Jerusalem Lights

Dwelling in the Sukkah: The Secret of True Joy Zechariah’s Prophecy and the Nations’ Special Relationship with the Festival of Sukkot Fresh from the cleansing catharsis of Yom Kippur, we busily prepare for the glorious seven-day Festival of Sukkot, which begins this Shabbat. During Sukkot (the Tabernacles) Torah commands every citizen to dwell in a temporary booth. Why now? What is the connection...

Change Your Spiritual DNA/ How Does Torah Define Sin, and What Makes Repentance Real? In this week’s Torah portion of Ha’azinu , Moshe calls upon heaven and earth to bear witness, as he delivers his prophetic song of rebuke, consolation, and ultimate redemption. This Shabbat is known as the ‘Sabbath of Repentance,’ and Yom Kippur, the awesome Day of Atonement will be observed this coming Sunday ni...

Preparing for Rosh HaShana: Rejoice with Trembling: Making Hashem King on Rosh HaShana: Not Just Lip Service The year 5780 is about to depart, and we prepare to welcome the New Year of 5781, may it bring every blessing! Rosh HaShana is the birthday of man and a special holiday with universal relevance and meaning for all humanity. In this week’s special edition of the Jerusalem Lights podcast, Jim...

Rosh HaShana: Preparing to Receive a New Light and the Transformative Sound of the Shofar Themes of this week's double Torah reading of the portions of Nitzavim and Vayelech set the stage for our passage into the coming new year  -- just as the portion of Nitzavim opens with the awesome scene of the entire nation of Israel preparing to 'pass into' the covenant with G-d and into the Land....

Torah is the People of Israel’s Deed to the Land of Israel :  Serving Hashem in Gladness is the Key to Every Divine Blessing For the nation of Israel about to enter into the promised land, this week’s Torah portion of Ki Tavo presents the quintessential formula for a G-d-centered life: Thankfulness and acknowledgement, commandment and covenant. This week’s episode of the Jerusalem Lights podc...

Universal Torah for a World Gone Mad Grabbing Hold in the Month of Elul: Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures The shofar-blast of the month of Elul serves to rouse us out of our lethargy. Elul is the time to wage spiritual battle against everything holding us back from developing our full potential! In this week’s edition of the Jerusalem Lights Podcast, Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman del...

Parashat Shoftim: The Month of Elul, a Spiritual Workshop for the Whole World The Transformative Experience of Torah Study: It's Not Just for Jews This week's edition of the Jerusalem Lights Podcast ushers in the month of Elul, the last month of the year and a time of repentance, tikkun and deep spiritual work. Our hosts focus on the great challenge of Elul for all seekers of G-d, and the special...

Seeing the Blessing and the Curse – and Getting with the Program Parashat Re’eh: Which Way Are You Going? Science, Prophetic Torah and the Holy Temple This week’s Torah portion of parashat Re’eh is a call for the Children of Israel to become a just, sensitive society in the land promised to the forefathers, always to remain focused on the presence of G-d in their midst. The Land of Israel, Moshe t...

The Past and Future Circle Dance of Tu B’Av: Lessons of Tu B’Av for Today: Love and Unity in a Time of Testing and Uncertainty The confluence between this week’s Torah portion of Ekev and the ancient Biblical holiday of Tu B’Av provides much inspiration for this week’s rousing edition of the Jerusalem Lights podcast. Our hosts Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman delve deeply into the rich teachings o...

What Will You Be Doing on Tisha B’Av? The Relevance of the Holy Temple Today – And the Temple Mount Revolution This week’s Torah portion of Va’Etchanan, with its emphasis on love of G-d and the Land of Israel, opens with a subtle allusion to the Holy Temple. The observance of the fast day of Tisha B’Av this week (July 30) will mark 1951 years since the destruction of the Holy Temple. What relevanc...

Life Lessons of Menachem Av, the Month of the Consoling Father Torah for Everyone: Fixing a Damaged, Despairing World with Love and Kindness This week we begin the month of Menachem Av, and next week on the fast day of Tisha B’Av we will mark 1950 years since the destruction of the Holy Temple. On the backdrop of our brave new world of confusion and doubt, corruption and anarchy, exploitation and...

True Leadership: Responsible, Prayerful, and Selfless This week we conclude the book of Numbers with the reading of its last two Torah portions, Matot and Masai. The two portions present a vivid portrait of the Generation about to enter the Promised Land. They are instructed in the power of the spoken word in the form of vows and oaths that can render sanctity; they are shown unparalleled examples...

Breaking the Template: Do We Have Free Will or is Everything Predetermined? This week the Hebrew calendar marks the Fast Day of Tammuz 17, which begins a three-week  period of introspection and mourning for the destruction of the Holy Temple. Is there a message in these days for Gentiles as well as Jews? In this week’s episode of the Jerusalem Lights podcast, our hosts relate to this question...

The Heathen Prophet Bilaam vs. the Existence of Israel - World Hypocrisy and Israel’s ‘Flagrant Violation of International Law’ This week’s double Torah reading outside the Land of Israel, of the portions of Chukat and Balak together, brings the Diaspora back in sync with the Torah reading in the Land of Israel. The two portions together form an amazing tapestry of the new generation, poised to en...

Narcissism in the Garb of Civil Rights Activism And, the Dilemma of Israel’s Annexation Question and Lessons of the Month of Tammuz The charismatic Korach, a Levite of distinction, leads a rebellion against the authority of Moses, ostensibly championing equality and social justice…but it is quickly revealed that his incitement is not directed against Moses alone, but against G-d Himself. His ego-d...

The Sin of Evil Speech and the Law of Reciprocity - Speaking Against the Land of Israel: An Ancient Sin with a Modern Twist The Torah portion of Shelach begins a turning point in history. Moses sends 12 upstanding, righteous men to spy out the Land of Canaan in preparation for the Children of Israel's entry into the Land. Ten of these men come back with an evil, slanderous report that causes the p...

The Annexation Question and the Book of Numbers: Do Jewish Lives in the Land of Israel Matter? The Torah portion Behalotcha read this week in the Diaspora features an incident that shares a theme with the portion of Shelach, read this week in Israel: rebellion against the Land of Israel and a lack of faith in G-d’s promise that Israel can enter the Land and prosper…yet love and devotion to Hashem...

Priestly Blessing of Peace for a World Gone Mad:    Torah Presents Hashem’s Vision for A Just and Loving Society As both peaceful as well as violent demonstrations, marches and incidents of looting and killing have plagued American cities, this week's edition of the Jerusalem Lights Podcast focuses on the Torah's concepts of society to be founded on justice for all, compassion, acts of k...

News Flash: G-d Gave Israel the Torah at Sinai Because He Loves This World…and He Loves Man This week, with the completion of the counting of the Omer, we welcome the Festival of Shavuot, anniversary of the Giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. This week’s Jerusalem Lights Podcast is a veritable Shavuot primer, as our hosts explore many layers and levels of the multifaceted festival and open new dim...

Is Torah for everyone, or only for Israel? What does the festival of  Shavuot mean for the spiritual seekers of the nations of the world? The Jerusalem Lights podcast celebrates the holy city this week, in honor of Jerusalem Day (the 28th day of the Hebrew month of Iyar), which will take place this year on Friday May 22nd. Jerusalem Day marks the day on which Jerusalem was liberated and unifi...

The Unbreakable Connection of the People of Israel with the Land of Israel: One Living Unit…and a Message for the World We bid farewell to the book of Vayikra (Leviticus) as the cycle of this third book of the Torah draws to a close this week with the reading of its two final Torah portions, Behar and Bechukotei . Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman focus on the commandment of the Sabbatical and Jubi...

The Kohanim and the Calendar: Striving Towards an Elevated Perception of Reality This week’s Jerusalem Lights podcast celebrates Pesach Sheni (14 Iyar – May 8), the Biblical ‘Second Passover.’ What is the story behind this elusive, unsung day, and what are its messages for us today? Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman discuss the amazing background of this day, and the eternal life lessons that it br...

Independence Day, An Event of Biblical Proportions Parashat Kedoshim: The Call to be Holy – What Does It Mean to be ‘Holy?’ This week’s Jerusalem Lights podcast was recorded on Israel’s Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers, just hours before the commencement of Israel’s 72nd Independence Day. Our hosts share heartfelt sentiments, experiences and personal insight about what Israel means to us, for the...

The Divine, Prophetic Trajectory of the Month of Iyar, the Month of Healing The Jerusalem Lights podcast welcomes the new month of Iyar, anniversary of the building of the First Temple, and wondrous month of healing. Perfect timing for Israel Independence Day and, we pray, progress towards the world’s healing from COVID-19. Rabbi Chaim Richman an co-host Jim Long share powerful and penetrating ins...

In this special Passover edition of the Jerusalem Lights podcast, Jim Long shares his knowledge on the subject of ancient Egypt, and offers some amazing insights from his acclaimed film documentary, Riddle of the Exodus , available for FREE viewing, for a limited time on Jerusalem Lights' YouTube: (https://youtu.be/Voc27fUtZSM) Rabbi Richman and Jim discuss the spiritual lessons of Passover f...