Monthly Archives: July 2019

Parsha: Parshas Mattos & Masei

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This year, the Book of Numbers ends with a double parsha – Mattos and Masei. We learn about the laws of vows and oaths; the miraculous war with Midian; the unusual request of the tribes of Gad and Reuben; the Torah delineates the 42 different places that the Nation encamped for their 40 year sojourn; and we gain closure to the saga of the daughters of Tzelaphchad.

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TORAH 101: Creation Ex Nihilo and the Age of the Universe Question

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In the Fourth of the Thirteen Principles of Faith, Rambam codifies the distinction between God and everything else and the manner through which God effectuated Creation Ex Nihilo. In doing so, Rambam departs from the positions of Plato and Aristotle and explains the critical flaw in their thinking that made them incapable of distinguishing between how the world looks like today vs. the means through which it was created. We also begin to delve into the intersection of Torah and science and ponder the feasibility of reconciling the Torah’s stance on the age of the universe with science’s.

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Sponsorship: Please consider sponsoring a podcast by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

Mitzvos: The Jewish Slave (#42, 344-346)

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The concept of slavery is – for very good reasons – unpalatable to modern sensibilities. Yet the Torah seems to condone slavery, or servitude, to some extent. What is the nature of slavery as outlined in the Torah and what are some of its laws?

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Sponsorship: Please consider sponsoring a podcast by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

Parsha: Parshas Pinchas

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Pinchas was a man of action, a zealot who avenged God’s vengeance and was handsomely rewarded for it. In this parsha we read about his reward, Moses’ succession plan, the methods through which the Land will be divided, and another census is done.

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This Parsha Podcast is dedicated in merit of the complete and total recovery of Mike Merkin, Michael ben Yaakov and Miriam, a dear personal friend and friend of TORCH who was in a car accident and sustained many injuries. We wish him Complete and swift recovery and refuah sheleimah.

Sponsorship: Please consider sponsoring a podcast by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

Parsha: Parshas Balak

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After the Jewish nation trounced the mighty kingdoms of Sichon and Og in last week’s parsha, the comparatively smaller and weaker kingdom of Moab resorted to unconventional warfare to attack the nation by hiring the prophet of the nations, a wily and devious character named Bilaam, to curse the Jews. It did not work out as planned.

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This Parsha Podcast is sponsored by Ivry Zagury-Orly in honor of his Shabbat Chattan, which coincides with the twelfth anniversary of his Bar Mitzvah Parsha. May you and your bride build a home that is bursting with happiness, love, prosperity, and all manner of blessing, and thank you so much for supporting TORCH and the Parsha Podcast!

Sponsorship: Please consider sponsoring a podcast by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

Parsha: Parshas Chukas (Recorded Live in Jerusalem)

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In this week’s parsha, we read about a high;y unusual mitzvah: The Red Heifer, when an entirely red cow is burned together with a motley concoction of ingredients, and the resultant ashes are used to sprinkle on people that came into contact with dead people in order to purify them from their spiritual contamination. We also learn about the passing of Miriam and Aaron, and the multiple battles that the nation participated in on the Eastern bank of the Jordan, and we puzzle over the sin that condemned Moses and Aaron to die before entering the Land.

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This Parsha Podcast is sponsored in honor of my brother, Mordechai, on the occasion of his wedding in Jerusalem. Ma he and his bride, Yocheved, have a wonderful, harmonious marriage, and share a life replete with joy!

Sponsorship: Please consider sponsoring a podcast by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

TORAH 101: The Incorporeality of God

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The Third Principle of the Thirteen Principles of Jewish Faith states that God is incorporeal: He has no body, nor does He behave in a bodily way, and all indications in Scripture and other Torah literature to the contrary must be understood as analogies and metaphors.

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Sponsorship: Please consider sponsoring a podcast by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

Mitzvah: Three Post-Sinai Laws (#39, 40, 41)

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Immediately after the Sinai Revelation, the Torah commands three, seemingly distinct, mitzvos: Not to make statues even if their sole function is to beautify; Not to use metal implements to hew the stones of the Altar; Not to ascend the Altar ramp in a way that exposes the underwear of the priests. What are the reasons for these interesting mitzvos, and why are they revealed right after the Sinai experience?

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Sponsorship: Please consider sponsoring a podcast by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

Parsha: Parshas Korach

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In this week’s parsha, Moshe and Aaron’s first cousin, a man named Korach, launches a rebellion claiming that Moshe is guilty of nepotism in appointing his brother as High Priest. What ensued should give one serious pause before engaging in any similar sort of divisive activities.

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This Parsha Podcast is sponsored in merit of the health and well-being of Malia Bat Alta Sara.

Sponsorship: Please consider sponsoring a podcast by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

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Monthly Archives: July 2019

Parsha: Parshas Mattos & Masei

TORAH 101: Creation Ex Nihilo and the Age of the Universe Question

Mitzvos: The Jewish Slave (#42, 344-346)

Parsha: Parshas Pinchas

Parsha: Parshas Balak

Parsha: Parshas Chukas (Recorded Live in Jerusalem)

TORAH 101: The Incorporeality of God

Mitzvah: Three Post-Sinai Laws (#39, 40, 41)

Parsha: Parshas Korach