The Shmuz

I heard hes worth 10 million dollars, is not so uncommon an expression for us to hear, even within our own community. The reality is that to many people, their self worth is equal to their net worth. While we assume that our values come exclusively from a Torah Perspective and not from the world around us, the reality is that the world we live in has a real effect on our thoughts and attitudes. In our society money has a prominence and significance that affects even bnai Torah.This Shmuz helps us focus on the Torahs view of money and how to shape our attitudes towards it.    See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

Hashem created this world. Hashem orchestrates this world but there is another dimension of Hashems relationship with this world -- Hashem is the maintainer of this world. A very deep Shmuz that deals with the way that HASHEM interacts with this world, and directly deals with some fundamental questions: How I can have free will, when HASHEM knows what I am going to do? How can HASHEM be in so many different places at the same time?   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

We are trained from our school years to say boruch Hashem and im yirtzeh Hashem. Yet it seems that something is lacking. While we mouth the words that Hashem is responsible and we thank Hashem, if we are honest with ourselves we will soon recognize that what is lacking from our sentiments is Hashem. The sense of Hashems presence and involvement in our life that we talk about is what is missing from our understanding. Understanding the sixth and highest level of emunah, we are brought to understand some of the deepest thoughts of which man is capable.    See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

It is clear that Hashem is capable -- very capable. It is also clear that Hashem has great wisdom -- enough wisdom and capacity to create the cosmos and all that it contains, with words alone -- from galaxies that stretch over billons of light years, to tiny amoeba that float in a sea of flotsam, all parts of the whole, all harmoniously integrated, all so seemingly perfect. Yet Hashem created man incomplete, with many needs. It seems that Hashem could have created man to be much less needy - yet Hashem didnt. This Shmuz focuses us on the importance of needs in our life. And we come away with the understandings that not only arent these" needs" frivolous things to be rejected; they are actually an essential part of the growth process of life.    See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

Elisha Ben Avuha was one of the greatest Torah scholars who ever lived--He was a tanna, a great Torah teacher, and the rebbe of Rebbe Meir -- until he became Acher, the Heretic. In that state he undid all of the good that he had accomplished, and did things that were purely evil. Yet, when he died, he wasnt allowed into Gehenom, because of the merit of Torah until his student, Rebbe Meir, begged for mercy. Through this gripping story we are introduced to the value of Torah learning, the one act that can never leave a person. A great motivating Shmuz for setting goals and succeeding in learning.    See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

At the age of 40, Akiva the shepherd went off to learn and transformed himself into the Torah giant known throughout history. We all know the basic story line, but we may not know that he promptly quit and set back home -- a failure. One event changed his life and gave him the strength and fortitude to turn back and succeed. Detailing the events of Rebbe Akivas struggle, the story of sacrifice, failure and eventual success, we are introduced to some of the most moving events that shaped this great leader of men.An inspiring lesson to all of us who at one time or other felt, Im not cut out for learning.    See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

Chazal tell us that Hashem created a malach whose sole job it is to trip up man -- to get us to sin, to get us to fail, to get us to mess up. Where is he? What voice does he speak with? How can I identify him? For most of us, without direct guidance from chazal it is difficult to quantify and identify the soton. Does he speak in my head? Whose voice does he use? How can I tell? This Shmuz brings us face to face with a powerful force that is foreign to western thought, and requires great understanding to recognize.    See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

It seems that it should be easier now to grow than in any previous generation. We have wealth, luxuries, freedom from oppression, and we have time. We enjoy so many time saving devices and conveniences that it would surely seems that we are finally free to sit and learn. And in fact, it seems that we should be able to reach great heights - and yet it is harder than ever to serve Hashem. It seems that somehow in earlier generations it was just easier to sit and learn, but why?This Shmuz focuses on the one area that the Soton was given control over in this generation, that one area he is allowed full control over, the one area he is allowed to go full power...    See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

I accept that each persons life span is set before they are born. I also accept that the question is visited on Rosh Hashanah when Hashem decides who will live and who will die. All that is fine and well, until I pick up a gun and say to myself, cant I decide to end that persons life? Isnt it obvious that whether that person will live or die is now in my hands? Using the Tisha BAv Gemarah as a backdrop we are brought into some of philosophys deepest questions: resolving the issue of how much of life is in HASHEMs control, and how much is in mans.    See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

Its true that Im not quite where I hope to be one day. Its even true that there are many thoughts that go through my head that Im not proud of. I am still selfish and self centered, and there are many things that I feel that I would be deeply ashamed of if anyone else knew about them. But its OK, because one day I will change. This Shmuz focuses us on the shocking realization that as I am at the last moment of life, exactly as I am, is how I will be for eternity. The same attitudes, thoughts and desires that course through my mind now will be a part of me forever. When I leave this earth -WYSIWYG- What You See Is What You Get. I will be exactly as I am now, with one difference; you and everyone else will be able to see me, exactly as I am, with all of my positive thoughts and all of my negative ones. This Shmuz also brings us to understand the preciousness of life, -- that as long as there is a breath in my being, I can change -- I can shape myself; mold myself into what I will be for eternity.    See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate