Episodes

RUUUUUUUNN! This word is usually associated with online deals that you don't want to miss. But if you think about it, this word is very much associated with Parshas Toldos. Rivka had two children inside of her, each one running in their own direction. In this week's episode of The Torah Sparks Podcast, we discuss an incredible Rashi in 25:22, and bring out a valuable lesson for our Divine service. Check out the Torah Sparks website at https://www.torahsparks.com/ for the latest podcasts and wee...

Backbones, worms, pencils, and more. In this week's episode of The Torah Sparks Podcast we attempt to connect all of these seemingly separate ideas, and emerge with a meaningful lesson to help us in our everyday lives. Check out the Torah Sparks website at https://www.torahsparks.com/ for the latest podcasts and weekly blog posts. If you enjoy this content, please share with your friends, family, and neighbors. Be sure to leave a rating and write a review! My book "Ready. Set. Grow." is avail...

The Proof of the Pudding is in the Eating. I'm sure you never heard this phrase before, even though this is actually the original phrase, as opposed to the more well-known, the "Proof is in the Pudding." In any case, in this week's episode of The Torah Sparks Podcast we discuss the great Abraham and how he passed the ultimate test given to him by G-d. We also talk about what in the world the "Proof is in the Pudding" has to do with yiddishkeit. I'll give you a hint: Everything! Check out the To...

Darwin spoke about humans and monkeys in a book called "The Descent of Man." In this week's episode of The Torah Sparks Podcast, we talk about the Torah's approach to life using the concept of, "The Ascent of Man." Check out the Torah Sparks website at https://www.torahsparks.com/ for the latest podcasts and weekly blog posts. If you enjoy this content, please share with your friends, family, and neighbors. Be sure to leave a rating and write a review! My book "Ready. Set. Grow." is available...

Toddlers are notorious for saying, "Myself!" They love trying to do tasks all by themselves, with no help. It's cute and all, and even healthy for a toddler to behave this way. But grown adults who constantly live with a "Myself!" mentality, not seeking help or assistance from others, are setting themselves up for failure. In this week's episode of The Torah Sparks Podcast, we discuss the idea that true success comes from teamwork and how haughtiness steers a person far away from real success. ...

Besides for the words ex nihilo and firmament, my next favorite English-translated word in the book of Genesis (also, a great word) is luminaries. In this week's episode of The Torah Sparks Podcast, we discuss a masterful idea from the Ibn Ezra who explains how the moon is indeed "larger" than the stars, contrary to what astronomers like yourself might have thought. Check out the Torah Sparks website at https://www.torahsparks.com/ for the latest podcasts and weekly blog posts. If you enjoy th...

Did you know that the first person convicted of speeding was driving a whopping 8 mph? Times have surely changed! Like everything, though, there is an important lesson to be gleaned from this, and it connects with the Song of Haazinu and the upcoming holiday of Sukkos. Check out the Torah Sparks website at https://www.torahsparks.com/ for the latest podcasts and weekly blog posts. If you enjoy this content, please share with your friends, family, and neighbors. Be sure to leave a rating and wr...

What is The Greatest City in America? Is this even a fair question? Tune in to this week's episode of The Torah Sparks Podcast to find out the truth about Teshuva and how Hashem's love for us is as real as real gets. Check out the Torah Sparks website at https://www.torahsparks.com/ for the latest podcasts and weekly blog posts. If you enjoy this content, please share with your friends, family, and neighbors. Be sure to leave a rating and write a review! My book "Ready. Set. Grow." is availab...

In this week's episode of The Torah Sparks Podcast, we discuss how an experience of writer's block actually gave the writer inspiration of what to write about. We also talk about the significance of the number 458 and 581 and their connection with Rosh Hashanah. Check it out. This is an episode you do not want to miss. Check out the Torah Sparks website at https://www.torahsparks.com/ for the latest podcasts and weekly blog posts. If you enjoy this content, please share with your friends, fami...

There is an oft quoted saying, "Don't tell Hashem how big your problems are, rather, tell your problems how big Hashem is." How in the world does this idea connect to the Mitzvah of Bikkurim? And furthermore, how does the fact that Roomba gets stuck connect to all of this? Check out the Torah Sparks website at https://www.torahsparks.com/ for the latest podcasts and weekly blog posts. If you enjoy this content, please share with your friends, family, and neighbors. Be sure to leave a rating an...

What is the fastest way to visit the Great Wall of China, the Statue of Liberty, and the Burj Khalifa all in the same day? All you need to do is take three steps back and three steps forward. If you are unclear what this means, I recommend you check out this week's version of the Torah Sparks Podcast where we discuss an invaluable message taught to us from the Yetzer Harah himself. Check out the Torah Sparks website at https://www.torahsparks.com/ for the latest podcasts and weekly blog posts. ...

Everyone has a light switch in their home that is mysterious; the members of the house have no idea what it controls. In this week's episode of The Torah Sparks Podcast, we talk about the unsolved mystery of the dead corpse found between two cities, and how, behind this backdrop of negativity, we see the beauty and value for life. Check out the Torah Sparks website at https://www.torahsparks.com/ for the latest podcasts and weekly blog posts. If you enjoy this content, please share with your f...

We can clean messages from anyone. Even from a little girl at the Baltimore Zoo? Yes, even from a little girl at the Baltimore Zoo. In this episode of The Torah Sparks Podcast, we explore the fundamental idea of realizing that there is no one and nothing that is "bigger" than Hashem. This should give us tremendous feelings of comfort in our Divine service. Check out the Torah Sparks website at https://www.torahsparks.com/ for the latest podcasts and weekly blog posts. If you enjoy this content...

What is heavier, a pound of bricks or a pound of feathers? You've probably heard this question before. Even if you've heard the answer before, you probably have not heard why this connects with Parshas Eikev. Tune in to this week's episode of The Torah Sparks Podcast to find out more. Check out the Torah Sparks website at https://www.torahsparks.com/ for the latest podcasts and weekly blog posts. If you enjoy this content, please share with your friends, family, and neighbors. Be sure to leave...

What happened to the most stunning painting ever painted atop of Mt. Everest? What does this have to do with Shema Yisroel? And how does this all connect to Shabbos Nachamu and the idea of consolation? Tune in to this week's episode of The Torah Sparks Podcast to find out more! Check out the Torah Sparks website at https://www.torahsparks.com/ for the latest podcasts and weekly blog posts. If you enjoy this content, please share with your friends, family, and neighbors. Be sure to leave a rati...

There's a technical term for everything. Even for "getting used to the dark"? Yes. It's called "dark adaptation." In this week's episode of The Torah Sparks Podcast, we discuss the importance of not getting used to the darkness of galus, exile, but still being able to be a source of light amidst the darkness. Check out the Torah Sparks website at https://www.torahsparks.com/ for the latest podcasts and weekly blog posts. If you enjoy this content, please share with your friends, family, and ne...

Can you really be called Mr. Macho if you scream every time you hear a creaking noise in your home? Tune in to this week's episode of The Torah Sparks Podcast to hear about the spiritual power of hypervigilance and how we can use this psychological phenomenon to deal with the constant movements of our lives. Check out the Torah Sparks website at https://www.torahsparks.com/ for the latest podcasts and weekly blog posts. If you enjoy this content, please share with your friends, family, and nei...

For all those who don't know, sailing is a real sport, and it may not always be as chilled as it looks. In this week's episode of The Torah Sparks Podcast, we discuss an epic story of a sail boat capsizing and its connection to Parshas Pinchos, in particular, to the power of women as depicted from the daughters of Tzlofchod. Check out the Torah Sparks website at https://www.torahsparks.com/ for the latest podcasts and weekly blog posts. If you enjoy this content, please share with your friends...

What happens when the story doesn't end with "happily ever after"? Does that mean G-d doesn't love you? What happens when you daven so hard for something and Eliyahu Hanavi does not appear right in front of you with the answer? In this week's episode of The Torah Sparks Podcast we discuss the importance of serving Hashem even when we don't fully understand what's going on. Check out the Torah Sparks website at https://www.torahsparks.com/ for the latest podcasts and weekly blog posts. If you e...

It is not so uncommon for people watching a tennis match to turn off the volume. Why? Because they can't stand those annoying grunting noises. But did you ever stop for a moment and think about why tennis players grunt? Find out the answer to this and see how it connects to the Parah Adumah by tuning in to this week's version of The Torah Sparks Podcast. Check out the Torah Sparks website at https://www.torahsparks.com/ for the latest podcasts and weekly blog posts. If you enjoy this content, ...

I know what your thinking. Isn't it ironic that the word Korach in Hebrew is spelled the same as Kerach, which means ice? Why is this? What's going on? Is there any connection? Tune in to this week's episode of The Torah Sparks Podcast to find out how Korach ended up on the slippery slope of physicality. Check out the Torah Sparks website at https://www.torahsparks.com/ for the latest podcasts and weekly blog posts. If you enjoy this content, please share with your friends, family, and neighbo...

In this week's episode of The Torah Sparks Podcast, we do not talk about the difference between alligators and crocodiles. But we do talk about the importance of respecting others, as depicted in an amazing story with the Ruzhiner Rebbe as a young boy. See how this connects with the great sin of the 10 spies and more by tuning in now. Check out the Torah Sparks website at https://www.torahsparks.com/ for the latest podcasts and weekly blog posts. If you enjoy this content, please share with yo...

Welcome back to The Torah Sparks Podcast. In this week's episode, we discuss the imperative difference between viewing others as people or as mere objects. Is it correct to refer to the person behind the front desk as "the front desk," or should we refer to that person as, "the lady behind the front desk"? Ultimately, we will see how the ability to see people as people stems from the trait of humility. Check out the Torah Sparks website at https://www.torahsparks.com/ for the latest podcasts an...

In this week's version of The Torah Sparks Podcast, we discuss the painful reality of being a bar mitzvah boy and being the target of fast moving projectiles in the form of soft candy. It is usually the boy who claims to be "a good friend of the bar mitzvah" who throws the hardest. But it's not only bar mitzvah boys that get things thrown at them; it's all of us. The Yetzer Hara throws harmful projectiles at us all the time, and it is up to us to stay strong and keep fighting. Tune in to find ou...