The Parshah On Fire

151

Va'eschanan - When Spirituality Gets Physical

Aug 15, 2024

7:48

Jew's fascination with medicine has been true for thousands of years. In the year 1500 half the doctors in the entire continent of Europe were Jewish. Over Ten Popes had Jewish Doctors. Even the notorious and vicious anti-Semites Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain had a Jewish Doctor. Why is this? What led to the Jew's attachment to medicine? The answer might surprise you.

152

Devarim - The Strange Centrality of Leadership

Aug 6, 2024

16:35

One would think that the very first topic Moshe discusses in his historic farewell speech would be a foundational one. One that applies to the entire Jewish people. One that galvanizes every individual to remain spiritually robust while in their new land. Yet Moshe talks about Judges and Leaders being fair and patient. Why did he start with that? Why start with something that applies to less than one percent of the Jewish populace? The answer might surprise you.

153

MATOS-MASEI WAR, STUN GUNS AND THE JEWISH APPROACH TO MERCY

Jul 31, 2024

22:46

From the Great Flood to the firey destruction of the city of Sodom to the killing of Shechem to the eradication of Amalek, Canaan and Midyan, the Torah seems to take a very militant approach to dealing with sinners. Arent we the people of the book not the people of the sword? How do we explain the Torahs surprising attachment to violence and the promotion of it? The answer might surprise you.

154

Balak - THE MOST POWERFUL FORCE ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH

Jul 18, 2024

12:26

The Gemara tells us that Balak merited having a granddaughter named Rus due to the small prayer he prayed to Hashem to help destroy the Jewish people. The obvious question is how in the world does that make any sense?

155

Chukas. Fighter pilots and the springs of life

Jul 10, 2024

13:32

What meaning can we take out if the Red heifer, the most mystical thing in Judaism?

156

Korach - The Don’t Mess Policy

Jul 4, 2024

13:29

Why was Korach’s punishment far more severe than any of the other complainers in the desert?

157

Shlach - Holiness and Hollywood

Jun 27, 2024

11:26

What exactly was so bad about what the spies did ? You might be surprised.

158

BeHaalosecha - Visas, Cucumbers and the Goodness of Faith

Jun 19, 2024

17:01

Arguably the hardest of all the halachos is the requirement to thank Hashem equally for the bad as one does for the good. The question is how is that even possible? This Parshah has the answer. And it might just surprise you.

159

Nasso : The Great Gender Mystery

Jun 14, 2024

9:50

Why do some things in Judaism go after men and some after women? The answer might surprise you .

160

Bamidbar - Stars, Stripes, and a Pat of Butter

Jun 7, 2024

11:13

Judaism places great emphasis on unity. So why do we have twelve separate tribes all with different flags and banners and logos? Isn’t that divisive and tribal? Doesn’t that fly in the face of unity ? The answer might surprise you.

161

Bechukosai - Spiritual Rocket Fuel

May 30, 2024

13:07

How are we able to survive when virtually every other religion over the course of time eventually pestered out? The answer might surprise you .

162

Lag Ba’Omer on Fire

May 26, 2024

17:38

Everybody knows why we celebrate Lag Ba’Omer. But do we really? You might be surprised.

163

VLK 15 - What’s so special about the Jew down the block?

May 22, 2024

8:17

Why does proximity play a role in the order of who we love?

164

Behar- The Other Side of Wall Street

May 21, 2024

8:15

What is so bad with Ribbis-interest that the Torah forbids it so vehemently?

165

Emor - Excuse Me Where is the Handicap Spot?

May 15, 2024

9:16

The Torah prides itself in its care and concern for the downtrodden and often overlooked members of society. So it’s fairly odd that the Torah categorically denies any handicapped people from working in the Bais Hamikdash. Why is this? The answer might surprise you.

166

VLK 15 - Ahavas Yisrael on Fire - Who Cares About Pairs ?

May 14, 2024

6:38

When describing the Talmidim of Reb Akiva who died the Gemara says they were a set of 12,000. Why doesn’t it just say they were 24,000?

167

VLK - Ahavas Yisrael on Fire - Sefira and Jewish History With a Birds Eye View

May 12, 2024

12:27

What was so bad with the behavior of Reb Akiva's Talmidim that warranted the mass death of 24,000 people? The answer might surprise you.

168

Kedoshim - The Freest Man on the Face of the Earth

May 10, 2024

8:17

Every Friday night we sing the song Aishes Chayil, an ode to the women in our homes. Why Precisely then do we sing it? Why not after Havdalah or on Rosh Chodesh or on their birthday? What is it about Shabbos that propells us to sing Aishes Chayil? The answer might inspire you.

169

VLK - 11 - Ahavas Yisrael on Fire - Emotional Balancing acts

May 7, 2024

4:49

VLK is arguably the most emotionally nuanced Mitzva in the Torah.

170

VLK- 10 - Ahavas Yisrael on Fire - Commanded to Hate?

May 6, 2024

6:26

Did you know that you might have a Mitzva to hate certain people?

171

Acharei Mos - The Aharon Effect

May 2, 2024

13:45

All 410 years of the first Bais Hamikdash were credited to Aharon. Why? What was it about him specifically? The answer might surprise you.

172

Metzora/Shabbos Hagadol - The Subtle Art of Loving the Sinner and Hating the Sin

Apr 18, 2024

7:49

A burst of inspiration for Shabbos Hagadol Parshas Metzora

173

VLK - 9 - Ahavas Yisrael on Fire - The Mother of Sin

Apr 14, 2024

4:46

Statistically speaking there might be one sin you do more than any other. It would then behoove all of us to try to trample it before it tramples us.

174

Tazria - Gossip and Bars of Soap

Apr 10, 2024

15:56

No sin in the entire Torah is given as much attention as the sin of Loshon Hara/gossip. It is the proverbial mother of all sins. The King of Iniquities. The question is why? Why is it so bad? How did it climb the mountain of sin and plant itself on the top? The answer might surprise you.

175

VLK 8 - Ahavas Yisrael on Fire - Lessons from a Blind Man

Apr 5, 2024

4:05

I once sat down next to a blind man at a café and I asked him if there is anything he is grateful for due to his blindness. What he told me might surprise you.

176

VLK - 7 - Ahavas Yisrael on Fire- Liking People We Don't Like

Mar 27, 2024

5:34

VLK is not a commandment to like the people we like. Its a commandment to like the people we don't.

177

VLK - 6 The Mantra of Judaism

Mar 25, 2024

4:23

Virtually every single Tefilla we say ends off with asking Hashem for peace

178

Vayikra - The Speed Dial Effect

Mar 20, 2024

7:32

Every single time Hashem spoke to Moshe he would first call out to him with a "Vayikra". Yet the Torah only mentions it in three places. Why? The answer might inspire you.

179

Vayakel- The Lion Ability

Mar 8, 2024

11:02

How did these simple Jews in the desert learn the skills required to build the Mishkan; an extremely intricate and sophisticated building? Weren't these Jews mere slaves in Egypt for hundreds of years? From where did they get the architectural know how to build this complicated building? The answer might surprise you!

180

VLK - Ahavas Yisrael on Fire - 4

Feb 28, 2024

4:02

Much like the rest of nature, man is immensely selfish. We spend almost 96% of our brainpower thinking about ourselves. That being the case, how is it possible to love someone the same way you love yourself? The answer might surprise you.

181

Ki Sisa- The Righteous by Association Sin

Feb 28, 2024

9:25

How could the Jews, who just prior witnessed God split a Sea and then talk to them from atop a mountain, possibly bow down to a golden calf? What in the world were they thinking? And why did they choose a calf of all animals to serve? Why not something a little more powerful? Like a polar bear or a Komodo dragon? Why a calf? The answer might surprise you.

182

Re'eh- Holy Binoculars

Aug 7, 2023

14:16

The Torah in its abundant concern for the poor in our society put in place many Mitzvos ensuring we give parts of our crop to the needy. Whats strange is one of those agricultural Mitzvos is Maaser Sheni which commands us to take our crop to the city of Yerushalayim and simply eat it there. We dont give anything to the poor. We didn't sing any song. We didn't chant any spiritual chant. We just showed up, ate and returned. What was the point of this Mitzvah? What are we accomplishing? The answer might surprise you.

183

Ekev - Godly Goodness

Aug 3, 2023

15:58

There is an Amoraic Statement that seems bizzarre. It is "man doesn't sin unless a wave of stupidity overcomes him" (Sotah 3a). Whats strange is that this doesn't seem to be the case. Don't most people sin because they are tempted by it? Gossiping about a competitor isn't stupid. It might be mean and selfish but it's not stupid? So what does the Gemara mean? The answer might surprise you.

184

Pinchos - The Most Mysterious Man in the History of the World

Jul 5, 2023

18:15

Pinchos stuck up for the Jewish people by killing Zimri amidst his adulteries actions. Whats strange is how he was rewarded. Pinchos became Eliyahu Hanavi, a man who has never died and is still alive today helping Jews worldwide in distress. Why did Pinchos merit this reward? Why was he chosen of all the holy people in our history to be our immortal savior? The answer might surprise you.

185

Balak - Prayer and the Quantification of Quality

Jun 28, 2023

12:26

Balak was one of the worst men the Jews every encountered. He wanted nothing more than the deaths of every one of us, man women and child, and wouldnt rest until he succeeded. So why was he rewarded with having a grandchild named Dovid Hamelech? Why did God reward this evil man with having the greatest king in our history be his decendant? The asnwer might surprise you.

186

Korach - The Don't Mess Policy

Jun 22, 2023

13:29

There have been many sinners in the Jewish people's time in the desert. All were punished. Some were killed. But none recieved a punishment anyware close to the bizarre phenomenon that swalloed Korach whole. Why is that? What was so different about Korach that propelled God to decree that a normal punishmant would not suffice? The answer might surprise you.

187

Shelach - Holiness and Hollywood

Jun 14, 2023

11:26

The sin of the Twelve Spies had more negative ramifications than any other sin in the entire Torah. It wiped out the entire generation. It prolonged the building of the Beis Hamikdash for hundreds of years. It gave birth to what is now called Tisha B'av; the saddest day of the Jewish year. The question is what was so bad about what the Twelve Tribes did? How do their actions explain the amount of pain and bloodshed that they brought about? The answer might surprise you.

188

Behaalosecha Visas, Cucumbers and the Goodness of Faith

Jun 7, 2023

17:01

The Torah demands us to thank Hashem for the bad in our lives with the same amount of appreciation and love as we would thank Hashem for the good. How are we possibly able to pull that off? How is a man who just broke his collar bone supposed to thank God with the same degree of love as he would thank Him the night he married off his youngest daughter? This Parshah contains the answer and it might surprise you.

189

Nasso - The Great Gender Mystery

Jun 1, 2023

9:50

Why is it that certain times in Judaism we go after one's mother while other times we go after one's father. One's tribe, one's name, one's inheritance goes after one's father. One's Jewishness and one's firstborn status goes after the mother. Is there a rhyme and reason or is it merely arbitrary? The answer might surpirse you.

190

Bamidbar Stars, Flags and a Pat of Butter

May 18, 2023

11:13

Unity is a tremendously foundational concept in Judaism. So isn't it odd that the Torah seems to divide us into twelve very distinct tribes each with different flags with different colors with different emblems and different logos? Doesn't that fly in the face of unity? The answer might inspire you.

191

Bechukosai - Spiritual Rocket Fuel

May 11, 2023

13:07

Our nation has been through a lot. Wars, crusades, pogroms, exile, holocausts, expulsions. You name it, we've gone through it. With what energy did we use to forge ahead? Where did we get the strength to keep on keeping on? The answer might surprise you. To listen ad free and help spread THE PARSHAH ON FIRE subscribe at this link https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/hillel-eisenberg/subscribe

192

Kedoshim The Freest Man on the Face of the Earth

May 4, 2023

8:17

Every Friday night we sing the song Aishes Chayil, an ode to the women in our homes. Why Precisely then do we sing it? Why not after Havdalah or on Rosh Chodesh or on their birthday? What is it about Shabbos that propells us to sing Aishes Chayil? The answer might inspire you.