The Sounds of Sulam Yaakov: Recent Episodes
Sulam Yaakov
These are the latest thoughts in Torah whose feet are on the ground, but whose consciousness is in the heavens.
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The High Holy Days are also know as the Days of Awe which can be awesome, or awful. Here is a look at how to tie the work of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot together into an approach to building a world whose horizon is big enough to hold our dreams.
The clock is counting down toward the 1956 Sinai Campaign. Before we can tell that story the threads of the Cold War, infiltration and post-colonial politics have to come together.
The 1950's were a formative time in Israeli history. Te Cold War was getting hot, internal politics were volatile, and the it seemed as if the War of Independence had not quite ended. To Israel's leaders, there was nothing more important than maintaining a string posture, even though this may have meant that they were marching steadily toward another war.
The focus of our story has returned to the land of Israel, where it is once again a time of controversy. Despite the population growth, the economic hardships and the security challenges, the most divisive political issue of the early 1950's was whether to accept reparations from the reborn German state. Here is an exploration of whether pragmatic survival or idealism should be the guiding lights of the first Jewish government in two thousand years.
Some timely questions for a difficult day. How do we reach redemption if we don't know what it looks like? How do we transform suffering into a source of positive identity? And what does it look like to turn our mourning into joy?
Taking a break from the flow of history to think about a pressing current issue. Where does the breakdown of classic understandings of identity and authority associated with the postmodern age leave Am Yisrael? If you want to watch the second half of the webinar on this topic and hear about the blessings of postmodernism, you can become a patron at www.patreon.com/mfeuer
graphic attribution: www.flickr.com/photos/versionz/2596831861
We spoke about the suburbs and the shadows, now it is time to talk about Zionism. The 'Golden decade' was a time of reorganization in general, and particularly in relation to the newborn State of Israel. Here is an episode whose characters will seem strikingly familiar today - non-Zionists, Zionists and anti-Zionists.
Did you know that in addition to the covenant with Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov that there was a covenant with the tribes? Here is a live class from Pardes' amazing summer Executive Learning Seminar which explores this idea and its relevance to building a more tolerant world today.
The decade after World War Two was a Jewish decade for America. Not only did the Jews achieve the suburban dream, but their culture stepped right into the middle of the American mainstream. Nonetheless, there were two things which dimmed this Golden Decade - the Red Scare and the shadow of the Shoah.
Another class from Pardes' amazing Executive Learning Seminar! Prayer happens in three dimensions - self, other and Gd. Here is a class on a selection of Rav Kook's teachings which help connect these three dimensions through the single word 'you.'
picture: bigwavephoto / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
Here is a live class from Pardes' amazing Executive Learning Seminar. It is an exploration of what it means to know through the lens of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The class introduces the perspective of three classic commentators and then weaves them togther to present 'knowing' as a model of relationship.
1945 to 1955 is known as the 'Golden Decade' of American Jewry. Here is the first of three episodes which aims to fill in the Jewish Story on the western side of the Atlantic. The question for today is - did the move to suburbia make the Jews white?
If I asked you whether Israel has a constitution are you sure that you would know the answer? This episode is the first half of answering the question by delving into the history of Israel's 1949 Constituent Assembly.
Picture by Hugo Mendelson - This is available from National Photo Collection of Israel, Photography dept. Government Press Office (link), under the digital ID D715-035.
The last class in the mini-series on modernity. We touch on the origins of the Reform movement and that power that historical critical thinking brought to Jewish modernity.
Class four in the series on modernity. This session we explore the nature ad process of emancipation, revisit the life of Moses Mendelssohn and ask whether the price of entry into non-Jewish society should be checking our culture at the door.
Every once in a while you have to get out of the house, and even out of the box. Where better to do that than Jerusalem, and who is a better partner than Yehudah Hakohen. Here is a free-flowing conversation on Jerusalem, redemption and the process in which we find ourselves day. In honor of the reuniting of the eternal city!
photo credit: Aharon Tzukerman 09/06/67 National Photo Collection of Israel, Photography dept. Goverment Press Office (link), under the digital ID D327-048.
Class three in the Modernity series. In this class we ask what is Enlightenment? and even consider whether it is good news for the Jews. Then we introduce the personality of Moses Mendelssohn, who certainly thought it was.
Every value has a boundary and every state a border, which means that often we have to fight to maintain them. Here is the story of Israel's struggle against infiltration in the 1950's and the moral complexity of retaliatory raids. Not an episode for the faint of heart.
Class two in the series on the Jewish encounter with modernity introduces Baruch Spinoza as a 'converso of conscience.' Unable to accept the narrow religious world of Judaism and unwilling to join Christianity, Spinoza'a experience of excommunication and philosophical enlightenment made him one of the progenitors of secular culture.
In 1949 Israel was in the dangerous position of winning the battle and losing the war. Though ceasefire agreements were in place, peace remained elusive. This episode opens an examination of the questions of international legitimacy, national cohesion and border conflicts which characterize the state even today.
Here is the first class in the Spring series. It is an exploration of the background of modernity and the significance of the failed messianic movement of Shabbatai Zvi.
There is no word for independence in Biblical Hebrew, and the roots of the modern word can teach us much. This might right be called the day when we celebrate 'self-actualization,' but that leaves poses the question - how do we actually become a great nation in our land?
The commandment around which seder night revolves is the telling of the story of the Exodus. Many people today struggle with questions of historicity, meaning - did this really happen. Here is an episode on why the real questions of the Exodus lie in the future and not the past, along with some insights on how to tell a story who goes beyond belief.
As a committed vegetarian for almost twenty-five years, I am often asked by my religious friends - what about the korban pesach? My only reply is that it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. Here are a few thoughts on how Rav Kook reconciled his own utopian vegetarian vision with the Torah's commandment to sacrifice to Gd.
There are times in the history of peoples and nations when the decisions made shape the future. The three years after Israel's foundation saw its population double through immigration, the way in which the immigrants were received set the mode for many years to come.
The Jews have a tradition that God always readies a new refuge before destruction comes on the old. This class looks at the early basis of Jewish life in Poland and the shift to their lives in Germany brought on by the Protestant Reformation. When we add to this the advent of the printing press we have a look at the foundations of the early modern era.
In the first two years after Israel's independence the Jewish population doubled. Such massive immigration put an almost fatal stress on the resources and social fabric of the young state. Before we can discuss the practical implications we need to consider the meaning of kibutz galuyot - the ingathering of the exiles. Help me make history by becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/mfeuer
illustration attribution: By Government Press Office (Israel), CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22807003
In this class, one part of our story comes to an end. This is a look at the final phase of Spanish Jewish history through the lens of law and consciousness.
Hatred of the Jews is the oldest and most pervasive form of prejudice which humanity knows. In this episode Rav Mike uses the comments of Haman to ask not only why we are hated, but also what we can do about it. Help me make history by becoming a supporter at https://www.patreon.com/mfeuer
https://www.maxpixel.net/Aggression-Violent-Hatred-Meanness-Attack-656795
There are periods of continuity in Jewish history and there are periods of disruption. The fourteenth century is much more the latter than the former. This class explores the breakdown of Ashkenazi Jewry and traces their flight both east and west.
It is time to move away from the divisive question of who is a Jew to ask something more essential - what is a Jew? The first half of this episode offers Rav Mike's thoughts on the subject. The second half is a conversation on the same with R' Aaron Leibowitz, social activist and head of the Chuppot initiative offering marriage to Israelis outside of the aegis of the state rabbinate. Help me make history by supporting the Jewish Story at - www.patreon.com/mfeuer
The art is by Dan Levkovitch מאת דני לבקוביץישראלי, יליד צרפת, 2002-1927 - The Israeli Cartoon Museum, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32910158
This class is an in depth consideration of the Zohar, both its origins and the role which it plays in Jewish consciousness. Along the way Rav Mike revisits the PaRDeS structure on which his class is framed, highlighting the depth of the questions which the Zohar raises.
Part I presented America as an environment of formation for American Zionism, part two adds the other element of evolution - competition. The struggles between American Zionists and first the European Zionist leadership and then the heads of the new State of Israel still define our political landscape today.
Two paths of mystical tradition emerged from the culture of 13th century Christian Spain, and they are both still with us today. This class explores the difference between myth and allegory in the context of Jewish mysticism and opens the question of - whence the Zohar?
This class revisits the struggle between reason and revelation within the soul of Am Yisrael, and then introduces mysticism as a third approach to the Divine. Along the way we discuss how the Church discovered that the Talmud was now the field of dispute with the Jews.
Season 3 opens with a long awaited introduction to the American chapter of the Jewish Story. This first segment traces the back story of the three waves of Jewish immigration to American and explores the tension between assimilation and ethnic solidarity.
The 13th century is a rich time for Jewish history. This class opens with a description of the resurgent Catholic Church and then introduces the Sages of Provence through the context of the Albigensian Crusade. It ends with the struggle within Am Yisrael between reason and revelation and how this erupted into a controversy around the works of the Rambam.
It is time to get a new season started. This prologue introduces the idea that every story has a topography on which it unfolds. In particular, it is a framing of the season ahead questions in three dimensions - a people in its land, Diaspora Jewry and Israel among the nations. Next stop - 1967!
The Tosafot approached the gemara as an ever expanding expression of Gd's law, the Chaside Ashkenaz saw the world as an infinite expression of Divine will. The pietist movement of the 13th century is lesser known than that founded in the 18th, but its influence on the culture of Ashkenaz is far more fundamental.
There are few thinkers who combine power of the mind and passion of the heart in the manner of Rav Kook. Here is a selection of his thoughts on prayer, with a translation and commentary prepared by Rav Mike Feuer. Rav Mike and Sefaria have joined together to open up for you a whole new world of Divine service, making these important words available in English for the first time, and accessible in a way that Rav Kook himself could never have imagined. www.sefaria.org/Olat_Reiyah%2C_Es…_the_Soul?lang=bi
The European Jew is a product of history and inner development, as are all groups. This episode revisits the cultural, economic and political context for the making of the Jew in Europe and then describes the heroes of the great age of Torah exploration - the Tosafists.
Everybody is talking about the relationship between American and Israeli Jewry - is the romance over? are we headed for a breakup? This relationship will be central to the Jewish Story in season three, so here is an exploration of where their separate narratives may have begun to divide.
Rashi's name is an acronym for Rav Shlomo bar Yitzchak, but many also read it as Rabban Shel Yisrael - the teacher of all Israel. This class explores Rashi as exegete and educator, placing him both in his historical context and in his role as part of the eternal story of Israel.
What better way to wrap up season two than to talk about the messiah? Here is an exploration of the power of the messianic idea and its centrality to Jewish thought. It also includes the introduction of political theology to our discussion, in light of the birth of the State of Israel.
The power of identity is sometimes defined by that for which you are willing to die. This is a class on the Crusades and the role which martyrdom played in forming a particular Ashkenazi identity.
The first class of the spring semester opens with a review of the transition between the geonic period and that of the rishonim. Then we lay the groundwork for understanding the place of the Jew in feudal society and the beginning of the Crusades.
Every story has a teller, and a good listener knows that you can't really separate the two. In this podcast, Rav Mike sits down with his old friend and founder of Aleph Male, Eitan Ben Avraham, and answers Eitan's curious questions about Mike's childhood, formative years, how Mike ended up living in Israel becoming a rabbi and why he is on a mission to tell the Jewish Story.
This class wraps up the geonic period with a discussion of the transition from the Geonim as a living central authority to the gemara as an authoritative text. Then it opens the discussion of the formation of Christian Europe and the role which the Jew plays in the feudal world.
Declaring a state is a matter of moments, but birthing it can be a much more prolonged process. The last episode in season two is a look at a series of decisions taken by Ben Gurion in the months following independence and how they still shape the State of Israel today. The story of the borders, the Arab refugees and the Altalena raise more questions than they answer, but that is just an invitation to stay tuned for season 3! Help fund the Jewish Story by visiting www.patreon.com/mfeuer
Rav Saadia is one of the great figures of Jewish history. He changed the geonic literary culture through the introduction of poetry and exegesis. He translated the Bible into Arabic and fought a battle to elevate the status of the Hebrew language. And he gave the first attempt at a coherent Jewish theology. Taken all together, Rav Saadia laid the groundwork for the Middle Ages.
This class describes the struggle of the Geonim for supremacy in the Jewish world. First it treats the emergence of the Karaite movement and then it looks at the tension between the rabbinic leadership of Babylon and that of Eretz Yisrael
1948 was a year of Biblical proportions, which means the stories told about what happened often have more power than the events themselves. This is part one of a two-part treatment of this momentous time with which we will close season two. Listen in for the civil war which precedes the War of Independence and the origins of the narrative conflict we are still fighting today.
This class introduces the relationship between the Exilarch, Geonim and Islam through two entrancing stories.
One could say that the Maccabees won the battle but lost the war. How is it that the heroes of the Hannuka story went from the heights of spiritual power to the depths of corruption in less than 100 years? Here is an analysis of the three disasters that brought down the Hasmonean kingdom, and a look at how the modern State of Israel can avoid the same fate.
Rav Mike's annual shiur in memory of his father Charles Feuer ob'm. This is an exploration of the meaning of liberation, freedom and what lies between them. Listen close, because there are some important messages for our time. And if you want to be part of the Jewish Story launch - tune in at http://jewishstory.co/
Few years in the Jewish Story have equaled the drama of 1947. The war of liberation is about to be won, and the back of the British occupation broken through blood and humiliation. The question is - what impact does liberation have on the state to come?
The Jewish Story is about to go 'split screen' between the world of Christianity and the world of Islam. Here is a class which sets the scene leading up to that period.
This class finishes setting the stage for the Middle Age. It introduces critical frames for view Jewish history, particular the hermeneutic battle and the theology of exile. In addition, it tells the story of a little known reappearance of Jewish sovereignty in the 7th century.
The war is over, but the Jewish question has not gone away. The race is on for the Allies to find a solution before the refugee camps overflow and a new conflict consumes the Mandate. Meanwhile a new strain of Zionism is rising out of the ashes of Europe, and it is not interested in half-measures.
This class opens with a recapitulation of the process of formation nof the gemara, moves through an overview of the state of the Roman Empire and ends with a look at the relationship between Patristic Christianity and Judaism. That's why it is called setting the stage for the Middle Age.
The last in the series of our discussion of the gemara, this class focuses on the sealing of the conversation. In addition, we discuss the power of this sealing to build an identity based in text and law.
What does a West Bank rabbi and alternative peace activist who doesn't map on to the left/right binary have to say about revolution? Listen in to this interview with R' Yehudah Hakohen and you will discover that the spirit of the Lehi is alive and well, just not in the way you might imagine.
Is it really true that one man's freedom fighter is another man's terrorist? This episode describes the split between the Lechi and the Irgun, as well as the intra-underground struggles which followed.
This class continues the discussion of the emergence of the gemara. We map out the parallel development of Jewish life in the land of Israel and Bavel, and ask the underlying question of whether one can miss the boat in history.
This class discusses the mishna as the end of an era and begins to explore the nature of the authority and autonomy in the discussion of the gemara.
By 1942 there was no escape from Europe for the Jews, and even if they had managed to run - who would take them in. This second episode on the Holocaust explores the message of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and finally brings American Jewry into the picture of the Jewish Story.
This class explores the context of formation of the mishna as well as the nature of the work itself. On a deeper level it explores how the same power of argumentation which destroyed the Second Temple could be come the basis for a renewed Jewish life.
There are things which need to be spoken about no matter how hard, and questions which need to be asked no matter how unanswerable. This is the first of two episodes which engage the how and why of the Holocaust.
It took three Roman Jewish wars to break the back of the Judeans, but when they were over the Romans had wiped the Jews off the map. Here is a class on how these wars served as the the political and religious context out of which the mishna emerged.
The Sukkot holiday is a time of messianic expectation and prophetic inspiration. Here is an interlude with some musings on the meaning of war and prophecy. And as a special bonus - a live interview with my co-author Dave Mason about the release of the second book in the Age of Prophecy series.
The 1930's saw the hate triangle of Arabs, British and Jews explode into an unprecedented scale of violence known as the Arab Revolt. The revolt brought on yet another cycle of repression and political concessions, and it split the Jews of the Yishuv over the question of whether restraint or retaliation was the proper response to Arab violence. Meanwhile, as violence spirals in the land of Israel, and Jews argue with one another, the darkness of Nazi Germany has begun to cast its shadow over Europe.
Sometimes looking at the Hebrew Bible, and perhaps even at life, it is easy to draw the conclusion that we are trapped inside the failures of the past. But what if failure is the secret to unlocking both life and the Divine relationship? All you have to do to live a life of renewed hope is realize that mercy is not a compromise.
IN the 1930's the ideological divides between the Revisionist and Labor Zionists grew, and cracks begin to appear within the community of the Yishuv. Meanwhile, pressure on European Jewry is increasing with the rise of Nazi Germany. When you put these two processes together, the potential is nothing short of explosive.
The Sages call Rosh Hashanah Yom HaZikaron, the Day of Remembrance; they also teach that this is the day when we crown God King. What can memory teach us about history, and how does the relationship between the two help us crown the king?
Though the land of Israel is the hinge around which the Jewish Story turns, there are many Jews whose future does not lie in Zion. This episode widens the scope of our story to consider the life of Jews in the interwar period, and how they contributed to the nature of Jewishness outside of the Zionist dream.
There is no word for history in the Hebrew Bible, but there is a deep call for building a relationship with our story. Listen in to an innovative presentation of a Jewish framework for relating to the past by Rabbi Mike Feuer.
One of the most complex expressions of sovereignty comes through the relationship between religion and state. Listen in to this interview with R' Aaron Leibowitz, social activist fighting to bring a more healthy and redemptive face to that relationship.
Patterns are hard things to break, and how they come about can teach us much about ourselves. Here is a look at the cycle of riots which rocked the Yishuv in the 1920's, and set the mold for Arab/Jewish relations for decades to come.
Each successive wave of immigrants that came up to the land brought with them their blessings, and their challenges. As the population grew, so did the nature of power politics. In the 1920's two leaders emerged whose opposing visions define many of the political conflicts in our State today. Here is an episode on David Ben Gurion and Zeev Jabotinsky.
The return of the Jewish people to the tools of political and military power were bound up with their return to the land of Israel. This episode explores the rise of the military model within the Zionist movement, and the power of the martyrdom of Joseph Trumpeldor as an inspiration for further struggle.
World War One brought massive destruction and great change to the world. When the smoke cleared from this great conflagration, the British Empire was left in control of the land of Israel. These seemed to be good news for the Jews, except that Her Majesty's government had promised this piece of Ottoman territory to three different parties.
Here is a break from our story for a conversation with dear friend and fellow travel Eitan Press, creator of Aleph Male brand. But as you will hear, it's not really a break as the question of a healthy, holy masculinity is one of the questions of our time.
The world is starting to shake with the rumbles of the the coming world war. The destruction which is to come will sweep away much of the old, and open new horizons for the budding Zionist project. But the pioneers must be willing to fight for the land which they long to redeem.
There are times in history which define us even now, and in Israel the Second Aliyah is second to none in that respect. This episode tells of the chalutzim, the idealistic pioneers who came up to the land to build the world, one goat at a time.
The end of the 19th century was a time of dramatic ideological struggle - cosmopolitanism vs. nationalism, socialism vs. capitalism. And early Zionist thought shows such incredible diversity that every element of society, Jewish and non, can be found there. Here is one more stream to explore - the religion of labor.
Come explore Jerusalem past, present and future with Rav Mike on Jerusalem Day 5778. In addition to exploring how Jerusalem brings these three together, hear some thoughts from the Director of International Affairs of the City of David and share in the sounds of Jerusalem rejoicing on this holy day.
Last class in the series of five on the History of Spain. We explore the implications of the rise of converso identity and ask the question of what undermined the will of Spanish Jewry to resist.
Class four is an exploration of the rise of mysticism within Iberian Jewish culture. Beginning with the Ramban and the Gerona school, we move toward answering the question - who wrote the Zohar.
Did you ever wonder how the Jews when from being the martyrs of Europe to the military power of the Middle East in less than fifty years?This episode exposes the roots of the extraordinary transformation of the physical culture of Am Yisrael in Max Nordau's vision of a muscular Judaism.
At the First Zionist Congress, Herzl awakened the Jews of Europe to their national political life. But Asher zvi Ginsberg, better known as Ahad Ha'am, tried to teach them that the soul of the people needs to be revived before they seek their national home. The battle between them will become a fundamental split in Zionism whose influence remains down to our day.
Return to the land of Israel had been a dream for almost 2000 years, and in the late 19th century it began to become a reality. But it took one man to transform the notion of a national rebirth from a subconscious desire to an international issue. Here is a presentation of the early life of Theodore Herzl.
Class two focuses on the Golden Age as a time of cultural fusion and thriving life. But the challenges which language and philosophy pose to tradition Jewish life were laid in this era as well, and the future may not look as rosy as the past.
The first in a series of five, this class introduces the origins of Spanish Jewry from the perspective of the historical documentation as well as their own inner narrative. It covers the period from the end of the Roman Empire, through the Visigothic kingdom up to the birth of the Caliphate of Cordoba.
The history of Zionism can be seen as a long conversation about what it means to be a nation. In honor of the State of Israel's 70th birthday, Rav Mike gives an overview of the meaning of the word Am, and makes a call to continue the conversation.
The Jewish problem was pressing in the second half of the 19th century, and it took the form of antisemitism. When faced with such a problem, it is not surprising that many leaders took a problem-solving approach to the future of Am Yisrael. But what if our goal is not to solve the problem, but rather fulfill the Jewish mission?
In this interlude we take a pause from the flow of history in order to consider whether Passover is the festival of freedom or the time of our redemption. But don't worry, it turns out the 19th century nationalist thinkers had a lot to say about the original birth of a nation.
It's time to talk about nationalism. Here is a presentation of the underpinnings of nationalist thought along with a look at what is happening in the Pale of Settlement. And the episode ends with a ground breaking work that emerges from the intersection of the two.
The struggle between the parochial and the cosmopolitan is a defining tension of the 19th century for Europe as a whole and the Jews in particular. In this episode we will update our understanding of chassidut as it battles with the Galician Haskalah, meet the figure of the radical socialist Jew in the person of Moses Hess, and ask the question whether to be a national or international Jew.
The remarkable persistence of Am Yisrael as an ethnic entity, despite the best efforts of emancipation, is what poses the Jewish Question to European society. And while Europe is asking what to do with the Jews, the Jews will be asking what we do with ourselves, In both cases it will be the power of a scientific approach to historical research which seems to offer the answer.
Sometimes I just gotta be me, but the problem is knowing just exactly where to find myself. In this interlude from the flow of the Jewish Story, Rav Mike explores how the various paths that Am Yisrael took into modernity can inform our understanding of the search for authenticity.
As the Emperor of France spreads the ideals of the revolution through Europe, the question arises - is emancipation a right, a privilege or a threat? Every action had an equal and opposite reaction, and this episode will outline the origins of both the Reform and Orthodox movements.
Mendelssohn's story continues, but one man does not a movement make. The Berlin Haskalah was a whole generation of transition, one which struggled with the boundaries of Torah, society and identity. And one which saw some of the first battle lines of modernity being drawn.
Moses Mendelssohn was a critical philosopher of the German Enlightenment and the most controversial figure of the Jewish Enlightenment. Whether you think that he was a light to his generation or a a boundary breaker who led many to sin, his life story deserves to be heard.
Just when you think the Sabbateans have had their last say in the story, one the greatest conflicts of 18th century rabbinic culture breaks out. This episode explores the controversy between R' Yaakov Emden and R' Yonatan Eybeschuetz and how it contributed to the crisis of European Jewry's encounter with the Enlightenment.
Rav Mike joins up with Eve Harow at Limmud UK. Surrounded by 2500 Jews from around the world they discuss the nature of community, the challenges of orthodoxy and the limits of tolerance for diversity.
Within two decades after the Baal Shem Tov died, a movement had sprung up from his revolutionary thoughts. But this new current of Jewish life did not emerge without controversy. And as the chasidim and their opponents were struggling over the soul of Am Yisrael, the body of Polish Jewry was suddenly split in three by the partition of Poland.
The institutions of the middle ages have already run their course, and the way ahead into modernity is far from clear for Polish Jewry. Out of this darkness and confusion a new light will emerge, infusing religious life with vitality and joy. This is the first of two episodes on the rise of the Ba'al Shem Tov and the chasidic movement.
Rav Mike's annual shiur in memory of his father, Charles Feuer ob'm. This year he explores the role which martyrdom and the power of story play in the events of Hannukah, and how they answer the question: what is life?
Baruch Spinoza the was the most famous philosopher the Jews ever produced, but he had to leave the fold in order to speak his truth. He crowned reason king of creation at the same time as the mythic imagination of the Sabbatean heretics was coming to a boil.
We live in a world at war, and the battlefield is your mind. Am Yisrael has been fighting narrative warfare since Jacob was in the womb - and the prize of victory is nothing less than redemption.
The appearance of Shabbetai Zvi evoked a tidal wave of messianic hope which swept Jews and Christians in its wake. Was his advent just a case of the "perfect storm" conditions in history, or was there something more fundamental to the Jewish story which drove his ascent?
Hope is a powerful force. The conversos who escaped from Iberia and built a new life were driven by the hope for freedom, prosperity and ultimately redemption. But even once the New World colonies were established, the one place in the world where the Jews were absent was the British Isles. Was their return to England the secret to finally realizing their ultimate hope?
The Golden Age of Tzefat had more to it than the writing of authoritative legal texts. There was also a flowering of kabbalistic thought which returned the experience of the Divine to its central place in the culture of Am Yisrael. And the most powerful master of this esoteric wisdom was certainly R' Yitzchak Luria - the Holy Ari z"l.
Though the early modern era was a time of throwing off tradition for many Europeans, in the city of Tzefat its power was alive and well. This is the story of how R' Yosef Karo became the greatest legal authority of his day, and wrote the work which would "set the table" for the legal discussion of the next 500 years.
Gracia Mendes was the most powerful Jewish woman since Queen Esther. Defying princes and Popes she amassed a fortune, supporyitng the poor, patronizing culture, and building an underground railroad to aid conversos escaping the clutches of the Inquisition. Here is her story.
Epistemology is not about what you know, but about how you know anything all. The word may seem unsettling, but that is nothing compared to the breakdown which Europeans suffered as the foundations of medieval thought dissolved in the 16th century. Copernicus started a revolution which removed the Earth from the center of the Universe and the Church from the middle of science, and we want to know whether this was good news for the Jews.
In this interlude, Rav Mike talks about the intersection of memory and history, and how we can crown God king on Rosh Hashanah.
The printing press helped spark a knowledge explosion which changed the world, and of course, less than fifty years after Gutenberg printed his Bible, Jewish presses were already transforming the face of the Hebrew book. As one good revolution deserves another - this episode also explores the role that text played in the dawn of the Protestant Reformation. Europe will never be the same, but is it good news for the Jews?
Rav Mike is on the road and taking time to reflect on the need for narrative therapy in many nations. The events in Charlottesville pose a lot of questions of how a nation which contains many narratives can learn to tell a story that can unite rather than divide. They also raise a red flag about the dangers of rewriting history.
One of the hallmarks of the early modern era is mobility, which means we will be jumping around a bit. This episode follows the story of the exiles upon their arrival in Italy. They take with them a messianic hope that the end is near, and they find their the spirit of Italian humanism. When the two unite, new horizons will open for Christian and Jew alike.
Have you ever wondered why there are shelves full of legal books on kashrut, but only the rare volume on social justice? In this episode Rav Aaron and Rav Mike discuss the question of why some areas of law are neglected, and what to do about it.
When the Jews of Ashkenaz moved east, they brought their customs and language with them. And what they found waiting in Poland was a refugee that would allow them to prosper for hundreds of years.
You can tell a historian by where he begins and ends his story.Here is a prologue to season two, which begins at the Expulsion from Spain and ends at the rise of the State of Israel. The question is - why is this episode about the 3rd Temple?
Rav Aaron and Rav Mike didn't make it onto any blacklists, but their attitudes on Jewish peoplehood are far from traditional. Tune in for a conversation that engages the challenges of Am Yisrael today, as well as offering some solutions.
The Expulsion from Spain marks a turning point in Jewish history. In addition to a national trauma which evokes the memory of the Temple's destruction, it challenges the model of identity which has served the Jews for nearly 2000 years. In this epilogue, Rav Mike takes a look back at where we have been in order to raise some thoughts about where we are headed. Stay tuned for season two!
Is the recently struggle over pluralistic prayer at the kotel a family quarrel of the beginnings of a break up. Rav Aaron and Rav Mike talk Israel/diaspora issues and the the spiritual underpinnings of the struggle in this sacred space.
A lot more happened in 1492 than Columbus sailing the ocean blue. Upon their marriage, Ferdinand and Isabella are determined to make newborn Spain a unified country, which means that there is no place for Am Yisrael. The tools of Inquisition and war will earn them the title of the Catholic Monarchs, and will birth the means of oppression employed by totalitarian societies down through the ages.
The forced conversion of tens of thousands of Jews may have seemed like a great victory for Christianity, but in reality these conversos were a ticking bomb in the heart of Christian culture. In this episode Rav Mike speaks about the lead up to the great expulsion - the last great Christian/Jewish debate of the Middle Ages, the first historical appearance of racial Jew hatred and the civil war threatening to tear apart the Iberian Peninsula.
The question of where to draw the line that bounds the Jewish people has never been a simple one, but historically intermarriage lay outside of it. Join Rav Aaron and Rav Mike for a discussion of whether the times they are a changin'.
When the storm broke in 1391, thousands were dead and even more converted. A new model of identity was born in the century before the expulsion, and it poses challenges that are present down to our day.
Am Yisrael puts a lot of effort into prayer, but is it working? R' Mike and R' Aaron discuss the broken state of Jewish prayer and offer some insights on fixing it.
When faced with the choice between the cross and the sword, the Ashkenazi communities of the middle ages chose martyrdom. Why was the decision of their Spanish contemporaries so different?
The Sages taught that 'anyone who is greater than their fellow has desire which is greater than he.' In this episode R' Aaron and R' Mike discuss the fraught relationship between education, power and sexual desire in the Torah world.
In the thirteenth centuries the stories of Ashkenaz and Spain begin to draw together. This is the great age of Christian expansion, which brings on book burning and religious disputation. It is also the age in which the kabbalah emerges as an answer to the challenge of evil.
Rav Aaron and Rav Mike meet in Jerusalem city hall to discuss whether 50 years after reunification Jerusalem is unified.
The Sages teach that Jerusalem has seventy names. Rav Mike speaks a bit about how these names hold our relationship with the city over time, in honor of the 50th anniversary of Jerusalem's reunification.
In the wake of the world's largest gathering of Jews at Meron, Rav Aaron and Rav Mike speak a little about the power and danger of mysticism.
The twelfth century was a time of spiritual expansion as the Tosafists transformed the Talmud and the Pietists of Ashkenaz awakened new depths of the soul. Darkness grew as well, as the Crusades rolled through Europe and the terrible new accusation of the blood libel was born. But it was specifically out of this darkness that the depths emerged.
Rav Mike and Rav Aaron discuss the challenges of Rabbinic authority, the nature of the Hebrew calendar and whether are kids are off school this Sunday.
The fourth week of the Omer is Netzach. Listen in to a few thoughts from Rav Mike on getting to the point.
The national existence of the Jewish people revolves around the question - what is an Am. In this special Independence Day episode, Rav Mike takes a look at the history and theology behind Jewish national embodiment.
The origins of Ashkenazi Jewry are bound up with the rise of Christian Europe. As the kingdoms of the Middle Ages began to take shape, teachers like Rashi gave form to a kingdom of the Torah which the Jews could inhabit while living among their neighbors. But the tranquility of the early years was shattered by the horrors of the First Crudsade, and Ashkenazi Jewry would never be the same again.
Rav Aaron and Rav Mike devote some time to the question of the Holocaust on Holocaust Memorial Day 5777.
Rav Mike gives a few words on how the aspect of gevurah teaches that every limitation is an invitation.
Do not miss these awesome words from Yishai and Rav Mike. Far into the Judean hills, deep underground - from here the most moving thoughts on freedom emerge.
Rav Mike's first podcast in this year's series on counting the Omer touches a few of the facets of Chesed.
Rav Mike shares a thought from Rav Kook on how getting rid of the chametz sets free your inner essence and leads to redemption.
The Rambam was the second famous Moses in Jewish History. His accomplishments in Jewish law and philosophy tower over his contemporaries, and are pillars of of the Torah to this very day. Nonetheless, he was the source of great controversy in his day, igniting a struggle which ended in excommunications and book burning.
Rav Aaron is back! In this episode he and Rav Mike talk about Religious Zionism and visions of redemption.
Yehudah Halevi was the poet of a generation, and perhaps the most celebrated poet of medieval Spain. He also swam against the tide of philosophical rationalism and invited his readers to experience the Torah from the inside. But how did the national poet of Jewish Spain die outside the walls of Jerusalem?
R' David Swidler's weekly class connecting the Haftorah to the Torah portion. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Rav Mike speaks with special guest R' Dave Mason about the power of the story and the Age of Prophecy.
What does history ask of us? Are we meant to freeze the present in respect of the past or abandon the past for the sake of the future? The mid-19th century was a time of great struggle for Am Yisrael, and a time of making history.
R' David Swidler's weekly class connecting the Haftorah to the Torah portion. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
The freedom of emancipation came with a heavy cultural price. One segment of German Jewry decided to forge a new path of religious reform in order to adapt the spirit of Judaism to their day. The ensuing ideological battles gave birth to the Jewish movements we know today.
Rav Mike speaks with special guest and bet midrash alumnus R' Yonatan Udren about the challenges of connecting students to Torah in the age of the iPhone.
The 10th and 11th centuries of Jewish life in Al Andalus were so rich and productive that they were known as the Golden Age. The Jews struck root deeply in the soil of Muslim culture, and produced warriors, philosophers and poets. In this time of passion, it was not clear what would define Am Yisrael - the call of the spirit or the call of the flesh.
Rav Aaron and Rav Mike engage in some serious Purim Torah. What is the power of language to shape reality, and is the Purim story true?
Spanish Jewry viewed itself as the nobility of the Jewish people, whose roots were in the legendary past. This episode traces history of the community from the fall of Rome until the rise of the Muslim Kingdom of Al Andalus and the linguistic origins of the Golden Age of Spain.
The end of the 18th century broke down many walls - including those of the ghetto. But as the light of freedom began to shine over Am Yisrael in Europe it quickly became apparent that the price of entry into society would be our culture.
In this class R' Mike discusses the rise of Chassidut in its spiritual, intellectual and socio-political contexts.
R' Aaron and R' Mike discuss the spiritual and practical ramifications of rebuilding the Temple. And they remind Am Yisrael - don't give up on your dreams!
R' Aaron and R' Mike talk about why this old hatred may be making a come back. In the process they start getting prepared for the coming month of Adar!
There is a debate whether great individuals shape history or history shapes them, but there is no argument about the role which R' Saadia Gaon played in shaping the Jewish Middle Ages. A mastery of poetry, polemics, Bible and language R' Saadia revolutionized Jewish literature. Nevertheless. his quest to reconcile reason and revelation sowed the seeds of conflict to come.
It as been quite a long while since R' Yochanan fled the Roman siege of Jerusalem, but now after seven hundred years the Jews have been united under what can be definitively called Judaism. But the birth of unified identity is itself what invites schism into the world.
In this episode R' Aaron and R' Mike speak about the rising tide of female clergy in orthodoxy.
Rav Mike speaks with special guest and bet midrash member R' Lev Israel about Sefaria's recent launch of an English translation of the gemara. Is this 'old wine in new bottles' or a digital revolution?
Rav Aaron and Rav Mike talk about the recent events of Amona through the lens of Torah, politics and society.
Rav Mike speaks about how redemption begins with crying out, moves forward through action and flowers in song.
In this class Rav Mike speaks about Court Jews and the development of early Modern European Jewry. He focuses on the spiritual and socio-political developments which laid the groundwork for the emergence of Shabbatai Zvi.
The rise of Islam will offer new opportunities and pose new challenges for the survival of Am Yisrael. On one hand, the struggle to claim teh title of true Israel which dominates life in the Christian world will be absent. On the other, the ease of cultural fusion with Islam will sometime cause confusion about where one leaves off and the other begins.
Rav Mike says a few words on the link between slavery, false consciousness and liberation.
Identity is always a battle. In this episode Rav Mike explores the struggle between Christianity and Judaism in late antiquity, as well the inner struggle of Am Yisrael to preserve its unique voice in the text of the gemara. These two together will fix the topic of our conversation for some time to come.
R' David Swidler's weekly class connecting the Haftorah to the Torah portion. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Rav Mike gives a few minutes on the difference between making statements and entering into conversation.
The 'port Jews' of Amsterdam combined commercial power and complex identity to be come the birth of modern Jewish culture. It is no surprise that they produced the greatest rationalist philosopher of the 17th century - Baruch Spinoza.
In this class, Rav Mike speaks about the revolution which the Ari z'l brought to Jewish consciousness, and the struggle of conversos to return to the mainstream life of Am Yisrael.
Rav Aaron and Rav Mike struggle over conflicting values, visions of Torah and the overwhelming desire to choose life.
It is the end of an era. In this episode Rav Mike explores rabbinic chronology, textual evolution and socio-political context in order to illustrate the shift between the time of the Tanaim and the time of the Amoraim
Rav Mike gives a brief thought on learning to see and the power of memory to bring redemption. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
In this episode Rav Mike and Rav Aaron discuss their personal relationship to the LGBTQ community and lay the ground work for their coming conversation. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
R' David Swidler's weekly class connecting the Haftorah to the Torah portion. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
In this episode Rav Aaron and Rav Mike discuss the challenges of living a religious life in our day and age.
R' Yehudah HaNasi redacted the Mishna but he inherited its form and content from R' Akiva. In this episode, R' Mike explores the nature of the mishna and traces its development in the hands of R' Akiva's students.
R' Mike's weekly history class explores the riches and challenges to the Jews in the Early Modern Era.
R' David Swidler's weekly class connecting the Haftorah to the Torah portion. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
In this episode, R' Mike and R' Aaron discuss the future of Am Yisrael in its land and how this relates to the Arab Israeli conflict.
The ruins of the Temple were still smoldering when Judea burst into the flames of rebellion once again. In this episode Rav Mike discusses the final two rounds of the Roman Jewish wars. Filled with brutal bloodshed and failed messiahs, this is the time period which convinced Rome that the Jews were the indigestible element of their Empire.
R' Mike speaks about how darkness isn't just dispelled by light, but can actually be transformed into light itself.
In this episode, R' Mike describes the destruction of Jerusalem from without and from within. In order to do so he compares the perspectives of the great Jewish historian Josephus and the leading Sage R' Yochanan ben Zakkai. In the end it is clear that the real question is not how was Jerusalem destroyed, but rather - why?
Rav Mike's annual shiur in honor of the yartzheit of his father, Charles Feuer. He speaks about the holy power of imagination and what sparks the Hannukah lights.
R' Mike and R' Aaron discuss Hannukah, Hellenism and what it means to be the Chosen people in our time.
Rav Mike speaks about learning to fail forward and what we can see by the Hannukah lights.
We are on the eve of destruction. As the national vessel begins to fray at the seams and the Temple's burning looms, the cultural battle within the text of the Torah erupts. When the smoke clears from the destruction it will be the divergent understandings of God's will as embodied in the text which will serve as the foundation of the future. But for now the battle rages.
R' David Swidler's weekly class connecting the Haftorah to the Torah portion. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Rav Mike speak about the aftermath of the Expulsion and the birth of consciousness in which experience begins to take an authoritative role. It is the beginning of the age of sod.
Rav Mike and Rav Aaron talk about the nature of changing gender roles in Jewish society. This one will leave you with more questions then answers.
R' David Swidler's weekly class connecting the Haftorah to the Torah portion. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
The Expulsion from Spain was a turning point in Jewish history. The pin of the tragedy combined with the confusion of the converso existence to weld a new mystic element into our consciousness.
Rav Mike talks about the nature of the Jews as a miracle, and the power of doing the impossible.If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
This week Rav Aaron and Rav Mike talk about the meaning of moral education in a post-modern world and how one can balance the demands of learning and life. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
R' David Swidler's weekly class connecting the Haftorah to the Torah portion. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Yaakov's divine attribute is emet, truth. How are we meant to reconcile this with his actions in the week's parsha, and what can that teach us about Israel's mission in the world.
In this episode Rav Mike discusses the persona of HiIlel the Elder. Hillel was named Nasi, prince, at the same time as Herod was king. In addition, Jesus of Nazareth was born in his lifetime. Together, these three represent competing models of the kingdom of God, and they and their followers will live out a struggle over who will be king.
R' Mike interviews Jerusalem city councilman and Rosh Bet Midrash Rav Aaron Leibowitz on rabbis as change makers and the challenges of navigating the tensions between social and halachic values. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Rav Mike and Pardes teacher Zvi Hirschfield talk about the power of blood, sacrifice and why a vegetarian would long to see the Temple rebuilt.
Rav Mike's history class takes on the re-birth of mystic thought in Ashkenaz and the struggle around the writings of the Rambam.
R' David Swidler's weekly class connecting the Haftorah to the Torah portion. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Herod the Wicked or Herod the Great? In this episode Rav Mike talks about Herod's kingdom, the final phase of Judea preceding the destruction of the Second Temple. Herod's complex personality matched the fragmented nature of his kingdom, but the state he built was strong enough to hold off the disaster to come.
Rav Mike talks about Hevron, the short comings of religion and the messiness of life. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Rav Mike's ongoing history class looks at why the smile went out of Ashkenazi Jewry in the Crusades. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
R' David Swidler's weekly class connecting the Haftorah to the Torah portion. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Rav Mike speaks about the awesome trial of the binding of Yitzchak, and what Avraham saw there.
Rav Mike speaks about the origins of Ashkenaz textual, feudal and historic. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
R' David Swidler's weekly class connecting the Haftorah to the Torah portion. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Rav Mike speaks about going into oneself in order to bring a world into being and how Avraham is a turning point in creation. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Rav Mike discusses the rise and fall of the Hasmonean dynasty, from a kingdom of priests to Hellenestic king. Also hear how Judean society began to tear along lines which will define things for some time to come. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Rav Mike speaks about the end of the Golden Age by examining the power and challenge of philosophy. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
R' David Swidler's weekly class connecting the Haftorah to the Torah portion. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Rav Mike explores the power of words from creation, to naming to the Tower of Babel. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
In this episode Rav Mike describes the rise of Hellenistic Judaism as the background for the Channukah story. Judah and his brothers rose in revolt because they understood that identity is a matter of life and death. Their determination liberated the Temple, but what was the nature of the light the kindled there?
Rav Daniel speaks about living the question of life and what it means to be created in the image of God.
Rav Mike unfolds a Rashi in the second chapter of Genesis in order to speak out a revolutionary path in prayer.
R' Mike talks about taking as a way to happiness, and what our portion in the world might be.
The encounter between Greek and Jewish culture was love at first sight. The two cultures were bridged by language, and one of its great products of their fusion was the Septuagint - the Greek translation of the Bible. But every translation is an interpretation, and it was not clear how long Hellenistic Judaism could walk the line between acculturation and assimilation.
R' Mike speaks about the Golden Age of Spain and the nature of cultural evolution. This is a sample of his full year history course. If you are interested in receiving the weekly class for free, email info@sulamyaakov.com
R' David Swidler's weekly class connecting the Haftorah to the Torah portion. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
R' Mike speaks about the link between will and desire and the power of 'giving it up for God.' And he answers the question - would Gedaliah fast for me?
R' Mike's ongoing history podcast. The Men of the Great Assembly lie on the other side of the mists of the Persian period from Daniel. They will begin to lay the foundations of Judaism as we know it, guiding Israel away from prophecy and toward wisdom. Aside from their place in chronology, what makes them so great?
R' David Swidler's weekly class connecting the Haftorah to the Torah portion. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Rosh Hashana brings together God's limitless love and absolute judgment. How do we stand on the threshold between din and rachamim?
In Episode 2 of The Jewish Story, Rav Mike explores the walls built by Ezra and Nechemia, and the nature of the identity which emerged.
R' David Swidler's weekly class connecting the Haftorah to the Torah portion. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Rav Mike offers a few words of inspiration in the lead up to selichot about how compassion can transform failure into new relationship.
The opening episode of the Jewish Story! Rav Mike touches his perspective on history and then tells the story of Daniel as the link between the age of prophecy and the age of wisdom.
R' Ami Silver's second Elul class. Do you feel like you can't possibly stand before G-d on Rosh Hashana? Do you sometimes find it impossible to pray? You may be exactly where you need to be to enter into Rosh Hashana.
R' Mike gives a brief thought on whether there is a mitzva to appoint a king. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
R' Ami Silver looks at the most essential meaning of what this day is about - being G-d's beloved. How can this be and what does it have to do with a day of judgment and teshuva? Check out his full Elul schedule - https://madmimi.com/p/e12d88
The first in R' Aaron's series on the musaf section of the prayers of Rosh Hashanah. If you want more of this Torah here is the full Elul schedule - https://madmimi.com/p/e12d88
Rav Mike talks about how Tu B'Av celebrates the resurrection, and offers a new relationship to embodied life altogether. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
R' Mike speaks about the 'dati lifamim' a new model of Israel identity that breaks a binary build long ago.
Rav Mike's final installment for the 3 weeks. One might think that whether to fast on Tisha b'Av is a new question, but the prophet Zechariah teaches us otherwise. Nevertheless, who would think of feasting?! If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Rav Mike continues his series on the three weeks with the question - how do we transform the blows of life from damaging to growthful?
Rav Mike's brief take on what being broken has to add. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
R' David Swidler's weekly class connecting the Haftorah to the portion of Pinchas. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
R' David Swidler's weekly class connecting the Haftorah to the portion of Balak. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Rav Mike's message for the 17th of Tammuz is that you must embrace the power of brokenness in order to transform our mourning to joy. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Rav Mike's parsha podcast. What does it mean to be 'a nation that dwells alone' and why was this famous phrase coined by the prophet of the nations? If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
This week's class connecting the Haftorah to the portion from R' David Swidler. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Rav Mike's weekly ten minutes on the parsha. Korach took himself to one side, claiming to serve the cause of equality. But are there any rights if we are all one?
Who sent the spies and why did Moshe die in the desert? The answer to both of these questions is fear. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
A quick appeal to join R' Mike's podcast campaign - check it out here: https://www.patreon.com/mfeuer
There is a lower yirah - the fear of Gd. There is a higher yirah - the understanding that only Gd is true existence. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Last class in R' Daniel's series on tefillah. A powerful summation from the first point of creation through the service of the sacrifices.
How can flipping Maslow's hierarchy help you understand the first Rashi on this parsha, and perhaps change the world? Listen in to R' Mike's parsha podcast. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
This week's class connecting the Haftorah to the portion from R' David Swidler. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Last class in R' Mike's history series. 1492 marks a turning point in Jewish history and world history as well. What can it teach us about past, present and future?
Sixth and final track in R' Mike's series on counting the Omer. A king of Israel can only be a usurper, or nothing at all. This conundrum has much to teach us about Malchut. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Fifth in R' Mike's series on counting the Omer. What does it mean that the world was created for me? If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Class 26 in R' Mike's history series. The forced conversion of thousands of Jews in the 14th century laid the groundwork for the Expulsion. It also created a model for societal struggle strangely resonant with our day.
Class 26 in R' Daniel's series on prayer. We taste the blessing of life through the morning berachot, but how is its power unleashed through the binding of Isaac? If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Fourth in R' Mike's series on counting the Omer. Each of the sephirot has a vocalization. What can the kubutz teach us about hod? If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
A selection from R' Daniel's latest shiur. Hod is the loving dedication to manifestation of existence.
Class 25 in R' Daniel's series on prayer. Discover the intensity of life which underlies the sacrificial service through uncovering the personality of Aaron HaKohen. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
This week's class connecting the Haftorah to the portion from R' David Swidler. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Class 25 in R' Mike's history series. The Rambam brought philosophy thought into the mainstream of Jewish thought. How did this contribute to the tragedy of the Expulsion from Spain?
Tune in to this meditation on the levels of soul as a foundation for deepening your prayer.
Third in R' Mike's series on counting the Omer. What are the two faces of eternity, and how do they help us learn netzach from Moshe Rabbenu? If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Class 25 in R' Daniel's series on prayer. God promises Avraham that he and his children will be a blessing for the whole world. But what blessing can my particular being offer to the Infinite? If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Second in R' Mike's series on counting the Omer. How can one word, tiferet, mean both truth and beauty? And how can the answer offer us some healing on Remembrance Day? If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Class 24 in R' Daniel's series on prayer is a divergence into the seasonal topic of freedom. Listen as Rav Daniel unpacks the nature of the liberation which we tasted on Seder night, and its meaning for the freedom we can find on Independence Day.
First, Spiritual Cafe is back!! Yishai is reunited with Rabbi Mike Feuer to talk about the most central of all the Bible's commandments: "Love thy fellow person as you would yourself." Then, the Tombs of the Biblical hereos Joshua and Caleb (and Joshua's father Nun) are found in the middle of an Arab village. Join Yishai and thousands of Jews as the Israeli army provides security under cover of darkness for pilgrims to visit the graves of their fathers.
Class 24 in R' Mike's history series. The birth of Ashkenazi Jewry was bound up with the rise of Christian Europe. How is it that this portion of the Jewish People was able shape a story powerful enough to sustain it in the face of such a difficult history? If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
First in R' Mike's series on counting the omer. What can Holocaust Remembrance day teach us about the definition of gevurah, might? If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
This week's class connecting the Haftorah to the portion from R' David Swidler. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Get ready for the seder night with chaburah member R' Ami Silver. Liberation can come from telling the true story and asking the honest questions. Pesach night allows us to be child-like, to drink wine, to sing, taste and be part of the story.
Get ready for Passover with Spiritual Cafe as Rabbi Mike Feuer joins Yishai to talk about the power of Matza to transfer national-spiritual data from one generation to the next, and the power of the Exodus to help us break out of our own self-imposed slaveries and limitations.
When God punishes us, is that a show of anger or of love? On Spiritual Cafe, Rav Mike explains the Torah's gift of spiritual blemishes, slaps from God, that are meant to make us better.
Class 23 in R' Mike's history series. The Golden Age of Spain was a time of tremendous cultural and religious development for Am Yisrael. But was the philosophical worldview on which it rested a faulty foundation? If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
This week's class connecting the Haftorah to the portion from R' David Swidler. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Why does chaos have to precede creation, and what role does the sanctification of the new moon play in the Exodus from Egypt?
The fourth installment in the series on the languages of redemption which introduces the role that God's choice of Israel plays in redemption.
Track one in R' Mike's pre-Pesach series. Immerse yourself in the consciousness of the red heifer, and find the hope which can be a gateway to holiness.
Class 23 in R' Daniel's series on prayer. Our devotion to the preciousness of each moment transforms it from a coincidence to a calling. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Class 22 in R' Daniel's series on prayer. The Torah says so much which is left unstated, allowing our lives to be the path which God is on. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
This week's class connecting the Haftorah to the portion from R' David Swidler. How the warmth of relationship overcomes the insecurity of Amalek. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Class 22 in R' Mike's history series. Systematic theology for Am Yisrael was a product of the Geonic period, and another pillar in the theology of exile.
How can the link between Purim and Yom Kippur imbue every moment with meaning? If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Class 21 in R' Daniel's series on prayer. When we make a request of God are we demanding change, or are we touching the Divine will within ourselves? If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Jewish blood is being spilled in the streets but the government is slow to react. What is the Torah’s advice for the Children of Israel’s self-defense? Was Purim’s Mordechai endangering the Jews by refusing to bow to Haman? Can Jewish unity give us the needed strength to overcome? Rabbi Mike Feuer joins Yishai for a life-affirming, strength-giving session of Spiritual Cafe.
Class 21 in R' Mike's history course. Through his literary and philosophical innovation, R' Saadia Gaon laid the foundations for the Jewish middle ages.
R' David Swidler's weekly class on the connection between the haftorah and weekly Torah portion. This week Pikuedi.
Who knows? On Purim we answer this question by reaching for the state of 'until I don't know.' The real question is, what does that mean?
Class 20 in R' Daniel's series on prayer. Touching the hunger before we make a blessing is what allows eating to bring true satisfaction. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Class 20 in R' Mike's history series. The Geonim took the cultural matrix written into the gemara and used it to unify Am Yisrael. But when heterodoxy becomes heresy, schism is not far behind.
Get ready for Shabbat with Spiritual Cafe and Rabbi Mike Feuer!! This week: facing terror in the Holy Land - how are we to cope with the horrific images of axe-wielding terrorists attacking Jews like the Middle Ages? Then, how is the Shabbat (Sabbath)like the Tabernacle? It's God's abode in time! Finally, the creative power of Bezalel - the Bible's first artist. Can we make our life a work of art?
How is Esther like the dawn and why is God not in the megillah? These two questions can cast a new light on our understanding of the Divine will in history.
There is nothing sadder in life than thinking we know what will be. Break through to the joy of not knowing! If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
1st class in R' David Swidler's series on the connection between the weekly Torah reading and the haftorah. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Class 19 in R' Mike's History course. Once the text of the gemara was finished, the context of history becomes its playing field. This class explores the rise of the Christian Roman Empire and Islam as the context for the coming phase of Jewish History. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Can the Jewish people go up to the Land of Israel without God? That was one of God's counter-offers after the Sin of the Golden Calf! Rabbi Mike Feuer joins Yishai Fleisher on Spiritual Cafe where they discuss the ever present yearning for the Golden Calf which competes with the ever-present light of Moses' face. Also, who is the great artisan Bezalel and his grandfather Chur who was killed by wayward revelers? And, what about coming up three times a year to Jerusalem - why is that so important? Listen in to Spiritual Cafe to know the secrets of the Bible!
Class 18 in R' Daniel's series on prayer. The creative drive of creation combines with the existence of lack to make a world of bracha. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Class 18 in R' Mike's history series. The gemara is a conversation that transcends time and space. Who wrote it down and what was the world they lived in? If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Another blueprint Torah portion - on no? - Oh yes!!! Rabbi Mike Feuer joins Yishai to reveal the secrets the holy vestments, why Moses' name is missing in these chapters, and why the names of Israel need to be on the shoulders and heart of the High Priest. Also, the mystical incense, the golden forehead plate, and the power of meditation are all contained within the portion - so don't miss it!
The Rambam calls joy 'a great service' but sometimes it can just feel like a lot of work. How can we access the joy of this season? If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Class 17 in R' Daniel's series on prayer. Tefillah is rooted in an underlying reality of bracha. Our requests are founded on the nature of Gd which overflows beyond simple existence. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Class 17 in R' Mike's history series. Rebbe redacted the Mishna while presiding over the last flowering of Torah in the land of Israel until today. Rav took it out into exile. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Class 16 in R' Daniel's series on prayer. The laughter of Yitzchak is rooted in the joy and madness of knowing that each moment is both a death and rebirth. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
The first in Rav Mike's Adar series. The month of Adar is a time of simcha - joy. But which joy is the right kind? If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Before there was a Temple, there was a Tabernacle, and the Tabernacle has a blueprint - and in this week's Torah portion Terumah! Rabbi Mike Feuer joins Yishai Fleisher to talk about the secrets of the fiery Menorah, the Temple within each one of us, and the new month of Adar!
On Spiritual Cafe with Rabbi Mike Feuer and Yishai Fleisher: Amalakites can turn themselves into animals through witchcraft and that, surprisingly, has a big impact today. Also, the heroism of Hadar Cohen, a border police officer who died after killing a terrorist. And finally, Rabbi Ari Abramowitz joins Yishai to discuss the light of Temple in a dark world of terror and the blessings of the The Land of Israel.
Class 16 in R' Mike's history series. Rabbi Akiva was the foundation on which the mishna would be built. How could such a Sage back a failed messiah?
Class 15 in R Daniel's series on prayer.If we long to see creation as One, then how do we relate to the multiplicity that is? The personalities of Cain and Abel offer archetypes for how we relation to the tension between being and nothingness. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Class 14 in Rav Daniel's series on prayer. Moshe dwelt in silence until he heard God calling his name, because silence is the best friend of music. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Yavne was the seed of consciousness which survived the destruction of the second Temple. Within this seed lay all that was needed for the Jewish people to thrive and grown again, but first they would have to weather to catastrophe of the Bar Kochba revolt.
Why does a stranger, Jethro, need to give advice to Moses - the greatest human who ever lived? Should Jews recoil at the idea of being special - are we better then everyone else? And what about the Ten Commandments - what makes them so special?? Rabbi Mike Feuer joins Yishai Fleisher in Beit Midrash Sulam Yaakov to discuss the secrets of the Torah which, in turn, shed light on today's events.
Unity is an ideal for Am Yisrael, but sometimes it seems that it has eluded us since we stood together with one heart at Sinai. Here is a brief thought from Rav Aaron on unity from Sinai to Yerushalayim. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Our Sages teach that Amalek is the embodiment of doubt, and the Torah commands us to remove their memory from the world. What is the opposite of doubt whose power can remove it forever?
When Israel comes up out of the sea, they leave Egypt behind - dead on the shore. This is the moment when the Exodus ceases to be a story of liberation and becomes one of freedom.
This week: Understanding the murder of Dafna Meir, the revelation seen at the splitting of the Red Sea, the sweet taste of Manna, the crying and complaining of the Jews, and the audacity of Amalek in striking the newly freed Children of Israel. Rabbi Mike Feuer joins Yishai Fleisher at Beit Midrash Sulam Yaakov for Spiritual Cafe!
The destruction of the Second Temple could have spelled the end of the Jewish people. The visionary pragmatism of R' Yochanan ben Zaakai was able to accept the present and embrace it in a way which ensured our future.
This is class 13 in Rav Mike's history series. Christianity emerges from within the Jewish struggle with the tension between the universal and particular. The fine line between allegory and midrash separates the desire to reject the world and the desire to embrace it.
Finally, the Jewish slaves get their life back and are given a set of commandments, like the baking of Matzah, so that they can both become action oriented and remember the day they left Egypt for generations. Get ready for the EXODUS and another spiritual-intellectual ride with Rabbi Mike Feuer and Yishai Fleisher.
Rav Aaron's weekly take on the parsha and Jerusalem politics. Bo is more than just a story, it is the story of how that story was made. Is this an example of Divine spin, or can the challenges of bringing competing narratives together in the political realm teach us something about how Gd planned the exodus.
Parshat Bo is a watershed in Jewish History, and in Gd's relationship to creation. The explosion of commandments, the changing nature of time and the breaking of Egypt all combine to make this a parsha which changes the world.
This is class 13 in Rav Daniel series on prayer. Each of the months of the Hebrew Calendar is associated with a mode of engaging the world. The class explores the inner nature of eating, which is the focus of the month of Shevat. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Class 12 in Rav Mike's history series engages the root of Christianity which emerge at the formative stage of rabbinic consciousness. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Why was Moses chosen? And what was he lacking? And why does he stutter?? Rabbi Mike Feuer and Yishai Fleisher join up once again and talk about the the Torah portion as it relates to the power of New York City, our brothers and sisters abroad, and the kind of leadership that the Jewish people and Israel need today. Spiritual Cafe is back!
Shiur 12 in Rav Daniel's series on prayer. Adam's prayer was the organic product of the earth which emerged as the voice of creation. This shiur introduces the prayer of Avraham, the power of the star that shines a higher will into creation. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Rav Aaron Leibowitz shares thoughts on the portion of Shmot and connects them to his work on Jerusalem City Council
Following a review, this class engages the tension between a vision of wholeness which can illuminate our prayers and the reality of brokenness which calls us to pray.
Class11 in R' Mike Feuer's Remember the Days of Old series. While Herod ruled the kingdom of flesh and blood, Hillel was the prince of the Torah. He came up from Babylon to Jerusalem, bearing the tools and consciousness that would allow for the emergence of rabbinic thought as we know it. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
R' Aaron Leibowitz engages the parsha, life as a Jerusalem city councilman and where the two meet. Yaakov's deathbed interaction with his sons can teach us many things about blessings, and why we whisper that which matters most. If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
The 10th class in R' Daniel Kohn's series on the roots of prayer.
If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
On the 10th of Tevet we mourn many things - but what unites them is the breakdown of language. What does this fast day have to teach us about the power of common language to bring redemption?
If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.jewishstory.co
Rabbi Mike Feuer joins Yishai Fleisher to discuss the dramatic Biblical narrative of Joseph's revelation to his brothers, his 'clash of the titans' tension with Judah, and the final meeting between the patriarch Jacob and his beloved son, who is now viceroy, in Egypt. All this deep conversation happens while Rabbi Mike and Yishai are knocking back beers and saying holy "Lechaim" as guests of the Beer Bazar in Machane Yehuda market. Don't miss the fun!
Class 10 of Rav Mike's "Remember the Days of Old"
The beginning of the Roman period in Jewish history was a time of great turbulence. The strong Judean kingdom which emerged out of this chaos was largely the product of one man - Herod. This class explores whether he deserves to be called the wicked or the great.
If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
The first in a new series Rav Aaron Leibowitz, Dean of Sulam Yaakov and Jerusalem city councilman, exploring how the Torah's wisdom can cast light on life in Jerusalem today.
What was Yosef doing when he toyed with his brothers? He was attempting to weld his family back together by exposing the underlying values which united them. Jerusalem faces similar opportunities, but who are the leaders who will draw us together?
Sign up for more at http://www.sulamyaakov.com/
Here is Rav Mike's last Hannukah podcast - be sure to listen for the surprise ending! When we say "in those days at this time" on Hannukah, we are expressing a deep truth of our relationship to the past.
If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
The spirit of the Maccabees is the belief that our ability to serve Gd is bound up with our sovereignty over the land of Israel. Isn't this a reduction of the Infinite, and therefore idolatry?
If you want more of this Torah you can find it at www.sulamyaakov.com/ or by signing up for our newsletter here - madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
As the Hasmonean kingdom descended from the heights of Jewish zealousness into the depths of Greek culture, a rupture with the Sages took place. This split, and its consequences for Jewish history, is best understood through the story of the great rabbinic leader Shimon ben Shetach.
The Maccabees were conscious that they were chosen. This podcast teaches us about their chosen consciousness.
There are eight Channukah lights, but how many stories are there of how they came about? In this brief class Rav Mike weaves together the gemara, the Book of Maccabees and Josephus in order to illuminate the story of Channukah and reveal the hidden light in all of us. If you want more great Torah from Rav Mike and the other voices at Sulam Yaakov sign up here - https://madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
The words for song and seeing are one and the same in the Hebrew of the Bible. This simple fact opens up a new understanding on the role with human consciousness plays in the unfolding of creation through prayer.
Class 9 from Rav Daniel Kohn's series on the roots of prayer. If you want more of this Torah, follow us on soundcloud or sign up for our news letter madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
The turning point in the Maccabean revolt against the Greeks was their decision to fight even on Shabbat. Matityahua and his sons saw that it was a time to act for Gd by violating the Torah. What are the roots of such a notion, and how can they inform our relationship to Gd, Torah and Am Yisrael today? This is Rav Mike's annual Hannukah class in honor the yartzheit of his father, Charles Feuer. As is his custom he pushed the edge of comfortable thought in the ongoing quest to uncover the hidden light of Hannukah. Sign up here for more great Torah from Sulam Yaakov - https://madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Joseph & his brothers - oy, what a saga!! Yehuda & Tamar - holy love brings Mashiach. Get a crash course in having dreams of the future, how interpret them, and how to make them come true! Join Yishai Fleisher and Rabbi Mike Feuer as they discuss the hidden, and beautiful, and often surprising side of the Torah Bible.
The revolt of Channukah resulted in the emergence of the Hasmonean Kingdom, the last independent Jewish entity in the land of Israel before 1948. Despite its political and military power, this kingdom held together an increasingly fragmented people, and was soon to fracture under blows from with out and within. This is class 8 in "Remember the Days of Old" R' Mike Feuer's series on Jewish History. If you want to receive all of our amazing offerings sign up at https://madmimi.com/signups/175480/join or visit http://www.sulamyaakov.com/
Humanity's ability to recognize the good is the realization of creation. In the first chapter of Bereshit, God sees the world as good, in the second we are called upon to see existence in this light.
Class 8 from Rav Daniel Kohn's series on the roots of prayer. If you want more of this Torah, follow us on soundcloud or sign up for our news letter https://madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
What is Channukah? This seemingly innocent question of the gemara opens up for us an exciting world. In this class we explore the historical context of the Maccabean revolt against the Greeks, along with its roots as a cultural struggle within the Jewish people. This engagement of the story of Channukah challenges our notions of text, law and history as we struggle to discover - what is Channukah?
This is class 7 in Rav Mike's series on Jewish History. Sign up here for more great Torah from Sulam Yaakov - https://madmimi.com/signups/175480/join
Fighting the spiritual angel of your nemesis brother and getting him to reveal your true name - ISRAEL - is no easy feat. But that is just what Jacob did as he came back to the land of Israel after 20 years of exile. Join Yishai Fleisher and Rabbi Mike Feuer for a deep delve into Bible secrets and receive, at no extra charge, clarity on the current challenges facing the Jewish people.
Man lives in a tension between what is and what is not yet. The field of potential which lies there is the ground for his work in the world, and prayer is his primary tool to bring forth its fruits.
The encounter between Greek and Jewish culture bore many fruits. This class explores the significance of this meeting, particularly through the lens of language and the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible - the Septuagint.
I have been afraid as long as I can remember but I haven’t known it, because I’m an instinctive alchemist.
The leadership which spans from the return to Zion until the appearance of Alexander the Great is known collectively as the Men of the Great Assembly. This class explores what makes them so great.
Ezra and Nechemia began to re-build the identity of the Jewish people after the disruption of the first exile. It was the Great Assembly which would marshal the cultural and spiritual forces necessary to carry this beginning to fruition.
Man is formed from the earth, therefore the working of the ground is a drawing forth of his own potential and the work of prayer is an expression of the depths within creation. Prayer is not something we do, it is who we are.
Ezra and Nechemia built walls. Their leadership during the return from the Babylonian exile introduced new beginnings - wisdom leadership, religious structure, text. The walls they built were meant to keep many things out and many in.
The primary lesson of prayer is that existence depends on awareness and care.; its primary experience is the joy of touching life.
Was Daniel a prophet? His book is filled with visions of the future, but it was placed in the Writings section of the Bible. This question underlies the exploration of what lies between the age of prophecy and that of wisdom.
It's time to pray for rain. The only question is, are we praying for the redemption or chaos?
Our Sages tell us that in the world to come, the righteous will sit in a sukkah made from the skin of leviathan and feast from her flesh. What does this mean, and how can it reveal to us the secret of happiness?
Listen to Rav Mike Feuer, Educational Director of Bet Midrash Sulam Yaakov, as he offers insights into teshuva. In this podcast Rav Mike explores the relationship between regret and comfort and how by having mercy on ourselves we become a channel for Divine mercy to flow into the world.
Why do the Sages teach that one must accept the yoke of the kingdom of heaven before that of the commandments?
What is the difference in the path of life flowing from Adam HaRishon and that from Noach?
This third installment in our four part series on the languages of redemption introduces the relationship between Gd's mighty hand and redemption. A brief but powerful exploration of how the destruction of the external oppressor is a necessary but not sufficient component in freedom.
The second language reveals to us a bit of what it means to be Bnei Yisrael, and how redemption is bound up with the path of service.
The Torah uses four languages to describe the process of redemption. The first illustrates to us the meaning of what it is to be a people.