Monthly Archives: August 2021

Mitzvah: Bribes and Palm-Greasing (#83)

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Judgment is the ultimate partnership between us and God. Litigants who come to a Jewish court are coming to hear the will of the Almighty on the case. Consequently, the judges have to be very meticulous in being impartial and neutral in judgment.

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Rosh Hashana: Customs, Rituals, Ceremonies, and Practices

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The two days of Rosh Hashana are two of the most important days in the year. These festival days are celebratory and joyous, but are also dedicated to prayer, to introspection, and repentance. Rosh Hashana is a time when we try to strike a delicate balance of festivities and trepidation due to the Day of Judgement. In this unique podcast we examine the myriad customs, ceremonies, rituals, and practices of Rosh Hashana – we learn about their significance, we learn about the lessons contained within them, we learn about about the various activities that we do to get in the right frame of mind for the Day of Judgement.

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Parsha: Parshas Nitzavim & Vayeilech (Rebroadcast)

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On the final day of Moshe’s life, he gathered the entire nation – men, women, children, and according to the Talmud, all souls of future Jews – to pass them through a final covenant with God. The parsha also contains the prophetic predictions of the Messianic times, and it ends with a simple, binary choice: Moshe tells the nation, “Behold I have placed before you today, the life and the good, and death and evil… Choose Life!” Moshe is 120 years old to the day. He was born on the seventh of Adar and now it is the seven of Adar 120 years later. Today is his last day before his passing and he is taking leave from the nation and handing over the reins to Joshua.

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Moments of Spiritual Ascension with Rabbi Bucsko – Part II

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We are so fortunate to be Jews and have the Torah. We know how the Almighty structured time in a circular path throughout the year. We know how each moment contains unique spiritual energies and the methods or mitzvos for tapping into each one. As a result, our circular path throughout the year is continually ascending higher. I asked Rabbi Bucsko to join us on this episode to provide a macro view of this cycle of time; how to prepare ourselves for where we are now in the month of Elul and carry us through Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Sukkos and Simchas Torah. We are on a roller coaster that is creeping upwards towards the first thrilling part of the ride but when the ride is over, we will not be getting off where we got on.

Moments of Spiritual Ascension with Rabbi Bucsko – Part I

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Parsha: Ki Savo – Maniacal Determination

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Our parsha contains perhaps the most difficult Torah portion to read and digest: The Tochacha (Admonition). In it we are told the consequences of our deeds. If obey the Almighty and hearken to His commandments, He will reward us with bountiful blessings. Should we deviate from Him and repudiate His Torah, however, He promises to unleash all manner of suffering upon us. And it is brutal. Our Sages calculated that the Tochacha contains 98 distinct curses and maledictions. What is the message of these ferocious curses? In this special edition of The Parsha Podcast, we suggest a novel approach to understanding what the Torah wants of us.

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This Parsha Podcast is dedicated anonymously in the merit of the speedy recovery for Daniel Zev Ben Miriam. He is a relative of a dear friend of ours who contracted a severe case of COVID and then it was discovered that he has cancer too and is undergoing treatment. He really needs a refuah shlema; please include him in your prayers. May he have a Refuah Sheleima – a complete and total recovery from his illness with no lingering effects.

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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!

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Mitzvah: Conjecture in Court (#82)

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A court is tasked with verifying the validity of the claims of the witnesses and rendering a ruling. What kinds of testimony are admissible in court? What are the extrajudicial carveouts for the defendants who are clearly guilty but get off on technicalities?

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Parsha: Parshas Ki Savo (Rebroadcast)

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As the Book of Deuteronomy draws to its conclusion, the narrative makes a transition: Moshe finishes conveying the mitzvos to the nation, and sets up his final parting message to the people. First, he commands the nation to perform several elaborate ceremonies on the very first day that they cross the Jordan River; then he conveys a scathing, terrifying list of curses that will befall the people in the event that we deviate from the Torah.

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Parsha: Ki Seitzei – A Lifetime A Day

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The Midrash in our parsha calculates that the Torah contains 613 mitzvos, 248 positive mitzvos, where the Torah commands us to do something proactive, and 365 negative mitzvos, where we are instructed to refrain from transgressing the Almighty’s will. These figures are not coincidental. They are precisely targeted to enable us to accomplish our life’s mission. In this ground-breaking and earth-shattering edition of the Parsha Podcast, we explore a transformational element of mitzvos that will radically reshape our lives – for the good.

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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!

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Ethics: Realms of Rage (5:14)

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Anger is a sentiment that we all feel sometimes. What triggers our rage? What does our anger say about us? What is the connection between anger and faith? Why does the Talmud declare that getting angry is tantamount to idolatry? Why does the Talmud foretell that those who get angry are destined for all manner of Gehennom? In this episode, we explore our Sages’ surprising teachings related to anger.

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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!

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