Podcast Episodes

Nocturnal Opportunities (3:5)

Rabbi Chananya ben Chakhinai says: One who stays awake at night, and one who wanders on a road alone, and turns his heart to idleness, behold he is liable with his life.

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Published on 7 years ago

Paging the Divine Presence (3:3-4)

In successive teachings, our Sages share with us a way to usher ourselves into the Presence of the Almighty. It really is that simple.

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Published on 7 years ago

Antidotes to Anarchy (3:2)

What would happen without a police force to maintain law and order? Is there any other way to prevent society from crumbling without police power? These are the questions we explore in the somewhat u…

Published on 7 years, 1 month ago

Avoiding Sin: The Authoritative Guide (3:1)

It is not often that our Sages offer us any kind of fail-safe formula. In the first mishna of the third chapter, Akaviah Ben Mehalalel provides for us a guaranteed method to avoid sinning. It is a go…

Published on 7 years, 1 month ago

Do Your Job (2:20-21)

There are many excuses to shirk our spiritual responsibilities. In the final two mishnayos of Chapter 2, Rabbi Tarfon rebuts them one by one.

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Published on 7 years, 1 month ago

Answering the Heretics (2:19)

Rabbi Elazar Ben Arach was the prized student of Rabban Yochanan Ben Zakkai, but he chose to chart his own path in life and not to join the rest of his colleagues in Yavneh.

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Published on 7 years, 2 months ago

Relationship or Ritual? (2:18)

What is the optimal relationship between man and God? How is man supposed to view himself?  These questions and several others are addressed in Chapter 2, Mishna 18 of Pirkei Avos.

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Published on 7 years, 2 months ago

The Ultimate Meritocracy (2:17)

In a short, succinct Mishna, Rabbi Yose shares timeless lessons regarding the proper way to treat other people’s money, how Torah greatness is a meritocracy, and perhaps the most central insight of J…

Published on 7 years, 2 months ago

Choose Your World (2:16)

This mishna marks the first of three times in Pirkei Avos where the phrase “is removed from the world” is assigned to people who exhibit certain attitudes or behaviors. In this podcast we suggest a n…

Published on 7 years, 3 months ago

Tempering Temper (2:15)

In this Mishna, one of the most fascinating characters of the Mishnaic era teaches eternal lessons on how to deploy anger properly and how to ensure that our spiritual affairs are in order before we …

Published on 7 years, 3 months ago