The yearly Omer Offering ceremony in the Temple gave the Nation of Israel the green light to start using most of the newly harvested grain. From this tiny, but significant Offering we learn two important lessons. One is knowing when and how a person truly sanctifies Hashem’s name. The second is to appreciate the added 'freedom' that sanctifying Hashem’s name bestows upon us.
One of the more shocking incidents in the Torah is the episode of the Jew who publicly cursed God's name. Just who was this defiant sinner, and what drove him to so brazenly commit this crime? Rabbi Kahn unravels this outrageous story of lust and violence.
All too often our stumbles and falls, as different as they may seem, have a common root. In order to affect real change in ourselves, we need to sit down and think deeply about our character traits and which ones are the core of mishap. Channeling our deepest qualities from negative to positive can have a life-altering effect, and release the sparks of holiness we have hidden within.
What is Sefiras Haomer supposed to accomplish? This class traces the process humans use to understand anything complex, starting with the finer details before being able to build up to seeing the big picture. Rabbi Lopiansky uses this concept to explain how Pesach, Shavuos, and Succos connect, and our greater ability to see the oneness of G-d that comes along with it.
Did Aaron’s ability to lift up thousands of Cohanim in one day testify to his incredible strength? Maybe his strength wasn't due to his muscles but to his will power of focusing on achieving this superhuman feat. The rabbi's assure us that we also have this energy to achieve our higher goals. The question then asked is ’why do we lack the drive if the outcome will be what we are dreaming for?’
When we left Egypt, G-d gave us absolutely everything we needed and wanted on a silver platter, and we responded by giving Him a stinging slap in the face. Yet G-d went way beyond the letter of the law and still responded with love. How can we reciprocate by going the extra mile for G-d?
The greatness of Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai is celebrated on Lag Ba'Omer by making a huge bonfire. Rabbi Wagensberg ties in this week's parsha which defines Moshe and Aharon's top traits and how Rebbe Shimon acquired them both.
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.
In this lecture Rabbi Wagensberg makes a compelling argument which points out that the Jewish people are considered to be one body which will impress upon us the responsibility that we have in maintaining our own levels of holiness because what we do/say/think does not only have an impact on ourselves but on everybody around us. So much so that not only do the leaders of our people impact the masses but the opposite is also true, the masses influence the leaders.
Do you suffer from irritating people, who seem to never leave you alone? Do you feel like a victim of painful circumstances? Are you struggling with inner turmoil and drives that attempt to rip you asunder? Rabbi Wagensberg will show that if we do feel this way, then it’s the greatest sign that we have such a special spark of holiness inside, with so much potential and that we are so precious to G-d.