Chassidus for Life (Rabbi Robby Charnoff)

In this episode we discuss Moshe's vision of the burning bush that was not consumed. Why did God give him this vision? How does it serve to kick off the reception process? And what does it have to do with the spark of life in each and every one of us? We explore all this and more.

If you want to follow along in the text, it is Nesiovs Shalom on Shemot page lamed aleph (31). You can find a pdf of the piece here.

This episode is sponsored anonymously by an OU-JLIC Queens College alumnus "with hakarat hatov to Rabbi Charnoff for the tremendous impact he has had on me. One of Rabbi Charnoff's first shiurim on campus was a Nesivos Shalom shiur and it opened me up to new ways of looking at Torah and the world of chassidus, for which I am forever grateful. I'm so glad to see Rabbi Charnoff's teaching of Nesivos Shalom continue to develop and flourish. May our learning together bring us closer to the final redemption bimheirah b'yameinu!"

If you would like to sponsor an episode of the podcast, please email Rabbi Charnoff at rabbicharnoff@gmail.com.

In this episode we discuss the challenge of having faith in the darkness of exile, the unique level of faith it took for Israel to get out of Egypt, and the faith we need to get out of our own darkness, personal and national. This was given on the evening of the release of the first three hostages, so during the episode we're going to lightly touch on the emunah involved in the miracle of their release, as well as the challenges of the war we've been in for so long. I hope it will be an emotional, challenging, and meaningful journey.

If you want to follow along in the text, it is Nesiovs Shalom on Shemot page nun (50). You can find a pdf of the piece here.

This episode is sponsored anonymously for a refuah sheleimah for Sarah bat Tolsa and for general peace in Klal Yisrael. Thank you so much to this week's generous sponsor!

If you would like to sponsor an episode of the podcast, please email Rabbi Charnoff at rabbicharnoff@gmail.com.

In this episode we discuss the ninth of the 10 plagues, the plague of darkness. Our Sages tell us that Moshe brought down a darkness from the heavens. How can there be darkness in heaven? What does it mean for that darkness to be on earth? How did the Jews really have light during the plague? And what does that teach us about brining the light into our own lives? We get into all of that and more!

If you want to follow along in the text, it is Nesiovs Shalom on Shemot page ayin gimmel (73). You can find a pdf of the piece here.

This episode is sponsored anonymously for a refuah sheleimah for Sarah bat Tolsa and for general peace in Klal Yisrael. Thank you so much to this week's generous sponsor!

If you would like to sponsor an episode of the podcast, please email Rabbi Charnoff at rabbicharnoff@gmail.com.

In this episode on Pashat Beshalach and Parshat Shira we discuss Az Yashir, the song that Israel sang at the sea. What was so tremendous about that moment of song? Why does the Midrash claim that God was waiting for this level of song since he created Adam in Gan Eden? What is so lofty about song in general, and how do we reach those heights of song ourselves? We'll get into all that and more!  

If you want to follow along in the text, it is Nesiovs Shalom on Shemot page kuf tet vav (115). You can find a pdf of the piece here. 

This episode is sponsored anonymously for a refuah sheleimah for Sarah bat Tolsa and for general peace in Klal Yisrael. 

This episode is sponsored anonymously with the following message: "It is with hakarat hatov to Rabbi Charnoff for establishing a women's midrasha at Queens College, which allowed me to continue my classroom Torah learning. And l'iluy nishmat HaRav Yehudah ben Dov Ber, Rabbi Yehuda Kelemer, from who I learned so much. May we all merit in their zechus to truly experience samcheinu b'yeshuasecha, boundless joy from Your salvation, Hashem."

Thank you so much to this week's generous sponsors!

If you would like to sponsor an episode of the podcast, please email Rabbi Charnoff at rabbicharnoff@gmail.com.

In this episode we are going to dive into the month of Shvat and the holiday of Tu B'Shvat! What is the month of Shvat all about? Why is the month and its holiday so focused in on food? What does it mean to eat in an elevated and holy way? We'll get into all that and more today!

Thank you so much to this week's anonymous sponsor!

If you would like to sponsor an episode of the podcast, please email Rabbi Charnoff at rabbicharnoff@gmail.com.

In this episode on Parshat Mishpatim we are going to discuss what it means to be "A kingdom of priests and a holy nation." God tells us this is what we need to aspire to in order to receive the Torah. But what does kadosh, holy, really mean? Why is kedusha so central to being a Jew and entering into a conversant with God? How can I achieve kedusha myself? Well get into all of that and more in this episode!  

If you want to follow along in the text, it is Nesiovs Shalom on Shemot page kuf ayin zayin (177). You can find a pdf of the piece here.

This episode is sponsored anonymously with the following message: "It is in honor of Rav Charnoff's incredible impact on my religious journey and so many other Lev HaTorah talmidim. It is also in memory of my grandfather, Rav Shneur Avraham ben HaRav Yosef, whose 4th yurtzeit is this week." Thank you so much to this week's generous sponsor!

If you would like to sponsor an episode of the podcast, please email Rabbi Charnoff at rabbicharnoff@gmail.com.

In this episode on Parshat Terumah we are going to discuss the personal avodas Hashem of the Mishkan. Why does God dedicate so many parshiyot of the Torah to something that we only use for a brief time in the desert? Why is it so significant? How is it relevant to me? And why do the parshiyot of the Mishkan almost always overlap with Adar and Purim? We will get into all of that and more in this episode!  

If you want to follow along in the text, it is Nesiovs Shalom on Shemot page kuf tzadi heh (195). You can find a pdf of the piece here.

This week's episode is sponsored by the Merkin family. Thank you so much to this week's generous sponsor!

If you would like to sponsor an episode of the podcast, please email Rabbi Charnoff at rabbicharnoff@gmail.com.

*Link to my Parsha WhatsApp chat mentioned in this episode - click here to join.

In this episode we are going to get into the meaning of the Gemara that says that a person is supposed to drink on Purim to the point of not being able to tell the difference between the cursedness of Haman and the blessedness of Mordechai. Why would this be something to strive for on such a holy day? And where are we really meant to get to internally through this process, whether we drink wine on Purim or not? We will get into all of that and so much more in this episode!  

If you want to follow along in the text, it is Nesiovs Shalom booklet on Purim on page nun zayin (57). You can find a pdf of the piece here.

This week's episode is anonymously sponsored for the refuah sheleimah of Binyamin Baer ben Chana and for the zechus that all Jews in the world should find meaning in the 613 mitzvot. Thank you so much to this week's generous sponsor!

If you would like to sponsor an episode of the podcast, please email Rabbi Charnoff at rabbicharnoff@gmail.com.

In this episode we are going to get into Parshat Parah, one of the special parshoyot we read leading into Pesach! Why do we read about the Parah Adumah, the purifying red heifer, this week? What is so powerful about this mysterious mitzvah? And how does it in fact begin to prepare us for Pesach? We'll get into all of that and  much more in this episode!  

If you want to follow along in the text, it is Nesiovs Shalom Sefer Shemot page shin yud (310). You can find a pdf of the piece here.

This week's episode is sponsored by the Betsalel family in honor of the yurtzeit of Adina's great-grandmother, Esther bat Shoshana. May her neshamah have an aliyah. Thank you so much to this week's generous sponsor!

If you would like to sponsor an episode of the podcast, please email Rabbi Charnoff at rabbicharnoff@gmail.com.

In this episode we are going to get into Parshat Pekudei, the final Parsha in Sefer Shemot! After many weeks working to construct the Mishkan, Moshe finally put it up. But it takes seven days of him constructing it and breaking it down, multiple times per day, until God's presence finally rests on the Mishkan. What is the meaning of this process? And what does it mean for how we relate to our internal Mishkan and how to make sure God dwells within us? We'll get into all of that and much more in this episode!  

If you want to follow along in the text, it is Nesiovs Shalom Sefer Shemot page reish ayin chet (278). You can find a pdf of the piece here. 

This week's episode is generously sponsored by Binyamin and Tova Bakaev in honor of Rosh Chodesh Nissan and a refuah sheleima for Alter Yonah ben Sylvia. Thank you so much to the Bakaevs for sponsoring this week's episode! If you would like to sponsor an episode of the podcast, please email Rabbi Charnoff at rabbicharnoff@gmail.com.