Vzos Habracha/Breishis - Ending and Beginning

Why do we read the final portion of the Torah on Shmini Atzeres, not on Shabbos? What is the difference between Atzeres (stop) and Shabbos (stop)? Why do we complete the Torah and then start it again immediately? Why does the torah conclude with blessings and the death of Moshe? What is Hashem's name which characterizes creation, and how does it compare to the name that denotes redemption? How is the name of redemption hinted to in the first verse of the Torah? What is the meaning of the Sefer Yetzirah's statment that 'the end is embedded in the beginning' and vice versa?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 27:18

Pesach - Ecstatic vs Measured Spirituality

What is the connection between Pesach and Succos? Why do they both occur in the middle of the month? What is the difference between the respective mitzvos of each holiday? Why does Succos involve a lot of movement, while Pesach seems to be more static? Why does Shmini Atzeres come immediately after Succos, while Shavuos is 50 days after Pesach? What is the character of each of these months - Nissan and Tishrei? Why do we have a seder on Pesach, but not on Succos?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 18:50

Simchas Torah & Breishis - Full Circle

Why do we immediately return to the beginning of the Torah as we complete it? Why is the 'party' on the eighth day of Succos - the one that is just for the Jewish people - so small? Why does the Torah spend only a few verses on the blessings, while it spends many verses on the curses? What is the secret of the circle?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running Time: 17:56

Gut Yontiff!

Today is the sixth of Kislev, which corresponds to the sixth of Sivan - Shavuos. It is exactly fifty days since the second day of Succos. As per the midrash, it would have been a holiday today, but Hashem instead placed Shmini Atzeres at the end of Succos.

Gut Yontiff!

Pinchas - Shmini Atzeres and Pinchas

What is the connection between Pinchas and Shmini Atzeres? What is the connection between Shmini atzeres and Shavuos? What is the connection between Shmini atzeres and Chanukah?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

Running time: 19:53

Moshiach podcast 9 - 9 Av, Shmini Atzeres, Zos Chanukah

We discuss two more sets of seventy days - from the 9th of Av until Shmini Atzeres, and from Shmini Atzeres until the last day of Chanukah. We discuss the ramification of these days, their connection, and what it means for us.

You can download the Moshiach podcast 9 here.

Running time: 46:00

Here is a typed version of Moshiach podcast 8.5.

I hope to have a typed version of this podcast by tomorrow, be'H.

Succos - Beyond relationship

What is the deeper concept of Lulav and succah? How are they connected? Why don't we perform these mitzvos on Shmini Atzeres? Why is the concept of Succah related to shade? Why is our Succah connected to the future Succah of the righteous in the times of Moshiach?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

Running time: 19:41