The Shmuz

I do daven with a minyan. I don't. I do a chesed -- I don't. Does it really matter? Does it really make a difference? Very often we find ourselves thinking what is the big deal? Will my actions really change my life? Will they change my world? Yet every once in a while, we come across a single action that does change the world-- a shot heard around the world. Our natural assumption is that these types of acts are relegated to singular people, living in highly unusual times and circumstance. Yet, Chazal have a different appreciation of the value of a single act. From their vantage point a single mitzvah, accomplished by an ordinary person, is so important, that it exceeds anything we could ever imagine. The question is why? What is the big deal? After all said and done, it was only one Mitzvah, it's not like the entire universe: heaven and earth, are dependent upon that one act.Using HASHEM's answer to, why Nevuchadneser merited becoming one of the most powerful kings in history, as a backdrop, this Shmuz helps us enter Chazal's world view of the impact of even one Mitzvah. 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

Hot, hotter, hottest. Fast, faster, fastest. In the English language we distinguish between the adjective, a descriptive word, and the superlative, an adjective taken to its extreme. Yet when we think about wealth, that distinction somehow gets lost. If I am not as rich as Bill Gates, then I am not rich. While the Torah does not guarantee that any individual will be wealthy, it does offer a tried and true formula for a person to enjoy riches in this world. This Shmuz focuses on the concept of wealth, appreciation and the concept of being rich. 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

On 12 April 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space. Upon his return, he made the famous statement, I have proven that G-d doesnt exist I was in heaven, and I didn't see any God up there." While we may find his logic simple minded, in reality, he makes a valid point. How can the Torah expect us to believe in something that all of our senses deny? We relate to the world through our five senses, yet none of them can perceive the presence of HASHEM. How can a person be expected to see HASHEM when everything he experiences clearly denies HASHEM existence? This Shmuz focuses on how we can come to see HASHEM clearly and experience His presence in our lives. 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 know that Tshuvah works. The Nivim told us it does, Chazal repeat it many, many times, and we even have Yom Kippur, a day created specifically for tshuvah. The question isn't whether Tshuvah works, but why I don't make use of it? Why is it that I don't stand there on Yom Kippur with tears flowing down my face, repenting, improving, ridding myself of a year's worth of iniquities? It isn't that I don't want to. It isn't even that I don't believe in it. It just seems that I don't feel a need to repent. This Shmuz focuses on the motivation to do Tshuvah and the different parts of the Tshuvah process. 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

An atheist is someone who doesnt believe in G-d. A religious person is someone who practices a lifestyle that serves G-d. It would therefore seem obvious that being a religious atheist would be a contradiction in terms. Yet not only isnt this correct, the phenomenon of religious atheists is far more prevalent than we realize. This Shmuz focuses us on some of the bedrock foundations of our religion and some of the strange experiences that result from living a life unexamined. 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

All the great leaders and teachers of the Jewish Nation had faults and flaws. The Torah tells us the shortcomings of Avrohom, Dovid, and Shlomo. More amazingly, the Gemarah tells us that the four men who never sinned aren't counted amongst the greatest of our nation. Why? The reason is simple. HASHEM didn't put us on the planet not to sin. HASHEM created us to act - to accomplish, to change ourselves, to change our world. To do this, we need to stand up for what is right, despite the odds, despite what others will say or think. But where does a person get the courageand strength to do just that: to be bold and be brave? This Shmuz introduces us to one of the basic life outlooks necessary for a person to reach his potential. 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

Shmuz Info Coming Soon... 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

Each one of us stands under the chuppah starry-eyed, knowing full well that we have found eternal love and bliss.Yet, something happens between that moment and real life. The reality is that getting married is easy, but staying married isn't . This Shmuz is Part I of a Marriage series that deals with the essential of creating long lasting Shalom Bayis. 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

Sorry, Shmuz info coming soon. 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

Each one of us stands under the chuppah starry-eyed, knowing full well that we have found eternal love and bliss.Yet, something happens between that moment and real life. The reality is that getting married is easy, but staying married isn't . This Shmuz is Part II of a Marriage series that deals with the essential of creating long lasting Shalom Bayis. 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