This week features:

Rabbi Nachman Kahana on the Land of Israel: A Love Story

Who is Ready to Leave the Exile and Come Home to Israel? Only Those in Love…

It’s parashat Yitro this week, which features the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, and Tu B’Shevat, the New Year of Trees and holiday of renewal also falls out this week. What a perfect confluence! The challenge of the Torah is for us to be constantly renewed. But old habits and patterns are hard to break. When Hashem delivered the Children of Israel from Egypt, an awful lot of Jews stayed behind – in fact, the vast majority. Why? They thought they had good reasons for not wanting to come to the Land of Israel. Unfortunately, today as well, there are voices raised against the Land of Israel. How should we respond? Join us for a special edition of Temple Talk that you will never forget. Yitzchak Reuven and Rabbi Richman host a special guest, the beloved and highly esteemed Torah scholar and author Rabbi Nachman Kahana. Rabbi Kahana opens up a little window into his 50 years of life in Israel; his family, his IDF experiences, his insights into every day life in Israel for five decades. He leaves us breathless, joyously moved, and in wide-eyed wonderment over what it really means to be in love with the Land of Israel.

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Yitro (Exodus 18:1-20:23)

Parashat Yitro is read on Shabbat:
Shvat 18, 5772/February 11, 2012

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Beshalach (Exodus 3:17-17:16)

Parashat Beshalach is read on Shabbat:
Shvat 11, 5772/February 4, 2012

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This week features:

Secrets of Shevat: Buckets of Torah, Buckets of Rain

One-Fifth of Israel Poised to Cross the Sea: Has Anything Changed?

“You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of Your heritage…”   – from Parashat Beshalach, The Song of the Sea

It’s the month of Shevat, and rains of blessing are falling in the Land of Israel. But rain isn’t the only water that’s pouring down on us… the “water” of Torah is pouring down as well, and this is the time to let those healing waters into our consciousness, and redouble our Torah study. This week’s edition of Temple Talk explains the connection between the renewal of Shevat, and the special element of the renewal and appreciation of Torah study that this month affords us.

This Shabbat is the “Sabbath of Song,” called so because we read the Torah portion of Beshalach, featuring the famed “Az Yashir,” the Song of the Sea. What really happened at the Sea of Reeds? Why does the verse record that only one-fifth of Israel left Egypt? As ever, our hosts’ most important question is: What has this got to do with our lives today? Tune in to this week’s Temple Talk to find out.

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Bo (Exodus 10:1-13:16)

Parashat Bo is read on Shabbat:
Shvat 4, 5772/January 28, 2012

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This week features:

Recharging in the Month of Shvat

The First of Our New Months: Marking Our Time With G-d

Bring on the month of Shvat ! It is time for all Israel to crawl out from our winter hideaway and get in line for a shot of Divine cosmic love and redemption on Tu B’Shvat, the 15th of Shvat, the new year for trees and man. Meanwhile, back on the banks of the Nile, here in Parashat Bo, G-d is ramping up the plagues He is raining down upon Egypt, while at the very same time welcoming Israel into the world of eternal commandments and commitments: The new moon, the Pesach offering and total redemption.

Are the ten plagues a thing of the past? Or are they happening again today, as foretold, before our very eyes?

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Va’era (Exodus 6:2-9:35)

Parashat Va’era is read on Shabbat:
Tevet 26, 5772/January 21, 2012

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This week features:

How Many Roads Must a Man Walk Down Before You Call Him a Man?

From Moses to Moses: A Study in the Making of a True Jewish Leader

In the darkness of my night, from the midst of Tevet, the life-giving energy of Shevat is on the way. But the messages of Tevet: true Torah understanding, the value of leadership, and ever-present Temple consciousness, are planted deeply within us. All those themes and more emerge in this energized edition of Temple Talk, focusing on the character and mission of Moses and further exploration of the themes of current Torah portions. How did Moses get to be the man he became? How many roads did he need to walk down?

Thousands of years before the Four Tops sang “Reach Out, I’ll be There” and AT & T came up with the catchy “Reach Out and Touch Someone” advertising campaign, Pharaoh’s daughter Bitya was doing precisely that… she reached way out beyond herself and rescued the infant Moshe from the Nile. Our sages teach that her arm miraculously stretched out for many feet, but the hosts of Temple Talk redefine what this miracle was truly all about… and how it can and should happen to each and every one of us.

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Shemot (Exodus 1:1-6:1)

Parashat Shemot is read on Shabbat:
Tevet 19, 5772/January 14, 2012

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This week features:

Stuck Inside of Egypt with the Memphis Blues Again

Beginning the Book of Exodus: Pharaoh’s Advisers and the Jewish Problem

It’s a brave new world as we begin the Book of Exodus and enter into the veritable heart of darkness of the Egyptian exile. In the blinking of an eye, Joseph and his amazing life-sustaining contributions to Egyptian society quickly turn to rust, and who was Joseph anyway? The “new” Pharaoh never even heard of him, and his only concern is what to do about his ever-increasing Jewish problem. Pharaoh summoned his advisers and the first Wannsee Conference took place with the participation of Job, Bilaam and Yitro. In this week’s edition of Temple Talk, Yitzchak Reuven and Rabbi Richman contemplate the lessons of our history and consider our present – and future – in the light of the first Torah reading of the Book of Exodus.

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Vayechi (Genesis 47:28-50:26)
Parashat Vayechi is read on Shabbat:
Tevet 12, 5772/January 7, 2012

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This week features:

From Kislev to Tevet: Darkness on the Face of the Deep

Understanding the Cycles: Renewal and Destruction, Redemption and Exile

This week witnesses the headlong convergence of the dramatic conclusion of the book of B’reshith, with the cataclysmic events of the 8th, 9th and 10th days of the month of Tevet. How do we go from the joy of Chanuka’s Temple renewal, to the anguish of the fast of Tevet  commemorating the siege which led to the First Temple’s destruction, as well as the other tragic events that this dominate the psyche of this month? Join Yitzchak Reuven and Rabbi Richman as they discover that the secret to the Jewish people’s indefatigable nature is expressed by this very juxtaposition. The passing of the righteous Yosef, the conclusion of the book of Genesis, the portentous and foreboding translation of Torah into Greek… what is the common thread between all these? All this and more is explored in this week’s inspiring edition of Temple Talk.

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This week features:

Rare Temple Mount Find: Sealed with a (Divine) Kiss

Of Chanukah Miracles Then and Now, Denial, Recognition, Reunion, and Redemption

In the penultimate Torah portion of the book of Genesis, broadcast on the penultimate day of the joyous holiday of Chanukah, this week’s Temple Talk basks in the reunion of Joseph and his brothers, and explores the parallels between that schism and all the modern-day divisions that are manifest in Israel today. Are we heading towards a reunion? What was really behind the brother’s enmity, and why didn’t they recognize the man standing in front of them? All the masks come off in this weeks’ edition of Temple Talk, shining with the light and meaning of Chanukah for our generation. Plus, an exclusive scoop: Some intimate, inside information behind this week’s press conference and announcement of the stunning archaeological discovery unearthed from the Temple Mount Sifting Project, an original clay seal bearing the words “Pure to G-d” and used to procure ingredients for bringing an offering in the Holy Temple. What’s that got to do with Chanukah? Absolutely everything!

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Vayigash (Genesis 44:18-47:27)
Parashat Vayigash is read on Shabbat:
Tevet 5, 5772/December 31, 2011

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Miketz (Genesis 41:1-44:17)
Parashat Miketz is read on Shabbat:
Kislev 28, 5772/December 24, 2011

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This week features:

From Darkness Dreams Are NOT Deserted

The Battle Against Forgetfulness and the Victory of Remembrance

Tune into this week’s Temple Talk in which Rabbi Chaim Richman and Yitzchak Reuven dedicate all their effort to connecting the dots between Yosef’s  rise and fall and rise and fall and rise to the top in Egypt and the battle of the valiant Chashmoneans and their followers who fought a deadly war against the Greek oppressors, (and their Hellenizing Jewish supporters), who tried by dint of decree to darken the eyes of Israel and cause them to forget the Holy Torah. Wherein lies the Chanuka miracle: In the military victories of the few against the many, in the willingness of the oppressed Jews to rise up against the foreign occupiers, or in the once cruse of oil that burned for eight days, or in all three? Gird your loins as you prepare for this powerful edition of Temple Talk, and prepare yourselves for battle, because the same forces of darkness are still dancing all around us today. They seek to darken our eyes and annihilate our memory. We Will Not Let Them Do It!

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Vayeshev (Genesis 37:1-40:23)
Parashat Vayeshev is read on Shabbat:
Kislev 21, 5772/December 17, 2011

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In yesterday’s weekly Temple Talk radio webcast Rabbi Chaim Richman and Yitzchak Reuven made heard their outrage concerning the sudden and inexplicable decision by the government of Israel to close until further notice the Rambam Gate Bridge which provides the sole access to the Temple Mount for Jews and Gentiles. Between the Jerusalem city engineer declaring the bridge unsafe and widely reported threats from Israel’s Moslem neighbors should Israel dare to change the status quo at the Temple Mount either by closing the bridge, allowing it to remain open, tearing it down or building a replacement for it, the government of Israel seemed paralyzed.

The morning of Wednesday, December 14, Rabbi Richman and others met at the Rambam Bridge, and much to their delight, the bridge was open and access to the Mount was granted. To what do we owe this sudden change of course? Let’s hear Rabbi Richman describe this latest chapter in the Temple Mount Bridge saga.

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This week features:

Chanukah Revisited: Who’s Afraid of the Mugrahbi Bridge?

The Whole World is a Narrow Bridge, & the Main Thing is Not to be Afraid

This week, as we read the Torah portion of Vayeshev  which gives the account of the righteous Yosef’s  descent into the darkness of Egypt, here in Jerusalem we are combating a darkness as well… despite the fact that next week the world will be illuminated by the hidden light of Chanukah. The darkness we refer to, of course, is the spiritual darkness behind the scenes of the Mugrahbi Bridge controversy. The stark truth, say the hosts of Temple Talk, is that it’s not about the bridge, stupid…it’s about sovereignty. Do you just want to feel good or do you want the truth? Tune into this week’s Temple Talk for rage. Not since Dylan Thomas railed “Rage, rage against the dying of the light”  has such passion and intensity of feeling been expressed. And yes, we too are raging against the dying of the light… the light of sanity, of sobriety, of Jewish pride and heritage, the light of Chanukah, the light of G-d’s honor. If you listen to just one Temple Talk, make sure this is it.

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This week features:

Yaakov’s Little Flasks: Mysterious Origins of the Chanuka Oil

Yaakov Wrestles an Angel: All the While I Was Alone, the Past Was Close Behind

With Chanuka only two weeks away, this week’s Temple Talk explores the mystery of Chanuka by the light of a little flask of oil… and it was “little flasks” that caused Yaakov  to return back over the Yabok  Pass, where he was confronted by “a man” with whom he struggled until dawn, when the patriarch released his opponent and was awarded the name “Yisrael.” Who was that masked man? Who is Yaakov, and who is Yisrael? Yitzchak Reuven and Rabbi Richman are once again joined by the scintillating author and filmmaker Jim Long, and together they express their awe for this week’s Torah portion, Vayishlach.

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Vayishlach (Genesis 32:4-36:43)
Parashat Vayishlach is read on Shabbat:
Kislev 14, 5772/December 10, 2011

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This teaching was originally recorded a number of years ago before a private audience of Noahides (G-d fearing Gentiles) in Texas, and this is the first time it is being made public. Rabbi Chaim Richman delivers a candid and groundbreaking explanation of practical Torah observance for Righteous Gentiles.

Vayeitzei (Genesis 28:10-32:3)
Parashat Vayeitzei is read on Shabbat:
Kislev 7, 5772/December 3, 2011

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This week features:

Talking Torah with Famed Noahide Author & Filmmaker Jim Long

Temple Talk Confronts the Controversial Question: Who is Esav Today?

Yaakov, our illustrious patriarch, flees from Esav’s  enmity and winds up in the arms of that arch spin-master, Lavan. But on his way to the land of Charan, he stops off at the Temple Mount, there to cement his relationship with the G-d of Israel and all his future generations. In this week’s high-energy edition of Temple Talk, Yitzchak Reuven and Rabbi Richman have a special guest in the studio: none other than our good friend Mr. Jim Long, famed Noahide author, Egyptologist, filmmaker and noted lecturer on the Noahide laws… as well as on the Oral Tradition of the Torah. Jim turns his inimitable wit and wisdom to the subject of Yaakov  and Esav, especially as featured in his new upcoming book, Blood Brothers. Together, we ponder the relationships and reality of Yaakov and his nemesis, locked in a multi-level struggle to this very day.

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Toldot (Genesis 25:19-28:9)
Parashat Toldot is read on Shabbat:
Cheshvan 29, 5772/November 26, 2011

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