Ki Sisa – Sedimentary, My Dear Watson

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Relationship or Ritual? (2:18)

Podcast (pirkeiavos): Download (Duration: 18:42 — 10.7MB)

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What is the optimal relationship between man and God? How is man supposed to view himself? These questions and several others are addressed in Chapter 2, Mishna 18 of Pirkei Avos.

This Ethics Podcast was originally released on the Ethics Podcast on Oct 7, 2018

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Impurity and Unfathomable Mitzvos (#159)

Podcast (mitzvah): Download (Duration: 38:09 — 17.5MB)

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Not all mitzvos made sense to us. When it comes to the sprawling laws of purity and impurity, we are basically clueless.

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Ki Sisa – Aaron’s Calculus (5783)

Podcast (parsha): Download (Duration: 54:13 — 24.8MB)

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The most calamitous, catastrophic, disastrous event in Jewish history – and arguably the most devastating event in all of human history – happens in our Parsha. A mere 40 days after the exultant, euphoric, transcendental Revelation at Sinai, the nation stoops to a very low nadir: they make a golden calf and begin to worship it. Most surprisingly, a central participant in this debacle was none other than Aaron the high priest. Why would Aaron, one of our nation’s greatest men, agree to participate in the deification of a golden calf? By pondering this mystery we will discover both an answer to this puzzling question and a wonderful insight into the nature of reality, and how our perception of reality and the truth may be very different.

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#92: World of Souls

Podcast (torah101): Download (Duration: 44:34 — 20.4MB)

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Why do bad things happen to good people? What role does Oral Torah play in Jewish life? Why did the Almighty create two worlds, the world of the bodies and the world of the souls? What is the difference between today and the days of Messiah? These are just some of the questions that are raised in the third and final installment on the introduction of the Sefer HaChinuch in this edition of the TORAH 101 Podcast.

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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!

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The Ultimate Meritocracy (2:17) + TORCH 2025 Fundraiser

Podcast (pirkeiavos): Download (Duration: 21:24 — 9.8MB)

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Please support the Ethics Podcast by donating to our annual fundraiser at giveTORCH.org

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In a short, succinct Mishna, Rabbi Yose shares timeless lessons regarding the proper way to treat other people’s money, how Torah greatness is a meritocracy, and perhaps the most central insight of Jewish spirituality.

This Ethics Podcast was originally released on the Ethics Podcast on Sep 17, 2018

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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!

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Unmasking the Purim Story

Podcast: Download (Duration: 48:44 — 22.3MB)

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Please support the TORCH Podcasts by donating to our annual fundraiser at giveTORCH.org

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Support the TORCH Podcasts by visiting giveTORCH.org right now and making a generous donation!

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This special Purim Podcast is dedicated by my dear friend Adam Chuckrow in loving memory and leilui nishmas his grandmother Hadassah bat Yosef who passed away last Purim, so her firs Yartzeit is this Purim. May her Soul be elevated in Heaven.

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The Purim story is revisited and relived each year, when we read the Book of Esther, offer gifts to the poor, deliver food to our neighbors, enjoy a festive banquet, and drink a bit more than we typically do. The story goes back 2,500 years to a time when our nation was an exile in Persia and a genocidal maniac named Haman tried to exterminate Jewish people. In this special Purim podcast, we try to go a bit behind the scenes, and to see a bit of the story behind the story the of what happened in Persia and what the primary takeaway of the festival is supposed to be.

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Ep. 86: Chofetz Chaim: A Portrait

Podcast (history): Download (Duration: 1:09:09 — 31.7MB)

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The Chofetz Chaim, Rabbi Yisrael Meir Hakohen Kagan, was one of the most renowned and influential Jews of modern times. He did not serve in any official capacity, and his influence reverberated the world over. His personal piety was legendary. He was a saint, a veritable angel walking amongst men. His literary contributions altered the landscape of Jewish life. The modern sensitivity to all to all forms of Lashon Hara can be attributed to him. His monumental Mishnah Berurah systematized and clarified and organized practical Jewish law. His many other writings were vitally important to help the Jews of his time, and their impact and influence continues until this day. This is the story of the life, piety, and works of the Chofetz Chaim.

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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!

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Parshas Ki Sisa (Rebroadcast)

Podcast (parsha): Download (Duration: 1:05:49 — 30.1MB)

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This week’s parsha contains several instructions related to the Tabernacle, but the majority of the parsha is dedicated to arguably the most shocking and troubling episode in the whole Torah, the Golden Calf. Forty days after the nation reached the pinnacle of human accomplishment – a national revelation at Sinai – the same nation committed what seems on the surface to be idolatry.

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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!

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Choose Your World (2:16) + Annual TORCH Fundraiser

Podcast (pirkeiavos): Download (Duration: 53:40 — 24.6MB)

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Please support the Ethics Podcast by donating to our annual fundraiser at giveTORCH.org

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This mishna marks the first of three times in Pirkei Avos where the phrase “is removed from the world” is assigned to people who exhibit certain attitudes or behaviors. In this podcast we suggest a novel approach to explain that term.

This Ethics Podcast was originally released on the Ethics Podcast on Aug 27, 2018

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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!

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Tetzaveh – Careful What You Wish For

Podcast (parsha): Download (Duration: 55:10 — 25.3MB)

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The high priest was bedecked in eight special garments. Two of the garments were adorned with precious stones: the breastplate contained 12 Stones, one for each tribe, and the Ephod had two shoulderpad stones, each one of them with the names of six sons of Jacob. In this special TORCH fundraiser edition of the Parsha podcast, we share two ideas related to the stones on the garments of the high priest, and a powerful and frightening insight related to the conspicuous omission of Moshe’s name throughout our Parsha.

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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!

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Kosher Animals and Their Derivatives (154, 156-7, 471)

Podcast (mitzvah): Download (Duration: 47:51 — 21.9MB)

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Eating certain animals are harmful for your body and for your soul. It is wise to obey the Torah’s guidance. You are what you eat – make sure you eat good to be good.

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