Online Torah Classes with Rabbi Mendy Goldberg

My G-d: Defining the Divine His Nature Let’s learn a bit about how G-d operates: Does G-d have feelings? Does He communicate with us? Does He ever act illogically? Why does He have so many names? And why is it that many write “G-d” with a hyphen?

CHAYEI SARAH Simple Servant, Sacred Moments We will look at some of the fundamental aspects of life, we are agents of G-d Almighty and have been called upon to fulfill an objective far greater than ourselves.  This makes our existence, at once both larger than and transcending the natural order, while simultaneously pecking at the very limits of that order. How does a nearly anonymous figure,...

VAYEIRA The Secret Behind Salt This week we read about the escape of Lot and his family from Sodom. Lot's family is told not to look back, while Lot's wife ignores the command and is turn punished by becoming a pillar of salt. Why Salt? Why not pepper or anything else? In this class, we discover the deeper meaning and relevance of salt, and the best investment you can make, which is all learned fr...

LECH LECHA My Sister My Bride One may wonder why in the episode of Avram’s and Sarai’s conversation at the border of Mitzrayim. How does Avram permit himself to abandon Sarai to the mercy of the depraved Egyptians?  How can he worry about saving his own skin, while doing nothing about saving his wife from being abducted and violated? Why is the path to salvation by claiming that she is Avram’...

NOACH Is Torah Antithetical to Science? This week we read in the Torah the story of the generation who tried to build the Tower and rebel against G-d. What was their motive? Why were they punished they to be spread around the world?  What can we learn form this story? Were they modern day scientists? How do we reconcile Torah & Science? Are they antithetical to one another?

Yom Kippur We Are Not Individuals  Why were the last two commandments given to the Jewish people, the Mitzvah of Hakhel and writing a Torah?  Why do we confess n Yom Kippur for sins we may have not even committed? and why would we say for the sins WE have committed?  Judaism gives a shared responsibility for one another, we are not individuals, but are part of a collective whole imp...

ROSH HASHANA Getting the Heavenly Court on Your Side What is the best way to be sure the ultimate judge is on your side and inscribes you in the book of Life? How are we so sure? Can we even ask? Isn't that a perversion of justice? Learn Four Tips To Ensure You're Inscribed In the Book of Life.

KI TAVO Reframing Our Perspective When approaching challenges, how do we overcome them and learn to appreciate them. Gleaning from the Torah as Moshe wars the Jews of the Curses that might befall them for their lack of enthusiasm in observance of the Mitzvos.  Why the threatening nature of the curses? Why not use a more positive tone? Why is this read very soon before Rosh Hashana? 

KI TEITZEI Renewing Your Relationship How do we keep excited about our relationships? How do we continue to have a passion to love? How do we assure our relationships don't become stale and old? Our relationship with G-d is in constant need to be invigorated and renewed. This month, the month of Elul is that month of introspection and commitment to help reinvigorate our relationship with the Creat...

SHOFITM - ELUL TRIGGER CONTROL As Moshe tells the Jews to "appoint Judges and enforcement officers in all your gates" Who was he talking to? What does that really mean? Why is it always read at the beginning of Elul? In Moshe's message, he's giving us guidance on how to properly prepare for the High Holidays preceding the month of Elul. How to safeguard and protect ourselves from our own caused pi...

REEAH Seeing the Entire Picture At times we have a narrow vision and don't allow ourselves to view further than what is in front of us. We are tempted by the here and now, and are attracted to the shimmering glamour of materialism. Moshe this week, gives us the Jewish people, the gift to see beyond the temptation and allow ourselves to see the motivation.   See the blessings in what may seem...

EIKEV THE BEST PROTECTION As we read in this and last week's Torah reading the Mitzva of Mezuza. Our sages extoll the virtue of a Mezuza of it being used as protection for the dwellers in the home. In many cases, people have used Mezuzot for protection and security in a variety of areas. In this class, we learn the deeper meaning and its application of the Mitzvah of Mezuzah.

VAESCHANAN - NACHAMU The Ultimate Optimist  As we read the Haftorah this week, Isaiah comforts the Jewish people after the destruction of the Holy Temple. Similarly, Rabbi Akiva comforts the Sages after seeing horrific scenes of the destruction of the Second Holy Temple. They both used a double terminology of Comfort, Why? How can one even attempt to comfort or console such terrible atrocitie...

DEVARIM The Right Way To Rebuke A valuable lesson in the less-than-enviable task of telling people things they likely won’t want to hear. We will see how an apparently counterintuitive decision of Moshe Rabeinu, holds deep wisdom for us today.

MATOT- MASEI The Journey is the Destination In life we may at times come to experience a decline in enthusiasm, and passion; we start getting sluggish and dull. The counterintuitive solution the Torah offers, is not to coddle ourselves and gently lift ourselves up, rather, the Torah advises to start radically. Do the most uncomfortable thing first, and immediately push yourself out of that pleasan...

PINCHUS Who is Elijah the Prophet? As we read in the Torah episode of Pinchus, our sages tell us Pinchus and Elijah are synonymous with one another and the same person. Elijah we are told lives for eternity, why would Pinchus merit this great gift? And why would Elijah be the one to answer the unanswered debates in the Talmud? As we explore their mysterious lives, we come to a better understanding...

BALAK Exploring the dichotomy of evil prophet Billam.  How can one have the ability to be a prophet on par with Moses, and at the same time so decadent and low? Billam is not only a personality in the Torah of a story that occurred over 3000 years. It is a contemporary reality that we are all challenged by, the integration of theology, philosophy, and ideas into practicing those ideas and int...

CHUKAS You Are Precisely Where You Need To Be Why Moshe didn’t enter Eretz Yisroel In this class, we will uncover important life lessons about embracing our circumstances and not seeking to evade them. G-d who issued a decree by which Moshe will not merit to enter the land. The person who had led the nation through plagues, rebellion, sea-splitting miracles, the giving of the Torah at Har Sinai –...

Lesson 6 Beyond Presumption of Innocence While a presumption of innocence can protect defendants from liability, it is not quite a declaration of uprightness. Jewish law goes so far as to presume every person’s core goodness. See how this view can lead us to a truly upright world.

KORACH Is being jealous a bad thing? Korach is often referred to as the epitome of what's wrong with being jealous. If he was that evil, why would there be a parsha named for him? In this class we learn the positive impact of being jealous, and what we can learn from Korach.

Shelach Is it Courage or Recklessness? What comes to mind when you think of courage? Bravery? We will probe the various dimensions of courage, and draw an important distinction between who appears to overcome fear, and where a reasonable level of fear is ignored when it should’ve been reckoned with. We will discover that there is a third type of courage, which takes fear head-on and is designed at...

BAHALOTECHA How do you know, when someone "really" means it? As the Jewish people are about to celebrate Passover, a group of people complains about missing out. G-d then gives them a second chance. Why is there a chance? and why was this mitzvah the paradigm of a second chance? When someone is in trouble, what sign will tell you they need real help?  How does G-d know we meant it?

Lesson 4 Beyond Personal Freedom With 613 commandments in the Torah and myriad rules expounded in the Talmud, can Judaism ever be called “liberating”? Let’s delve into the Exodus, the covenant, and the ways in which laws can lead to the purest human freedom.

Lesson 3 Beyond Taking Offense You may feel a moral urge to speak up against an offensive action. But might you have a legal responsibility to deter someone from certain behaviors? Judaism says: Yes. In this lesson, we discuss why and when.

BAMIDBAR - Shavuot There is no one like YOU. Finding a meaning in life, can be complex. As we glean from contrasting King David and King Saul. We see how each and every one of us is created with a divine plan, mission and purpose, that no one like it was ever created before. It's our task to stay on course, and use our G-d given talents to complete the mission.