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Judaism From Within

Author: Rabbi Simi Lerner

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A tribute to the legacy of Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch

Why This Title? It was his motto ’sich selbst begreifendes Ju dentum ’, Judaism understood from within, a term that encapsulates Rav Hirsch’s approach of diving into the essence of Judaism, viewing it through its inherent structures rather than through external lenses.

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236 Episodes
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Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch's on marriage
Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch's vision of Setting Up a Home  We explore the timeless call to raise families, sustain the Jewish people, and secure the moral mission to humanity rooted in the practical wisdom of financial stability and the spiritual weight of home.
Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch vision of Teshuvah What if repentance isn’t about apologising to God but confronting yourself? In this episode, we explore Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch’s vision of Teshuvah as radical self-honesty: confession not as ritual, but as recognition of your own capacity to change. And what if sin itself isn't a flaw in the system, but a feature essential to human freedom, moral struggle, and divine purpose? Join us as we reframe failure, not as shameful, but as the starting point of meaning.
Rav Hirsch, Horeb, Mitzvah 78 – Rabbinic Authority As we explore in this episode, Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch understood ancient legal authority not as personal influence, but as the outgrowth of a divinely mandated structure  a system rooted in Sinai that gives form to our mission in life. Drawing on his analysis, we reflect on the nature of our own rabbinic influences. I examine its relevance to the idea of a personal rabbi not merely someone wise or kind, but someone embedded in a structure, someone who submits to a higher halachic authority. As Rav Hirsch points out, the Sanhedrin held legitimate power only when seated in the Chamber of Hewn Stone, and the Kohen could serve only while wearing his sacred garments. True Torah leadership is not about charisma, but continuity. Without submission to something beyond the self, we risk mistaking personality for Torah.
Horeb – Mitzvah #77 - Intermarriage -  Why Judaism Isn’t Racist, and What Makes a Marriage Sacred In this episode, we tackle a common misconception: that Judaism's opposition to intermarriage is rooted in ethnic exclusivity. Drawing from the insights of Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch’s Horeb, we explore how Judaism views identity through ethical and moral responsibility. We contrast the universalism of the Church with salvation through the institution, with Judaism's ethical universalism, which upholds that anyone can find favor through just and moral living. We also examine how love in Judaism is not an end in itself, but a foundation that matures into shared mission, where man and woman unite not just emotionally, but toward a higher purpose.
Horeb – Mitzvah #76: Your Moral Environment - Snared by Influence (and what is חֵרֶם)
Mitzvah #75 – תלמוד תורה Learning as Calling in Rav Hirsch's Horeb Exploring Rav Hirsch’s vision of study as transformation and mission.
Mitzvah #74 – מפני שיבה תקום Age, Wisdom & Virtue: AI and the Illusion of Insight How do we honor the ripened wisdom of age in an age of instant answers? This episode explores the mitzvah of “מפני שיבה תקום” through the lens of Rav Hirsch and the digital age—contrasting earned maturity with artificial knowledge. As AI offers the illusion of depth without the work of becoming, we reflect on what it means to truly grow into virtue, not just simulate it.
Rav Hirsch Mitzvah #28 Pesach - Haggadah Imbue The Spirit & Flood Their Minds
Mitzvah #73 - כבוד אב ואם - Honor Thy Father and Mother: A Bridge to Transcendence In Gratitude to My Own Parents, Who Showed Me the Path   Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch on the rational of Jewish law
Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch Mitzvah as Love: The Jewish Religious Consciousness in Action Mitzvah is more than obligation—it is love made real. In this episode, we explore how Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch sees mitzvah as the embodied expression of divine love, shaping not just our actions but our very consciousness. What does it mean to approach God through mitzvot? And how does this uniquely Jewish religious consciousness redefine love itself? 
Mitzvah #71 -  Following The Many - The Heuristics of Experience, Law and Faith 
in this weeks discussion, we offer a powerful tool in ones approach the torah and a general Jewish world view by shifting your approach of the Oral Law (his Copernican revolution. At the same time, we bring out a profound moral principle from the first law in this weeks parasha 
In this week's discussion, we take the decalogue the 10 commandments something that's often looked at as separate ideas, But we show with the lens of repairs how it represents, symbolises a unified inseparable whole.      Rav Hirsch On The Weekly Parasha
this week disentangle the concept of trust in God, what do we mean? we also show how the two aspects of the symbol of Shabbos play out this priciple.
Rav Hirsch’s insight into vowels reveals a profound truth about the power of speech—the very tool that can create, uplift,can destroy. In this episode, we explore how language embodies both the highest potential for good and the gravest danger for harm. Why is speech the ultimate Chuk? And what does this teach us about our responsibility in wielding words?
this week's parsha Bo, in this week's discussion we take a look at the oral law, something that is often considered a little bit arbitrary and we show how these minor details not only validate the meaning of Biblical symbolism and its meaning but enrich it. our topic the Moon   Rav Hirsch On The Weekly Parasha
Why is it so vital the Torah calls to our attention Moses and he very humanness? and how does this give us beautiful parallel to the Prayer Book (Siddur)   Rav Hirsch On The Weekly Parasha    
In this episode, we explore Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch's profound insights on modesty, framed through the metaphor of the soul as the master and the body as the emissary. Drawing inspiration from Iain McGilchrist's concept, we delve into how Rav Hirsch envisions the harmonious relationship between soul and body, each knowing its role in living out a life of Mission.
Shemot - Forgotten Humanism Of the Modern World We generally speaking look at culture as progressing forward but at times this is not the case two messages from this weeks Parasha give lights to this principle, From the lens of Rav Samson Raphel Hirsch
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