When mercy fails, can justice itself save us?

At Shalash Shudis, Rabbi Klapper brings the astonishing Gemara where Yitzchak Avinu — embodiment of din — steps forward to defend Klal Yisrael. While Avraham and Yaakov, symbols of chesed and rachamim, are silent on the day of judgment, Yitzchak uses logic and love to turn the case around: “Half their lives they can’t sin — let me bear the rest.” In that moment, din itself becomes mercy.

This is the secret of the final Shabbos meal — when the midda of restriction is soaked in Shabbos light until it too turns to compassion. Like Yitzchak, we learn to see judgment not as punishment but as Hashem’s desire to bring us home. Practical takeaway: approach the week’s first moments as Yitzchak did — with discipline that defends, structure that protects, and din transformed into rachamim.

Hosted by Rabbi Ari Klapper and produced by Eli Podcast Productions, this episode is part of the Real Judaism series, available on RealJudaism.org. Don’t forget to subscribe and share to stay connected with our daily lessons and timeless Torah insights!

What happens to all the holiness of Shabbos once the candles go out?

We step into Seudah Shlishis, the closing heartbeat of Shabbos, where its light begins to pour into the coming week. Rabbi Klapper unpacks Rav Pincus’s teaching on Z’eir Anpin — Hashem’s “small face,” the Divine mode that governs weekday reality through measured din and rachamim. On Shabbos, though, we encounter the higher Middos Elyonos — Hashem’s true will to give without limit. As Shabbos fades, those middos descend to sustain the week, like embers carried from the Mikdash into our homes.

Rabbi Klapper shows how this shift defines our mission: to take Shabbos’s patience and mercy into our weekday encounters. The transition at Mincha isn’t a goodbye but a transfer of power — Shabbos training the world to live with long sight, not short temper. Each choice of self-control in the week is a spark of Shabbos light still burning within you.

Hosted by Rabbi Ari Klapper and produced by Eli Podcast Productions, this episode is part of the Real Judaism series, available on RealJudaism.org. Don’t forget to subscribe and share to stay connected with our daily lessons and timeless Torah insights!

How do you recognize Hashem when He wears the “clothing” of the world?

Rabbi Klapper reveals that the levushim — the garments through which Hashem shows Himself — are His midos. Just as uniform defines role, Hashem’s “uniform” is compassion, patience, and giving. On Shabbos, He dresses entirely in white — pure chesed without din. That’s why it’s an eis ratzon — a time when He simply wants to give.

But that revelation demands reflection. What garments do we wear? Are our midos aligned with His? The episode turns clothing into a mirror for the soul: Shabbos asks us to “dress” in kindness, humility, and simplicity so that Hashem can be recognized through us. Practical takeaway: choose one midah this Shabbos to embody — one white garment for your neshamah.

Hosted by Rabbi Ari Klapper and produced by Eli Podcast Productions, this episode is part of the Real Judaism series, available on RealJudaism.org. Don’t forget to subscribe and share to stay connected with our daily lessons and timeless Torah insights!

Can a human being actually see Hashem?

On Shabbos, we come closest. Rabbi Klapper unfolds how Shabbos mirrors the clarity of Moshe Rabbeinu’s nevuah — seeing through a clear glass, not a clouded one. Friday night is awareness; Shabbos day is revelation. Just as marriage moves from kiddushin to nesuin to yichud, our Shabbos tefillos mirror that ascent: Atah Kiddashta, Yismach Moshe, Atah Echad.

Through this structure we experience the Torah itself being given anew — not as abstract ideas but as Hashem’s own words whispered through Moshe’s mouth. The invitation: experience your Shabbos morning davening as a meeting at Sinai — the moment the veil lifts and you feel the Divine speaking directly to you.

Hosted by Rabbi Ari Klapper and produced by Eli Podcast Productions, this episode is part of the Real Judaism series, available on RealJudaism.org. Don’t forget to subscribe and share to stay connected with our daily lessons and timeless Torah insights!

If Hashem fills the world, why does He feel hidden?

Rabbi Klapper answers with a parable that could come from Rapinkus himself: a scientist searching for sound waves with a microscope. The tools are wrong. So too, many search for Hashem with intellect or data instead of purity, honesty, and humility. The darkness of olam hazeh isn’t lack of light — it’s misuse of instruments.

Shabbos retrains our spiritual vision. When we quiet the noise, cleanse the mind, and open the heart, Hashem’s presence becomes undeniable. Even a tree, a rock, or a heartbeat becomes proof. Practical step: before Kiddush, pause and say, “I’m switching tools.” Let Shabbos teach you to see the Divine not through telescopes but through truth.

Hosted by Rabbi Ari Klapper and produced by Eli Podcast Productions, this episode is part of the Real Judaism series, available on RealJudaism.org. Don’t forget to subscribe and share to stay connected with our daily lessons and timeless Torah insights!

What if true wisdom begins when we stop over-analyzing?

In a world that prizes skepticism, Rabbi Klapper reclaims the dignity of simple faith. A child who hears “Hashem made the world” and believes it instantly has touched something even philosophers can’t reach. Through stories and sharp humor, he shows how chasing “proofs” often masks the real issue — not lack of logic, but a heart that wants permission to rebel.

Shabbos invites us to return to that pure place of seeing and trusting. When a Jew pauses and breathes in Shabbos light, he doesn’t argue Hashem exists — he feels it. The challenge isn’t blindness; it’s distraction. This week’s avodah: practice emunah peshutah once a day — say “Thank You, Hashem” without overthinking — and feel how simplicity reconnects you to wonder.

Hosted by Rabbi Ari Klapper and produced by Eli Podcast Productions, this episode is part of the Real Judaism series, available on RealJudaism.org. Don’t forget to subscribe and share to stay connected with our daily lessons and timeless Torah insights!

If faith is logical, why does Hashem still ask for emunah peshutah — simple faith?

This episode dismantles the modern obsession with proofs. Rabbi Klapper shows, through vivid mashalim, that the simplest truths need no defense. When you see writing in the sand, you know there was a writer. So too, when we look at the universe — its structure, its precision, its beauty — only arrogance makes us imagine accident. Hashem built the world with such clarity that only darkness of heart can hide Him.

But Shabbos restores sight. When the week blinds us with “maybes” and endless questioning, Shabbos opens our eyes to what’s obvious: there is a Borei Olam. The task isn’t to prove, but to see. The takeaway: let Shabbos be your reset button from doubt — spend one moment this week simply looking at the world and saying, “Of course You’re here.”

Hosted by Rabbi Ari Klapper and produced by Eli Podcast Productions, this episode is part of the Real Judaism series, available on RealJudaism.org. Don’t forget to subscribe and share to stay connected with our daily lessons and timeless Torah insights!

What would it feel like to see Hashem with absolute clarity — not just believe, but know?

Rabbi Klapper reveals that Shabbos isn’t a day of rest from confusion; it’s a day when confusion itself disappears. The Torah hints to this when it never says “and it was evening and it was morning” for the seventh day — because Shabbos has no darkness. It’s pure light. On this day, we don’t testify that Hashem exists based on proofs or philosophy; we bear witness because we see Him. Just as Moshe Rabbeinu’s prophecy came through a crystal-clear window, Shabbos grants us a taste of that same vision.

Yet even within that light there are levels. Friday night is the kiddushin — a first meeting, where we know He is near. Shabbos morning is nesuin, the unveiling of the kallah’s face — joy, unity, and direct connection. By Musaf we reach yichud, the oneness of Atah Echad. The practical call is simple but revolutionary: treat Shabbos morning not as another tefillah, but as a personal Sinai — a time to see, not just believe.

Hosted by Rabbi Ari Klapper and produced by Eli Podcast Productions, this episode is part of the Real Judaism series, available on RealJudaism.org. Don’t forget to subscribe and share to stay connected with our daily lessons and timeless Torah insights!