Deeper Look At The Parsha

A fascinating New York Times article that charts research into the aging process of dogs, and how this might help us better understand our own human aging process, prompts Rabbi Dunner to reveal a fascinating Talmudic passage that addresses aging, basing itself on a verse in Chayei Sarah.

Rabbi Dunner shares his thoughts and some fantastic stories about Harav Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l, following his untimely and tragic passing.

More wisdom from Hillel the Elder, who charts the baseline of what one needs to do to become of student of Torah -- don't be a "boor", he says, because a "boor" will never fear sin. Rabbi Dunner defines "boor" and explains why getting to first base requires devoted and focused effort.

Why does Rashi at the beginning of Chayei Sarah comment that Sarah's life was all good? What was special about her life that made it different than everyone else's? And why was Abraham special? Rabbi Dunner goes through a Nesivos Sholom that discusses and dissects the importance of kindness as a foundational aspect of faith in God.

As the 2020 election counting process drags on with no clear winner in sight, and no one conceding defeat, Rabbi Dunner recalls another knife-edge presidential election - the contentious presidential contest of 1800. Thomas Jefferson called it the "Second American Revolution", and it resulted in profound changes to the nascent United States democracy project. And just like the 2020 election, in th...

Three weeks before he died, the late Novominsker Rebbe released a 2-minute video offering sturdy guidance for the Haredi community reeling from the early ravages of the coronavirus pandemic. But rather than follow in his footsteps, following his death from COVID-19, the leadership that replaced him has been notably absent and remarkably out-of-touch with their leadership responsibilities. The resu...

A very curious aspect of Abraham’s introduction into the Torah’s narrative is the fact that almost immediately after reaching Canaan – or, as God had called it, “the Land that I will show you” – he leaves for Egypt. Having discovered that Canaan is in the midst of a famine (Gen. 12:10), he abandons the Promised Land and heads for the fleshpots of Egypt, to ride out the storm elsewhere. Before arri...

Rabbi Dunner shares a piece of wisdom from his late grandfather, Rabbi Yosef Tzvi Dunner (1913-2007), regarding King Solomon's statement in Proverbs that lazy people should take note of the industrious ant, using this energetic creature as a role model. But why would one use a creature that operates by instinct as a guide for humans that have freedom of choice? A passage in the Talmud about the do...

In the fourth mishna of the second chapter, Avot returns to Hillel Hazaken, founding patriarch of the rabbinic family whose inspirational leadership was the foundation of the Talmud. His sage advice is simple and pertinent for every age, as Rabbi Dunner explains using stories and personal experiences to illustrate. Human nature plays a role in who you are, and being a good person is not just a mat...

Rabbi Dunner discusses the strange episode in Noach known as 'The Tower of Babel’. Recorded in just 9 verses, the traditional version of the story seems at odds with the plain understanding of the text, and whatever way you look at the story, it makes very little sense. What was the sin of those who built the Tower? In fact, the word sin is never mentioned, so who says they sinned at all? Why woul...

In the mid-1990s, an elderly grandfather randomly attended a pre-Bar Mitzvah celebration dinner food tasting at a five-star London hotel, and shared a profound life lesson with Rabbi Dunner. It is a lesson that resonates with Rabbi Dunner to this day, particularly when reading the portion in Bereishit describing the episode of the 'tree of knowledge of good and evil' in the Garden of Eden -- as he...

What is Shmini Atzeret really about? Why do we need an extra day of yomtov? The Midrash offers a wonderful suggestion -- Rabbi Dunner recalls the Midrash, and goes on to offer his own unique interpretation for the requirement of an extra festival day after Sukkot is already over, a day that offers us all the opportunity to find our very own buried treasure.

Imagine. It is John Lennon’s most iconic song. But what has it got to teach us about being The Chosen People? Is the world featured in Imagine really a utopia? Rabbi Dunner focuses on a familiar festival prayer that focuses on the chosen-ness of the Jewish nation, showing that chosen-ness and uniqueness are not bad or elitist, rather they are the ultimate realization of God's plan for creation.

Why do we fast on Yom Kippur? Why don’t we fast on Rosh Hashana? Should we fast on Shabbat Shuva? Shouldn’t we fast every day of Aseret Yemei Teshuva? Why is any Yomtov happy? What does happiness mean in practical terms? Can we be happy and fast at the same time? Rabbi Dunner addresses these and many other questions, as he explores the importance of joy on Jewish festival days and contrasts with t...

Rabbi Dunner reflects on a fascinating mini-conference he attended a year ago at the invitation of Israel's president, Reuven Rivlin. The conference agenda: to find something that unites every Jew, rather than focus on everything that divides us. Weaving this idea into the purpose of Yom Kippur, Rabbi Dunner reveals details of the upcoming first-ever International Succah Hop -- a project with the...

On Rosh Hashana, we read the story of the Akeida - the 'almost' sacrifice of Isaac by his father Abraham. Traditionally, the reason given is the connection between the ram sacrificed at the end of the story, and the ram's horn that we blow as the shofar on Rosh Hashana. Rabbi Dunner challenges this tenuous connection, and delves into the very disturbing child-sacrifice elements of the Akeida story...

Rabbi Dunner continues with the advice offered by Rabbi Gamliel III, son of Rabbi Yehuda HaNassi, who focuses his attention on offering pointers for those in public service and doing work for the benefit of the community. Be careful of your friendships with people in power, as such relationships are always on the basis of benefiting those in authority, and not the reverse. Make your needs and desi...

Rabbi Dunner cites Maimonides from "hilchot teshuva", who describes 24 different types of people for whom the Teshuva process will not be effective. One of them is someone who is not part of a community. Rabbi Dunner offers a classic explanation, but adds an explanation of his own, based on the theories and research of the pioneering social psychologist, Leon Festinger.

Rabbi Dunner finishes up the first mishna of Chapter 2 in Pirkei Avot, with the wise warning of Rabbi Yehuda HaNassi to constantly be aware of "three things". In the second mishna, Rabbi Gamliel the son of Rabbi Yehuda HaNassi focuses on the crucial importance of combining Torah study with real-life work, earning a living even as you prioritize Torah. The alternative, he says, is too dire to conte...

It would appear that God had the measure of the Jewish people. Despite choosing them to be His nation, He nevertheless recognized that without the inspired leadership and guidance of Moses they would quickly drift “off the reservation”. He said as much to Moses, and warned that He would hide His face from the Jewish people when it happened. But the commentaries all struggle to understand this idea...

What does it mean to be 'a light unto the nations'? Rabbi Dunner comes up with a novel interpretation after witnessing the stunning phenomenon that is the Ashalim Solar Energy Plant in Israel's Negev desert. A 2500-year-old prophecy found in the Haftara for Parshat Ki Tavo comes to pass in a most unexpected way.

Rabbi Dunner continues with the first mishna of the second chapter in Pirkei Avot, as Rabbi Yehuda HaNassi offers sage advice to those who think that have it all worked out. Never treat a simple mitzva like a complex mitzva, he says -- but he doesn't define either. Rabbi Dunner steps in to offer a backdrop to Rebbi's ambiguous statement -- a backdrop that will turn your worldview upside down.

Towards the end of his life, as Moses began to address the upcoming conquest of the Promised Land, he instructed the Jewish nation to inscribe a set of stones with the text of the Torah. Rabbi Dunner offers a number of fascinating explanations as to what exactly was written on these stones, as well as a range of intriguing ideas to explain the purpose of the inscribed stones, both practical and sp...

Rabbi Dunner surveys the fascinating phenomenon that is the Lost Property office of London's extensive transport network, and connects the comments of one journalistic observer to a particular phrase in the Torah's instruction to return lost items to their owners. It's not just about doing the right thing, it's also about why you're doing it, and having the right attitude towards those who are in...

Rabbi Dunner introduces the second chapter of Pirkei Avot with a detailed biography of "Rebbi" - Rabbi Yehuda Hanassi, the redactor of the Mishna, whose influence on Jewish life cannot be overstated, and reverberates to this day. In the legacy recorded in his name for Pirkei Avot, Rebbi instructs us to do that which is good for us and good for others. Rabbi Dunner explains the deeper meaning of th...