Parsha with Rabbi David Bibi

Breakfast & Class “Ki tetze la-milchamah al oyevekha”Eglah ArufahWe discovered that the Torah may actually be describing : the war against the enemy outside us, the far more personal war against the enemy within us, and the obligation never to forget the person struggling behind us. And that brings us to the final words of the parashah — . Amalek specifically attacks the tired, the weak and those left at the rear of the camp. As Elul begins, perhaps one of the most important questions we can ask is not only,
but also,

What can one small mitzvah possibly accomplish? We say Tehillim for a refuah, give tzedakah in someone’s zechut, dedicate Torah learning to someone who is ill—and yet the question remains: how can something so small affect something so large? This class begins with the Zera Shimshon on Shiluach HaKen, who teaches that the problem may be in the question itself. What looks small to us may carry enormous weight in Shamayim.

From the mother bird of Parashat Ki Tetzei, we move to the metzora, Rachel Imeinu, Mashiach, the hidden storehouse of neshamos, and the mystery of h...

 This morning’s Breakfast & Class begins with a troubling question in Parashat Ki
Tetze. Why does the Torah judge Ammon and Moav so harshly? Their crime was not simply that they failed to offer bread and water, nor even that they hired
Bilaam. Rabbi Yissocher Frand, drawing on the Dubno Maggid, the Kli Yakar and
the Tolner Rebbe, points us toward something deeper:
They studied our vulnerabilities, created the circumstances in which we might
fall, and deliberately planned a spiritual trap. 

what can we actually change in the architecture of our lives to m...

 
begins with the opening words of Parashat Ki Tetzeh:
— when we go out to war against our enemies. The Zohar and the Or HaḤaim reveal
that the Torah may also be describing a much more personal battle: the war
against the yetzer hara, and the beautiful captive as our own neshamah. 

 , based on insight of Rabbi Frand, we look at a remarkable Gemara in and Rav Pam’s powerful insight into three seemingly insignificant favors — a hand offered on a bridge, a feather brushed away, and a little unpleasantness quietly covered over. The great Amoraim teach us that begins long before we say “thank you.” It begins with learning to notice. 

— and a very personal reflection on my own gratitude to Chantelle, we ask what Elul might look like if, alongside examining what we need to change, we also learned to see again everything — and everyone — HaShem has already given us

 You Don’t Need to Know How the Book Ends — A Birthday, Rosh
Hodesh Elul & Parashat Shoftim 

,
we used that unusual convergence to ask a question that becomes more meaningful
with every passing year: What are we supposed to do with the time HaShem gives
us? We remembered my dear friend David Golden, who passed away last year the
day after his 110th birthday, and the remarkable way he continued to appreciate
every additional day of life. Hazal teach that there is something special about
the day of one’s birth—bu...

 We then turn to the Torah’s remarkable warning that שֹׁחַד — a bribe — “blinds the eyes of the wise.”

Elul: A Refuge in Time — What Are We Doing With the Time
Hashem Has Given Us? 

,
the city of refuge—a place designed not simply for exile, but for reflection,
rehabilitation, and ultimately return. Rabbi Yissocher Frand points to a
remarkable allusion from the Arizal: the words אִנָּה לְיָדוֹ וְשַׂמְתִּי לְךָ. An Ir Miklat is
a refuge in space; Elul is a refuge in timeThis week we enter Rosh Hodesh Elul, and next Sunday we Sepharadim begin
Selihot—giving up an extra hour of sleep each morning to wake up in more ways
than one. Through the unforgettable stor...

 ,
we explored one of the most remarkable verses in the Torah: “בָּנִים אַתֶּם לַה׳ אֱלֹקֵיכֶם” — “You
are children of HaShem your G-d.”Along
the way, we explored what it truly means to be “children of the
King”—maintaining our dignity in times of pain, recognizing that our worth
comes from HaShem and not from our circumstances, and remembering that no Jew
ever loses the privilege of returning home through teshuvah. This timeless
message from Parashat Re’eh reminds us that our greatest identity is not found
in our successes or failures, but in the enduring relationship expressed in
those two unforge

 
But what does that really mean? After all, HaShem did sustain the Jewish people
in the desert with the manna—a miraculous form of bread. The lesson is not that
we do not need physical sustenance. We do. The lesson is that the bread is
never the true source. The food, the doctor, the paycheck, the customer and the
opportunity are all vessels through which HaShem sends His blessing. 

At this morning's Breakfast & a Class, we explored one of the most surprising openings in the Torah. As the Jewish people stood ready to enter Eretz Yisrael after forty years in the wilderness, Moshe Rabbeinu told them not to think they were inheriting the Land because of their righteousness. If not because they were perfect, then why did Hashem continue to believe in them? More importantly, what does that teach us about the way Hashem looks at each of us?

Using memorable stories—from a humorous fortieth wedding anniversary, to a struggling violin student, to Sir Edmund Hi...

This morning at Breakfast & a Class,
we explored one of the Torah’s most challenging mitzvot—not simply
giving tzedakah, but learning how to give with an open heart. Beginning
with the powerful verses in Parashat Re’eh, we examined the Torah’s remarkable order: first, “Do not harden your heart,” and only afterward, “Do not close your hand.” Through the teachings of Chazal and the wisdom of Rabbi Asher Abittan זצ״ל, we discovered that Judaism asks not only what we give, but who we are while we are giving.

The
class centers around a very personal expe...

In this week’s , inspired by last nights discussion with Rav Yosef Zvi Rimon, we explore one of the most
overlooked questions in .
The Torah commands us, “”—“You shall eat, be satisfied, and bless HaShem… .” Why isn’t the blessing simply for the meal? What is the connection between a piece of bread on our table and the Land of Israel? 

Birkat HaMazon

 Na’aseh veNishmaYet
the Torah’s message does not end with failure. The very trait that led to the
Golden Calf—our stubbornness—is transformed by Moshe Rabbeinu into one of the
Jewish people’s greatest strengths. Through moving stories of Rabbi Eliezer
Silver, Rabbi Aryeh Levin, and Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, we explored how
determination, when directed toward Heaven, becomes perseverance, loyalty, and
hope. The question is not whether we are stubborn; we all are. The question is:
May this
discussion inspire all of us to use our strength not to resist HaSh...

 In
this class, we set aside the familiar historical events of Tu B’Av and focus
instead on one seemingly insignificant detail: the daughters of Jerusalem
borrowed white dresses from one another before going out to the vineyards. Why
did the Mishnah preserve that image? What does a borrowed dress teach us about
dignity, generosity, marriage, community, and ultimately the rebuilding of the
Beit HaMikdash? 

 Shabbat NaḥamuTu Be’AvIn this
morning’s class we explore a profound answer. Tu Be’Av is not a departure from
Tishah Be’Av—it is its completion. The destruction of the Beit HaMikdash was
not only our tragedy; it was, so to speak, HaShem’s. When our mourning matures
from grieving what lost to
recognizing the pain caused to , consolation
can begin. Drawing upon the Gemara, Midrash, and the timeless teachings passed
down by my rabbis, we discover why Tu Be’Av stands alongside Yom Kippur as a
day of joy, how true...

 This morning , we explore one of the Torah’s greatest
paradoxes. The generation that ate the manna never worried about planting,
harvesting, or earning a livelihood. Every morning, their sustenance descended
directly from Heaven. Yet the Torah repeatedly calls the manna a test. How can
a daily miracle be considered a test? Drawing on the teachings of Rabbi
Yissocher Frand, the Sforno, and the Lubavitcher Rebbe, we discover that the
greatest spiritual challenges are not always found in hardship. Sometimes they
are hidden inside our greatest blessings. 

Through the re...

 Why does HaShem sometimes whisper before He shouts? Drawing upon the profound teachings of Rav Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler, the revered teacher of Rabbi Asher Abittan, this week’s podcast explores one of Judaism’s most difficult
questions: not suffering exists, but we are meant to respond when life is disrupted. Through the words of Moshe Rabbeinu in Parashat VaEtḥanan, we discover the remarkable promise of —that
even “from there,” from places of pain, confusion, and exile, we can still seek
and find HaShem. 

Parashat Va’Etḥanan is filled with warnings against idolatry, even though few of us feel tempted to bow before a statue. Rabbi Frand explains that the ancient idol may have disappeared, but another form of worship remains very much alive: “I-dolatry.”
When our need for control, honor, and recognition becomes so strong that we
cannot tolerate frustration or disagreement, the ego quietly takes the place
that belongs to HaShem.

In this morning's class, we explore the Gemara’s comparison between anger and avodah zarah, the deeper meaning of performing a mitzvah because it was comman...

 When the Answer Is “No” 

The Zohar on Torah, Prayer, and the Journey from Tish’a
BeAv to Naḥamu 

As we emerge from Tish’a BeAv and begin the journey
toward Shabbat Naḥamu, the Zohar offers a surprising perspective on one of the
Torah’s most heartbreaking moments. Moshe Rabbeinu stands at the border of
Eretz Yisrael after forty years of faithful leadership, yet his heartfelt plea
to enter the Land is denied. Rather than focusing on Moshe’s prayer alone, the
Zohar leads us through a remarkable...

From Ayekka to Eichah: The Hidden Journey from Revelation to
Redemption 

“Ayekka, Where are you?”“Eichah”hehIn this Tish’ah BeAb lecture, delivered at the Edmond J. Safra Synagogue in
Manhattan, we explore the first chapter of Megillat Eichah through the lens of
Midrash, Zohar, and Kabbalah. Along the way, we discover how the words , , and trace the spiritual journey of the Jewish people—from Gan Eden to Har Sinai, from the destruction of Yerushalayim to the hope of redemption. The class concludes with a beautiful insight into the unique Syrian custom of beginning the night of...

 This
class was delivered on Shabbat morning and, after a number of congregants asked
that it be made available, it was recorded after Shabbat for those who wished
to hear it again or share it with others. As we approach Tish’ah BeAv, may we
all choose words that heal rather than hurt, encourage rather than discourage,
and strengthen rather than divide. If sin’at ḥinam contributed to the
destruction of the Bet HaMikdash, then every act of ahavat ḥinam and every word
that builds another person brings us one step closer to its re...

 EichahAyekah—Where are you?In
this class, we explore the deeper reading of
as Where is the
hidden potential, the blessing, and the Divine spark within us? From Aharon’s
pursuit of peace, to Yosef’s ability to see HaShem beneath the surface of
history, to the hidden light of Chanukah, the message is clear: Jerusalem
begins to be rebuilt when we stop leaving the work to someone else, learn to
see more deeply, and carry our own portion.  

 The Advice We Only Understand Later 

Parashat Devarim is unique. For nearly the entire
Chumash, from the book of Exodus and forward, Moshe Rabbeinu is leading the
Jewish people through events as they unfold. But now, standing at the threshold
of Eretz Yisrael, he speaks differently. Devarim is a farewell address. It is a
lifetime of wisdom distilled into one final conversation. 

Some of Moshe’s words were understood immediately. Others
would only be understood years—even centuries—later. 

There is a remarkable story...

As we begin Sefer Devarim, Moshe Rabbeinu opens not with harsh criticism, but with remarkable compassion. Before reminding the Jewish people where they stumbled, he reminds them that they are still loved. Drawing on the timeless teachings of Rav Dessler and lessons we were privileged to learn from Rabbi Asher Abittan זצ״ל, this class explores one of the Torah’s most transformative ideas: HaShem relates to us not merely as a King to His subjects, but as a loving Father to His children. 

“אֵין אָדָם שׁוֹמֵעַ לִי וּמַפְסִיד”

  This morning’s
grew out of a question asked after Shaharit—a question that opened the door to
one of the most profound teachings of the Ben Ish Ḥai. Together we explore the
purity of the neshamah, the purpose of our lives, the meaning of ,
and why each of us has been entrusted with a unique mission that no one else
can fulfill. 

Elokai NeshamahIf my soul is already pure, what mission has HaShem entrusted to me today?  

This week's double parashah, Matot–Masei, challenges us to rethink what it means to truly see another person. We often assume that kindness requires grand gestures, yet the Torah teaches that some of life's greatest mitzvot begin with something much simpler: noticing the person everyone else overlooks. Through the lessons of Reuven and Gad, the Cities of Refuge, and a remarkable true story about a man who spent every Shabbat seeking out the one person standing alone at kiddush, we'll discover how changing our perspective can change someone else's life.

In this morning's Breakfast & a Class, we ex...

 This week, as we conclude the Book of Bamidbar with Parashat Masei, we explore one
of the Torah's most unusual mitzvot: the Ir Miklat, the City of Refuge. Why
does the Torah send an accidental killer to live among the Levi'im? And why is
his freedom tied not to a fixed sentence, but to the life of the Kohen Gadol?
At first glance, these laws seem difficult to understand. Yet hidden within
them is one of the Torah's most profound lessons about leadership,
responsibility, prayer, and the value of every human life. 

...

In this week's Parashat Matot, Moshe Rabbenu makes what appears to be a tiny edit to the words of the tribes of Gad and Reuven—but that subtle change reveals one of the Torah's deepest lessons about values. Why did Moshe reverse the order of their request, placing their children before their livestock? Through the insights of Rashi, the Midrash, Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky, and Rabbi Yissocher Frand, we discover that the order of our words often reflects the order of our priorities.

This class challenges each of us to examine not what we say is important, but wh...

This week, Parashat Matot opens with what appears to be a simple halachic question: What is the difference between a neder (vow) and a shevua (oath)? Yet beneath the legal definitions lies one of the Torah's most profound lessons about the power of human speech. Through the heartbreaking story of Yiftaḥ's daughter, the remarkable self-control of Boaz on the threshing floor, and the inspiring encounter between Shimon HaTzaddik and the Nazir, we discover that our words do far more than communicate—they create reality. Sometimes they change an object, sometimes they change the person, and sometimes they shape an e...

 How can the Torah’s most famous act of zeal be rewarded with a ?
At first glance, the story of Pinchas seems to celebrate violence in the name
of righteousness. But what if we’ve misunderstood the entire episode? In this
week’s class, we uncover a remarkable insight from Rav Hirsch, the Ramban, and
the Rambam that completely redefines the meaning of .
The Torah’s “jealousy” is not envy, anger, or fanaticism—it is the passionate
determination to protect a sacred relationship. 

kin’at Hashem

The Humility That Brings Redemption  

Why Pinchas Received the Covenant of Peace

Why was Pinchas rewarded with 'בְּרִיתִי שָׁלוֹם'—HaShem's covenant of peace? Most of us would answer that it was because of his courage or his zeal. But Chazal reveal a far deeper truth. Beneath the dramatic story of Pinchas lies a profound lesson about humility, inner balance, and the kind of peace that begins within a person before it can ever exist between people.

In this morning’s class, we follow Pinchas through Balak, Pinchas, and Matot, discovering why the To...

 Parashat Matot opens with one of the
Torah’s most important laws: 

  (vow) or shevuahThe Gemara tells us that one of the greatest tragedies in Tanach occurred because two great men allowed honor to stand in the way of halachah. 

  But Yiftach said, “I am the judge. Why should I go to him?” 

 Neither was willing to humble himself.  

Our Sages teach that Pinchas was
punished for failing to act. The Divine Presence departed from him, and
according to the Midrash, he lost the the souls of Nadavand Avihu,

 This morning's Breakfast & a Class explored one of the most remarkable patterns in the Torah—how some of the greatest revelations did not begin with prophecy, but with sincere questions asked by ordinary Jews who simply wanted to come closer to HaShem. 

We followed the striking connection between the people who asked, 'Lamah nigara?—Why should we be left out?' at the time of
Pesaḥ Sheni and the daughters of Tzelofḥad, who asked almost the very same
question. Rather than looking for exemptions or fewer obligations, they longed
for a greater shar...

This morning's Breakfast & a Class explored the idea that some of the most meaningful lessons in life come through what appear to be ordinary, unrelated events. A fabric sample in our showroom, a conversation in our North Carolina factory, and an unexpected phone call from a dear friend about a jacket he had not worn in two years all converged around one of the Torah's least discussed mitzvot. Were they simply coincidences, or were they gentle reminders to slow down and pay attention?

Using Parashat Pinchas as our guide, we explored how Pinchas understood that...

 This week's parashah returns us to the daily korbanot,
the sacrifices that were offered every single day in the Bet HaMikdash. At
first glance, these verses can seem distant from our lives. We no longer have
the Temple, no longer bring offerings, and yet our Sages teach that the essence
of the korban was never merely the animal upon the altar. Drawing on a
remarkable teaching from the Ba'al HaTanya in Likkutei Torah, we explore how
every Jew still offers a korban each day—through the three garments of the soul:
our tho...

 This week's parashah opens with Pinchas bringing an end
to one of the darkest episodes in the wilderness, but the story really begins
at the end of the previous parashah with the tragedy of Shittim. We often
assume that the downfall of Benei Yisrael began with temptation and desire. Yet
the Torah and the Sages paint a far more subtle—and far more relevant—picture.
Before there was a sinful act, there was a dangerous idea. Before there was
immorality, there was rationalization. The greatest victories of the yetzer
hara are often won n...

This morning's Breakfast & a Class explores one of the Torah's greatest mysteries by connecting two practices that, at first glance, seem to have nothing to do with one another. Why does the Kohen who prepares the ashes of the Parah Adumah—the very medicine that restores purity to others—become impure himself? And why was Rabbi Yaakov Kassin, the revered Chief Rabbi of the Syrian Jewish community in America, known for lowering his head during Nefilat Apayim when almost no one else in his community did the same?

Drawing upon Chazal, Midrash, Kabbalah, and a cherished communal trad...

 Sometimes the greatest acts of kindness do not feel kind
at all. Sometimes the closed door, the unexpected delay, the painful
disappointment, or the obstacle we desperately want removed is actually Heaven
protecting us from a road we should never travel. In this week's Breakfast
& a Class, we explore one of the Torah's most fascinating episodes—the
story of Bilaam and his donkey—and discover that it is not merely the account
of a wicked prophet who could not see an angel. It is the story of every one of
us. 

  <...

 In this morning’s class, we explore a provocative question. When Beneh Yisrael
stood at Har Sinai and proclaimed —“We will do and we will hear”—did they fully appreciate what they were accepting?
And when Moshe delayed his return from the mountain, was the sin of the Eigel
merely an act of idolatry, or was it the result of something deeper: the struggle to live with faith when certainty disappears? 

temimut