Episodes

  • #98: Components of Oral Torah

    #98: Components of Oral Torah
    Jul 7 2025
    What makes up Oral Torah? What are the different types of information included in the Mishnah? In part 3 of the authoritative, magisterial, and comprehensive introduction to Mishnah offered by Rambam, we learn about the five different components of oral Torah, two that come all the way back from the times of Moshe, and three […]
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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • #97: Real and Fraudulent Prophecy

    #97: Real and Fraudulent Prophecy
    Jun 16 2025
    The veracity of prophecy is a critical component of our philosophy. But how do we know if a prophecy claimant is legit? How do we differentiate between real prophets and fraudulent ones? In our second installment on Rambam’s introduction to his commentary on Mishnah, we explore the four different categories of prophecy, the limitations of […]
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    1 hr
  • #96: Origins of Oral Torah

    #96: Origins of Oral Torah
    Jun 8 2025
    The Torah was given to us by God with absolute perfection. A unique feature of that is the dual formats of Torah: written and oral. In this interesting and informative podcast, we begin the study of Maimonides’ magisterial introduction to his commentary on Mishnah. He begins by tracing the history of oral Torah all the […]
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    48 mins
  • #95: Venues of Reward and Punishment

    #95: Venues of Reward and Punishment
    May 14 2025
    Spiritual pleasure is vastly, infinitely greater than physical pleasures, and are completely imperceivable by bodies. Only if you work assiduously to develop a sensory connection with your soul, can you begin to taste it. The ultimate venue of spiritual pleasure is known as Olam Haba, the world to come. What about other venues of reward? […]
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    42 mins
  • #94: The (Near Total) Inaccessibility of Spiritual Pleasure

    #94: The (Near Total) Inaccessibility of Spiritual Pleasure
    May 7 2025
    There is great confusion about what the ultimate reward for righteousness and the ultimate punishment for wickedness are. Rambam’s magisterial essay is designed to provide clarity in these lofty matters of eschatology. In part 2, we learn all about the concept of spiritual pleasure. Our bodies are very finely attuned to experiences of pain and […]
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    43 mins
  • #93: Ultimate Reward and Punishment: Rambam’s Magisterial Essay Part 1

    #93: Ultimate Reward and Punishment: Rambam’s Magisterial Essay Part 1
    Mar 18 2025
    In his commentary to Mishnah, Rambam (Maimonides) offers a fascinating overview of the subjects of the Afterlife, Resurrection, Messiah, Paradise, and Olam Haba (the world to come). This is arguably the single greatest essay on these exotic, esoteric, and arcane subjects. In this podcast, we address the first section of this magisterial essay. We read […]
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    46 mins
  • #92: World of Souls

    #92: World of Souls
    Mar 10 2025
    Why do bad things happen to good people? What role does Oral Torah play in Jewish life? Why did the Almighty create two worlds, the world of the bodies and the world of the souls? What is the difference between today and the days of Messiah? These are just some of the questions that are […]
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    45 mins
  • #91: The Purpose of Torah

    #91: The Purpose of Torah
    Mar 5 2025
    Why did God give us such a precious and holy and profound Torah? Wouldn’t it be enough to give us some simple rules to live by? Why is our nation chosen above all other nations? Shouldn’t all humans be the same? These are some very advanced question and one that our sages reveal deep insights […]
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    44 mins