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:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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