All Episodes

How Shlomo Read the Torah: Good, Evil, and the Heart of the Entire Tanach

The Door Moshe Closed: Nobody Can Be Moshe, Everyone Has to Listen to Him

The Three Oaths; guest shiur at Beis Medrash Meshivas Nefesh

Rambam's Secret Interpretation of "An Eye for an Eye"

S5, E63 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Final Audio Message

S5, E62 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 5, Chapter 11: His Word, Shalom

S10, E9 In Pursuit of Knowing Hashem: Why We Need the Torah and Why Freedom Is Impossible

S5, E61 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 5, Chapter 10: A Most Peculiar and Remarkable Gematria

How to Become a King: On Parables and Dominion

S10, E8 In Pursuit of Knowing Hashem: Why Do We Need the Torah?

S5, E60 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 5, Chapter 9: Fear

How to Wage War for Peace: Mashiach and the Divine Name "Shalom"

S5, E59 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 5, Chapter 8: The Inheritance of the Hidden

S5, E58 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 5, Chapter 7: In the Shadow of the Word

S10, E7 The New Knowledge of Hashem: From the Thousand-Year Providence to Prophecy 2.0

S5, E57 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 5, Chapter 6: How to Dream True, a Primer

S10, E6 The New Knowledge of Hashem: How to Reclaim Prophecy

S5, E56 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 5, Chapter 5: A Failed Prophecy

S5, E55 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 5, Chapter 4: When Hatred of Evil Becomes Evil

S5, E54 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 5, Chapter 3: The Keeper of Pharaoh’s Peace

S5, E53 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 5, Chapter 2: The Dreamer’s Crime

S10, E5 In Pursuit of Knowing Hashem: Can Da’as Hashem Inspire a Movement Without Becoming a Golden Calf?

S5, E52 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 5, Chapter 1: From Ladders to the House of God

S7, E16 The Guide of the Perplexed, Rambam’s Messianic Vision (04): The Messiah, the Law, and the Unknowable King

S10, E4 In Pursuit of Knowing Hashem: The Prophets’ Four-Step Path to Da’as Hashem

S7, E15 The Guide of the Perplexed, Rambam’s Messianic Vision (03): Torah and the Parable Without a Meaning

S5, E51 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 4, Chapter 5: Where Redemption Lives

S7, E14 The Guide of the Perplexed, Rambam’s Messianic Vision (02): Do Not Say "Water, Water"

S7, E13 The Guide of the Perplexed, Rambam’s Messianic Vision (01): Rabbi Akiva and the Redemption of Kingship

S5, E50 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 4, Chapter 4: The Counter-Testimony of the Prophet

S10, E3 In Pursuit of Knowing Hashem: Psychology or Metaphysics?

S5, E49 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 4, Chapter 3: A Heretical Torah Discourse

S5, E48 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 4, Chapter 2: Other Gods

S5, E47 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 4, Chapter 1: Manasseh’s Case for Idolatry

S10, E2 In Pursuit of Knowing Hashem: How We Lost the Art of Knowing God

S10, E1 In Pursuit of Knowing Hashem: Man’s True Mission

S5, E46 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 3, Chapter 21: Yitzchak Does Not Know

S5, E45 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 3, Chapter 20: Yaakov’s Imperfection Reconsidered

S5, E44 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 3, Chapter 19: Avraham’s Doubt and the Path of Torah

The Work of Freedom: Avraham's Hidden Sin and the Ongoing Exodus from Idolatry

S5, E43 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 3, Chapter 18: The Unknowable Ways of God

S5, E42 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 3, Chapter 17: The Prophet of Bondage

S5, E41 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 3, Chapter 16: Prayers of Ministers and of Slaves

S5, E40 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 3, Chapter 15: In Praise of Slavery

S7, E12 The Guide of the Perplexed, The Revelation at Mount Sinai, 04: The Face of God and Eternal Miracles

S7, E11 The Guide of the Perplexed, The Revelation at Mount Sinai, 03: Echoes from a Silent World

S7, E10 The Guide of the Perplexed, The Revelation at Mount Sinai, 02: How to Hear Hashem's Voice

S7, E9 The Guide of the Perplexed, The Revelation at Mount Sinai, 01: Was It Prophecy?

S5, E39 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 3, Chapter 14: The Godly Power of Man

The Rambam's Prediction That Was Not Fulfilled: Mishneh Torah, the Role of the Student, and "An Eye for an Eye" (Hebrew)

The Uniqueness of Eretz Yisrael

S5, E38 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 3, Chapter 13: The Prophetic Art

S5, E37 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 3, Chapter 12: Divine Design and the Role of Human Choice

S5, E36 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 3, Chapter 11: Sacrifice and Sin

S5, E35 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 3, Chapter 10: Mosaic Humility and Prophetic Pride

Reclaiming the Mitzvahs: How to Revive a Prophetic Tradition

S5, E34 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 3, Chapter 9: Moshe, the Master of Those Who Know

S5, E33 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 3, Chapter 8: Can Man See God?

The Three Oaths; Young Israel of Cedarhurst Lawrence

S5, E32 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 3, Chapter 7: The Impossibility of Knowledge

S5, E31 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 3, Chapter 6: Prophetic Antinomianism

S9 E3, King Manasseh vs. the Prophet Isaiah: A Debate on Idolatry, pt. 3: How to Know Hashem

Teshuvah: The Need for Repentance and its True Method

S5, E30 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 3, Chapter 5: What is Ours and What is God’s?

S9 E2, King Manasseh vs. the Prophet Isaiah: A Debate on Idolatry, pt. 2: Isaiah's Case

S9 E1, King Manasseh vs. the Prophet Isaiah: A Debate on Idolatry, pt. 1: Manasseh's Case

S5, E29 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 3, Chapter 4: On Animal Sacrifice

S8, E2 Jerusalem and Athens: God-Centered vs. Human-Centered Governance, 02

S5, E28 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 3, Chapter 3: Prophets Against Toil

S8, E1 Jerusalem and Athens: God-Centered vs. Human-Centered Governance, 01

S5, E27 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 3, Chapter 2: Embracing Contradictions in Torah Learning

Why and When is Discouraging Gerus Justified

S7 E8.2 The Guide of the Perplexed, The Problem of Evil, 04: Transcendent God, Moses, and the Body, pt. 2

S7, E8.1 The Guide of the Perplexed, The Problem of Evil, 04: Transcendent God, Moses, and the Body, pt. 1

S7, E7 The Guide of the Perplexed, The Problem of Evil, 03: The Good God, Evil, and the Body

S7, E6 The Guide of the Perplexed, The Problem of Evil, 02: Non-Existent Evil

S5, E26 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 3, Chapter 1: To Know or Not to Know

S7, E5 The Guide of the Perplexed, The Problem of Evil, 01: What Does "Good" Mean & Why is Existence Good?

S5, E25 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 2, Chapter 19: Revisiting Prophetic Judaism: The Paradox of Decline

S5, E24 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 2, Chapter 18: Criticism of the Bible Critics

Galus, Gerus, and Yemos HaMashiach: The Dynamic Relationship Between Yisrael l'Amim

S5, E23 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 2, Chapter 17: Walking the Path: A Guide to Spiritual Perfection

Will We Redeem Ourselves or Will We Be Redeemed?

How to Make the Torah Come True, pt. 2: Finding Unity Between Good and Evil

S5, E22 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 2, Chapter 16: Man’s Crooked Heart and its Remedy

How to Make the Torah Come True: Sh'ma and the Redemption

S5, E21 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 2, Chapter 15: Baring the Soul before Hashem

The Haggadah: Its Structure, Meaning and Message

S5, E20 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 2, Chapter 14: Funding the Divine: The Moral Foundation of Temple Economics

S5, E19 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 2, Chapter 13: The Temple Yaakov Didn’t Build

S7, E4, The Guide of the Perplexed, Creation, 04: Creation ex Nihilo as the Essence of the Torah's Teaching

S5, E18 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 2, Chapter 12: The Moral Limits of “An Eye for an Eye”

S7, E3, The Guide of the Perplexed, Creation, 03: Is Creation ex Nihilo Known via Philosophy or Prophecy?

S5, E17 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 2, Chapter 11: The Development of Yaakov’s Character

S7, E2, The Guide of the Perplexed, Creation, 02: Creation from Nothing and Legislated Beliefs

S5, E16 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 2, Chapter 10: Analyzing a Tsaddik’s Character with Reverence and Truth

S7, E1, The Guide of the Perplexed, Creation, 01: Why Creation from Nothing is so Central to Religion

S6, E12 Shemona Perakim; Should a Person be Moderately Humble or Extremely Lowly?

S6, E11 Shemona Perakim; Moderation vs. Extremism

S5, E15 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 2, Chapter 9: Yaakov’s Fear and the Unfinished Quest for Divine Understanding

S6, E10 Shemona Perakim; Is a Good Imagination Part of Being a Good Person?

S5, E14 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 2, Chapter 8: Good Character

S6, E9 Shemona Perakim; Which Parts of the Soul Participate in Human Excellence?

S5, E13 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 2, Chapter 7: Anti-Faith and Indirect Knowledge

S6, E8 Shemona Perakim; Was Moshe an Angel?

S6, E7 Shemona Perakim; Why Know God? Knowing God as the Perfection of a Human Being

S6, E6 Shemona Perakim; Man as Explicator and the Limits of Explanatory Power

S5, E12 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 2, Chapter 6: Faith before Knowledge, Engagement before Marriage

S6, E5 Shemona Perakim; Scientific Knowledge and its Basis in the Eternity of the Universe

S5, E11 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 2, Chapter 5: How to Train a Prophet: The Path of Knowledge

Presentation of הארץ אשר אראך at the Congregation Shomrei Torah Sefer Fest: "The Second Temple: a Partial Redemption"

S6, E4 Shemona Perakim; What is a Human?

S6, E3 Shemona Perakim; How to Properly Change the Torah and how Maimonides Once Did so Himself

S6, E2 Shemona Perakim; Character Perfection as the Path to Prophecy

S5, E10 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 2, Chapter 4: Knowledge in the Land

S6, E1 Shemona Perakim; Avos as Training to be a Divine Legislator

S5, E9 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 2, Chapter 3: When Was the Name of Hashem Revealed?

S5, E8 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 2, Chapter 2: The Profound Meanings within the Simple Narratives of the Torah

S5, E7 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 2, Chapter 1: Prophecy: A Definition

S5, E6 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 1, Chapter 3: A Chronology of Judaism

S5, E5 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 1, Chapter 2: The Vanishing Essence of Judaism

S5, E4 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Sec. 1, Chapter 1: Has Judaism Come to an End?

S5, E3 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Introduction, Part 3: How to Elicit the Torah's Deepest Secrets

S5, E2 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Introduction, Part 2: Torah Subjects, Stories and Heroes

S5, E1 Exodus, Exile and Redemption, Introduction, Pt. 1: The Unseen Author and the Human Drama

S4, E5 Universalism vs. Particularism: Israel and the Nations in the End of Days

S4, E4 Universalism vs. Particularism: What is the Reason of Jewish History?

S4, E3 Universalism vs. Particularism: Is Hashem Manifest in Eretz Yisrael more than in the Diaspora?

S4, E2 Universalism vs. Particularism: Do We Need to Understand Redemption in Order to Effect it?

S4, E1 Universalism vs. Particularism: A Sketch of the Problems

Lecture on the Oaths and the Prohibition to Leave Bavel

S3, E23 אור השם, The Light of Hashem, Part #2 – Free Will; Reward and Punishment; Torah; Immortality of the Soul

Presentation of הארץ אשר אראך at the YU Seforim Sale: The Babylonian Community in the Second Temple Era

S3, E22 אור השם, The Light of Hashem, Part #1 – Positive Attributes of God

S3, E21 מורה נבוכים, The Guide of the Perplexed, Part #4 – Prophecy

S3, E20 מורה נבוכים, The Guide of the Perplexed, Part #3 – Creation ex Nihilo

S3, E19 מורה נבוכים, The Guide of the Perplexed, Part #2 – What is Man? What is His Perfection and Imperfection?

S3, E18 מורה נבוכים, The Guide of the Perplexed, Part #1 – Was the Guide Written with Divine Inspiration?

S3, E17 האמונה הרמה, The Exalted Faith, Part #5, Essay 2 - Angels; Providence; Omniscience; Evil; Free Will; Essay 3 - Torah

S3, E16 האמונה הרמה, The Exalted Faith, Part #4, Essay 2 - Angels; Prophecy; Torah

S3, E15 האמונה הרמה, The Exalted Faith, Part #3, Essay 2 - The Principles of Judaism: God; His Unity; His Attributes; Angels

S3, E14 האמונה הרמה, The Exalted Faith, Part #2, Essay 1 - Aristotelian philosophy: Motion; The Soul; Its Immortality; The Heavens

The Meaning of Ownership of EY

Advanced אראך – Seeing the Land and Seeing the Woman

S3, E13 האמונה הרמה, The Exalted Faith, Part #1, Intro - Free Will and God's Control; Essay 1 - a crash course in Aristotelian philosophy

S3, E12 ספר הכוזרי, The Kuzari, Part #4, Essays 4-5: The Book of Creation; Philosophy; Kalam; free will; a journey to Eretz Yisrael

S3, E11 ספר הכוזרי, The Kuzari, Part #3, Essays 3-4: The Oral Law; God's names; prophetic knowledge; other religions and philosophy; exile

S3, E10 ספר הכוזרי, The Kuzari, Part #2, Essays 2-3: Divine attributes; Eretz Yisrael; Israel and the nations; Mitzvos; the Hebrew language; piety; blessings; prayer

S3, E9 ספר הכוזרי, The Kuzari, Part #1, Essay 1: Philosophy, Chritianity, Islam and the fundamentals of Judaism; different levels of people; connecting with the divine; the Golden Calf; the Afterlife

S3, E8 חובות הלבבות, The Duties of the Heart, part #4, Repentance; Examining the Soul; Abstinence; and Love of God

S3, E7 חובות הלבבות, The Duties of the Heart, part #3, Trust; Devotion; and Submission

S3, E6 חובות הלבבות, The Duties of the Heart, part #2, Examination and Service of God

S3, E5 חובות הלבבות, The Duties of the Heart, part #1, Introduction and Unity of God

S3, E4 אמונות ודעות, The Book of Beliefs and Opinions, part #4, Redemption; The World to Come; Ideal Human Conduct

S3, E3 אמונות ודעות, The Book of Beliefs and Opinions, part #3, Merits and Demerits; The Soul and Death; Resurrection in This World

S3, E2 אמונות ודעות, The Book of Beliefs and Opinions, part #2, Unity of God; Commandments and Prohibitions; Obedience and Rebellion

S3, E1 אמונות ודעות, The Book of Beliefs and Opinions, part #1, Introduction and Creation ex Nihilo

S3, E0 Intro to Season Three: Fundamental Books of Torah Thought

Eretz Yisrael – Magical Protection Against Sin?

S2, E28 What Makes Eretz Yisrael Special? Part 7, How to do Geulah

S2, E27 What Makes Eretz Yisrael Special? Part 6, How to See Beneath the Surface

S2, E26 What Makes Eretz Yisrael Special? Part 5, The Time has Come to Rectify the Sin of the Meraglim

S2, E25 What Makes Eretz Yisrael Special? Part 4, How to Make Heaven on Earth

S2, E24 What Makes Eretz Yisrael Special? Part 3, Seeing the Good and Doing the Good

S2, E23 What Makes Eretz Yisrael Special? Part 2, Knowing Hashem

S2, E22 What Makes Eretz Yisrael Special? Part 1, Seeing as Hashem Sees

S2, E21 Living in Eretz Yisrael – Summary and Conclusions

S2, E20 Must We Rectify the Problem that the Mitvzos Ha’Teluyos Ba’Aretz Present Before We Can Return?

S2, E19 Do the Mitzvos Ha'Teluyos Ba'Aretz Pose an Insurmountable Challenge?

S2, E18 The Theology of Jewish History – From Revelation to Exile and on to Redemption

S2, E17 Knesses Yisrael’s Trial – Did We Pass or Fail?

S2, E16 The Sin that Marred the Second Temple

S2, E15 Is Redemption Really Dependent on Us?

S2, E14 The Thousand-Year Exile, Divine Plans and Divine Rules

S2, E13 Exilic Times – When Do Jews Not Belong in EY?

S2, E12 To Go or Not to Go: The Debate about Babylonian Jewry in the Second Temple Era

S2, E11 Choosing Exile – Babylonian Jewry in the Second Temple Era

S2, E10 People who Lived Outside of Eretz Yisrael

S2, E9 Awaiting Redemption or Effecting Redemption?

S2, E8 Eretz Yisrael without the Shechinah

S2, E7 The Decree of Exile

S2, E6 How to Keep the Oaths: Halachah L'maaseh

S2, E5 Jewish Nationhood and the Historical Process

S2, E4 The 3 Oaths – The Peril of Jewish Destiny

S2, E3 The Awesome Oaths: Dreadful Sin? Or Dreadful Danger?

S2, E2 Is there a Mitzvah to Live in Eretz Yisrael?

S2, E1 Living in Eretz Yisrael, an introduction

S1, E50 The Reasons for Mitzvos, according to the Rambam

S1, E49 Eretz Yisrael, according to the Rambam

S1, E48 The Messiah and the Messianic Era

S1, E47 What is Chanukah? The Danger of a False Dawn

S1, E46 Light and Darkness: Chanukah, Adam and the Greeks

S1, E45 Hebrew, Greek, and the 70 Languages

S1, E44 Holy Names and their Uses

S1, E43 Angels and Angelology, an introduction

S1, E42 Love of God, according to the Mekubalim

S1, E41 Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, Pillars of the World

S1, E40 Love of God, according to Rambam and R' Bachya ibn Paquda

S1, E39 The Unification of God, according to the Mekubalim

S1, E38 Hashem, Source of Living Water: Eden, Sukkos and Sodom

S1, E37 The Power of Repentance

S1, E36 The Day of Judgment

S1, E35 The Oneness of God, according to R' Bachya ibn Paquda

S1, E34 The Jewish Credo – Shema and its Translations

S1, E33 Tzitzis and the Holy Land; Rectifying the Sin of the Spies

S1, E32 A Nation's Original Sin: Rejecting the Promised Land

S1, E31 Eretz Yisrael, Land of Holiness, according to the Kuzari

S1, E30 Man, Center of Reality

S1, E29 The Rise and Fall of the Jewish Empire, part 2

S1, E28 The Rise and Fall of the Jewish Empire, part 1

S1, E27 Negative Theology; from Rabbeinu Sa'adiah Gaon to the Mekubalim

S1, E26 The Chosen People, according to Kuzari and Shaarei Orah

S1, E25 Reincarnation of Souls, from Rabbeinu Sa'adiah Gaon to Ramchal

S1, E24 The Relationship between Man and Woman

S1, E23 Torah vs Prophets: Knowing God

S1, E22 Torah vs Prophets: Sacrifices

S1, E21 One God, Un-gods and Other Gods

S1, E20 Keeping Time; Sefiras Haomer, Pesach and Shavuos

S1, E19 Tests and Trials

S1, E18 The Second Temple, the Greeks, and the Oral Law

S1, E17 The Tree of Knowledge, according to the Rambam

S1, E16 The Nature of Evil, according to the Rambam and Avodas Hakodesh

S1, E15 The Significance of Shabbos

S1, E14 The Meaning of Matzah

S1, E13 Resurrection of the Dead, according to the Rambam and Avodas Hakodesh

S1, E12 Why do the Righteous Suffer?

S1, E11 Prayer: What and How

S1, E10 The Holy Tongue, Prayer and Prophecy

S1, E9 The Interdependence of Prophecy and Idolatry, according to Reb Tzadok

S1, E8 Understanding the History of Judaism; an alternative to Kuzari

S1, E7 The Lost Judaism; an introduction to Kuzari

S1, E6 Man's Divine Image, according to the Shaarei Orah

S1, E5 Imitatio Dei – Going in Hashem's Ways, according to the Rambam

S1, E4 The Nature of Shedim, according to the Rambam and the GR"A

S1, E3 The Purpose of Creation, according to the Ramchal

S1, E2 The Purpose of Creation, according to the Avodas HaKodesh

S1, E1 The Purpose of Creation, according to the Rambam