Rabbi Noah Weinberg zt"l was the dean and founder of Aish HaTorah International. Over the last 40 years, his visionary educational programs have brought hundreds of thousands of Jews closer to their heritage.
Everything in Torah has a reason. However, appreciate that when you get that feeling of an idea being far-fetched or inapplicable, know the chances are high that you're headed in the wrong direction. Rav Noah explains about not getting carried away with theory without also anchoring it to the goof.
What makes the hassle of living worthwhile, and what things prompt true happiness? Even though many people say their pleasure of the day is a hot cup of coffee or quickly finding a parking spot, we all recognize there are greater pleasures in life. Do you consider just being alive a true pleasure, and is living for a worthwhile cause an even greater pleasure? From this inspiring talk touch the essence and thrill of life from a man who was truly living a life full of meaningful pleasure.
Have a listen to the Bible's understanding of the famous dictum 'Loving your Neighbor as Yourself'. To expound this idea, Rav Noah Weinberg gives the definition of love, and how 'taking revenge' and 'bearing a grudge' all share the same verse, and teaches how to enhance your love for the people you truly love. A really enjoyable talk with a valuable lesson.
We teach our children to pray, what's important, and which mitzvos they should perform. But how much have we really educated them? Rav Noah's sharp insights help us get in touch with our children's fears and foibles, yet keeping their Judaism fresh and relevant along the way.
Each person is more than an individual - each is an independent world. Rav Noah navigates past the roadblocks we erect in front of our potential greatness, and encourages us to reach within our own universe to change in a ways that only we are capable of.
The Rabbis teach that the world was created for you. Wow, to eat and do whatever I want with it? With his typical down-to-earth humor, Rav Noah pokes fun as he encourages us to touch the dormant greatness lying just beneath the surface. Touching your inner potential can unleash a power that can bring you and the world back to its completion.
It's so easy to move blindly through life without thinking about what we're doing or what we believe in. Rav Noah z"l reminds us that Hashem gives us the strength to accomplish whatever He desires from us - and warns how the self-incriminating evidence in our lives will prove us guilty if we do not pay attention to it.
When something terrible happens in the news we mumble, "Someone should really do something about this.” “But who is that someone – could it be you?” asks Rabbi Weinberg. He explains that the seemingly hedonistic statement ‘The world was created for me' is really a concept that enjoins us to be responsible for more than just ourselves. Listen to inspiring stories of people who changed history – and hear how you too can be one of them.
Rav Noah focuses on one mitzvah that many gloss over, and the reward for those who follow it up. We learn this mitzvah from Avraham, our first role model on reaching out, hear the greatness earned by those who awaken the knowledge of Hashem's presence in the world.
This 6-talk series was presented to the advanced rabbinical students of Lakewood Yeshiva, New Jersey. The sessions focus on the full array of issues raised by today's questioning youth. This is probably Rabbi Weinberg's most comprehensive explanation of the principles of kiruv - and is considered his most brilliant performance.