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Bitachon is something you’ve probably heard about many times. But what does it actually look like in your life? In this shiur, Rabbi Shafier walks you through what it means to truly trust in Hashem in a real, grounded way. You’ll start to see that bitachon isn’t just an idea. It’s a way of viewing everything that happens to you, recognizing that Hashem is involved in every detail, not just the big moments. You’ll be challenged to think about how you react when things don’t go as planned, and what that says about where your trust really lies. Through practical examples, you’ll begin to understand how to rely less on your own assumptions and more on Hashem’s plan. Listen in, and you’ll come away with a clearer, more honest approach to bitachon, along with a sense of how to start building it in your everyday life.  This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

The Sefer HaChinuch explains that the joy of leaving Mitzrayim wasn’t even the main event- the real excitement was receiving the Torah. That’s a striking thought. Freedom is incredible… so why was Torah even greater?  This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

As we journey towards Shavuos, Rabbi Shafier weaves together the events of Matan Torah with major concepts in Jewish thought. Tune in and discover why Torah is the spiritual nourishment for the world, what it means to be an am segula and how Moshe Rabbeinu could argue with the Ribbono Shel Olam. At the Foot of Har Sinai combines explanations taken from Chazal, Midrashim, Rishonim and Acheronim to skillfully describe the personality of Moshe Rabbeinu and the events leading up to kabbolas haTorah. This year, develop a deeper connection with the event that defines the very essence of who you are.  This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

Are you a slave to your appetite? Love pleasure a little too much? Or what about the opposite? Are you too afraid to enjoy any of the pleasures of this world, in case it turns you into a baal taiveh? In this week’s Shmuz on the Parsha, Rabbi Shafier shows you the golden middle way. Learn how to enjoy life without feeling guilty- on The Shmuz Podcast!  This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

Why would 24,000 talmidim of Rabbi Akiva — great men of Torah — be lost over something that seems so simple: a lack of respect? This powerful shiur uncovers what kavod really means — and why it is far more than just good manners. Through Chazal, real-life examples, and sharp insight, Rabbi Shafier reveals that respect is not optional; it is a foundational principle that shapes our relationships, our growth, and our avodas Hashem. From the way we view others as created b’tzelem Elokim, to the role respect plays in marriage and daily interactions, this session challenges you to rethink how you treat the people around you.  This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

Shiurim on shmiras haloshon aren’t popular. Like exercise or keeping healthy, most think, “yep. I know this. Shouldn’t do it. Not sure I need to listen to a whole shiur about it…” Unfortunately, the parameters of lashon hara are not what you think. Just like eating treif or being mechalel Shabbos, it is one hundred percent forbidden. And it’s easy to see why- we all have stuff in our history that we wouldn’t want “out there”. It makes sense that talking about even true events could cause serious damage to another Jew. But there’s more: did you know it’s relatively easy to stop talking lashon hara. You see, lashon hara isn’t driven by passion, by desire. It’s mostly due to a lack of awareness. By becoming more attentive to what the Torah demands, you can start amassing a serious amount of s’char for yourself. All it takes is for you to become more mindful and aware of what you’re saying.  This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

We have a mitzvah to remember Har Sinai, but to do that, we first need to understand what happened on that momentous day. At the Foot of Har Sinai brings the scene to life, capturing the majesty, awe, and unfolding of the events in a vivid and compelling way. While it’s difficult to fully grasp the magnitude of the miracles the Bnei Yisroel experienced, exploring them through the lens of our mesorah allows you to begin appreciating the depth of their joy and the power of Kabbolas HaTorah. In this introductory class, Rabbi Shafier guides you through the defining moment of your history — and shows how Matan Torah continues to shape your life and destiny until today.  This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

In the fourth session of Living Through the Makos, Rabbi Shafier guides you through the final makos, describing how we were brought out of Mitzrayim and through the Yam Suf. Of course, you know that there were many overt miracles during the final stages of redemption. What do they teach you for your own outlook on life? When you learn about how Hashem manipulated the waters of the sea, taking care of every detail to make sure we felt cared for and protected, it gives YOU a tremendous chizuk to your own emunah. When you consider how the Mitzrim were confronted with an impenetrable cloud of glory, and yet still didn’t believe in Hashem, you are forced to confront the negias you may be holding onto in your own life. This year, bring your understanding and appreciation for krias yam suf to a deeper level. Free yourself of the restrictions that are holding back your own personal growth.  This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

We like to think that if we witnessed one clear miracle, everything would fall into place; our emunah, our davening, our clarity. This shiur dismantles that assumption. Through a vivid, almost unsettling reconstruction of Mitzrayim from the Egyptian perspective, Rabbi Shafier exposes a deeper truth: belief is not driven by evidence, but by honesty. Even those who lived through open miracles found ways to explain it away. Why? Because they didn’t want to see. This is a shiur about intellectual integrity, self-deception, and the real barrier to emunah. Listen carefully, and you’ll gain a sharper lens on your own thinking and a far more demanding, but real, path to genuine belief.  This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

Most people assume that one open miracle would change everything. Rabbi Shafier dismantles that illusion. In this gripping shiur, he takes you into Mitzrayim not from the Jewish side, but from the Egyptian side, and asks a startling question: how could people live through blood, frogs, lice, darkness, and Krias Yam Suf and still refuse to believe? The answer is a penetrating look at free will, self-interest, and the human ability to explain away even the most obvious truth. If you want a sharper, more honest understanding of emunah, this shiur will force you to rethink what really keeps a person spiritually stuck.  This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

This week’s Shmuz is about Mitzrayim.  It’s about what Mitzrayim looks like in your life right now. The places you feel stuck. The things you’ve just accepted as “this is who I am.” The parts of life that feel impossible to move past. Pesach comes and reminds you that’s not the full story. You’re not as limited as you think. Hashem took you out of Mitzrayim to show you that change is always possible. That a person can grow and become more than they thought they could be. Not sure where to start? Listen now. This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

In parshas Vayikra, we learned how the cornerstone of all middos is humility. In this week’s Shmuz, Rabbi Shafier builds upon this fundamental principle by exploring the devastating influence of arrogance. We all agree that arrogance is ugly, but our mesorah goes further: arrogance will inevitably lead a person to forget Hashem. After all, when we’re so sure of our competence and independence, we don’t need a Master. We are in this world to serve Hashem, but when we are consumed by gaaveh, our avoda is ruined, because our intentions define every action. Arrogance will make us hated in this world and empty in the World to Come. It’s the essential work of a lifetime to rid our hearts of it completely, but where do we start? In Master and Servant Rabbi Shafier gives us practical tools that are guaranteed to cut through our illusions of grandeur, maintain our sense of self and reconnect to our ultimate Master and Benefactor.   This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

In this compelling and eye-opening shiur, Rabbi Shafier uncovers the hidden forces shaping our decisions, revealing how even the greatest minds — like Moshe Rabbeinu — can be subtly influenced by something as small as a trace of laziness. Through vivid examples, sharp insights, and practical guidance, he shows how our thoughts are not passive but actively shape who we become, and how the “voice in our head” can either elevate us or subtly lead us off course. If you’ve ever wondered why you make certain choices, how to trust your inner voice, or how to take control of your growth, this shiur will fundamentally change the way you understand yourself.  This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

The makos begin. The mitzrim are toyed with, antagonized and finally punished-exactly measure for measure. The world is shown that not only is there a Creator, there is also a Melech Hamishpat, a King who forgets nothing, and who punishes accordingly. In part three of Living Through the Makos, Rabbi Shafier draws on the Rishonim, Gemorah, Midrash Rabbah and Midrash Tanchumah to bring the eser makos into glorious high definition.Learn why Hashem chose such specific plagues, and what they symbolize. Visualize with astonishing detail what it was like to be in Mitzrayim during that time. Go beyond tradition. Immerse yourself in Living Through the Makos and start making the Ribbono Shel Olam a genuine reality in your life.  This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

This class uncovers the deeper meaning of leaving Mitzrayim: breaking out of the mental and spiritual patterns that keep us trapped. If you want to understand what it really means to leave your personal exile, this shiur will change the way you see the world around you.  This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate