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.
The 15th of Av was always a day of great celebration. In ancient times, Jewish girls would dance in the vineyards trying to attract men for marriage. The Talmud gives several reasons for this celebration and Rabbi Kahn ties together the common threads that makes this day extra special.
If someone offered you a blessings or a curse, which would you prefer? A fundamental precept in Judaism is our free will to make meaningful life-choices. Rabbi Kahn traces the root of our free will back to the Garden of Eden, and shows how utilizing it to its fullest reach will enrich your every experience.
We are so used to a democratic judicial structure in society that it is difficult to grapple with the true merits of the system. The Torah judicial system is very different. Rabbi Kahn analyzes the distinctions and shows how the Torah's legal structure will upgrade society as a whole.
A Jewish soldier who goes out to battle is allowed to seize any beautiful maiden he desires - for the purpose of marriage. This sanctioned allowance helps him to keep his negative desire (Yetzer Horah) under wraps. Join Rabbi Ari Kahn for a frank discussion on the psychological and metaphysical factors that affect man's desire and moral justifications.
Is the Torah really convicting a thirteen year-old with a harsh sentence based on how he might turn out in the future? How fair is this? Rabbi Kahn explains the principle on which God passes judgement on us. Hear how this scale of justice instructs us to pay more attention to the consequences of our actions.
Amalek, the epitome of anti-Semitism, was very eager to sacrifice the lives of his entire nation in order to attack the Jews. Rabbi Kahn shows how this hatred, openly felt between Jacob and Esau, reflects the head-on battle we all face between our body and soul.
Bikurim was the process of thanking G-d for the produce He blessed us with after laboring in the fields. Rabbi Kahn focuses on the interesting prayer that relates back to Yacov's experience with his father-in-law Lavan recited at the Temple as part of this commandment. Listen to a different take on Yacov's struggle to avoid being sucked into a culture foreign to his spirituality, and shows how the fear of deteriorating values has everything to do with the establishment of Bikurim.
The commandment to bring the first fruits to the Temple is juxtaposed strangely with the concept of prayer three times a day. Rabbi Kahn proves that the inability to appreciate will distance himself from G-d, and draws the connection between that state and the eventual destruction of the Temple. How did the establishment of prayer hold the key to rebuilding that relationship?
Are you happy? Is anyone really happy? Rabbi Kahn asks pointed questions about the world we live in by contrasting it to the 'bringing the first fruits to the Beit Hamikdash.' Learn some secrets of life that tap into the deeper satisfaction the whole world is desperately seeking.
God despises monuments, and yet the Israelites are instructed to erect a large public one upon their entry into the Land of Israel. Rabbi Kahn explores the metaphysical importance of this event, and what new creation it brought in its wake.