Video content by Uri Pilichowski
The Sedra Bechukosi 5775
In this week's video for Parshat Bechukosai, we look at the beautiful blessings God promises to the Jewish people. Specifically, we focus on the promise of peace in the land. To explore this, I share a story about a rabbi named Rabbi Bergman, who searched for a way to bring his community together. While many of us dream of peace from our external enemies, the Ramban offers a striking and profound insight. He teaches that the true crux of a Jewish utopia is not just the absence of war with those who wish us harm, but actual peace among ourselves [...]
The Sedra Vayishlach 5773
This video explores the curious story of Yaakov (Jacob) renaming his newborn son, Benyamin, in Parshat Vayishlach. While his wife Rachel gave the child the name Ben Oni (Son of my pain) on her deathbed, Yaakov quickly changed it to Benyamin (Son of my right hand/treasure). Through this narrative, the speaker examines the profound significance of naming in both biblical contexts and modern life, comparing it to how companies name websites for a specific mission. The video aims to show how differing perspectives on values and legacies can lead to healthy disagreements, offering a solution to these conflicts and a [...]
The Sedra Shelach 5772
This week we read Parshat Shelach, a portion that contains one of the most remarkable moments in the entire Torah: a genuine debate between Moshe Rabbeinu and God. While we often see negotiation in the Torah, here we witness Moshe actually winning an argument with the Almighty. Following the tragic report of the spies and the subsequent rebellion of the people, God proposes to start over by making Moshe into a great nation. Moshe, however, looks at the situation from a different perspective. He argues that destroying the people would lead to a desecration of God's name among the nations [...]
