How to Build the Third Temple

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Parshas Devarim (Rebroadcast)

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5 weeks before his passing, Moses gives a three-parsha-long speech to the nation, which constitutes his last will and testament. He begins with a retrospective of the history of the nation over the past 40 years since the Exodus – subtly rebuking the nation, guiding them, admonishing them, ensuring that they don’t repeat their mistakes of yore.

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Mattos & Masei – Talk is Expensive

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Freedom of speech is enshrined in the First Amendment. Our society allows people to say whatever they want so long as they’re not perjuring themselves or making explicit calls to violence. In our society, words don’t carry weight. A verbal agreement without a signed contract carried no legal muster. The Torah has a very different perspective: your power to communicate verbally is your most essential human characteristic and corrupting your speech is corrupting your essence. Moreover, your speech creates realities of enormous gravity. This is not the only departure from common perception found in our double Parsha. How do we view eating, how do we view a default person, how do we view the spiritual versus the physical realities… Torah is designed to upgrade us to a higher level of living to a higher level of existence. In this Parsha podcast, we learn how that works.

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Mattos & Masei – Order of Sisters (5784)

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The Book of Bamidbar ends on a bit of a surprising note. The final chapter of our book revisits the somewhat technical narrative relating to the inheritance of the ancestral lands of a man named Tzelafchad. This man from the tribe of Menashe died without sons, and in chapter 27 of the book of numbers we learned that his lands will be apportioned to his daughters in lieu of male heirs. One may have thought that the saga of Tzelafchad was all settled. But no. The final chapter of the book revisits this story and offers an epilogue to it. Why is this the most fitting culmination of the book? In this very special Parsha podcast, we offer a novel solution. We learn how these five sisters were each remarkable in her own way, a lesson that serves as a fitting and powerful crescendo to the Book of Bamidbar.

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Parshas Mattos & Masei (Rebroadcast)

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This year, the Book of Numbers ends with a double parsha – Mattos and Masei. We learn about the laws of vows and oaths; the miraculous war with Midian; the unusual request of the tribes of Gad and Reuben; the Torah delineates the 42 different places that the Nation encamped for their 40 year sojourn; and we gain closure to the saga of the daughters of Tzelaphchad.

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Pinchas – Dual Tracks

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Certain legends are irreplaceable. There was never a man like Moshe who spoke to God face to face. Aaron, the first high priest, set an incredibly high bar for all high priests who followed. In this week’s Parsha, successors are designated for both Moshe and Aaron. Aaron’s grandson Pinchas was elevated to the priesthood which would eventually become the high priest. Moshe’s trusty attendant Joshua was selected to replace Moshe. Why were these two people selected for these prestigious roles? When we examine the ascension of Joshua and Pinchas, we find two very different paths. For aspirants of high offices it is important to learn the different pathways to greatness. But even if we don’t have designs on a great office, it is incumbent upon us achieve personal greatness. In that important domain too these two pathways can lead us to the promised land.

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Pinchas – Eggs Not Cheese (5784)

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Pinchas, Aaron’s grandson, did a valorous and zealous act of bravery when he skewered the prince of the tribe of Shimon and stopped the plague from wiping out the entire nation. What motivated Pinchas’ behavior? What attributes were at play during his act of zealotry? This question is answered in a comment in Rashi in our Parsha. We learn how qualities and attributes that are present in antecedents are manifested in their descendants. Character is heritable. That same theme is featured elsewhere in our Parsha, when the daughter is of Tzalafchad seek a portion in the land of Israel, in a manner similar to that of their antecedent Joseph. When we zoom out, we discover that the heritability of character, both good and bad, is featured in many many places in the literature. The lessons and the takeaways are profound.

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The King’s Way

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The sorcerer/prophet of the nations, Balaam, sought to curse the Israelites, but his attempts were thwarted. The Talmud reveals some very interesting elements of his botched effort. Had he succeeded in cursing the nation, there would have been nothing left. He would have achieved total devastation. In this very interesting and informative podcast, we study the methodology of Balaam’s deadly curse and how God transformed Balaam’s curse into the king’s way. This might be the most important and edifying podcasts of them all.

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Parshas Pinchas (Rebroadcast)

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Pinchas was a man of action, a zealot who avenged God’s vengeance and was handsomely rewarded for it. In this parsha we read about his reward, Moses’ succession plan, the methods through which the Land will be divided, and another census is done.

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Parsha: Chukas & Balak – The Flintystones

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This week’s double Parsha is chock-full of fascinating narratives, story lines, and mitzvos. We begin with the great mystery of the red heifer. We then read about the passing of Miriam, sister of Moshe and Aaron, and its repercussions. There are wars against foes, water coming out of rocks, talking donkeys, and two plagues, including one from venomous serpents. It is a story rich with drama and intrigue, of great heroes and heinous villains. In this special edition of the Parsha Podcast, we explore the twists and turns of our parsha and share a profound insight, an insight can radically reshape our pursuit of greatness.

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This Parsha Podcast is dedicated in honor of and in the merit of the success for Noam Yitzhak ben Shlomi. May he be blessed with an outpouring of success.

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Balak – Donkey Gait Keeper (5784)

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In every generation there are malevolent forces seeking to destroy the Jewish people. They have never been successful, nor will they ever be. The Almighty always protects our people and ensures our continuity. Most of the time we are completely unaware of the mortal dangers that the Almighty thwarted on our behalf. The canonical example of this phenomenon is the story of our Parsha , when the greatest sorcerer of all time was hired to curse the Jewish Nation. In this special edition of the Parsha podcast, we share three deep ideas on the very unusual story of Bilaam’s unsuccessful attempts to curse the Jewish Nation.

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Chukas – Mourning Clouds (5784)

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Two giants passed away in this week’s Parsha: Moshe two elder siblings, his sister Miriam and his brother Aaron – two of the great leaders and benefactors of the nation – both die in Parshas Chukas. In this special Parsha podcast we share two profound insights relating to the death, mourning, and aftermath of these two deaths. We discuss the extraction of water from a rock and how it differs from the another instance where water was desired and a rock played a very different role. We conclude with a sharp analysis of the difference between the nation’s mourning of Aaron and how the people mourned Moshe. All in all, I highly recommend that you listen to this podcast. It will bring you joy and maybe even some insight.

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