Wisdom of Aseret

There is a great truth out there, that the world really needs to know: Jews. Love. Food. The Talmud teaches us (Pesachim 109a):  אֵין שִׂמְחָה אֶלָּא בְּבָשָׂר וְיַיִן,  there is no joy without meat and wine. Now, of course, there are some people who may not drink wine or eat meat, but that is not the point. Rather, in Judaism, this is an injunction to celebrate Shabbat and Holidays with tastes and flavours and scents that bring joy to the body and soul, and unity to all at the table. By making our body feel whole and satisfied, it allows our soul to bask in the sanctity of the day. When I and so many others reflect upon early Sabbath memories, what stands out amidst the aura of love, family, the connection between generations, holy guests, sounds and song, is the smell of fresh baked challah, the warmth of chicken soup, and all of the other incredible Shabbos foods, from whatever culture you come from. There is just so much more to say about this deep connection between food and Jewish spirituality. So I want to invite you to join my conversation with Nancy Weisbrod, about her relationship with the 4th Dibber of Shabbat and food.  Wife, mother and grandmother, Nancy is the founding president and board member of The Village Shul Aish HaTorah Learning Center, in Toronto. She is also the Project Aseret Ambassador creating the WAVE (Wisdom of the Aseret Values Education) Workshop. Most importantly for our conversation, she is a Kosher cooking teacher, Umami Sushi founder, Cordon Bleu graduate, and has been teaching and sharing delicious, simple and health-giving meals for over 4 decades.  This conversation was super heartfelt, light hearted and yet full of depth and meaning. It was a true pleasure to learn from her about the intimate relationship between Judaism and food and I think you will feel the same. As for the episode, we hope you find it meaningful! Click HERE to Listen, and don’t forget to subscribe. Love, Noach Binyamin

Welcome to the Aseret Podcast, where we learn about character, kindness, wisdom, and virtue from living examples of inspiring people, based on the ethical and moral vision of the Ten Commandments or the Aseret HadDibrot. the Jewish tradition, learning wisdom is not just about intellectual knowledge, but rather integrating what we know into our lives. Ben Zoma, a great Jewish sage, famously taught:  אֵיזֶהוּ עָשִׁיר, הַשָּׂמֵחַ בְּחֶלְקוֹ Who is rich? The person who is happy with his portion in life. One of the central human struggles is around being able to apply this wisdom. How many of us feel the richness and magic and blessing, a felt sense of appreciation for the life we live, and the relationships we have?  You are not alone. The Torah takes this issue very seriously. The 10th Dibber teaches us to לֹ֥א תַחְמֹ֖ד, not to covet what is not yours to have. Instead, we are told to serve God with joy, עִבְד֣וּ אֶת הי בְּשִׂמְחָ֑ה, which according to Rav Noach Weinberg zt’l, is an obligation.  That said, how do we stay grateful, but also not complacent?  Our guest, Noey Jacobson reflects on this Dibber and how he works to overcome the negative elements of Lo Tachmod in his life while utilizing jealousy as a fuel for self-growth and betterment.  Noey Jacobson is a musician, content creator, and entrepreneur. He is a founding member of the Maccabeats, performing with the group on six continents and producing music videos with over 100 million views. He also founded The Bardary Inc, a content marketing agency servicing clients in the entertainment, corporate, and non profit industries. Noey is currently pursuing his MBA at New York University, living in Manhattan with his wife Michali and their daughter Kira. Most recently, he spent a year with Jewish Unpacked on a Ten Commandments video series, in collaboration with Aseret Global which you can find HERE. This series is eloquent, educational, exciting and entertaining.  I deeply appreciated and enjoyed my conversation with Noey. He was honest and authentic and full of wisdom and thoughtfulness. His approach to life and learning is so down to earth and humane. He is someone who is truly living with the Ten Commandments and finding its place in his life, each and every day. As for the episode, we hope you find it meaningful! Click HERE to Listen, and don’t forget to subscribe.

Welcome to the Aseret Podcast, where we learn about character, kindness, wisdom, and virtue from living examples of inspiring people, based on the ethical and moral vision of the Ten Commandments or the Aseret HadDibrot. As Jews, we are known as the people of the Book, the Torah. Torah has many parts and pieces that guide our lives. And yet, what is it all about? What uniftes those pieces together? One answer that shines brightly comes from Rebbe Akiva of the 1st century.  In the book of Leviticus, it says וְאָֽהַבְתָּ֥ לְרֵעֲךָ֖ כָּמ֑וֹךָ אֲנִ֖י הי Love your neighbour as yourself, I am Hashem And Rebbe Akiva calls this the  כְּלָל גָּדוֹל בַּתּוֹרָה A Great Principle of Torah The essence of our Torah guides us to try and love Hashem and others, and these paths cannot be separated. In the 20th century, there emerged a giant of Torah and Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism, who stressed this point and carved a pathway for it. His name was Rav Yehuda Ashlag zt’l, otherwise known as the Baal HaSulam, the Master the Ladder. Today, Kabbalah in its popular forms, stems from this holy man, and his wisdom.  The path of Ashlagain Kabbalah is the path of bringing Rebbe Akiva’s words to life in every moment of the Torah path. It involves moving from מֵרָצוֹן לְקַבֵּל לְרָצוֹן לְהַשְׁפִּיעַ, from the desire to receive, to the desire to give. Rav Ashlag passed his Mesorah, his tradition to his son, Rav Baruch Ashlag zt’l, who passed it to Rebbe Avraham Mordechai Gottlieb shlita, who is currently passing it on to our very own guest today, Reb Adam Yitzvhak Polinovsky. Reb Adam has been learning the inner dimensions of the Torah full-time for 3 years in Telzstone, Israel with the Rebbe. From growing up in the suburbs, selling laptops at Best Buy, rapping in the underground, meeting Hip-Hop legends and Executive Producers, and the like, he’s thrilled to see where life has taken him and how the deep tools he’s learned along with his life experience is actualizing today through teaching, serving, and having a coaching practice. Reb Adam reflects with us on the 9th Dibber of not bearing false witness to our neighbour; instead, how do we be a true witness, of love and giving? On the way, you will hear his fascinating story about his journey to truth and learn about this inner Torah, which transforms us from takers to givers.  Find out more at https://aseret-the-wisdom-of-the-ten.pinecast.co

Welcome to the Aseret Podcast, where we learn about character, kindness, wisdom, and virtue from living examples of inspiring people, based on the ethical and moral vision of the Ten Commandments or the Aseret HadDibrot. How many of you have a strong, deep rooted desire to rob a jewelry store or to steal the beautiful lamborghini you saw the other day? My guess would be none of you. It’s just not within your realm of choice to do. But what about the desire to yell at your loved one? Or to snooze the alarm day after day? I am sure these moral dilemmas hit a little closer to home. You might be asking: why do I bring this up?  Well the great Rav Eliyahu Desler describes a concept of utmost significance in the human understanding of free will. It is called the Nekudat HaBechirah (נְקֻדַּת הַבְּחִירָה) or “Choice Point.”  In life, our choices do not exist in a vacuum; each of us have grown up with different temperaments, inclinations, environments, and life experiences that impact our decision making and define what tempts us.  Our real moral challenges are when we struggle on the battlefield between doing right and wrong, tempted to do the wrong, but have a fighting chance to do the right. Yes, people in a single moment can do Teshuva and completely turn their life around, but for most people in most situations, change and growth is slow and balanced.  For example, it is very likely that a person who grew up keeping Shabbat is not tempted from week to week to break it. Sure, they are rewarded for observance, but that is not where their character is tested. And yet, another person may have started attempting to keeping Shabbat at a later time in life. They have won some battles and now keep Friday night. Their current struggle is extended to keeping Shabbat till after morning services.  Keeping a full Shabbat, is likely outside of the realm of their choice point, and not keeping it at all is no longer their battle.  Our guest today, Reb Arthur Stern, is a criminal lawyer and mensch par excellance. He has also been involved heavily in many incredible Jewish causes as a layfundraiser, especially with the Village Shul in Toronto, Canada.  Wherever he goes, he tries to bring wisdom, words of encouragement, laughter and simcha to those he shares moments with. And he defends people whose choice points are likely much more different than our own. Yes, of course, they are responsible for the crimes they commit, but what do you expect from a person who was born into a third generation family, involved in organized crime? It would take superhuman effort for them to do full Teshuva and escape that life.  Before you look at yourself as all good and them as all bad, ask yourself while listening to this episode: What is your choice point and what is theirs? In this fascinating episode, we can get a special inside view of the criminal law profession. Reb Arthur is raw and honest about the challenges his clients face with the Eighth Dibber of Lo Tignov, Do Not Steal. With humour and humility, he also describes the difficulties he himself faces in his own practice, as being a criminal lawyer can be fraught with moral dilemmas. I think this episode can really help us develop a sensitivity to just how hard it is to be good,  how much effort and devotion it takes, and how appreciative we can be when we do the right thing and make the changes. We are complicated beings, but one thing is for sure; it sure feels so good to be good and do good in this world. As for the episode, we hope you find it meaningful! Click HERE to Listen, and don’t forget to subscribe. Love, Noach Binyamin Find out more at https://aseret-the-wisdom-of-the-ten.pinecast.co

In this world, no human being is created alone, no human being is an island. We need others; some are extroverted, some introverted, but no one, with maybe exceptional exceptions can live a solitary life. No matter how independent we may feel we are, we come into this world, as our guest Rebbetzin Lori Polatnik explains, as completely helpless. We can only survive with the love and care of others. Rabbi Sacks zt’l point out that the first time it says Lo Tov or not good, in our Torah, is in the context of Adam not having a life partner, someone to live and love and grow with. So God makes Chavah, Eve. The partnership of marriage, of a commitment to build a life and a world, and generations with another, can teach us so much about the sacredness and devotion needed in all good and thriving relationships. The key underlying ingredient in close relationships is loyalty and trust, the foundation, when without, nothing else can stand. In this episode, we learn about the Dibber of Lo Tinaf, do not commit adultery. Committing adultery is the archetypal act representing the loss of trust, safety, loyalty, devotion, that is needed to fuel loving relationships.  With passion and wisdom, Rebbetzin Lori helps us understand the significance of this foundational Dibber, and how each us can guard, with full, sincere and total effort, the relationships that build homes, communities and the world. We will also learn in the process how to love others, in a deep and practical way. We will see how loyalty to God and to others go hand in hand in this world, and how both the Divine and human relationships have so much to teach other, in living a wholesome life.  Lori Palatnik is the Founding Director of Momentum (formerly JWRP). She is a world- renowned Jewish educator, speaker, writer, and media personality, who has lectured all over the world. Lori has authored four books: Friday Night and Beyond, Gossip, Remember My Soul, and Turn Your Husband Into Your Soul Mate.  In 2014, Lori was named one of the ten “Women to Watch” by Jewish Women International  in recognition of her contribution to Jewish women throughout the world. Hadassah named Lori one of the “Most Outstanding Jewish American Women of Our Time” and Izzy included Lori in its “Global Jewish 100” list for moving Jewish culture forward. In 2020, Lori was selected to light the “Diaspora” torch at the national ceremony for Israel’s 72nd Independence Day. Lori lives with her husband Rabbi Yaakov Polatnik, in Jerusalem. This episode inspires me to want to work that much harder on the close relationships in my life to make them the best and most loving they can be, just as God wants iWelcome to the Aseret Podcast, where we learn about character, kindness, wisdom, and virtue from living examples of inspiring people, based on the ethical and moral vision of the Ten Commandments or the Aseret HadDibrot. Thanks for listening; we hope you enjoy it and find it meaningful. Please like and subscribe, wherever you may be listening. Find out more at https://aseret-the-wisdom-of-the-ten.pinecast.co