Chapter 28 of Deuteronomy is arguably the most difficult portion in the Torah to read. Known as the Admonition, the chapter details the blessings that will be bestowed upon our nation when we adhere to the Laws of God. But it also has the curses that will befall our people in the event that we disobey the word of God and flout His Torah. The curses are bone chilling and blood curling, and unfortunately, not only academic. Over the course of our long and storied history, our Nation has experienced great highs unmatched by any other Nation, and lows of such frightening nature that they are unrivaled by any misery accounted for in the annals of human history. Every curse detailed in the Admonition has happened to our people at some point. When this section is read in the synagogues, it is read in an undertone and very rapidly. What will befall our people in such excruciating detail is highly unpleasant and something that many want to get over with quickly. In this Parsha podcast, we take the brave step of trying to study it properly, and specifically finding lessons and insights and perspectives that prove to be instructive and even insightful. We find the shimmering silver linings to the menacing and foreboding clouds. Some of the ideas may sound foreign and maybe even far-fetched, but we discover how learning even this part of the Torah can be elevating and edifying.

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