Explore every episode of the podcast Parsha- SoulWords

We often think of raising children in terms of disciplining them and reining them in. But what about teaching them to be a little bit wild once in a while? Is there a place for that as well? A profound lesson in education is taught to us at the very beginning of human history as […]

A piece of essential advice for Jewish parents is hidden in the first Rashi of the Torah portion of Noach. We need to tell our children stories, especially stories of the righteous men and women throughout our history. Based on Likkutei Sichos Vol. 9 pp. xiv-xv.

"And to his father [Yosef] sent... from the best of Egypt." Says Rashi: "This is old wine." Why did Yosef specifically send his father old wine after twenty-two years of no contact? We know you can be nostalgic for the past but can you be nostalgic for the future as well? Find out how there […]

Before his passing, Yaakov asks his son, Yosef, to bury him in Chevron although he did not do the same for Yosef's mother, Rachel. Yaakov then proceeds to explain his reasons to Yosef, as Rashi says, "I know that your heart is troubled with me about that." But why was Yosef troubled? Did he doubt […]

What is the most important idea to know in Judaism? The name of the second book of the Five Books of Moses is known as Shmos in Hebrew, meaning "names." How is "names" a fitting title for a book about how the Jewish people descended into and left Egypt? Based on Likkutei Sichos vol. 6, […]

Hashem told Moshe to deliver his messages to Pharaoh in Hebrew, a language that Pharaoh did not even understand. Why was this? And what surprising lesson can we learn from this about effective communication? How is this skill also useful in dealing with our own ego when it refuses to listen to reason? Based on […]

Which takes precedence in Torah—the person or the group? Does Judaism promote an individualist society or a collectivist society? For an understanding of the true nature of Jewish identity, we look at the first mitzvah performed by the Jewish people while still in Egypt, the Pesach offering. Based on Michtav Klali Pesach 5739 reprinted in […]

How do you deal with people and situations that leave a bitter taste in your mouth? Find out by analyzing a strange story that takes place in this week's Torah reading about the bitter waters at Marah. Why does Midrash say that the waters became bitter only after the Jews arrived? Why did the waters […]

Why does it say that the Jewish people were doing their laundry before the revelation at Sinai? And what does this teach us about the proper relationship between the shepherds of the Jewish people and their flock? Based on Hayom Yom, 5 Sivan.

This week's portion is the source for the idea that we should seek medical treatment when in need of healing. But if Torah says we should go to doctors, why does the Talmud say: "the best of doctors are bound for purgatory? Clearly this does not mean what it seems to. We need to also […]

Why is this name of this portion "Terumah" (lit. "donation") when the main point of the portion is what the donations were used for—namely the construction of the Sanctuary? To understand this, we examine the unique transformational effect of giving. Based on Likkutei Sichos vol. 21, pp. 146-155.

According to a sketch made by the Rambam, the decorative goblets on the Menorah were upside down. How can we understand this when the halacha is that all items in the Sanctuary need to be right side up? The answer requires us to turn some of our assumptions on their head. Based on Likkutei Sichos […]

1. How do you become popular without selling out? How do you appeal to the masses without diluting your message? We learn a powerful lesson in reaching out to others while remaining authentic to ourselves from the transformation of Avram the genius into Avraham the man of the people. (Based on Likkutei Sichos Vol. 25, […]

Why were the Ten Commandments given on two tablets? What does this teach us about the equal importance of the "do's" and the "dont's" of Judaism? We look at the often overlooked importance of the things that we don't do, offering the great Jewish baseball player Sandy Koufax as a prime example. Based on Hisva’aduyos […]

This week's Torah portion contains the prohibition against kindling a fire on Shabbos. What does this teach us about the role of spiritual inspiration in Jewish life? Based on Sicha of 22 Shvat, Sefer HaSichos 5749 vol. 1, pp. 225-237.

What does it really mean to make a sacrifice? What is true selflessness? In addition to the regular animal and flour offerings brought to the Holy Temple, people could also volunteer to donate wood to be used as fuel on the altar. These "wood offerings" give us insight into what selflessness really means. Based on […]

What does it mean to be truly alive? Based on one understanding of the laws of the thanksgiving offering, the greatest life is actually when life is challenged, disrupted, and threatened. Based on Hisva'aduyos 5745 vol. 4, pp. 2520-2526.

When should we expect Moshiach to arrive? What should be the basis of our faith in his arrival? An answer can be found in this week's portion where we read about the prohibition against a kohen drinking wine before entering the Holy Temple. According to the Rambam, this prohibition stands today, which means that Moshiach […]

Before Moshiach’s coming, says the Talmud, “all governments will turn to heresy. ”Why should wholesale moral degradation be a sign of imminent redemption? The Talmud explains by citing a counterintuitive law from this week’s Torah reading: “He has turned completely white; he is pure," meaning that if one's whole body turns the color of the […]

The Kohen Gadol's special clothing on Yom Kippur was never used again, even on a future Yom Kippur. What does this teach us about the “mechanics” of atonement. How can a person “undo” his past? To understand this, we must come to a better understanding of what the Rambam writes that a true penitent is […]

The mitzvah of orlah, not eating the fruit of a tree for the first three years has an element which is difficult to understand. For the first three years, the fruit is forbidden; in the fourth year, it is holy; finally, in the fifth year and after, it is spiritually neutral. Why is the ultimate […]

In the parsha of Emor, we learn about many rules of kohanim including that their slaves can eat terumah. Since we don't give terumah to kohanim today and we don't have slaves, what can we possibly learn from this? According to our Sages, eating without a blessing is like misappropriating consecrated property. How is it […]

The mitzvah of the sabbatical year allows the land to rest and replenish itself every seven years. Lest one be concerned, "What will we eat in the seventh year" the Torah tells us that "the sixth year will give three years' worth of bounty." But if the land is so depleted in the sixth year […]

Undoubtedly, one of the most dramatic events in all of the Bible is the Akeida (binding of Yitzchak as a sacrifice.) Yet after this climactic event, this week's portion continues with five more verses of a seemingly technical nature. What is the reason for this seemingly anticlimactic conclusion? Based on Toras Menachem 5749 Vol 1, […]

The Torah portion of Bamidbar is always read before Shavuos. What is the connection between this portion whose name means "in the desert" and the holiday of receiving the Torah? Based on Likkutei Sichos vol. 8, pp. 236-9.

This week's portion contains the mitzvah to confess one's sins before G-d. As the Rambam writes in his Sefer HaMitzvos, "We were commanded to confess our sins before G-d when we repent." Interestingly, though, the Rambam does not count repentance itself as a mitzvah. What does it mean that teshuvah is not a mitzvah? Based […]

Why did G-d prevent the entire nation from tasting garlic and other flavors in the manna just because this would damage nursing mothers? What lesson does this teach us about the power of the individual? Based on Likkutei Sichos, vol. 33, pp. 76-77.

Why are the libation offerings discussed immediately after the debacle of the spies? Why did R' Yochanan say that anyone who says Shema without tefilin is like someone who brings a sacrifice without libations? What is the story of the Alter Rebbe's niggun "K'ayal"? How did it reach us? What is its meaning? Why does […]

After Korach's failed rebellion against the High Priesthood, the Torah delineates the division of labor between kohahim and levi'im. The name Levi means "attachment," specifically attachment to G-d. But the function of the Levi was to assist the Kohein and the Kohein was the one who actually performed the service. How do we understand this […]

In the Laws of the Red Heifer, Maimonides adds a few extra words that seem to be out of character. The Rebbe analyzes their significance as a powerful lesson to us about Jewish "trigger words." What words trigger you as a Jew? What words evoke an instant and intense reaction? Is Moshiach a trigger word […]

On the verse from Bilaam's prophecy "a ruler will come forth from Jacob," Rashi explains, "this is Moshiach who will 'rule from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth.'" What does it mean to "rule from sea to sea" in one's own life? What is "the river" and how […]

How does Moshe's handling of the case of Tzelafchad's daughters teach us about the dangers of partisanship and how it can cloud objective thinking? Based on a sicha from the 3rd Night of Sukkos, 5747, Hisva'aduyos pp. 209-211.

This week's reading tells us how the tribe of Reuven conquered land from the Emorites and renamed their cities. What is the connection between Reuven and the concept of renaming cities? And what is the connection between this episode and the Three Weeks? To answer these questions, we look at the transformative power of positive […]

The Baal Shem Tov taught that each and every one of us will go through forty-two stages in our lives corresponding to the forty-two travels of the Jews in the wilderness. Does this mean that our biography is already written? Is everything "pre-scripted"? Also, some of the incidents in the wilderness were disasters where our […]

Rashi tells us of the years of the life of Sarah: "They were all equally good." Knowing what we know about all of the ups and downs of Sarah's life, is it really possible to say that all of her years were equally good? The answer comes from a deeper consideration of what it really […]

We look at two perspectives on Jewish identity. What is the difference between being Jewish "in spite of" and being Jewish "because of"? What is the difference between mourning and yearning? And why does Jewish identity, like a car, need to have both a "windshield" and a "rearview mirror"? Based on Shabbos Chazon, Tisha B'Av […]

In this week's portion we read: “You are the least of all the peoples." How can something so tiny be so powerful? At a Purim farbrengen, the Rebbe compared the power of the Jew to the power of the atom bomb. Based on Toras Menachem Vol. 2, pp. 313-319.

This week's Haftorah begins with the prophecy: "Nachamu, nachamu ami, comfort, comfort my people." Why the double expression of consolation? The answer can be found in the strange Talmudic story of R' Akiva laughing upon seeing foxes walk out of the ruins of the Temple. Based on Likkutei Sichos vol. 19, pp. 67-79.

What is the deeper spiritual meaning of the mitzvah to feed one's animals before oneself? The Rebbe unlocks a hidden message in a story from the Talmud (Pesachim 3b) about the wheat and barley harvests and reveals a central teaching about spiritual growth. Based on Sefer HaSichos 5750, pp. 277-280.

This week's parsha contains the prohibition against destroying even one stone of the Bais Hamikdash. How then, according to His own rules, did Hashem permit Himself to tear down the entire building, unleashing all the pain and tribulations of Exile that came with it? Based on Likkutei Sichos vol. 29, pp. 11-14.

Rashi comments on a verse in this week's portion that we should follow the rulings of Torah judges “even if the judge tells you that right is left, and that left is right." Does this mean that if reality is one way, and a rabbi makes a halachic decision the opposite way, the Torah wants […]

The month of Elul is described as a powerful time when G-d is accessible or "the king is in the field." How is this connected to the Torah portion of Ki Seitzei?

In this week's Torah portion, a word appears twice that has no exact parallel in Scripture: "he'emarta" and "he'emircha" in the verses "G-d has set you apart to be his nation" and "You have set G-d apart to be your L-rd." Rashi says that the only similar word in Scripture is in Psalms where it says "the sinners are proud (yisamru) of their sins." Why does […]

The Torah reading of Nitzavim always comes before Rosh Hashanah. How does its opening verse of "all of you are standing today... to pass into the covenant with G-d" teach us the secret for preparing for the New Year? And what's the difference between tolerance and interdependence? Based on Likkutei Sichos vol. 2, pp. 398-401.

Following the Song of Haazinu, it says that Moshe and Yehoshua taught the song together. Rashi explains that this was in order that the people should not later question the authority of Yeshoshua when he became Moshe's successor. Why was this important and why did most people misunderstand who Yehoshua was? Based on Likkutei Sichos […]

Rashi says that Yitzchak became blind from the smoke of the idolatrous incense of Eisav's wives. Why did the smoke not blind anyone else? We can begin to understand this by way of three stories: R' Nochum Chernobyler didn't see a non-kosher food item, the Lubavitcher Rebbe didn't see Bob Dylan, and a teenage boy […]

Our Sages say that Torah both begins and ends with an act of kindness. Is this only to teach us the importance of kindness or is there a deeper lesson? From a letter written during Aseres Yemei HaTeshuvah 5705, the Rebbe explains an amazing lesson for each of us in our own spiritual highs and […]

What do you do when it seems that even Hashem has given up on you? The question arises based on Rashi's commentary that the future Destruction of the First Temple was already hinted to in the Torah. We examine the paradigmatic story of Elisha ben Avuya seemingly being rejected from doing repentance. Based on Toras […]

When does Torah say that we need to be forced to give? What did the Lubavitcher Rebbe tell a philanthropist's wife about the secret of giving? What is the difference giving that is human and giving that is G-dly? Based on Likkutei Sichos vol. 17, pp. 255-66.

In this week's portion of Bechukosai, the Torah promises us: "And I will remove the wild beast from the land." The Midrash relates an argument between R' Yehudah and R' Shimon as to exactly what this will mean in the times of Moshiach. Will there no longer be wild beasts or will the wild beasts […]