Podcast Episodes

Finding Your Magic Bullet (2:13-14)

Two thousand years ago the great Sage Rabban Yochanan Ben Zakkai instructed his five prime disciples to undertake a unique mission. This mission and their discoveries can still offer us life-changing…

Published on 7 years, 4 months ago

Spiritual Natural Law (2:9-2:12)

Rabban Yochanan Ben Zakkai was the pivotal leader of the nation at a most vulnerable juncture of our history. His life story and his timeless lessons continue to inform and inspire nearly two milleni…

Published on 7 years, 5 months ago

Avoiding Deathpangs (2:8)

What is really yours and what are you merely a steward over for the duration of your life? In this mishnah, Hillel reclassifies ten things by pulling away the curtain and revealing what they truly ar…

Published on 7 years, 5 months ago

Divine Karma (2:7)

In one of those life experiences we hope to never have, Hillel once encountered a skull floating on the water. His comment to that skull is enshrined in Pirkei Avos and serves as an invaluable lesson…

Published on 7 years, 5 months ago

A Tourist Visa to Heaven (2:6)

In the sixth mishna of the second chapter of Pirkei Avos, Hillel the Elder delineates the six levels of distinction, the means to achieve them, and their impediments.

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Published on 7 years, 6 months ago

Safety in Numbers (2:5)

In chapter 2 we meet Hillel the Elder again. In this mishna we learn the secret of surviving judgement, the differences between how God and man judge, and hear a clarion call for repenting before we …

Published on 7 years, 6 months ago

Getting God as your Advocate (2:4)

Imagine if you had God on your side in all your endeavors. Is there a better or more potent advocate? In this mishna we learn the formula how to get God to advance your interests. The steps are simpl…

Published on 7 years, 6 months ago

Forgetting to Sin (2:2-2:3)

In the second mishna of the second Chapter, Rabban Gamleil III offers some novel and surprising perspectives on work/Torah balance and avoiding sin.

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Please…

Published on 7 years, 7 months ago

Spiritual Cost-Benefit Analysis (2:1)

In the first mishna of the second chapter of Pirkei Avos, the great Rabbi Judah the Prince offers indispensable life guidance. Who was this transformative Torah giant and what are his invaluable eter…

Published on 7 years, 7 months ago

Why God Maintains the World (1:18)

The finalmishna of the first chapter sounds very similar to its second one. In it we learn the three things upon which the world endures which is quite similar to the teaching of the three things upo…

Published on 7 years, 8 months ago