. Understanding His design will help us to strengthen and bless our homes, communities, and the nations we live in. This Shabbat, we will discuss the roles of men and women. God created human beings in His image. They are binary – male and female. They are fully equal in worth, dignity, and status, but uniquely different physically and psychologically. In addition, they have equally important but different roles in marriage. Join us as we explore the beautiful differences between the binary genders in the context of biblical marriage. In Part 4, we will finish our teaching on women as wives and the family as the very basis for culture and society. May this teaching series on marriage and family bless and inspire you and yours.

Marriage and family are a central part of God's design for our world. Through marriage and family God brings meaning, purpose, life and blessing. Understanding His design will help us to strengthen and bless our homes, communities, and the nations we live in. This Shabbat, we will discuss the roles of men and women. God created human beings in His image. They are binary – male and female. They are fully equal in worth, dignity, and status, but uniquely different physically and psychologically. In addition, they have equally important but different roles in marriage. Join us as we explore the beautiful differences between the binary genders in the context of biblical marriage. In this teaching we will focus on women as wives.

Marriage and family are a central part of God's design for our world. Through marriage and family God brings meaning, purpose, life and blessing. Understanding His design will help us to strengthen and bless our homes, communities, and the nations we live in. This Shabbat, we will discuss the roles of men and women. God created human beings in His image. They are binary – male and female. They are fully equal in worth, dignity, and status, but uniquely different physically and psychologically. In addition, they have equally important but different roles in marriage. Join us as we explore the beautiful differences between the binary genders in the context of biblical marriage. In this teaching we will focus on men as husbands.

This Shabbat, we are told to build a sanctuary, a place God may live inside. But what is the purpose of this small desert sanctuary? Like Sinai, the sanctuaries we build remind us of the heights we can achieve with the strength of our community. In the fallout of the sin of the golden calf, however, we also recognize the need for a place to be broken together, a place where we might have the chance to rebuild ourselves. So, is a shul a place for longing or belonging? Perhaps it is both.

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. This Shabbat is known as Shabbat Shirah, after the Song of the Sea [Exodus 15:1–18], which is featured in this week's parashah, parashat B'shallah [Exodus 13:17–17:16]. For the haftarah [Judges 4:4–5:31], the rabbis chose another triumphant song, the Song of Deborah [Judges 5:2–31], celebrating another event in Israel's salvation history. We spend some time talking about the Song of the Sea itself, as well as the event it celebrates. In the nearly two years we have been doing Parashah Talk on Zoom, I do not think Eliot has missed a week to describe this week's parashah as amazing. We hope you find that our conversation measures up! Shabbat Shalom!!

Welcome to Embrace Shabbat. In the introduction to his sefer on Hilchot Shabbat, Rabbi Yaakov Yechezkel Posen quotes a Midrash that describes two of the Torah's qualities. On the one hand, the Torah illuminates a person and protects him from sinning. Just as a candle prevents a person from stumbling in the dark, similarly, the Torah prevents a person from “stumbling.” Secondly, the Torah also lights up a person's path so that he can move forward successfully. In life, a person must balance two simultaneous responsibilities: סור הרע, stay away from evil, ועשה טוב, and do good. Without the Torah, a person doesn't know what corruption and immorality to stay away from. The Mesillat Yesharim writes that this world can be compared to darkness, where a person may trip and fall if they do not have a guiding light. However, protecting oneself from “tripping” is not enough. A person must also forge a path ahead ועשה טוב, and do good. While these two aspects can be applied to the entire Torah, they are particularly connected to Shabbat. A person must observe two commandments on Shabbat: זכור ושמור. There are positive commandments, זכור, such as reciting Kiddush and strengthening ones Emunah by remembering that HaKadosh Baruch Hu created the world in six days and rested on the seventh and that He continues to control the world. Additionally, a person must refrain from the negative, שמור, by abstaining from the 39 melachot on Shabbat. Doing one aspect of Shabbat is not sufficient; a person must light up their life with the positive aspects of Shabbat, while simultaneously refraining from the negative commandments. Rabbi Posen adds an additional component. On Shabbat, a person lights two candles to symbolize זכור ושמור and the two aspects of Torah discussed in the Midrash. The Midrash compares these two components to a candle: for a person walking in the dark, a candle can serve two purposes. On the most basic level, it prevents a person from stumbling in the dark. Additionally, it gives a person the ability to run forward and reach his destination. On Shabbat, we light two candles to that the laws associated with זכור ושמור will protect us from the “stumbling blocks” of life that lie in our path, but also guide us to our ultimate purpose. Therefore, we usher in Shabbat with the two candles. The Midrash brings beautiful pesukim showing the power of these candles: ● נֵר לְרַגְלִי דְבָרֶךָ וְאוֹר לִנְתִיבָתִי- David HaMelech says to G-d: “Your words are like a candle to my feet, and a light to my path.” ● ואם תרוץ לא תכשל- when I run, I don't stumble. ● נר ה' נשמת אדם- the candle of G-d is a person's soul. Our neshama is compared to a candle. On Shabbat, a person receives a neshama yetaira, an additional soul. The additional candle on Shabbat symbolizes the additional soul. ● Hakadosh Baruch Hu says: נרי בידך ונרך בידי, My candle is in your hand and your candle is in My hand. Hashem's candle is the Torah, as it says נר מצוה ותורה אור. A person's candle is their soul. “If you watch My candle, I will watch your candle.” When a person learns Torah, it is as if he lights a candle in front of G-d and gives light to His soul. The two candles on Shabbat can represent these two souls; one candle symbolizes G-d's soul, which is the Torah and the other candle symbolizes our soul. This Shabbat, contemplate these beautiful thoughts related to the two candles of Shabbat. It is an eye opening and beautiful addition to our understanding.

This Shabbat we have a guest speaker, Rabbi Jonathan Wriston (assistant rabbi at Brit Ahm Messianic Synagogue). He brings a unique view of Jacob and Esau from Parasha Vayishlach.

This is the season of celebrating the conclusion and restart of the annual Torah reading cycle. This Shabbat, we will celebrate the Torah as the bedrock of all Scripture. Even the Apostolic Scriptures rely on these books of Moses for legitimacy. In fact, it is almost impossible to understand the words of Jesus and His Apostles without the foundational five books of Moses. Therefore, we will exalt and commemorate these indispensable texts, for without them, our Scriptures are diminished and anemic at best.

Welcome to Embrace Shabbat. This Shabbat is Shabbat Shuva, where we continue to celebrate and bask in the spiritual intensity of Rosh Hashana. Every Shabbat draws upon the mitzvot and holiness of the previous week and uses it to infuse the day with Kedusha. On Shabbat Shuva, the power of the mitzvah of Shofar from the previous week continues into Shabbat and uplifts the day even more than a typical week. Typically, the Amidah of a weekday or Yom Tov is said repeatedly in the Arbit, Shacharit, and Mincha prayers. For example, the identical weekday Amidah is recited three times daily at Arbit, Shacharit, and Mincha. On Rosh Hashana, a special Amidah is recited, but this exact tefillah is repeated throughout the day (with the exception of Mussaf, which is always different). On Shabbat, however, three completely different prayers are recited. Why? The highlight of Rosh Hashana is the Mussaf prayer, which is broken into three units: Malchiyot - Hashem is King, Zechronot- Hashem remembers, and Shofarot- the Shofar of Har Sinai. The Sefer Ikarim explains that these three sections parallel the three fundamentals ikarim of our Emunah (although there are famously 13 principles ikarim , they can be further organized into three major units): 1. The existence of G-d 2. He supervises, rewards, and punishes 3. The Torah came from Shamayim at Har Sinai, which is how Hashem reveals Himself in this world The Rishonim teach that the three prayers of Shabbat also correspond to these three fundamentals of Emunah: On Friday nights, we say וַיְכֻלּוּ הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ וְכָל־צְבָאָם , the heaven and earth were finished, and all their array. We discuss the creation of the world - as the kiddush continues: זכר למעשה בראשית . By discussing the creation of the world, we attest to the fact that Hashem created the world and therefore controls everything. Malchiyot and Kiddush on Friday night both display this ikar Emunah : Hashem is the King of the world and is in control of everything. In our Shacharit prayers, we read: יִשמַח משֶׁה בְּמַתְּנַת חֶלְקו ... כְּלִיל תִּפְאֶרֶת בְּראשׁו נָתַתָּ. בְּעָמְדו לְפָנֶיךָ עַל הַר סִינַי. וּשְׁנֵי לֻחות אֲבָנִים הורִיד בְּיָדו - Moshe will rejoice with the gift of his portion … for a a crown of glory You placed on his head when he stood before You on Har Sinai with the two luchot in his hand. Our tefillot on Shabbat day attest to the third of the ikarim : Matan Torah. Finally, at Mincha we discuss the last of the ikarim : that Hashem supervises, rewards, and punishes. We say in our Amidah: אַתָּה אֶחָד וְשִׁמְךָ אֶחָד וּמִי כְּעַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל גּוֹי אֶחָד בָּאָרֶץ . Hashem's Name will be One in the time of Mashiach, when the world will come to the realization that He is King. At that time, Hashem will judge the world and deliver reward and punishment. Our three prayers on Shabbat correspond to the three fundamentals of Emunah, which also correspond to our Rosh Hashana prayers. We can maintain the connection and clarity of Rosh Hashana every week on Shabbat. Like Rosh Hashana, Shabbat is a day of Emunah when we can tap into these three fundamentals. One of the Achronim suggests discussing each of the three ikrim at the three Shabbat meals. On Friday night, a person can talk about the wonders of creation, the delicious food, or the wonders of the human body. At the Shabbat day meal, talk about Har Sinai and the tremendous revelation at Har Sinai. Finally, by Seudat Shelishit, talk about the future, Mashiach, and the reward and punishment that will come. Let us extend the Emunah of Rosh Hashana to Shabbat each week by focusing on the words of our Tefillot. Then, we will concretize these three important fundamentals of our belief: Hashem exists and created the world; He watches, supervises, rewards, and punishes; and Hashem gave us the Torah, which dictates how we should live our lives. Have a Shabbat Shalom.

This Shabbat, parshat Nitzavim , is the last Shabbat of the year 5781. It is also the final week of the seven haftarot of consolation that we have been reading. The Midrash says regarding these haftarot , which began with a message to the Jewish People after the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash , that Hashem told the prophets to tell us, נחמו נחמו עמי – that we should be consoled, but the Jewish People replied,ותאמר ציון עזבני ה' – they said that they felt like Hashem had abandoned them. And so the Nevi'im went back to Hashem and said עניה סוערה לא נוחמה – that the Jewish People were not consoled, until Hashem Himself said אנכי אנכי הוא מנחמכם – that He alone would come and console His People. The Jewish People were told the most beautiful words of nechama , קומי אורי כי בא אורך – arise and shine for your light has arrived – כי הנה החושך יכסה ארץ וערפל לאומים – even though there may be darkness covering the earth and dense clouds covering the nations of the world,ועלייך יזרח ה' – Hashem will shine upon you – וכבודו עלייך יראה. After hearing the words of consolation from Hashem, the Jewish People responded with the words in this week's haftarah, שוש אשיש בה' תגל נפשי באלוקי – they felt such a joy, a rejoicing with Hashem, feeling uplifted with Hashem. When Hashem consoles, it's a complete consolation. This past year has been a very hard year for our People at large. There are many people who are in need of consolation. The day is going to come very soon, b'ezrat Hashem, when we will see the fulfillment of the pasuk ובלע המוות לנצח ומחה ה' אלוקים דמעה מעל כל פנים – death will cease to exist and Hashem will wipe away the tears from every face. The Yerushalmi explains this to mean that Hashem is going to come to every single individual personally in all of His splendor and glory and He is going to console and comfort them for every hardship and tragedy that they suffered through. He will explain to each person why He needed to do what He did and everyone will see how it was all done with only love and compassion. The pasuk says כאיש אשר אמו תנחמנו כן אנכי מנחם אתכם – Hashem is going to console us like a mother consoling her son. Mefarshim explain, you can't compare being consoled by someone who knows what you're experiencing than from someone who doesn't. The consolation from Hashem will be like a widow consoling her son for the loss of his father. She knows what the son is feeling because she is feeling it as well. Her words will be impactful because the child knows his mother truly understands his pain and his feelings. The last pasuk of this week's haftarah says בכל צרתם לו צר – Hashem feels every ache and pain that we, His precious children, feel. He understands what we went through in the past and what we are going through currently and His consolation will truly console. Although we might not be able to see the good now in the pain we endure in this world, we can still trust Hashem that it's for the best and console ourselves with those thoughts. Tell Hashem we trust Him and accept His will, it's a very precious avodah that will help us immensely and give us great merits. We hope to see the ultimate nechama with the coming of Mashiach and the Geula Shelemah. Amen . Shabbat Shalom.

Sponsored as a zechus for the Aliyah of the neshama of: Shalom Zalman ben Mordechai In the beginning of this week's Parasha, V'etchanan , Moshe Rabbenu alludes to the fact that he prayed 515 times to get into Eretz Yisrael . Moshe, who knew the workings of prayer better than anyone, understood that just because he was not given a yes to “prayer 500”, didn't mean that things wouldn't change after “prayer 501.” Every single prayer makes an impact. This Shabbat is Tu B'Av, a day that is mesugal for shidduchim . Sunday will be the day designated for world-wide tefila. Older singles want to know what they could do to finally find their zivug and build a bayit ne'eman b'Yisrael . Rabbi Zilberstein once received a heart wrenching letter signed by various morot in Israel regarding all the pain that older singles are going through, asking for advice on what they could do to get married. The Rabbi at that time showed the letter to Maran Rav Eliashiv, zatzal . He told the Rabbi, “I'm here as a shaliach for all of the girls in Klal Yisrael who so desperately want to get married. What does the Rav advise?” Rav Eliashiv replied, “The one advice I would give all of them is pray, pray and pray.” When Rav Zilberstein returned with the answer, there were many single girls present and they all said with tears in their eyes, “We have been praying and praying. Our mouths are dry from tefila . Please, tell us what else we can do.” Rabbi Zilberstein then went to Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman, zatzal , and he told him about the letter and the response of Rav Eliashiv, zatzal, and the girl's tears afterwards and asked him what he thought. Rav Shteinman opened up a Navi Melachim and showed Rabbi Zilberstein the story of when the widow of Ovadia HaNavi was pressed for money and, eventually, Elisha made a miracle and filled all of her vessels with oil. It says there that she cried out and the Radak quotes the Targum which says tza'aka – the words used to describe her crying is gematria 265 – she cried out for help 265 times. She went to the kever of her husband and prayed. Rav Shteinman then said, “At 264, she wasn't answered yet. She needed 265 tefilot to give her the blessing she so desperately needed. No one should ever say I prayed enough. It could very well be you just need a few more heartfelt tefilot to finally bring down the blessing you're looking for.” Here you have two Gedolei HaDor giving the same message that the best thing a girl could do to get married is tefila . We know this is the truth, but sometimes we just need the right chizuk to get us to pray the way we are supposed to. The sefer Ohr David told a story about a man who was very sick to the point that the doctors gave up on him. His daughter heard that in a distant city there was a top doctor who was a religious Jew and had a sterling reputation. She traveled there to try to convince him to come save her father. When she finally arrived, she pleaded with the doctor in tears, begging him to come and cure her father. He told her he would come, and she was full of hope. But he told her, first, he needed to eat before the journey. After he ate he said he had something else to take care of, and after he finished that he said he had something else to take care of. Finally, the patience of this girl was running out. She said, “Doctor, my father's life is on the line. Every second you delay he is in more danger, can we please go?” The doctor replied, “I'm sorry, I have just a few more things to take care of.” The girl then lifted her eyes towards Shamayim and cried a heartfelt tefila to Hashem saying, “The other doctors have given up hope, and this doctor, who knows if by the time he decides to come my father will still be alive? Please, Hashem, You are the only One who can heal him. You are the Rofeh rachaman v'ne'eman .” When the doctor heard her praying from the depths of her heart, he said, “That's what I was waiting for.” He explained to her, when she told him of the sickness, he also didn't have hope that he could be healed b'derech hateva (in a natural way). He was hoping to get her to focus only on Hashem and pray in a way that only she could. That was the only hope. Baruch Hashem, when the daughter got back, her father had already started recovering and eventually he became fully healed. Nothing is better than tefila b'emet from the depths of the heart. If we prayed 100 times already, then pray 101. Keep going and never stop.

Parashat Va'Etchanan - Ben and Jerry's, BDS, and the Myth of ‘Occupied Palestinian Lands': It's Not About Ice Cream This week's Torah portion of Va'Etchanan features many fundamental Torah teachings, including the Shema Yisrael and the Ten Commandments. This Shabbat is also ‘the Sabbath of Consolation,' and coincides with the ancient holiday of Tu B'Av – the 15th of Av, a day of rejoicing. In this week's edition of the Jerusalem Lights podcast, Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman reflect on Moshe's recollection of his heartfelt plea to the Almighty to be allowed to enter into the ‘Good Land.' For reasons of His own, G-d denied Moshe's request to enter into the Land, and although unable to enter, Moshe understood the holiness of the land and loved it ....a powerful and ironic contrast to those today who display contempt and disdain for the Land that G-d chose. Our hosts fume at ice cream giant Ben and Jerry's politically-motivated decision to boycott ‘occupied Palestinian lands.' It isn't about ice cream…it's about an insidious attempt to delegitimize Israel. Rabbi Richman also reviews recent events on the Temple Mount and asks: to pray or not to pray? ___ Rabbi Chaim Richman Jerusalem Lights | Torah for Everyone Please support the work of Jerusalem Lights, a USA recognized 501 ( c ) 3 non-profit organization to enable these productions to continue and grow: Paypal: infojerusalemlights@gmail.com or: https://paypal.me/JerusalemLights?loc... In the USA: Jerusalem Lights Inc. Post Office Box 16886 Lubbock Texas 79490 In Israel: Tel. 972 54 7000395 Mail: PO Box 23808, Jerusalem Israel Subscribe to our newsletter at https://www.rabbirichman.com Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUpV... Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RabbiChaimRi...

On 9th of Av in the Jewish lunar calendar, both the 1st and 2nd Temples were destroyed on the same date: the 1st in 586 bce and nearly 700 years later, the 2nd in 70 ce. The Sages of Israel attribute God's choice to erase our Temples and scatter our nation primarily due to "seenát ḥeenám" (baseless hatred). This Shabbat, we seek to understand "baseless" as a description of truth being lost and replaced by contrived and inaccurate "narratives." We hope to learn from our history, so we do not repeat the worst episodes. May it all be for shalom.

For over fifteen months, Eliot, Jeremy, and I have been meeting on Zoom each week to discuss the parashah [the weekly Torah reading] and other items of interest, and to record a podcast known as Parashah Talk. It has become one of the highlights of my week, both the opportunity to meet in friendship and the opportunity to talk Torah, one of my great loves. Week in and week out we met, sometimes on a Wednesday, sometimes on a Thursday, sometimes on another day. Finally, our respective schedules caught up with us, and a week ago Sunday we recorded two shows. So, I do not quite remember what we talked about! Parashat Mattot-Massai [Numbers 30:2-36:13] is one of the longest readings of the year, and concludes the Book of Numbers. There is the cancellation of vows by a father or a husband for his daughter or wife, which often occasions comment in the modern world for the apparent bias/discrimination against women; there is the successful [and problematic] war against Midian after which Moshe will be gathered unto his people [the poetic image of death used often in the Bible]; there is the request by Reuven, Gad, and the half-tribe of Menashe for land on the east side of the Jordan; there is the litany of places the Israelites travelled in their 40 years of wandering; there is the division of land, both by lot and by size; there is the provision for levitical cities and the cities of asylum for the unintentional murderer; and there is the conclusion of the story about the daughters of Zelophehad. To add to this lengthy list of topics about which we might have talked, there is the seasonal as well. This Friday is the end of the month of Tammuz, and Shabbat is the beginning of the month of Av, whose beginning marks an intensification of national mourning leading up to Tisha B'Av [the 9th of Av], commemorating the destruction of the two Temples in Jerusalem, and other catastrophes which have befallen the Jewish people. This Shabbat is also the 7th yahrtzeit of my late father, Mel Chesler, of blessed memory. You will have to actually listen to find out what we talked about! Shabbat Shalom!!

Parashat Matot-Masei In this week's Jerusalem Lights podcast, Rabbi Chaim Richman reports about the attempted terror arson attack which took place against his community this past week, and shares his personal pain and insights regarding the heroes who truly risk their lives every day for the sake of the Land of Israel, and the twisted way in which the media portrays them. This Shabbat is Rosh Chodesh, the first day of the new month, and as we conclude the Book of Numbers with the reading of its last two Torah portions, Matot and Masei, we also usher in the month of Menachem Av – the ‘Consoling Father.' Although we will soon be observing the fast of Tisha B'Av , the day on which the Holy Temple was destroyed, we are ready to rebuild, and the profound message which the very name of this month conveys is that everything that happens is orchestrated by G-d for the ultimate good. Our hosts share profound Torah thoughts, and Jim Long shares an amazing archeological insight in this week's Torah reading, as well as reflections on the significance of the first day of this new month being the anniversary of the death of Aaron, the High Priest. ___ Rabbi Chaim Richman Jerusalem Lights | Torah for Everyone Please support the work of Jerusalem Lights, a USA recognized 501 ( c ) 3 non-profit organization to enable these productions to continue and grow: Paypal: infojerusalemlights@gmail.com or: https://paypal.me/JerusalemLights?loc... In the USA: Jerusalem Lights Inc. Post Office Box 16886 Lubbock Texas 79490 In Israel: Tel. 972 54 7000395 Mail: PO Box 23808, Jerusalem Israel Subscribe to our newsletter at https://www.rabbirichman.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUpV... Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RabbiChaimRi...

This Shabbat we read about the holy brothers Nadav & Avihu, sons of Aharon the Kohen Gadol, who enter the Temple with incense. The Torah calls it “strange fire before God, which He hadn’t commanded them.” As they enter, their souls leave their body. What happened here? This coming week we will focus on the divine soul attribute of Tiferet – beauty, compassion, balance and harmony – the path of truth. Perhaps we can find guidance & meaning in this story through this trait of harmony.

Parashah Talk, the Pesach Edition: Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Jeremy Kalmanofsky and Barry Chester. This Shabbat is the 7th day of Passover, when we read the beginning of Parashat B'shallach [Exodus 13:17-15:27, last read on January 30], featuring the Song of the Sea [Exodus 15:1-21]. On Sunday, the Torah reading is the same as the 2nd day of Shavuot and Sh'mini Atzeret [Deuteronomy 15:19-16:17]. There is a longstanding tradition to read the Song of Songs on the Shabbat of Pesach [unless Shabbat is both 1st and 8th day, when it is read on the 8th day]. Our discussion focuses first on the Song of the Sea, and then on Song of Songs. Shabbat Shalom & Chag Sameach!

Jerusalem Lights Podcast #57 - Standing Between the Staves of the Ark of the Covenant This week the book of Exodus is concluded with the reading of the last two Torah portions, Vayakhel and Pekudei. On the day following the first Yom Kippur, Moses assembled the entire nation together and conveyed G-d's message of forgiveness, giving over to them G-d's commandments of observing the Sabbath and building the Tabernacle—the twin elements for the sanctification of time and space. In this week's Jerusalem Lights podcast our hosts reflect on the transcendent, eternal beauty these concepts impart. The tabernacle, with the Ark of the Covenant at its center, is the very expression of man's participation in the miraculous process of creation. This Shabbat also heralds the arrival of the new month of Nisan, ‘the head of all the months,' the time of Israel's past and future redemption, and the great future redemption of all humanity. Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman warmly welcome this new month and give testimony to the great spiritual revolution taking place that is embodied by the growing Torah-study community of Jerusalem Lights. ___ Rabbi Chaim Richman Jerusalem Lights | Torah for Everyone Please support the work of Jerusalem Lights, a USA recognized 501 ( c ) 3 non-profit organization to enable these productions to continue and grow: Paypal: infojerusalemlights@gmail.com or: https://paypal.me/JerusalemLights?loc...​ In the USA: Jerusalem Lights Inc. Post Office Box 16886 Lubbock Texas 79490. In Israel: Tel. 972 54 7000395 Mail: PO Box 23808, Jerusalem Israel Subscribe to our newsletter at https://www.rabbirichman.com​ Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUpV...​ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RabbiChaimRi...​

The political/health/crisis around the world, the war between good and evil, who is fighting? Where does the real war take place? Who determines victory? Who rules the world? How to be successful in spite of all the obstacles people put on your way? What is the secret of true 'Free Will'? Corruption vs. Biblical Values, who's going to win the oldest game on earth? What is the secret of true victory? The Parasha (Story) of VaYak'hel-Pekudei, after the Sin of The Golden Calf, it is time to learn how to grow and build our lives in spite of the imperfections around us. This Shabbat is called Shabbat HaHodesh since it is the Shabbat before the New Moon of Nisan (Aries). In addition to the Torah Reading of VaYak'hel-Pekudei, there is a reading from Exodus 12 about the Passover, starting with the first blessing of the New Moon of Aries, two weeks before the exodus. Now! When the world is still in a dangerous place of uncertainty, it is time to reflect and look inside. This is the time to ask: Who is the person that I want to become and not: 'What are the things that I want to have? the places I want to travel, the deals I want to make'. This the time to stop our slavery to habits, belief systems and objects, the time to prepare ourselves to the freedom awaiting us in the 5780's.

This Shabbat we had a guest speaker at CMC, Rabbi Jonathan Wriston--the assistant rabbi at Brit Ahm Messianic Synagogue in Pensacola, FL. Rabbi Jonathan shared a timely message from Parasha Terumah.

This Shabbat is Shabbos Zachor, where we gather together in shul to hear the commandment to remember what Amalek did to us in the desert, and to blot out their memory from the earth. In this week's episode we look at this commandment in detail and discuss what was so egregious about Amalek's actions, the Ralbag's explanation of how Israel could have been better protected from their attack, and what this means for a post-covid society.

The Divine Presence vs. the Spirit of Amalek This week's Torah portion of Terumah gives expression to the Creator's desire to be welcomed into this world – and this changes everything. The message of G-d's desire that we create a Mikdash – a sanctuary for His presence, first fulfilled with the desert tabernacle and later, through the Holy Temple in Jerusalem -- is a message of love and faith which infuses human existence with purpose and hope. This Shabbat of parashat Terumah is also the special Sabbath known as Shabbat Zachor, wherein, in preparation for the upcoming holiday of Purim, we will read an additional Torah reading: G-d's commandment to remember the evil Amalek, and to obliterate its memory from the face of the earth (Deut. 25:17​-19). As we discover in this week's Jerusalem Lights podcast, these two ideas are polar opposites. Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman conduct an exciting and moving exploration of the connection between Amalek's battle against G-d, and the true meaning of building a sanctuary for G-d in this world. ___ Rabbi Chaim Richman Jerusalem Lights | Torah for Everyone Please support the work of Jerusalem Lights, a USA recognized 501 ( c ) 3 non-profit organization to enable these productions to continue and grow: Paypal: infojerusalemlights@gmail.com or: https://paypal.me/JerusalemLights?loc...​ In the USA: Jerusalem Lights Inc. Post Office Box 16886 Lubbock Texas 79490. In Israel: Tel. 972 54 7000395 Mail: PO Box 23808, Jerusalem Israel Subscribe to our newsletter at https://www.rabbirichman.com​ Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUpV...​ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RabbiChaimRi...​

This Shabbat we begin reading the parshiyot about Avraham Avinu. Avraham was able to achieve the highest levels of chesed , to the point that our Rabbis teach, regarding Hashem creating the world, “אלה תולדות שמים וארץ בהבראם – אל תקרי בהבראם אלא באברהם ." We know Hashem built the world on chesed, as it says “עולם חסד יבנה”, and Avraham reached that great level of chesed that the world was founded upon. In general, there are two types of people who do chesed . One is a person who gives but his recipients feel a little bit of shame taking from him. The giver wants them to know that he went out of his way for them, and he is happy that they feel indebted to him for it. The second type of ba’al chesed takes himself entirely out of the picture. He is able to make his recipients feel no shame whatsoever. That is the greatest form of chesed. This was the chesed of Avraham Avinu. When his guests wanted to thank him for the meals he provided, he would tell them, “I did nothing. Hashem is the one who provided you with this meal. Your thank you should be directed only towards Him.” This was the level of the chesed that Rachel Imenu, whose yahrtzeit was yesterday, achieved when she gave the simanim over to her sister Leah. As can be seen from a later conversation between Rachel and Leah, Leah had no idea that Rachel gave her her husband Yaakov. Rachel knew that if Leah would have known that, she would have been ashamed her entire marriage to Yaakov. And so, Rachel was able to remove herself entirely from the picture. This type of chesed we learn from Hashem. We have a mitzvah called והלכת בדרכיו – to emulate Hashem. Hashem’s kindness is pure; He is only interested in us having the ultimate pleasure from His chesed . Every moment of the day, we are benefiting from Hashem’s kindness. He enables us to breathe, to talk, to think, to enjoy ourselves. And He does it in a way where we don’t feel like we are recipients of His chesed . If we want to eat or drink, we just go over to the pantry or to the refrigerator and take out what we want and consume it. Of course, we make a beracha , but we don’t feel like we are receiving chesed. In fact, it’s just the opposite. Hashem allows us to feel like we are the ones who own the food, and we are the ones who worked to get it. But it goes even further. Part of the responsibility of a ba’al chesed is when his recipient, at a later time, offers to do a chesed for him, although he doesn’t need it and he might prefer to turn it down, it is proper to accept it, just so that the recipient feels like he did something to pay him back. The Midrash asks in parashat Beha’alotecha , why did Hashem ask us to light the Menora ? After all He has all the light in the world. The Midrash answers, Hashem asked us to light the Menora for Him as a favor so we don’t feel beholden to Him for the light that He provided for us every single day in the desert for 40 years. Because of Hashem’s pure chesed, He doesn’t want us to feel like we owe. Yet we know, we are supposed to thank Him all the time. That is also a chesed of Hashem. Hashem tells us He loves when we say thank you to Him, to the point that He considers it a mitzvah when we say thank you. This way, we are able to feel like we are paying Hashem back. So, by saying thank you, we feel like we are paying Him. And, to top it all off, Hashem rewards us for those thank yous. All Hashem wants to do is give and give. Our entire purpose of being created is just to receive Hashem’s benevolence. We are working in this world just so that when we are rewarded for all eternity, we will feel like we earned it so we can get the greatest pleasure. We should all try as hard as we can to emulate Hashem and do chesed with others in its purest form. Shabbat Shalom.

This Shabbat is called Shabbat Shuva – the Shabbat of teshuva. We know we don’t repent for our sins on Shabbat, so why is it called the Shabbat of Repentance? The Yesod v’Shoresh HaAvodah brings the Chazal which says, whoever keeps Shabbat according to halacha will be forgiven for all his sins. At this time, we all need forgiveness. Our avonot have been piling up over the course of the year. If we will keep this Shabbat with all of its details, abstaining from melacha and business talk, sanctify the day with Torah study and enjoy the Shabbat the way it is meant to be enjoyed - that will be our zechut and that will give us mechila . During these days, teshuva is the mitzvah at hand. We need to think about what we did wrong and sincerely repent. As we know, in Hashem’s infinite mercy, He cleanses us from our sins through different forms of yissurin . Every little inconvenience we experience in this world helps us remove the blemishes from our souls. It's called kapara . The best way to remove those blemishes without yissurin is by doing teshuva . But there are certain averot that require more than teshuva for the sins to get erased. Yissurin come and finish off the job. We know yissurin help us immensely, we would much rather experience the temporary hardships in this world, rather than the eternal ones in the Next World. But we would also prefer to be cleansed without having to experience any pain at all. Rabbenu Yonah, in the fourth chapter of Sha’areh Teshuva gives us wondrous advice on how to avoid yissurin in this world and still get full atonement. Everyone wishes they could just end all the hardships they are experiencing, and this advice will help. First, he writes, giving tzedaka saves from yissurin and if a person can’t afford tzedaka , getting others to give will accomplish even more. Acts of kindness also take away yissurin . If someone invests his own time and energy into helping other people, that will take away from the suffering he was supposed to have. Whether he spends his time visiting a sick patient or helping someone organize an event for charity, or helping others with shidduchim and the like, every moment invested in chesed wards off yissurin. Torah study also takes the place of yissurin . Look at how kind Hashem is! Not only is learning Torah enjoyable, not only do we get rewarded for it, it even takes the place of suffering a person was supposed to get. Then Rabbenu Yonah writes further, if a person is already experiencing different types of hardship, but instead of complaining about it, he says, “Hashem I know this is best for me, I accept what you are doing to me with love.” That is a segula to prevent, in his words, “היסורין הרבים הראויים לבוא עליו - the abundant of afflictions that should have befallen him.” And he quotes a pasuk in Tehilim to prove it. This is an amazing segula . If someone, let’s say, has been out of a job and suffering tremendously from it, it might very well be possible for his own good that he needs to be out of a job for a few more months, but if he’ll say, “Hashem, thank You for putting me through this. It must be I needed this to cleanse myself. And in Your infinite kindness, You’re allowing me to purify myself in this world.” Those words, with sincerity, can remove the necessity for the additional months of being jobless. Those words are so powerful, they take the place of the potential suffering that should have come. Then Hashem will open his eyes to find a job to work at. The same is true for all yissurin . Accepting them with happiness stops the remainders from coming. The main thing is, we want to be the pure children of Hashem we are supposed to be. If we could make teshuva , keep Shabbat properly, do additional good deeds and be satisfied with the way Hashem deals with us, we’ll become purified and we will be able to enjoy this world and the Next. Shabbat Shalom.

The parashah is Ha'azinu, Deuteronomy 32. This Shabbat is also known as Shabbat Shuvah, the Shabbat of Return, after the 1st word of the haftarah, Hosea 14:2. The close connection between the word shuvah and t'shuvah [commonly translated as repentance] has been explored in biblical interpretation and Jewish theology for hundreds of years! We discuss some verses from the weekly Torah reading, some verses from the haftarah [Hosea 14:2-10, Micah 7:18-20, Joel 2:15-27] talk about Moses near the end of his life, and touch upon some other issues, all in a half an hour or so! With best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom and G'mar Chatimah Tovah, a good seal in the Book of Life on Yom Kippur!

Change Your Spiritual DNA/ How Does Torah Define Sin, and What Makes Repentance Real? In this week's Torah portion of Ha'azinu, Moshe calls upon heaven and earth to bear witness, as he delivers his prophetic song of rebuke, consolation, and ultimate redemption. This Shabbat is known as the ‘Sabbath of Repentance,' and Yom Kippur, the awesome Day of Atonement will be observed this coming Sunday night – Monday, September 27-28. May non-Jews also participate in Yom Kippur observance? Absolutely yes! Our hosts discuss the concept of Yom Kippur forgiveness and atonement…. but how does Torah define sin, and what constitutes true and sincere repentance? Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman begin to prepare for Yom Kippur with illuminating insights into the nature of sin and the fine art of repentance – a gift G-d gives to man which can literally help us become new people. May we all be sealed in the Book of Life for a long life of health and every blessing, amen! A Good and Sweet New Year to all! -- Rabbi Chaim Richman Jerusalem Lights | Torah for Everyone Donate to help support the work of Jerusalem Lights at infojerusalemlights@gmail.com or: https://paypal.me/JerusalemLights?locale.x=en_US Subscribe to our newsletter at www.rabbirichman.com Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUpVZ_6uuXGnknp2dJD6pSA/featured Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RabbiChaimRichman/ In the USA: Jerusalem Lights Inc. Post Office Box 16886 Lubbock Texas 79490. In Israel: Tel 972 54 7000395 Mail: PO Box 23808, Jerusalem Israel

The pasuk says in Tehillim , "תקעו בחודש שופר בכסה ליום חגינו-Blow the shofar….at the appointed time of our festival." The first letters of the words ת קעו ב חודש ש ופר spell ShaBaT. On a year when Rosh Hashanah falls out on Shabbat, the shofar is כסה – it is hidden, because we don’t blow it on that day. Our Rabbis were worried that perhaps someone may come to carry the shofar and violate Shabbat, and so they said we should abstain from blowing it. The question was asked, how could our Rabbis be willing to lose out on this enormous mitzvah which comes just once a year for a distant concern that perhaps someone may come to inadvertently carry the shofar. The shofar is the vehicle which arouses Hashem’s mercy. It causes Him to sit on His Throne of Mercy. It confuses the Satan. When he sees us embracing the mitzvah by blowing it so many times in so many ways, both standing and sitting, he’s no longer able to prosecute against us. Moreover, it invokes the zechut of Akedat Yitzchak . Some answer, when Hashem sees how much we are willing to give up, showing Him how much we value Shabbat, that is an even greater zechut . We are so concerned about Hashem’s honor, we don’t want His precious Shabbat to be violated. Others say, on a year when Rosh Hashanah falls out on Shabbat, in the zechut of our keeping Shabbat, Shabbat itself advocates on our behalf to Hashem to give us a good judgment. In order for each individual to have that zechut , he has to be someone who keeps and honors Shabbat. This Shabbat is the last one of the year. We still have a chance to gain its merits and have it advocate on our behalf. Let us do our best to keep this Shabbat the way that it is meant to be kept. Hashem gave us all of the mitzvot to benefit us, like it says לטוב לך , and Shabbat is no different. Besides for the natural physical pleasure we automatically derive by cutting ourselves off from the mundane part of the world and experiencing true menucha , there is also an abundance of other blessings that comes along with keeping Shabbat. The Gemara in Masechet Shabbat (119) tells us about people who merited to have untold wealth because of the honor that they accorded Shabbat. The pasuk says, "ויברך אלוקים את יום השביעי ויקדש אותו – Hashem blessed Shabbat and sanctified it." We understand how Shabbat is sanctified, but where is the blessing in that day? It is the only day that we are not allowed to work!? The Zohar HaKadosh teaches us, Shabbat is the wellspring that pours the blessings into the other six days of the week. We say it every Shabbat in Lecha Dodi, Shabbat is the מקור הברכה – it is the source of our blessings. It's a secret blessing between us and Hashem. Rabbi Zamir Cohen explained, the root of the word ברכה-blessing is בר"כ - Bet Resh Kaf . Bet has a numerical value of 2, Kaf is 20 and Resh is 200. These are the only three letters in the Alef Bet that are double their preceding letter, Bet is double Alef , Kaf is double Yud and Resh is double Kuf . To have blessing in one’s money is to have a hundred and be able to spend it as if you have 200. How so? Someone who has blessing will not have to spend his money on side expenses like a leak in the roof or a root canal or any other additional expenses that come up in life. He could be earning $100,000, but use it as if he’s making $200,000 because Hashem gives him blessing and saves him from so many potential expenses. You could have someone else earning $200,000 but he’s spending it as if he earned $100,000 because he has so many unexpected outside expenses. Shabbat is what gives blessing to our money. Let us take advantage of this final Shabbat of year 5780. Keep all of the halachot , honor it to the best of our ability and b’ezrat Hashem, in that zechut , the Shabbat will advocate for us to have a happy and blessed year. Shabbat Shalom.

This Shabbat will begin a new sefer, Bamidbar, and the opening pasuk says that Hashem spoke to Moshe “במדבר סיני באהל מועד.” The Torah here wants to convey that Hashem spoke to Moshe and it also wants to convey where that took place – in the Ohel Moed . But of what significance is it for the Torah to mention that they happened to be in the desert at that time? The Gemara says Hashem created the entire world in order for the Jewish People to accept the Torah. Matan Torah was the most monumental event in all of history. Why did Hashem give us the Torah in the desert? Seemingly, it should have been in the most exotic place in the world. And which mountain did Hashem choose to give it upon? Har Sinai, the lowest and simplest mountain of all. Hashem was teaching us here, the way that a person will be able to build himself spiritually and achieve greatness in Torah is through the character trait of humility. The desert has nothing to brag about. Har Sinai has nothing to brag about. That is why those were the places most fit to have the Torah given upon.The Torah is telling us here, in this first pasuk in Bamidbar, the reason why Hashem chose Moshe is because he considered himself like a desert, as it says, “והאיש משה ענו מאד – Moshe was exceedingly humble." The Shaareh Kedusha writes, anyone who works on himself on the mida of humility will merit to have the Shechina dwell with him, just like Hashem dwelt with Moshe. We find people who have so much Heavenly help and they are loved by all. What is the secret to their success? It’s very simple, they possess real humility and, as a result, Hashem gives them chen and He helps them with all their endeavors. A person is naturally haughty, but he’s obligated to uproot that haughtiness. Chazal tell us, Hashem will not dwell together in the same place as a baal ga’avah ; He will only rest His Presence with the humble ones. What wouldn’t a person do to get more Siyata D’Shamaya? Here, Chazal are teaching us the way. We have to recognize, we do not deserve any respect or honor for anything that we do or possess. Everything we have is a gift from Hashem- money, wisdom, talent, charisma. If anything, someone who is blessed with talents should feel even more humbled, thinking that he’s underachieving with the gifts that Hashem gave him. He should be humbled, thinking, what did I do to deserve such chesed from Hashem? If a person even gets insulted from the way he is treated by another individual, then he is still lacking in humility. If a person feels he should be recognized more for his accomplishments, he is still lacking in humility. To become humble requires a great deal of mental toil. For a person to convince himself that he has nothing of his own, everything is lent to him by Hashem for a purpose. The more we believe it, the less we’ll be affected by the way other people treat us. The Reishit Chochma writes in Shaar Anava (83:11), if someone will possess the mida of humility, and become a person who doesn’t get offended from other people’s comments, or someone who is able to be shamed and not reply, immediately Hashem will rest His Shechina upon him and he’ll no longer need people to learn from because the spirit of Hashem will teach him everything he needs to know. We can bring so much blessing into our lives if we can become more humble. It will also bring us so much kedusha and tahara and it’ll make us receptacles to absorb Torah and grow from it the way that Hashem wants us to grow from it. The Zohar HaKadosh told a story about Rabbi Abba who once noticed a man resting beneath a mountain. A giant snake approached him to attack and, suddenly, a reptile emerged from the mountain and killed it. The man lying there was totally unaware of the miracle that just took place for him. After he woke up and walked away, the ledge that he was resting under collapsed and fell right in the spot that he was in. Realizing this man was saved miraculously twice, Rabbi Abba approached him and asked him what his secret to having such Siyata D’Shamaya was? The man replied, his entire life, whenever anyone hurt him in any way, he would always forgive that person, not only outwardly but even in his heart. He would go out of his way to help that person, the one who insulted him, in the best way that he could. When Rabbi Abba heard those words, he said, “Wow, how great is this person’s deeds. It is fitting that Hashem should be making miracles for him. Everyone can reach this level. If we work hard on it and ask Hashem for Siyata D’Shamaya to help us, then b’ezrat Hashem , we’ll be successful in it. Shabbat Shalom.

This Shabbat we read the double Torah portion of Acharei Mot and Kedoshim. The first portion deals with instructions for Aaron the High Priest after the death of his sons. He is given instructions for the Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) service and then we have a seeming disconnect when a long list of prohibited sexual relationships are given. Can we find a connection between the High Priest, these prohibited acts, and a command to be holy? Listen in as Rav Yitzchak and William discuss the thread that ties them all together, as we all strive toward holiness. The Science of Kabbalah 28APR2020 - PODCAST

On Tuesday, April 21 , 2020 the United States will remember the Holocaust where approximately 6 million Jews were persecuted, assaulted, enslaved in labor camps and ultimately burned in the ovens of Hitler’s Third Reich. This Shabbat, we will take a brief look at four biblical areas related to the Holocaust.

On Tuesday, April 21 , 2020 the United States will remember the Holocaust where approximately 6 million Jews were persecuted, assaulted, enslaved in labor camps and ultimately burned in the ovens of Hitler's Third Reich. This Shabbat, we will take a brief look at four biblical areas related to the Holocaust.

Have you noticed how easy it is to passionately seek God during difficult times but easy to lose this urgency during times of comfort? This Shabbat, Rabbi Kevin Solomon reminds us that we must remember the compassion God provided during difficult times while we are experiencing favor. Eating matzah, the bread of affliction, should remind us of God's provision of salvation from Egypt and sin. Reminders like matzah can help renew our devotion to Hashem. Key scriptures: https://www.bible.com/bible/111/deu.16.2 (Deut. 16:2); https://www.bible.com/bible/111/2CH.30.NIV (2 Chron. 30:3, 6); https://www.bible.com/bible/111/luk.22.19 (Luke 22:19) http://www.bethhallel.org/CMS/programs/prayer/prayer-requests/ (Prayer Requests) or send an email to info@bethhallel.org CBH Website https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=FBVL4JZH8HVS4&fbclid=IwAR19RR1jdV7cK1mqt1MRWavfjLiipHtYnSv97g8u3s09JWM2q-pDtq90pcA (Donate) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7EfRTmLFyvapAVb7q64PoA (YouTube Channel) Support this podcast

This Shabbat we read two Torah portions, to keep us on track for the year, so we have two separate podcasts for March 19th. Looking at an ancient translation of the Torah we examine the question, what is holiness, and how do we connect with holiness? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dear Friends, This Shabbat, many synagogues will be empty as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. In this D'var Torah, broadcast earlier today on Facebook and Instagram from my home in London, I explored what we can learn about the current state of the world from this week's double parsha of Vayakhel-Pekudei. I hope you don't mind us sharing this with you, in addition to this week’s Covenant & Conversation. Wishing you and your family a safe, healthy and meaningful Shabbat. Shabbat shalom, Rabbi Sacks

This Shabbat every Jew is shown a vision of the Third Temple. The purpose of this vision is to inspire us to live with the reality of Moshiach. In a moment, we'll see the third Temple in Jerusalem, and all of our dreams will be the reality, let's get ready!

Traveling needs the right mindset! Priorities, Focus and planning how to use time effectively is the key! This Shabbat before we travel we enjoyed Homemade Whole-wheat Chollas in the shapes of Keys opening up the new Divine Abundance with the new grain etc, bottom line getting a shefer filled new opportunities with open balanced unified mindset :)! Please join, follow, share and support - https://www.patreon.com/posts/26513290 #unified #projects ! unityinspiresprojects@gmail.com wishes everyone a Shefer filled #safetravels #familyfirst #keyshapechallah #eliinUK #instagood #shalombayis #truekey #lchaim :) #inlondon #newweek !

The Value of Shabbat Preparation At first glance, the concept of “preparing for Shabbat” seems like a very simple, practical matter. Food and other necessities need to be prepared ahead of time, before the onset of Shabbat, and so it needs to get done. If one has people working for him, he can have them make the necessary preparations, and if not, then he needs to do the work himself, but the main thing is that preparations are made in time. From the teachings of our Sages, however, it is clear that this perspective is fundamentally incorrect. The Talmud tells of great Rabbis who had servants working for them but nevertheless made a point of preparing the food for Shabbat themselves. Indeed, the Shulhan Aruch rules that one should personally involve himself in Shabbat preparations, even if he has a full staff of housekeepers capable of making all the preparations for him. Why is it so important to personally get involved in the process of preparing the home for Shabbat? Rav Yerucham Levovitz explained that preparation is an indispensable prerequisite for receiving any kind of inspiration, and for reaching any kind of significant achievement. He notes the Rambam's comments regarding prophecy, which could not be achieved without preparation. The Rambam specifies the kinds of preparation prophets needed to make in order to receive prophecy, and emphasizes that prophecy was an outright impossibility until all these stages of preparation were completed. Rav Yerucham explained that the need for preparation is built into the nature of the world. Just as we feel hungry when we do not eat, and we feel satiated when we eat, similarly, one cannot access prophecy without the required preparations, and is able to access prophecy after making those preparations. No kedushah (holiness) or spiritual growth can be achieved without putting in the work to prepare for it. This is true of the Yamim Noraim (High Holidays), as well. We gain inspiration from them, and grow from the experience, only if we prepare ahead of time, thinking about the themes and messages of these holidays and putting in the effort to apply those concepts. Once we make this effort, Hashem sends us His help and we will feel elevated and inspired. In developing this principle, Rav Yerucham writes: כל עבודת האדם היא רק להיות מוכן. כי הרי בההכנה, כל אחד לפי כוחותיו, הרי משרה עליו רוח שכינה מן מעלה. “All a person's work is just to be prepared, for through the preparation, each person according to his capabilities, one brings upon himself the spirit of the Divine Presence from above. This is how we bring kedushah (sanctity) upon ourselves – through preparation. When it comes to Shabbat, preparing means both spiritual preparation – through preparing divreh Torah and contemplating the messages of Shabbat – as well as the “down-to-earth” preparations, such as preparing food and preparing the home. Even these simple acts of cooking and cleaning are immensely valuable and significant. The Gemara in Masechet Yoma comments that Avraham Avinu observed the entire Torah, even though it had not yet been given, and the Gemara adds that Avraham observed even the law of עירוב תבשילין . This law applies when Yom Tov falls on Friday, providing a permissible way to prepare for Shabbat on Friday. Although it is forbidden to prepare on Yom Tov for the next day, the law of עירוב תבשילין states that if one prepares some food before Yom Tov for Shabbat, then he is allowed to prepare further for Shabbat even on Yom Tov. By setting aside some food for Shabbat before Yom Tov, one is considered as having already begun his Shabbat preparations, thus allowing him to continue preparing thereafter. The message behind this law, as Rav Yerucham explains, is that it takes just a small, simple act to bring ourselves to the lofty level of Shabbat preparation, and this is something which Avraham intuitively understood even before the Torah was given. Even seemingly simple acts can elevate us to the level where we can absorb kedushah . And the more we involve ourselves in the preparation, the greater the impact will be. The more we show our yearning for Shabbat, our respect for Shabbat, and our anticipation of Shabbat by actively preparing for it, the more kedushah will be bestowed upon us. Every Shabbat, we receive a נשמה יתירה (“additional soul”), a special spirit of holiness, and the magnitude of this spiritual impact is proportional to the extent of our preparation ahead of time. Rav Yechezkel Sarna, the famed Rosh Yeshiva of the Chevron Yeshiva, noted that just as Hazal compared our world to an anteroom leading to a banquet hall – the world to come – similarly, the six days of the workweek are the “anteroom” leading to Shabbat, which resembles a banquet hall. Therefore, just as we are bidden to prepare ourselves in this world so we can reap the benefits of the next world, we must likewise prepare ourselves during the workweek so we can reap the great spiritual benefits of Shabbat. And the harder we work to prepare, the greater the benefits that we will reap. For this reason, Rav Sarna explained, Hazal teach, מי שטרח בערב שבת יאכל בשבת – “Whoever toiled on Erev Shabbat will eat on Shabbat.” They speak here not simply of preparing, but of “toiling.” The key is the hard work and effort that we invest in preparing. The harder we work, the more we will receive from the Shabbat experience. While this message is relevant and vitally important every week, it assumes special significance as we prepare for Shabbat Shuvah, the Shabbat between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Tradition teaches that the angels which we will welcome into our homes on Shabbat are the angels created through the mitzvot we had performed during the previous week. On Rosh Hashanah we performed special mitzvot , such as listening to the shofar , reciting the special prayers, and engaging in introspection and teshuvah . As such, we have special angels that come to be with us on the Shabbat after Rosh Hashanah. And, on Shabbat Shuvah we read a special haftarah , the prophet's proclamation of שובה ישראל עד ה' אלוקיך , calling upon us to repent and assuring us that our repentance is capable of penetrating the heavens and reaching the Divine Throne. This Shabbat offers us a special opportunity to achieve kedushah , more so than ordinary Shabbatot, and the more we prepare for it, the more we will be able to reap the unique benefits available to us on this Shabbat. Additionally, our Rabbis teach us that each day of the Ten Days of Repentance offers us the opportunity to correct and atone for our misdeeds on that day of the week throughout the previous year. This means that on Shabbat Shuvah, we are able to retroactively perfect all the Shabbatot of the previous year, and reverse all the mistakes we may have made with respect to proper Shabbat observance. This is a very special Shabbat, and so we must pay extra attention to our preparations, in terms of both our spiritual preparations and the “mundane” preparations of food and the like. The more of an effort we invest in these preparations, the more we will benefit from the unique opportunities offered by this especially holy and significant Shabbat.

What do we do when the enemy comes looking for us? Why do we remember the difficulties of our ancestors even now? This Shabbat is Shabbat Zachor, a Shabbat of Remembering. What do we remember, and why?   Thanks for listening to the Torah of Life podcast, your home for transformational wisdom from a Jewish lens. We'll be back very soon with the next episode! Shabbat Shalom!  

The Parasha (Story) of VaYak'hel – Pekudei, After the Sin of The Golden Calf, it is time to learn how to grow and build our lives inspite of the imperfections around us. This Shabbat is called Shabbat HaHodesh since we add a reading from a 2nd Torah from Exodus Ch. 12 about the Blessing of the New Moon. This is in order to start the journey towards Pesah that is starting on the Shabbat before the New Moon of Nisan. Shavua Tov!

This Shabbat is not only Parshat Beshalach but is also Tu BShvat, the “New Year” for the trees. Over the past 2000 years, this day has undergone a remarkable transformation in how it is commemorated. In this podcast, Rabbi Meir … Read the rest The post Tu B'Shvat: Celebrating Renewal, Yearning for Redemption first appeared on Elmad Online Learning. Continue reading Tu B’Shvat: Celebrating Renewal, Yearning for Redemption at Elmad Online Learning.

This Shabbat, Rabbi Silverman discusses the Holiday of Chanukah.

This Shabbat, Parashat Nitsavim comes before the month of Libra - the preparation for the New Year.

This Shabbat, Parashat Ki-Tetse comes always at the the month of Virgo – the preparation for the New Year.

This Shabbat, Parashat Ekev and it is about achieving True Success & True Fulfilment.

This Shabbat, Parashat Shoftim comes always at the beginning of the month of Virgo - the preparation for the New Year.