Shemos - Seeds of Moshiach

Why is the book of Exodus also called the book of Names? How do the Names of the tribes relate to the redemption of the Jewish people? Why does Hashem appear to Moshe in a thorn bush? Why didn't Hashem appear in a great Cedar or other majestic tree? What is the difference between the non-Jewish outlook and the Jewish outlook as to where Hashem manifests His Divine Presence? Why did the mothers of Am Yisrael - Rachel and Leah - have to go through such difficult times, as referred to in the names they gave their children? How did these very names manifest later in the redemption? Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

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Running time (29:54)

Bitachon 191 - Be Careful What You Wish

We explore a piece in Rav Tzadok MiLublin (Siman 64) that speaks about a game-changing idea that relates very much to Bitachon - Ratzon-Will. Ratzon is so powerful that when someone wields it, he experiences tremendous Siyata Dishmaya - Divine Aid. But this does not prove that the path this person has willed is a good path - it just proves that his will is very strong. We discuss the ramifications of this issue.

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Running time: 21:16

Vayechi - Gathering in the End of Days

How does Yaakov communicate with his sons when he requests them to gather? How does this request filter down to our times, as ou nation gathers back in Israel? What is behind the parallels of four of the tribes to the four kingdoms that had power over us? How do Daniel from Yehuda and Mordechai from Binyamin take away the power of Bavel and Madai? How do Levi and ultimately Yosef take away power from Yavan-Greece and Edom-The West? What is the idea behind the seven days of mourning for Yaakov that parallel the seven days of celebration that will occur when the age of Moshiach commences?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

Running time: 29:53

Bitachon 190 - Closeness to Hashem is Good

We study together Tehillim chapter 73 passuk 28, which speaks of the reassurance needed for the tzaddik-righteous individual. This is that although sometimes the wicked seem to prosper, ultimately they wither away, while someone who values closeness to Hashem experiences a cleansing through one's challenges.

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Running time: 21:53

Vayigash - Moshiach ben Yosef in Jail

Why does Yosef suffer in Jail for 12 years before being released and becoming the leader over all the modern world of that time? Why does he send his brothers through such difficult tribulations before revealing himself? Why does Yeshaya Hanavi tell us that the prerequisite for the building of the Beis Hamikdash is a bringing back to order of our relationships between our fellows, besides for our relationship with Hashem? What is the concept of the light of the generation of Moshiach ben Yosef? Why does Moshiach ben Yosef, like his forebear Yosef, need to endure great pain at the hand of his own brothers? How does this very pain, alongside the derision of the nations of the world, lead to his having power over everyone?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

Running time: 37:49

Bitachon 189 - Moshiach's Success is Hashem's

We continue our study together in chapter 71 of Tehillim passuk 7. Dovid Hamelech - the anointed of Hashem - speaks of the fact that he is a symbol of the way Hashem deals with those who trust in Him. He asks that Hashem always give him strength and success, even as he gets old and his natural strength wanes - so that all will see and take to heart that Hashem is the strength behind all his successes.

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Running time: 19:53

Mikeitz - Will Moshiach Really Come?

Why did Yosef get forgotten for two years and languish in jail, despite the salvation seeming to be so close? 'Who could have waited' for him to get out of jail? How does this parallel the story of Avraham and Sarah who waited so long for children? How does this theme repeat in the lives of Rus, Dovid, and the Jewish people themselves? What is the Keitz - the defined end - and how can it be that all of evil will be totally destroyed?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

Running time: 25:03

Bitachon 188 - Hold On 'Til the End

We continue our study together in chapter 71 of Tehillim pesukim 5 and 6. Dovid Hamelech speaks of the faith he had starting as a small child - the rejection of his family, which was a great trauma - was an opportunity for him to develop greater Bitachon in Hashem. He held onto this faith throughout the times of darkness, until he ultimately reached the light.

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Running time: 21:14

Vayeshev - Moshiach Unfolds Quickly

What is the meaning of the details of the dream of the Sar Hamashkim (cupbearer) of Pharaoh that were not explained in Yosef's interpretation? Why did Yosef interpret that dream positively while interpreting the baker's dream negatively? What is represented by the vine and three branches, as well as the quick flowering, budding and ripening of the grapes? Why does it say the word 'cup' four times in this context? What is the idea of the Cup of Salvations for the Jewish people, alongside the Cup of Retribution for the nations of the world? What are represented by the three baskets and the upper basket of the dream of the baker?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

Running time: 28:57

Bitachon 187 - Israel Starts as the West Ends

We continue our study together in chapter 71 of Tehillim, now moving on to pesukim 5 and 6. Here Dovid Hamelech speaks of the faith he had starting as a small child, which parallels the faith of the Jewish people as they are in their infancy, developing as a nation in Egypt. This faith sustains us until the end of time where the people of Israel rise on the 'heels,' or the ultimate downfall of the world of Esav - the West.

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Running time: 22:05