SHEMOS
Where’s Your Donkey?
There’s always been a tension between the divine and the profane; the spiritual and the material.
Are they meant to be in a state of perennial conflict? Can there – and should there- be harmony between the body and the spirit?
What is the Torah’s fascination with donkeys? Why does the Torah accord such prominence to the donkey, which among animals that carry humans is the slowest and least intelligent? A donkey is meant to bear burdens, not people. Why, then, do important figures travel on a donkey rather than on a more dignified animal such as a horse or a camel? Avraham goes to the Akedah on a donkey; Yosef’s brothers travel on donkeys; Moshe places his wife and sons on a donkey; and, of course, Moshiach is destined to be revealed as “poor and riding on a
donkey.”
VAYECHI
The virtue of discipline.
What were the odds of such a promise? Among the people of Israel there were many distinguished dynasties, and not one of them survived. The upheavals of history created especially formidable threats against the descendants of the House of David. Enemies struggled to annihilate them, and almost no descendant remained. Yet each time, a single survivor slipped away from the pile of corpses and continued to sustain the royal lineage, poised to redeem Israel.
why Yehudah? Why was his seed chosen for kingship? And what is the secret of eternity that survives every threat?
Yehudah was the most disciplined of all. He was not necessarily the wisest among the tribes, nor the most righteous, nor the most God-fearing, but Yehudah lived within a framework of laws. He did not believe in himself; rather, he believed in Hashem, and arose and did what needed to be done. One who lives according to the Creator’s will, endures forever.
VAYIGASH
Did Yosef Forgive His Brothers?
This Torah class examines whether Joseph truly forgave his brothers for selling him into slavery. It begins with a provocative parallel: a terrorist stabs someone, but doctors discover a life-saving tumor during surgery - does the attacker deserve gratitude like Joseph suggested to his brothers when he said God meant it for good? The text presents two opposing views.
The resolution distinguishes between legal accountability and personal spirituality. From a societal perspective, people must be held responsible for evil intentions and actions regardless of outcomes. But personally, individuals can choose to see divine purpose in their suffering and forgive.
True forgiveness requires recognizing that most people don't harm others maliciously but are defending themselves poorly, and peace comes through honest conversation rather than nursing hatred against imaginary demons we create in our minds.
CHANUKAH
Why the Macabbees found the oil.
Matisyahu and the Chashmonaim confronted a challenge that remains deeply familiar: the difficulty of being different. A Jew stands apart in a world that values what can be seen, measured, and rationally grasped, while Torah speaks in the name of Elokus that transcends human intellect. Matisyahu embodied the courage to declare loyalty to a G-d beyond reason, and his struggle reassures us that the threatening crossroads we face today were already faced—and overcome—by those before us.
The turning point in the story of Chanukah came in Modiin, when Matisyahu was ordered to offer a pig on the mizbeach. His zealous response ignited a revolt led by his five sons.
Though vastly outnumbered, the Chashmonaim waged a successful guerrilla war from the hills of Binyomin and Yehudah. After three years, on the 24th of Kislev, the Greek army withdrew, and the Beis HaMikdash was reclaimed and purified.
Lesson 6
I Mean Something, Therefore I Am
Before you do anything, you are worthy. Discover Judaism’s empowering understanding of your inherent worth as an individual and as a Jew, and how it calls us to even greater achievement.
VAYEISHEV
The Shepard v/s the Entrepreneur
As we read in the Torah this week, Yosef has dreams of him and his brothers, they cause animosity and discord amongst them.
How is it that these holy men, the eventual tribes of Israel can have such discord and commit to such hatred?
We learn the back story of what was going on, what the dreams and their effect had, that cause the brothers to react as they did.
Lesson 5
Meaning in the Unchosen
Some things are clearly meaningful, but what if everything is? Explore a vision of life where every event and circumstance catalyzes growth and leads to greater purpose.
VAYISHLACH
The Fear of the Dark
Why does Yaakov speak with a diminished sense of self and disparage his spiritual merits precisely at the most difficult moments of his life, when he needs immense kindness from Heaven?
Yaakov knew that this is how it works. One must go through a fall in order to leap upward, and that fall was about to happen now. Therefore he asks for mercy, that the temporary shrinking of stature pass without incident.
Lesson 4
Meaning in the Rhythms of Time
As time flies by, is it just more of the same? Discover the rich texture of Jewish time, and how attuning ourselves to each moment’s message enables profound spiritual purpose.
VAYEITZEI
The Beauty of Imperfection
The turbulent marriage story of Yaakov with Rachel and Leah, and the Torah testifies that Hashem looked into the depths of Leah’s heart and saw that she felt hated.
Hashem’s compassion was aroused for her, and her womb was opened to give birth to the main children of Yaakov.
Although Leah wasn’t actually ‘hated’, the Torah emphasizes twice that Yaakov loved “also Rachel more than Leah,” she wasn’t the favorite. And that’s the whole issue.
A human being cannot bear being second best. A person strives for excellence and cannot appreciate half-love. To be number two is to be zero. Therefore Leah, who was number two to Yaakov’s love for Rachel, felt “hated.”
Meaning in the Mundane
Even if it happens every day, daily life needn’t feel ordinary. See how every part of the day can be as significant as your highest aspirations.
The Kabbalah of Meaning
Jewish wisdom for finding the purpose that connects all parts of life
Life is busy. What connects it all? Join this six-session course to discover Judaism’s timeless approach to meaning in life. You’ll hear answers to some of life’s most fundamental questions: What is meaning? Where does it come from? And if we have it all, why do we seek more?
You’ll gain tools to see the meaning in the routines, relationships, and rhythms of time that shape your life. Discover the purpose in what you’ve achieved and in what lies ahead.
TOLDOT
What's With The Wells
We read in this weeks Tora Reading as Yitzchok dug wells.
Why is this the only ting the Torah tells us about Yitzchok's life at length?
Why dud he dig all these wells ?
What lesson does this have for us in our lives?
To Make or Not to Make Meaning
When life lacks luster, should we invent a more meaningful way of seeing things? Or is there already a purpose hiding in plain sight?
CHAYEI SARA
Following the Script
The concept of living with equanimity and faith through the life of Sarah, the matriarch.
This introduces the central message: our lives are not stories we write ourselves, but rather stories that G-d orchestrates. We are actors on His stage, and our role is to do our best while trusting that the true good unfolds according to His plan, which sees far beyond our immediate understanding.
The Torah describes Sarah's years as "equal in goodness," which the sages interpret to mean she maintained complete equilibrium throughout her life. Despite decades of waiting for children and experiencing aging followed by miraculous rejuvenation, Sarah lived constantly maintaining G-d's presence before her. She understood that life's ups and downs were all part of G-d's narrative, not her own struggle.
Like King David who sang psalms both in triumph and when fleeing from his rebellious son Absalom, Sarah remained spiritually balanced because she recognized she was living in G-d's story, not her own. Her apparent "failures" - the long wait, the aging - were actually essential parts of creating the miraculous story that would inspire the world for millennia.
The message is to accept our circumstances with serenity, knowing that God is writing our story for ultimate good.
Lesson 1
When we have it all, we still need something more: purpose. Discover four fundamental human qualities that provide lasting fulfillment.------------------
The Kabbalah of Meaning
Jewish wisdom for finding the purpose that connects all parts of life
Life is busy. What connects it all? Join this six-session course to discover Judaism’s timeless approach to meaning in life. You’ll hear answers to some of life’s most fundamental questions: What is meaning? Where does it come from? And if we have it all, why do we seek more?
You’ll gain tools to see the meaning in the routines, relationships, and rhythms of time that shape your life. Discover the purpose in what you’ve achieved and in what lies ahead.
VAYEIARA
More Than Hospitality
We are living through a crisis of meaning. What people need more than anything today is a sense of value—to feel important and needed. We live in a world where most people are not searching for food. Existence itself is taken for granted: water flows from the tap, and medicine provides solutions to most health problems. The struggle for existence today is about the question of meaning: who needs me? What can I contribute? The main concern is not what to live from, but what to live for.
Our forefather Avraham understood this already four thousand years ago, and he invested in it—no less than he did in providing physical kindness.
LECH LECHA
What’s in a name?
We’ve all heard the stories about baby-naming. Name after a grandparent?
The meaning of names is an important topic. We all give names to our children for long life, and today we wish to discuss: what is a good name? And how does one even choose a name?
We must therefore carefully examine the secret and meaning of names, and we will do so by looking at a major question in the Torah portion of Lech Lecha: How did the addition of just one letter to the names of Avram and Sarai change their destiny, enabling them to give birth to Yitzchak? How could it be that an elderly couple, who had been childless for over eighty years, who saw in the stars that they would never have children and had completely despaired of the possibility- were suddenly “reborn” through the seemingly technical step of adding the letter "hei" to their names?
NOACH
What With The Water?
The Flood is a strange story; Let us consider two fundamental questions about the story.
First: Why destroy civilization through water?! Why would Hashem choose to bury existence by means of rain? We’re used to thinking of rain as a blessing, so why use a tool of blessing for curse?
Second: why save Noach through an ark? Would it not have been simpler to transfer him to Eretz Yisrael, where- according to some opinions - the flood did not reach, or to lift him to the heavens for the duration of the flood?
Why The Drama?
What’s Kol Nidrei all about?
Kol Nidrei is the most well-known prayer. It has become a symbol of Jewish identity and fills the synagogue seats even with people who do not set foot there the entire year. But the phenomenon is puzzling: what is the connection between its stirring melody and its content? What is it in it that awakens the soul?
“Kol Nidrei” is nothing more than a legal formula of annulment of vows. We declare that the commitments we took upon ourselves in the past and in the future, and have forgotten, shall be null and void.; but what in it stirs the heart to repentance?
Rosh Hashana
The way to open the gates of Heaven is to do the right action at the right time. When we turn to Hashem at the time when the gates are open and perform the precise deed that draws down the energy we need, it is possible to bring about miracles and salvations that change lives.
Our sages revealed to us a wondrous secret: Rosh Hashanah is the head of the year, and on it Hashem determines the fate of us all for good and for blessing. We must observe special “signs” that symbolize the good we seek, in order to draw down the right flow at the right time.
Today we want to clarify the secret of the Rosh Hashanah signs: How does it work? What is the shortcut by which an apple promises a sweet year?