In this week's parsha, we read about a highly unusual mitzvah: The Red Heifer, when an entirely red cow is burned together with a motley concoction of ingredients, and the resultant ashes are used to sprinkle on people that came into contact with dead people in order to purify them from their spiritual contamination. We also learn about the passing of Miriam and Aaron, and the multiple battles that the nation participated in on the Eastern bank of the Jordan, and we puzzle over the sin that cond...
Jun 29, 2025•1 hr 1 min
Of Korach's 253 collaborators, only three are named, and all three are Reubenites: Dathan, Abiram, and On Ben Peles. Dathan and Abiram remain true to Korach's cause until the very end when they and their families are swallowed alive by the miraculous sinkhole. On Ben Peles was spared thanks to his wife's wise intervention. In this very interesting podcast we trace the decision of the Reubenites to join the rebellion back to their progenitor Reuben, and learn the valuable tactic to avoid doom adv...
Jun 26, 2025•49 min
Korach was immensely talented. He was enormously rich, he was clever, and he was devilishly persuasive. His rebellion, however, was doomed from the start. What are the roots of Korach's rebellion? Why was Jacob dead-set on not having his name associated with Korach? In this Parsha Podcast we engage in a profound study of the episode of Korach and discover where he went wrong. The lessons are powerful. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – DONATE: Please consider supporting the podcasts by ...
Jun 24, 2025•1 hr 4 min
In this week’s parsha, Moshe and Aaron’s first cousin, a man named Korach, launches a rebellion claiming that Moshe is guilty of nepotism in appointing his brother as High Priest. What ensued should give one serious pause before engaging in any similar sort of divisive activities. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – DONATE to TORCH: Please consider supporting the podcasts by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php...
Jun 22, 2025•58 min
The consequences of sending 12 spies to scout out the Land for 40 days were catastrophic. 10 of the 12 spies returned with a slanderous report about the Land. The Nation was on the precipice of conquering the land, and this report deflated their spirit and condemned an entire generation to perish in the Wilderness over the course of 40 years. How did these spies fail so spectacularly? How did they fail whereas Rachav - a woman of ill repute who was presented with the identical dilemma - succeede...
Jun 19, 2025•51 min
The nation was on the cusp of entering the Land. After about a year at Sinai, the nation was ready to conquer Canaan. The invasion and war of conquest was imminent. Then catastrophe struck. Moshe sent 12 spies to reconnoiter the Land and report the back with their findings. Their report completely deflated the spirit of the nation. The ultimate result: the nation was condemned to spend 40 years in the wilderness, one year for every day that the spies spent in the Land. In this insightful podcast...
Jun 17, 2025•53 min
The veracity of prophecy is a critical component of our philosophy. But how do we know if a prophecy claimant is legit? How do we differentiate between real prophets and fraudulent ones? In our second installment on Rambam's introduction to his commentary on Mishnah, we explore the four different categories of prophecy, the limitations of allowable prophecy, how prophets are vetted, and why prophecy cannot resolve Torah disputes. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – DONATE to TORCH: Pleas...
Jun 16, 2025•1 hr
The Jewish people were on the cusp of entering the Land of Canaan, and made a prudent, but ultimately tragic, decision: To send a contingent of scouts to reconnoiter the Land, to examine its vulnerabilities and weaknesses in order to best plan the conquest. Unfortunately, the report of the scouts sent the nation into a tailspin and caused them to remain in the Wilderness for 40 years. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – DONATE to TORCH: Please consider supporting the podcasts by making a...
Jun 15, 2025•58 min
Our Parsha begins with the commandment for Aaron to kindle the Menorah, the intricately embellished, seven-branched candelabra hewn out of a single block of gold. Towards the Parsha's middle, we read about the set of silver trumpets that Moshe made, again hewn out of a single block of silver. The only other item with this requirement is the set of golden cherubs perched atop the Ark's Cover. Why must these items be made in this unusual fashion? Why cant the Menorah's branches be made separately ...
Jun 12, 2025•54 min
After a year at Sinai, the nation is finally on the move. Following the precise protocol of disassembly and decampment, the nation marches off from Sinai. Destination: Land of Canaan. At least that was the plan. More about that next week. In this week's podcast we explore the events surrounding the Nation's journey from Sinai. We examine Moshe's unsuccessful attempt at cajoling Jethro to remain with the nation, the strange feature of the backwards facing nuns, and the inexplicable nostalgia that...
Jun 10, 2025•1 hr 11 min
The Torah was given to us by God with absolute perfection. A unique feature of that is the dual formats of Torah: written and oral. In this interesting and informative podcast, we begin the study of Maimonides' magisterial introduction to his commentary on Mishnah. He begins by tracing the history of oral Torah all the way back to Moshe, he outlines the methods by which Moshe conveyed the Torah to the nation, and addresses the inadmissibility of prophecy in adjudicating Torah dilemmas. Torah is ...
Jun 08, 2025•48 min
The Jewish nation has been encamped at Mount Sinai for nearly a year; in this week’s parsha they finally depart from the Mountain of God, and sadly leave gleefully as a child escaping school. This kick starts a series of missteps that carry harsh consequences. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – DONATE to TORCH: Please consider supporting the podcasts by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php . Thank you! – – – –...
Jun 08, 2025•59 min
Our nation has been blessed with many great leaders. What is our definition of great leadership? In this interesting Parsha podcast, we go back to the story of the princes of the tribes. These 12 men were the heads of the 12 tribes. When Moshe and Aaron conducted the census in the beginning of last week's Parsha, these 12 men accompanied them. In our Parsha, these princes make two donations towards the Tabernacle: they donate 12 oxen and 6 wagons for the transportation of the Tabernacle, and the...
Jun 05, 2025•48 min
The Nazir is someone who accepts a vow, typically for 30 days, to abstain from wine, to not cut their hair, and to not come into contact with the dead. This Nazir is holy. They are close to God. They are like a high priest. They are likely to reach prophecy. But there are some very unusual and surprising elements of the Nazir: the stated objective of the Nazir is to address the potential danger inherent in wine, yet when the period of the Nazir ends, the verse tells us that they resumed drinking...
Jun 04, 2025•1 hr 1 min
In the longest parsha in the Torah by verses, we continue to read about the Levite families and their responsibilities, we learn about the three tiers of the Nation’s encampment, the laws of a suspected adulteress, the laws of the Nazir, the Priestly blessings, and we read a very wordy account of the gifts of the tribal leaders during the weeks following the Tabernacle’s inauguration. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – DONATE to TORCH: Please consider supporting the podcasts by making a...
Jun 01, 2025•59 min
Long strings of numbers don't typically make for riveting radio or podcasts. Many of us feel our eyes glaze over when we read seemingly meaningless batches of numbers and a series of calculations. To the untrained eye, our Parsha - with its censuses, depiction of encampment layouts, and delineation of Levite responsibilities in the transportation of the Tabernacle and its vessels - appears bereft of deep meaning. But when we examine the Parsha more deeply, we discover that the entire Parsha is a...
May 29, 2025•58 min
What would a comprehensive and rigorous regimen of Torah study look like? Suppose someone wants to really become a Torah maestro. What would be a fitting schedule of course work for them to become a well-rounded Torah scholar? Torah is the antidote to the evil inclination. How much Torah and how many Torah domains and disciplines must the person be immersed in in order to have the antidote fully administered? In this very interesting and different sort of podcast, we learn the principles of the ...
May 28, 2025•50 min
The United States Constitution mandates that a nationwide census is conducted every decade. Other nations also conduct censuses. Censuses are common. Our parsha begins with a nation-wide census, the third census since the Exodus. But this census was highly uncommon. It was conducted completely differently than the way that any other census is done. When we probe the matter deeply we discover something absolutely profound. At the risk of over-promising, I highly recommend that you listen very int...
May 27, 2025•59 min
We kickstart the Book of Numbers with a census of the twelve tribes of Israel – not including the tribe of Levi who is counted independently – conducted by Moses, Aaron, and the most distinguished leaders of said tribes. Subsequently, we read about the banners of the tribes and their assigned encampments, the transference of the sanctity of the firstborn to the Levites, and the designated role of each of the Levite families. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – DONATE to TORCH: Please con...
May 25, 2025•57 min
The laws of the Torah - all 613 of them - were conveyed by God to Moshe at Mount Sinai. This is explicitly conveyed regarding the first Mitzvah featured in the first of our double Parsha, the Mitzvah of shemitah, to allow the land to lie fallow each 7th year. When we examine the subject further, we find all sorts of connections between shemitah and Sinai. In this sprawling podcast, we discover the secret of shemitah and the imperative to aspire to angelic greatness. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –...
May 22, 2025•55 min
Our Parsha contains some of the most difficult portions in the Torah, the Admonition. Our nation is told of the consequences of failing to adhere to the rules of God. The consequences are fierce and harsh. When this section is read in the synagogue, it is done quickly and in an undertone to prevent the congregation from lapsing into depression. But the Admonition ends on a comforting note: God promises to remember the covenant that He forged with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Notwithstanding our int...
May 20, 2025•1 hr 2 min
Heresies and idolatries come and go. The idolatry that titillated the ancients no longer excites modern men. The heresies that revolutionized the world a century ago no longer resonate. Any heresy is a repudiation of God, and thus is bound to vaporize like a puff of smoke. Falsehood cannot endure for long, and eventually all heresies dissipate. But a fixture of our world is the balance required to facilitate free will. When one heresy dies, another must take its place. Our sages tell us that the...
May 19, 2025•40 min
This week's double-Parsha closes out the Book of Leviticus. Parshas Behar begins at Mount Sinai, where the Almighty instructed Moshe to convey a series of laws to the Jewish people. The first is the mitzvah of Shemittah, the prohibition of engaging in any agricultural work every seven years. In two chapters in the Torah (Leviticus 26, Deuteronomy 28) we read about the positive consequences of obeying the Torah and heeding its laws; and the terrible, painful consequences of disobeying the Law. Th...
May 18, 2025•1 hr 38 min
Passover marks the Exodus from Egypt. But leaving Egypt was only the beginning of the radical transformation that the Almighty brought about. 50 days after the Exodus, the nation coalesced around Mount Sinai and experienced theophany - national prophecy, national Revelation - at the mountain. The whole nation heard the word of God and lived. This cemented the transformation of the Exodus. This permanently ensured that the nation will be servants of God, not servants of pharaoh. Passover and Shav...
May 15, 2025•1 hr 1 min
Spiritual pleasure is vastly, infinitely greater than physical pleasures, and are completely imperceivable by bodies. Only if you work assiduously to develop a sensory connection with your soul, can you begin to taste it. The ultimate venue of spiritual pleasure is known as Olam Haba, the world to come. What about other venues of reward? What about Paradise, Resurrection, and the days of Messiah? How do those rewards featured in the Literature fit into the system of reward and pleasure of Jewish...
May 14, 2025•42 min
The story of the first person to ever be executed in a Jewish court of law is featured at the end of this week's Parsha. An unnamed man, the son of an Israelite woman and an Egyptian man, blasphemed and was executed. When we ponder the story we discover all sorts of interesting tidbits. The blasphemer has a fascinating back story and his motivation to blaspheme is quite surprising. In this podcast we study the episode of the blasphemer and emerge with a powerful lesson that can make a big impact...
May 13, 2025•57 min
Is free will limited or unlimited? What is the scope of free will? How much of our decisions must filter through that system of choice? How much can we actually accomplish if we set our mind to it? What is the mechanisms of ascending a free will ladder? In part 2 of our study of free will, we continue our exploration of fundamental concepts in free will, and learn about the transformative insight of the point of free will conflict. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – DONATE to TORCH: Ple...
May 12, 2025•42 min
Parshas Emor contains a staggering 56 mitzvos, nearly all of them relating to either to the Kohanim, the priests, or to the Festivals, and the parsha ends with a very unusual episode that happened at Sinai. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – DONATE to TORCH: Please consider supporting the podcasts by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php . Thank you! – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Email me with que...
May 11, 2025•1 hr 3 min
If you chanced upon sparring mates going at it, you may come to the mistaken impression that these two are enemies who want each other's throats. But the truth is, a sparring mate is helpful tool to improve your craft. The Almighty endowed us with a very helpful sparring mate to help bring the best out of us. At first, blush, this force seems to promote the worst in us. Upon close examination, we learn how this ostensible enemy is actually exceedingly good. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – ...
May 08, 2025•52 min
There is great confusion about what the ultimate reward for righteousness and the ultimate punishment for wickedness are. Rambam's magisterial essay is designed to provide clarity in these lofty matters of eschatology. In part 2, we learn all about the concept of spiritual pleasure. Our bodies are very finely attuned to experiences of pain and pleasure. We discover that our souls are equally sensitive to pain and pleasure, though our default distance from the soul makes us fail to perceive it in...
May 07, 2025•43 min
