The Shmuz

In this compelling class with Rabbi Shafier, explore a startling midrashic insight: how Esav—a wicked man who rejected spirituality—excelled in honoring his parents to a degree that humbled the great Tanna Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel. By unpacking how a man devoid of faith could still hold such profound, unbridled gratitude for his father, Rabbi Shafier reframes our understanding of parental sacrifice, free will, and daily appreciation. Ultimately, this class offers a fresh perspective. Rabbi Shafier shows how moving past routine gratitude and unlocking real appreciation can transform your relationship with both your family and G-d.  This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

If you don’t appreciate it, you may as well not have it. Isn’t that a disturbing thought? Of course, appreciation is at the core of kibud av v’eim, a mitzvah that Eisav HaRasha excelled in. Think about it. By the age of fifteen, Eisav had already killed a man, lived with a married woman, renounced mitzvos, techias hameisim and olam haba. Devoid of morality, it seems puzzling that he was so careful to honor his father, Yitzchak Avinu. In this week’s Shmuz, Rabbi Shafier takes a deeper look as to why kibud av was so instinctual to even a lowlife like Eisav.  Ready to gain a golden ticket to happiness and meaning? Listen now   This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

By the age of fifteen, Eisav had already killed a man, lived with a married woman, denied the Torah and renounced mitzvos, techias hameisim and olam haba. Devoid of morality, it seems puzzling that he was so careful to honor his father Yitzchak. In this captivating Shmuz, Rabbi Shafier tackles the subject of appreciation. Tune in to discover why kibud av was so instinctive to Eisav, how we can get better at it in our own lives and why hakaras hatov is our ticket to a meaningful life.  This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

Akeidas Yitzchak. An event that continues to shape the Jewish People, giving us endless zechuyos and molding our collective character for all time. What sets the Akeidah apart from, l’havdil, some of the death cults of our enemies? What was the purpose of the test? Why was Avraham’s response so mind-blowing? Think about it. He got up early in the morning to kill his child. The answers give you the direction you need in your own challenges. In The Shmuz on the Parsha, Rabbi Shafier offers a practical, three-point survival guide that you can use to step up to any difficulty. Entitled ‘The Anatomy of a Nisayon’, Rabbi Shafier gives you clarity, chizuk, and understanding, no matter what you are going through. This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

In this week’s Shmuz on the Parsha, Rabbi Shafier delves into the epic tafkid of Sara Imeinu. Despite her incredible, spiritual accomplishments, we learn that Sara Imeinu’s role was primarily to become the mother of Am Yisroel through Yitzchak Avinu. It wasn’t until she was ninety years old that she started fulfilling her purpose in this world. For your own life, this delivers some hard-hitting truths- the futility of comparing yourself with others, the fallacy of judging those around you and the freedom to accept the stage of life that Hashem has placed you in.  Seize this opportunity to learn the Parsha this week- it contains powerful life lessons that we all need reminding of.  This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

You know what’s right. But in the middle of a nisayon, your reasons for making an exception can sound remarkably convincing. Discover three principles from Akeidas Yitzchak that can change how you approach your own challenges: understand why your tests are uniquely yours, recognize the rationalizations that cloud your judgment, and look beyond the pressure of the moment. Listen now to discover how the choices you make when nobody’s watching can become your greatest opportunities for growth.  This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

Avraham Avinu was one of the wealthiest, most powerful and influential men of his generation. Yet at 99 years old, recovering from his bris milah and in considerable pain, he ran to welcome three complete strangers, bowed before them and personally waited on them. Why does the Torah devote so many precious pesukim to the details of a meal, yet barely mention Avraham's extraordinary power and influence? Rabbi Shafier explores what this remarkable episode reveals about the true measure of greatness, why chesed is so central to our purpose in life, and how we can learn to become more like Hashem through the way we treat others.  This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

Avraham Avinu risked his life to rescue Lot, yet afterward he was terrified. Had the miraculous victory used up all his reward in Olam Haba? How could one of the greatest tzaddikim who ever lived even consider such a possibility? Rabbi Shafier reveals a fascinating perspective on the true cost of the pleasures you enjoy in this world, and why your intentions can make all the difference. Learn how to enjoy what Hashem has given you without sacrificing your eternal reward, and discover the surprisingly simple way to build up an extraordinary fortune in Olam Haba. This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

The news is relentlessly, deliberately unnerving, and the steady drumbeat of divisive ideologies keeps pushing against Klal Yisroel, challenging our collective resilience. What to do? In moments like this, you can look to Avraham Avinu, who also lived in insanely turbulent times. He faced a culture immersed in avoda zara, survived being hurled into the flames by a brutal ruler, and witnessed societies collapsing under their own moral decay. Yet amid all this suffocating darkness, Avraham stood strong as a pillar of hope, inspiring others with simple, unwavering kindness. Even the smallest light can drive away darkness. Listen to this Shmuz and discover why your beautiful Jewish life is anything but inconsequential.   This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

You know you shouldn't lose your temper. You've promised yourself you won't do it again. And then, before you know it, you've done exactly the same thing. Why is it so difficult to act on what you know? Rabbi Shafier explores a fascinating question about Noach that reveals why even the greatest tzaddikim struggle with the gap between knowledge and action. Learn how your own mind can work against you, why willpower alone isn't always enough, and how learning mussar can help you turn what you know into what you live. This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate