Neshamah Project Podcast: Episode 89: Desire and the First Fruits of the Heart

In this week’s episode, we explore the mitzvah of bringing the first fruits and the deeper spiritual meaning hidden within it. The Maor VaShemesh teaches that the practice is not only about gratitude, but about desire itself—how we meet our strongest cravings and transform them into offerings of the heart. Along the way, he weaves the story of Laban, Egypt, and the gathering of holy sparks into a map for spiritual life, reminding us that every act of restraint, every pause before pleasure, can help repair something ancient. What does it mean today to dedicate our “first fruits”—our first energy, first thoughts, first creativity—to the sacred?