Hosts Rabbi Chaim Richman and Jim Long discuss the beauty and universality of the eternal Torah and its accessibility and vital connection to every individual: Torah For Everyone
Subscribe:.rss.atom.json.md.m3u.pls
Live Last read · last published · next check
Saves to your Listen queue, to pick up on another day or another device.
The theme of the Torah portion Ki Tavo (Deut. 26:1) is particularly powerful during this month of Elul. In this week's Jerusalem Lights podcast, Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman find that the portion itself seems to contain two utterly different worlds: The farmer walking on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem with his first fruits offering amid music, gratitude and joy-- and the terrifying darkness of the…
There's a thread running through this week's Torah portion of Ki Teitzei: there are holy things in this world that have gone into 'spiritual captivity,' and the work of teshuva (sincere return) is not merely to defeat evil, but to recover that which has been captured. In this week's edition of the Jerusalem Lights podcast, Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman remind us that Elul is not about…
The new month of Elul is upon us, and this week's Torah portion of parashat Shoftim (Deut. 16:18 ) always falls out at the beginning of this month. The powerful subjects in this Torah portion-- judgement, self-discipline, leadership, prophecy, refuge, warfare and more-- all have spiritual dimensions that can be turned inward. The confluence of Rosh Chodesh Elul with this portion, challenges us to…
As the concept of the Holy Temple slowly emerges in the pages of Deuteronomy, Torah is coy...rather than revealing its Divinely-chosen location, the verses describe it mysteriously as 'the place that He will choose to place His Name.' Why was it left to David and Samuel, much later in history, to reveal the place that was known all along? In this week's edition of the Jerusalem Lights podcast, Jim…
This week's edition of the Jerusalem Lights podcast focuses on the ancient, Biblical holiday of 'Tu B'Av' - the Fifteenth of the month of Menachem Av, occurring this year on Wednesday, July 29th. Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman delve deeply into the rich teachings of the sages that illuminate the fascinating history – and prophetic future promise – of this little-known holy day, called by the…
The observance of the fast day of Tisha B’Av this week (July 23) will mark 1956 years since the destruction of the Holy Temple. The rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem is a Torah commandment, and anticipated by every prophet of Israel. But what relevance does the distant memory of the Holy Temple have for us today? Should we be mourning the past, or preparing for the future? Tisha B’Av means…
The Book of Deuteronomy is called 'Devarim' in Hebrew, literally 'words.' This week's parashat Devarim begins the farewell address of Moses to his beloved people of Israel, 5 weeks before he passes from this world. This fifth book of Torah is uniquely different from the others...it is emanating from Moshe himself. The man who had previously self-identified as 'heavy of tongue' and unable to speak,…
Parashat Matot, the first of this week's double Torah portions of Matot-Masei, (beginning in Numbers 30), opens with the subject of oaths and vows. Man’s ability to speak is a true reflection of the Divine image in which he is created, and his words have the power to create-- as well as to destroy. If he uses his words wisely, he can truly emulate God and bring blessing to the world. This week's…
In the Torah portion of Pinchas (Num. 25:10), Pinchas, grandson of the High Priest Aaron, 'zealously avenged God's vengeance' and received both a covenant of peace, and a covenant of eternal priesthood. Who was this man? What empowered his deed, and what is the nature of this special status he was given? In this week's Jerusalem Lights podcast, Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman consider these…
The Torah portion of Balak introduces us to the shadowy character of Bilaam, a heathen prophet who tried to manipulate G-d's will to suit his own agenda. He was an itinerant occultist who, way back then, sought to prove that Israel does not have the right to exist. In this week's Jerusalem Lights podcast, Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman examine the mysterious prophet through a contemporary lens,…
In this era of AI, humans are inundated with information, and the answer to any question is just a click away. But yet the Torah portion of Chukat, with its inscrutable ordinance of the Red Heifer, conveys a different message: There are mysteries in this world; sacred secrets that we will never understand. Indeed, the secret of the Red Heifer seems to stand in diametric opposition to the very…
Everything begins to unravel for the Generation of the Desert in the Torah portion of Shelach. The debacle of the sin of the spies leaves its mark on the nation for generations to come, leading to the tragedies of Tisha B'Av and changing history forever. In this week's edition of the Jerusalem Lights podcast, Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman ask some hard questions about this epic trauma, in the…
