Lech Lecha - Kingdom of Kindness

What is the unique mission of Avraham Avinu? Why does the Torah deem it important to tell us of his wealth and great stature? Why does the Torah teach us about his conquest of the four and five kings? Why were the wise men of Nimrod so fearful when Avraham was born, such that they said to kill him? What was the meaning of the celestial sign that occurred when Avraham was born? What is the difference between all of the kingdoms of the world and the kingdom of Avraham and the Jewish people?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 27:08

Ekev - Desired Land

What is the difference between the land of Egypt and the land Israel? What is the significance of the land of Israel being sustained by rain? What does it mean when the verse says that Israel is a place that Hashem 'constantly searches,' and that 'His eyes are upon it?' Doesn't Hashem also take care of and protect other lands? How is the concept of 'desire' connected intimately to the land of Israel and the Jewish people?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 24:57

Mishpatim - Preparatory Angel

Why does Hashem inform the Jewish people of their future in the very midst of the revelation at Sinai? Is the angel who will lead them in the future a positive or negative force? What is the reassurance to Jacob that he can 'ascend the ladder' and that he will never fall, if the Jewish people could sin and fall? What is the significance of the angel's presence in the blessings and in times of trouble?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 25:11

Shoftim - King of Israel

What is the concept of a Jewish king? Why does the Torah command us to appoint a king, while it seems that it was not a good thing when the Jews asked for a king in the times of Samuel? Why do we pray three times daily for the king messiah, if the midrash states explicitly that we ultimately want God alone to be our king?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 22:27

Va'eschanan - Staying Connected to God

What are the two modes of our relationship with Hashem? What is the path into ecstatic experience of God? How does one find God in the mundane - 'whenever we call out to Him?' Why is God's name 'Elokim' in the plural form? What is the concept of dew?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 24:18

Vaeschanan - Love Hashem with all your heart

What is the symbolism of the egg that is eaten in the final meal before Tisha B'av? What is the significance of the idea that Moshiach is born on Tisha B'av? How does one serve Hashem with one's physical desires? When is one called a servant of God, and when is one called a child of God?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 20:23

Yisro - Hashem is there for us

In this week's parsha podcast, we don't ask any questions. We just explore the simple statement that God makes at the beginning of the ten commandments, that He is there for us.

Running time: 19:24

Vaera - Raising the cup of Salvation

What is the difference between the name Kel Shakai and Hashem (Yud Kei Vav Kei)? Why does Hashem tell Moshe to tell the Jewish people of their imminent redemption if they don't have the capability to hear it? What is the connection between the four languages of Geulah and the four cups that were in the dream the cupbearer told Joseph? What is the concept of the 'cup of salvation' - why does the cup connect to salvation and redemption?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

Running time: 24:18

Bimidbar - Reflecting Hashem's Love

What is the concept of counting the Jewish people? How does it show Hashem's love for us? Why is it necessary to involve the heads of the tribes in the count? What is the significance of the midrash telling us how each tribal leader was connected to the original progenitor of the tribe? What is the job of the true tzaddik?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

Running time: 20:31

Nitzavim-Vayelech - Hashem is close

Why does the Torah stress that the commandments are not far away? What does it mean that they are in 'your mouth and your heart to do them?' What is the deeper concept of Teshuva - repentance - and why does it begin on Rosh Hashana, the day we crown Hashem our King? What is the deeper understanding of this coronation of Hashem?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast. (16:08)

Ki Savo - Choosing Hashem

Why does the Torah speak extensively about the curses that befall those who violate the Torah? What is the contrast between the initial accepting of the Torah at Sinai, as opposed to the second acceptance in the time of Purim? How do these two stages play out in our own relationship with Hashem?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

(Running Time: 16:41)

Va'eschanan - Hashem and Israel's love

What is the foundation of Hashem's love for the Jewish people? What does the Torah mean when it says that the Jews are few/small? Why does the Torah specifically speak of this love in contrast to his relationship with the nations of the world? What is the secret of the Jewish people's continued success? What is the cause of downfall of the nations of the world?

Find out in this week's Parsha podcast.

(Running time 23:24)

Bimidbar - intensifying relationships

What is the significance of the fact that the Torah introduces the counting of the people of Israel by informing us that Hashem spoke to Moshe in the desert of Sinai and the mishkan? Why were the Levites needed to act as a buffer between the rest of the Jewish people and the sanctuary? Why was the tribe of Levi counted separately from the rest of the nation? Why did the family of Kehas, which carried the holiest vessels of the Mishkan have to wait until the High Priest and his sons put them away? What is the status of a non-Jew who learns Torah? What is the correct approach to our more intense and intimate relationships?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

Vayikra - Expansion in Limitation

What is the deeper meaning of the concept of the korbanos? How does the sacrifice of animals enhance our relationship with Hashem? Why was Noach able to bring all the Kosher animals as sacrifices, whereas the Jewish people were limited to domesticated animals like cows and sheep? What is the deeper meaning of Hashem's call to Moshe, and why does it preface the concept of Korbanos? What is the significance of the fact that Moshe could originally communicate with Hashem in all places, but once the Mishkan was built, he was limited to communicating with Hashem there?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

Vayakhel-Pekudei - Hashem's Unconditional Love

Why is the parsha of the sin of the golden calf found right in the middle of the account of the building of the mishkan? Has anything changed in the relationship between the Jewish people and Hashem before and after the sin? What is the secret of the thirteen attributes of divine mercy? What is the deeper meaning of the cloud that rested on the Mishkan and led the Jews in the desert?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

Ekev - Understanding Fear of Hashem

What is the concept of fear of Hashem in Judaism? Why is it the gateway through which we enter into a relationship of love with Hashem? What is the fundamental relationship of this concept to the concepts of Unity and Disparity, and Kindness and Restraint?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Va'eschanan - Loving Hashem

How do we develop a love for Hashem? How do we understand our rhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifelationship with Him? Why does this parsha follow Tisha B'av?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Matos-Masei - Unifying Hashem

Was the request of the tribes of Reuven and Gad and part of Menashe an appropriate one? Most of the commentaries say No, but Rabbenu Bachai seems to say both yes and no. What were the positives and negatives? Why did Moshe give them specific advice, and did the advice work?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

Moshiach, now?

The following comment was posted on the previous post:

Please, Ari, please don't fall into the trap of predicting a scary downfall of America. Just three months ago, I asked R. Chaim Kanievsky if I should move my family to E"Y. I was all excited about it.

He replied that I cannot come without parnassah. I asked him if I should just "cash out" and come. He said, "Then you spend it and go back. What's the point?"

Parnassah is in the hands of HaShem. Thus, for us, so is moving to E'Y. In the meantime, we must have faith that HaShem is going to orchestrate the kibbutz galius we just read about in the Pesach haftorah.

Please don't be insensitive to those who b'emes long to come to E"Y, but don't have the financial capabilities (yet!) to do so.

I would just like to clarify my general approach with this blog. I really try not to make any predictions, and it was not my intent to predict the fall of the US. I was merely sharing a story with you that I thought would be interesting. I personally firmly believe that every single person must ask a shailah in regards to how they should proceed with life, and rest assured that if they follow da'as Torah, Hashem will not steer them wrong. I encourage everyone to do so, and it is interesting to me that when you asked R' Chaim he responded that way, as someone else recently told me in a conversation that they asked an American Gadol (who is very serious about the idea of living in Eretz Yisrael) the same question and received the same exact answer - one can not come here without a realistic plan for parnassah.

One thought I would like to mention that hits me as I am writing this, is that even if a particular Gadol, say, R' Kanievsky, told one person that this is the proper approach, he may not tell the next person the same thing. Our Gedolim are gifted with Ruach Hakodesh and receive constant guidance as they help out the Klal as well as the many individuals who seek their guidance. I almost laugh as I think about the obviousness of it, but I think we've learned that what a Gadol says for one person will not necessarily apply to another. Just because you read in this blog that R' Chaim told 'anonymous' not to come here doesn't mean you shouldn't ask your rav if it might be the right thing for you.

Our lives must center around serving Hashem, and while צפית לישועה is of course an important thing, it mustn't take over our lives. I realized how compulsively I was checking the news, and I realized that it began when I got very into the whole Moshiach kick. I was never into politics, not here in Israel, and not in the US. It is all a waste of time, and all it does is steer us away from our avodas Hashem. I have really been conscious of not looking at the news, and I am proud to say that I was surprised that I didn't know that 'Durban II' was happening until someone told me about it.

I think it is important to talk and be excited and hopeful about Moshiach's advent, and I do believe he will be here soon. I am happy to say that I don't know how soon, but I do wait for him every day, so I think I'm headed in a good direction. Do I think that the US will fall? I don't know, and I don't wish it upon anyone, certainly not our wonderful brothers and sisters who live there (and might even want to be here in Israel much more than being there). One thing I am sure of is that no matter where we are, Hashem will be taking care of us, and if we have indeed reached the final stages of Geulah, or are nearing them, there will be a tremendous amount of rachamim for us, not destruction ח"ו.

The final redemption will defy logic, and if one takes a look around, the entire world, and the entire state of affairs for the Jewish people as a whole defies all logic. When everything defies logic, it is Hashem's fingerprints, his voice whispering, "I'm here with you." When the winter goes by and it is one of the driest winters in years, and the weather experts are exclaiming that the chances of such a winter are zero - when the chances are zero, this is Hashem speaking. It's no coincidence that this horrible winter in Israel was the worst time for the entire world since the Great Depression. Israel is the conduit for Hashem's goodness. Whatever happens here is a sign of what is happening everywhere else.

Bottom line is that we need to love Hashem, commit to coming close to Him, chuck all the distractions, and focus in on what really counts. We don't need to know what will happen in the future. The more we try to figure it out, the more futile it will be. We can want Moshiach without needing to know when he will be here, and without trying to figure out precisely what will happen and how it will unfold.

In any event, my bet is that it will be interesting, as there's no better 'storyteller' than Hashem. We can sit back and enjoy the show without trying to figure out the ending. We can also get 'into' the story and watch as it progresses without getting carried away and losing sight of what's really important in our lives. We can be excited when we hear that the gematria of ברק אובאמה is the same as the נחש which is also the same as משיח because they are all forces that come into play in the final story. And we can also say that maybe that's not significant and maybe the story will end in a different way. If a great author can give you a surprising and shocking ending, do we think that we can figure out the ending to this story written by Hashem? No matter what it will be interesting, and no matter what it will be the Ultimate Good. Let's try to do this with balance.

Seeds of redemption

Before Purim, someone shared a beautiful pshat with me in the name of the Chasam Sofer (I believe).

If one goes back to the root of the miracle of Purim, we can trace the beginning stage to the party of Achashverosh that is described at the beginning of the story. During that party, the king asks Vashti to appear, but she refuses. In his anger, he heeds the advice to be rid of her, lest the women in the countries of his dominion learn of her intransigence and be led to do the same to their own husbands. Vashti is removed from the scene, leaving an opening for Esther to become a key player in the miracle of Purim.

What is most interesting is that the seeds for the miracle are sown at the very moment that the Jewish people were doing the sin that created the necessity for the miracle! They had been instructed by Mordechai to refrain from partaking in the party of Achashverosh, but they did not listen to the advice of the gadol. In their minds it was more important to join the party, as loyal citizens of Persia, rather than make a scene. Their mistake led to the decree of Haman to wipe out the Jewish people.

What comes out of it is that at the time the Jews were sinning and bringing upon themselves a great calamity, Hashem was concurrently preparing the miracle of their salvation. What an amazing chessed of Hashem! When His beloved people are straying from Him, in His great love He is thinking of them and creating the potential for the miracle of their salvation.

When I heard this idea, I could only think of our people today, many of whom may be entrenched in things that would pull us away from Hashem, ח"ו. Nevertheless, Hashem is constantly looking out for our best, planting the seeds of redemption even as we do things that perhaps make us unworthy! Could there be any greater kindness?