Menashe served as a diplomat in the Egyptian government, while his younger brother Ephraim studied Torah all day. Wouldn't Menashe's management skills have been more valuable for leading a tribe? To understand why Ephraim and his descendants were chosen hear the hidden link between great deeds and great Torah learning,
How did our 1st patriarch Abraham prepare a cow so quickly for his three visitors? Rabbi Geller gives a rather surprising answer. Famous stories are explained like; the city of Sodom, where his nephew Lot lived; the incest between Lot and his daughters; Sarah's understanding that Yishmael was a bad influence on Isaac, and her need to send him from the house; and Abraham's 10th test, the sacrifice of his beloved son.
Rabbi Avi Geller's series on the entire five books of Judaism is delivered with lively enthusiasm and humor. Each weekly talk is a whirlwind tour of all the events of that week's Torah portion, plus major commentaries and explanations of fundamental concepts of Judaism.
Everyone underneath it all is at least curious to know when the Messiah’s date of arrival will be. Just before Jacob was about to die, he was so close to revealing this game-changing piece of information but, at the very last moment something went way off. Hear how the opening verses of 'Shema Yisrael' bring a new meaning to the magnetic question of WHEN.
In a puzzling event from this weeks Torah portion Sarah laughs when G-d tells her she will have a baby at the age of 90, and soon after this she appears to lie when Avraham confronts her disbelief. How can we attribute such behavior to this most saintly first lady? Hear how Rabbi Wagensberg recasts the apparent faults of our greatest pioneers into proper perspective.
What did Hashem really want of Avraham when He issued the command to bring Yitzchak up as an offering? Rabbi Wagensberg builds a picture of the intensity of love our patriarch felt for his long-awaited son, and the herculean task that faced him of directing all of that emotion toward His creator. How does this mirror the first test Avraham faced when asked to leave his father’s house?
In this weeks Torah portion the fundamental pillar of Chesed is discussed in several places. Rabbi Wagensberg raises the mitzvah of doing a favor for someone to a completely new dimension of impacting society, and it having an everlasting effect throughout the generations.
The fledgling Jewish Nation begins moving into a very dark period, and their future looked mighty grim. They are living in Egypt, spiritually light years away from their homeland, and Yaakov, who was the entire family's beacon of light, is now on his deathbed. How well did his sons realize that within this very uncertain and challenging moment would come their greatest hope? Hear how trying times have a special way of unlocking the reservoir of one's strength that push us onward and upward.
Yaakov’s desire to reveal the date of Moshiach’s arrival was thwarted by Hashem. What message was implicit in his thought process that brought about Divine disfavor? Rabbi Wagensberg’s beautiful expose on hope and the power it possesses to effect good when all seems to be lost is incredibly encouraging to anyone struggling through difficult times.
If you've ever felt that the whole measure of strict justice has hit your life hard, experiencing one bitter chapter after another, then this lecture is a must! For in it, Rabbi Wagensberg shows us that if we've gone through difficulties, then certainly we will experience the sweetness of soft mercy because the measure of compassion is greater than the measure of calamity.