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All Episodes

Weekly Torah Commentaries — 295 episodes

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Title
1

Zeal is the Deal

2

Divine Diplomacy

3

The Matter of Timing

4

Safety First?

5

Good Bread

6

We Bear the Family Name

7

Obedience Begins with Listening

8

An Invitation to Intimacy 

9

Real Trust Requires Surrender

10

The Shepherd and the Lamb  

11

Real-life Holiness

12

The Lightness of Grace

13

Beauty in Distinction

14

Passover Removes the Leaven of Despair

15

The Call to Connection

16

Our Noise and God’s Music

17

Lingering in the Tent

18

Do Not Forget

19

The Gift is More Than Giving

20

Growing New Shells

21

A Perfect Government

22

The Promise of Freedom Lives On

23

Tradition!

24

The Ransomed Life

25

From Hearing to Attentive Listening

26

Joseph: Instant Gratification vs Forgiveness

27

Suffering with Character, Rising with Hope

28

More than the Oil 

29

When Brothers Are Reconciled

30

Finding Our Rosebud

31

Esau Have I Loved

32

Sarah: An Example to Every Generation

33

A Rock Feels No Joy

34

The People of Israel Are Alive and Well

35

Pass the Baton!

36

All Beginnings Are Hard

37

Sukkot: Celebrating God’s Presence

38

Chains of Words, Freedom of Spirit

39

He Will Not Leave You

40

Days of Awe and Repentance

41

Arise and Shine!

42

The Stray Ox and the People of Israel

43

Parashat Re’eh: Seeing the Mystery

44

Fuel for Righteous Living

45

The Paradox of Election

46

Build and Rebuild

47

Cut into Covenant: The Passion and Promise of Messianic Judaism

48

The Women Who Spoke What is Right

49

Which Name of God Will You Make Known?

50

Bitter Water and Sweet Surrender

51

Rebellion and Its Cure

52

The Battle Belongs to the Lord

53

Naso: Make an Accounting

54

The Divine Romance

55

Ever Ever Land

56

Whatsa Manna For You?

57

The Cup of Intimacy

58

Advancing in Holiness as We Count the Omer

59

Do What Counts

60

Personal Renewal in the Spirit

61

A Season of Anticipation is About to Begin

62

The Invitation to Moses Is Also to Us

63

The Oil of Joy

64

Masterpiece in the Desert

65

“Please, Show Me Your Glory!”

66

The Sweet Aroma of Prayer

67

The Mishkan and the Restoration of Israel

68

You Gotta Serve Somebody

69

How to Have Peace with the In-laws

70

Being God's “Hope Dealers”

71

Reading Renewal Forward

72

I Have Put My Words in Your Mouth

73

How Are You Wired?

74

And Then I Saw His Face

75

Unity: The Ultimate Miracle

76

We Only Know That He Is with Us

77

"I Have Plenty!"

78

Leah's Tears

79

Why Me, Lord?

80

Invoke God’s Character When You Pray

81

Love in Strength: the Unique Hesed of Abraham

82

“Go forth” — a Risky Command

83

After the Flood

84

Fully Alive in 5785

85

Sukkot and the Frailty of Life

86

Everybody Needs a Hero

87

A Much-Needed Renewal of Awe

88

Teshuvah: How To Return

89

Remember Who You Are!

90

Everlasting Love

91

Season of Return

92

Depth Perception

93

Not by Bread Alone

94

The Consolation of Children

95

Tisha b'Av: Lamenting with Hope

96

Be True to Your Word

97

Are You Zealous or Jealous?

98

Seeking Goodness Is Seeking Truth

99

The Beauty of the Red Heifer

100

You Say You Want a Revolution?

101

The God of Each of Us

102

Spirit-Infused Torah

103

Be an Agent of Hope

104

Sooner or Later, Jubilee is Coming

105

Our Priority: Conservation or Contagion?

106

Sweat the Small Stuff

107

Walk It Out!

108

Why Is This Passover Different?

109

Stop the Spread of Evil Speech

110

Doctors of the Soul

111

Being the Chosen People is Dangerous

112

Honest Worship

113

The Lord Calls Us by Name

114

The Future Is Now: Hanna-Barbera and the Real Magic Kingdom

115

A Beautiful Mansion for God

116

“I Have Called You Friends”

117

The Glorious Garments of Service

118

Organized Religion

119

A Way to Live in the Presence of the Lord

120

Breaking Bread with God

121

Meeting God on the Battle Line

122

Looking for a Leader

123

Finding Intimacy with God Through the Journey

124

God’s Calling is Greater than Our Fears

125

Finding Life in Egypt

126

The Courage to Rise

127

A Life in Technicolor

128

Servants of the Holy, Servants of the Light

129

You Know, You Are Also Right

130

The Twelve Tribes and Beyond

131

Keep Digging Those Wells

132

Taking the Long View

133

Shake, Rattle, and Roll

134

It’s About the People

135

The Original Influencer

136

How to Respond in an Evil Day

137

“Friends, Romans, Countrymen, Lend Me Your . . . Year!”

138

Sukkot and Your Divine Purpose

139

Moses the History Teacher Extraordinaire

140

It’s a New Year—Have a Blast!

141

Wrapping Ourselves in Messiah

142

When the Way Seems Uncertain

143

Just Say Nothing

144

Justice, Not Vengeance

145

Freer Than We Think

146

Don’t Forget How to Remember

147

Two Keys to the Future

148

Words that Promote Life

149

The Virtue of Transparency

150

Unexpected Words from the Wise

151

Father Knows Best and Pin the Tale on the Donkey

152

Overcoming Betrayal

153

The Hallmark of Equity

154

Lonely Like Moses

155

Everybody Counts!

156

Special Jewels, Sweethearts, and Distinctions

157

Who is Mighty? 

158

The Servant and the Served

159

Learning to Trust in God’s Faithfulness

160

What Is This Thing Called Love?

161

Staying in a Place Called Calm

162

Where Do We Find Real Joy?

163

Real Love Has Legs

164

A Season of Fruitfulness

165

God Calls Across the Divide

166

God's Reputation Is at Stake

167

The Perfect Fall

168

Three Ways from Shushan

169

A Willing Heart and the Willing Creator  

170

What the World Needs Now is Hope

171

The Upside-down Tent

172

Faith on a Stretcher

173

Where is Your Heart?

174

Accepting Our Heritage

175

Yogi Berra, Making the Pitch, and Telling Stories

176

God Already Knows, but He’s Waiting to Hear from Us

177

Hope Can Set You Free

178

Light over Might

179

What Would the Maccabees Do?

180

“Turned into Another Man”

181

Making Peace with an Intimate Enemy

182

Two Sons, Two Ways of Life

183

It’s a Family Thing

184

Greeting God the Unexpected Guest

185

Abraham: Father of Faith of the Feet

186

Lessons from Dry Ground

187

The Creation as a Pattern for Our Lives

188

Simchat Torah: Beginning Again . . . Immediately!

189

Ha’azinu: Give Ear to the Future

190

Days of Awe and Reconciliation

191

Crossing Over into Our Covenant

192

Distraction-Fasting, Monotasking & Hesed-Casting

193

Building the World with Love, One Nest at a Time

194

Creating a Favoritism-Free Zone

195

Two Ways Lie Before Us

196

The Circumcised Heart in Action

197

A Measure of Comfort

198

A Covenant of Gratitude

199

The Broken-Cistern Syndrome

200

Vast. Obscure. Unfinished.

201

Ironic Blessings for Tumultuous Times

202

Does the Torah Teach about an Afterlife?

203

I've Met Korah

204

Follow Fear or Follow Faith?

205

Called to Bring Light

206

Face-to-Face with the Eternal

207

Numbers, Shavuot, and Lifting Up Your Head

208

The Joy of Dispossesion

209

Sabbath Treasures in Heaven—God’s Treasure on Earth

210

Does God Need a Press Secretary?

211

We are Called to Preserve Life

212

Escaping Our Inner Egypt

213

The Passover-Easter Dispute

214

In Praise of Freedom

215

How to Use Your Tongue for Good

216

Pause to Wonder

217

"No, You Can’t Have Those Chick-fil-A Nuggets"

218

Esther, Seriously

219

Let Us Draw Near

220

The Trail Map of Torah

221

From Head Counting to Healthy Community

222

Who Doesn’t Like a Nice Sandwich?

223

We Need an Advocate

224

Becoming a Mishkan

225

God of the Details

226

Bringing Light into the Darkness

227

Between the DeMille and the Deep Red Sea

228

Faithful in Small Things

229

Worship: Who You Gonna Serve?

230

Fruitful Hope amid Outrageous Fortune

231

Jacob’s Death and God’s Design

232

The Ties that Bind

233

Being Credible in an Age of Distrust

234

No Escape—Only Rescue

235

In the Company of Angels

236

The Perfect Jacob

237

Isaac’s Simple Path to Significance

238

How Shall We Serve?

239

Covenantal Kvetching

240

In the Risky Footsteps of Abraham

241

Waters of Chaos, Vehicle of Protection

242

Facing Our Other Side, East of Eden

243

How to Stay in Your Sukkah

244

The Courage of Our Joy

245

Brokenness: We’re All in It Together

246

Chazak! Be Strong and Holy

247

God Goes with us in Our Wanderings

248

Between Rebuke and Redemption

249

Overcoming Commitment Hesitancy

250

“Why have you forsaken me?”

251

The Temple in the Torah and Today

252

Torah Tips for a Tough Text

253

Tisha B'Av: Facing Our Traumas

254

How to Rebuke with Respect

255

Individualism Meets Responsibility

256

Jerusalem the Waiting Bride

257

Almost a Prophet

258

Buy a Ticket Already!

259

Monsters, Giants, and Other Formidable Obstacles

260

Faith Is Not an Easy Journey

261

A Cure for Jealousy

262

The Day that Changed the World

263

The Benefit of Losing Control

264

Are We Finished?

265

It Takes Courage to Be Holy

266

Doctors of the Soul

267

Pity the Fool

268

The Afikomen: My Body Broken for You

269

Resurrection: The Story that Defines Us

270

The Offering that Brings Peace

271

Our Worship: Managed or Mysterious?

272

Esther: A Story of Standing Together

273

The Holy Ark: Pointing The Way

274

Us and . . . Us

275

Steadfast or Merely Informed?

276

The Price of Hesed

277

A Way Forward for Pharaoh

278

The Power of Small Choices

279

Leave Behind Your Best

280

Whose Justice?

281

Miracles Obvious and Hidden

282

Words Still Stick—for Good or Ill

283

Dear Leah (A Letter from Your Sister, Rachel)

284

When Is It Right to Be Wrong?

285

The Ongoing Miracle of a Life Well Lived

286

Who Can Weigh a Heart?

287

Does Your Faith Have Feet?

288

The Right Focus for Intolerable Times

289

Staying Human through the 2020 Election

290

I Can’t Forgive Myself

291

A Tale of Two (Non-Binary) Sons

292

Walking Life's Narrow Bridge

293

How Can I Be Sure?

294

Compassion in an Unjust World

295

Are You a Perfectionist?