Parsha with Rabbi David Bibi

This week’s class in Chayei Sarah isn’t about Avraham or Rivkah. It’s about the man nobody looks at. Eliezer — called “cursed” by Noach, rejected by Avraham, overshadowed at every turn — is sent on the most sacred mission of the generation: find Yitzhak’s wife. And on that journey, something unbelievable happens. He doesn’t just succeed. He transforms. From cursed to blessed.From servant to saint.From outsider… to one who enters Gan Eden alive. What changed?One test. One insult. One moment of humility that opened heaven. Join me as we uncover the secret of how a person can rise — not because life was easy, but because he refused to give up. This is not just Eliezer’s story.It’s the blueprint for ours. 

What does it mean to pay full price for something that matters? Avraham didn’t just bury Sarah. He planted the first permanent stake of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel. This episode reveals: The strategy behind the negotiation, The Midrashic secrets behind Ephron, And why walking away can sometimes be the holiest decision.  

By special request, I’m reposting this class on the Akeidah — recorded back in 2020. This version presents a different approach to the Akeyda: a deeper and more midrashic look at what really happened on Har HaMoriah. Many people have asked for it again, and here it is — unchanged. This class explores a bold Midrashic theme: that at the Akeidah, Yitzchak experiences a form of death and resurrection. Drawing from four Midrashic sources, the shiur shows how Chazal describe Yitzchak’s soul leaving him as the knife reaches his neck and returning when the angel calls out. From this moment, Yitzchak himself declares the blessing “Baruch… Mechayeh HaMeitim.”  For another presentation, you can scroll back in your podcasts toNovember 2024, where I delivered another version of the same class at the Safra synagogue. This class works for Vayera and Chaye Sara and if you would like the notes, please let me know.

Three dusty travelers. One laugh. One missed “Amen.”  Discover how Sarah’s reaction in Parashat VaYera teaches us never to underestimate who Hashem chooses to deliver your blessing.   

 He challenged Heaven.  He passed the Akeidah.  And he walked home as if nothing happened.     This week’s episode reveals the power of staying grounded— in success and in struggle.  Avraham Avinu teaches us the secret: Greatness doesn’tneed applause.     

The Voice That Opens Heaven — Your Own Avraham’s first prayer in the Torah wasn’t a prayer at all — it was an argument. In this class, we explore why Hashem wants your words, not perfect words. And we’ll see what happens when people finally speak to Him… directly.

 PerehAdam - The Final Exile and the Battle that Ends History  Last Friday, just after sunrise minyan at theKotel, I was talking with friends when one of the guys from New York spotted meand gave me a huge hug proclaiming loudly, “Rabbi Bibi, one of my favoriterabbis, they miss you in Miami.”   At that moment, a soldier with his machine gun observingwalked over: “Are you Bibi from New York — the one involved with the helmetsand vests?”  Before I could answer, someone else said, “Yes,that’s him.”  The soldier gave me a long hug.No words. Just a hug.  Those moments at the Kotel are hard to explain— the raw mixture of danger, holiness, exhaustion, and gratitude.  As I walked toward the plaza to record a class,a young man from America approached me.  “Rabbi… what exile are we in right now?”“I know Egypt, Babylonia, Greece, Rome… but what is this?”  I immediately thought of something my rabbi, RabbiAsher Abittan זצ״ל, taught me over twenty-five years ago.  He said: “The four exiles listed by Daniel arenot the end of history.The Mekubalim speak of a fifth exile — the exile of Yishma’el.”  Unlike the previous exiles — symbolized by animals— this one is represented by a person.  A dangerous person.  A wild human. “Ve-hu yih’yeh pereh adam” “He will be awild man.”  Rabbi Abittan added: “When a wild animalrealizes it is cornered — it becomes the most dangerous.” That is what weare witnessing.  Ma’aseh Avot, Siman Labanim - The actions ofthe fathers shape the destiny of the children.  The Midrash teaches that when Avraham walkedinto Eretz Canaan, every step left a spiritual imprint.History follows those footprints.  Rabbenu Beḥaye (Bereshit 21) writes: “There isno nation that hates Israel more than the children of Yishma’el.”  How did that hatred begin?  1. S̱arah afflicts Hagar וַתְּעַנֶּהָשָׂרַי — “Sarai afflicted her.”  Ramban explains: S̱arah sinned in afflictingHagar, and Avraham erred by permitting it.Therefore, Hagar’s offspring will afflict S̱arah’s descendants.   Not revenge.Consequence.  Pain leaves a scar on history.  2. Avraham blesses Yishma’el  When Hashem promises Avraham a son throughS̱arah, Avraham responds: Lu Yishma’el yiḥyeh lefanekha — “Would thatYishma’el live before You.”Rav Eliyahu Svei זצ״ל, quoting Rav Mendel Kaplan זצ״ל, cites the Zohar: Avraham’swords gave Yishma’el spiritual power until the end of days.  3. The Brts Milah at age 13  The Zohar HaKadosh states: “Woe to the worldthat Yishma’el received Milah.”  Yes — he has a covenant. But it is incomplete —only skin deep.  Rabbi Frand explains: Our bris is on day eight— before ego, before identity, before pride.Theirs is chosen, not commanded.  Because of this partial holiness:   Yishma’el has temporary rights in Eretz Yisrael.  But not eternal ones.  We may say it this way:  Yishma’el holds a visa.Yitzḥak holds the deed.  The Gemara (Sanhedrin) describes a gentileacting with insane cruelty.  Rav Ashi comments: “This is not hatred. This ismadness.”  Rav Chaim Vital (Sha’ar HaPesukim) writes: “Theexile of Yishma’el is worse than all others because Yishma’el is called adam— a human — yet behaves like a wild animal.”  He cites Tehillim 124:2: “Lulei Hashem… bekumaleinu adam.” “If not for Hashem… when a man rose against us.” Rav ChaimVital says: That “adam” is Yishma’el — the pereh adam.  The other exiles — described in Daniel — areanimals:   Lion — Babylonia  Bear — Persia  Leopard — Greece  Terrifying beast — Rome/Edom     But Yishma’el?  A human with the instincts of a wild beast.  Animals do not:   Strap bombs to themselves.  Use their own children as shields.  Livestream murder.  That is פֶּרֶא אָדָם.  Rabbi Abittan זצ״ל told us: “When the wildanimal senses the end — that is when it becomes the most violent.”  In the year 2000, something historic happened.  Pope John Paul II visited Jerusalem. From theKotel plaza, in front of the world, he called the Jewish people: “Our olderbrothers.”  Rabbi Abittan said: “That was the moment theexile of Edom began to end.”  Soon after — during the High Holidays of 2000 —the Intifada exploded. The era of Yishma’el began.  Not political.Not territorial.  Biblical.  Almost 2000 years ago, Midrash PirkeideRabbi Eliezer tells us: Avraham visits Yishma’el’s home.Yishma’el’s wife gives him water contaminated with worms — kindness used ascruelty.  Avraham tells Yishma’el: “Change the thresholdof your house.” (Meaning: change your home — or change your destiny.)  The Midrash concludes: “In the end of days, thechildren of Yishma’el will rule the land for a time, to provoke Israel toreturn to their Father in Heaven.”  In other words: Their rise is designed to wakeus up.  The Zohar (II:32a) adds: Yishma’el has britmilah — but not the brit of day eight. Therefore, his rule is temporary.  Yishma’el rises…   not to win,  but to reveal,  to expose,  to force us back to Hashem.  The end of Yishma’el is not when they fall — It’swhen we wake up.           We Are Seeing Today   Suicide bombers  Human shields  Killing children for “honor”  That is not politics.  That is exactly what the Torah predicted: פֶּרֶאאָדָם — a wild man. Even the Hebrew teaches this. In Hebrew grammar, thenoun comes first:  פֶּרֶא אָדָםPereh adam — “animal-human,”not adam pereh — “human-animal.”  The animal is primary.The humanity is secondary — buried.  And yet, the verse continues: “Al penei koleḥav yishkon” “He will dwell opposite all his brothers.”  Opposite.Never together.Never permanent.  Rome/Edom collapses when the world admits weare the older brother.   Yishma’el collapses when we remember Who ourFather is.  They cry, “Allahu akbar.”We answer, “Shema Yisrael…”  And the world will know the difference.  Rav Chaim Vital said: “If not for Hashem, theywould swallow us alive.” (Tehillim 124)  If we cling to Hashem — no פֶּרֶא אָדָם cantouch us.  History is not happening to us.  History is happening for us.**  We are not watching the world fall apart.  We are watching it fall into place.  I believe — deeply —  We are the last generation of Galutand the first generation of Geulah.  Shabbat Shalom.  David Bibi         

 A lion’s roar in the ark.  A wound that never healed.  And a truth that echoes at the Kotel today — More than wedo for the poor, they do for us.  This week’s class, “Noaḥ and the Lion,” explores thehidden power of kindness that sustains the world, through Midrash, Zohar, andtimeless lessons for our own lives.     

Reflections for Rosh Ḥodesh Ḥeshvan / Parashat Noaḥ   Two words — ḥatufim and ḥamas — define our times.  Join us for a powerful journey from Parashat Noaḥ to today’s headlines, revealing how the Torah foresaw the moral collapse of a world that takes instead of gives — and how we can rebuild it through compassion, truth, and giving back.   Sources • Genesis 6:11; 21:1 • Deuteronomy 25:13–19 • Exodus 21:16 • Targum Onkelos ad loc. • Bereshit Rabbah 12:8 • Rashi to Deuteronomy 25:15 • Rabbi Pinchas Winston, Parashat Noaḥ, 2025

Two creations: form—and then life. We revisit Bereshit andsuggest, with classic sources, that Torah and tefillah keep the ḥuqqot ofheaven and earth in motion. If you want a no-nonsense take on how your siddursustains the world, this one’s for you  Sources Cited 1. Bereshit 1:1; 2:5–7; 2:3 2. Rashi ad loc. 3. Bereshit Rabbah 10:9, 12:8 4. Tehillim 33:6, 9; 104:30; 115:16 5. Yirmeyahu 33:25 6. Devarim 8:3 7. Zohar II 161a 8. Nefesh Haḥayyim, Shaʿar Alef 2; Shaʿar Daled 

  “Whose Side Is God On? — The Tower That Never Fell”     From Gaza to Babel — from protest lines to prayer lines —everyone thinks Heaven agrees with them.  This week’s class, “Whose Side Is G-d On?”, exposes thespiritual blindness that turns faith into fiction — and the miracles we misswhen we stop looking up.  

 Why did Hashem choose ravens — the most unlikely of birds— to feed Eliyahu the prophet? In today’s class, we attempt to uncover thesecret connection between the raven, the ketoret, and the soul of every Jew.     

When the sky darkened and the first raindrops fell, Noaḥ hesitated at the door of the תֵּבָה. Centuries later, Mosheh faced the same test — and changed history. This is the story of faith, humility, and Hashem’s confidence in you.

 The world feelsupside down.  Peacetreaties signed, yet war rages.  Terroristscelebrated, truth silenced, and Israel blamed again.  Butwhat if this chaos was predicted not by pundits, but by Shlomo HaMelekh himself?  Joinus as we explore”From the Time of War to the Time of Peace” as examine wordsattributed to the Vilna Gaon and his prophetic insight into the calendar ofhistory showing why this year, 5786, may mark the dawn of the Et Shalom.       

Podcast Description: In this powerful post–holiday class, we explore the question that lingers after the shofar’s echo fades: What now? Through the stories of Kayin and Hevel, Noaḥ, and the teachings of the Ba‘al Shem Ṭov and the Lubavitcher Rebbe, he reveals that the true work of teshuvah begins when the inspiration ends — when we stop blaming others and take ownership of our lives. “הַדָּבָר תָּלוּי בִּי – The matter rests with me” becomes a call to action: to carry the holiness of the Yamim Nora’im into the ordinary days ahead, turning awareness into daily renewal.

Tonight, all of Israel waits breathlessly. On הוֹשַׁעְנָא רַבָּה — the night of sweetening judgment — hearts tremble and lips whisper the same plea: that our brothers and sisters be returned, that harsh decrees melt into mercy. In this special lecture from אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, delivered exactly two years after the tragedy that began on שְׁמִינִי עֲצֶרֶת תשפ״ד, Rabbi David draws us into the mystery of the five willow strikes — the five final letters of the Hebrew alphabet — and how each one transforms divine judgment into compassion. Join us for The Five Strikes of Mercy — Sweetening Judgment on the Soft Earth — a journey from sorrow to renewal, from the closed gates of exile to the dawn of redemption

What do two identical goats — one brought to the Holy ofHolies, the other cast into the wilderness — reveal about the deepest secret ofteshuvah?  Join us to discover how Yom Kippur teaches us to climbfrom fear to love, and even transform sins into merits.   LeZecher Nishmat my grandfather who passed away as we entered Yom Kippur, David Gindi HaKohen Ben Sarina and his great great grandson, Shimon Chai Ben Moriyah Bracha Devora 

 36 Hours Before Rosh HaShanah - The King is here. Hashem is knocking. Don’t miss the moment. Join us for “The Elevator Up – Answering the Knock Before the Gates Close.”    Let me share a story that Rabbi Elimelech Biderman bringsdown, one that hits straight to the heart.     The Krasna Rav tells a story which brings these words ofRashi alive.     There was a boy in Bnei Brak losing his eyesight. Hiscondition was deteriorating rapidly. The best doctors in Israel shook theirheads: nothing more we can do.     

Why do the Righteous suffer and the Wicked prosper - from Moshe’s glimpse of the tefillin’s knot to Rabbi Akiva’s vision of the crown — and discover how to enter Rosh HaShanah seeing every decree as הטוב והמטיב. Based on Rav Pinchas Friedman, The Shvilei Pinchas .... As we mention, this is a re-recording of the Seuda Shelishi Class - A dear friend who attended the class wrote and I am humbled by his words: I want to tell you how truly grateful I am. You are not just my rabbi — you are my David. The Devar Torah you gave on tefillin wiped me out; I had no idea about the concept of the strap of chesed and It pains me that I wasn’t taught this long long ago. It’s a real loss that so many yeshivot don’t teach students the deep, inner meaning of tefillin. Thank you for opening my eyes and my heart.  רצון שתמשיך להאיר את דרכנו בתורתך הקדושה בכבוד רב ובתודה גדולה