At Sinai, the mountain hovered overhead and faith felt inevitable. In Shushan, God’s name disappeared and everything could be dismissed as coincidence. So when was Torah truly accepted — in the blaze of revelation or in the darkness of exile? In Rabbi Dunner’s dazzling Purim shiur, he uncovers why Judaism’s deepest commitment was forged not in thunder, but in hiddenness.

Empires self-identify by anchoring themselves to monuments and locations. The Aztecs had Tenochtitlan. The Incas had Cusco. Rome had its “eternal city.” When those centers fell, their worlds unraveled. The Jewish people lost Jerusalem twice — and endured. The secret was planted earlier, in the wilderness: a sanctuary built to move, and a holiness that refused to stay put.

What does it mean to “increase joy” when life isn’t perfect? Rabbi Dunner’s uplifting Adar shiur explores the deeper meaning of Mishenichnas Adar Marbim b’Simcha, showing how the Megillah teaches us to find hidden goodness, laugh at life’s absurdities, and trust that our stories are still unfolding. Through humor, insight, and real-life stories, we learn how to truly spread the joy.

After the thunder of Sinai comes a surprising shift: damages, loans, workers’ rights, and legal liability. Why does the Torah move from revelation to regulation? Rabbi Dunner explores how lofty ideals collapse without structure, and how Judaism insists that holiness is sustained not by inspiration alone, but by disciplined attention to the smallest details of daily life.

A Don McLean concert becomes a meditation on nostalgia, inspiration, and disappointment. Rabbi Dunner reflects on what it means to watch a cultural hero age — and offers a novel insight into why the Torah follows the drama of Sinai with the unglamorous laws of Parshat Mishpatim, where faith is tested not in moments of awe, but in the demands of ordinary life.

The Ten Commandments are among the most famous words in history—and among the least detailed. As Rabbi Dunner explains, this is no accident. By exploring Martin Luther’s literalism, Jewish history’s rejection of text-only faith, and the role of Torah Shebaal Peh, he shows why Judaism insists that sacred words come alive only through interpretation, debate, responsibility, and lived commitment.

Before thunder and lightning, before Anochi Hashem Elokecha, the Torah pauses for a quiet but crucial conversation. Why does a Midianite outsider notice what no one else does? And why does Sinai have to wait? Rabbi Dunner explores Yitro’s unlikely role in shaping leadership, responsibility, and the conditions that make Torah possible.

Why didn’t God take the Jewish people the shortest route out of Egypt? Rabbi Dunner focuses on the opening verse of Beshalach, exploring why detours matter, how the long road shapes resilience, and why growth often comes not from speed or even results, but from taking the longer route we didn’t plan to travel.

Freedom doesn’t always make people braver. Sometimes it makes them afraid. From ancient Egypt to modern politics, moments of success often trigger a dangerous instinct to retreat into familiar but destructive ideas. Drawing on history and the Torah’s account of the Red Sea, Rabbi Dunner explores why even when regression feels good, resisting it is the real test of moral maturity.

A visit to Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Museum prompts a painful moral reckoning. Using Parshat Bo as his anchor, Rabbi Dunner examines whether decisive, devastating force is sometimes necessary to end evil. Drawing on Ramban, the Maharal, and Hiroshima itself, he challenges modern discomfort with the horrors of war—and the unsettling truth that ending evil can require unbearable, irreversible decisions, guided by moral clarity.