Episodes
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In the last parsha of the Torah, V'Zot HaBracha, Moshe dies. But what matters is not that he died- rather, the way he died. Moshe approached God alone. There were no adoring crowds. No family surrounding him. It was just the man and his Maker. And this is something that will happen to us all. We will all, ultimately, approach God. The question to be answered is simply this: have we lived a life that we are proud to show to God?
Before he dies, Moshe is called eved Hashem, servant of God. This is the highest compliment a mortal can receive. It means a person was successful in acting as a channel to bring God's presence to this world, and to perform God's will. As we end our series of podcasts here, my hope is that you too will aspire to be and ultimately become an eved Hashem. I hope you find God and cling to Him, and I hope He helps you when you struggle. It has been my pleasure to learn with you, and I hope you continue to learn as we begin the cycle of Torah reading again- with Bereishit.
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This week's parsha, Haazinu, is actually a song! Moshe wanted to make sure that the core ideas of Judaism would be accessible to everyone, whether or not they were able to read. In this song, we focus on some important ideas. These include:
The heaven and earth are witnesses to this song, to demonstrate that it is timeless. God has been involved with the Jews as His people throughout our history, and we owe Him our gratitude. We will ultimately sin and betray God, and God will punish us. There will come a time where God will redeem us, and we can always connect with Him again. -
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In this week's parsha, Vayelech, we learn:
It was important to God that everyone attend Hakhel, the public Torah reading after every Shemitah cycle, including the little children. This memorable experience would bring them closer to Him. Even when it seems like God is distant and hiding His face, He is still there. He never truly leaves us. A good way to pass down important information and ideas is in song, which is why Moshe decided to write a song (which we will learn more about in next week's parsha.) -
In Parshat Nitzavim, we learn that:
God made a covenant with every single one of us, even those of us who were not physically present when Moshe gave his last speech. We are all in a relationship with God. The Torah is accessible. It is not far away- is is close to us. We can reclaim our portion. Since God is our designer, He knows the best way for us to live. That's why, if we follow His commands, our lives will be meaningful (and hopefully filled with blessings.) -
In this week's parsha, Ki Tavo, we discover:
God's wisdom in making every single Jew a historian. We all recite a surprising paragraph when we bring up our first fruits- and it reminds us of what we have endured, what we have overcome, and how we will continue to overcome. How important it is to look at the Torah as a gift from God. We are all in a relationship with God. The Torah is God's exact instructions regarding how to make Him happy and please Him. If we love God and appreciate the things He has done for us, then we will be elated to receive these instructions and to be able to live our lives in a way where we can show Him how much we value Him. God is the master of experiential education. The blessings and curses at Mt Gerizim and Mt Aival showcase this- reminding us to consider the covenant we made with God, and why it matters. -
In this week's parsha, Ki Teitzei, we explore laws that address human dignity and responsibility. These include, but are not limited to:
The law of a beautiful captive. A man must reflect before deciding to marry her, and once he does marry her, must treat her as a full-fledged wife. The law of inheritance. One must give the double portion to the firstborn son, not the son of the wife one prefers. The law of a hanged man. Since each human is created b'tzelem Elokim, we are obligated to bury this man before nightfall. The law of the wayward son. From here we learn the importance of rebuke- it is a parent's job to try to prevent their child's behavior from escalating and getting worse over time.The big ideas behind these laws still resonate today.
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In this week's parsha, Shoftim, we learn about the importance of leadership, government, and systems of checks and balances. Some of the important topics covered in this parsha include:
The three things a Jewish king is forbidden to do- he cannot have too many horses, too much gold and silver, or too many wives. The laws of a Milchemet Mitzvah as opposed to a Milchemet Reshus, and how to save people from embarrassment. The ceremony of the Eglah Arufah- where a calf is symbolically killed to demonstrate the waste of human life when someone is murdered, and to hopefully expose the murderer.We are all governed by the same God, and must all follow His law.
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In this week's parsha, Re'eh, we learn some very important things. These include:
Idolatry is evil. It is compared to an illness, or a cancer, that must be eradicated so it will not harm or infect other areas of the body (or in this case, the nation). It is important to have one place of centralized worship. This is what the Beit Hamikdash was, and it promoted unity. False prophets may arise, but we should not trust what they say. If anyone tells us to go against God's laws in the Torah, we know they are not speaking truth. Tzedaka is an extremely important mitzvah that focuses on tempering justice with compassion. It is a way of acknowledging any money we have comes from God, and learning to focus on others, not only ourselves. -
In this week's parsha, Ekev, we learn not to discriminate between mitzvot that seem very important, like not killing, and those that seem less important, like keeping kosher. All mitzvot are important, whether we recognize it or not.
Additionally, we learn about Moshe's amazing leadership qualities, which featured perspective-taking, and the importance of cultivating a robust relationship with God. We need to remember to turn to God in times of distress and times of joy, and not to act like a fair-weather friend.
God loves us, and even when He gives us consequences, He does so in the hope that we can improve.
We conclude the parsha with a focus on those who are marginalized, such as the widow, orphan and stranger. God wants us to help these people, and not to forget that we too were once strangers in Egypt.
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In this week's parsha, V'eschanan, we learn many beautiful concepts. These include:
Recognizing that sometimes God says no. God is not a vending machine. Our relationship with Him is not transactional. God said no to Moshe, and sometimes He says no to us. We need to learn how to carry on anyway. Understanding that the mitzvot are the word of God and they cannot be tampered with. We cannot add to them or take away from them. God loves us, and we can always come back to Him, even when we have thwarted His will or abandoned His law for a time. One of the ways we show God we love Him is to bind his words upon our brows, have them spill from our lips, and share them with our children. We are meant to be the people who show the way to others- especially the idolatrous nations, who practiced evil ways. For this, we need the courage of our beliefs. -
In this week's parsha, Devarim, we learn about leadership. Moshe has been told he will not enter the Promised Land. He has appointed Yehoshua as his successor. He could have spent his time remembering all the ways in which he was amazing, or retiring and simply remaining in his tent. He chose neither of these options. Instead, because he was mission driven, he threw himself into a new role- acting as a teacher. And he taught Bnei Yisrael some very important lessons. These included:
Believing God would fight for them, and trusting in God rather than focusing on fear. Learning to listen to God, even when that meant not doing something they might have preferred to do. -
In this week's parsha, Masei, we learn about the significance of places. These include:
Every place that Bnei Yisrael camped, because each of these places commemorated something significant that happened there. Arei Miklat, or cities of refuge. These were particular cities to which an accidental murderer could flee- and could live out the rest of their life until the Kohen Gadol died. The 48 cities that belonged to the Levites. The Levites were like the rabbis of our day, and therefore were needed to guide, inspire and teach the community. Due to this, they were scattered throughout the land of Israel rather than all living within one portion of land. The land of the tribe of Menashe. To preserve the integrity of their land, the daughters of Tzelafchad married men from the tribe of Menashe. Thus, those from Menashe would not lose property- which would have happened if the daughters had married outside of their tribe. -
In this week's parsha, Matos, we learn about:
The significance of our words- we should be very careful not to make promises. If we do make them, they are binding. The need for people to be treated equally - which is why those who fought in battle and those who remained behind were both given an equal share of the spoils. That people cannot evade punishment- since Bilam gets his comeuppance in this week's parsha. The laws of kashering- how to change an object to make it something one can use to eat or cook kosher food. The importance of not separating ourselves from the community, as the tribes of Gad, Reuven and part of Menashe ultimately did. -
In this week's parsha, Pinchas, we learn lessons that we can apply to our own lives. These include:
Having the strength to do what is right because it is right, and not for the sake of a reward. Having the courage to ask questions. Loving the land of Israel and feeling connected to it. Caring more about the welfare of others and the success of someone who will take over for us than about our own honor. -
In this week's parsha, Balak, we learn:
God will protect us from all kinds of threats- including those posed by spells and curses rather than physical weapons. God controls our five senses and determines whether we can speak, see, hear, touch or smell. Sometimes people get themselves into trouble by making problematic choices. There are different kinds of leadership. Sometimes leadership can be slow and thoughtful. Other times, it needs to be quick and decisive. In this week's parsha, Pinchas, Aharon's grandson, demonstrated quick and decisive leadership. -
In this week's parsha, we learn about chukim, laws that do not have reasons of which we are aware. Despite this, it is important to follow them. Additionally, we learn how important it is to follow God's exact instructions (and not to deviate from them). We also learn how to conduct ourselves in our own lives. We should strive to be like Aharon HaKohen, the High Priest, who was a rodef shalom. To be a rodef shalom means to pursue peace, and to try to help people reconcile with one another. It was due to this quality that Aharon was so beloved by Bnei Yisrael.
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In this epic parsha, a man named Korach decides to rebel against Moshe. He draws two known troublemakers, Dasan and Aviram, into his scheme. Additionally, he recruits members of the tribe of Reuven. This complex story teaches us:
Leadership is based on being chosen, not craving prestigious positions. Craving power can lead to one's downfall. We are impacted by the company we keep- as is exhibited by the differences between Korach's wife and On's wife. Common sense can only get us so far. We also need to respect and value expertise. -
Parshat Shelach teaches us many important ideas we would do well to remember today.
Even righteous people, in high-status positions and wielding great power, can become corrupt. The spies were the Nesiim of the nation, and yet they slandered the land of Israel. Moshe was extraordinarily patient with Bnei Yisrael. Even though they kept on making major mistakes, Moshe always defended them to God and advocated on their behalf. All of us would do well to try to incorporate the trait of patience into our own lives. The mitzvah of hafrashat challah teaches us to think of the needs of others even while we are tending to our own. Before we eat our bread, we separate out a portion for the kohen. Tzitzit are like a soldier's uniform- something that reminds boys and men of their status, and helps them to avoid committing a sin. -
In this week's parsha, Behaaloscha, we learn:
How important it is to crave to do a mitzvah- and to try to find workarounds and solutions to perform mitzvot. The importance of asking questions, and not assuming that if there was a workaround it would already have been stated. That even when it may seem like the journey God is taking us on has many stops and starts, is meandering, and could have been completed differently, God has a plan. Our lives are like tapestries- the bottom side looks snarled and tangled, but when you turn the piece over, you see a beautiful pattern. It's important to judge others favorably, or to speak to them directly rather than gossiping behind their back. Our good deeds can always come back to help us- which is what happened with Miriam, who was rewarded for having watched and waited to see what would happen with baby Moshe all those years ago. -
In this week's parsha, Naso, we learn lessons from God. Some of these lessons include:
God is sensitive enough to our needs to provide us an option that would enable us to achieve high status, just like a Kohen, even if we were not born to it. Similarly, God enables someone who is struggling with self control, such as someone who is drinking too much wine, to find a dignified way to improve their lives. In both of these situations, the solution lies in becoming a Nazir. God codifies the Birkat Kohanim, or Priestly Blessing, in this week's parsha. This blessing adjures God to watch over us, guard us, make sure we have possessions and income, but also that we always have God's attention and willingness to help us even when we don't deserve it. God shows us that even when people give the exact same gift, like the Nesiim did, it's important to be appreciative and excited. To demonstrate this, God tells the story of each Nasi's individual offering- 12 separate times- and models what it means to show gratitude and excitement. - Show more
