Episodes

We discuss the Jewish perspective on a beard. Did Moshe Rabbeinu have a beard? Should we really Fear the Beard? Why do people stroke their beard when in doubt? And so much more!

Since 1908, the secular New Year has been marked by the famous “ball drop”—a moment meant to symbolize a fresh start. Yet the phrase “dropping the ball” has come to mean something very different: missed opportunities, abandoned commitments, and resolutions that don’t last. In this shiur, we explore the deeper irony of that image, especially in light of the well-known reality that many New Year’s resolutions fade quickly—so much so that the second Friday of January is often called “Quitter’s Day...

Asara B’Teves marks the day Nevuchadnezar, King of Bavel, laid siege to Yerushalayim — the beginning of the Churban. But on this very same day is the yahrtzeit of Reb Nosson of Breslov (December 20, 1844), the primary talmid of Rebbe Nachman, the one who revealed and transmitted Rebbe Nachman’s redemptive Torah to the world. This is no coincidence. In this shiur, we explore the deep contrast and connection between the beginning of destruction and the beginning of geulah. Rebbe Nachman taught ...

In this Parshas Vayigash Parsha Prevew shiur, we explore one of the most fundamental ideas in Judaism: our direct relationship with Hashem — without intermediaries, mediators, or go-betweens. The Torah opens Vayigash with the words “Vayigash eilav Yehuda” — Yehuda approaches Yosef directly. Drawing on a powerful teaching from the Kedushas Levi, we learn that when something truly matters, you don’t speak through a translator. You go face to face. Judaism teaches that every Jew can approach Hashe...