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Featured Videos

Why Is The End Of Bamidbar So Anticlimactic?
Rabbi David Fohrman - 13 min video
The Torah is a book of great drama, why does the narrative ends with a seemingly-unnecessary story about a random conquest of some towns? In this week and next week, Rabbi Fohrman paints a picture of epic connections to the stories of Jacob, Joseph and Judah.

The Art Of Negotiation
Rabbi David Fohrman - 13 min video
In this week's Torah portion, Rabbi Fohrman discusses the interesting conversation between the children of Gad, the children of Reuben and Moses, as they are requesting to live on the other side of the Jordan – not in the land of Israel proper.Rabbi Fohrman analyzes their exchange to get to the core of true negotiation and communication – trust and respect.

The Promised Land: Good Or Bad?
Beth Lesch - 15 min video
In Parshat Devarim, Moses recounts the story of the spies. In that story, Moses had sent 12 men to the Promised Land, asking them: "And what of the land? Is it good or is it bad?" Now without even going to see the land for yourself, you know the right answer to that question, right? The Promised Land is good! The Almighty God describes it as a good land, His chosen land, the place where His chosen people belongs. Then why does Moses pose this question to the spies? Is it a trick question? Isn't this a bit strange?When you take a closer look at the text, and when you look at it through the lens of Moses' words in Parshat Devarim... when you see how the spies actually answer Moses’ question, and how the people react, it becomes clear that there is a story playing out here just beneath the surface of the text, a story with a checkered history and insidious undertones, a story that sheds a whole new light on this tragic episode.-----------------------------------------------------The most comprehensive presentation of Rabbi Fohrman’s theory of the sin of the Tree of Knowledge is in his book, The Beast That Crouches at the Door, which you can purchase here. He also explicates parts of the theory in various videos and podcasts throughout our library, including:Genesis UnveiledEicha And Ayekah: Was There A Tisha B’Av In Eden?What Is The Meaning Of Life? (see Part III, aka segment 4)-----------------------------------------------------Click for Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch’s commentary on the parallel between the sin of the spies and the sin of Adam and Chava.-----------------------------------------------------For more on Parshat Devarim, see What Did Moses Do Wrong?

Finding Purpose in Grief: The Lesson of Rachel's Tears
Rabbi David Fohrman - 5 episodes - 58 min video
Tisha B'Av can feel static. Like we're just meant to marinade in sadness. How do we channel our grief towards a greater purpose? This film turns to Rachel Imeinu, her struggle with infertility, and her conflict with Leah, to discover a lesson for us all.

Grappling with Loss
Rabbi David Fohrman - 6 episodes - 92 min video
If God loves us, why does He let us suffer? This question may be impossible to answer, but on Tisha B’Av it’s just as impossible to ignore.

How The Sin Of The Spies Led To Tisha B’Av
Rabbi David Fohrman - 7 episodes - 179 min video
The first recorded tragedy of the 9th of Av occurred hundreds of years before the first Beit HaMikdash was even built. This surprising origin story sheds a whole new light on the meaning of the day.

The Split Kingdom and the Road to Tisha B'Av
Rabbi David Fohrman - 8 episodes - 204 min video
To really understand the origins of Tisha B'Av, we have to look deep into Israel's past. Before the Romans. Before the Babylonians. Even before the ten tribes were exiled. What first went wrong?
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