Beit Shammai

Our current reality requires a paradigm shift in our understanding of Torah, a reawakening of the originalmandate of Sinai and the destiny of the Jewish people

As during the Exodus itself, Pesach presents the individual and the collective with the choice of freedom or slavery

Abraham begins receives god's word very late in life. The command is to go forth to Canaan represents a fundamental shift in how he viewed his life's mission.

Why Divine Wisdom and the Primal must unite

How King David was saved from the abyss of apathy and secured his legacy.

The sagas of the Flood and the Tower tell of the collapse of divine speech. Abraham's mission is to restore it.

Far from a mere introduction, the Feast of Achashverosh sets the stage for the entire saga of Esther, and highlights the Temple as the center of the narrative.

Loans, interest, and the cosmic flow of life energy

The sale of Joseph is the original crisis of Am Yisrael. It's effects have rippled through history--and taken many forms.

The historical circumstances in which Chanuka was established meant the Jewish People never fully owned the holiday in all it's dimensions. Until now.

The theme of "God's face" is the ultimate paradox of the prophets: the finite human connecting to the infinite divine.

Terror, existential yearning, and transformation

The foundation for the story we want.

The dual dynamic of giving and receiving

The Torah's model for joy

The relationship between study, receiving wisdom, and prayer.

Experiencing the divine through the creation as the Torah's ideal fulfillment.

The current struggle of the Jewish people has given us profound insight into the nature of essential nature of "nechama". Exploring the power of resurgence, sense of purpose, and renewed confidence in self.

Exploring the archetype of the Divine Field: the process of "plowing", existential collapse, elevation, and renewal.

Detachment and concealment is a necessary process for obtainig ultimate self actualization

Exploring the pillars of the Jewish people's mission--Am Yodaya et HaShem, a nation that lives in Divine Conciousness

The oscillating of engagement and retreat that propells growth.

Jerusalem embodies the primordial pattern of creation, chaos, and rebuilding.

Escape the perpetual hierarchy climb. The culmination of blessing is the ability to "be".

The place of deterioration and death in cycles of renewal.

The astounding connections between the Books of Esther and Yehoshua

The strategy of demoralization and the origins of the Amalek conflict.

The reenactments of Sinai in prayer and the Temple.

Our abilities do not exist in the abstract. They are awakened by commitment and service.

The mitzva of honoring ones parents, its pitfalls, and it's influence on spiritual development.

The process of development from the revelation of Sinai to the integration of the Law.

Reflections during the first days of the Simchat Torah War - Gaza 2023

"Shem" + "Kavod"

The Simchat Torah War 5784 - Appreciating the power of this generation's relationship with Torah in light of the current moment.

Delivered at Yeshivat HaKotel on Thursday night 5 Cheshvan 5784 (19 October 2023) before returning to the Gaza front the following morning.

Prophecy reveals the future. But not how it will unfold.

The collective covenant and individual manifestation.

The dynamics of blessing and curse, self development and play.

Reciprocal mercy and self transformation

The bifurcated halves of the mind and the dialogue between the them.

Examining the nature of destructive patterns at the individual and collective level.

The breaking of the Tablets and origins of the Meitzarim

One's relationship with authority and power is the ultimate measure of inner refinement and strength.

The three roles necessary to eminate the Divine.

Perpetual balance is required to receive and apply divine wisdom.

The sanctity of Jerusalem is that of the B'chira, the choosing of the Jewish people, and their perpetual relationship with the Creator through history.

The attribut of Chayil, the ability to draw upon sources of strength from within, independent of external circumstances.

The period of the Omer is the individuating journey to self mastery and freedom.

Fear of heaven is the ultimate tool of self mastery. By choosing to exist in alignment with transcendence, all human facilities becomes tools of our authentic selves, as apposed to forces that whimsically manipulate us.

Truth in the Torah's conception does not merely refer to the factual. It is a behavioral attribute consisting of a powerful commitment to intellectual purity and honesty--even at the expense of a personal ideal.