Blog – Page 19 – Study Torah Online: Live and Interactive Torah Learning with Rabbi Eliyahu Shear

Learn Talmud – Tractate Berachot – Lesson 12 Daf 5b (Using Koren Talmud) – Suffering and Sensitivity

Rabbi Yochanan and other Sages of the Talmud teach us lessons in suffering and sensitivity. Suffering is by no means something that any person in the world wants. In fact, it is not only that suffering is of little interest to us, but we can assume that even if afflictions of any kind bring with them some kind of reward, we want neither the suffering, nor the reward!

Lessons in Tanya – Lesson 18 – The Animal Soul (Part 2) – Chapter 6

The Alter Rebbe explains in further detail the generality of life in the world below.

Lessons in Derech Hashem – The Way of God – Prophecy – Lesson 16 of Section 3

The Ramchal introduces us to Nevuah – prophecy. What exactly is prophecy, and how does it differ from Ruach HaKodesh (Divine inspiration)? Join us for this lesson where we get to see the text online as we learn it together and get a glimpse into the world of spirituality and attachment (Devekut) to God.

Lessons in Tanya – Lesson 17 – The Animal Soul (Part 1) – Chapter 6

Having completed a basic understanding of the Godly soul, the Alter Rebbe turns his attention to the composition of the animal soul. Chapter 6 will give us an insight into how the animal soul works. Indeed, just like the Godly soul – the animal soul is a perfect parallel of the Godly soul.

Lessons in Talmud – Tractate Berachot – Lesson 11 Daf 5a / 5b (using Koren Talmud Bavli)

What are afflictions of love? We take off from where we left in our last lesson. Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (the author of the holy Zohar) teaches us that there are three gifts that God gives us – but that they all come with hardships. We learn about Rabbi Yochanan and as we are to find out later – he too encountered some great trials in his own life.

Lessons in Derech Hashem – The Way of God – Divine Inspiration (Ruach HaKodesh) – Lesson 15 of Sec 3

Divine Inspiration: A special gift from God, given to any person who is deserving of it. In Hebrew, it is called Ruach HaKodesh and it refers to a unique ability to be aware of certain things that most people would not be aware of by themselves.

Lessons in Tanya – Lesson 16 – Why Torah Study is Greater than Mitzvah Performance – Chapter 5

After concluding Chapter 4 dealing with “hugging the King”, we move in to understanding why Torah study is even greater than Mitzvah performance. Studying Torah means “grasping” the very mind of God. Hidden within the words of Torah and the Halachot (the laws) is the actual will of God.

Lessons in Talmud – Tractate Berachot – Lesson 10 Daf 5a (using Koren Talmud Bavli) – On Suffering

After a brief teaching discussing the issue of the Torah that Moshe received, the Gemara continues teaching that there is a great power to reading the Keriat Shema before one goes to sleep. Two unrelated issues (on the surface at the least!) but then this is the way of the Talmud – to jump from one issue to another within just a sentence.

Lessons in Tanya – Lesson 15 – “Touching God” – Hugging the King – Chapter 4

The Torah is the manifestation of God into the physical realms. The Torah descends like water from a high place to a low place and so the revelation of God in the physical world is an exact likeness of God as He exists in the higher worlds of spirituality and even above this (so to speak.)

The Alter Rebbe teaches us that when we perform Mitzvot and study Torah, we are able to literally grab a hold of God. The physical Mitzvot and the letters of Torah are not something separate from God – but rather they are completely attached to God in a complete unity.

When we study Torah, we attach ourselves to God. When we perform Mitzvot, we hug God as He allows us to within the physical realm. This is even higher than the levels of sublime joy we encounter in the higher realms, because there, we find only a glimmer of God’s light. Here, in this physical world, we can “touch” God (so to speak) as we embrace the Torah and the Mitzvot – just like a person would hug the king – even if he had many garments on. What an inspiring teaching that will help us to feel excited about the Torah we study and the Mitzvot that we perform!

Lessons in Derech Hashem – The Way of God – The Limits of Evil – Lesson 14 of Section 3

We conclude our chapter discussing the limits of evil in the world. It is true that there is the aspect of evil. There are spiritual beings that have the power to infringe on activities in the physical world. But with all that, we must constantly be aware that nothing within the realm of evil has any power unless God Himself allows that power to express itself.