Ohr Somayach

It Takes A Lot Of Faith To Be An Atheist - Parshat Chukat

A Divine Kiss

The Blue Beyond - Parshat Shelach

I Spy With My Little Eye

Can Rock And Roll Be Redeemed

Rabbi Uri Zohar - Parshat Behalotecha

It’s difficult for someone who’s not Israeli to understand the impact of Rabbi Uri Zohar. Uri Zohar was the leading actor of his generation, the leading film producer and the leading stage producer all rolled up into one person. In 1977 he made a life change and became a Torah scholar and a highly influential Rabbi. He passed away at the beginning of June 2022

Psst! Wanna Fake Rolex? Parshat Behalotecha

Is it true that "You can't always get what you want?"

We Are Family - Parshat Bamidbar

The Jewish People are like one soul in many bodies.

Like The Stars - Parshat Bamidbar

Why are the Jewish People compared to the stars?

There Are No Limits

When Roger Bannister ran the first mile in less than four minutes, he broke a lot more than a record.

The Promise of the Land - Bechukotai

“As long as Yisrael does not dwell on its Land, the Land does not give her fruits as she is accustomed. When she will begin to flower again, however, and give of her fruits, this is a clear sign that the end the time of the Redemption is approaching when all of Yisrael will return to its Land.” The Maharsha

Inventing Religion - Parshat Behar

"If you're going to make up a religion, you'd better not make promises you can't keep. Parshat Behar contains a huge promise that only the Creator could make."

Saving Life With One Word

A drop of encouragement may seem like a drop in the ocean, but sometimes it can save a life from drowning in sadness.

The Poetry Competition

In life, it's not what you say, it's who you are.

Do You Hate Shabbat?

Is your Shabbat an out-of-this-world spiritual experience? Here's how to make it one.

Is There A New Israel? - Purim

In the Purim story, Achashverosh, Ahasuerus, dresses himself as the High Priest in the Holy Temple. What did he hope to gain by doing this?

Do Jews Have Horns? - Parshat Vayikra

Michaelangelo may have been the greatest sculptor who ever lived, but his knowledge of Jewish anatomy was a bit off.

A Jewish Woman's Power - Parshat Pikudei

We often refer to God as "He" - but God's presence on earth, the "Shechina" is a femine noun. "He" is "She."

Sticks and Stones - The Power of an Insult

...but words can never harm me." Why do words hurt so much, they're nothing more than puffs or air with a sound wave attached, aren't they?

A Tapestry of Diversity

Wouldn't it be a wonderful world if we were all the same? We'd all get along so well! Right?

You Are Someone’s Lifeline - A Chassidic Tale of the Holocaust

I heard this story many years ago from Rosh Hayeshiva Rav Mendel Weinbach zt"l. It appears in "Chassidic Tales of the Holocaust" by Yaffa Eliach

Mystical Worlds - Ki Tissa

Why is the word for a 'thing' in Hebrew - 'davar' - from the same root as the word for 'speech' - 'dibbur? As solid as 'things' seem, they are no more than God 'speaking' them - keeping them in existence by His word.

The Great ‘Blander’ – Parshat Tetzave

If you had your choice, would you choose to live in a world with the potential for great good but the danger of great evil, or a blend of the two resulting in a great blandness?

Weapons of Mass Distraction

If the original sound of the giving of the Torah never fades, how come we don't hear it anymore?

How The Japanese Saved The Jews - Parshat Yitro

During World War II some 40,000 Jews found themselves under Japanese occupation in Manchuria, China and countries of South East Asia. Virtually all of them survived the war, but the Germans repeatedly pressured the Japanese to implement their "Final Solution." This is a famous story of how The Amshinover Rebbe, zt"l dissuaded the Japanese from complying with Hitler's dictate.

Is Gene Editing Playing God? - Parshat Beshalach

The current Covid pandemic has a silver lining: It has accelerated research into gene editing techniques that promise to put an end to many lethal hereditary diseases. But should man interfere in the work of God?

What's Wrong With Amazon's Kindle? - Parshat Bo

E-books are very convenient but they will never replace real books. Why?

Seeing Is Believing - Parshat Va'era

It's all too easy to go through life without actually seeing what is all around us.

Are the Jews Traitors? - Parshat Shemot

A common accusation against Jews is that they hold a divided loyalty.  This is true but it's not the divided loyalty that most people think.

Boycott Israel? - Parshat Vayechi

The BDS lobby is a powerful force in world politics. Where does its power come from?

The Hidden Light - The Month of Tevet

The light of Chanuka becomes dark in Tevet but it never disappears.

Empowering Others - Parshat Miketz

Paul O'Neill's tenure at ALCO Aluminum Company as CEO from 1987 to 2000 increased the value of the company's shares five times, and its market capitalization by $27 billion. How did he do it?

The Runaway Train - Parshat Vayeshev

Sometimes people can be as destructive as a runaway train. How do you stop them? An insight based on Parshat Vayeshev.

Silence and Solitude - Parshat Vayishlach

"Positive role models can only take us so far in our search for maturity. How do we step into the shoes of our mentors and become role models for others?

Holy Children in a Toxic World - Parashat Vayeitzei

Bringing up normal, well-adjusted, and hopefully holy children, in our day and age seems to be a daunting task. How can we succeed against a world glitter and selfishness?

Reach for the Sky - Parshat Toldot

Learning about the lives of great people can be inspiring - but it can also be depressing when we see the enormous gap between their achievements and our own. How can we use their example positively and learn to 'reach for the sky'?

Why Is It So Hard to Be Good? - Parshat Chayei Sarah

If being close to God is the ultimate pleasure. Why did He make it so difficult?

The Chosen - Parshat Lech Lecha

Why God will never abandon the Jewish People.

Catch the Wind - Parashat Noach

If we have a spirit inside us, why don't we see it?

Ohr Somayach

Hoshana Rabbah Seminar 5782

The Day the Music Died - Sukkot

Music has a tremendous power - for the good or the bad. It all depends on the soul of the composer and the musician.

Teshuva - A Deeper Understanding

Yom Kippur

Invasion of the Body Snatchers – Yom Kippur

On Yom Kippur, we can discover who we really are.

Shofar - Speech of the Heart

30 minute shiur

Was It Worth Creating the World for Me?

Rosh Hashana is the anniversary of the creation of the first man. It's also the day on which God judges the whole world. What is the connection between the two?

Why Evil Exists

A mini-lecture about why evil exists in this world.

Fear of Elul

Right now, faced with the prospect of having to turn my life and my emotions upside down, I go into a panic that results in total spiritual paralysis. Fear of Elul.

Leaving Our Comfort Zone - Elul

One of the most difficult things in this world is to change. The Hebrew month of Elul is the time that demands from us to leave our comfort zone and realize our true spiritual potential.

"Hey Rabbi - Can I Use Soap?"

Shiur of Tisha B'Av

Richard Branson and the Ultimate Joy Ride

It's easy to think of life as a trip through a treasure-house of experiences. Climbing Everest. Flying around the world in eighty days, or to the edge of space. The truth is that all the pleasures, all the experiences of this world, are given to us for one reason only: that we might sense to the smallest degree, the taste of life itself. But what is life itself if not our experiences in it?

Why the Jewish People Are the People of the Moon

Have you ever noticed that from the earth, the sun and the moon look exactly the same size? Is it just a coincidence? Maybe there's a deeper meaning to this?

Book Burning and the 17th of Tammuz

A hallmark of all repressive regimes is burning books. One of the tragedies that we mourn on the 17th of Tammuz is the burning of the Torah - the ultimate repression of the ultimate "book".

Two Bottles of Coca-Cola Cost $4 Billion

Mystical concepts can be hard to imagine, but something happened recently that gives us a parable to grasp the enormous power that lies within us.

Why Do We Say Shabbat Shalom?

All right-thinking people in this world want shalom – peace. Why is it that almost since the beginning of time, peace has been elusive and often illusory. Shabbat holds the answer.

Is Circumcision Mutilation?

Prince Charles and before him the sons of George V were all circumcised. In fact, circumcision was widely performed on British middle - and upper-class male infants from the 1890s through the 1940s. Things have changed a bit since then... Why do Jews circumcize their sons?

Gaza Special - Why the World Hates the Jews

The recent events in Israel show that anti-Semitism is rife not just in Gaza, Akko, and Jerusalem but in the civilized capitals of the world. Why won't anti-Semitism go away?

Shavuot - The Empty Landscape - Sivan

Pesach has matza, the Seder, the four cups of wine, "Ma nishtana.…" Succot has the Four Species and the succah. Shavuot, however, has no single identifying mitzva, no recognizable landmark in its scenery. Why?

Why Bad Things Happen to Good People - Parshat Bechukotai

In 1987, he settled in Jerusalem to immerse himself in the study of Torah. His two Torah books The Color of Heaven, on the weekly Torah portion, and Seasons of the Moon met with great critical acclaim. Seasons of the Moon, a unique fine-art black-and-white photography book combining poetry and Torah essays, has now sold out and is much sought as a collector’s item fetching up to $250 for a mint copy.

What's Wrong With Wikipedia - Parshat Emor

Democracy is a wonderful institution, but it's not infallible.

Respect for Others - The Month of Iyar - Seasons of the Moon

Nineteen hundred years ago, the twenty-five thousand pupils of Rebbe Akiva all died in the days of the Omer between Pesach and Shavuot. This was a punishment for not treating each other with enough respect. The majority of the days Omer are in the month of Iyar. Thus Iyar is a time for us to work on improving respect for others.

Comfort in Time of Loss - Parshat Tazria

When we lose someone close to us, the pain is almost unbearable. How can we find solace and comfort at such times?

Why Eat Kosher? - Parshat Shemini

What's the connection between working in a recording studio and eating non-kosher food?

"What's So Wrong With Bread?" - The Month of Nissan

Everyone knows you can't eat bread on Pesach, but what's so wrong with bread?

Tying the Knot – Parshat Vayikra

The book of Vayikra begins a series of complex laws about the service of the Holy Temple, but even though the laws of the Torah are precise, they require individual creativity.

The Ultimate Labor Saver - Parshat Vayakhel

Man has always dreamed about a robot that would do everything for him. But the ultimate labor saver has been around for more than three thousand years.

Isn't Stiff Necked a Physical Condition?

Parshat Ki Tissa.

Will You Throw Your Mask Away This Purim?

Sometimes rather than endangering lives, throwing away your mask can save lives. A message for Purim.

Do You Believe in God? – Parshat Teruma

Each one of us can make our lives a space of holiness and feel the presence of God. Here’s how…

Nothing Is Incurable – Parshat Mishpatim

There is no such thing as an incurable disease.

Out of this World - Parshat Yitro

On Friday night in shul, we sing in Lecha Dodi about 'the face of Shabbat.' How can Shabbat have a face?