Claim OwnershipThe Spirit of the Torah
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© Rabbi Daniel Raphael Silverstein
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Spiritual insights and related practical exercises arising from the Hebrew calendar or weekly Torah portion.
Hosted by Rabbi Daniel Raphael Silverstein, founder of Applied Jewish Spirituality (AJS).
13 Episodes
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CHANUKAH SAMEACH! HAPPY CHANUKAH!Here are the sources referred to in this week's episode:The start of the parsha:https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.41?lang=bi&aliyot=0The brothers fear that Joseph and his descendants will lead the Jewish People to idolatry:https://www.sefaria.org/Bereshit_Rabbah.84.14?lang=biBrothers departed from brotherhood and sought religious / legal pretexts against Joseph, to justify killing him:https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.37.17?lang=bi&with=Rashi&lang...
We've arrived at one of the best stories ever written, about Joseph and his brothers, and our mystics have a lot to say about the power of stories...Here are the sources referred to in this episode:Vayeshev: https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.37.3?lang=bi&aliyot=0Kabbalah teaches that the "real" Torah is actually the Infinite Name of the Infinite Creator.Just as the infinite, eternal Torah (which is beyond narrative) was "condensed down" into stories about our ancestors, so too it must be re...
In this week's episode on Toldot, we explore how the Ba'al Shem Tov and his students took the long-running rivalry and dualism of Jacob and Esau and offered a refreshingly optimistic and holistic perspective on apparent opposites such as good and evil, body and soul.The teaching shows the development from the classical Kabbalah of the Zohar to the new interpretation of Kabbalah pioneered by the early Chasidic masters, and has profound implications for how we today address our highly polarized...
Happy Moon! Chodesh Tov! In this week's episode we'll explore Jacob's dream of the ladder, which is an absolute centerpiece of Jewish spirituality.Below are some of the life lessons we can learn from it, according to our spiritual teachers.Start of the parsha: https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.28.10-32.3?lang=bi&aliyot=0When we unify ourselves with the "lowest level of existence" then our consciousness can expand infinitely: https://www.sefaria.org/Toldot_Yaakov_Yosef%2C_Vayetzei.17?vhe=Eic...
In this episode, we explore a foundational idea in Kabbalah. The Sefirot (qualities, emanations or characteristics) of the Divine which make up the Tree of Life are said to correspond to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. How do we see this in the Torah, and through the commentaries of the Ba'al Shem Tov and his students?Here's the parsha: https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.25.19?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=enFirstly, we learn from the Patriarchs that everyone has to find their own unique path of Divi...
In this episode, we'll be exploring Reb Noson / Rav Natan of Breslov's Chasidic interpretations of the Torah, Kabbalah and Midrash, centered on this week's Torah portion. Here are the sources referred to in this episode:Opening of the parsha with Rashi:https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.23.1?lang=bi&aliyot=0&p2=Rashi_on_Genesis.23.1&lang2=biWe need to constantly begin anew, seeing ourselves as if we have not even yet begun our journeys, constantly adding sanctity and vitality each an...
Reb Noson / Rav Natan of Breslov's Chasidic interpretations of the Torah, Kabbalah and Midrash are deeply resonant for me at the moment, and also providing so much guidance that translates into actual practice in our daily lives.Here are the sources referred to in this episode:The amazing teaching from Reb Noson's masterpiece, Likutei Halachot, that this week's entire episode is based on, which says that eating is our ultimate spiritual practice, and which ties together all the sources below:...
Kabbalah teaches that our lives are a quest. How do we keep going in the right direction, one step at a time? Here are the sources referred to in this episode:The Infinite one tells Avram to "go forth" or "go to yourself" or "go for your own benefit" - https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.12.1?lang=bi&with=Rashi&lang2=enAlso Rashi (on "the land that I will show you"): Hashem didn't tell Avram where he was going, in order to make the place more beloved to him."The Land of Israel" (both the ...
Rashi, the great French medieval commentator on the Torah, comments on the opening of our weekly Torah portion in a very provocative manner. Through bringing multiple perspectives on the righteousness of Noach, he challenges us to consider: What does it mean to be a righteous person (Tzadik)?Here are the sources referred to in this episode:The Torah calls Noach a Tzadik (Righteous Person).How is that discerned?Is it innate, or is it relative to one's context?https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.6....
On Simchat Torah, we conclude our year-long reading of the entire Torah, and then immediately begin it once again. What is the kabbalistic meaning of this endless circle of Torah?Here are the sources referred to in this episode:When we've learned the entire Torah, then we understand that we actually don't know anything at all. https://www.sefaria.org/Me'or_Einayim%2C_Bereshit.48?vhe=Me%27or_Einayim_--_OYW&lang=biCreation could not endure unless Compassion (Rachamim, aka Emet and Ti...
Welcome to The Spirit of the Torah from Applied Jewish Spirituality (AJS).In every episode, Rabbi Daniel Raphael Silverstein explores insights arising from the Hebrew calendar or our weekly Torah portion, and related practices that can help us to effect positive change in our lives.In this episode, we explore the spiritual meaning of the beautiful festival of Sukkot and its emphasis on joyful, embodied, earth-based practices.Here are the sources referred to in this episode:The embrace or hug ...
Welcome to The Spirit of the Torah from Applied Jewish Spirituality (AJS). In every episode, Rabbi Daniel Raphael Silverstein explores insights arising from the Hebrew calendar or weekly Torah portion, and related practices that can help us to effect positive change in our lives. Yom Kippur is our holy of holies, and its central theme is forgiveness. Our sages teach that the day itself can erase our past mistakes, if we harness its unique power. This episode about Yom Kippur explo...
Welcome to The Spirit of the Torah from Applied Jewish Spirituality (AJS). In every episode, Rabbi Daniel Raphael Silverstein explores insights arising from the Hebrew calendar or weekly Torah portion, and related practices that can help us to effect positive change in our lives. Rosh Hashanah, our new year festival, has a lot to teach us about beginning, and our relationship with our own future self. In this, our first episode, we will explore how the story of Joseph is intrin...
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