September | 2009 | Universal Torah Network

Archive for ‍‍ Elul 5769 / Tishre 5770 - September 2009

The 5770 Sukkah Building Special

‍‍12 Tishre 5770 - September 30, 2009 | Author TI

Light to the Nations – with Rabbi Chaim Richman of The Temple Institute.

Weekly series with new teachings available every Thursday.

There is no time better spent than the time we spend in the sukkah, and this remarkable spiritual odyssey begins with the building of the sukkah. Join Rabbi Chaim Richman and Yitzchak Reuven as they build their classic Jerusalem sukkah. Along the way the Rabbi shares his pearls of Torah wisdom. Chock-full of adventure, breathtaking insights, and occasional mishap, you will not want to miss a minute of this timeless documentary. Truly a must-see!

To learn how Sukkot is observed in the Holy Temple, please click here.

Light to the Nations teachings are now available in mp3 audio files, and can be accessed through iTunes.

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Pirkei Avot

‍‍10 Tishre 5770 - September 28, 2009 | Author BFM

Biblical Faith – with Shmuel “Sam” Peak

Weekly series with new shows available every Tuesday.

Mishnah 17

All my days I have been raised among the Sages
Rashi explains this statement to mean, “I observed that the Sages practice silence and I have found that it is good even for them (although they have wise things to say). Therefore, how much more so is silence suitable for ordinary people, who are not sages.”

…and I found nothing better for the body than silence

Shimon regards speech as a physical faculty, in that it is not purely cognitive. It is true that speech can be the handmaiden of emotional and creative thinking, however, the Mishnah is concerned with directed, analytical thought. Because speech occupies our concentration, we are more likely to err while talking than while given solely reflection.

…not study, but practice is the main thing

One might erroneously conclude from this that the exposition of the Torah, is primary and that its practice, is secondary. The truth is that, while study is great, practice is the foundation on which intellectual achievement must be built. One can acquire the highest level of intellect only by building, a level at a time, on this firm foundation.

…and everyone who talks excessively brings on sin

This Mishnah is not a mere repetition of the verse, “In a multitude of words sin will not cease.” That passage means that one cannot avoid wasted words and foolishness in a large volume of speech.

To contact Biblical Faith, please click here

Shmuel “Sam” Peak teachings are now available in mp3 audio files, and can be accessed through i Tunes.

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Reflections on Yom Kippur – 5770

‍‍6 Tishre 5770 - September 24, 2009 | Author TI

Light to the Nations – with Rabbi Chaim Richman of The Temple Institute.

Weekly series with new teachings available every Thursday.

The opportunity to do teshuva, commonly translated as repentance, but more accurately defined as returning to G-d, and returning to yourself, as G-d intended you, awaits us every day of the year. But there is no day as propitious for teshuva as the 10th day of Tishrei – Yom Kippur. On this day, G-d, our Father and King, opens before us His Book of Our Lives, and allows us to make the changes we need to draw closer to Him, to our own true selves, and retstart our lives on a whole other level. G’mar Chatima Tova – May we be sealed in the Book of Life!

To learn how Yom Kippur is observed in the Holy Temple, please click here.

Light to the Nations teachings are now available in mp3 audio files, and can be accessed through iTunes.

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The Season of Teshuva

‍‍5 Tishre 5770 - September 23, 2009 | Author BatMelech

Bat Melech, with Rena Richman.

It begins on the first day of Elul, and culminates forty days later, on the tenth day of Tishrei – Yom Kippur: the irresistible heavenly call to man to do teshuva – to return to his true self, and to strive anew to reach his G-d given potential.

The next Bat Melech teaching will appear on October 7, 2009, (Tishrei 19, 5770).

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Weekly Torah Portion: Ha’azinu

‍‍4 Tishre 5770 - September 22, 2009 | Author TI

“Listen, O heavens, and I will speak! And let the earth hear the words of my mouth! My lesson will drip like rain; my word will flow like dew…” (Deuteronomy 32:1-2)

Sometimes our spirits are in the clouds; other times we’re feeling totally grounded. Sometimes we feel G-d’s presence around us as strong as the driving rain. Other times He seems as elusive as the morning dew. But whether we’re up or we’re down, whether we are focused on our attachment to G-d, or we’re feeling distant and disconnected, G-d is here. Always. This message of the first Shabbat of 5770 will serve us well throughout the coming year.

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Ha’azinu (Deuteronomy 32:1-32:52)
Parashat Ha’azinu is read on Shabbat:
Tishrei 8, 5770/September 26, 2009

Light to the Nations teachings are now available in mp3 audio files, and can be accessed through iTunes.

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Pirkei Avot

‍‍4 Tishre 5770 - September 22, 2009 | Author BFM

Biblical Faith – with Shmuel “Sam” Peak

Weekly series with new shows available every Tuesday.

Torah Transmission up to Hillel and Shammai

This mishnah concludes the mussar of the fifth and last of the rabbinical pairs who formally transmitted the Torah from one generation to the next. From this point onward, there no longer were designated recipients in the chain of Torah transmission, for the students of Shammai and Hillel did not apprentice adequately to synthesize the full spectrum of Torah principles. Therefore it is appropriate to pause and reflect upon the development of Torah and rabbinical leadership from Moshe to Hillel and Shammai.

To contact Biblical Faith, please click here

Shmuel “Sam” Peak teachings are now available in mp3 audio files, and can be accessed through i Tunes.

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Rosh HaShana Blessings, 5770

‍‍26 Elul 5769 - September 15, 2009 | Author TI

Light to the Nations – with Rabbi Chaim Richman of The Temple Institute.

Weekly series with new teachings available every Thursday.

The great day of renewal for the children of Israel, and for all humanity. We are all the children of Adam haRishon – the First Man, who was created on this day from the very earth of atonement upon which the great altar of the Holy Temple stands. On this day it is up to us to stand before the Creator and King of all the universe, and sign ourselves into His Book of Life.

To learn how Rosh haShana is observed in the Holy Temple, please click here.

Light to the Nations teachings are now available in mp3 audio files, and can be accessed through iTunes.

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