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ACHAREI - KEDOSHIM The Ultimate Sacrifice Let's explore the concept of mesirut nefesh (self-sacrifice) and its role in Jewish education. The purpose of remembrance is not merely to mourn the fallen, but to inspire future generations of heroes. Drawing from the Akeidah (the Binding of Isaac), the martyrdom of Rabbi Akiva, and modern soldiers like Matan Aberjil, who threw himself on a grenade to save his comrades, true self-sacrifice transcends rational calculation. The Lubavitcher Rebbe is cited as teaching that the highest form of kiddush Hashem (sanctifying G-d's name) is the actual giving of one's life, because it reveals a bond with G-d that goes beyond logic or self-interest. The educational takeaway is that children are not shaped by routine acts of piety, but by witnessing moments of extraordinary, irrational devotion. Just as a soldier named Matan was inspired by hearing the story of Roi Klein's heroism, and just as Hannah drew strength from Abraham's example when her seven sons were martyred, heroic stories form the spiritual bedrock of Jewish identity.

TAZRIA -METZORA The Power of A Good Word A small but powerful step each of us can take is to stop the spread of this negativity. To challenge mistaken ideas-yes-but not to despair of the people who hold them, and not to define them with absolute, hopeless labels. Instead, we must find the way to highlight the potential within every Jew to return and to repair their actions. A fundamental question in the parshiyos of the week: Why does the metzora capture a bird from the wild in order to purify himself, only to then send it back into the wild? Either he should slaughter it, like its counterpart-or not capture it in the first place. The first parsha we read this Shabbos, Tazria, deals with the diagnosis of the affliction. A person who sees a leasion on his home, his garment, or his skin goes to the Kohen, who examines the affliction and places him in quarantine. The second parsha, Metzora, deals with the purification process. After the metzora repents and the affliction is removed, he must undergo a process of purification, followed by a seven-day waiting period, and then bring offerings as atonement for his sin.

TZAV The Antidote to Negativity Bios As we learn the laws of the Thanksgiving offering, we come to learn its differences from all other scarifices. As well as we look at the Seder table we see the Matzah is unique from everything else that is 4, there are only 3 matzos, why? The Seder, means order and perspective, giving us an outlook that will forever change the way we look at anything in life, and the woerld around us.

VAYIKRA Humility's Greatness Moses, who is described as the humblest person who ever lived, symbolized by the small letter aleph in the word "Vayikra." The central paradox is examined: how could Moses, who stood head and shoulders above all humanity in spiritual greatness, genuinely feel smaller than everyone else? The answer offered is that true humility is not self-negation or low self-esteem, but rather the recognition that one's talents and abilities are not truly "owned" — they are gifts entrusted by G-d. Moses understood that his extraordinary gifts came with extraordinary accountability, not privilege. The practical takeaway is that every person can access genuine humility by recognizing their own uniqueness: since no two people are identical, each person's individuality is G-d's way of saying "I chose you for a specific mission." This awareness — that one's gifts belong to G-d and carry responsibility — both empowers a person to act boldly in fulfilling their role and simultaneously humbles them before others, who were equally chosen for their own unique purpose.

VAYAKHEL - PEKUDEI Shabbos, A Gift of Time? Notice how all the recent event happened on Shabbos, why then? What is so unique about the Shabbos? Why does Moshe preface the laws of Shabbos, before telling the Jews about the construction of Tabernacle? Especially that when G-d instructed him about the Tabernacle, it was only afterwards, that he was told about the laws of shabbos? As we will come to learn Shabbos is more then a set of restrictions. Shabbos is a time where we can experience the world to come in the present. Shabbos is a gift of time, and a prerequisite to making G-d's home.

PURIM An Inebriated Relationship This is the secret of Megillat Esther: a story with no open miracle, yet entirely one great miracle. The long introductions and seemingly incidental details are themselves the revelation of providence. That is why Hallel is not recited on Purim — because the Hallel is the Megillah itself, the act of tracing the chain of events that reveals how, even outside the Land and within the garments of nature, everything is irected with exact precision. This is how one fulfills “ad delo yada”: by stripping away the illusion of nature and perceiving the guiding Hand behind it.

Lesson 6 Responsa from the future Could Artificial Intelligence decide Jewish law? Is lab-grown meat kosher? See how Jewish law is addressing the questions posed by tomorrow’s cutting-edge technology.   Cases JERUSALEM, 2003; MAALEH ADUMIM, 2009; NEW YORK, 2015; BEIT SHEMESH, 2022

Lesson 5 Answering the whole person Rules don’t always translate easily into reality. See how sages account for the practical, social, and emotional realities around a question to ensure their ruling leads to its intended outcome.   Cases CAIRO, 1173; BARCELONA, 1300; LODMIR, 1615; LUBAVITCH, 1871; BROOKLYN, 1954; MANCHESTER, 1963

Lesson 4 When the exception is the law Explore unexpected rulings that reveal the hidden fallback mechanisms built into Jewish law. These cases show how the law itself protects deeper values like human dignity and family harmony.   Cases PAVIA, 1450; SALONIKA, 1550; KRAKOW, 1570; LIOZNA, 1790

TETZAVEH Where's Moses? Why is Moshe's name absent from this week's Torah Reading? What is so special with the 7 Adar? What was greater the day of his passing or birth? What was the overriding factor that convinced Haman to make his plot in the month of Adar? Learn to reveal the Moses in you.

TERUMAH Faith Verses Reality One of the great struggles in life is that what we see and feel feels more real than what we believe. A religious person lives with tension. On one hand, we believe in a G-d who is beyond anything physical. On the other hand, we are physical beings. We experience the world through what we see, hear, smell, taste, and touch. And whatever we can see and feel feels powerful and convincing. It feels real. Faith is abstract. The physical world is right in front of us. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev once cried out: “Master of the Universe, where is the fairness? This world You put right in front of our eyes, but Gan Eden You left in the books.” In other words, the physical world feels immediate and obvious. The spiritual world feels distant and theoretical. So the question is: how do we stay connected to faith when the physical world is so intense and overwhelming?

MISHPATIM How to Make a Living There’s a Jewish idea that money is not something we earn; money is something we receive from Heaven. Money is the most influential force in the world, and Hashem does not release it freely. Behind every coin there is a guiding hand that determines the address at which it will land. Therefore, in order to “make money,” we must understand the values that guide the Holy One, blessed be He, in the distribution of wealth. After the prayer has been accepted and we have obtained the money, we must remember what G-d expects us to do with it. In this way we become worthy of additional blessing, so that it may be expanded and increased.

Lesson 3 How the Torah stays relevant See inside the process that enables the Torah’s ancient code to guide life in an ever-changing world. Witness the precise process of applying Talmudic precedent.   Cases  BARCELONA, 1300; VALENCIA, 1380; PAVIA, 1478; BEREZHANY, 1908

YISRO Is Faith A Commandment? What is the meaning of the statement “I am Hashem your G-d”? Is faith a commandment? Can one separate from it or violate it? And more broadly, what is the point of commanding faith? If it exists naturally, there is no need to command it; and if it does not exist, what good is a command? After all, one who does not believe, Heaven forbid, does not believe in commands issued in the name of Hashem.

Lesson 2 The quest for facts Do sages make assumptions about how reality works, or do they investigate the facts? Follow rabbis as they conduct five fascinating investigations worldwide.   Cases CAIRO, 1548; ALTONA, 1709; HAMBURG, 1772; JERUSALEM, 1866; BROOKLYN, 1958