Rabbi Ari Kahn graduated Yeshiva University with a BA in psychology and an MS degree in Talmud. A renowned speaker, he has lectured worldwide. Currently Rabbi Kahn is a Senior lecturer at Aishs Essentials, Fellowships and Executive Learning Center pragrams as well as the Director of the Foreign Student Program for Bar Ilan University. Rabbi Kahn is the author of the recently published book, Explorations, an in-depth analysis of the weekly Torah reading.
When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, his face was radiating a powerful glow. The luminosity was so strong that he needed to mask his features. Rabbi Kahn explains what the biblical commentaries has to say about why this most "modest of all men" needed to conceal his face.
Did you ever complete a major undertaking, and exalt in your accomplishment? When Moses completed the construction of the Tabernacle, he was given the ultimate accolade in front of everyone - the "glory of God" descend onto the Tabernacle. Interestingly enough, the same phenomenon occurred after the construction of the first Temple, but in the Second Temple it failed to happen. Why not?
Moses is known as the humblest of all men, who does not even consider himself the agent of God. Rabbi Ari Kahn analyzes the psyche of our greatest leader, and the natural consequences of his steadfast modesty.
Why was Moshe so insistent that the Torah be written in a way that stressed how unimportant he was? Rabbi Kahn looks at Moshe’s role as a leader, and how his own humility mirrored God’s interaction with the world - which paradoxically earned him still more greatness.
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.
Practically every Jew knows that house cleaning is a major preparation for Passover, but how many know about the spiritual effort it takes to overturn nasty attitudes that lurk in the heart? In this important lecture, Rabbi Kahn taps the mindset of our generation and how Passover offers a straight forward formula to spruce up both our homes and our hearts.
Sticks and stones can break your bones, but words can do a lot more damage. Negative speech brought about a disease similar to leprosy. In this eye-opening class, Rabbi Kahn probes the root of loshon horah (derogatory speech) and shows the great negative effect it has on everything.
Accepting the Torah means we are, on some level, partners with God. This is expressed through our capacity to establishment the beginning of each new month. How does the newness of spring, the reaching out with Chesed (kindness), and the building of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) express this idea of taking responsibility for a better world?
There are probably few sections of the Torah we find ourselves more removed from then the purification process of a leper. Nevertheless, this topic contains many areas we do learn much from, and continue living with them in different areas of our lives. Rabbi Ari Kahn penetrates into its underlying symbolism.
One of the most dramatic parts of the Yom Kippur Temple service was the lottery of two goats. One for the sacrifice and one to throw off the cliff. Bizarre? In this lecture, Rabbi Kahn unravels the mystical underpinnings of this mysterious ritual and shows that it directly affects your life.