Seeing the Blessing and the Curse – and Getting with the Program

Parashat Re’eh: Which Way Are You Going?

Science, Prophetic Torah and the Holy Temple

This week’s Torah portion of parashat Re’eh is a call for the Children of Israel to become a just, sensitive society in the land promised to the forefathers, always to remain focused on the presence of G-d in their midst. The Land of Israel, Moshe teaches, is the physical embodiment of holiness by Divine decree, from the beginning of time, by its very nature, and thus it will naturally nurture this people to become this sensitive society. The whole Torah, especially the action oriented mitzvoth, and particularly in the Land of Israel, is about developing a heightened sensitivity to ‘avodat Hashem’…serving G-d through everything that we do. And in our Torah portion this week, the concept of the permanent location of the Holy Temple begins to emerge and take shape: for the first time we are told about ‘The place that Hashem your G-d will choose from among all your tribes to place His Name, there shall you seek out His presence and come there.’ (12:5) In this week’s episode of the Jerusalem Lights podcast, our hosts examine the challenge of ‘seeing the blessing and curse’ presented in parashat Re’eh, connecting these timeless truths with the fabric of our contemporary reality.

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Rabbi Chaim Richman

Jerusalem Lights |Torah for Everyone

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The Past and Future Circle Dance of Tu B’Av: Lessons of Tu B’Av for Today: Love and Unity in a Time of Testing and Uncertainty

The confluence between this week’s Torah portion of Ekev and the ancient Biblical holiday of Tu B’Av provides much inspiration for this week’s rousing edition of the Jerusalem Lights podcast. Our hosts Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman delve deeply into the rich teachings of the sages that illuminate the fascinating history – and prophetic future promise – of the holiday known as the 15th of Av, called by the sages ‘the happiest day of the year.’ What is the source of this happiness, and what relevance does it have in our post-modern world of shattered dreams? What is the ‘heel’ alluded to by the name of our Torah portion, and how can we avoid trampling on the important things in life? Tune in to this week’s Jerusalem Lights Podcast!

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Rabbi Chaim Richman

Jerusalem Lights |Torah for Everyone

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What Will You Be Doing on Tisha B’Av?

The Relevance of the Holy Temple Today – And the Temple Mount Revolution

This week’s Torah portion of Va’Etchanan, with its emphasis on love of G-d and the Land of Israel, opens with a subtle allusion to the Holy Temple. The observance of the fast day of Tisha B’Av this week (July 30) will mark 1951 years since the destruction of the Holy Temple. What relevance does the distant memory of the Holy Temple have for our modern world today? Should we be mourning the past, or preparing for the future? Tisha B’Av means different things to different people…what does it mean to you? In this week’s episode of the Jerusalem Lights podcast, our hosts discuss the significance of the Holy Temple for all people, and the promise of hope that it brings to humanity. Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman share an inspiring, exciting update of the new reality on the Temple Mount, heralding the beginning of a new era for Israel and the world.

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Rabbi Chaim Richman

Jerusalem Lights | Torah for Everyone

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Life Lessons of Menachem Av, the Month of the Consoling Father

Torah for Everyone: Fixing a Damaged, Despairing World with Love and Kindness

This week we begin the month of Menachem Av, and next week on the fast day of Tisha B’Av we will mark 1950 years since the destruction of the Holy Temple. On the backdrop of our brave new world of confusion and doubt, corruption and anarchy, exploitation and manipulation, this week’s episode of the Jerusalem Lights podcast looks at the world through the eyes of the Torah’s principle of striving to see the good, and understanding that everything is part of a Divine plan for humanity. Our mystic sages inform us that this new month also presents us with an opportunity to ‘rectify’ our hearing…to really listen to what the other is saying with an open heart. Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman share Torah wisdom for everyone in this frank discussion, shedding light upon today’s headlines in the light of this week’s Torah portion of parashat Devarim, and the amazing confluence of events that takes place as this new month of Menachem Av enters.

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Rabbi Chaim Richman

Jerusalem Lights | Torah for Everyone

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True Leadership: Responsible, Prayerful, and Selfless

This week we conclude the book of Numbers with the reading of its last two Torah portions, Matot and Masai. The two portions present a vivid portrait of the Generation about to enter the Promised Land. They are instructed in the power of the spoken word in the form of vows and oaths that can render sanctity; they are shown unparalleled examples of the meaning of true leadership; they are commanded to battle against Midian; their journeys are summarized; the borders of the Land are delineated…  Fast forward to our day, as we witness the complete devaluation of the spoken word; the moral bankruptcy of leadership, the harassment and bullying of truth, the delegitimization of Israel…the crossroads facing the Generation of the Land that we read about this week is reflected in our own contemporary reality. Tune in for a resounding message of Torah truth for Jews and non-Jews alike.

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Rabbi Chaim Richman

Jerusalem Lights |Torah for Everyone

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Breaking the Template: Do We Have Free Will or is Everything Predetermined?

This week the Hebrew calendar marks the Fast Day of Tammuz 17, which begins a three-week  period of introspection and mourning for the destruction of the Holy Temple. Is there a message in these days for Gentiles as well as Jews? In this week’s episode of the Jerusalem Lights podcast, our hosts relate to this question against the backdrop of the preeminent Torah principle of free will. In this week’s Torah reading, Pinchas, grandson of the High Priest Aaron, single handedly staves off a devastating plague by striking a zealous blow against immorality, earning him a unique, new status of priesthood…and a ‘covenant of peace.’ Who was Pinchas and what was his unique contribution to the nation of Israel? Rabbi Chaim Richman and Jim Long share the fascinating background of this week’s Torah portion of Pinchas, and find chillingly timely, precise parallels between these lessons, and events currently taking place in America and throughout the world.

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Rabbi Chaim Richman

Jerusalem Lights | Torah for Everyone

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The Heathen Prophet Bilaam vs. the Existence of Israel - World Hypocrisy and Israel’s ‘Flagrant Violation of International Law’

This week’s double Torah reading outside the Land of Israel, of the portions of Chukat and Balak together, brings the Diaspora back in sync with the Torah reading in the Land of Israel. The two portions together form an amazing tapestry of the new generation, poised to enter into the promised land. Parashat Chukat begins with the elusive Divine decree of the red heifer and continues with vast ideas and precedents: the passing of Miriam and Aaron, Moshe’s inexplicable striking of the rock, and more. The portion of Balak focuses on the evil alliance of King Balak with the heathen prophet Bilaam, a man whose curses were usually fatal. Yet G-d changed his curses upon Israel into blessings. What was the motivation behind this ancient anti-Israel movement? Why did the entry of the Children of Israel into their land pose such a perceived threat to the balance of power? What was the true motivation behind these curses, and who was Bilaam? This week on the Jerusalem Lights podcast, our hosts delve deeply into both Torah portions and find intriguing, eternal truths that impact upon the destiny of Israel as well as the  lives of all those who cherish the G-d of Israel… and mirror the chaos reflected in today’s headlines.

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Rabbi Chaim Richman

Jerusalem Lights |Torah for Everyone

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Narcissism in the Garb of Civil Rights Activism

And, the Dilemma of Israel’s Annexation Question and Lessons of the Month of Tammuz

The charismatic Korach, a Levite of distinction, leads a rebellion against the authority of Moses, ostensibly championing equality and social justice…but it is quickly revealed that his incitement is not directed against Moses alone, but against G-d Himself. His ego-driven rebellion is actually a manifestation of his own myopic, narcissistic world view. Pretending to be concerned about the welfare of the nation, he is only concerned with himself; he is the very opposite of Moses, who is altogether without ego, and places the nation above his own life.  In this week’s podcast Rabbi Chaim Richman and Jim Long ponder the incident of Korach and discuss remarkable parallels to our own time. Throughout history and today as well, we are witness to movements that purport to represent social justice, and are willing to re-write the narrative of history to fit the requirement of their agenda.  Our hosts deliver a fitting lesson for all who love the G-d of Israel, Jew and non-Jew alike, to connect to the energy of this month of Tammuz, with its special qualities and the opportunity it presents to us…the challenge to heal our vision.

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Rabbi Chaim Richman

Jerusalem Lights | Torah for Everyone

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The Sin of Evil Speech and the Law of Reciprocity - Speaking Against the Land of Israel: An Ancient Sin with a Modern Twist

The Torah portion of Shelach begins a turning point in history. Moses sends 12 upstanding, righteous men to spy out the Land of Canaan in preparation for the Children of Israel's entry into the Land. Ten of these men come back with an evil, slanderous report that causes the people to despair and cry. This was the first Tisha B'Av, and the disastrous sin of speaking evil against the Land of Israel became the precipitant of countless generations of suffering. What caused these men to undergo such a crisis in faith, and what is the message for our generation? In this week's podcast, Rabbi Chaim Richman and Jim Long ponder the perplexing, painful episode of the spies' slander against the Land, and examine why G-d considered this to be a sin of such magnitude -- more serious than even the transgression of the Golden Calf -- that He decreed this generation would not enter into the Land, but would wander in the desert for forty years. Our hosts connect this untoward incident with the other aspects of this Torah portion, and offer some fascinating insights that can aid us in doing our part to rectify the sin of the spies against the Land of Israel.

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Rabbi Chaim Richman

Jerusalem Lights | Torah for Everyone

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The Annexation Question and the Book of Numbers: Do Jewish Lives in the Land of Israel Matter?

The Torah portion Behalotcha read this week in the Diaspora features an incident that shares a theme with the portion of Shelach, read this week in Israel: rebellion against the Land of Israel and a lack of faith in G-d’s promise that Israel can enter the Land and prosper…yet love and devotion to Hashem shines through as well. Rabbi Chaim Richman and Jim Long closely examine a thread that connects between these Torah portions and the burning issues of the day, from Covid-19 to George Floyd protests to the contentious issue of Israeli annexation. Our hosts find that the template and pattern of the challenges facing us today is foreshadowed by the teachings of these Torah portions, shedding bright light on the foibles of human nature which Hashem’s Torah empowers us to overcome.

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Rabbi Chaim Richman

Jerusalem Lights | Torah for Everyone

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In Israel:

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