Rabbi David Kaplan – Shares about the weekly Parsha (Shemos) including when Moshe Rabbeinu at the burning bush which teaches us today on how to be flexible on our approach to life if new information comes along that can cause us to change directions for the better. My take on reality up until this point may have been in error.
Rabbi David Kaplan – Shares how the sons of Joseph (Manaseh and Ephraim) actions teach us the proper brotherly love without the need for jealousy and also how as parents we go to where our kids are at instead of insisting they come to we are. Acceptance of our kids path being unique to them instead of an extension of our own creates the space for healthy spiritual and mental growth.
Rabbi David Kaplan – Shares some lessons of this week’s Torah reading including: The best ways to be an example for children and others and how to honor the elderly like fine wine that improves with age.
Rabbi David Kaplan – Shares some lessons of this week’s upcoming Torah reading including: So many “bad” events happened to Joseph during the reading but in the end Hashem had him elevated to be King of Egypt to save the Jewish people. This teaches us that the journey may not look good while we are in it but the final result in Hashem’s plan which is wholly good for both us personally, the Jewish people, and the World at large.
Rabbi David Kaplan – Shares some lessons we can learn from this week’s Torah portion (Vayeitzei) including specifically about how to act as a Baal Teshuva around others by not overdoing it and speaking in code. Instead, to just act like a normal human being (aka being a mensch). Too often, newly religious create argument and arose too much attention by forcefully showing others how religious they are. Most things are best left unsaid and improvement within without bragging. Many of these lessons are derived from how our Forefather, Yaakov Avinu, carried himself in this parasha and throughout his life.
Rabbi David Kaplan – Shares some lessons we can learn from this week’s upcoming Torah portion (Toldos) including, the difference between Eisav (Ish Sade – man of the field) versus Yaakov (Ish Tam – simple man). The Ish Sade means the field has no boundaries and means anything goes while Ish Tam means the tent has boundaries and means restrictions implying self control. This shows the difference between a Non-Jew (Eisav) and Jew (Yaakov). Furthermore, Eisav came in tired from the field after hunting – which further implies not just him but all people who deal with the World at large (working, playing) – also come in tired and drink their lunch (like Eisav drank the bean soup).
Rabbi David Kaplan – Shares a major life lesson towards the end of the video that we learn not to look back at how it once was but to look forward – an important lesson for doing teshuva.
Rabbi David Kaplan – Shares about this week’s upcoming Torah reading on Shabbat. The Rabbi explains what Lech Lecha means – 1. To move signifying how Jews during our history are always on the move in exile. 2. Lech (lich luch) means dirt – that Jews should always move away from dirt of the secular life we are surrounded by. 3. Lech – that Jews should constantly grow in our observance, grow on in our relationship with Hashem.
Rabbi David Kaplan – Shares in the two videos for this week’s upcoming Torah reading (Ki Savo). This Torah portion has so many elements of deep interest and has a blueprint for proper behavior and midot (character traits). Talking the talk is not Judaism – it’s taking what we learned into action to service others and fix the (broken) World.