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,
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.
Is living forever really possible? We learn how Yaakov's challenging life led to his living eternally, and how King David, who also had his share of hard times continues to live - as we sing David Melech Yisrael, Hy V'kayim. Rabbi Kahn shows how the divergent paths of Yaakov and David brought one to the level of Adam before the sin and the other to Adam's level after the sin.
The end of Jacob's life in Egypt reads like a fairy tale, surprisingly. He lived on the level of Paradise while still alive and in exile, and experienced the best years of his life. How is this at all possible to understand? Rabbi Kirzner reveals the secret of enduring the bitterness of our exile with inner tranquility despite the outer chaos.
There are a number of puzzling events that surround Jacob’s death, such as his need to make Joseph swear to return his body to Israel for burial, and his strange inability to recognize his grandchildren that he was so familiar with. Rabbi Milstein pulls out a few dangling threads of Jacob’s vision of assimilation, and his clear directives for all future generations.
Rabbi Rosenblum takes a close look at the blessing of Yissachar, the tribe known for their high caliber of Torah scholars. How does a donkey's trait of being able to carry a heavy burden correspond to Torah learning? And how does Yissachar find rest in his labor of Torah?
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.
Do you feel overwhelmed at times? You are not alone. We all feel this way, especially after a long and dark period of exile, which we are still struggling with. Would you like to know the secret of survival? Would you also like to know a mystical way of keeping ourselves healthy? Are you interested in finding out more about how to raise your children? Then double-click on this class as Rabbi Wagensberg illuminates a kabbalistic dimension that will resolve these concerns.