“Tears of Faith…Visions of Hope” – Rabbi Weil’s Kinot from Tisha B’Av 5771. As humans, we cannot relate to macro destruction intellectually or emotionally. We can relate to personal accounts. Only then can we fathom the extent. Recorded as part of the Orthodox Union’s Tisha B’Av webcast at Boca Raton Synagogue, in Boca Raton, FL […]

Rabbi Weil discusses themes in the Haggadah. Topics include the difference between “avadim hayinu” (dative) and “avdei Hashem” (possessive). What was God showing Moshe at the burning bush? Download the source sheet here.

Why does the Rambam combine the laws of Chanukah and Purim? Both are rooted in the concept that God through Providence responded to the Jews in their time of need. The Rambam’s Analysis of Chanukah. Presented by Rabbi Steven Weil. Download the source sheet here.

Honest to G-d Program: Rabbi Steven Weil – After the Crash – The Challenge of Rebuilding an American Orthodoxy that is Associated with Integrity and Honesty. Our system of business ethics and integrity, choshen mishpat, is the key to Kiddush Hashem. Rabbi Weil takes a look at specific areas of Choshen Mishpat that affect us all.

What’s the nature of tefillah (prayer) – are we trying to change God’s mind? How does God’s midat harachamim (attribute of mercy) work – why isn’t it a perversion of justice? 5 terms for tefillah. Presented by Rabbi Steven Weil. Recorded Live at The Orthodox Union World Headquarters, NY, NY on September 14, 2010. Click here for […]

Understanding the depth and beauty of the prayers found in the Yom Kippur Machzor, based on Insights from Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik. One of the major themes in the machzor is the dialectic between the grandeur and majesty of the human condition on the one hand and the frail nature of the human condition on the […]

Have you ever wondered why Avraham was the first patriarch of the Jewish people? Probably not; the reason is so obvious. We have grown up hearing the stories of the young boy Avram, who questioned the irrational idolatry of his time. We have followed him on his journey of discovery; how he investigated nature, science, […]

“I am the Man Who has Known Affliction” – re-experiencing the loss of the Beit HaMikdash and the removal of the shechinah. Rabbi Weil’s Kinot from Tisha B’Av 5770. Recorded as part of the Orthodox Union’s Tisha B’Av webcast at Shaarey Zedek Congregation, in Valley Village, California on July 20, 2010.

“The Tragedy that Transcends Generations”: Appreciating the magnitude and tragedy of the destruction of individual Jewish communities, from the Temple’s destruction to Khmelnitsky to the Holocaust. Recorded at Beth Jacob Congregation, Beverly Hills, CA on Thursday, July 30, 2009 as a live webcast by the Orthodox Union. Click here for the audio version.

Mourning the Loss of the Communities: On Tisha B’Av we mourn the loss of individual communities, including the 24 communities of kohanim, priests, who were the leaders & educators. Presented by Rabbi Steven Weil as part of the “Lamenting Our Loss” OU Tisha B’Av Video 5770. Listen to the audio version here.