Claim OwnershipDeeper Look At The Parsha
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In the late 1990s Rabbi Dunner presented his own daily 2-hour radio show on London’s multiethnic station, Spectrum Radio. Tens of thousands of listeners – Jews and non-Jews alike – tuned in every day to hear Rabbi Dunner’s take on current events. In 2011 Rabbi Dunner relocated to the US and became the senior Rabbi at Beverly Hills Synagogue.
Weekly the Rabbi holds a parsha shiur that delves deeper into the Parsha of the week.
Weekly the Rabbi holds a parsha shiur that delves deeper into the Parsha of the week.
606 Episodes
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A visit to Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Museum prompts a painful moral reckoning. Using Parshat Bo as his anchor, Rabbi Dunner examines whether decisive, devastating force is sometimes necessary to end evil. Drawing on Ramban, the Maharal, and Hiroshima itself, he challenges modern discomfort with the horrors of war—and the unsettling truth that ending evil can require unbearable, irreversible decisions, guided by moral clarity.
Why did the Exodus begin at midnight, not dawn? Drawing on Talmud, Maharal, Chassidut, Rav Kook, and the Izhbitzer, Rabbi Dunner explores how Judaism understands transformation: that the deepest changes occur in darkness, before clarity, certainty, or visible redemption — and what this teaches us about faith, growth, and living through uncertain times today.
As Iran’s leaders double down on repression, the echoes from history are chilling. From Napoleon to Hitler, and Pharaoh at the beginning of Sefer Shemot, dictators consistently overestimate their power even as it erodes—until reality inevitably breaks through. Rabbi Dunner examines why tyranny so often escalates just before collapse, and how the Torah anticipated this dynamic thousands of years ago.
In 1940, a Japanese diplomat in Lithuania quietly chose conscience over career, saving lives he would never know. From Chiune Sugihara to the midwives of Egypt, Rabbi Dunner explores how small acts of courage by ordinary people set redemption in motion — long before heroes emerge, miracles unfold, or history reveals what those choices ultimately become.
Why do grandparents relate so differently to their grandchildren? Modern neuroscience, Chassidic thought, and Rabbi Jonathan Sacks converge on an ancient insight. In Parshat Vayechi, Yaakov blesses his grandchildren before his sons, teaching that Jewish continuity is not secured by survival alone, but by transmitting meaning, identity, and purpose across generations.
As life nears its end, clarity replaces illusion. From Beethoven and Jefferson to Steve Jobs and Isaac Newton, history shows how perspective sharpens with mortality. Parshat Vayechi captures this truth in Jacob’s final words to his sons, reminding us that legacy is not curated in real time, but revealed only when the dots of a life finally connect.
Written over two thousand years apart, the first-ever novel - written by a Japanese courtier - and the Torah’s story of Joseph converge on the same unsettling question: how should power be used? Drawing on The Tale of Genji and Parshat Vayigash, Rabbi Dunner explores influence beneath the throne, the danger of unchecked authority, and why true leadership is revealed not by domination, but by restraint.
When experts fail, it is rarely for lack of information. From the Great Storm of 1987 in England, to the 2008 financial crash, and recently Israel’s intelligence failure before October 7th, warning signs were present but misread. What makes Joseph succeed where others fail? Rabbi Dunner unravels the mystery of Joseph’s interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams—and his uncanny ability to see the wood for the trees.
Power reveals character. From Joseph’s restraint at the height of global authority to the Chashmonaim’s uneasy legacy, Rabbi Dunner explores how Judaism measures leadership once power is achieved. Why did Chazal let the Hasmonean victories fade, but still preserve Chanukah? And what does Parshat Miketz teach us about responsibility, restraint, and the moral test of power in Jewish history today?
History is filled with great people dismissed as useless dreamers, only for their brilliance to be recognized later. From Lincoln to Semmelweis, John Snow to Ada Lovelace, and even Joseph in Parshat Vayeishev, we repeatedly misjudge visionaries because of our own biases. Rabbi Dunner explores how and why genius is so often hidden in plain sight — and so easily ignored.
In Parshat Vayishlach, Yaakov embraces diplomacy eith Esav while Shimon and Levi choose confrontation with Shechem. What determines the difference? Rabbi Dunner explores the Torah’s two models for responding to danger, and how these ancient principles illuminate Israel’s dilemmas today — from the Abraham Accords to October 7th. When do we make peace, and when must we wage war?
AI panic is everywhere—politicians, philosophers, and tech theorists warn that machines may soon outthink or even replace us. But a strange nighttime encounter in Parshat Vayishlach offers a radically different lens. From Jacob’s mysterious struggle emerges a timeless truth about confronting overwhelming forces, giving us a powerful lesson about the challenges of confronting AI.
The latest Ukrainian corruption scandal shows how moral collapse hides in the smallest details — a theme Rabbi Dunner sees echoed in Parshat Vayeitzei. Jacob’s true greatness appears not on a ladder to heaven but in the messy arena of daily life. Rabbi Dunner’s late father always insisted that Vayeitzei was “the most important parsha.” He may have been right.
A mysterious prophecy, a violent struggle in the womb, and two utterly different sons set the stage for one of the Torah’s most profound lessons in Toldot. Rivkah must interpret God’s words, confront human complexity, and choose courage amid uncertainty. Rabbi Dunner explores destiny, free will, and the lifelong battle between the “twins” within each of us.
Rabbi Dunner cites the bizarre Victorian saga known as the Tichborne Case — when a mother’s devotion blinded her to an obvious imposter posing as her son — to draw a striking parallel to Parshat Toldot. Why does Isaac fall for Jacob’s disguise, and what makes this deception fundamentally different? Rabbi Dunner explores how love can obscure truth, yet divine purpose can emerge from confusion, revealing destiny beneath a disguise.
Few revolutions shouted louder about equality, or practiced it more selectively, than the French Revolution. Rabbi Dunner explores the hypocrisy behind Robespierre’s so-called “equality” and contrasts it with the genuine partnership of Abraham and Sarah, who modeled true moral equality millennia before France began shouting about liberté, égalité, and fraternité.
Rabbi Dunner marks the fifth yahrzeit of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks by reflecting on one of Rabbi Sacks’ most moving teachings — that creation, covenant, and love all depend on words. Through the story of Isaac and Rebecca in Chayei Sarah and Toldot, he explores how even holy silence can wound, and why communication — honest, vulnerable speech — is sacred.
In 1946, Howard Hughes’s experimental plane crashed with a fiery explosion into a Beverly Hills home — a modern parable of hubris. Rabbi Dunner compares Hughes’s refusal to yield to limits with the moral failure of Sodom in Parshat Vayera — and contrasts both with Abraham’s enduring humility and greatness.
We live in an age obsessed with movement — new jobs, new cities, constant reinvention. But Lech Lecha teaches that the greatest journey isn’t across continents but into ourselves. Avraham traveled far, but his true destination was his own soul. Before chasing fulfillment elsewhere, pause — the treasure you’re searching for may already be much closer than you think.
When Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition turned to disaster, his courage and leadership became legend. But 4,000 years earlier, another man faced the same kind of test — not on the ice, but in a land struck by famine. Abraham’s response in Parshat Lech Lecha revealed that true faith isn’t built in comfort. It’s forged when the unexpected shatters our plans.
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