Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchFaith and Fear (5:6)
Fear of God and Faith in God are both laudable qualities worthy of great people. Both, of course, are mitzvos as well. Which one is loftier? At first glance, fear of God can only be built upon an edi…
Published on 4 weeks ago
Miracles at the Sea (5:5)
Ten is a very significant number in Jewish numerology and philosophy. The previous teachings in this chapter revolve around tens and the present Mishnah teaches that the Exodus was marked by a series…
Published on 4 weeks, 2 days ago
Spiritual Epigenetics (5:4)
The story of our forefather Abraham is told in great detail in the Torah. We read about his challenges and triumphs, travails, and travels. The Mishnah calculates that Abraham underwent ten distinct …
Published on 1 month ago
Greedy When Others are Fearful (5:2-3)
Ten generations elapsed both from Adam to Noah and from Noah to Abraham. The trend over those generations was away from God and into idolatry. At the end of each of these groups of ten generations ca…
Published on 1 month ago
Nuclear Football (5:1)
How important are we? Do we even matter? What difference does it make if I live of die? What difference can one person make in the grand scope of existence? These are tough existential questions that…
Published on 1 month ago
Life, Afterlife, and Judgment (4:29)
What happens after we die? That is a question that fascinates and terrifies us. The future is unknown. It is a mystery, shrouded in uncertainty and dread. Naturally, the human tendency is to try to a…
Published on 1 month, 1 week ago
Envy, Lust, and Honor (4:28)
This Mishnah is perhaps the most famous one in the entire Book of Pirkei Avos. We are told that there are three characteristics that remove a person from the world: Envy, Lust, and Honor. What is not…
Published on 1 month, 1 week ago
Aged Wisdom (4:26-7)
How do children learn? How does intelligence and wisdom develop? How do people undergo intellectual and spiritual maturation? In this very powerful set of Mishnayos, we learn why young people why you…
Published on 1 month, 1 week ago
Etched in Stone (4:25)
Elisha Ben Avuyah was one of the greatest Sages with the potential to being a historic legend of Jewish history on par with Rabbi Akiva and his colleagues. But he went awry. He became a heretic and a…
Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago
Benediction Malediction (4:24)
Shmuel HaKattan was one of the legends of Jewish history. The Talmud testifies on him that had his generation been worthy, he would have been a full-fledged prophet. Notwithstanding his generation, S…
Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago