Jerusalem Lights

The Renewal of All Creation

The holiday of Rosh Hashanah marks not only the beginning of a new year...it is the time when God recreates a completely new world. Every human being -- all Adam's descen

"You Are All Standing Today Before God.."

In this week’s Jerusalem Lights podcast, Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman explore some of the profound themes of the Torah portions of Nitzavim-Vayelech, as the final Sha

It's All A Gift

The theme of the Torah portion Ki Tavo (Deut. 26:1) is particularly powerful during this month of Elul. In this week's Jerusalem Lights podcast, Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim

Finding Holiness Where You Least Expect It

There's a thread running through this week's Torah portion of Ki Teitzei: there are holy things in this world that have gone into 'spiritual captivity,' and the work of t

Welcoming the Amazing Month of Elul

The new month of Elul is upon us, and this week's Torah portion of parashat Shoftim (Deut. 16:18) always falls out at the beginning of this month. The powerful subjects i

Torah's Most Deliberate Mystery

As the concept of the Holy Temple slowly emerges in the pages of Deuteronomy, Torah is coy...rather than revealing its Divinely-chosen location, the verses describe it my

A Celebration of Divine Love

This week's edition of the Jerusalem Lights podcast focuses on the ancient, Biblical holiday of 'Tu B'Av' - the Fifteenth of the month of Menachem Av, occurring this year

Why Do We Mourn?

The observance of the fast day of Tisha B’Av this week (July 23) will mark 1956 years since the destruction of the Holy Temple. The rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem

The Torah of Moshe

The Book of Deuteronomy is called 'Devarim' in Hebrew, literally 'words.' This week's parashat Devarim begins the farewell address of Moses to his beloved people of Israe

Speech is Divine

Parashat Matot, the first of this week's double Torah portions of Matot-Masei, (beginning in Numbers 30), opens with the subject of oaths and vows. Man’s ability to speak

Pinchas, Leader for a New Generation

In the Torah portion of Pinchas (Num. 25:10), Pinchas, grandson of the High Priest Aaron, 'zealously avenged God's vengeance' and received both a covenant of peace, and a

Bilaam, Heathen Prophet of Anger

The Torah portion of Balak introduces us to the shadowy character of Bilaam, a heathen prophet who tried to manipulate G-d's will to suit his own agenda. He was an itiner

The Wisdom of Not Knowing

In this era of AI, humans are inundated with information, and the answer to any question is just a click away. But yet the Torah portion of Chukat, with its inscrutable o

Parashat Shelach: The Unforgivable Sin of Slandering the Land of Israel

Everything begins to unravel for the Generation of the Desert in the Torah portion of Shelach. The debacle of the sin of the spies leaves its mark on the nation for gener

Parashat Behalotcha 5786 | The Illusion of Desire

The Torah portion of Behalotcha presents a 'slice of life' of the Children of Israel in the Wilderness. It opens with the inspiring scene of Aaron lighting the flames of

The Timeless Lessons of the Nazirite and Sotah

Why is there now a divergence between the weekly Torah reading in the Land of Israel, and that of the rest of the world, over the next few weeks? In this week's Jerusalem

The Sinai Revolution Bedrock of Faith

This week we will be observing the Festival of Shavuot (literally, 'Weeks'), also called the Festival of First Fruits. It's the anniversary of the Giving of the Torah at

Samuel the Prophet and Jerusalem: An Inseparable

The 28th day of the month of Iyar is 'Jerusalem Day,' a modern-day holiday of Biblical proportions. This is the anniversary of the day, 59 years ago, that Jerusalem was l

Lag B'Omer Insights: Moshe, Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Shimon

This week Israel observed the 'minor' holiday of Lag B'Omer - the 33rd day of the Counting of the Omer. What is the story behind this day? Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richma

The Holiday of Second Chances

In this week's Jerusalem Lights podcast, Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman find great inspiration in the many deep teachings contained in this week's Torah portion of Emor