Torah On My Mind with Rabbi Yosef Marcus

Noach 2: The Cosmic Mikvah

How to overcome the flood of thoughts that threaten to douse the fire of our love for G-d?
Enter the Ark -- the words of Torah and prayer. In this way the waters of the flood uplift the Ark and serve as a purification and refinement.

Noach Part 1: The Flood is Coming

Breishit 1: The Willy Wonka Tree

• G-d wanted the tree to taste like its fruit but the earth had other plans. Why?
• The inner significance of the fire we light after Shabbat
• The first Shabbat guests
• Why day three is double the goodness 
• Three explanations why the Torah starts with a Bet not an Alef

 

Beware: Strange Things Happen in the Sukkah

Not unlike the haunted shack at Knott's Berry Farm, certain rules of nature, as well as a certain legal norm, go bye bye when you enter the Sukkah.

This longer than usual farbrengen/class takes us on a deep dive into the legal and mystical enigmas of the Sukkah. 

Bonus: The deeper meaning of the Sukkot jugglers and how "juggling" is the secret to living the ideal life. 

Ki Tavo 1: An Attitude of Gratitude

Ki Teitzei 3

Re'eh 1: Have a Look See

The parsha begins with the directive: look! Pay attention, and choose what is good. We learn about the mitzvah to destroy idolatry and not to destroy that which is Divine. But why would we have to be instructed about such a thing? Rabbi Yishmael offers a novel understanding of the verse.

Eikev 6: Don't Let Go of the Wheel

f you swerve out of your lane, just straighten the wheel, get back in your lane, and keep going. No need to give up the reins entirely. Yet when we make other mistakes, we are sometimes inclined to just throw in the towel. In today's parsha, Moses tells the people that if they play it right (observe the mitzvot with love and excitement), things will be awesome materially. The risk there is that once they're living large they may forget their Creator. They would then be exiled to foreign lands. Nevertheless, even in exile, keep doing the mitzvot -- tefillin, mezuzah, educating the young. Keep driving, and in the end, we will return to continue observing the mitzvot in the Land promised to our forefathers.

Eikev 5: Hashem Still Believes in You

Despite our failures, G-d has not given up on us. His compassion and affection is still strong. Tap into your inner Moses, stay strong, and keep trucking.

"Guest" appearance: 8th Day's "Little bit of Moses in Me".

Eikev 4: When Religion Becomes Detached from G-d

Moses recalls the writing of the second tablets, the ark he was commanded to make for it, which was different from the ark of the Tabernacle. It was the former that was taken out to war, except in the days of Eli, when the latter was taken out during a war with the Philistines. This was a big mistake and the Philistines captured the ark -- a lesson in making sure religion doesn't become detached from G-d.