Episodes
-
Meshech Chochma on Vayeira - Avraham the Advocate
Three ideas about the negotiations to save Sodom: 1) Explaining Avraham's opening "accusation" of Hashem 2) Why was it seemingly worse to have 45 tzadikim vs. 40 or 30? 3) What does it mean that Avraham went back to "his place" at the end of the story?
-
Meshech Chochma on Lech Lecha (3) - The Simcha of Milah
Two amazing thoughts on the mitzvah of Bris Milah. Dedicated in honor of my new nephew, born to my brother Leor and sister-in-law Rena, who will BE"H have his bris milah this coming week. Mazal tov!
-
Meshech Chochma on Lech Lecha (2) - Hands Up
Why does Avraham lift up his hands?
-
Meshech Chochma on Lech Lecha (1) - Right Time, Right Place
A novel interpretation of אל הארץ אשר אראך
-
Meshech Chochma on Noach (2) - Noach vs. Moshe
Meshech Chochma on Noach (2) - Noach vs. Moshe
-
Meshech Chochma on Noach (1) - Talking About My Generations
Meshech Chochma on Noach (1) - Talking About My Generations
-
Meshech Chochma on Bereishis - Freedom To Choose
What does it mean to be created Betzelem Elokim?
-
Kli Yakar on Vezos Habracha - The Pursuit of Happiness
What is the bracha of Zevulun and Yissachar all about? Can we be both a Zevulun and a Yissachar?
-
Kli Yakar on Haazinu - Witnessing Something Special
What does it mean that the Heavens and the Earth are our witnesses?
-
Kli Yakar on Vayeilech - Teshuva: The Gathering
What is the mitzvah of Hakhel all about? And why exactly does the Torah want us to spend it babysitting our small children? The Kli Yakar teaches us that there is something much deeper and more relevant about the mitzvah of Hakhel than we may have thought.
-
Kli Yakar on Nitzavim - So Close
It's not in the heavens, it's not across the ocean. It's so close to us, we can just reach out and touch it. Wait, what exactly are we talking about? Listen to this episode to hear the Kli Yakar's powerful explanations.
-
Kli Yakar on Ki Tavo - Fruitful Actions
What is the mitzvah of Bikkurim all about? And what does Lavan have to do with it?
-
Kli Yakar on Ki Teitzei (2) - Bye Bye, Birdie
What do Shiluach HaKen and Kibbud Av v'Em have in common? Why are these the two prototypical mitzvos that come with the reward of long life?
-
Kli Yakar on Ki Teitzei (1) - Finding Sensitivity
The mitzvah of hashavat aveida is about so much more than just returning lost objects...
-
Kli Yakar on Shoftim - It’s Not The Horse, Of Course
What is behind the Torah's warning to the king not to amass too many horses? And how does it connect to the description of the battlefield scenes at the end of the parsha?
-
Kli Yakar on Re’eh - Heartfelt Giving
What is the double nature of giving? How does one succeed in giving wholeheartedly?
-
Kli Yakar on Eikev (2) - Iron Men
Kli Yakar on Eikev (2) - Iron Men
-
Kli Yakar on Eikev (1) - One For All
The power of one person doing one mitzvah
-
Kli Yakar on Vaeschanan (2) - Give It Your Best Shot
What is the section of Moshe setting aside the cities of refuge doing in the middle of his farewell speech? According to the Kli Yakar, it contains a crucial lesson that Moshe is trying to teach Bnei Yisrael.
-
Kli Yakar on Vaeschanan (1) - What Can I Do For You?
An exploration of Moshe’s tefillah to Hashem, Rashi’s comments, and Kli Yakar’s interpretation that turns everything on its head.
-
Kli Yakar on Devarim - Tough Love
Why does Hashem sometimes speak to us with Lashon Kasheh (Dibur) and other times Lashon Rakah (Amira)? Listen to this week's episode to uncover a profound explanation of these different styles and what they are supposed to mean to us.
-
Kli Yakar on Masei - The Right Way
Three explanations for the מעסיהם and מוצאיהם appear in different orders, and why only one is על פי ה׳. חזק חזק ונתחזק!
-
Kli Yakar on Matos - Happy to Oblige
Listen to this episode to uncover the deep significance behind a very subtle choice of words at the beginning of the parsha.
-
Kli Yakar on Balak - What Did You Call Me?
There's a lot going on under the surface at the beginning of the parsha. Listen to this week's episode to hear the Kli Yakar's explanation of why Am Yisrael are described in 4 different ways in just 3 psukim.
-
Kli Yakar on Chukas (2) - Sticks and Stones
What was the sin for which Moshe and Aharon were punished? Why was it so bad that Moshe hit the rock instead of speaking to it? What were they supposed to do with the mateh, and what message were they meant to convey by speaking to the rock?
-
Kli Yakar on Chukas (1) - Parah-dox
How can it be that the Parah Adumah, the Red Heifer, creates both taharah (purity) and tumah (impurity)? And what lessons can we learn even if we don't have the Parah Adumah? Listen to this episode to hear not only how the Kli Yakar explains this enigmatic mitzvah, but also how he relates it to…
more -
Kli Yakar on Korach - Groundbreaking Lessons
What is Korach's rebellion all about? How do we understand Moshe's response? And why, of all things, is Korach swallowed up by the earth? Listen to this week's episode to hear an in depth discussion of this story through the lens of the Kli Yakar.
-
Kli Yakar on Shelach - Look for the Good
What is the difference between the three verbs the Torah uses to describe spying: לתור, לרגל, לחפור? Where did the spies go wrong, and what can we learn from their disastrous behavior?
-
Kli Yakar on Behaaloscha (2) - Swimming in the Right Direction
What do the backwards נ in the Torah represent? What lesson are they meant to teach us? Listen to this episode to hear the Kli Yakar's explanation, and the Torah's pointed message to each of us.
-
Kli Yakar on Behaaloscha (1) - Travel Plans
There is a deep conversation happening beneath the surface between Moshe Rabbeinu and his father in law, Yisro. The Kli Yakar tells us what was really going on - why Moshe Rabbeinu so badly wanted Yisro to remain with Am Yisrael, why Yisro refused, and what Moshe Rabbeinu offered as a response.
-
Kli Yakar on Naso - A Holy Sinner
Is the Nazir holy or is he a sinner? Perhaps a bit of both? Listen to this week's episode to hear how the Kli Yakar paints the picture of this most enigmatic character.
-
Kli Yakar on Bamidbar - Lift Up Your Head
Moshe Rabbeinu is told not just to count Am Yisrael, but by counting them, to lift them up. What does this mean? Are the Leviim different in this regard? What about the Bechorim? Listen to this week's episode to uncover the meaning behind the count, and the implications for every member of Am...
-
Kli Yakar on Bechukosai (2) - Second Nature
אם בחוקותי תלכו - שתהיו עמלים בתורה What is behind the unique formulation of this phrase? And what does it mean to live the life of an ameil b'Torah?
-
Kli Yakar on Bechukosai (1) - The Best of Both Worlds
Why is there no mention of Olam HaBah in the Torah? Why does the Torah only mention material things as reward for keeping Torah and Mitzvos? In this episode, we review the Kli Yakar's presentation of 7 opinions in the Rishonim to answer this question, with his own addition at the end.
-
Kli Yakar on Behar - This Land is His Land
What is the mitzvah of Shmita all about, why is the punishment for failure to observe it so harsh, and what are the timeless lessons we're meant to incorporate into our lives each and every year of the Shmita cycle?
-
Kli Yakar on Emor (2) - United We Stand
The first day of Sukkos is the day we are told to take the Arba Minim. But did you know it's also the first day of something much more surprising? Listen to this episode to hear a discussion of a fascinating Midrash, and the deep explanation the Kli Yakar.
-
Kli Yakar on Emor (1) - Always Fresh
Why is the Korban Shtei HaLechem, brought on Shavuos, called a Mincha Chadasha? And why is there no mention of Shavuos as Yom Matan Torah anywhere in the Torah?
-
Kli Yakar on Kedoshim - Thanks For Creation
Listen to this episode to uncover the Kli Yakar's unique and powerful explanation of the mitzvos of Orlah and Neta Revai, and how these mitzvos connect us back to the very creation of our universe.
-
Kli Yakar on Acharei Mos - Above Time
Why can't the Kohen Gadol enter the Holy of Holies more than once a year, why only on Yom Kippur? Plus, a beautiful explanation of לפני ה׳ תטהרו
-
Kli Yakar on Metzora - House and Home
A discussion of the topic of Tzaraas on houses, and the practical message that emerges about our right to live in Eretz Yisrael.
-
Kli Yakar on Tazria - More Than Skin Deep
An in-depth exploration of what causes Tzaraas, the purification process, and the timeless lessons of this esoteric topic.
-
Kli Yakar on Shemini - Soul Food
A discussion of the laws of kosher and non-kosher animals. When is a siman taharah really a siman tumah? Why are there more kosher birds than kosher mammals? And what does it mean that Hashem took us “up” from Mitzrayim? Listen to this episode to gain new insights into the laws of kashrus.
-
Kli Yakar on Tzav - Korbanos Through Torah
New insights into ונשלמה פרים שפתינו including how each of the korbanos are connected to a different Chumash of the Torah.
-
Kli Yakar on Vayikra (3) - It’s on Me
The Kli Yakar presents a timeless and crucial message from the Korban Asham, as well as a fascinating explanation for the concept of paying a chomesh.
-
Kli Yakar on Vayikra (2) - The Big Ifs
A discussion of the Korban chattas, with an important message from the Kli Yakar about how society impacts our behavior.
-
Kli Yakar on Vayikra (1) - A Sweet Start
The Torah tells us that it is forbidden to bring se’or (chametz) and honey (i.e. fruit) to the Mikdash. But there are 2 exceptions - the Korban Shtei HaLechem is chametz, and the Bikkurim include fruit. What’s the problem with bringing se’or and honey? And if they are so bad, why are there times...
-
Kli Yakar on Pekudei - Double Vision
We often group the mishkan and Keilim together with the Bigdei Kahuna into one group. But they really couldn’t be more different. Listen to this episode to hear the Kli Yakar’s amazing explanation.
-
Kli Yakar on Vayakhel - The Mitzvah of Melachah
The Parsha opens with the Mitzvah of Shabbos, but why is this necessary? Haven't we learned about Shabbos before? And what exactly is the Mitzvah to "work" for 6 days? Listen to this episode to hear the Kli Yakar's subtle but novel approach to understanding the Mitzvah of Shabbos in this context.
-
Kli Yakar on Ki Tisa (2) - Front and Back
Moshe asks Hashem to "see" His glory. Hashem, we are told, shows Moshe His "back". What does this mean and what are we meant to learn from it? Listen to this episode to hear the Kli Yakar's meaningful and relevant explanation.
-
Kli Yakar on Ki Tisa (1) - Break In Case of Emergency
A discussion of the uniqueness of the Luchos and why Moshe Rabbeinu broke them.
About this show
Short ideas on the weekly parsha from the commentary of the Meshech Chochma.
Hosted by
Moshe Rapps
Categories