TakeTen4Torah Daily Torah Podcast

Rabbi Shmuel Ismach

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Take 10 minutes of your busy day for Torah. Spend one 1/100th of your day as meaningfully as you can! Different topics each weekday. Produced by Rabbi Shmuel Ismach of the Young Israel of Great Neck

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378 episodes

TT4T#950 - The Stringencies of Pesach - 3/28/24

In this first of a series, we discuss the overwhelming stringency applied to Pesach preparations. What is the nature of the stringency? How did it develop? Take Ten to find out. This Ten is sponsored by the Anfang family in memory of Tzipora bat Menachem Mendel on her Yartzeit.  

10m
Mar 28
TT4T#949 - Teach a Man to Fish - 3/27/24

It is said that "teaching a man to fish" is the greatest type of charity. Take Ten to learn the Jewish origins of this idea. 

10m
Mar 27
TT4T#948 - Esther's "Different" Fast - 3/20/24

Taanit Esther is anomalous from the other fasts we find on the Jewish calendar. How and why is this fast different than all other fast days? Take Ten to find out. 

10m
Mar 20
TT4T#947 - Matanot L'Evyonim - 3/19/24

Of the four mitzvot of Purim, the Rambam teaches that spending on the poor should be where we allocate the most resources. Take Ten to learn about the specific mitzvah of giving on Purim and how it is different than other charitable donations. 

10m
Mar 19
TT4T#946 - Mishloach Manot - 3/18/24

What are the requirements for the mitzvah of Mishloach Manot? Why is this Mitzvah connected to Purim in the first place? Take Ten to find out. 

10m
Mar 18
TT4T#945 - Transparency - 3/15/24

Moshe's behavior regarding the accounting for the materials donated to the Mishkan teaches us an important lesson about transparency in all of our behavior. Take Ten to learn this lesson.

10m
Mar 15
TT4T#944 - Getting for Giving - 3/12/24

Is it appropriate to receive an honor or recognition for doing a good thing or for giving a donation? Take Ten to learn the answer.

10m
Mar 12
TT4T#943 - Responding to Cynics - 3/11/24

How important is it to answer cynics' claims? Should they be dismissed out of hand, or should we defend ourselves? Take Ten for a Torah perspective on the damage cynics can cause and the responses they require. 

10m
Mar 11
TT4T#942 - Poles of Interperetation - 3/5/24

Why does the Torah list all of the intricate details of the construction and dimension of the Mishkan? Using one example, we explore the thought processes involved. 

10m
Mar 05
TT4T#941 - The Shabbos Romance - 3/4/24

Why are there so many references to love and relationship on Shabbat? Take Ten to find out.  This Ten is sponsored by the Rydzinski family in memory of Edith Weg, Itta bas Shaya and Chana Sara Feuer. 

10m
Mar 03
TT4T#940 - Your Shabbat Glow - 2/29/24

We learn that there is a "glow" that shines on our faces on Shabbat. What is the nature of this glow, and how can we benefit from it? Take Ten to find out.

9m
Feb 29
TT4T#939 - Milk and Meat - 2/28/24

  The Torah repeats the prohibition of "Don't cook a kid in its mother's milk" three separate times. Why the redundancy? Take Ten to find out.   

10m
Feb 28
TT4T#937 - Moshe's Glow-Up - 2/27/24

When Moshe descended from the mountain with the second set of Luchot, he is described as being aglow. Take Ten to learn the reason for this glow and the various ways it has been misunderstood throughout history.

10m
Feb 27
TT4T#937 - Why is there a Siddur? - 2/26/24

Our Siddur is full of words and phrases that make up Jewish prayer. Why are these words required? Why are any words required at all? Take Ten to find out.  This Ten is sponsored by the Lewis family in memory of Fred Lewis, Feivel Yitzchak ben Naftali David z"l

10m
Feb 26
TT4T#936 - What is Work? - 2/22/24

  We learn from multiple sources that constructing the Mishkan was forbidden on Shabbos, but why does the construction of the Mishkan define what is forbidden on Shabbat? Take Ten to find out.   

10m
Feb 22
TT4T#935 - Aleinu, the Exit Plan - 2/21/24

Why do we find the prayer of Aleinu at the close of our Tefilot? Take Ten to find out. 

10m
Feb 21
TT4T#934 - Purim Katan - 2/20/24

When there are two months of Adar, the holiday of Purim is observed in the second month, while the 14th and 15th days of the first Adar are known as Purim Katan. What is the nature of that "small" Purim? What are its laws? Take Ten to find out.  Today's Ten is sponsored by the Brownstein family in memory of Florence Brownstein a"h, Feiga bas Moshe.

10m
Feb 20
TT4T#933 - Universal Mishkan - 2/15/24

  While we might know that the laws of keeping Shabbat are learned from constructing the Mishkan, we might not be aware of the deep similarities between the construction and the actual creation of the world. Take Ten to find out more.  

10m
Feb 15
TT4T#932 - Building a Shul - 2/14/24

Take Ten for a look at the modern-day "Mikdash" that exists in every community and how its construction is of great symbolic and financial importance. 

10m
Feb 14
TT4T#931 - Why Bless When We are Done? - 2/13/24

Is it more logical to make a Beracha before or after we eat? While the Torah explicitly mentions the blessing we should make following our food, does that actually make the most sense? It sure does. Take Ten to learn why. This Ten is sponsored by Donna and Joseph Hecht in memory of Veronica Hecht, Sarah Gittel bas Mordechai on her first yartzeit, and David Gad, David ben Nissan VaLeah on his yartzeit.

10m
Feb 13
TT4T#930 - Extreme Empathy - 2/12/24

When our nation is facing challenging times far away, it can be difficult to stay properly focused on the suffering of others in our busy and distracted lives. Can the Torah teach us some ways to empathize? Take Ten to find out.    This Ten is sponsored by the Lewis family in memory of Fred Lewis, Feivel Yitzchak ben Naftali David z"l  

10m
Feb 12
TT4T#929 - Redirecting the Lost - 2/8/24

Our Parsha describes the level of obligation we have to help redirect a person's lost items. To what extent does this requirement extend to one's "lost" soul? What should be our attitude towards our obligation to inspire those who are not as inspired as we are? Take Ten to find out. 

10m
Feb 08
TT4T#928 - The First Laws? - 2/7/24

After receiving the Torah, we read this week of the "mishpatim," the first laws that we received thereafter. But can these laws really be the first and only laws that we received? Take Ten to find out. 

10m
Feb 07
TT4T#927 - First Blessings - 2/6/24

We make blessings before and after we eat food. The Torah mandates the one that follows, but the source for the first blessing is more unclear. How do we know we make these blessings? Take Ten to find out. 

10m
Feb 06
TT4T#926 - The Vulnerable - 2/5/24

How extremely does the Torah speak of our obligation to ensure that widows, orphans, and the vulnerable are treated well? Take Ten to find out. 

10m
Feb 05
TT4T#925 - Interpersonal Blessings - 2/1/24

We know that there are mitzvot that are between Man and G-d and those that are between Man and Man. You may have never realized that for some reason, we don't make blessings on those mitzvot between Man and Man like visiting the sick, or tzedaka. Why is this? Take 10 to find out. 

10m
Feb 01
TT4T#924 - Your Shabbat Place - 1/31/3024

One of the restrictions of Shabbat is that we must remain in our "Techum Shabbat" or "Shabbat Boundary." Take Ten to learn more about the details and meaning of this unique law.

10m
Jan 31
TT4T#923 - A Shabbat Delight - 1/30/24

  We know all the prohibitions that restrict what a person can do on Shabbat, but what is the best way to spend your Shabbat day? Take Ten to find out.   

10m
Jan 30
TT4T#922 - Your Stone Chair - 1/29/24

We're thousands of miles away from what's going on in Israel, and it is difficult to know how best to react. Take Ten to learn about how we understand G-d's empathy and the the empathy of great Jewish leaders of the past. (Empathy #1) This Ten is sponsored by the Lewis family in memory of Fred Lewis, Feivel Yitzchak ben Naftali David z"l    

10m
Jan 29
TT4T#921 -0,1,&2 - 10/23/23

What can we do in this challenging moment in Jewish history? This Ten describes a framework of three important things to focus on: 0, 1, and 2.

10m
Oct 17, 2023