Video Lessons – Page 17 – Study Torah Online: Live and Interactive Torah Learning with Rabbi Eliyahu Shear

Learn Talmud – Tractate Berachot – Lesson 13 Daf 5b/6b (Koren Talmud Bavli) – Caring for Another

Rav Huna’s wine goes off becoming vinegar! The Rabbis reprimand him: Perhaps he has done something wrong to deserve such a punishment from Heaven? Rav Huna has what to answer, but realising his mistake, does Teshuvah (repentance) and God makes a miracle for him and he ends up profiting after all!

Derech Hashem – The Way of God – Prophecy – Lesson 17 of Section 3

In paragraph 6, the Ramchal details further about what the prophet actually goes through at the time he experiences his prophesy. Here he also explains the difference between prophecy and Ruach HaKodesh (Divine inspiration.) We then continue to Chapter 4 of Section 3 – dealing with the concepts of the soul, Divine inspiration and prophecy:

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.