Universal Torah Network

Temple Talk is a weekly internet radio webcast with Rabbi Chaim Richman and Yitzchak Reuven of the Temple Institute.

This week features:

The Roots of a Soul: Yitzchak and the Secret of Resurrection

The Matriarch Sarah’s 127 Years as the Measure of a Life Well Spent

As rains of blessing fall in the Land of Israel, our hosts reflect upon the Torah and prophetic readings and allude to endless depths of meaning, recalling the dew of the future, which will signal the heralded and promised resurrection of the dead. A deeper look into Torah traditions reveals that our patriarch Yitzchak  already experienced this moment, and like the secret contained within Yitzchak’s  very name, in the future all of his progeny, the people of Israel, will indeed laugh at the illusion of death. Tune in to this week’s Temple Talk as Yitzchak Reuven and Rabbi Richman reveal that long before James Taylor, Yitzchak was really the man who’s seen fire and seen rain!
In this week’s Torah portion of Chayei Sarah, the matriarch Sarah is laid to rest in the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron. Like the Temple Mount and Joseph’s tomb in the city of Shechem, the full purchase of the double cave of Hebron is witnessed and recorded by the Torah itself, but ironically these very places have become a symbol of the struggle for Israel’s sovereignty in her land. Yitzchak Reuven and Rabbi Richman explore the life of Sarah and the significance of why the Torah measures the “years of her life” for the generations to come.

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Temple Talk is a weekly internet radio webcast with Rabbi Chaim Richman and Yitzchak Reuven of the Temple Institute.

This week features:

The Book of Genesis: Road Signs for the Children of Israel

Rachel’s Tears, Abraham’s Tests & Us: Restrain Your Voice From Weeping

“Rachel died, and was buried on the road to Efrat, which is Bethlehem. Jacob set up a monument over her grave; it is the monument of Rachel’s grave until today”  (Gen. 35)

“Thus said Hashem: A voice is heard on high, wailing, bitter weeping, Rachel weeps for her children; she refuses to be consoled for her children for they are gone…Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears… there is hope for your future… and your children will return to their border”  (Jer. 31).

This week marks the passing of our matriarch Rachel, who sheds tears for her children’s exile to this very day. But a visit to the beautiful and moving Rachel’s tomb, just minutes outside of Jerusalem, is a passage into “Palestinian” controlled area, where Rachel’s tomb is now enclosed in a concrete, militarized bunker… for the protection of her children, who come there daily to pray. Who’s crying now? Who’s crying louder, and wailing more bitterly – Rachel, over her children’s exile, or the children, over the degradation, exile and “imprisonment” of their dear mother? Yitzchak Reuven and Rabbi Richman reflect upon the character of our mother Rachel, her selfless heroism, and the legacy she passed down to her children.

Abraham passed down a legacy as well… in fact, the entire life of Abraham, as well as the other patriarchs and matriarchs of Israel as recorded in the book of Genesis, form an intricate and detailed plan for their children’s future. The events along the road of Abraham’s spiritual odyssey instruct us in what we must do, as well as what we must expect.

Our hosts are joined in the studio by good friends, our special guests Glen and Kevin Harlan of Snyder, TX, who are also on a spiritual odyssey in the Land of Israel, as they seek to connect with Hashem, Torah and Israel on a deeper level.

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Temple Talk is a weekly internet radio webcast with Rabbi Chaim Richman and Yitzchak Reuven of the Temple Institute.

This week features:

Abraham & the One G-d of Israel

After Generations of Disappointment, Abraham Begins a Campaign to Save Humanity

From Genesis to Lech Lecha, from creation, through the flood, the dispersion, and the emergence of Avraham, the past few week’s Torah readings have seen the generations whir by, each taking its place and fulfilling its role in G-d’s grand scheme. This week’s special Mazal Tov Edition of Temple Talk finds Yitzchak Reuven and Rabbi Richman joyfully watching their own new generations taking their places as well, as each thank G-d for a precious new grandson born to each of them this past week. Rabbi Richman loses his shopping wagon in the market, it winds up in another city 40 miles away – and is returned to him the next morning. What’s that got to do with the generation of the Great Flood and the emergence of our forefather Avraham? Everything, if we understand the transition from selfishness to altruism, and the fact that the world is saved by one selfless gesture at a time. It’s the month of Mar Cheshvan, the month of the Great Flood in the time of Noach  and the month of rains – G-d willing – in the Land of Israel. Every detail of this month is a reflection of Temple-consciousness; even the lack of holidays during this month is just an allusion to the great event of the dedication of the Third Temple which is one day scheduled to take place during this month. This week also marks the 836th anniversary of the Maimonides’ historic ascent to the Temple Mount.

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