On this week's episode, Modya and David are joined by the artist, writer, coach, and fellow podcaster Avrum Rosensweig to discuss parshat Metzora in the Book of Leviticus (Lev. 14:1-15:32), and what can be learned about the trait of tzedek, or righteousness. The wide-ranging discussion centers on the importance of being careful in one's speech, as one message of this parsha is how gossip and slander can throw an individual, and indeed an entire community out of balance. Modya, David, and...

David and Modya know that beauty is more than skin deep. In this episode, they look at the parsha of tazria (Leviticus 12:1–13:59) through the lens of righteousness to see what we can learn about skin outbreaks, life and death and communal responsibility to the individual and the community. Modya Silver is an author and psychotherapist based in Toronto. David Gottlieb is a faculty member in the Jewish Studies program at Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership in Chicago. Learn...

Modya and David take a deep dive this week into Shemini (Lev. 9:1-11:47) to explore the content for lessons in tzedek, or righteousness. How might detailed instructions on the way to conduct different ritual sacrifices help build a society that cultivates righteousness and justice? What other middot (character traits) are related to righteousness? This Torah portion also contains the profoundly troubling episode of the deaths of Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, who offer a "strange fire" before...

This week, Modya and David discuss what can be learned about tzedek, or righteousness, from Tzav in the book of Leviticus (Lev. 6:1-8:36). What do priestly guidelines for conducting sacrifices tell us about righteousness and how to enact it in the world? What other character traits help us develop into people who advance righteousness, for ourselves and for others? And just what is righteousness, anyway? Listen and enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Modya and David are joined by Rabbi Marc Margolius, Vice President of Faculty and Program at the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, to discuss lessons for the character trait of humility that can be gleaned from Vayikra, the first Torah portion in the Book of Leviticus (Lev. 1:1-5:26). Beginning from the small letter aleph at the end of the first word of the Torah portion, Modya, David, and Marc explore the mystical, sociological, and ethical lessons to be gained by Israel through...

This week, Modya and David discuss Pekudei (Ex. 38:21-40:38), the last Torah portion in the Book of Exodus, in light of the trait of Humility. Among the questions the hosts ponder: What does the contrast between the episodes of the Golden Calf and the construction of the Mishkan teach us about cultivating humility? Why is humility seen as the trait to start with in the Mussar tradition? How do we bring these lessons into our daily lives? And how can humility help us to be more responsive and...

This week, Modya and David delve into Vayakhel (Ex. 35:1-38:20), the Torah portion that describes in great detail the specific materials and dimensions of the Mishkan, or Tabernacle, and what lessons this parsha holds for developing the trait of humility. The hosts ponder the meaning of the empty space at the center of the Mishkan, the communal efforts needed to produce the raw materials and the finish product, and thus, the relationship between humility and devoting oneself to the needs of...

This week, Modya and David discuss the Torah portion of Ki Tisa (Exodus 30:11-34:35) in light of the character trait of anavah (humility). Their wide-ranging discussion covers such topics as what humility is and isn't; the perils of both arrogance and low self-esteem; the Mishkan, and how it represents the space we must maintain for the Divine; and of course the Golden Calf, which can represent our mistaken belief that we can change the basic nature of the human-divine order. The hosts ponder...

In this episode Modya Silver concludes our four week look into the middah of cleanliness. He reviews the focus on physical cleanliness and how it inspires us to spiritual cleanliness. He also explores how one's own cleanliness helps support others in their own quest for personal growth. All of this and more through looking at the Torah portion of Tetzaveh. Modya Silver is an author and psychotherapist based in Toronto. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Modya presents solo on what we can learn about the middah of cleanliness (nekiut) from the Hubble telescope! Specifically, there are steps we can take to further develop physical and spiritual cleanliness and reduce confusion and suffering in the world. The week's Torah portion of Terumah teaches us not only how to build a mishkan (tabernacle) but how to live life with a pure heart. Modya Silver is an author and psychotherapist based in Toronto.  Learn more about your ad choices....

On this week's episode, Modya and David discuss the Torah portion of Mishpatim (Ex. 21:1-24:18) through the lens of the character trait of nekiyut, or cleanliness. In this Torah portion, the divine articulation of detailed laws helps to establish a culture in which physical, spiritual, and moral cleanliness are upheld on an individual and collective basis. What does this mean for how we, today, confront temptation, cultivate care for our physical selves, and support collective efforts toward...

This week, Modya and David move on to the character trait of nekiyut, or cleanliness, and use it as a lense on the Torah portion of Yitro, in which the Theophany at Sinai takes place. Just some of the questions pondered by the hosts: How does the concept of ritual purity influence the concept of purification of one's character? How are "inner" and "outer" cleanliness related? How can we know the true location of the "border of the mountain" (Mount Sinai), which the Israelites are instructed...

On this week's episode, Modya and David are joined by Rabbi David Jaffe, a writer, Mussar teacher, and organizer, to discuss lessons on the middah of harizut (decisiveness) in parshat Beshalah (Ex. 13:17-17:16). Some questions discussed: What does the midrash about Nachshon bring the first to wade into the sea teach us about the line between divine providence and human agency? Why must God garden Pharaoh's heart and seal his fate, and the fate of the Egyptians? How should we understand the...

In this week's episode, Modya and David delve into lessons on decisiveness (harizut) in the weekly Torah portion, Bo (Exodus 10:1-13:16). Our hosts discuss the linguistic commonality in Hebrew between decisiveness and speed. They also explore how the plagues, and Pharaoh's hardened heart, leads him down a path in which his free will to determine his own fate, and the fate of Egypt, grows progressively narrower. The hosts discuss decisiveness as an embodied discipline is forward moving but not...

In discussing this week's Torah portion, Va'era (Ex. 6:2-9:35) in light of the character trait of Decisiveness, Modya and David ponder big questions: Do we have untrammeled free will? Or are there limits -- and how would we know? What is the right balance between decisiveness and the weighing of options? How can we make decisions more mindfully -- being cognizant of their effects on others? Pharaoh's hardened heart, Moses and Aaron's determination, and the Israelites' crushed spirits after...

In this week's episode, Modya and David explore Sh'mot, the first parsha in the Book of Exodus, in light of the trait of harizut, or decisiveness. The hosts explore the idea, suggested by the relationship between God and Moses, that being decisive is not "all about us", but involves other traits, like humility and patience. We must be aware that others can help move processes forward, that we must let events unfold, and that decisiveness is not a purely intellectual process: it is, rather, a...

In this episode David and Modya look at the final Torah portion of Vayechi in the book of Genesis through the lens of order (seder). In this parsha the patriarch, Jacob, bestows blessings on each of the 12 sons, well, 13 actually since Joseph’s two sons each get the blessing. We look at the purpose of names and how our future may be determined by a complexity of current decisions. Modya Silver is an author and psychotherapist based in Toronto. David Gottlieb is Director of Jewish Studies at...

David and Modya explore the challenges of balancing relationships with getting things done in life. They see how in parsha VaYigash order and disorder play against or with each other and how missteps can cause suffering for self and others. The path forward is to find one’s purpose and see how the Divine is included or is central in life. Modya Silver is an author and psychotherapist based in Toronto. David Gottlieb is Director of Jewish Studies at the Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning...

This week, Modya and David explore parshat Miketz (Gen. 41:1-44:17) and consider its lessons for the character trait of Order. As Joseph gains power and influence, and preserves order and wellbeing in Egypt, he also confronts both his brothers and his own feelings about them. The hosts consider the many ways in which our own senses of order must be balanced with other traits in order to create an approach to life that is both freeing and disciplined, informed by both a desire for justice and...

In this week's episode, Modya and David read Vayeshev (Genesis 37:1-40:23) and consider what can be learned about the character trait of Order from Joseph's extraordinary dreams, the deep antipathy his brothers feel toward him, and from the episode of Judah and Tamar. How might we best control our appetites and deploy our natural gifts to build a disciplined life without hurting others? The hosts explore these and other questions with examples from other readings, and from their own...

David and Modya complete their four episode exploration of patience by looking at the Torah portion of VaYishlach. The focus in this episode is on the role of patience in managing internally-motivated desires and external temptations. They explore how using patience can lead to healthier decisions made from a place of love rather than fear. Modya Silver is an author and psychotherapist based in Toronto. David Gottlieb is Director of Jewish Studies at the Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning...

In this week's episode, Modya and David discuss parshat Va-Yetzei (Gen. 28:10-32:3) and its lessons for the middah (character trait) of patience. Is the patriarch Jacob a model of patience, or does his predilection for deceit suggest a person too eager to get what he wants? What does the matriarch Leah teach us about the relationship between patience and acceptance of what is? Does the matriarch Rachel provide her own lessons? Modya and David look to these tangled, archetypal personalities...

In this week's episode, David and Modya discuss where patience may be found within the Torah portion of Toldot. As they look into the text and are challenged to find examples, it brings them face to face with their own patience or at times lack thereof. Modya Silver is an author and psychotherapist based in Toronto. David Gottlieb is Director of Jewish Studies at the Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership in Chicago. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices