Jerusalem Lights

Parashat Va'yishlach

This week’s Torah portion of Vayishlach presents a sprawling array of  many of the seminal events in the life of the patriarch Jacob. This  amazing, towering figure, a paragon of truth and righteousness, had  angels at his command and was the recipient of many Divine miracles. Yet  by own admission he felt ‘diminished,’ ‘small’ in his own eyes…unworthy  and undeserving of all Hashem’s kindness. In this week’s Jerusalem  Lights podcast, our hosts reflect on the profound, universal message  that we learn from Yaakov’s great appreciation for all of G-d’s  kindnesses, and how thankful we should be at all times for everything He  does for each and every one of us. Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman  offer up a fascinating discussion of Jacob’s battle with a mysterious  angel, and reveal some amazing details that shine a beacon on the inner  meaning of this elusive Biblical account…and how we can all do battle  with our own angels, and win!

Jerusalem Lights Mission Statement: Jerusalem Lights seeks to provide and share the wisdom of traditional Torah teachings with all sincere spiritual seekers regardless of their race, religion, or gender, emphasizing the ennoblement of the human spirit, the brotherhood of mankind, and the nurturing and development of each individual’s personal faith and relationship with the Creator.    Please support the work of Jerusalem Lights, a USA recognized 501 ( c ) 3 non-profit organization to enable these productions to continue and grow:    Paypal: [email protected]   or:  https://paypal.me/JerusalemLights?loc...  

In the USA:  Jerusalem Lights Inc.  Post Office Box 16886 Lubbock Texas 79490   

In Israel: Tel. 972 54 7000395  Mail: PO Box 23808, Jerusalem Israel    

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Parashat Va'Yeitzei

A sense of urgency and a strong pull of Divine providence direct the events in this week’s Torah portion of parashat Va’yeitzei, as Yaakov Avinu, the patriarch Jacob, goes from the proverbial frying pan into the fire. Seeking to escape the wrath of his brother Esav, he must contend with the conniving, manipulative Laban. The children of Israel are born to Leah, Rachel, Bilhah and Zilpah, and despite Laban’s ill-will, the nation of Israel begins to emerge. This week’s portion coincides with the 83rd anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass which marked the beginning of the Holocaust. Our Jerusalem Lights podcast examines Yaakov’s confrontations with Esav and Laban as portents for the nation’s future, and delves deeply into the connection between the birth of Yosef, the defeat of the force of Esav, and the hidden light of Chanukah. 

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Rabbi Chaim Richman  Jerusalem Lights | Torah for Everyone   Please support the work of Jerusalem Lights, a USA recognized 501 ( c ) 3 non-profit organization to enable these productions to continue and grow:   Paypal: [email protected]   or:  https://paypal.me/JerusalemLights?loc... 

In the USA:  Jerusalem Lights Inc.  Post Office Box 16886 Lubbock Texas 79490  

In Israel: Tel. 972 54 7000395  Mail: PO Box 23808, Jerusalem Israel   

Subscribe to our newsletter at https://www.rabbirichman.com

Parashat Toldot

To sleep, perchance to dream… This week’s Jerusalem Lights podcast takes a look at dreams, as we prepare to welcome the month of Kislev, the month of the spiritual ‘fixing’ of sleep and dreams. Some dreams are prophetic, and the energy of this upcoming month is focused on the miraculous…as embodied by the upcoming Festival of Chanukah. This week’s Torah portion of parashat Toldot documents the beginning of the eternal struggle of Yaakov and his brother Esav, a struggle that began while the two were yet in their mother Rebecca’s womb. It’s a face-off that will last until the time of the ultimate Redemption, and the fate of humanity hangs in the balance. Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman discuss the Torah's mysterious account of these twins and the elusive meaning and universal significance of their encounters over the birthright and blessings.  

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Rabbi Chaim Richman  Jerusalem Lights | Torah for Everyone   

Please support the work of Jerusalem Lights, a USA recognized 501 ( c ) 3 non-profit organization to enable these productions to continue and grow:   Paypal: [email protected]   or:  https://paypal.me/JerusalemLights?loc... 

In the USA:  Jerusalem Lights Inc.  Post Office Box 16886 Lubbock Texas 79490  

In Israel: Tel. 972 54 7000395  Mail: PO Box 23808, Jerusalem Israel   

Subscribe to our newsletter at https://www.rabbirichman.com

Parashat Chayei Sarah

The Torah portion of Chayei Sarah features only two concepts: the death of Sarah and her burial at the ‘double cave’ in Hebron, and Eliezer’s mission to find a wife for Isaac. Yet a major theme connects these events: the true meaning of the continuum of the generations, and a deeper understanding of Hashem’s promise of life after death. In this week’s Jerusalem Lights podcast, Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman share some fascinating ideas about this Torah portion and the secret of Sarah’s tent: lessons on life and death, love and marriage, the spiritual preeminence of women, and above all, the legacy bequeathed to us by Abraham and Sarah for all generations.  

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Rabbi Chaim Richman  Jerusalem Lights | Torah for Everyone   Please support the work of Jerusalem Lights, a USA recognized 501 ( c ) 3 non-profit organization to enable these productions to continue and grow:   Paypal: [email protected]   or:  https://paypal.me/JerusalemLights?loc... 

In the USA:  Jerusalem Lights Inc.  Post Office Box 16886 Lubbock Texas 79490  

In Israel: Tel. 972 54 7000395  Mail: PO Box 23808, Jerusalem Israel   

Subscribe to our newsletter at https://www.rabbirichman.com

Parashat Va'yera

Abraham’s very essence was a reflection of G-d’s attribute of kindness, and by bestowing acts of kindness – by emulating his Maker --  Abraham was able to bring others to awareness of the Creator and bring G-dly light into the world. In our illusory world wherein everyone seems to be looking out for themselves and putting each other down, Abraham teaches us that a simple act of kindness, in imitation of G-d’s own love, can change the world. In this week’s edition of the Jerusalem Lights podcast, we learn that through such a simple act of kindness, Abraham discovered the entrance to the Garden of Eden…thus demonstrating that the road to paradise is literally paved with good deeds! We also learn about Sodom, the Facebook capital of the World.  

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Rabbi Chaim Richman  Jerusalem Lights | Torah for Everyone   

Please support the work of Jerusalem Lights, a USA recognized 501 ( c ) 3 non-profit organization to enable these productions to continue and grow:   Paypal: [email protected]   or:  https://paypal.me/JerusalemLights?locale.x=en_US 

In the USA:  Jerusalem Lights Inc.  Post Office Box 16886 Lubbock Texas 79490  

In Israel: Tel. 972 54 7000395  Mail: PO Box 23808, Jerusalem Israel   

Subscribe to our newsletter at https://www.rabbirichman.com

Parashat Lech Lecha

This week’s Torah portion of parashat Lech Lecha introduces Avraham Avinu – the patriarch Abraham, the original iconoclast and spiritual revolutionary who discovered the One True G-d on his own, and singlehandedly battled against a world sunk in idolatry. Abraham bequeathed the knowledge of Hashem to the world, brought faith to humanity, and rekindled hope for mankind. What fueled this great man’s desire for truth, and what gave him the courage to stand alone against the whole world? This week’s Jerusalem Lights podcast looks at stories of the road: the early life of Abraham and what led him to embark upon the long and winding road to self-knowledge, truth, and belief in the One True G-d. 

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Rabbi Chaim Richman  Jerusalem Lights | Torah for Everyone   Please support the work of Jerusalem Lights, a USA recognized 501 ( c ) 3 non-profit organization to enable these productions to continue and grow:   Paypal: [email protected]   or:  https://paypal.me/JerusalemLights?loc... 

In the USA:  Jerusalem Lights Inc.  Post Office Box 16886 Lubbock Texas 79490  In Israel: Tel. 972 54 7000395  Mail: PO Box 23808, Jerusalem Israel   

Subscribe to our newsletter at https://www.rabbirichman.com

Parashat Noach -  The Universal Noahide Laws, the Bedrock of Human Existence     

This week we welcome the new month of Mar Cheshvan, a time of inner spiritual transformation. It’s the month of the beginning of the rainfalls of blessing in the Land of Israel, and yet it's also the time in which the Great Flood began…and this week’s Torah portion of parashat Noach focuses on that flood.  The flood was G-d’s retribution against a humanity that had grown so wicked, it had lost all semblance of the Divine image in which man was created. But where did the world go wrong? This week’s edition of the Jerusalem Lights podcast provides a veritable ‘flood’ of background information and Biblical knowledge on the generation of the Flood as well as the nature of this remarkable month of MarCheshvan. Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman share fascinating insights on the Torah portion of Noah and the urgent messages it conveys for our time. 

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Rabbi Chaim Richman  Jerusalem Lights | Torah for Everyone   Please support the work of Jerusalem Lights, a USA recognized 501 ( c ) 3 non-profit organization to enable these productions to continue and grow:   Paypal: [email protected]   or:  https://paypal.me/JerusalemLights?loc... 

In the USA:  Jerusalem Lights Inc.  Post Office Box 16886 Lubbock Texas 79490  

In Israel: Tel. 972 54 7000395  Mail: PO Box 23808, Jerusalem Israel   

Subscribe to our newsletter at https://www.rabbirichman.com

Parashat B'reishith

With the conclusion of the festivals of Tishrei, this week we begin the weekly cycle of Torah readings at the beginning again, with the first portion of B’reishith, the Book of Genesis. What a Divine Big Bang! What an amazing, all-inclusive, expansive Torah portion. Here are all the most profound secrets of life. Hashem created the world from nothing, all for His love of man and His desire to bestow kindness. This week’s Torah portion affirms to us that there is a Creator who created this magnificent world, and who created each of us…and that like the world, each of us has a new beginning. In this week’s Jerusalem Lights podcast, Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman ponder the power of restarting the Torah readings this week, coming in from the Sukkah, and tapping into the Divine energy of beginning all over again.   

___ Rabbi Chaim Richman  Jerusalem Lights | Torah for Everyone   

Please support the work of Jerusalem Lights, a USA recognized 501 ( c ) 3 non-profit organization to enable these productions to continue and grow:   Paypal: [email protected]   or:  https://paypal.me/JerusalemLights?loc... 

In the USA:  Jerusalem Lights Inc.  Post Office Box 16886 Lubbock Texas 79490  

In Israel: Tel. 972 54 7000395  Mail: PO Box 23808, Jerusalem Israel   Subscribe to our newsletter at https://www.rabbirichman.com

After the cleansing catharsis of Yom Kippur, we are commanded to joyfully begin the New Year outside the house…by spending a week in the intimate, Divine embrace of our sukkah, the temporary structure that commemorates the booths erected by the Children of Israel when they departed Egypt, as well as the Divine clouds of glory that enveloped them throughout their desert wanderings. The Festival of Sukkot is also observed with special prayers of thanksgiving accompanied by the ‘four species’ (Lev. 23). But why does Sukkot follow Yom Kippur, and why is Sukkot, more than any other time of year, known as ‘the Time of Our Joy?’ This week’s Jerusalem Lights Podcast focuses on the Sukkah, the ultimate symbol – and test—of faith...and finds that the answer is blowing in the wind. This edition of our podcast is a veritable Sukkot special, as our hosts explore and share deep insights and eternal Torah truths of the Sukkah, for Jews and Gentiles alike. Jim Long, a righteous Noahide, explains the importance of the Sukkah for non-Jews, and Rabbi Chaim Richman shares his personal story of the recent loss of his father and the unique confluence in his life of bereavement, mourning, and the Torah’s commandment to be ‘only joyful’ during the Festival.  

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Rabbi Chaim Richman  Jerusalem Lights | Torah for Everyone   

Please support the work of Jerusalem Lights, a USA recognized 501 ( c ) 3 non-profit organization to enable these productions to continue and grow:   Paypal: [email protected]   or:  https://paypal.me/JerusalemLights?loc... 

In the USA:  Jerusalem Lights Inc.  Post Office Box 16886 Lubbock Texas 79490  

In Israel: Tel. 972 54 7000395  Mail: PO Box 23808, Jerusalem Israel   

Subscribe to our newsletter at https://www.rabbirichman.com

Yom Kippur Insights: How Does Torah Define Sin, and What Makes Repentance Real?

In this week’s Torah portion of Ha’azinu, Moshe calls upon heaven and earth to bear witness, as he delivers his prophetic song of rebuke, consolation, and ultimate redemption. And Yom Kippur, the awesome Day of Atonement will be observed beginning this coming Wednesday night – September 15-16. May non-Jews also participate in the Yom Kippur experience? Should they? How…and why? What do we all seek to gain from Yom Kippur, Jew and Gentile alike? This week’s episode of the Jerusalem Lights podcast focuses on the meaning and power of Yom Kippur forgiveness and atonement…. but how does Torah define sin, and what constitutes true and sincere repentance? Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman begin to prepare for Yom Kippur with illuminating insights into the nature of sin and the fine art of repentance – a gift G-d gives to man which can literally help us become new people. May we all be sealed in the Book of Life for a long life of health and every blessing, amen! A Good and Sweet New Year to all!

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Rabbi Chaim Richman

Jerusalem Lights | Torah for Everyone

Please support the work of Jerusalem Lights, a USA recognized 501 ( c ) 3 non-profit organization to enable these productions to continue and grow:

Paypal: [email protected]  or:

https://paypal.me/JerusalemLights?locale.x=en_US

In the USA:

Jerusalem Lights Inc.

Post Office Box 16886

Lubbock Texas 79490

In Israel: Tel. 972 54 7000395

Mail: PO Box 23808, Jerusalem Israel

Subscribe to our newsletter at https://www.rabbirichman.com