Ki Seitze - Intuition and Transcendence

Why does the Torah only tell us the reward for two out of the 613 commandments? Why does it specifically tell us by honoring parents and sending away the mother bird? What is the deeper understanding of the idea of sending away the mother bird when taking the eggs or chicks? How does one access the light of transcendence without being blinded by its' light? How is the intuitive faculty a reflection of that light? How does this idea manifest in the days of the week?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 25:55

Behar-Bechukosai - 50,000 Years of the World

What is the 'secret' of the Shmitah and Jubilee years? How do they correspond to the 50,000 year cycle that the world will last for? How does the Yovel (Jubilee) correspond to Shavuos, which is on the 50th day? What is the difference between the concepts of six and seven (Moshiach ben Yosef and Moshiach ben Dovid) as opposed to the eighth and fiftieth? Why couldn't Moshe get into Israel? Why couldn't he perceive the fiftieth gate of intuition? Why is exile the punishment for not keeping Shmitah and Yovel?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 23:14

Tazria-Metzora - Beyond Process

Why does the Torah skip the process between conception and birth - why mention conception at all? Why is the concept of the seven days the mother is impure immediately followed by the concept of the eighth day of the bris? Why is the creation of Adam so relevant to this idea, and what is the significance of his soul being created on day one, as opposed to his body on day six of creation? What is the depth of the idea that both originally and in the future, conception and birth will happen without a nine month process?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running Time: 24:15

Tetzaveh - Do We Have Free Will?

If God is all-knowing, how do we have free will? What is the significance of the miracle of the western candle of the menorah that always stayed lit? Why did the kohen gadol start lighting and end lighting there? What is the significance of the fact that Moshe could not succeed in forming the menorah? What is the relationship between the number seven - as represented by the seven-armed menorah - and the numbers eight and fifty?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 21:54

Vaera - Silence Amidst Chaos

Why is the parsha split up in such a way that we get only the first seven plagues in this week's parsha? What is the significance of the numbers seven and ten? Why is it so important for us to know that the Jews were singled out and that the plagues did not touch their area in Egypt? Why is the Nile river turned into blood instead of just being dried up? What is the concept of blood, which is 'dam' in Hebrew, and what is the relationship to 'dom' in Hebrew, which means silence?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 20:04

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

Song of Moshiach

Rebbe Nachman speaks at length (Likutei Moharan Tinyana 8) about a special song that will be awakened in the future. This song will be used by Moshiach to guide people out of the depths of their sins. This is the song that the Torah speaks about when it says 'az yashir Moshe' - then Moshe and the children of Israel will sing. It is a song that comes after a break in tension. It is the cosmic tension of the end of days, similar to when the Jewish people seemed at the edge of destruction as they stood at the Yam Suf, with the sea on one side, and the Egyptians coming to destroy them on the other. This tension broke with the miracle of the splitting of the sea, and climaxed with their salvation and the song at the sea, which we will sing again in the future. Again, we will face near extinction, and Hashem will again perform the ultimate miracles to save us. Only this time, it will be once and for all.

There is a midrash that talks about the seven stringed instrument that was played in the past, that will be replaced by an eight stringed instrument when Moshiach comes. It will be replaced, again, by a ten stringed instrument in the world to come.

You may have heard of the mysterious 'eighth note,' which seems to be implied by this midrash. You may also know that the current scale only contains seven notes - the eighth note is the same as the first, only higher (hence it is called an octave). But this 'eighth note' of the future is something different.

I always thought that it was some type of combination of all the notes, some interdependent transcendent note... or something. Most recently, I realized that it may be so, but there might be a different aspect to this eighth note. And you might already have started to hear this eighth note, if you've been listening out...

The concept of seven always has to do with the physical realm, which was created in seven days. This also corresponds to the seven lower sefiros (out of ten). We also call this teva - nature. Then there is the eighth aspect, which is transcendent, and corresponds to the sefirah above these seven, which is Binah. Binah translates as intuition. This is the aspect which is l'malah min hateva - above nature. This is very much connected to how our intuitive faculty functions - it fills in the gaps. It also corresponds to the aspect of Neshama - soul.

In essence, we could say that there is a seven-stringed instrument which is for this world, which is the physical, natural aspect of the music. Then there is an eighth note, which has the neshama - soul in the music. This is a song that isn't about love between a man and a woman. It's also not a song that has lyrics slap-dashed together, without being such a good fit for the tune. It is a song about our soul's thirst for God. Or it is a song that gives us hope that Hashem will take care of us, despite all of our challenges. Or it is a song that inspires us to love each other. Or it is a song that inspires us to be better people.

There are many songs out there to listen to. How many notes are in your songs?

Shmini - Accessing the Transcendent

What is the depth of the idea of the loss of the students of R' Akiva between Pesach and Shavuos? Why do Nadav and Avihu die during the great joy of the dedication of the Mishkan? What was the significance of the fact that they did not ask Moshe and Aharon for advice? What is the aspect of the eighth day? And the count to fifty? What is the secret aspect of humility that nullifies everything and allows one access to the realm of fifty, the realm of eight, the world of Beriyah, the world of the throne, a world beyond time, a world of love and perfection?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

Running time: 22:14

Shmini - Six, Seven, and Eight

Why is the mishkan completed on the same day as the creation of Man? What is the significance of the fact that it is both the sixth day of creation and the eighth day of the mishkan? What is the deeper concept of the numbers six, seven, and eight? How is the sadness of this day rectified? Where do we see these three numbers in the last day of Pesach? What is the significance of the silence of the Jewish people in the face of their Egyptian pursuers? How does the first day of Nissan connect to the 21st day of Nissan?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

Running time: 22:20

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

Pesach and Moshiach ben Dovid

Why does Pesach consist of seven days, as opposed to Succos which is eight? What is the significance of the fact that we consistently bring the same korbanos every day of Pesach? Why are the mitzvos of Succos all external, whereas the mitzvos of Pesach are all internal? Why is refraining from eating leavened items, which is the main mitzvah of Pesach, specifically a passive mitzvah? Why is there an active mitzvah to eat matzah on the first day? Why are there such great stringencies the Jewish people have taken upon themselves for Pesach? What is the significance of the Avos being born around Pesach time? What is the connection to Moshiach ben Dovid?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

Shmini Atzeres - V'zos Habracha

What is the significance of the fact that Simchas Torah is always on Shmini Atzeres? Why is it that V'zos Habracha is the only Parsha that does not need to be read on a Shabbos? Why is the Torah specifically completed on this day? What is the significance of what Hashem showed Moshe right before his demise?

Find out in this special edition of the Parsha Podcast.