Educator and writer Lior Tal Sadeh offers a fresh, contemporary perspective on the Weekly Torah Portion. Join him each week for an insightful and original reading of the Parashah, inspired by his daily Source of Inspiration podcast, produced by Beit Avi Chai.
Parashat Korah: Timeless Political Strategy
The biblical story of Korah’s rebellion offers striking lessons for today’s politics. This wilderness uprising shows how populist leaders use sacred language to flatter audiences and challenge authority – ancient tactics that remain dangerously relevant in our divided times
By
Lior Tal Sadeh
Parashat Behaalotecha: “Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets”
True greatness isn’t measured by how indispensable we make ourselves, but by how successfully we cultivate the very gifts that might render us unnecessary. Moses understood that the highest calling of any leader is to dream of a day when everyone can hear the divine voice for themselves
By
Lior Tal Sadeh
Parashat Naso: Drinking the Bitter Water
The Torah’s ritual of the Sotah – where a woman suspected of adultery must drink a mixture with supernatural characteristics – represents one of scripture’s most disturbing passages. This ancient trial by ordeal forces us to confront uncomfortable truths about jealousy, patriarchy, and the persistence of domestic violence from biblical times till today
By
Lior Tal Sadeh
Parashat Behar: The Fifty-Year Reset
The biblical Jubilee – a fifty-year economic reset that cancels debts and redistributes land – found an unlikely champion in Ze'ev Jabotinsky, the anti-socialist founder of right-wing Revisionist Zionism. Discover how this fierce defender of economic freedom came to embrace an ancient model of periodic wealth redistribution, and what his vision might teach us about balancing markets with morality today
By
Lior Tal Sadeh
Parashat Kedoshim: Actions Given to the Heart
In Parashat Kedoshim, we discover why certain commandments include ‘you shall fear your God—because our true intentions remain hidden from others but never from the Divine. Explore how the concept of “actions given to the heart” challenges us to examine our deepest motivations
By
Lior Tal Sadeh
Parashat Tetzaveh: Don’t Behave Like Amalek!
Remembering Amalek is remembering the temptation that exists in forceful superiority, a superiority that has corrupted many nations. We must behave differently, conduct ourselves with Hillel-like humility and overcome coarseness and violence
By
Lior Tal Sadeh
I Will Harden Pharaoh’s Heart:
The Question of Free Will in Parashat Va’Eira
Free choice is a cornerstone of moral responsibility—without it, concepts like judgment, blame, and punishment become meaningless. Yet, the notion of free will is not as straightforward as it seems. Even if we believe humans possess free will, what happens when it is repeatedly misused? Can it diminish over time, or even disappear altogether?
By
Lior Tal Sadeh
I Will Be What I Will Be: The Mystery of God’s Name in Parashat Shemot
In Parashat Shemot, God first appears to Moses in the burning bush, leading to a pivotal moment when Moses dares to ask God for His name. God responds in a manner that has been the subject of profound theological reflection.
By
Lior Tal Sadeh
