The Rabbi Yonah Sklare Podcast

 Power need not be about lording over the people. True Jewish leadership is a loving responsibility to care for the vulnerable and needy.         

    We are concerned for the spiritual well-being of all humanity. In fact, we see their observance of the שבע מצוות בני נח - seven Noachide laws as a dimension of Torah.   

 Aharon’s role as Kohain Gadol— mending the rifts between Hashem and Klal Yisrael, is the basis for his role as peacemaker- mending the rifts between man and his fellow.    

 The ultimate response to the Korach’s who seek to undermine Rabbnic leadership is to showcase the moral standing of those authorities. Moshe’s high ethical standard makes his ‘’non-adhesive;’’ Korach’s scandalous claims simply cannot stick.     

 This shiur provocatively suggests that Korach’s dreams of grandeur were actually a virtue. He, and for that matter all of us, are supposed to dream big. Rather his mistake was that he did not pursue his own neshama’s aspirations and his own innate path for gadlus, but rather sought to usurp the roles of Moshe and Aharon. Only when we are true to ourselves can we achieve true gadlus-- a great...

 The differing perspectives of Shemaya and Avtalyon point to two different approaches to life-- passion and vision on one hand, and responsibility and discipline on the other. These two traits, chessed and gevurah, are both indispensable to success in life.    

    The pattern of this Mishnah following the previous Mishnayos, underscores a fundamental skepticism which our sages have of high political aspirations. True Jewish leadership is a burdensome responsibility, devoid of the vain lust for power.   

The metaphor of Eretz Yisroel as a mother is rich and multidimensional. As our homeland, Eretz Yisroel provides a sense of ‘’makom’’- the comfort of safe space, and the grounding influence characteristic of a human mother. We ‘’nurse’’ the land for sustenance, feeling the innate trust of a baby towards his mother.  

  This shiur studies the value of hard work and industriousness in Yidishkeit.   

    Every endeavor, even discipline, must come from love. This becomes apparent from the balance between ahava and yira which we find in these Mishnayos regarding a judge.   

  A judge should not be seen as rigid and tough-- policing the people and breathing down their neck in the name of law and order. To the contrary, he must personify humanity and love by standing up for the oppressed and vulnerable.     

    Yidishkeit embraces creativity and self-expression, but at the same time requires fidelity to mesorah. This need for balance goes to the very heart of Behalosicha, as will become from a cohesive, thematic treatment of our parsha.     

    When a child kicks and screams, a mother nurtures him with love and patience, but most of all her own equilibrium and self-confidence. She sets him at ease with the knowledge that while he is out of control, she is not. Strong and firmly behind the wheel, she steers him to safety, through the turbulent waters of his immature temper tantrum. She models the equanimity which every...

  Mitzvos demand so much of us, and it might seem natural to struggle with a feeling of burdensomeness. However, the meta-motif of our parsha conveys a vision of mitzvos which ennobles the individual and imbues him with a sense of personal greatness.   

    Mitzvos demand so much of us, and it might seem natural to struggle with a feeling of burdensomeness. However, the meta-motif of our parsha conveys a vision of mitzvos which ennobles the individual and imbues him with a sense of personal greatness.   

  Avos 1:6-7a: The Expanding Concentric Circles of Human Relationship   

 Torah observance is not enough. What we seek is spiritual refinement and elevated status of character.    

 The Mishnah injunction that one be wary of idle chatter with a woman is in fact a mandate to respect her. She is worthy of meaningful conversation and should not be demeaned as a subject for frivolity.   

  Relationship to others is based on restraint of self, to accommodate the other person. Some of that person’s idiosyncrasies will inevitably make you uncomfortable, but the accommodation is well worth it, to achieve the ultimate gift of human connection.  .    

 This shiur will trace how the most innate attribute of the Jewish home is shechina- the Divine presence. In this sense the home is itself a mishkan. Jewish family life is actually the supreme manifestation of the shechina, the mishkan is but a symbolic representation thereof.   

 The magic of Torah is how it serves as access route to the Divine through the physical, i.e. physical mitzvos and a human comprehensible storyline in the Chumash. Therein lies the great responsibility of Matan Torah, to spiral up to the heavens while remaining firmly tethered to the earth.    

  Humanism, culture, and character development. All these attributes are valuable, and even indispensable, but only as means to Matan Torah. While the first order in life is to be a mensch, menshlachkeit within itself rings hollow. Only Torah- our connection to the Divine- can infuse meaning into our existence.  

  The intimate bonds of household life infuse meaning into the life of the individual. Our families define who we are, and how we wish to perceive ourselves.  

  Two models of educational leadership: Loving Authority vs. Disclination, or in more contemporary terms-- Chassidishe Rebbe vs. Bad Cop Mashgiach. Can these two roles be filled by one leader, or do they require two different personas? We will discover how either can be true, depending on the period of Jewish history in which we find ourselves.        

  How do we teach—do we feed the student on a silver platter or leave them to discover the meaning of the teaching in their own terms? This shiur will trace the two approaches in variant settings of Jewish history.