53 Lessons

Ki Tavo Charles III -The Last Circumcised King?
'Hitler said, "Conscience is a Jewish invention. Like circumcision it mutilates man..." What is the connection between conscience and circumcision?'

Ki Tetze It's Not What You Say...
Apparently, the Chafetz Chaim zt'l, was not a brilliant orator, however, he was extremely compelling to listen to. What gave him this power?"

Shoftim As Lovely As A Tree
The Torah prohibits planting trees in the Beit HaMikdash, the Holy Temple. Why?

Parashat Hashavua The Apprentice
In the ancient world, when grieving for a dead person, idol worshippers would make a bald spot in their hair between the eyes. The Torah explicity forbids this practice in Parshat Re'eh. Why?

Pinchas A Man Of Spirit
An artist may be able to create without knowing how to teach others how to create. That doesn't make him less of an artist. But even if an artist is not a great teacher, given a pupil of spirit, that pupil will flourish with very little instruction. Yehoshua's was like the Moon. Because he was 'a man of spirit', he shone from the inspiration of his teacher Moshe.

Balak Extras In Our Own Epic
There’s something unusual about Parshat Balak. It’s the only parsha in the Torah where the Jewish People, the “stars of the show” seem to only have a “walk-on” part. We see Bilam and Balak close up as they plot to destroy the Jewish People, but Israel is only seen in the background – almost off-camera. Why is this?

Chukat It Takes A Lot Of Faith To Be An Atheist
When opening up their morning newspaper, why do atheists turn to the horoscope page?

Shlach Lecha The Blue Beyond
The 'tzitzit' - the fringes that a Jew wears on a four-cornered garment give us a glimpse of infinity.

Beha'alotcha Rabbi Uri Zohar
It’s difficult for someone who’s not Israeli to understand the impact of Rabbi Uri Zohar. Uri Zohar was the leading actor of his generation, the leading film producer and the leading stage producer all rolled up into one person. In 1977 he made a life change and became a Torah scholar and a highly influential Rabbi. He passed away at the beginning of June 2022

Bechukotai The Promise Of The Land
As long as Yisrael does not dwell on its Land, the Land does not give her fruits as she is accustomed. When she will begin to flower again, however, and give of her fruits, this is a clear sign that the end — the time of the Redemption — is approaching when all of Yisrael will return to its Land.

Behar Inventing Religion
If you're going to make up a religion, you'd better not make promises you can't keep. Parshat Behar contains a huge promise that only the Creator could make.

Vayikra Do Jews Have Horns?
Michaelangelo may have been the greatest sculptor who ever lived, but his knowledge of Jewish anatomy was a bit off.

Pkudei A Jewish Woman's Power
We often refer to God as "He" - but God's presence on earth, the "Shechina" is a femine noun. "He" is "She."

Ki Tisa Mystical Worlds
Why is the word for a 'thing' in Hebrew - 'davar' - from the same root as the word for 'speech' - 'dibbur? As solid as 'things' seem, they are no more than God 'speaking' them - keeping them in existence by His word.

Tetzave The Great 'Blander'
If you had your choice, would you choose to live in a world with the potential for great good but the danger of great evil, or a blend of the two resulting in a great blandness?

Mishpatim Weapons Of Mass Distraction
If the original sound of the giving of the Torah never fades, how come we don't hear it anymore?