Torah Talks is a weekly journey into the soul of Torah; highlighting a relevant topic gleaned from the weeks Torah portion. Each class is an exciting source based Torah study class. Explore the timeless messages Torah offers for todays Jews.
Classes right now our taking place on Wednesday evening at 7:00pm.
They are being broadcasted on Zoom at https://tinyurl.com/Torahtalks & on our Facebook page https://fb.me/ChabadSalem
Hi! These days, it seems like nothing has a shelf life longer than a week. Every day brings another superhero franchise, fashion trend, or dieting fad. News cycles shift by the hour, social media feeds and timelines by the second. With everything flickering, flashing, and constantly updating, it’s little wonder life sometimes feel so impermanent. For me, there’s no better way to slow things down than to pull back, if only for short while, and try to see things from a more timeless perspective. Our own Jewish traditions are filled with so many breathtaking insights, and they won’t fade away into irrelevance in a few days. Connecting to our own heritage, and ultimately to a divine wisdom, makes the all very human things we do feel richer, more meaningful, and part of something longer lasting. The Torah Studies program at Chabad Center for Jewish Life tries to make this happen every single week. Each class take a topic or idea in Jewish thought to explore, tease out, and bring into play with our own lives. Each one is built around texts that we’ll learn together so that you can see these ideas for yourself, argue over them, and apply them to life your own way. Below, you can see an outline of a few of the upcoming sessions, and I’d love if you could join me for what promises to be a fun, engaging, and deeply rewarding learning experience. They are open to everyone, of all abilities, so bring along a friend too! Shalom, and have a great week, On Zoom & Facebook Live Every Week ![]() Wednesday, January 11 2023 Me or We? Is There Space for Both? It's a familiar tension that pops up all the time: Who should I prioritize: myself or someone else? Sometimes it seems impossible to do both. A close look at Moses's life and his thundering words to Pharaoh tell us that when G‑d is involved, "me and you" can both be served. ![]() Wednesday, January 18 2023 Don't Fall Prey to the Gaslighter Sometimes the Best Strategy is to Simply Scream There's the truth, and then there are a million other versions. Usually, we know the truth. So when others come along and try to convince us otherwise, it's best to recognize them for what they are: lying, manipulating forces that deserve nothing more than a shout: "Get out of my life!" ![]() Wednesday, January 25 2023 One Mitzvah for You, One Mitzvah for Me, One Mitzvah for Everyone Putting "Do a Mitzvah" on Everyone's Bucket List Do you have a bucket list of things you'd like to do at least once in your life? Many people have such lists. What they may not know is that "do a mitzvah" could well be the most important item to add to that list, for the entirety of Creation depends on it. ![]() Wednesday, February 1 2023 Right Now You're Here-And Nowhere Else Investing Everything into the Task at Hand. And Then Moving On to the Next "Live in the moment" is a popular buzz phrase today. But what if the next moment is equally, or even more, important? The Jews' puzzling behavior with the spoils at the sea teach us an important lesson about this very question. ![]() Wednesday, February 8 2023 The Theory of Everything Appreciating the Underlying Oneness in Everything-Including You We live in an incredibly fragmented world; everything and anything eventually seems to splinter, come apart, or disintegrate. What is the secret glue that holds everything together-in our lives, throughout the world, and over history? Discover the Theory of Everything. ![]() Wednesday, February 15 2023 Positive and Pain Free If Judaism Is Hurting You, You're Doing Something Wrong Piety and asceticism have long been considered ideological allies. Indeed, fasting, abstinence, and a general disdain for the body and materialism are the assumed brand of the sincerely devout. But along came the Chassidic revolution and brought with it a somewhat brazen but ultimately beautiful version of Judaism that's yours to enjoy. ![]() Wednesday, February 22 2023 When Time Stands Still There's Nothing Hypocritical about Your One-Off Good Moment One of the greatest challenges to meaningful change is the nagging feeling that whatever changes we make are only incremental and not reflective of our true selves. So why bother? When it comes to your relationship with G‑d, the surprising and refreshing truth is that every move carries infinite, timeless value. ![]() Wednesday, March 1 2023 Get Out and Help Someone Else Public Service Is a Critical Part of Life In an era of self-development, self-actualization, and self-fulfillment, putting aside personal needs to help someone else is somewhat of a lost art. While Western society has shifted over the last century from the collective to the individual, Purim's other main character, Mordechai, teaches us to push back on the trend. ![]() Wednesday, March 8 2023 What Do You Really Want? Finding a Map to the Real You We all want a lot of money, a big house, nice cars, healthy relationships, good vacations, and even a sprinkle of happiness and meaningful moments. But what do you really want? And how do you get there? Discover the formula for identifying and unlocking the real you. ![]() Wednesday, March 15 2023 The Religious Creative Is Religious Lifestyle Compatible with Creative Self-Expression? Poetry, music, painting, liberal arts: none of these sound like the stuff of a devout religious lifestyle. Stories of tradition, conformity, and asceticism are the bread and butter of religion. Can the twain meet? Of course they can! Discover how. ![]() Wednesday, March 22 2023 Is It Really a Mistake? Certain Mistakes Happen to Certain People What do our mistakes say about us? Is "It was just a one-time mistake" an acceptable defense? Discover the lesson taught by an errant leader in Temple times: Moral lapses are not just one-off events to be ignored because they go unpunished. Instead, reflect on what your mistakes mean about your life at large. ![]() Wednesday, March 29 2023 Loyalty or Love: Which Do You Prefer? When Loyalty Is as Endearing as Love Is trudging through a relationship on brute commitment alone a good thing or bad thing? Well, it depends how you look at it. A detailed analysis of the leavening qualities inherent in the Passover matzah reveals that sometimes, loyalty and commitment are exactly the type of love we could all use.
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New Season Starting ![]() Wednesday, April 12 2023 The Process of Redemption News Flash: It's Already Underway When two Torah portions both seem to be misnamed, you can bet something deeper is at play. Indeed, this double anomaly teaches us an important lesson about healing and rebirth: the process begins a lot earlier than you might imagine. ![]() Wednesday, April 19 2023 Children Are Small Adults It's Never Too Early to Start a Jewish Education It's a common mistake: parents don't really take their children seriously, and one day, boom!: they're all grown up. Understanding just how developed children are at already very young ages is a clarion call for parents to get serious about their education. ![]() Wednesday, April 26 2023 Jews Don't Pray. They Daven. G‑d Is Not a Vending Machine "Daven," a mysterious word with uncertain origins, is one of those glorious terms that convey the heart of Jewish prayer. More than just a chance to ask G‑d for stuff, or a stuffy experience in a hard-backed pew, the Jewish conception of prayer is that it is a heartfelt and spiritually exhilarating opportunity to connect with G‑d. ![]() Wednesday, May 3 2023 "Pull Yourself Up by Your Own Bootstraps," They Said. It's a Lie. You Can't Jump Out of Your Own Skin. Get an Objective Opinion. The "self-made man" is one sacred cow long drilled into our collective psyche. A curious omission of a key family member on an important list of relatives in the Torah leads to an enlightening and honest conclusion: you can't mentor yourself. ![]() Wednesday, May 10 2023 Leadership Lessons: Personal, Local, and Global A Multifaceted Discussion on Leadership "What's a good leader?" is the type of question you debate with cab drivers and family members at Thanksgiving dinner. A long list of leaders in the very beginning of the Book of Numbers kicks off this lively and informative exploration of this important topic. ![]() Wednesday, May 17 2023 Judaism: No Longer Playing Defense Minyan at the Airport: You In or Out? When G‑d gave the Torah, He nominated every Jew as a king. The original Chasidic master, the Baal Shem Tov, provides a blueprint for a Jewish attitude that sees a world not in opposition, but rather as a loyal subject to her king, G‑d, and His Torah. ![]() Wednesday, May 24 2023 Unleash Your Power Every Individual Is an Entire Collective A tribal prince offered a sacrifice millennia ago on Shabbat, and we're mining the lesson ever since. It's time to give yourself permission to feel important and significant. Your every action matters and cosmically so. ![]() Wednesday, May 31 2023 Passing Up the Bonus If It Costs the People, It's Not Worth the Gain Suppose the "masses" are slacking off, and you now have the opportunity to distinguish yourself and shine. Would you do it? From a glaring narrative hole in the parshah, we learn that a true leader would never do that. His or her fate is always with the people. ![]() Wednesday, June 7 2023 To Commit, To Question, or . . . Both? A License to Question Isn't a License to Reject If to think is to question, to discover, and reject when necessary, to accept and obey means to not think. So how do we approach religion: accept without thinking, or question and challenge? The story of the spies provides the answer: both. ![]() Wednesday, June 14 2023 Power to the Little Guy Why Judaism Cherishes Ordinary People over Holy Saints Jewish history and lore is replete with sages and saints, and with matriarchs and patriarchs. But let's face it: most of us are never going to be any of the above. Where's our place in Judaism? The quelling of Korach's revolt surprisingly tells us that it's actually front and center. ![]() Wednesday, June 21 2023 Trauma, Trauma, Wherefore Art Thou? Reframing the Past to Fortify the Future Shoving trauma under the rug is never a good idea, but dwelling on it and letting it dictate your life isn't either. An entire parshah named after a famous villain shows us how to strike a healthy balance between fleeing and facing a traumatic past. ![]() Wednesday, June 28 2023 Why You Must Learn from Your Own Mistakes Some Things Cannot Be Taught. They Must Be Learned and Earned. "You got burned trying to go the cheaper route? I told you it wasn't a good idea!" said every parent to their child. But that's life: to really appreciate something, we sometimes have to learn it the hard way And so it is with our relationship with G‑d: it cannot only be taught; it must be learned and earned. Chabad Center for Jewish Life
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Torah Studies is a program of the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute |