Vayeilech

Why did Rivkah experience such turmoil during her pregnancy, and why did finding out she was carrying twins—Yaakov and Eisav—bring her comfort? In this episode of BEYOND the STORY on Parshas Toldos, Rabbi Shais Taub explains the Kabbalistic concept of the two souls inside each of us, showing why our inner inconsistency isn’t hypocrisy, why the animal soul is amoral rather than evil, and how channeling that fierce, chaotic drive becomes the ultimate engine for serving Hashem.

The Zohar identifies Avraham with the soul and Sarah with the body. Why, then, does Hashem tell Avraham to listen to Sarah? Isn’t the soul supposed to guide the body? In this episode of BEYOND the STORY, Rabbi Shais Taub explores what Avraham’s mourning for Sarah reveals about the relationship between body and soul. Through the teachings of Chassidus, we discover why the soul needs the body, what feminine spirituality teaches us about serving Hashem, and why ordinary physical life is central to our purpose.

Why did Avraham welcome weary travelers to an oasis in the middle of the desert, wine and dine them with five-star hospitality, and then threaten them with a massive bill if they refused to thank G-d after the meal? Rabbi Shais Taub takes a fresh look at this famous story from Parshas Vayera to uncover a deep psychological truth: why the illusion of self-reliance makes us spiritually numb, and how feeling helpless can actually awaken genuine gratitude.

Why did Hashem promise Avraham that his descendants would leave Egypt with great wealth? And why did Rochel choose to remain buried along the road rather than alongside Yaakov in Me’aras HaMachpelah? Rabbi Shais Taub connects these two stories to reveal the purpose within spiritual descent—and how the places we think of as mere passageways can become the very places where we make a home for Hashem

Why did Noach spend 120 years building the teivah and work around the clock feeding its animals while so much of his mission unfolded miraculously? Understanding when Hashem requires human effort and when He provides without it reveals the true relationship between hishtadlus and bitachon: our work creates a vessel, while the blessing comes entirely from Hashem. Teachings and stories from the Baal

Why was Adam’s ability to name the animals proof that his wisdom surpassed that of the angels? In the first episode of BEYOND the STORY, Rabbi Shais Taub explores the deeper meaning of this familiar Torah story—and what it reveals about our ability to recognize the Divine within physical life. Rediscover the Torah stories you’ve known since childhood. In this weekly live class, Rabbi Shais Taub un

Shemini Atzeres reveals the essential unity of the Jewish people that endures beyond Yom Tov. Dancing with our feet and a closed Torah scroll expresses an unlimited connection to Hashem that transcends intellect. Connecting the Torah’s end, “l’einei kol Yisrael,” back to its beginning, “B’reishis bara Elokim,” demands that we reveal the G-dliness within ourselves and the world, with unconditional

The festival of Sukkos is named after the sukkah because it is the mitzvah that encompasses the entire person from the very start of Yom Tov, enabling us to elevate even our most ordinary activities into Divine service throughout the year. True joy comes from drawing on the infinite Source through kabbalas ol, rather than relying on our own limited capacities. The incomparable joy of Simchas Beis

When the Jewish people align their will with Hashem's will through good resolutions during the Ten Days of Repentance, heaven and earth yield to them so they can elevate abundant material blessings into spiritual purpose. By examining why Moshe and Yeshayahu used inverted expressions of closeness and distance when addressing heaven and earth, we see how true spiritual harmony requires mutual integ

The presence of both the engraved Tablets and the written Torah scroll in the Holy of Holies illustrates how the transcendent, beyond-logic self-nullification of Rosh Hashanah bridges into our daily, rational lives to draw spiritual blessings down into tangible, material reality. The words Teshuvah (return to one’s core essence), Tefillah (connection and attachment), and Tzedakah (justice as Hashe