Shabbat Shalom from Shmuel!

Shabbat shalom. This week we read the portion of Naso. There is something in this portion that is sure to be familiar: the priestly blessing! In modern Israel this blessing is said by priests over the people and said by fathers over their families on erev Shabbat. There is a different protocol for the blessing when it is said inside Israel and when it is said outside of Israel. The most basic expl...

Shabbat Shalom! This week we begin the portion and book of Bamidbar (“In the desert”, also known as the book of Numbers). Why did the children of Israel receive the Torah in the desert of all places? The desert is often a lawless place, a wild west with untamed residents. The Torah provides stability and order and reminds one that obedience matters, even in the desert. Click here to watch on YouTu...

Portion Behokatai lays out blessings and rewards and curses and punishments. Shmuel shares a story about the Sanz Rebbe, a famous rabbi whose family perished in the Holocaust. The Sanz Rebbe had experience with curses and darkness, but he had great insight into blessings and the coming redemption of the Land of Israel.

Shabbat shalom! This week Shmuel shares from portion Behar while wrapping up his trip to Franklin, Tennessee where he attended the Israel Summit. This week’s portion opens with the commands for the Shemitah, the agricultural sabbatical year. After six years of planting and harvesting, one is commanded to allow the land a year's rest. To understand this unusual commandment, Shmuel dives into a “sec...

Portion Emor gives a puzzling command to the priests among the Children of Israel: they are not to approach or touch a dead body. In answer to this command, Shmuel shares two vastly different perspectives on death. Death plays an important role, as this week’s Torah portion coincides with Israel’s Memorial Day, Independence Day, and the memorial for Shmuel’s late father. Amid death, memory, and Em...

Shabbat Shalom! This week’s torah portion Kedoshim opens with a powerful statement: Be holy as I am holy. But what is holiness? How can a person connect to a holy God? Shmuel dives into the wisdom found in this portion- and reveals that holiness may be closer than one might think. Click here to watch on YouTube.

This week’s Torah portion is Achrei Mot, which means “after the death”. This portion begins after the death of Aaron’s sons and continues into the laws for priests during Yom Kippur. Shmuel dives into casting lots, the Day of Judgement, and finding a place for good and evil. Join him for another Torah portion from the Heartland of Israel! Click here to watch on YouTube.

Shabbat Shalom! This week we're sharing an Orthodox Jewish commentary on the traditional reading of Song of Songs during Passover with Sondra Oster Baras.

This week’s Torah portion, Mezora talks about disease! But what exactly is this disease, often translated as “leprosy”? It is clearly not leprosy, or Hansen’s disease that is easily treated in the modern age. Biblical leprosy is not a physical disease, but a reflection of a person’s soul! Join Shmuel for a discussion on Tacitus, leprosy, Passover, and the unity of the Jewish people. Click here to...

This week we read portion Tazria, but Shmuel is already looking ahead to next week’s portion, Mezora which deals with the topic of leprosy. Could leprosy be a tool to help the affected person? How did watering plastic plants inspire an Israeli entrepreneur? Shmuel unravels it all in this week’s podcast. Click here to watch on YouTube.

In this week’s podcast Shmuel discusses the foundation for the laws of kosher food, as well as his personal adventures of keeping kosher as a world traveler. Why does kosher matter? Why is a snake forbidden but a goat acceptable? From rabbinic opinions to wild chickens, Shmuel shares new insights to portion Shmini. Click here to watch on YouTube.

Portion Tzav describes the sacrifices performed in the Tabernacle. Shmuel connects this portion to Psalm 107, A psalm of thanksgiving. This Psalm is essentially “…recognition of the fact that God is good”. Thankfulness, matzah, and sacrifice all come together in this episode of Shabbat Shalom with Shmuel! Click here to watch on YouTube.

This week’s Torah portion Vayikra opens the book of Leviticus. This portion emphasizes the importance of remembering Amalek, the enemy of the children of Israel. The book of Leviticus lays out a blueprint of the tabernacle and its services. This is an odd change from the stories of Genesis and Exodus. Could there be a connection between Amalek and Tabernacle? Tune in to Shabbat Shalom with Shmuel...

The book of Shemot (Exodus) ends with portion Pikudei. In this portion, the Shekhinah - the Divine Presence, finally arrives at long last. Why did it take so long? The Divine Presence only joins the Children of Israel after they built the Tabernacle and prepared themselves. Join Shmuel as he explains portion Pikudei and learn how to invite the Divine Presence into your own life. Click here to watc...

Portion Vayakhel discusses coming together. This principle has led to community life becoming a firm foundation for the Jewish people. Join Shmuel as he discusses bowling leagues, social capital, and the importance of community. Click here to watch on YouTube.

Let’s talk about Shabbat! Did you know that the building of the Tabernacle influenced the laws of Shabbat?  It’s true! There are 39 prohibited acts of work on the Sabbath and many of these laws came from the instructions to build the Tabernacle. God created for six days then rested on the seventh, setting an example that is followed even today. Join Shmuel for portion Ki Tisa and learn how to...

Welcome to the ordinary days of life around the tabernacle. This portion conveys the importance of consistency. Serving G-d, maintaining relationships or developing a new habit all must be built on a foundation of consistency. Join Shmuel to learn about the daily sacrifices in the Tabernacle, true love and consistency.  Click here to watch on YouTube.

“And you will be a tabernacle for me, and I will dwell among you…” In Portion Trumah the Children of Israel begin to assemble articles for the tabernacle. The individual donations gave each person a personal connection to the tabernacle.  But who needs the tabernacle the most? And what does this portion have to do with Ikea furniture? Join Shmuel for all the answers in Portion Trumah! Click h...

After the adventures of Genesis and the highs of Mt Sinai, portion Mishpatim leads us to lists of detailed, often boring laws. Why is this? Why does the Torah jump from the exciting to the mundane? Life, like some Torah portions has moments of inspiration and beauty. But life is often boring and Torah portions like Mishpatim teach us how to thrive when life is mundane. Join Shmuel for some interes...

In Portion Yitro the Children of Israel meet a nation who will haunt them for centuries: Amalek. Israel had no resources, land, or prior acquaintance with Amalek. Yet Amalek hated Israel, their God and all that was good. Conversely, Jethro, a foreigner. chose to follow the God of Israel and embraced what was good. This portion sets life and death before us all. Join Shmuel for Portion Yitro! Click...

Portion Beshalach asks the question: Where do we go from here? As Israel grapples with this week’s tragic loss of 21 soldiers, many find themselves asking the same question. Shmuel finds an answer in the wisdom of Torah and in insight from his young daughter. Join Shmuel for an answer, assurance, and portion Beshalach! Click here to watch on YouTube.

Shmuel opens with a story about Alfred Nobel, the dynamite inventing chemist who left his fortune for the betterment of humanity, and in doing so changed his own legacy. In Parsha Bo Moshe is faced with plagues and impending departure from Egypt. However, he is concerned about the story that will be told to subsequent generations of the Children of Israel. What legacy developed and why is it impor...

Did the staff of Aaron turn into an alligator? Why did the staff turn into an animal anyway? This event sent a message to Pharaoh that echoes today. Join Shmuel for the 10 plagues, the snake and the staff and more Torah inspiration! Click to watch on YouTube.

We start a new book this week! Shemot means “names” and the names of the people of Israel have as much significance as the names of the stars. The children of Israel were a nation of slaves, yet their names were still important to G-d who heard their cry. Join Shmuel for this week’s Torah portion! Click here to watch on YouTube.

Portion Vayechi is the last portion in the book of Genesis. It is also Shmuel’s 40th birthday this week! Shmuel digs into his bar mitzvah portion reflecting on the famed Zionist Max Nordau, the burial place of Rachel and three important words from Jeremiah. Join Shmuel for portion Vayechi!