Can a human being actually see Hashem?

On Shabbos, we come closest. Rabbi Klapper unfolds how Shabbos mirrors the clarity of Moshe Rabbeinu’s nevuah — seeing through a clear glass, not a clouded one. Friday night is awareness; Shabbos day is revelation. Just as marriage moves from kiddushin to nesuin to yichud, our Shabbos tefillos mirror that ascent: Atah Kiddashta, Yismach Moshe, Atah Echad.

Through this structure we experience the Torah itself being given anew — not as abstract ideas but as Hashem’s own words whispered through Moshe’s mouth. The invitation: experience your Shabbos morning davening as a meeting at Sinai — the moment the veil lifts and you feel the Divine speaking directly to you.

Hosted by Rabbi Ari Klapper and produced by Eli Podcast Productions, this episode is part of the Real Judaism series, available on RealJudaism.org. Don’t forget to subscribe and share to stay connected with our daily lessons and timeless Torah insights!

If Hashem fills the world, why does He feel hidden?

Rabbi Klapper answers with a parable that could come from Rapinkus himself: a scientist searching for sound waves with a microscope. The tools are wrong. So too, many search for Hashem with intellect or data instead of purity, honesty, and humility. The darkness of olam hazeh isn’t lack of light — it’s misuse of instruments.

Shabbos retrains our spiritual vision. When we quiet the noise, cleanse the mind, and open the heart, Hashem’s presence becomes undeniable. Even a tree, a rock, or a heartbeat becomes proof. Practical step: before Kiddush, pause and say, “I’m switching tools.” Let Shabbos teach you to see the Divine not through telescopes but through truth.

Hosted by Rabbi Ari Klapper and produced by Eli Podcast Productions, this episode is part of the Real Judaism series, available on RealJudaism.org. Don’t forget to subscribe and share to stay connected with our daily lessons and timeless Torah insights!

What if true wisdom begins when we stop over-analyzing?

In a world that prizes skepticism, Rabbi Klapper reclaims the dignity of simple faith. A child who hears “Hashem made the world” and believes it instantly has touched something even philosophers can’t reach. Through stories and sharp humor, he shows how chasing “proofs” often masks the real issue — not lack of logic, but a heart that wants permission to rebel.

Shabbos invites us to return to that pure place of seeing and trusting. When a Jew pauses and breathes in Shabbos light, he doesn’t argue Hashem exists — he feels it. The challenge isn’t blindness; it’s distraction. This week’s avodah: practice emunah peshutah once a day — say “Thank You, Hashem” without overthinking — and feel how simplicity reconnects you to wonder.

Hosted by Rabbi Ari Klapper and produced by Eli Podcast Productions, this episode is part of the Real Judaism series, available on RealJudaism.org. Don’t forget to subscribe and share to stay connected with our daily lessons and timeless Torah insights!

If faith is logical, why does Hashem still ask for emunah peshutah — simple faith?

This episode dismantles the modern obsession with proofs. Rabbi Klapper shows, through vivid mashalim, that the simplest truths need no defense. When you see writing in the sand, you know there was a writer. So too, when we look at the universe — its structure, its precision, its beauty — only arrogance makes us imagine accident. Hashem built the world with such clarity that only darkness of heart can hide Him.

But Shabbos restores sight. When the week blinds us with “maybes” and endless questioning, Shabbos opens our eyes to what’s obvious: there is a Borei Olam. The task isn’t to prove, but to see. The takeaway: let Shabbos be your reset button from doubt — spend one moment this week simply looking at the world and saying, “Of course You’re here.”

Hosted by Rabbi Ari Klapper and produced by Eli Podcast Productions, this episode is part of the Real Judaism series, available on RealJudaism.org. Don’t forget to subscribe and share to stay connected with our daily lessons and timeless Torah insights!

What would it feel like to see Hashem with absolute clarity — not just believe, but know?

Rabbi Klapper reveals that Shabbos isn’t a day of rest from confusion; it’s a day when confusion itself disappears. The Torah hints to this when it never says “and it was evening and it was morning” for the seventh day — because Shabbos has no darkness. It’s pure light. On this day, we don’t testify that Hashem exists based on proofs or philosophy; we bear witness because we see Him. Just as Moshe Rabbeinu’s prophecy came through a crystal-clear window, Shabbos grants us a taste of that same vision.

Yet even within that light there are levels. Friday night is the kiddushin — a first meeting, where we know He is near. Shabbos morning is nesuin, the unveiling of the kallah’s face — joy, unity, and direct connection. By Musaf we reach yichud, the oneness of Atah Echad. The practical call is simple but revolutionary: treat Shabbos morning not as another tefillah, but as a personal Sinai — a time to see, not just believe.

Hosted by Rabbi Ari Klapper and produced by Eli Podcast Productions, this episode is part of the Real Judaism series, available on RealJudaism.org. Don’t forget to subscribe and share to stay connected with our daily lessons and timeless Torah insights!

If Hashem’s blessing is perfect, why do some fruits of life turn bitter? Continuing his journey through the stages of Shabbos, Rabbi Klapper explores the imagery of the “field of holy fruit.” Every Shabbos we become the field where Divine shefa is planted—but the week that follows reveals what kind of fruit we’ve grown. When emunah is pure, Hashem’s gifts bloom as joy, wisdom, and shalom. When the “soil” of our hearts is off, even blessing can warp into jealousy, bitul Torah, or gaavah.

Through powerful contrasts—from Noach’s generation to Einstein and Rav Aharon Kotler—this episode shows how the same koach that builds worlds can also destroy them. Shabbos is the correction point: its holiness guarantees that whatever sprouts from it is kulo kodesh. The second meal of Shabbos reveals this higher clarity—seeing Hashem’s oneness not just by logic but “through a clear glass,” with total emunah. The takeaway: tend your inner field; make Shabbos the seedbed of everything you grow all week.

Hosted by Rabbi Ari Klapper and produced by Eli Podcast Productions, this episode is part of the Real Judaism series, available on RealJudaism.org. Don't forget to subscribe and share to stay connected with our daily lessons and timeless Torah insights!

What truly happens the instant Shabbos enters the world? Rabbi Klapper opens a new section of the sefer to uncover the mystical structure of Shabbos time. Friday night isn’t merely “the beginning of rest”—it’s a spiritual shockwave, a sudden leap from Olam HaZeh to Olam HaBa. Through Rabbi Pinkus’s Kabbalistic lens, we discover how Hashem’s Shechinah literally “enters” creation at candle-lighting, turning every home into a miniature Beis HaMikdash. Each meal and tefillah represents a rising level of kedushah, from Leil Shabbos through Shacharis to Mincha.

The field of “holy apples”—Chekal Tapuchin Kadishin—becomes the symbol of this moment: the world itself becomes fertile ground where physical acts—eating, singing, resting—blossom into emunah and deveikus. Practical takeaway: treat candle-lighting as crossing a border. Pause, breathe, and feel the shift. You’ve stepped into Olam HaBa, where everything, even a bite of challah, can shine with light from above.

Hosted by Rabbi Ari Klapper and produced by Eli Podcast Productions, this episode is part of the Real Judaism series, available on RealJudaism.org. Don't forget to subscribe and share to stay connected with our daily lessons and timeless Torah insights!

How can we train our instincts to choose holiness under pressure? Building on the previous discussion, Rabbi Klapper shows that the tests of Shabbos aren’t only about rules—they’re about reflexes. When the unexpected happens—a light left on, a guest arriving, a fire that cannot be put out—the Yeitzer Hara argues for “just this once.” The Ramban, Chazon Ish, and classic mussar sefarim reveal that real strength is built before the test ever comes. Like a soldier or surgeon, a Jew must condition his spiritual reflexes so that respect for Shabbos becomes second nature.

Mesiras nefesh isn’t always heroic loss; sometimes it’s sitting calmly while the food burns rather than breaking halachah, or letting pride go instead of defending yourself in anger. Shabbos trains us in surrender—letting go of control so Hashem can rule. Each moment of self-discipline writes the next link in the unbroken chain of Shabbos-keepers stretching back to our ancestors who gave up everything for it. The practical reflection: prepare your heart before Shabbos; make loyalty your instinct. That quiet readiness is the essence of mesiras nefesh.

Hosted by Rabbi Ari Klapper and produced by Eli Podcast Productions, this episode is part of the Real Judaism series, available on RealJudaism.org. Don’t forget to subscribe and share to stay connected with our daily lessons and timeless Torah insights!