Mining The Riches Of The Parsha

Why would someone refuse money that was rightfully his? Avraham refuses the spoils of war after rescuing his nephew Lot, even though he had accepted gifts and compensation on other occasions. What made this situation different?

Rabbi Paysach Krohn tells the remarkable story of a young boy in Jerusalem who lost a large sum of money rather than violate Shabbat. When his rabbi offered to replace the money from his own pocket in exchange for the merit of the boy's mitzvah, the boy refused.

Avraham and this young boy teach us something profound: some things are simply too precious to put a price on. The value of a mitzvah cannot be measured in money, and sometimes accepting a reward would diminish something far more valuable.

Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship.

Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/

Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO

Please contact Rabbi Whitman ([email protected]) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

An 11-year-old baseball player did something remarkable. Even as his team was losing, Landon Wilson cheered for players on the opposing team when they did something well. After the game, Michael Lolley, a coach from the other team, took just 20 seconds to tell Landon what he had noticed. Their conversation was captured on video and has been viewed millions of times.

But as Jayson Jenks tells us in The Athletic, there's a remarkable story behind the coach's words. Lolley had a difficult upbringing, experienced crushing disappointment in his own baseball ambitions, and struggled with addiction. Years later, he found an opportunity through coaching to give young people something he himself had needed but never received.

His message is simple, profound, and unforgettable: Talent and hard work are wonderful, but being a good person is the most important accomplishment of all. It's a lesson about what really matters in life - and about the extraordinary difference we can make when we recognize and affirm the goodness in someone else.

Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship.

Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/

Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO

Please contact Rabbi Whitman ([email protected]) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

What can the Tower of Babel teach us about artificial intelligence? A fascinating and unexpected answer comes from Pope Leo XIV, whose recent Magnifica Humanitas contrasts two biblical building projects - the Tower of Babel and Nechemiah's rebuilding of Jerusalem.

Both projects required ingenuity, technology, and cooperation. But Babel sought human greatness without God, demanding uniformity rather than respecting differences. Jerusalem, by contrast, was rebuilt through shared responsibility, with different people contributing toward a common social and spiritual purpose. The Pope sees in these two projects a profound lesson for our development and use of artificial intelligence.

To his interpretation, I add a beautiful Jewish Midrash connecting the name Yerushalayim with Yir'eh and Shalom - awareness of God and peace. The challenge of AI is not simply what technology makes possible, but what values guide us in developing and using it. The question is not merely what we can build, but what kind of world we want to create.

Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship.

Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/

Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO

Please contact Rabbi Whitman ([email protected]) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

This evening we explore the Seven Noahide Commandments. We explain what they are and their practical applications, and we explore what it says about God's and our relationship to the nations of the world. We analyze, based on an insight by Abe Mezrich, the difference in legacy left by Adam and Noach, based on the meaning of their respective names.

Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship.

Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/

Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO

Please contact Rabbi Whitman ([email protected]) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

Why does God tell us what we cannot do? Why does Judaism place so many limits on our choices? Wouldn't we be better off with more freedom, not less?

Rabbi Nachum of Chernobyl discovers a remarkable pattern in the Torah's account of creation: first comes evening, then morning. First comes what is missing, then its fulfillment. Even in the Garden of Eden, God first tells Adam what he may not have, and only afterward gives him the extraordinary gift of companionship. What might this teach us about the purpose of limits, and the importance of learning to wait? Walter Mischel's famous Marshmallow Test adds a fascinating psychological dimension to the question.

Perhaps the purpose of God's restrictions is not to diminish our freedom, but to help us master our desires and live more meaningful lives. As Dr. Afshine Emrani puts it: "I used to think freedom meant doing whatever I wanted. Now I think real freedom is when what I want no longer controls me."

Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship.

Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/

Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO

Please contact Rabbi Whitman ([email protected]) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

We all want unity. We want to belong to families, communities, and societies where people share our values and work together. So why does the Torah tell us that the extraordinary unity and cooperation of the builders of the Tower of Babel ended in disaster?

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch offers a disturbing insight. Their unity demanded uniformity. Everyone had to speak the same language and think the same way, leaving no room for genuine differences. What appeared to be an ideal society was actually a dangerous form of tribalism. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. describes the downward path that can follow - from a failure to communicate and understand one another, to fear, hatred, and ultimately violence.

There is nothing wrong with loving our families, strengthening our communities, and feeling a special bond with those who share our values. But the real test of our unity is how we see and treat those who are different from us. Can we respect them, listen to them, and recognize their dignity, even when we disagree? Or does our loyalty to our own group lead us to look down on others? The Tower of Babel offers an urgent warning for our deeply divided world.

Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship.

Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/

Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO

Please contact Rabbi Whitman ([email protected]) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

What if one way to repair our increasingly lonely, divided, and distrustful society is surprisingly simple - doing more things together? More than 25 years ago, Robert Putnam's groundbreaking Bowling Alone documented the decline of clubs, associations, and community participation. His research showed how these connections build social capital - the relationships, trust, and mutual responsibility that make life better for individuals and society.

But the Torah presents a fascinating challenge. The builders of the Tower of Babel were extraordinarily united, working together on an enormous common project. Yet according to Abarbanel, under Nimrod's leadership, their society was characterized by tyranny, oppression, and a profound lack of human dignity. God dismantled their society to make possible a different kind of society. Their story teaches us that unity alone is not enough. What matters is whether our connections foster trust, respect, and genuine concern for others.

Putnam's research and Abarbanel's interpretation together offer a powerful lesson for our own time. Building a better society doesn't necessarily require grand gestures. Joining a Mah-Jong group or walking group, attending synagogue services and staying to socialize, volunteering, or simply becoming involved in a community can help build the relationships on which a healthy society depends. These ordinary choices can enrich our own lives while helping repair the social fabric for everyone.

Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship.

Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/

Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO

Please contact Rabbi Whitman ([email protected]) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

Noach's Ark (Teivah) protected him and his family from the raging waters of the Flood. A Teivah also saved baby Moshe from the waters of the Nile. What connects these two extraordinary stories to the Holy Ark in the synagogue - and ultimately, to the words of our prayers?

The Baal Shem Tov offers a beautiful interpretation of God's command to Noach to enter the Teivah. We, too, can enter a Teivah - the words of prayer - and find refuge from the storms that threaten to overwhelm us. The prophet Yona, praying from the belly of the fish while surrounded by the waters of the sea, gives us a powerful illustration.

Noach's Ark did not make the Flood disappear. It protected him while the waters continued to rage. Perhaps prayer can do the same for us - offering refuge, strength, and connection to God, even when the troubles of our world remain.

Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship.

Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/

Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO

Please contact Rabbi Whitman ([email protected]) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

On September 11, 2001, a call went out over the radio: "All available boats..." What followed was one of the largest maritime evacuations in history. More than 100 vessels helped evacuate an estimated 500,000 people from lower Manhattan. The remarkable 12-minute documentary BOATLIFT: An Untold Tale of 9/11 Resilience tells the story.

But even more remarkable than the scale of the rescue is the ordinary people who responded. Engineer Robin Jones reminds us that everyone has a little hero inside them, ready to emerge when needed. Captain Vincent Ardolino went because even if he could save just one person, that was one person who would not suffer or die. These were ordinary people who did extraordinary things because they saw a need and chose to act.

Their message is for every one of us. You don't have to save thousands of people to make a difference. You don't even have to believe that what you can do will succeed. Never let the thought that your contribution is too small prevent you from trying. And never put yourself in the position of having to say, "I should have."

Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship.

Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/

Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO

Please contact Rabbi Whitman ([email protected]) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

At the very beginning of the Torah, we encounter one of Judaism's most foundational teachings: Every human being is created B'Tzelem Elokim - in the image of God. Our classical commentators explain this profound idea in several ways, including: Every person is cherished by God, every person has the capacity to imitate God's moral qualities, and every person possesses an inherent dignity that demands our respect.

But what happens when we encounter someone who looks different, believes differently, or makes us uncomfortable? What about someone we fear, distrust, or simply don't understand? Does our conviction that every human being bears God's image still shape how we see and treat that person?

Through Torah study and storytelling, we explore how this foundational Jewish teaching challenges our instincts and demands something practical of us. We need not agree with someone's beliefs or approve of their actions to recognize their God-given dignity. The real test of B'Tzelem Elokim is not whether we believe it, but whether we live by it - especially when we encounter someone we regard as different from ourselves.

Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship.

Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/

Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO

Please contact Rabbi Whitman ([email protected]) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.