Jerusalem Lights

This week's edition of the Jerusalem Lights podcast focuses on the universal reset of Rosh HaShana, birthday of Adam and time of momentous judgement - and joyous awakening - for all his descendants. Rosh HaShana isn’t just for Israel, but for the whole world…so how do we prepare for it? How do we observe these sacred days, and get the most out of this powerful spiritual opportunity?  Warmest...

Parashat KiTavo In this week’s episode of the Jerusalem Lights podcast, Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman reflect upon the commandment found in this week’s Torah portion of Ki Tavo, to bring the first fruits of one’s produce in the Land of Israel to the Holy Temple as a special offering. This unique experience, seen as the embodiment of true joy, is rooted in a profound sense of thanks and recognit...

Parashat Ki Teitzei In this week’s episode, Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman crank up the Elul spirit with a delve into the dynamics of the fine art of repentance…return to sender! Before discussing what it means to repent, we need to re-define the elusive and misunderstood concept of ‘sin.’   _ Rabbi Chaim Richman  Jerusalem Lights | Torah for Everyone    Please support the wo...

Parashat Shoftim  The Analogy of the Glassblower: Man’s Soul is the Breath of G-d What  is prophecy? Is there such a thing today? How can we tell the  difference between a true prophet, and a fake? In this week’s Jerusalem  Lights podcast, Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman present a comprehensive  analysis on Biblical prophecy, replete with fascinating insights on  Bib...

Parashat Re'eh - Jerusalem Lights Podcast # 130: Lost Generation This week’s Torah portion of parashat Re’eh calls upon Israel to develop a deep sensitivity to all of creation. But what about the Divine image of man and woman in which we were all created? What about the Creator’s purpose for humanity? This week’s Jerusalem Lights podcast examines our generation’s unprecedented obsession with Gende...

Parashat Eikev The Torah portion of parashat Eikev features some of the most beautiful praises of the Land of Israel, and this week’s Jerusalem Lights podcast takes a look at the skewed and hypocritical media coverage of events in Israel seen against the backdrop of the Land’s inherent sanctity and spiritual beauty.   From Adam to King David: Is belief in reincarnation found in Torah? Ji...

Parashat Va'etchanan Operation Breaking Dawn was a military operation launched by the Israel  Defense Forces which achieved its objectives within 66 hours –  the destruction of the military leadership of the Iranian-backed  terrorist organization Islamic Jihad. In this week’s Jerusalem Lights podcast, Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman share accurate information  about what is re...

Parashat Devarim   The Fast Day of Tisha B’Av is the apex of national mourning for the Holy Temple. In an episode that combines fascinating Torah insights, harsh reality check and personal experience, Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman share new dimensions of understanding, pain, faith and hope in this week’s edition of the Jerusalem Lights podcast.     ___  Rabbi Chaim Rich...

This week as we prepare to welcome the month of Menachem Av, the ‘Consoling Father,’ we conclude the weekly Torah reading cycle in the Book of Numbers – and bid farewell to the inscrutable Generation of the Desert. Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman ponder the life lessons to be learned from the Book of Numbers, and have a frank and informative discussion in response to a listener’s comments regardi...

Th Holy Temple as Interface: Redefining Reality    From the Theory of Relativity to String Theory, the science of physics discovers the breathtaking imprint of the Creator on every level of reality – paralleling concepts that are foundational in Torah thought, revealed by the sages of Israel through the millennia.      ___  Rabbi Chaim Richman  Jerusalem Lig...

Parashiot Balak/Pinchas The prophet Daniel, the righteous Mashiach, the wicked Bilaam, and the James Webb telescope…how are they all connected?  In the inspiring tour de force of this week’s episode of the Jerusalem Lights podcast, Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman take another look at the nature of reality in the quantum realm and find that indeed, the universe is pointing to the Creator, and...

Parashat Balak The mysterious Bilaam, a well-known mystic has-been, tried his best use prophecy to curse the Children of Israel for profit, only to have the words Divinely changed to beautiful blessings on his lips. Who is a true prophet? Why is this incident recorded in Torah, and what can we learn from it today?  __  Rabbi Chaim Richman  Jerusalem Lights | Torah for Everyone &nbsp...

The Torah portion of Chukat marks the transition between two generations. Everything that happens in this world in the course of human events, is an instrument of Divine purpose, a part of the unfolding of prophetic promises and the revelation of G-d’s Name in the world, as we approach the time of Redemption. This week’s Jerusalem Lights podcast looks at the spiritual side of the vitriolic reactio...

The Secret of Tzizit and Fixing the Garden of Eden   How do we understand the transition from the grievous sin of the spies against the ‘precious land’ (Ps. 106:24), to the insatiable and tragic envy of Korach? The Book of Numbers, called ‘The Book of Mistakes,’ challenges us to overcome our own insecurities and negative feelings, and reestablish the Garden of Eden on earth.    &nbs...

Reunited once again in Jerusalem, Rabbi Richman and Jim Long share joy, inspiration and the profound spiritual insight of seeing Hashem’s anonymous signature on the events in our lives, in this very special and personal wedding edition of the Jerusalem Lights podcast.   ___  Rabbi Chaim Richman  Jerusalem Lights | Torah for Everyone   Please support the work of Jerusalem L...

Man and Wife and the Divine Presence: Fixing the Garden of Eden   This week’s episode introduces the inscrutable Generation of the Desert, as Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman ponder the fate of this amazing, misunderstood generation, and share unique Torah insights and life lessons to accompany the Book of Numbers.   ___  Rabbi Chaim Richman  Jerusalem Lights | Torah for Everyo...

The 49 days of counting the Omer reach their conclusion this Shabbat, and the Festival of Shavuot, called by Torah 'The Festival of the First Fruits,' begins at the conclusion of Shabbat. Shavuot is the anniversary of the Giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, and we prepare to receive Torah anew, with great joy and anticipation!   ___  Rabbi Chaim Richman  Jerusalem Lights | Torah for...

As we transition in our weekly Torah readings from the Book of Leviticus to the Book of Numbers, this extraordinary episode in honor of next week's commemoration of Jerusalem Day connects the songs of the Levitical choir in the Holy Temple to Quantum Theory, Black Holes and the breathtaking natural phenomena of Aurora Borealis. What do they all have in common? The answer will surprise you!  ...

What is the significance of ‘Lag Ba’Omer’, the 33rd day of the Omer  counting?  Why do thousands stream to the Galilee tomb of the renowned  second century sage Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, and what is the Torah  concept of prayer at the grave of the righteous?   In this week’s  Jerusalem Lights podcast, Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman discuss the  main lesson that...

The Temple Mount and Freedom of Worship in Israel     This week our hosts discuss the recent spate of terror attacks in Israel in the light of history and the Torah's emphasis on the importance of the Land of Israel and the key role it plays in the redemption of Israel and all mankind. Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman present a scathing analysis of these painful events as they are f...

Israel, Hashem’s Witness Throughout History       This week’s Jerusalem Lights podcast celebrates Israel Independence Day. What is the secret of Jewish existence…and what is Israel’s message for the world?    ___  Rabbi Chaim Richman  Jerusalem Lights | Torah for Everyone   Please support the work of Jerusalem Lights, a USA recognized 501 ( c...

Can People Emulate G-d, and Bring Light into the World?  This week’s Jerusalem Light podcast focuses on the spiritual work of the days of the Counting of the Omer….’clearing the field of stones.’  Why was ancient Egyptian society so obsessed with death? The answer provides an insight into today’s culture of woke.    ___  Rabbi Chaim Richman  Jerusalem Lights | Torah f...

Passover is the birthday of freedom. But what does it mean to be free?  This week’s Jerusalem Lights podcast is a Passover special, as Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman reflect on the powerful spiritual dynamics of this beloved festival: the eternal covenant of the Passover offering, the haggadah and the seder night, the unique prohibition against chometz (leaven) – and the significance of Pas...

Parashat Metzorah Shabbat HaGadol, the ‘Great Sabbath’ which precedes Passover, ushers in this season of miracles. The moving backstory of how this Sabbath gets its name, reminds us of our own mission – and challenge – to rise up in defiance of the woke agenda of the modern-day Pharaohs who seek to enslave our minds and subjugate our souls. As Passover approaches, the promise of true freedom and r...

Parashat Tazria -  Will Smith & the Vacuous, Morally Bankrupt Media: The Slap Heard Around the World   As Israel reels from the worst wave of Arab terror since the second Intifada, the upcoming Hebrew month of Nisan, called by Torah ‘the first of all the months’ (Ex. 12) and known as the ‘time of redemption,’ coincides with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim R...