PARSHAT VAYIGASH
JOSEPH & HIS BROTHERS – THE FINAL CONFRONTATION
It is one of the most dramatic moments in the entire Torah — the final showdown between Joseph and his brothers. At first Judah delivers a powerful and impassioned plea for clemency on behalf of his brother Benjamin, invoking the pain it would cause his elderly father Jacob if Benjamin did not return. Suddenly, to the astonishment of his brothers, Joseph reveals himself by saying: “I am Joseph; is my father still alive?” 
The commentaries find this Joseph’s statement cryptic and inexplicable, particularly the question “is my father still alive?” His brothers had confirmed that Jacob was alive many times, and Judah had based his whole plea for Benjamin’s freedom on the effect Benjamin’s continued incarceration would have on Jacob. To explain Joseph’s curious choice of words, Rabbi Dunner introduces the commentary of Rabbi Joseph Dov Soloveitchik (1820-1892), scion of the famous rabbinic dynasty, who delivers a forceful message based on this episode.

VAYIGASH - JOSEPH & HIS BROTHERS; THE FINAL CONFRONTATION

PARSHAT VAYECHI
THE MYSTERY OF JACOB’S DEATHBED SECRETS
Shortly before he died, Jacob called for all his sons to come and visit him one last time. The introductory verses to this episode (Gen. 49) are repetitive and obscure. According to Rashi, Jacob was ready to reveal the details of the Messianic age when suddenly his gift of prophecy left him, and he was unable to remember what he had wanted to say. The Talmud elaborates, offering a poignant picture of the dying patriarch concerned for his spiritual legacy.
Rabbi Dunner examines Jacob’s abortive attempt to share the secrets of the future with his sons, citing primary texts, exploring later commentaries, and shedding light on this peculiar aspect of Jacob’s final moments with his children.

VAYECHI -  THE MYSTERY OF JACOB’S DEATHBED SECRETS  (2017)

PARSHAT SHEMOT

THE MISSION THAT ALMOST ENDED BEFORE IT BEGAN (PART 1)
 Early on in Shemot (Exodus), God appears to Moses and convinces him to take the lead in liberating the Jewish slaves from Egypt. Moses eventually sets out on his way, but before he has even arrived in Egypt he encounters God, who appears, inexplicably, to want him dead. Moses’ wife, Zipporah, steps in and circumcises their son, thereby saving her husband from death.
 
This story is undoubtedly one of the strangest stories in the entire Torah, and yet it is generally glossed over completely in our headlong rush to reach the important parts of the narrative — the story of the Exodus itself. Rabbi Dunner pauses to take a look at this extraordinary vignette, and offers some pretty remarkable interpretations, all of them based on Jewish religious literature’s most ancient sources. 

What is the relevance of the rest-stop that is mentioned in the story? Why would Moses’ life have been in danger? What is the significance of the circumcision? The answers to these questions and the many more emanating from this curious incident are fundamental to understanding who Moses was, and what had happened to him during his exile from Egypt.

SHEMOT - THE MISSION THAT ALMOST ENDED BEFORE IT BEGAN - PART 1 (2018)

One of the repeated themes of the Exodus narrative is the phenomenon of Pharaoh’s “hardened heart”, initially self-generated, later with assistance from God. This ability to remain unsympathetic to the plight of the Jews who wished to leave, and to the suffering of his subjects, enabled Pharaoh to withstand the unrelenting pressure of the havoc-wreaking plagues.
The externally enabled inflexibility puzzles all the commentators, who cannot fathom how someone deserves punishment if his resistance to pressure is unnatural. How can Pharaoh be blamed, and therefore be forced to suffer the consequences of his stubborness? Rabbi Dunner explains the background to Pharaoh’s superhuman ability to withstand Moses’ warnings, and offers a variety of explanations for this strange aspect of the Exodus story.

BO  - THE MESSAGE OF PHARAOH’S HARDENED HEART

The splitting of the Red Sea was undoubtedly the greatest miracle of the Exodus story, and indeed in human history. An entire nation was miraculously saved from certain death, while their genocidal pursuers all perished. Upon reaching safety, and with their enemies gone, the Jewish nation immediately and spontaneously began singing God’s praises, and the inspirational song they composed continues to inspire us thousands of years later.
 And yet we know that Judaism discourages joyous celebration if a victory involves the destruction of an enemy. An explicit verse in Proverbs 24 warns us not to rejoice at the downfall of our enemies, and we consequently have a tradition to reduce the Hallel (prayer of praise recited on festivals) we recite on Passover in recognition of the fact that our salvation came at the expense of the the Egyptian army. Rabbi Dunner uses sources from the Talmud and its commentaries to unravel this contradiction, demonstrating how careful one has to be in triumph, and why the Jews who sang at the Red Sea were fully in tune with this when they did so.

BESHALACH - DO NOT REJOICE IN YOUR ENEMY’S DOWNFALL

The arrival of Yitro together with Moses’ wife, Zipporah, and their sons, is sandwiched between the narrative describing the battle with Amalek and the revelation at Mount Sinai. Yitro seems to have been inspired to come from Midian by what he had heard about events that had recently taken place, but there is disagreement in the Talmud and among the commentaries as to exactly what Yitro heard, and even about when he arrived. Rabbi Dunner goes through a range of sources and offers a number of suggestions as to what Yitro heard, why he reacted in the way that he did, and why his appearance at this crucial moment in Jewish history is so significant.

YITRO - THE CONFLICTING ACCOUNTS OF YITRO’S ARRIVAL (PART 1)

YITRO - THE CONFLICTING ACCOUNTS OF YITRO’S ARRIVAL (PART 2)

RABBI ISAAC LURIA - VISIONARY TEACHER & SPIRITUAL MYSTIC
In 1570, a young rabbinic mystic called Rabbi Isaac Luria arrived in Safed (Tzfat), northern Israel. In the brief two years that remained of his life, his impact on a select group of disciples, and through them on Judaism, reverberates to this day. Later referred to as Ari Hakadosh (“Holy Lion”), or Arizal, his comprehensive fusion of kabbalistic theology and practical Judaism was unique, and was eagerly and universally adopted.
Discover the background to this heady period of mystical reawakening. Why was Safed the headquarters of this revival? Who were the rabbis and key figures in this movement? Who was the Arizal, and why did he emerge as the one most associated with this movement and its legacy? What exactly is “Kabbalah”, and how does it fit in with mainstream Jewish belief?

THE LEGACY OF RABBI ISAAC LURIA AND HIS SAFED KABBALISTS

In Terumah we are introduced to the Mishkan (Tabernacle), the construction of which was directed by God. This House of God would go on to become the center of Jewish life, first as a temporary sanctuary, and later as a permanent temple in Jerusalem, for 1,500 years. To this day, even after an absence of two thousand years, Jews pray for it to be rebuilt in all its glory. But what does the Mishkan represent? What is the symbolism of its construction and contents? How are we meant to relate to this structure and the various vessels it housed? In this shiur Rabbi Dunner continues to offer a range of ideas, gleaned from classic commentaries.

THE SYMBOLISM OF THE MISHKAN AND ITS VESSELS - PART 2

What are we to make of the strange mitzva of Nazir. A Nazir is a man or woman who takes upon themselves a vow of "nezirut", which means total abstinence from wine and grapes, haircuts, and any contact with the dead, for at least 30 days. Is God pleased with such a vow, or not? Does He want us to abstain from things which we are allowed to have and do? The Torah itself is ambiguous on this topic. Rabbi Dunner looks at the Talmud, and at a variety of classical commentators, to get to the bottom of this mystery, and to uncover some lessons for our own lives.

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NASO - IS THE ABSTINENCE OF A NAZIR GOOD OR BAD?

In the late 1990s Rabbi Dunner presented his own daily 2-hour radio show on London’s multiethnic station, Spectrum Radio. Tens of thousands of listeners – Jews and non-Jews alike – tuned in every day to hear Rabbi Dunner’s take on current events. In 2011 Rabbi Dunner relocated to the US and became the senior Rabbi at Beverly Hills Synagogue. 

Weekly the Rabbi holds a parsha shiur that delves deeper into the Parsha of the week.

THE SYMBOLISM OF THE MISHKAN AND ITS VESSELS - PART 2

Rabbi Pini Dunner