What does true humility look like? Is it thinking less of yourself? Pretending your
accomplishments don’t matter? In this week’s parashah, the Torah describes
Moshe Rabbenu as the most humble person who ever lived—yet he was also the man who confronted Pharaoh, split the sea, brought down the Torah, and spoke with HaShem face to face. How can greatness and humility coexist in the same person? 

In this morning’s class, we explore the Torah’s revolutionary definition of humility
through the lives of Moshe Rabbenu, Rabbi Akiva, Hillel HaZaken, Rav Yosef, and
Rabbi Yechezkel Abramsky. Along the way, we’ll discover that humility is not
denying our gifts—it is recognizing their Source. The arrogant person asks,
“Who honors me?” The humble person asks, “Who needs me?” A timely and practical lesson on how each of us can use the blessings HaShem has given us to elevate the people around us and change the world.  

 Who Lit Your Flame? 

 This morning, I shared memories of Rabbi Jack Mevorach ע״ה,
the first rabbi who truly shaped my life. Long before I became a father,, a
rabbi, or a teacher, I was an eight-year-old boy in the Kids Minyan at Ahiezer.
Through sports, friendship, laughter, and Torah, Rabbi Mevorach found a way to
reach a group of boys and make us feel important. Looking back more than fifty
years later, I can still trace so much of who I became to the investment he
made in us during those formative years. 

Parashat Beha'alotekha teaches that Aharon lit the Menorah 'until the flame rose on its own.' Perhaps that is the Torah's definition of a great educator. Not someone who creates followers, but someone who creates future leaders. Join us as we explore the connection between the Menorah, mentorship, and the remarkable legacy of a rabbi who taught a generation of boys how to let their own flames shine.  

 At first glance,
Parashat Beha’alotecha feels like a collection of unrelated stories. Aharon
lights the Menorah. Pesach Sheni is introduced. Two silver trumpets are
fashioned. Yitro departs. The nation complains. Eldad and Medad prophesy.
Miriam speaks about Moshe. There seems to be no connecting thread. Yet beneath
the surface lies one of the Torah’s deepest and most profound themes: what
happens after a spiritual fall. Why does this parashah feel so fragmented? Why
does Moshe suddenly appear overwhelmed? Why do the people begin questioning,
complaining, and doubting? And why do so many incidents seem to revolve around
uncertainty and confusion? 

In
this class we explore a remarkable idea drawn from Chazal, the Zohar, and later
commentators: Beha’alotecha reveals the long shadow cast by the breaking of the
Luchot. The first tablets represented a world of clarity, unity, and truth—the
spiritual reality of the Eitz HaChayim, the Tree of Life. The second tablets
introduced a world in which truth must be sought through struggle, debate,
growth, and personal responsibility. Along the way, we uncover a powerful
lesson from King David, discover why Torah is filled with argument, and learn
the two pathways that allow a person to climb back from confusion to clarity.
It is a fascinating journey into leadership, failure, repentance, and the
lifelong pursuit of spiritual growth.  

 Why does the Torah suddenly stop in the middle of the
story of Miriam and Aharon speaking about Moshe and announce, “And the man
Moshe was exceedingly humble, more than any person on the face of the earth”?
Why here? Why now? 

This morning, we explore a remarkable insight from the
Zera Shimshon. Miriam and Aharon certainly knew Moshe was greater than any
prophet. But perhaps they believed his greatness came from his position as the
leader of Israel rather than from his own merit. The Torah's answer is
profound: Moshe's greatness was not despite his humility—it was because of his
humility. The highest prophet in history was the man with the lowest ego.  

 What
if the greatest miracle in your life is something you no longer notice? 

We
live surrounded by behaviors that feel completely natural: giving tzedakah,
visiting the sick, comforting mourners, helping strangers, worrying about
honesty even when nobody was harmed. We assume these reactions are universal.
They are not. In this mornings breakfast and a class podcast, 'We Think
It's Normal—But It's Not,' we explore how Torah shapes a person's
instincts until kindness, responsibility, and holiness become second nature.
Through stories from the Gemara, a remarkable modern halachic question, and the
world-changing impact of Sarah Schenirer, we discover the deeper meaning of the
Menorah and Aharon's mission: to raise souls until they shine on their own. The
light of the Menorah never went out—it lives on in the Torah-shaped soul.  

Three thousand three hundred and thirty-eight years after Sinai, the Jewish people are still standing. In this powerful Shavuot and Parashat Naso podcast, we explore one of the great mysteries of history: why every empire rose and fell, yet the Jewish people remain eternal. Why does the world remain obsessed with the Jew? Why does antisemitism constantly reinvent itself? And what does the Torah mean when it says “Naso” — “Raise the head”?
Through stories, history, Torah insight, and emotional reflection, this episode
uncovers how every Jew still carries the fire of Sinai within his soul. 

From Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau’s unforgettable words about speaking with “generations of eternity” behind him, to a chilling story involving the Lubavitcher Rebbe and fallen soldiers of the Yom Kippur War, this morning’s class reminds us that no Jewish soul is ever forgotten and no Jewish life is insignificant. In a world drowning in confusion and moral darkness, the answer is not fear — it is more Torah, more light, more Jewish pride, and more unity. Sinai did not end on Shavuot night. The voice of Sinai still echoes through the week of Naso — and through every Jewish soul alive today.  

 Blessed with That Which Seems Impossible 

Every one of us has something. A prayer we whisper. A
burden we carry. A yeshuah we quietly hope for. Sometimes it is health.
Sometimes it is shalom bayit. Sometimes it is children, parnasah, clarity, or
simply the strength to get through tomorrow. We look toward Heaven asking for
that “super coincidence” — that thing just beyond our reach where we cannot see
the road that gets us there. 

In today’s Lunch and Learn class, we explored a
fascinating question: What do our Rabbis teach us about becoming a vessel for
blessing? Beyond prayer itself, are there gates that Chazal tell us can be
opened? Through the stories of Tzlalponit, the mother of Shimshon, and insights
from Chazal, Midrash, and our great Rabbis, we discuss the power of a small
kabbalah, gratitude, kindness, letting things go, and the hidden ways that
yeshuot enter a person's life. Sometimes Heaven is waiting not for giant
changes, but for one small step.  

This morning's breakfast and a class asks a question that every one of us asks,
whether we say it out loud or only whisper it quietly to HaShem: How do yeshuot
begin? We all have something we are carrying — health, children, parnasah,
shalom bayit, clarity, strength, or simply a door we desperately want to open.
We wait for Heaven to move, for the miracle, for that unexpected hand from
Above to suddenly change everything. 

Drawing on Rabbi Elimelech Biderman’s beautiful insight that “Shabbos after Shvuos is still Shvuos,” together with stories of transformation, commitment, and growth, we explore a powerful lesson: perhaps Heaven is not asking us for perfection. Perhaps Heaven is asking for movement. One small kabbalah. One consistent step. One decision that can become the key that opens a very large gate.  

 Shavuot is usually called the anniversary of Matan Torah,
the day we received the Torah. But perhaps that is only part of the story. What
if Sinai was not the moment we received something new, but the moment we
discovered what had already been ours all along? Imagine a poor man sitting in
a Beit Midrash collecting a few dollars to survive, only to discover that
millions had been waiting in his name for years. The money was always there.
Nothing changed except one thing: he suddenly realized what he already possessed. 

In this morning’s breakfast and a class, we explore a
remarkable story shared by Charlie Harary, the hidden meaning of Sivan as the
month of twins, and the surprising message of Sinai itself. Why do so many
people walk through life spiritually poor while carrying unimaginable treasure?
And what happens when a Jew suddenly realizes that Torah is not merely an
obligation, but an inheritance? Shavuot may not be the anniversary of receiving
wealth at all. It may be the anniversary of realizing that we were wealthy all
along.  

The Kingdom That Receives Heaven — Malchut, the Kallah of Sinai, and the Dwelling Place of the Shechinah

What if Shavuot is not simply the anniversary of the giving of the Torah? What if the real drama of Sinai was not Heaven opening above, but human beings becoming capable of receiving Heaven below? In this episode we explore one of the deepest ideas in Kabbalah: Malchut. Through the imagery of the moon, David HaMelekh, Sefirat HaOmer, the kallah of Sinai, the Divine Name אדנ'י, and the mysterious twenty-four ornaments of the bride, we uncover how Torah was never meant to remain an idea in Heaven — it was meant to enter ordinary life.

This afternoon's lunch and learn is a little different from many of our usual classes. Often, listening to the podcast alone captures nearly the full experience. But this topic leans heavily on layered Kabbalistic ideas that can sometimes feel abstract or difficult. We worked hard to slow down, connect the pieces, and translate profound concepts into something practical and understandable. If you've ever felt intimidated by Kabbalah, this may surprise you. The goal here is not mysticism for its own sake, but discovering how the deepest ideas of Torah can change the way we see our homes, our relationships, our Shabbat table, and ourselves. Please email or whatsapp me for a copy of the original transcript notes if needed.