10 Parsha Points Podcast: Recent Episodes
Yisroel Isaacs
10 interesting points about the weekly Parsha/Torah reading: what does it mean? What are some lessons it teaches?
Simcha (joy) around the year
Rav Soloveitchik: 2 models of leadership: Purim - bottom up; Chanukkah - top down
This week we discuss:
The uniforms of the kohanim - why? The external influences the internal
Why the Golden Mizbeach (Alter) instructions were delayed until all of the other instructions were given - seeing the forest from the trees.
This week we discuss:
Quantifying how much space in the Torah is devoted to the Mishkan (Tabernacle) and why - goldharschool.com
The Mishkan needs to be built for G-d's name - the literal approach and the idea that we can only flourish in the right environment
Rav Soloveitchik: Where did Moshe hear G-d's voice from, and why it matters
Rav Pam: The reasoning behind the ordering of the items donated by the people - easy come, easy go
Topics discussed:
Why is the slave punished for his desire to stay longer? R. Shaul Yisraeli
Why isn't the slave's ear pierced when he first gets into trouble? The Maharil Diskin
The need to temporarlily return a collateral reflects an expansive view of the Torah's mandate. R. Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg
Love the convert since you were strangers in Egypt is said immediately after they left Egypt;
Sensitivity when there's an open wound - you were strangers, not you were slaves. R. Kenneth Hain from R. Sholom Carmy
We are reciepients of Divine gifts - sometimes He takes them back. Rav Soloveitchik
Orphans and Widows. R. Moshe Feinstein
This week we discuss:
Why so many judges were needed - how to relate to other peoples money including stories about R. Yisrael Salanter
The lesson we learn from Yisro's alias "Yeser" - the value of proactive problem solving
Rav Solovetichik: The duality of the Torah transmission - the role of father and the role of the mother
This week we discuss:
Gerrer Rebbe's daughter Fayge; Rav Soloveitchik: G-d is with Moshe when he approaches Pharaoh
Rabbi Yechezkel Abramsky: The life-long deepening of emunah (conviction)
The Dubno Maggid: Moshe's abrupt exit - why now?
How long did the plague of Locusts actually last?
Nachmanidies (Ramban) and Rabbeinu Chananel: The enduring power of prayer of a righteous person
Rav Soloveitchik: Moshe and the Bnei Yisroel didn't know when they would be leaving or how many plagues there would be
Rav Hirsch: they asked for gifts to keep
Rav Hirsch: the moment the Egyptians recognized the unusual morality of the Bnei Yisroel
Why there are suddenly so many mitzvos (Sefer Hachinuch counts 20) in this parsha
Details of the Pesach lamb
Summary of end of parasha
This week we discuss:
Message of the connection between the Four Cups and the four terms of redemptionMoshe Aharon, Aharon Moshe - defining success & individuality vs. confomrity in Jewish life
Rav Solovetichik: Binary star system - the pattern of dual Jewish leadership
Torah 101: Did Pharoh's magicians really know magic - is magic real?
Torah 101: How did Pharoh get punished for his stubborness if the Almighty hardened his heart? Two approaches
One frog or many? Indirect approaches are often more effective agents of change in ourselves and others
Rav Solovetichik: G-d never gives up on us, even when we appear to be unredeemable
The structure of and patterns in the 10 Plagues
In this episode we cover these topics:
Introduction to the Book of Shemos:
Titles of the book
Overview of Shemos
This week's parsha:
A large, growing, Jewish population
The paradoxically direct relationship between population affliction and population growth
The incremental development of the Egyptian enslavement and persecution of the Jews
Rav Soloveitchik: Women lead the Jewish people at a crucial point in their history
The qualities that made Moshe the ultimate Jewish leader
Curious parallels in the lives of the Patriarchs, Matriarchs, and Moshe and Tzipora
Rav Soloveitchik: The two messages of the Burning Bush and that no Jew ever be excluded (Hat tip to Aaron Rosen for pointing this out to me many years ago)
Asking permission from your father-in-law
Summary of the end of the parsha
After summarizing Vayigash, we discuss:
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Yehuda speaks accurately to the best of his knowledge
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Yosef personifies sensitivity to not embarrass others and a humorous story about Rabbi Moshe Feinstein
In this episode we discuss:
Vayeishev (con't)
The logistics of Yosef's journey to check on his brothers
Factoid: The date of Yosef's sale
Refusing to be comforted: Yaakov's grief
Paraoh's B-day party
Miketz
Why a person with understanding and wisdom was needed
A brief thought on Chanukkah
***This week's podcast is shorter since I'm traveling. Thanks for listening! Summary of the book of Bereishis The complexity of the rift between Yosef and his brothers Two dreams = two aspects of Yosef's personality and his special coat
This week, we discuss the following topics:
Rivka's original plan and Esav's evergreen resentment
Narrative continuity: Why Yaakov left Charan
People are like angels
The three pronged plan - How to address the threat of increased antisemitism
The three pronged plan - Living as a Jew in greater society
One very powerful mitzvah
Justified killing - in battle and squirrels
This week's topics:
Two reasons to leave
Leaving a positive impression
Detour no. 1: Yaakov goes to grad school
Detour no. 2: Yaakov has a dream
Kindness: a requirement for Jewish education
A story about Rabbi Yehoshua Horodner
Clear communication - Yaakov and Bob Iger
This week, we discuss the following topics:
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The questionable paternity of Yitzchak, son of Avraham, and the challenge of defying the haters
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The prayers of Yitzchak and the prayers of Rivka
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Is the Torah chauvinistic? and the Mandalorian on Disney+
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Why Yaakov and Esav were born as twins - free choice
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Soup vs. Birthright: What does it take for us to pass up growth opportunities?
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Yitzchak digs wells and forges his own religious path
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Mazal tov Esav! Mazal tov Esav!
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Why did Yitzchak become blind, and an unintended consequence of the open door policy of Rabbi Chaim of Brisk
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The cost of ignoring the elephant in our room
This week we discuss:
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What we learn from the way Sara experienced aging
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The first mourning and eulogy in the Torah
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The fundamental lesson of Rav Soloveitchik's take on Avraham's description of himself as a stranger and a resident
Understanding some of the Torah's multiple covenants
The Torah's concept of communual responsibility
An inspiring promise hidden in a curse
The passage of Teshuva's concept of the ingathering of exiles and its correlation to contemporary times
Nachmanidies: You must repent!
Maimonidies: Must you repent?
The role of the Bikurim declaration in the Passover Haggadah
Having gratitude even for difficulties we have had in life
Several vignettes and stories about the gratitude of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein
Two reasons why these 11 sins were singled out for the blessing/curse ceremony
The passage of the Tochacha (rebuke) and the connection to the joy of mitzvos.
This week we talk about:
- A lesson from an aspect of the allowance of the beautiful captive woman from R. Yechezkel Abramsky (including a bio and some anecdotes)
- How two sages from the time of the Talmud fulfilled the mitzvah of returning lost items
- Shiluach Haken - the mitzvah of sending away the mother bird and its implications regarding the reward of other positive commandments
- Lessons from various aspects of the laws regarding converts from the Biblical nations of Ammon, Moav, Egypt and Edom, with a focus on the Torah's extreme expectations of gratitude
- Do not hold a poor person's collateral overnight - a lesson from R. Avigdor Miller about appreciating bedding
- The source of the Biblical prohibition of physical assault
In this podcast we learn about two court cases from ancient times, the concept of a Jewish king, the mitzvah of loving Hashem, and the mitzvah of clinging to Him.
In this episode, we discuss one approach to a marketing strategy for the Torah, the commandment to slaughter animals, a deep dive into Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik's approach to the pivot that permitted non-sacrificial meat when the Jews reached the Land of Israel and how it relates to the prohibition of consuming blood, Maimonides' eight levels of charity, and an explanation of the prohibitions of adding to or subtracting from the Torah's commandments.
Parashas Eikev
10 interesting points about what the Parasha means and what lessons we may learn from it. Thanks for listening!
Tags: Parsha, Parasha, Torah, Chumash, sidra, Eikev, Ekev