What is it about the tragic loss of Jerusalem’s Temple that has within it a flicker of Joy? And why, when the Sages at the time wept in grief on seeing the ruins of the Temple, did Rebbi Akiva laugh? Rabbi Carmell follows the hidden thread of hope that reaches through time and the mundane physicality we constantly struggle with.
Rabbi Carmell asks why was the Beis Hamidash destroyed? In classic Jewish style he immediately replies '.. but what exactly was the Temple's purpose in the first place?' Hear how internal and external people differ, and how your angle of perception can help you love another despite their 'different' surface appearance. Here's a clue to a deeper lesson of the day.
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 fifth and last book of the Torah, Deuteronomy, employs a different literary style than the first four books - so much so that bible critics conclude that it must have been written by a different author(s). Rabbi Kahn challenges this misconception head-on.
Our lives are haunted by two categories of spiritual negativity. One openly eggs us on to fail the tests placed before us, but the other is disguised and has a far more insidious influence. Which commandment protects us from both of these, and why was that command given just before our entrance into our Promised Land? Understanding this sheds light on why this parsha is placed just before the tragic day of Tisha B'Av, and the lesson it is trying to teach us.
In his weekly Parsha talk on Devarim, Rabbi Milstein culls the words of Moses on how to attain greater sensitivity when attending to the spiritual growth of others. He itemizes the specific merits needed to speed up the final salvation, and how to 'show' others the sweeter side of our rich heritage.
The book of Devarim is full of Moshe's rebuke to the Jews, a review of mitzvos, and more. How can we find all of the sefer hinted to within its first five verses? Moshe chose the last day of his life to give tochachah to his beloved people - and he did so very carefully. Learn great lessons on how to correct others by following his example.
Often we are fooled by external trappings of piety, and look at those with prestige as truly great. But in truth, many times the people who seem low and far from greatness are those with great stores of potential. How can we see this from Devarim? Also, what is an important tool to use to make sure that actions you are committing in the name of righteousness are truly correct?
Hashem's closeness to us is compared to a father-son relationship. Sometimes we feel His love, but by and large it's not so clear. In what ways does God respond to us when we turn from Him and His Torah? Rabbi Wagensberg's uplifting chizuk reminds us how concerned and interested He is in us, and how much He will always love us no matter what we do or say. A beautiful class.
If you usually skip over parsha talks, give a listen to Rabbi Wagensberg! His dynamic style gives an exciting twist to each week's parsha, often coming from a new vantage point.