The miraculous story of Purim only seems so amazing when all of the seemingly ‘natural events’ that occurred over many years are boiled down to an extremely shortened, but exciting text. Rabbi Carmell dissects each turning point, and highlights the inner clues that helped us see God’s hand, and to fight an enemy so intent on destroying us.
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.
The blind, aging Isaac intended to give his blessing of 'prosperity' to his wicked son Esau, and leave his righteous son Jacob with nothing. Rabbi Kahn explains what the underlying intentions of Isaac really were. And if you've ever wondered what the Jewish view of how the world would look in the state of 'Nirvana,' here's your chance.
Animal sacrifice sounds so antiquated and heartless to us. Yet, the Torah is replete with such practices. Rabbi Ari Kahn explores the meaning and the symbolism behind sacrifices in a way that can become more meaningful to us today.
The dream of Moses to enter the Land of Israel was never realized. Had he entered, the Temple could not have been destroyed. Rabbi Kahn probes the death of our greatest leader and conjectures that Moses' demise was not due to his own sin but rather due to the nation's shortcomings.
In this talk Rabbi Wagensberg discusses the two major approaches in approaching God, personified by Yaacov and Esau. Which then launches into a very comforting teaching that will encourage us no matter what pitfalls we have experienced in the past.
A burnt offering will necessarily create a financial loss. But aren't most people ready to make a sacrifice when the benefit it offers is clear? Rabbi Wagensberg uncovers a deeper calling to delve into the Torah - drawing us to the light hidden at Maiser Bereishis - to the ideas that lift our vision above and beyond the mundane.
Often we get down on ourselves and disappointed when our observance and sincerity. Sometimes we think that our prayers aren't really prayers and our Torah study isn't authentic and our mitzvah observance isn't up to par. In this lecture, Rabbi Wagensberg will show us that what we think is the lowest, is really the highest. This uplifting talk is an absolute necessity in today's generation which means so much to build confidence and positive outlooks on life, ourselves and how we relate to it.
All too often we attribute success to our intellectual capacities. However, in this revealing and comforting talk, Rabbi Wagensberg shows how it is more about the heart than the mind. As long as the heart is in the right place, approaching G-d sincerely and ironing out those wrinkles by cultivating character development, then the person will receive Divine assistance in a fulfilling and in grasping the entirety of Torah.
Why is Moses called the father of all prophets? What level of prophesy put him above all the others? And what is the basic difference between a Jewish prophet and a not Jewish prophet? Rav Weinberg explains the framework of prophecy and why Moshe was head and shoulders above them all.