Mysticism and Mitzvot: Mezuzah, Part 2 of 2 - Mar 27, 2019 - Introduction to the kabbalistic view of the role of human sanctification of space, and the perception of the mezuzah in Kabbalah. Geared toward an audience including people without strong background in Torah text study.

Yeshayah, Week 21: 13:9-14:2 - Babylon Crushed; Judea Rises - Mar 26, 2019 - Babylon's destruction, in universal terms; The cruelest devastation; Babylon is brought low (again?); Salvation for the Jews - after Bavel, and/or in the time of Mashiach. And who destroyed Bavel: The Persians or the Medes, or both?

Pesach: Why Do Jews Ask Questions? - Mar 26, 2019 - Laying out the ways that questions are integral to the Seder, and four approaches to why we the Torah expects us to use a question/answer format: (1) Pedagogy; (2) Demonstrating freedom; (3) Correcting the problematic questions of the Egypt experience; (4) Connecting generations.

Why Bring a Korban? Part 2 - Mar 22, 2019 - Part 2 of 2 on why we would bring korbanot, based on the Rama's collection of benefits in Torat ha'Olah. This week: Benefits associated with (1) Education; (2) Mystical Impacts; (3) Relationship-Building.

Mysticism and Mitzvot: Mezuzah, Part 1 of 2 - Mar 20, 2019 - Introduction to the kabbalistic view of the role of human sanctification of space, and the perception of the mezuzah in Kabbalah. Geared toward an audience including people without strong background in Torah text study.

Mysticism and Mitzvot: Torah Study, Part 2 of 2 - Mar 20, 2019 - Introduction to the kabbalistic view of the role of human beings in the universe, and asking how human speech and its use for Torah study are viewed in Kabbalah. Geared toward an audience including people without strong background in Torah text study.

The Book of Achashverosh - Mar 19, 2019 - Through the lens of Chapter 10 of Megilat Esther, we find a reading of the entire Megilah as the "Book of Achashverosh", telling the story of a king who hungers for respect and security, spends the entire book grasping for it, and still does not have it at the end - in contrast with the Jews who live under his control.

Yeshayah, Week 20b: 13:1-8 - Masa Bavel - Mar 19, 2019 - Introduction to Yeshayah's "masa'ot" regarding the punishment of the nations, and the first part of Yeshayah's vision for the fall of Bavel - long before the Jews have any inkling of the destruction the Babylonians will bring. And the remarkable image of Bavel's pain as birthpangs.

Yeshayah, Week 20a: 12:1-6 - The Future Song - Mar 19, 2019 - Wrapping up chapters 11 and 12, and the progression from private song to public song in thanking Gd, with the transformation achieved in 'drawing water'.

Mishloach Manot: The Anthropology of Jewish Food-Sharing - Mar 17, 2019 - Is Mishloach Manot a mitzvah bein adam laMakom (between us and G-d) or a mitzvah bein adam laChaveiro (social mitzvah)? How should we understand the view of Rabbi Shlomo HaLevi Alkabetz (Manot haLevi) regarding this mitzvah of Purim?