Va'era: Revealing the Divine Value to History

 by Rav Yehuda HaKohen, VisionMag.org

It is through the story of Israel, as it unfolds throughout time, that humanity sees history as possessing Divine meaning and purpose.

Vayehi: The 12 Tribes as Unity, Not Uniformity

by Rav Yehuda HaKohen, VisionMag.org

Only as a “kingdom of priests and holy nation” that reveals HaShem’s Oneness over all spheres of life can Israel fully express His Ideal and lead mankind to experience a world of total blessing.

Struggling With the Fast of Gedalia

by Rav Yehuda HaKohen, VisionMag.org

Of all the Jews murdered throughout history, why should we fast for Gedalia ben-Aḥikam? There must be a reason beyond the assassination itself. 

Our Torah’s Most Challenging Topics

Group discussion led by Rav Gavriel Reiss, VisionMag.org

Exploring some of the scarier areas of Israel's Torah might help us to find unexpected solutions to some of our generation's most formidable challenges.

Listen to the audio/read the transcript here (1h8m min)

Bamidbar: A Mitzvah That Only a Nation Can Perform

by Rav Yehuda HaKohen, visionmag.org

A people's army is necessary for Israel to fulfill the Divine commandment of sovereignty over our land

A Freedom Fighter's Pesah

by Rav Yehuda HaKohen, visionmag.org

The haggadah in every generation is meant to teach Israel how to liberate ourselves and understand the basic value of our people's freedom.

Pekudei: Continuing the Work Moshe Began

by Rav Yehuda HaKohen, visionmag.org

It's important to recognize the internal development of the Hebrew tribes from the Exodus from Egypt to the Brit Sinai and consecration of the Mishkan.

Listen to the audio/read the transcript here (5 min)

Mishpatim: The Living Torah

by Rav Yehuda HaKohen, visionmag.org

How should we understand the difference between the Written Torah and the Oral Torah within the context of Israel's identity and development?

Listen to the audio/read the transcript here (12.5 min)

Vayehi: Demystifying The Tribes Of Israel

by Rav Yehuda HaKohen, visionmag.org

What are the individual contributions of each Hebrew tribe to Israel's national collective?

Listen to the audio/read the transcript here (34 min)

Vayeitze: Yaakov's Struggle to Become Israel

by Rav Yehuda HaKohen, visionmag.org

Before becoming Israel, Yaakov had to first spend several years in exile learning to be more like Esav.

Listen to the audio/read the transcript here (8 min)

Breishit: Creation's Secret Internal Structure

by Rav Yehuda HaKohen, visionmag.org

There's a hidden understanding of our Torah that has yet to reach the English-speaking Jewish world.

Listen to the audio/read the transcript here (28 min)

Ki Tavo: The Torah is a National Precept

by Yehuda HaKohen, visionmag.org

The performance of our Torah's ritual precepts must be contextualized & experienced within the larger meta-narrative of Israel's story & mission.

Shoftim: Love and Duty

by Rav Yehuda HaKohen, visionmag.org

A Hebrew leader must embody the aspirations of his people to the extent that he becomes a microcosm of the entire nation of Israel and his personal identity is absorbed into that of the national collective.

Re'eh: Giving Our Everything For Israel

by Yehuda HaKohen, visionmag.org

The essence of Ahavat Yisrael is the willingness to take responsibility for Israel’s future. It is being prepared to sacrifice everything for the defense of the Jewish people and liberation of the homeland.

Balak: On "Religion" and State

by Rav Yehuda HaKohen, visionmag.org

While Moav and Midian championed a separation of 'religion' & state, Israel's mission demands that spiritual ideals be materialized on a national level so that our Torah's values be fully expressed on earth.

Korach: Equality, Not Uniformity

by Rav Yehuda HaKohen, visionmag.org

Our equality doesn't result from being created identical but rather from the fact that we each have equally crucial functions and important roles to play as part of Israel's greater historic mission.

Korah

Behukotai: Betraying Israel's Mission

 by Rav Yehuda HaKohen, visionmag.org

Israel's deep spiritual connection to our homeland – like the connection of the soul to the body – transcends all rational human understandings.

Parshat Beḥukotai describes the consequences that result when Israel betrays our mission.

Lag B'Omer & The Hebrew Mission

 by Rav Yehuda HaKohen, visionmag.org

What can the secrets of Torah celebrated on Lag B'Omer teach us about Israel's historic mission & the antagonists we need to overcome to achieve it?

Listen to the audio/read the transcript here (36 min)

The Seventh of Pesah

by Rav Yehuda HaKohen, visionmag.org

Israel was granted insight into HaShem's Divine plan for revealing Himself in Creation and bringing the world to its predestined state of perfection.

The seventh day of Pesaḥ – referred to by Rav Sa’adya Gaon as Ḥag HaShmada – the Festival of Destruction – celebrates the destruction of Egypt’s military forces at the Sea of Reeds. But it also commemorates something more significant to our people’s story – the climax of Israel’s miraculous national birth and attainment of collective nevua.

A Freedom Fighter's Pesah

by Rav Yehuda HaKohen, visionmag.org

The haggadah in every generation is meant to teach Israel how to liberate ourselves and understand the basic value of our people's freedom.

Between Israel’s slavery in Egypt and the final redemption in Jerusalem, the story of the Exodus continues throughout time. In every generation we find challenges and heroes in our unbroken struggle for complete liberation as we inch ever closer toward history’s ultimate goal.

The festival of Pesaḥ is the holiday of Israel’s initial emancipation, marking the birth of the Hebrew nation and HaShem’s great love for us. It was on this day that the Kadosh Barukh Hu took Israel out from Egyptian slavery in order that we become His human representatives in this world. We were brought from subjugation to freedom in order that we establish the civilization meant to express His Divine Ideal and bless humanity with the light of His Truth – a light that can only be illuminated through Israel experiencing complete independence in our historic homeland. It is therefore precisely on Pesaḥ – on the birthday of the Hebrew nation – that we must educate ourselves to the true value of freedom.

Rashi teaches that the miracles of the Exodus began on the tenth of Nisan, a few days prior to the festival. It was on this date that Israel overcame our fears and psychologically freed ourselves from the chains of bondage. Each household prepared to slaughter a lamb, one of Egypt’s most prominent national deities, and displayed it defiantly for our oppressors to see. Although the Egyptians would naturally seek to punish their Hebrew slaves for such an offense, the Children of Israel remained miraculously unharmed. This was therefore the day on which the miracles of redemption truly began and when Hebrew courage was first demonstrated after so many years of persecution.