Shelach Lekha

This is one of the more interesting Torah portions. Why is it that the theology in the Torah portion doesn't work and what is the fear that we all face when striving to make a difference? To quote Caleb, "Let us by all means go up, and shall gain possession of it, for we shall surely overcome it." What are we trying to overcome today?
Hagee's Apology

B'ha-alotkha 5768 - Dealing With the Riffraff

There is a great story from the Hasidic Anthology that when the Satan (the one envisioned by Jews) saw that Hasidim were so successful, the Satan became worried. What did he do? He sent some of his own followers to become Hasidim so that this movement of piety would not become so successful as to put the Satan out of business. How do we deal with the riffraff and the naysayers in our midst? What happens when part of that negativity is in ourselves? I hope you listen and discover one way to try and confront the difficult voices all of us must face in life.
Music you hear is from Magnatune and is available for download or purchase.

Naso 5768

How do we struggle with belief and proof?  What happens when God is not just a thought, but an angel of God shows up...could one possibly not believe after such an event?  According to the Haftara for Naso, it could happen.  The problem with belief is not confined to modern times, even in ancient days, people doubted God or God's messengers, even when these messengers appeared to them.  This brings us the story from Judges Chapter 13 where an angel appears and announces the birth of the Judge, Samson.  What might we learn from this story?  Listen and think.
Music on this podcast is available via CD or download from Magnatune.com and features the music of Suzanne Teng.

Bemidbar 5768

So where do the names of Torah portions and books come from and why don't they translate into the English? This and other questions will get some attention this week as we look at the first Torah portion of the fourth book of the Torah, in Hebrew, Bemidbar. Shavuah Tov!
Music you hear is by the group Ya Elah and the artist Suzanne Teng and can be found, ordered and downloaded from Magnatune.com.