The Shmuz

The Rishonim tell us that the most assured way to come to belief in HASHEM is to look out at the world. When a person sees the beauty of the universe; the conformity of every part working together as a unit, everything so orderly and so reliable--the sun rising every morning exactly at the appointed time; the tides always pulling in the pre-described manner; the forces of nature all so seemingly untamed, yet always performing within a predictable, set pattern; all diverse parts conforming to a master plan--the world itself cries out: there is a Master to this house!Yet, many intelligent, educated individuals look at this very phenomenon, study it, discuss it- and don't see HASHEM. Quite the opposite they attribute it all to some lucky roll of some cosmic dice. All of this wisdom just evolved, the entire plan just happened. How can we reconcile the undeniable evidence of a creator with the reality that many, many people just deny it? And how does it affect our own belief system?This Shmuz explores some of the basics of Emunah, and brings us to a deeper understanding of what causes a person to believe or not believe. 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 live in times when society at large has lost its moral compass. Particularly in the United States, once a bastion of family values and morality, we now watch daily as new innovations in decadence and promiscuity pour forth. We can't open a newspaper without being exposed to a new depth of moral decay. Ideas, concepts, and images that wouldn't have been accepted in the most base of publications a generation ago are now common place in the most respected ones. We may be tempted to assume that this doesn't affect us. After all, we are different. We don't buy into the culture of the times. And while we may feel self-assured and secure in our position, the reality is that we are human, so it can't help but affect us. The question is: what can we do about it?This Shmuz explores the influence that society has upon us, and offers practical insights to deal with 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

We all know the importance of learning, and we certainly value it in our daily lives. Yet, somehow that sense of significance doesn't always translate into reality. there may be many days that we don't learn as much as we can, and if pushed to the wall, all of us would admit that we could be learning more. But we're not. Why is this? If we claim to truly value Torah, if we admit to its vitality in our lives, how is it that we just don't seem to be learning as much as we know we can. This explores the true motivations to learn and offers some insightful perspectives on increasing our involvement in learning Torah. 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've all had that moment when we lost it and said something we shouldn't have said -- something we later regretted.The intriguing part is that when the heat of the moment has passed, not only do we feel badly about what was said, often, we can't understand what came over us? "It was like I was possessed or something". This Shmuz #169 Anger- Taming the Monster Within, deals with some of the mechanics of anger in the human, and by understanding why we get furious, we gain insight into what we can do about 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

The Rishonim tell us that nothing is sweeter then revenge. When a person feels he has been wronged, he waits - scheming and dreaming of ways to even up the score. If this is so instinctive a trait in the human, how can the Torah expect us to eliminate it? And even more significantly, revenge by definition is justified; I am only returning to him what he did to me. Why would the Torah demand that we avoid it? This Shmuz deals with a different perspective on revenge and offers us a vantage point for dealing with many life situations. 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 all have those moments in life: a demanding boss, difficult people, situations that spin out of control. Learning how to effectively deal with trying circumstances goes a long way towards a happy, successful life.If I am easygoing by nature, the secret to handling these situations is straightforward: follow my temperament. But what if that isn't my natural bent? What if I allow things to get to me? Or what if, over and over again, I just seem to lose it? This Shmuz offers a perspective on life that allow us to more easily deal with the trying moments that come our way. 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

For almost 2,000 years, the Jewish people have been driven from land to land across the globe. Exiled from our home with the destruction of the Bais Hamikdash, we have been forced from continent to continent and country to country - tortured, oppressed, and banished. For a short while, we find haven in one country, only to be kicked out again and chased to the next place in a never-ending series of tragedies. This reality brings many questions: Why is the Jewish people so oppressed? Why is it that the other nations stand up to destroy us in every generation? Why is it that the one universal law of history is that everyone hates the Jew? 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

Am I worthy to ask for even more than what I have been given? Why should HASHEM grant my requests? This Shmuz deals with our relationship with HASHEM, and helps us focus on some basic issues of davening and bitachon. 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

The illusion of reality 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

"Dip the apple in the honey, have a good sweet new year." We teach our children that touching song, and that is what we all wish for: a good sweet year with bracha and hatzlacha in all that we do. But that often isn't the case. If we look back on previous years we see many things that were sweet, but also things that weren't. Some parts of our lives are downright bitter and we wish they'd never occurred. 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