Podcasts about Tikkun

Hafeez Lakhani was born in Hyderabad, India and raised in suburban South Florida. His fiction and essays have appeared in Crazyhorse, Exposition Review, Salt Hill, Tikkun, The Cortland Review, and The Southern Review, and have garnered fellowships from PEN America and The Center for Fiction. He was twice recognized with a Notable Essay in Best American Essays and twice nominated for a Pushcart Prize. He was profiled by the Huffington Post as one of “Eight Fantastic New Writers to Look Out For.” His debut novel, Abundance, following five members of an American Muslim family across Miami, New York, Monaco, and Gujarat, was a People Magazine Most Anticipated Book of 2026. Hafeez and Barbara DeMarco-Barrett talk about how he knew the novel idea had legs and how he committed to it for the long haul: 12 years in the making! They also talk about when you know a novel is done, how to use your critique groups' feedback, using a Venn diagram, not going to an MFA program, and much more. For more information on Writers on Writing and to become a supporter, visit our Patreon page. For a one-time donation, visit Ko-fi. You can help out the show and indie bookstores by buying books at our bookstore on bookshop.org. It's stocked with titles by our guest authors, as well as our personal favorites. And on Spotify, you'll find an album's worth of typewriter music like what you hear on the show. It's perfect for writing. Look for the artist, Just My Type. You can find hundreds of past interviews on our website. (Recorded on April 28, 2026) Host: Barbara DeMarco-Barrett Host: Marrie Stone Music: Travis Barrett (Stream his music on Spotify, Apple Music, Etc.)    

Plenary session with guest speakers Rabbi Elliot Dorff and Rabbi Sharon Brous of IKAR, at Temple Beth Am, Los Angeles, May 21, 2026. (Youtube)Special Guests: Rabbi Elliot Dorff and Rabbi Sharon Brous.

Shavuot Tikkun break-out session with Rabbi Matt Shapiro of Temple Beth Am, and Rabbi Deborah Silver of IKAR, at Temple Beth Am, Los Angeles, May 21, 2026. (Youtube)Special Guests: Rabbi Deborah Silver and Rabbi Matt Shapiro.

There is a time-honored tradition to remain awake throughout the night of Shabuot and read the special "Tikkun Lel Shabuot" text that is printed in the Mahzorim. Hacham Ben Sion Abba Shaul (Israel, 1924-1998), in his work Or Le'siyon (vol. 3, 18:11), discusses the importance of this custom and presents numerous laws and guidelines relevant to the proper observance of this special occasion (listen to audio clip for precise citation). First, he mentions that even learned men who prefer studying Gemara must set aside their Talmudic studies in order to read the text of the Tikkun Lel Shabuot. If time remains after they complete the Tikkun, they may then study other material that they find more enjoyable. In Yeshivot, Hacham Ben Sion writes, students should follow the instructions of their Rosh Yeshiva in this regard. He also emphasizes that one should read the Tikkun even if he does not understand some sections of the service. Even if one plans to remain awake throughout the night, he should nevertheless recite the Keri'at Shema Al Ha'mita before Hassot (midnight as defined by Halacha). Already after Hassot, one may recite all the morning Berachot, with the exception of "Al Netilat Yadayim" and Birkot Ha'Torah. One should make a point to use the bathroom at some point before morning in order to be able to recite "Asher Yasar." At the point in the pre-dawn hours when it is uncertain whether Alot Ha'shahar (daybreak, the first appearance of light in the eastern sky) has occurred, one should discontinue his Torah learning. He should instead either immerse in a Mikveh or sing songs of praise until Alot Ha'shahar. After Alot Ha'shahar, one should wash his hands in preparation for prayer, but without reciting a Beracha. He then must recite Birkat HaTorah. Hacham Ben Sion cites in this context a passage in the work Sha'ar Ha'kavanot, which comments that whoever remains awake and diligently involves himself in Torah study throughout this night is guaranteed to survive the entire next year and to avoid all harm. Nevertheless, one should make a point of studying "Li'shmah" – with the proper motivation, out of sincere love for and commitment to Torah learning, and not to receive reward. Hacham Ben Sion also warns that sitting idly or engaging in meaningless chatter is no better than sleeping. It is therefore imperative to ensure to spend the entire night engrossed in Torah learning, and not in any other activities. In particular, one must avoid idle conversation inside the synagogue. Hacham Ben Sion also cites a comment from the Zohar that emphasizes the importance of studying with joy and fervor, in reward for which one is blessed with seventy blessings. The Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909) similarly stressed the importance of studying on this night with great enthusiasm and what he termed "purity of heart." Furthermore, on the festival of Shabuot God decrees how many "Hiddushim" (new insights) each individual will be privileged to develop during the coming year, which is determined based on the level of one's intensive study on Shabuot. Hacham Ben Sion writes that when we speak of Shabuot as "the day of the giving of the Torah," we refer not merely to the historical event of Matan Torah, but rather of the process that is renewed each year on this day. God grants a person on Shabuot the ability to think of new Torah insights, and one must therefore pray on Shabuot for Torah knowledge and the wisdom to understand to the best of his soul's capability, and also try to think of "Hiddushim" during his study on Shabuot. During the day of Shabuot, too, one should try to minimize his sleeping in order to spend as much time as possible involved in Torah learning. Every moment spent learning on Shabuot earns a person reward, and one must not squander this opportunity. In fact, there were great Rabbis who would not sleep at all on Shabuot; after remaining awake throughout the night, they would simply continue learning through the day of Shabuot. The Hid"a (Rav Haim Yosef David Azulai, 1724-1806) likewise advises against indulging in sleep on the day of Shabuot. He also emphasizes that one must ensure not to fall asleep during the prayer service. Finally, one should also devote himself to Torah study with extra vigor and diligence during the "Sheloshet Yemeh Hagbala" – the three days of preparation prior to Shabuot. Just as in the wilderness Beneh Yisrael were instructed to abstain from relations and prepare themselves for three days prior to Matan Torah, so must we increase our efforts to learn Torah and minimize our physical indulgence during these three days. Hacham Ben Sion writes that the level of inspiration one receives from the experience of Shabuot depends on the amount of effort he exerted during the three previous days to prepare for this great experience.

Hafeez Lakhani was born in Hyderabad, India and raised in suburban South Florida. His novel is called Abundance. His fiction and essays have appeared in Crazyhorse, Exposition Review, Salt Hill, Tikkun, The Cortland Review, and The Southern Review, among other places, and have garnered fellowships from PEN America and The Center for Fiction. He was twice recognized with a Notable Essay in Best American Essays and twice nominated for a Pushcart Prize. After publishing his essay, If We Show That We Like They Make More Mainga, he was profiled by the Huffington Post as one of “Eight Fantastic New Writers To Look Out For”. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is an old custom to stay awake and study Torah all night on the eve of Shavuot. Many recite the Tikkun, a collection of readings from the written and oral Torahs. Where did this custom originate, and what is the reason for it?A fascinating discussion about the custom of staying awake on Shavuot Night

This class explores the custom of Tikkun Leil Shavuot, its origins, and deeper meaning. It discusses how responding to negativity with holiness, the act of counting, and unity among Jews all relate to preparing for receiving the Torah and fulfilling our collective mission. https://www.torahrecordings.com/classes/by_month/010_sivan/Shavuot_001

The Gemara in Masechet Berachot (3a) teaches that the night is divided into three periods, and at the points when one period leads to the other, Hashem "roars like a lion," bemoaning the fact that our sins compelled him to destroy the Bet Ha'mikdash. The Bet Yosef brings from earlier sources that it is proper to join Hashem at those moments and lament the destruction of the Bet Ha'mikdash. The Kabbalists, however, determined that this should be done at the point of Hasot, halachic midnight. This is the time best suited to mourn the destruction of the Bet Ha'mikdash, the Jewish People's dispersion, and the death of the righteous Sadikim. The Kabbalists taught that it is especially important not to sleep at the moment of Hasot, as this brings upon the person a certain level of impurity. For many generations, the practice of Tikkun Hasot – reciting a special prayer mourning the destruction of the Bet Ha'mikdash at Hasot – was observed by the Sadikim. There are accounts of how the synagogue in Halab (Aleppo, Syria) would be filled at Hasot by men reciting Tikkun Hasot and then remaining to learn Torah. Tikkun Hasot is normally recited in a manner reflecting mourning – on the floor, without shoes, wearing sackcloth, with ashes on one's head, and crying loudly. Hacham Baruch Ben-Haim shared with us his memories of his father reciting Tikkun Hasot while sitting on the floor. People in our community remember seeing Hacham Shaul Kassin crying on the floor while reciting Tikkun Hasot. I had the opportunity to join the special Thursday night Tikkun Hasot service led by Rav Benayahu Shmueli in Jerusalem, near the Temple Mount, in close proximity to the site of the Kodesh Ha'kodashim (the inner sanctum of the Bet Ha'mikdash). For two hours, the small group of Rabbis sit on the floor, weep, and sing, beseeching Hashem to rebuild the Bet Ha'mikdash. Although Tikkun Hasot is not required as a strict Halachic obligation, Hacham Ovadia Yosef writes that one who is in any event awake shortly before Hasot should certainly remain awake a bit longer in order to recite Tikkun Hasot. It should be noted the during the winter months, Hasot is around 11:30-11:45pm, which is not very late for many people, and so it is certainly worthwhile for those who are awake at that time to recite this special prayer. Halachic Hasot is defined as the midway point between sunset and sunrise. Some claimed that Hacham Ovadia Yosef permitted during Elul reciting Selihot – which may not be recited prior to Hasot – after the time of Hasot in Jerusalem, wherever one is located. This would mean that in New York, for example, it would be permissible to recite Selihot already in the late afternoon hours. However, Rav Yisrael Bitan writes that these reports are unreliable. Nevertheless, with regard to Tikkun Hasot, Rav Bitan cites Hacham David Yosef as ruling in Halacha Berura that there is room to allow reciting Tikkun Hasot shortly before midnight in areas west of Eretz Yisrael. There is a view among the Poskim that permits reciting Tikkun Hasot even before Hasot, and so although we do not follow this opinion, we can combine this lenient ruling with the possibility that the time of Hasot depends on the moment of Hasot in Jerusalem. Since in any event Tikkun Hasot is not required as a strict Halachic obligation, there is room to rely on these two lenient positions to permit reciting Tikkun Hasot even before halachic midnight, if it is after Hasot in Jerusalem.

Slushies, you could be forgiven this week for thinking you've tuned in to a different podcast. One about gardening, maybe? Or perhaps you've stumbled across a punctuation pod? But it's just your usual team ranging wherever the poems might take us.    Today we're discussing poems by Annie Kantar. The first, “Wolf Peach,” has us pondering folklore, the toxicity of nightshades, and dreaming of our favorite shakshuka. We draw on Dagne's well of gardening knowledge. The second poem spurs our deep regard for an overlooked punctuation mark with charm and humor. How many ways can you appreciate an apostrophe, that little curve that lets us skip syllables? Lisa cracks open her copy of Edward Hirch's The Essential Poet's Glossary to share a definition. Kathy thinks PBQ readers are similarly language-obsessed and will appreciate the extent of our punctuation celebration.    We end the episode with a cliffhanger. You'll have to keep listening to hear how it all plays out. Sam signs off with a recommendation of the latest from Ben Lerner, Transcription. Join us in offering a big PBQ welcome to our newest co-op, Reese Pfunder! Thanks, as always, for listening.   At the table: Dagne Forrest, Tobi Kassim, Samantha Neugebauer, Reese Pfunder, Kathleen Volk Miller, Lisa Zerkle, Lillie Volpe (sound engineer) Author Bio: Annie Kantar is the author of Means to Be Lucky (Poets & Traitors Press), translator of the Book of Job (Koren), and of Leah Goldberg's collection of poems, With This Night (University of Texas Press), which was shortlisted for the ALTA Prize. Her work has appeared in journals such as The American Literary Review, Barrow Street, Bennington Review, Birmingham Poetry Review, Cincinnati Review, Forma, Gulf Coast, Literary Imagination, On the Seawall, Painted Bride Quarterly, Poetry Daily, Poetry International, Rattle, Smartish Pace, Tikkun and Verse Daily, and anthologized in Plume Anthology (Canisy Press), The Art of Poetry (Classical Academic Press), and elsewhere.   WOLF PEACH Once deemed capable  of turning people   into monsters, the inside    of the tomato is dark,  no matter how vivid,    how vitamin-rich.   Darkness is everywhere and they say if I open    my eyes to the shadow,    I'll see reality as it is. Even war has its beauty,   cruelty its place;    learn to live with it,  don't be fooled:   the Peach that bursts   in its own sugars, disappearing in cobblers and pies,   could beget a tomato,   and has made horrors of unsuspecting gardeners.    Know its fat blank face,    its bloodthirst, lest you end up like   the Good Egg,    conjurer of casseroles  for funerals and bedsides, that storybook apple   of everyone's eye. All the darkness in the world    surrounds her sunny inside,   but she loses every time. Still the peach is a peach, and the shakshuka shakshuka Mar. 2026, after Aharon Shabtai APOSTROPHE Shape of an ear in the corner  of a word, a speck  frequently misplaced;    signal of elision,  shortcut to what's been said  or couldn't have been   otherwise, a desire for cadence, synonym for address (don't forget where   you're headed), receptacle for a voice, oracle, or friend;  informal; a way of getting    to the point; a getting-of-drift, destination; a means an end a hand's    c'mon, teardrop, side eye;  infinite yet contained, say,  if God were part person    or sea; the sea; syllable skipper,  well-wisher, absent entity, substitute, metonymy    for knowing, a wild guess, an exclamation implicit for is and its opposite. OLD STORY  What was it, the word she loved, what she called the most important thing?  Incapable of saying   whether it continued through th- - - or ended    in a lisping omission,  her grandson my grandfather the doctor    learned to nod: yes, of course, it's all that matters.   She had soft hands, they walked beside it: sometimes it seems no more than a surface    you could walk across, but then you step in    and the water drops off, deeper than you imagined. . .  Whether he was talking about the lake or    her old world accent, I can't say; either way,    you know how it goes—soon it was too late to admit he didn't understand.   Their walks followed the entire circumference,    whose center was that one inscrutable truth  she'd put on repeat, blurred by an inaudible h or e   (or was it an i)? He was a big boy, and by the time       he had to go, as faith or fate would have it, he no longer needed to know.

Rabbi Feiner shiurim

Czy kiedykolwiek czułaś, że czegoś Ci brakuje? Że jesteś w drodze do stania się lepszą, bardziej gotową lub bardziej „wystarczającą” wersją siebie? W tym poruszającym odcinku odkrywam prawdę, która ma moc całkowitej transformacji: już teraz jesteś całością.Inspirując się naukami Kursu Cudów oraz Kabały, zagłębiam się w zrozumienie iluzji braku i oddzielenia. Dowiesz się, czym jest koncepcja Ein Sof -> nieskończonego Źródła, z którego wszyscy pochodzimy oraz jak Tikkun wspiera rozwój naszej duszy poprzez życiowe doświadczenia. Porozmawiamy również o stanie bitachon, czyli głębokim zaufaniu do Boskiego planu, oraz o cudzie jako zmianie percepcji z lęku do miłości.Ten odcinek jest zaproszeniem do powrotu do swojej prawdziwej natury pełnej, doskonałej i nienaruszalnej. Odkryjesz, jak uznanie własnej kompletności wpływa na relacje, decyzje i sposób tworzenia w świecie, pozwalając żyć z poziomu miłości zamiast braku.✨ W tym odcinku usłyszysz:Dlaczego poczucie braku jest iluzją stworzoną przez umysłJak Kurs Cudów i Kabała prowadzą do tej samej duchowej prawdyJak zmiana percepcji otwiera przestrzeń dla cudówW jaki sposób uznanie swojej pełni transformuje życie i biznesJeśli ten odcinek poruszy Twoje serce, podziel się nim z osobami, które również potrzebują przypomnienia o swojej wewnętrznej pełni.Pobierz specjalne nagranie, które pozwala Ci się osadzać w prawdzie:https://www.malgosiaklonowska.com/medytacja

In this conversation, Akiva shares what Torah actually teaches about animal welfare, environmental stewardship, and our responsibility to all living beings. We explore the Kabbalistic understanding of food and spiritual elevation, why so many rabbis who are vegetarian or vegan keep it to themselves, and what conscious eating has to do with the soul.We also talk about the relationship between inner work and outer activism, the power of silence — in the desert, at the Shabbat table, and in meditation — and the profound Jewish teaching that the sin of Adam and Eve wasn't what they ate, but how they ate.Whether you're Jewish or not, vegan or not, this episode will change the way you think about what you put on your plate — and why it matters.

Doug Scott examines Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's March 25 Pentagon prayer—asking God for “every round” to find its mark—and argues it reveals a dangerous politicized liturgy that sanctifies annihilation, misuses Christ's name, and feeds a planetary thought-form he calls the Great BASH. Scott traces the theological, psychological, and institutional stakes, contrasts this moment with Francis of Assisi's encounter with the Sultan, and urges readers to recognize and resist the conflation of sacred language with redemptive violence. -- Endnotes 1. Online Etymology Dictionary, “diabolic,” accessed March 2026, https://www.etymonline.com/word/diabolic. See also Merriam-Webster, “diabolical,” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diabolical. The Greek diabolos derives from dia- (“across, through”) + ballein (“to throw”), literally “to throw across/apart.” Its opposite is symbolon, from sym- (“together”) + ballein, literally “to throw together.” The Septuagint translators chose diabolos to render the Hebrew satan (“adversary”). 2. Doug Scott, “How the Egregore Great BASH Shows Itself at the Threshold of Human Shift,” cosmicchrist.net, March 10, 2026; Doug Scott, “The Terran Self at War with Itself,” cosmicchrist.net, March 2026. 3. Ra Material (The Law of One), Session 15.12; Session 32.14. The orange-ray energy center governs personal identity, self-assertion, and the relationship to other-selves as individuals. Blockage or distortion at this level manifests as the inability to stabilize identity without defining against an external other. 4. Associated Press, “At Pentagon Christian Service, Hegseth Prays for Violence ‘Against Those Who Deserve No Mercy,'” March 25, 2026. Reported via PBS NewsHour, Washington Post, Military.com, Washington Times, and dozens of AP affiliates. The service was livestreamed. 5. Associated Press, via Military.com, March 26, 2026. As of that reporting, Operation Epic Fury had resulted in thirteen American service members killed and more than two hundred wounded. 6. Full prayer text reported by Brett Wilkins, “‘Heretical and Batshit Crazy': Hegseth Rebuked for Bloodthirsty Prayer Asking God to Bless Iran War,” Common Dreams, March 26, 2026, citing video posted by journalist Michael Tracey on X, March 25, 2026. Also confirmed by the Daily Beast, March 26, 2026. 7. Associated Press, via PBS NewsHour, March 25, 2026. Hegseth belongs to the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC), co-founded by self-described Christian nationalist Doug Wilson. Wilson preached at Hegseth's Pentagon services in February 2026. Hegseth also attends weekly White House Bible study led by Ralph Drollinger. See Doug Scott, “Hegseth, Vance, and Johnson: Religious Framing, War Justification, and the Iran Campaign,” Great BASH Project Research Brief, March 5, 2026. 8. Associated Press, via PBS and Military.com, March 25–26, 2026. Americans United for Separation of Church and State filed suit Monday, March 23, seeking internal communications about the services, their cost, and any complaints. 9. Associated Press, via PBS NewsHour, March 25, 2026. Hegseth directed chaplains to prioritize spiritual ministry over mental health and “self-help” approaches, in a week when the military had grown increasingly dependent on chaplains to address troop mental health distress during active combat. 10. “Pentagon Pete Hegseth Prays for ‘Overwhelming Violence' at Christian Service,” The Daily Beast, March 26, 2026. Trump told reporters at Tuesday's Oval Office swearing-in of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin: “Pete didn't want it to be settled.” Trump identified Hegseth as the first cabinet member to push for military action against Iran. 11. Ronit Stahl, author of Enlisting Faith: How the Military Chaplaincy Shaped Religion and State in Modern America (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2017), quoted in Associated Press/PBS coverage, March 25, 2026. 12. Associated Press, via Washington Times, March 25, 2026. At a gathering of Christian broadcasters in February, Hegseth said of the Pentagon services: “We hear a lot from the ‘freedom from religion' crowd. They hate it. The left-wing shrieks, which means we're right over the target.” 13. Ra Material (The Law of One), Session 46.9–10; Session 48.7. Green ray (the heart center) is the first energy center capable of holding the other without needing to annihilate, possess, or control. It is the gateway to higher-density work and the prerequisite for the density transition Earth is currently undergoing. 14. “Pentagon Pete Hegseth Prays for ‘Overwhelming Violence' at Christian Service,” The Daily Beast, March 26, 2026. Hegseth's pastor Brooks Potteiger appeared on the Christian nationalist podcast Reformation Red Pill, where co-host Joshua Haymes said of Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico: “I pray that God kills him.” Potteiger responded: “Right. Right. We want him crucified with Christ.” 15. For the Francis/Sultan encounter as counter-image to the crusader theology, see Doug Scott, “The Terran Self at War with Itself,” cosmicchrist.net, March 2026. The historical encounter occurred in 1219 during the Fifth Crusade at Damietta, Egypt. 16. Exodus 20:7. The Hebrew nasa means “to lift, carry, bear” rather than simply “to speak.” The word shav (translated “in vain”) means emptiness, vanity, falsehood, worthlessness of conduct. Rabbi Joseph Telushkin argued that the more literal translation—“you shall not carry” the name of YHWH—explains why the commandment ranks alongside “You shall not murder.” See Joseph Telushkin, A Code of Jewish Ethics, vol. 1 (New York: Bell Tower, 2006). See also “The Innocence of God: The Third Commandment,” Tikkun 31, no. 2 (April 2016). 17. David Klinghoffer, Shattered Tablets: Why We Ignore the Ten Commandments at Our Peril (New York: Doubleday, 2007), cited in “Watch Your Language: The Third Commandment,” The Dayton Jewish Observer, May 2010. 18. Carmen Joy Imes, in conversation with Kirk E. Miller, “What Does It Mean to Take God's Name in Vain?,” Logos, March 2025. Imes connects the priestly bearing of God's name on Aaron's garments (Exodus 28:12, 29) to Israel's commissioning as a nation of priests (Exodus 19:5–6), arguing that “carrying God's name” means representing God's character faithfully through one's actions. 19. “The Innocence of God: The Third Commandment: Building the Religious Counterculture,” Tikkun 31, no. 2 (April 2016). The article notes that the second half of the Third Commandment—“for God will not acquit a person who takes God's name in vain”—uses language found in no other commandment, including the prohibitions against murder and adultery.

The Profound Tikkun & Level of Eating on the Night of Pesach. Unifying Ruach with Nefesh

In this episode, I'm joined by Rabbi Pill for a powerful conversation as we explore how to stop fighting the tension in your life and start using it as a tool for real growth. By understanding the dynamic of Tohu and Tikkun, you'll begin to see how moments of chaos, frustration, and breakdown are not setbacks, but the very mechanism through which Hashem moves you forward. This will give you a clearer framework for personal growth, help you align your actions with what you already know to be true, and deepen your connection to both your own avodah and the collective journey of Klal Yisrael.Join the Conversation! Be part of our growing community—join the Shema Podcast for the Perplexed WhatsApp group to share feedback, discuss episodes, and suggest future topics. Click here to sign up.Get the Companion Guide: The Power of the MonthsThis free resource outlines the spiritual focus of each Hebrew month — including its mazal (zodiac sign), tribe, Hebrew letter, body part, and unique avodah. It also includes suggested actions you can take to align yourself with the energy of the time. Click here to download and keep this month-by-month guide as a tool for your own growth and reflection.  

In this episode, Hillary explores a perspective that changes everything about how you experience business, growth, and life.What if the real purpose of your life and your business — is your soul's evolution?In this conversation, Hillary shares why the process of becoming is the most important part of the journey, and how the challenges you face are not random obstacles but precise invitations for your growth.When you begin to see life through this lens, everything changes. Instead of resisting the process, you begin to work with it. Instead of forcing outcomes, you expand your capacity to receive them.This shift transforms the way you approach business, leadership, and personal development — allowing success to become a natural byproduct of who you become.Hillary also introduces the Kabbalistic concept of Tikkun — your soul's correction or evolutionary lesson — and explains how the patterns that keep appearing in your life are actually the doorway to your greatest expansion.Because when you stop fighting the process and start growing through it, you unlock a deeper level of alignment, resilience, and sustainable success.In This Episode We Explore• The spiritual reason your soul chose this lifetime and its challenges• How your business often becomes the portal for your deepest evolution• The Kabbalah concept of Tikkun and how it shapes the patterns in your life• Why your next level is not asking for more effort but more capacity• How challenges reveal concealed blessings and hidden potential• Why strategy alone rarely creates sustainable success• The difference between ego comfort and soul expansion• How small acts of courage build your energetic capacity• Why your external results reflect your consciousness and identity• The real reason many people stay stuck in patterns like procrastination, overworking, or fear of visibility• Why true transformation happens when you stop resisting the processENJOYTHE EXPANSION: Expand your identity, nervous system and energetic capacity so success no longer feels forced- it becomes inevitable. EARLY BIRD NOW Become CERTIFIED in HD in the Advanced Human Design Certification Instagram Get your free Human Design Chart

The Tikkun for Chet HaEgel with Luchos Shniyos and Parah Adumah (Ki Sisa 5786)

What happens when we stop treating the Bible as a sacred object and start paying attention to how we actually use it? In this conversation, theologian David Dault reflects on interpretation, responsibility, and the ethics of reading scripture in a fractured world. In this episode with Evan Rosa, Dault reflects on interpretation, responsibility, and how readers shape the meaning and moral impact of the Bible. Together they discuss the materiality of scripture, translation and betrayal, moral seriousness, scriptural reasoning across traditions, catastrophic love, and the ethical responsibility readers bear for how sacred texts are used. Episode Highlights “To assume that we know what a text is telling us is a matter of hubris.” “The Bible doesn't tell you to do anything. You as a reader decide what to do.” “Violence is always an act of interpretation.” “We never get to a place where everything is clean and everyone benefits.” “We have to take responsibility for the violence we involve ourselves in.” About David Dault David Dault is a theologian, journalist, and media producer whose work explores religion, culture, ethics, and interpretation. He is Executive Producer and host of Things Not Seen: Conversations About Culture and Faith, a nationally distributed public radio program. He teaches in the Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University Chicago. Dault's scholarship focuses on hermeneutics, religion and media, and the ethical implications of how sacred texts are interpreted and used in public life. His book The Accessorized Bible examines the material forms, cultural framing, and interpretive communities that shape how people encounter scripture. He holds degrees in theology and religious studies and frequently writes and lectures on religion, politics, and culture. Helpful Links And Resources The Accessorized Bible, by David Dault https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300153125/the-accessorized-bible/ Things Not Seen: Conversations About Culture and Faith https://thingsnotseenradio.com David Dault's personal website https://www.daviddault.com/ Show Notes The Accessorized Bible—material culture of scripture, design, marketing niches, and the ways the physical form of the Bible shapes how readers interpret and use it Bible as object, medium, and cultural artifact; Marshall McLuhan and media theory—the form of a book shaping how ideas move between minds Books as technologies of imagination and identity formation; reading as a kind of “magical” transfer of ideas from one mind into another “To assume that we know what a text is telling us is a matter of hubris.” Interpretation requires caution, humility, and the recognition that texts exceed our control Making the familiar strange again; recovering the power of scripture by refusing to domesticate it or assume we fully understand it Franz Rosenzweig on preserving the alienness of sacred texts; debate with Martin Buber on translation and clarity Translation as interpretation—translators inevitably carry values, ideologies, and cultural assumptions into the text Harold Bloom's Anxiety of Influence; interpreters “misread” texts in order to wrestle with their influence and generate new meaning Reading scripture in community; trust, vulnerability, and shared responsibility among interpreters Scriptural reasoning—Jews, Christians, and Muslims reading shared stories (Noah, Abraham, Moses) together without claiming mastery over the text Tikkun olam—Jewish ethical tradition of “repairing the world”; the world is wounded and humans participate in its healing Repentance and Repair—Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg on moral accountability, restitution, and the work of restoring relationships Violence embedded in interpretation; moral action always involves choices about attention, resources, and responsibility The “flashlight” metaphor—moral attention illuminating one suffering person while another need temporarily falls into shadow Jairus's daughter and the woman with the hemorrhage—competing moral urgencies in the Gospels “We never get to a place where everything is clean and everyone benefits.” Moral action always involves tragic limitation and competing responsibilities Levinas and infinite responsibility; the ethical demand arising from the face of the person before us Moral seriousness versus performative irony; resisting discourse driven by trolling, spectacle, and dopamine-driven outrage A Bible Is A Book—dismantling the assumption that sacred texts themselves command moral action Steve Martin's The Jerk and the phone book illustration; a sniper randomly selecting a name and deciding someone should die “The Bible doesn't tell you what to do.” Readers decide what moral actions follow from a text Reader responsibility; refusing the excuse “the Bible told me to,” recognizing moral agency belongs to interpreters Scripture as “accessory to a crime”—sacred texts used as cover for violence, exclusion, or cruelty The Bible as platform—modular text shaped by study notes, editorial commentary, illustrations, and devotional framing Study Bibles, children's Bibles, niche-market editions; publishing strategies shaping the interpretive experience Platform logic—similar to Facebook or Twitter; users curate meaning from a shared medium Proof-texting and selective quotation; constructing entire moral worlds from isolated passages Hannah Arendt on responsibility; loving the world enough to accept responsibility for it James Baldwin leaving Paris after the Little Rock crisis; refusing comfort while others bear injustice “Someone should have been there with her.” Baldwin's recognition that solidarity requires leaving safety and standing beside the vulnerable Catastrophic love—risking institutions, traditions, and comfort for the sake of vulnerable bodies Matthew 25 ethics; encountering Christ among the hungry, imprisoned, and marginalized Moral seriousness as daily practice; imperfect responsibility, persistent solidarity, doing what one can today and beginning again tomorrow #Bible #ChristianBible #BiblicalInterpretation #TheologyPodcast #ChristianEthics #Hermeneutics #Scripture #FaithAndCulture #DavidDault Production Notes This podcast featured David Dault Edited and Produced by Evan Rosa Hosted by Evan Rosa Production Assistance by Noah Senthil A Production of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School https://faith.yale.edu/about Support For the Life of the World podcast by giving to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: https://faith.yale.edu/give

This episode discusses the question why the sins of Purim were Bein Adam Le'Makom yet the Tikkun was Bein Adam Le'Chavero.

If you're succeeding on paper but feeling flat, wired, or quietly exhausted, this episode will land. Executive coach and spiritual teacher Keren Eldad joins me for a conversation that cuts through the noise and gets to the real root of burnout. We talk about the relentless pursuit of “more,” the hidden cost of being a high performer, and why peace and purpose start with better questions, not bigger goals.Keren blends psychology, Kabbalah, and grounded compassion to help you dismantle sloppy thinking and come home to yourself. You'll learn how to begin self-inquiry without overwhelm, why self-compassion has to come before growth, what Tikkun really means, and what to do when you're in a dark place. We also explore soulmates, redefining success from the inside out, and the simple daily practices that keep you anchored. Press play, and let this one shift something deep.Head to www.melissaambrosini.com/690 for the show notes.Join my newsletter: www.melissaambrosini.com/newsletterGet my FREE ZenTone Meditation: www.melissaambrosini.com/zentoneFollow me on Instagram: @melissaambrosiniGet Time Magic: www.timemagic.me Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tikkun Shovavim & Shovavot Begins With Heart| TORAH FOUNDATION (15) https://youtu.be/RIAsdsK-6PIDuring the annual TIKKUN SHOVAVIM (& SHOVAVOT) many take advantage of this auspicious time to begin teshuva. But how do we make it last? The Chovot HaLevavot's next explanation for writing the sefer is because he realized that the obvious Torah law was not always the common behavior in past generation, and needless to say, in the the days after until today. This is why we'll take this opportunity to give new chizuk many of you asked for the old problem most are facing. The good news is that we already have a head start since Kedusha begins with the heart. Learn, Share, Enjoy and Be Holy.#shovavim #shovavot #tikkunshovavim #immorality #adulteryinmarriage #adulterymovie #soapopera #chinuch #ramban #Judaism #Jewish #RabbiYaronReuven #chovothalevavot #Judaism

Tikkun Shovavim & Shovavot Begins With Heart| TORAH FOUNDATION (15) https://youtu.be/RIAsdsK-6PIDuring the annual TIKKUN SHOVAVIM (& SHOVAVOT) many take advantage of this auspicious time to begin teshuva. But how do we make it last? The Chovot HaLevavot's next explanation for writing the sefer is because he realized that the obvious Torah law was not always the common behavior in past generation, and needless to say, in the the days after until today. This is why we'll take this opportunity to give new chizuk many of you asked for the old problem most are facing. The good news is that we already have a head start since Kedusha begins with the heart. Learn, Share, Enjoy and Be Holy.#shovavim #shovavot #tikkunshovavim #immorality #adulteryinmarriage #adulterymovie #soapopera #chinuch #ramban #Judaism #Jewish #RabbiYaronReuven #chovothalevavot #Judaism

Join Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld as he guides us through the world and major works of Kabbalah, Hasidic masters, and Jewish philosophy, shedding light on the inner life of the soul. To learn more, visit InwardTorah.org

We hope you enjoy this shiur. If you would like to sponsor or dedicate any of our shiurim or help with the running costs please do not hesitate to get in contact with us at office@rabbiroodyn.com or WhatsApp +447791221449May Hashem heal the wounded, free the captives and lead our soldiers to a swift and painless victory. #jew #jewish #torah #torahfortoughtimes #rabbiroodyn #bringthemhome #rabbi #torahanytime #Judaism #Israel #shiur #responsetotragictimes #jewishunderstanding

This week on Truth to Power, we bring you a community conversation about “Generational Shift: An Assessment of Evolving Student Attitudes on College Campuses Towards Israel” that was recorded October 22, 2025 as a virtual event organized by the Oberlin Club of Washington, D.C. Tune in for this conversation with Stephen Zunes (Oberlin College '79), Professor of Politics and Director of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of San Francisco. Dr. Zunes is in conversation with his former classmate, Clyde Owan (Oberlin College '79) from the Oberlin Club of DC who facilitates the conversation. Few issues have seen such a generational divide in terms of public opinion than Israel/Palestine. Professor Stephen Zunes '79 will assess political changes in the United States and the region, review polling data, and share anecdotes from his experiences at various campuses to explain how student attitudes appear to be evolving on this important and controversial topic, why the issue has been so polarizing, and how the impact has challenged institutions and relations between students. Join us for an informative conversation. Stephen Zunes has been at the University of San Francisco since 1995, teaching courses on the politics of the Middle East and other regions, nonviolence, conflict resolution, U.S. foreign policy, globalization, and the politics of war and peace. A prominent specialist on U.S. Middle East policy, Professor Zunes has presented hundreds of public lectures and conference papers in both the United States and over a dozen foreign countries and has traveled frequently to the Middle East and other conflict regions. He has served as a political analyst for local, national, and international radio and television and as a columnist for several print and online publications, has published hundreds of articles in academic journals, anthologies, and magazines, and has served as a writer and senior analyst for Foreign Policy in Focus, an associate editor for Peace Review, and a contributing editor of Tikkun. At Oberlin, Stephen earned a degree in Government and earned his PhD in Government from Cornell University. Watch a full recording at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xeaGhzwYM4 On Truth to Power each week, we gather people from around the community to discuss the state of the world, the nation, the state, and the city! It's a community conversation like you won't hear anywhere else! Truth to Power airs every Friday at 9pm, Saturday at 11am, and Sunday at 4pm on Louisville's grassroots, community radio station, Forward Radio 106.5fm WFMP and live streams at https://forwardradio.org

Remnant has an anointing for Philip Snell, who will be taking over as leader. Then guest speaker Richard Cleary from Tikkun gives us a teaching on God's covenants, starting with Abram/Abraham. Please accept our apologies for several interruptions due to technical difficulties.

Remnant has an anointing for Philip Snell, who will be taking over as leader. Then guest speaker Richard Cleary from Tikkun gives us a teaching on God's covenants, starting with Abram/Abraham. Please accept our apologies for several interruptions due to technical difficulties.

For this 3 part bonus mini series, hosts Jennifer Thomas and Patrick Mason are joined by Aaron Dorfman of A More Perfect Union to explore the experiences of Latter-day Saints as a minority community, especially in the wake of recent events that highlight the challenges faced by religious minorities. They reflect on the importance of understanding the dynamics of being part of a smaller faith community, particularly outside of Utah, and the varied relationships that can arise from this position. The discussion emphasizes the opportunity to learn from other communities, particularly the Jewish community, which has a long history of navigating religious minority status in often unfriendly societies. [00:01:47] Religious minorities and their impact.[00:05:11] No one is defined by worst.[00:07:15] Antisemitism and misinformation strategies.[00:12:10] Standing up for communities.[00:14:20] Easing suffering through community engagement.[00:20:14] Tikkun olam: repairing the world.[00:21:40] Collaborative repair of the world.[00:25:08] Faith's role in democracy.[00:28:33] Shabbat dinner family ritual.For full show notes and transcript, visit https://www.mormonwomenforethicalgovernment.org/proclaim-peaceTo register for Repair, happening Oct 23 - 25th, 2025 in Provo, UT, go to https://waymakers.substack.com

Many people have the custom each morning to read "Hok Le'Yisrael" – a collection of texts that includes passages from the Tanach, Mishna, Halachic works, Zohar, and other sources. "Hok Le'Yisrael" follows a regimented schedule, with different pieces of texts being recited each day. Often, the people who read "Hok Le'Yisrael" do not understand the material they read. The question arises whether a person may read "Hok Le'Yisrael" in the morning before reciting Birkot Ha'Torah. Halacha requires reciting Birkot Ha'Torah before learning Torah for the first time in the morning, but does this apply even if one reads Torah literature without understanding the text? Does this qualify as "learning" with respect to the obligation of Birkot Ha'Torah? Rav Schneur Zalman of Liadi (first Rebbe of Lubavitch, 1745-1812), in his Shulhan Aruch Ha'Rav, distinguishes in this regard between the Tanach and other texts. When one reads verses from the Torah, Nebi'im or Ketubim, this constitutes Torah learning regardless of whether or not he understands what he reads. When it comes to all other texts, however, reading them qualifies as Torah study only if one understands the material he reads. Similarly, the Mishna Berura cites the Magen Abraham (Rav Abraham Gombiner, Poland, 1635-1683) as stating that if one reads "Ezehu Mekoman" – the chapter of Mishna which is customarily read during the "Korbanot" section each morning – without understanding the text, this is not considered Torah study. This is true also of "Rabbi Yishmael Omer," the paragraph which is customarily read in the morning, listing the thirteen methods by which the Sages extracted Halachot from the Biblical text. If a person does not understand this passage, reading it does not qualify as Torah learning. This rule has ramifications with regard to Ereb Pesach, when it is customary for firstborns to participate in a Siyum celebration in order to be absolved from the "fast of the firstborn" (Ta'anit Bechorot) on this day. Hacham Ovadia Yosef writes that a Siyum is effective in absolving the firstborns of their obligation only if the person making the Siyum truly understood all the material in the Masechet (tractate of Talmud) which he completes. Simply reading the words does not suffice. The exception to this rule is the Zohar, the reading of which qualifies as Torah learning even if one does not understand what he reads – and even if he does not read the words correctly. This is the ruling of the Hida (Rav Haim Yosef David Azulai, 1724-1806) and of Rav Haim Palachi (Turkey, 1788-1868). The words of the Zohar have such power and potency that reading them has the effect of absorbing the content into one's being even if he does not understand what he reads. It is told that the Arizal (Rav Yishak Luria, 1534-1572) once advised somebody to read five pages of Zohar each day as a Tikkun (rectification) for his soul. And many have the custom to read from the Zohar Hadash each day during the month of Elul, until Yom Kippur, because the reading itself brings great spiritual benefits, even if one does not understand the text. Therefore, one who reads Zohar in the morning must first recite Birkot Ha'Torah. This exception is unique to the Zohar. Other Kabbalistic works – such as Sha'ar Ha'kavanot and the teachings of the Rashash (Rav Shalom Sharabi, 1720-1777) – elucidate and expound upon the teachings of the Zohar, and thus simply reading them without understanding what they say does not qualify as Torah learning. Returning the case of those who read "Hok Le'Yisrael," since this reading includes passages from the Tanach, one must recite Birkot Ha'Torah before reading this text in the morning, even if he does not understand anything he reads. This applies also to somebody who wishes to read Tehillim in the morning – he must first recite Birkot Ha'Torah, even though he does not understand the verses he recites, because Tehillim is part of the Tanach. In conclusion, it should be emphasized that although reading Tanach and Zohar without understanding the text qualifies as Torah study, we should always aspire to understand to the best of our ability. The sin of "Bittul Torah" (neglecting Torah) is normally defined as wasting time which could have been used for Torah, but it includes also wasting one's capabilities which could have been used to understand Torah. G-d gave us intellectual skills, the ability to comprehend, and we must utilize these powers to understand as much Torah as we can to the greatest extent possible. Today, when virtually every Torah text is available with translations and commentaries, there is really no excuse for reading any part of Torah literature without understanding the material. Summary: If one wishes to read verses from the Torah – such as Tehillim – in the morning, he must first recite Birkot Ha'Torah, even if he will not understand the text he will be reciting. This applies also to someone who wishes to read passages from the Zohar which he does not understand. Reading any other Torah text, however, does not qualify as Torah study unless one understands what he reads, and thus one who reads in the morning other Torah texts without understanding does not need to first recite Birkot Ha'Torah.

Learning Weekly at the Shtiebel aka TheFamilyMinyan.com Likutei Moharan 38 8 Rabeinu Nachman ben Faiga Simcha teaches us from the sign of Tefilin that we can experience this healthy shame through Shabbos. Tishrei is the 7th month, which is a deeper longer way to understand Shabbat through Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Sukkot & Simchat HaTorah... Rebbe Nachman's Tikkun is specifically through Uman Rosh Hashana, a very pnimyius form of connection to the Tzaddick & Connection. etc etc... we discussed the subject from the past few months afterwards on "Healthy Shame" after a sirn

Last week we emphasize Passover, because that passage of scripture that we spoke of dealt extensively with Passover, and we saw that there was what would be called a Tikkun, or a repair. Now, this is something that God does because he's gracious and merciful and forgiving. And we also see with this concept of tikkun or repair, we see that God is very, very loving.To donate please visit us at:https://loveisrael.org/donate/Checks may be sent to:LoveIsrael.org

Welcome to another episode of “On the Issues with Alon Ben-Meir.” Today's guest is Hillel Schenker, co-editor of the Palestine-Israel Journal, a Jerusalem-based independent, joint Israeli-Palestinian English-language quarterly. In this episode, Alon and Hillel discuss the current growing protests in Israel calling for an end to the war and release of the hostages, Netanyahu's current strategy in Gaza, and the role of the international community in reaching an end to the war. Full bio Hillel Schenker is co-editor of the Palestine-Israel Journal, a Jerusalem-based independent English-language quarterly, initiated and maintained by a group of prominent Israeli and Palestinian academics and journalists. It aims to shed light on, and analyze freely and critically, the complex issues dividing Israelis and Palestinians. Schenker served for 13 years as editor of New Outlook, the Israeli peace monthly founded in the spirit of Martin Buber's philosophy of dialogue, that served as a vehicle for understanding Israeli-Arab affairs and as a catalyst for dialogue and initiatives for peace. He has written for The Nation, Los Angeles Times, L.A. Weekly, Tikkun, Israel Horizons, In These Times, the Israeli-Hebrew-language press and many other print and electronic outlets. He was an activist and co-founder of the Peace Now movement and has served for many years as spokesperson for the Israeli branch of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. He is an International Advisory Board member of the Global Majority center for non-violent conflict resolution based at the Monterey Institute of International Studies.

Last week we emphasize Passover, because that passage of scripture that we spoke of dealt extensively with Passover, and we saw that there was what would be called a Tikkun, or a repair. Now, this is something that God does because he's gracious and merciful and forgiving. And we also see with this concept of tikkun or repair, we see that God is very, very loving.To donate please visit us at:https://loveisrael.org/donate/Checks may be sent to:LoveIsrael.org

Join Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld as he guides us through the world and major works of Kabbalah, Hasidic masters, and Jewish philosophy, shedding light on the inner life of the soul. To learn more, visit InwardTorah.org

Shavuot Tikkun All-Night Study Session with Yehudah Webster, at Temple Beth Am, Los Angeles, June 1, 2025. In this session, we engage in chevrutah to uncover and clarify our ratzon--our deep will and longing--for ourselves, our communities, and the world. Through Torah study, discussion, and selected Mussar practices, we will explore how learning and reflecting in partnership can help us cultivate what we truly want on a soul level, identify where our personal desires meet collective purpose, and align those longings in service of justice. (Youtube) Special Guest: Yehudah Webster.

Shavuot Tikkun Plenary session with Sarah Hurwitz, in Hevruta with Tom Fields-Meyer, in discussion of her new book: “As a Jew: Reclaiming our Story from Those who Blame, Shame and Try to Erase Us,” at Temple Beth Am, Los Angeles, June 1, 2025. Introduced by Rabbi Rebecca Schatz. (Youtube) Special Guests: Sarah Hurwitz and Tom Fields-Meyer.

Shavuot Tikkun All-Night Study Session with Rabbi Sharon Brous, at Temple Beth Am, Los Angeles, June 1, 2025. How does the messenger impact the message? Join us for a close reading of a Talmudic story that explores the boundaries between blessings and curses, speakers and listeners, parents and children. (Youtube) Special Guest: Rabbi Sharon Brous.

Shavuot Tikkun All-Night Study Session with Rabbi Dr. Brad Artson, at Temple Beth Am, Los Angeles, June 1, 2025. Western culture emphasizes individualism and personal identity as separate from those around us. Jewish culture, like biology, recognizes that we are shaped and sculpted by the others who share our lives and who live with us, in time and place. Let's dig into some Jewish wisdom to explore just how much we are forged in relationship, for good and for ill. (Youtube) Special Guest: Rabbi Dr. Brad Artson.

It is customary to remain awake throughout the first night of Shabuot and study the special "Tikkun" text that appears in the book "Keri'eh Mo'ed." Most synagogues serve food and drinks, such as tea and coffee, during the night to help people remain awake and focused on their learning. The question arises as to whether or not one should recite a Beracha each time he drinks during Shabuot night. For example, if a person drinks a cup of coffee and then returns to his learning, and an hour and a half later he decides to have another drink, should he recite a new Beracha of "She'hakol"? Or, does the Beracha one recites when he drinks the first time cover all subsequent drinks that he has throughout the night? This issue is subject to a debate among the Halachic authorities. Hacham Ben Sion Abba Shaul (Israel, 1923-1998) maintained that each time one drinks on Shabuot night, he should have in mind for his Beracha to cover only the cup he drinks at that point. Thus, when he decides to drink again later, he must recite a new Beracha. Hacham Ovadia Yosef, however, disagrees. Based upon the ruling of the Maharash Alafandri, Hacham Ovadia writes that to the contrary, one should have in mind when he drinks the first time on Shabuot night that the Beracha he recites should cover all his drinks throughout the night. Then, he does not have to recite any other Berachot over drinks that night, even if there is a lengthy break between drinks. Once a person has in mind that his first Beracha should cover all his drinks throughout the night, then even if he drinks in long intervals of seventy-two minutes or more, he does not recite any Berachot. Our custom is to recite Birkat Ha'Torah on Shabuot morning, after Alot Ha'shahar (daybreak), even if one has not slept at all during the night. Some Ashkenazim have the practice not to recite Birkat Ha'Torah in a case where one had remained awake all night, but our practice follows the view that one recites Birkat Ha'Torah even in such a case. Regarding Netilat Yadayim, the Shulhan Aruch records a debate among the authorities as to whether one must wash his hands in the morning if he had not slept at all during the night, and our custom is therefore to wash Netilat Yadayim but without reciting a Beracha. Of course, one who uses the restroom recites the Beracha of "Asher Yasar" as usual. Summary: On Shabuot night, when we remain awake throughout the night, one should have in mind when he drinks for the first time that his Beracha should cover all his drinks throughout the night. He then does not recite a Beracha when he drinks later, even if there was a lengthy break in between drinks. Our custom is to recite Birkat Ha'Torah even if one did not sleep at all during the night, and to wash Netilat Yadayim without a Beracha.

Just as Ereb Rosh Hashanah is a time for a person to repent for all his sins, Ereb Shabuot is a time to repent for the specific sin of failing to show proper respect to Torah, and neglecting its study. The holy books teach that on Shabuot we are judged with regard to our dedication to and respect for Torah, and thus on Ereb Shabuot we must reflect upon commitment to learning and repent for not respecting it properly. At all times we should beg Hashem to forgive us for not committing ourselves sufficiently to learning, but this is especially vital on Ereb Shabuot, as we prepare for our judgment. Moreover, every person should personally involve himself in the Yom Tob preparations. Even if somebody normally does not personally make preparations for Shabbat or holidays, one should make a point of making preparations for Shabuot, such as by shopping and the like. Personal involvement shows respect and honor for the Yom Tob, which celebrates Matan Torah, and it thus serves as a Tikkun (rectification) of the sin of failing to properly respect the Torah. As one makes the preparations he must have in mind that he does so for the purpose of rectifying the sin of "Zilzulah Shel Torah" (neglecting the Torah). Likewise, one should purchase the finest foods and wines for the holiday of Shabuot, without being concerned about the costs entailed. Spending money for the Shabuot celebration is a demonstration of honor for the Torah, and if one does so with the intention of achieving a Tikkun for his neglect of Torah study, then he will be rewarded. One should make a point on Ereb Shabuot to invite poor people to his home for the Shabuot feast, as the Yom Tob celebration must be shared with the less fortunate. Our Sages teach that one who rejoices and celebrates on the holidays but does not share what he has with the poor is "despised and distanced" by Hashem. G-d visits the poor on Yom Tob, as it were, and if He sees poor people without food for the holiday without others helping them, He gets angry, and this leads to punishment, Heaven forbid. And thus before every holiday, one should ensure to give charity to enable the poor to properly celebrate. On Ereb Shabuot, in particular, there is a custom to set aside 104 coins for charity to be given to needy Torah scholars. Summary: On Ereb Shabuot, one should repent for failing to properly respect the Torah and devoting enough time to its study. As part of this process of repentance, one should personally involve himself in the Yom Tob preparations, and spend money for the finest foods and beverages, thus giving honor to the Torah. One must give charity to the poor before Shabuot to enable them to celebrate the Yom Tob.

Chag Sameach! Shavuot, the annual festival of receiving Torah/revelation, is coming up soon. And that means.....ShavuotLIVE, Judaism Unbound's 24-consecutive-hour extravaganza of Jewish learning and Unlearning, is back and better than ever! Dan and Lex are joined in this episode by Annie Prusky, a Jewish educator and current rabbinical student who has presided over many of ShavuotLIVE's most popular sessions over the years. The three of them kibbitz about how Shavuot has evolved over the millennia and where ShavuotLIVE fits into that ongoing evolution.You can register for ShavuotLIVE 2025 via bit.ly/2025shavuot, and learn more about what it is by heading to JudaismUnbound.com/shavuot2025. It begins May 31st at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT and concludes on June 1st at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT.-----------------------------Access full shownotes for this episode via this link. If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep things going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation -- support Judaism Unbound by clicking here! 

The Hid"a (Rav Haim Yosef David Azulai, 1724-1806), in his work Abodat Ha'kodesh (listen to audio recording for precise citation), writes that one must make a special effort on Shabuot morning, after staying awake through the night, to pray properly. Many people tend to doze during the prayer service on Shabuot morning, such that they do not recite the words properly, skip sections of the service, and certainly do not concentrate on the meaning of the words. The Hid"a writes that "Yasa Secharam Be'hefsedam" – these people lose their reward for learning throughout the night by failing to pray properly in the morning. After staying awake studying Torah throughout the night, one must make an effort to remain fully awake and alert during the prayer service on Shabuot morning so he can pray properly. It should be noted that the Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909) viewed the period of Sefirat Ha'omer as an extended Tikkun ("repair" of spiritual imperfections in the upper worlds) that begins on the second night of Pesah and reaches its culmination in the Musaf prayer on the first day of Shabuot. Accordingly, the Shaharit and Musaf prayers on Shabuot morning are laden with spiritual significance, and it is critical for one to recite these prayers properly. One who sleeps through these prayers, or does not recite them as he should, runs the risk of forfeiting the spiritual achievements of the entire Omer period. Therefore, it is critical after staying awake on Shabuot morning to muster all one's strength to pray properly on Shabuot morning. One who suspects that he will be unable to remain awake and alert through the end of the Musaf prayer should recite Shema and then take a nap. It is preferable to complete the prayer service later, after sleeping and rejuvenating oneself, than to risk dozing during the Tefila. When is the earliest time for reciting Shaharit on Shabuot morning? Generally speaking, one should not recite the Amida prayer of Shaharit before sunrise (Netz Ha'hama). On Shabuot morning, however, some authorities permit congregations to begin the Amida before sunrise. Since it is very difficult for people to pray properly after remaining awake throughout the night, there were some who held that the prayer may be recited earlier to help ensure that everyone will be able to properly pray the entire service. This is the ruling of the Peri Megadim (492) and the Mishna Berura (89:1, and in Sha'ar Ha'siyun 5). There are many congregations that nevertheless ensure to wait until sunrise before beginning the Amida on Shabuot morning, and though this is certainly an admirable custom, those who pray the Amida before sunrise certainly have authorities on whom to rely. Indeed, the practice of Hacham Baruch Ben Haim was to pray the Amida before sunrise on Shabuot morning, and, as mentioned, this practice is perfectly acceptable. This is the ruling of Rabbi Karp in his work Hilchot Hag Be'hag (p. 132; listen to audio recording for precise citation). It should be noted that congregations that recite the Amida before sunrise on Shabuot morning must ensure not to recite Shema before the earliest time for Shema, which occurs approximately 10-15 minutes after dawn. (Generally, however, by the time these congregations reach the Shema prayer, that time has already passed.) Summary: One must make a special effort to remain awake and alert throughout the prayer service on Shabuot morning after remaining awake through the night. If one suspects that he will be unable to remain awake and pray properly throughout the service, it is preferable to recite Shema, take a nap, and then complete the prayer service properly. Although the Amida of Shaharit generally should not be recited before sunrise, some congregations have the custom of reciting the Amida on Shabuot morning before sunrise in consideration of the difficulty entailed in remaining awake and alert throughout the prayer service. This is certainly an acceptable practice.

It is customary to remain awake throughout the night of Shabuot and immerse oneself in Torah learning. The Shela (Rabbi Yeshaya Horowitz, 1565-1630) records a famous incident that occurred during the times of Maran (Rabbi Yosef Karo, author of the Shulhan Aruch, 1488-1575) that underscores the importance and inestimable value of this custom. He and several colleagues remained awake throughout the night of Shabuot studying Torah, and in the middle of the night, a heavenly voice announced to them that their learning was bringing indescribable delight and enjoyment to the heavens. However, the voice added, if they had a Minyan studying together, then they would bring even greater joy to the heavens, and their learning would attain an even higher level. Maran related this incident to the people the next day, and on the second night, they assembled a Minyan and again remained awake throughout the night. And that night, too, a voice burst forth from the heavens emphasizing the immense joy they brought to the Almighty. This incident demonstrates the unique importance and significance of this practice, and the profound impact it has upon the upper worlds. The custom is to read the special "Tikkun" which appears in Keri'eh Mo'ed. One should not belittle the importance of this reading. Even though it consists of simple verses and passages, this is a time-honored custom that should be respected and followed. The "Tikkun" generally takes approximately 2-3 hours (depending, of course, on the speed at which it is read), and after one completes the reading, he is certainly allowed and encouraged to study Gemara or any other area of Torah that he wishes to learn. Everyone should make a point of observing this ancient custom, and it is advisable to rest on Ereb Shabuot so that one will be able to remain awake throughout the night. It must be noted, however, that this custom which has been observed for generations certainly did not entail remaining awake throughout the night and then sleeping the entire next day. This accomplishes nothing other than reversing night and day, which has no value whatsoever. Undoubtedly, the custom was – and should be – to remain awake throughout the night, sleep a few hours after Shaharit to regain one's strength, and then learn Torah during the day. This is, without question, the way the custom was practiced, and this should be our practice, as well, each year on Shabuot. Summary: One should make every effort to observe the time-honored tradition to remain awake studying Torah on the first night of Shabuot, and to rest before the onset of Yom Tob to help him remain awake during the night. One should read the traditional "Tikkun" and then spend the remaining hours studying whichever area of Torah he chooses. One should not sleep the entire next day; he should instead sleep for several hours to regain his strength and then continue studying Torah.

The Hid"a (Rav Haim Yosef David Azulai, 1724-1807), in his work Moreh Be'esba (2:41), discusses the unique significance of studying Mishna (listen to audio recording for precise citation). He notes that the word "Mishna" has the same letters as "Neshama" ("soul"), indicating that studying Mishna has the capacity to cleanse and rectify the soul. Citing from the students of the Arizal, the Hid"a writes that when one learns Mishnayot from Seder Zera'im, the first section of the Mishna, which begins with Masechet Berachot, he should have in mind that he seeks to correct sins involving forbidden foods and Berachot recited in vain. The soul then receives a "Tikkun" (rectification) for these sins through the learning. When learning Seder Mo'ed, which discusses the laws of Shabbat and holidays, one should have in mind to correct sins involving the desecration of Shabbat and Yom Tob. When learning Seder Nashim, one should have in mind to correct sins relating to immorality, and sins involving vows (as Seder Nashim includes the laws of vows). When learning Seder Nezikin, one should have in mind damage that he may have caused to other people. When learning Seder Kodashim, one should have in mind to atone for having profaned his sacred soul, and for laxity in the Halachot involving preparing meat for consumption (slaughtering and inspecting the animal), as these Halachot are discussed in Seder Kodashim. Finally, when learning Sefer Taharot, one should have in mind sins involving family purity, bodily emissions, and laxity in the obligation of Netilat Yadayim. (Incidentally, the fact that laxity in Netilat Yadayim requires a special Tikkun reminds us of the importance of this Misva, and how careful we must be to fulfill the obligation of Netilat Yadayim properly.) The Hid"a adds that there is nothing as valuable as the study of Mishnayot in a loud, clear voice. Furthermore, he writes, Asher, Yaakob's son, stands by the entrance of Gehinam, and rescues anyone who has studied Mishna. This is the meaning of the verse, "Me'Asher Shemena Lahmo" ("From Asher – his bread is hearty" – Bereshit 49:20). The word "Shemena" has the same letters as "Mishna," suggesting that Asher benefits people who study Mishna. This is especially appropriate and worthwhile to bear in mind as we begin a new cycle of Daf Yomi, as the study of Mishna and Talmud offers us the special opportunity to rectify our souls and reach greater heights of holiness and spirituality.

In this episode we explore the complex dynamics of challenging and accepting authority from a Kabbalistic perspective.  True spiritual growth involves understanding hierarchy not as a power structure, but as a system of unique roles. The key to challenging and accepting authority is maintaining individual autonomy, tuning into one's inner compass, questioning guidance respectfully, and recognizing that the ultimate authority is the Light of the Creator. By embracing personal Tikkun (soul's purpose), being open to mentorship, and distinguishing between ego-driven resistance and genuine spiritual inquiry, we can navigate authority with grace, humility, and a commitment to personal and collective evolution. Join us for the next episode of Weekly Energy Boost with @ElishevaBalas. Watch LIVE Sundays at 10 am PT / 1 pm ET on The Kabbalah Centre YouTube or catch the latest episode wherever you listen to podcasts.Find out more about our work, dig into our archives, and send us a message at: www.weeklyenergyboost.com.You can also help make Weekly Energy Boost possible by making a tax-deductible contribution at www.weeklyenergyboost.com/donate-today.

The 7th of Adar (which this year will be March 7th 2025) marks the Yartzheit of Moshe Rabbenu, and there is a custom among many to observe a fast on this day. The custom to fast on 7 Adar is mentioned already by Maran in the Shulhan Aruch (Orah Haim 580:2). The rationale behind this custom is the fact that it is customary to fast on the Yartzheit of one's primary Rabbi, as the Mishna Berura (Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan, 1839-1933) cites (in 568:46) from the Shela (Rabbi Yeshayahu Horowitz, 1558-1630). The Mishna Berura explains that one is obligated to honor his Rav Mubhak (primary Rabbi) even more so than his parent, and thus just as it is customary to fast on a parent's Yartzheit, it is appropriate to fast on the Yartzheit of one's Rabbi, as well. Moshe Rabbenu is, without question, the Rav Mubhak of the entire Jewish people, and it is therefore appropriate to observe a fast on his Yartzheit, 7 Adar. It goes without saying that merely refraining from food and drink is not as important as praying and studying Torah, which are the primary means of Teshuba. Therefore, it is proper on 7 Adar for communities to assemble for Torah classes in observance of this special day. The Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909), in the introduction to his Tikkun (service) for 7 Adar, writes that it is also customary to light candles in memory of Moshe Rabbenu on this day. There is a special custom for the Hevra Kadisha (benevolent society) of every community to observe 7 Adar together as a Ta'anit Sibur (communal fast day). They recite Selihot, wear Tefillin at Minha, and conduct the standard Ta'anit Sibur prayer service. Then, after the fast, they have a meal together. The Hevra Kadisha members observe this fast as atonement in case they were neglectful in their sacred duty to give proper respect to the deceased. The Yartzheit of Moshe Rabbenu was chosen as the appropriate occasion for this observance because his burial site remains unknown ("Ve'lo Yada Ish Et Keburato" – Debarim 34:6). Although the fast of 7 Adar is mentioned in the Shulhan Aruch, it is nevertheless preferable to declare a formal acceptance of the fast the previous day, just as is done before a voluntary private fast. If one makes a formal acceptance the day before the fast, he can then add the paragraph of "Anenu" in the Amida on the fast day. The acceptance should be declared on the afternoon of the day before the fast, at the end of the Amida of Minha, just before "Oseh Shalom." The Mishna Berura (562:27) writes that this should preferably be done at Minha Ketana – meaning, during Minha recited in the late afternoon, as opposed to early Minha (Minha Gedola). Certainly, the acceptance should not be made before Minha, and if it is made before Minha, it is ineffective. The proper text of the acceptance, as printed in many Siddurim, based upon the Hid"a (Rav Haim Yosef David Azulai, 1724-1807) in his work Moreh Be'esba (3:186), is, "Hareni Mekabel Alai Ta'anit Yahid Me'alot Ha'shahar Ad Set Ha'kochavim" – "I hereby accept upon myself a private fast from daybreak until nightfall." It is important that one accept the fast of 7 Adar as a private fast (Ta'anit Yahid), and not a communal fast (Ta'anit Sibur). The acceptance is valid even if it was made silently, in one's mind (Shulhan Aruch, Orah Haim 562:6). One should not add the words "Beli Neder" or "Beli Kabala," because he indeed intends to formally accept the fast upon himself. However, one may add a stipulation that he accepts the fast only on condition that he has the physical strength to observe the fast, and that if he feels unable to complete the fast, he will recite the chapter of Tehillim "Mizmor Le'David Hashem Ro'i" and will then be allowed to eat. If one did not make the acceptance during Minha, he may still accept the fast until sundown, and even after sundown, during the period of Ben Ha'shemashot. If one knows that observing a fast will adversely affect the quality of his prayers, or hamper his ability to study Torah properly, then it is preferable not to fast so that he could pray and study to the best of his ability. Similarly, it is improper to fast if this would cause one to feel arrogant and superior to other people. Humility and proper study and prayer are for more valuable than fifty fast days. Therefore, if observing this fast will have an adverse effect on these or other areas of Torah observance, it is far preferable not to observe the fast. Certainly, though, 7 Adar is a very significant day that should be commemorated as such in all communities.

In this powerful episode, we explore the concept of Tikkun, the soul's correction, and how your biggest struggles are actually your greatest opportunities for transformation.