The Parasha with Rabbi Dweck

This episode is in memory of Rabbi Israel Elia z"l.

We look at the 3 festivals of Pesah, Shabuot and Succot and their significance in the Jewish calendar.

In this episode I share a reading of one of the pesukim of the parasha from the Ramhal z"l. A reading that, in my opinion, is foundational to Jewish life and thought.

As Moshe prepares the people for his departure, he reminds them that he prayed to enter the Land but was denied by God. He also reminds them that God will not tolerate breaching the covenant. What constitutes breach? We explore a specific point expressed by Moshe in this week's episode.

Moshe's time to die looms near. Before he does he spends the last month of his life speaking to the people of Israel preparing them for their lives in the Promised Land. He begins with a history lesson. And within it, tones of rebuke. The first point he makes is that they distanced themselves from him right at the start. It was a bad move...

Perashat Mas'ei opens with a fairly dry listing of places in which the Children of Israel journeyed on their way out of Egypt into the Promised Land for 40 years.

God expressly commands Moshe to write all the places down. In this episode we explore why and what implications it has on our own lives.

The nation is preparing to enter the Promised Land. Yet, there are 5 sisters with no brothers who are set to lose their father's portion because there are no male heirs. They protest and God Himself comes out on their side. But why didn't He do that to begin with? In this episode we discuss the significance of the sisters' contention with the status quo and what that might teach us about living our own lives.

Balak hires Bil'am to curse Israel because he realises that no conventional means work to defeat them. Bil'am speaks of God as his God, and speaks to God directly in a way no other gentile in Torah does. We explore why Bil'am had this privilege and what he discovered that was special about Israel and, for that matter, God.

The people are on edge after a severe decree that all men over 20 years old will die in the desert over a period of 40 years. Korah and Datan and Abiram from the tribes of Levi and Reuben respectively, protest and challenge the leadership of Moses and the establishment of Aaron as Kohen along with his descendants. Jealousy is running high. In this episode we look at the issue of thinking with our emotions and why that almost certainly leads to terrible failure.

This parasha tells the story of the creation of the darkest day in Jewish history, the 9th of Av. In this episode we examine an element of this breakdown and its implications for us today.

We examine the story in which the people complain for meat. This becomes the worst personal breakdown of Moses' career leading the Children of Israel. In this episode we examine the dynamics of this breakdown and the interaction between Moses and God. In our study we reveal a fundamental secret to eliminating considerable distress and difficulty throughout life.