There is a great truth out there, that the world really needs to know:

Jews. Love. Food.

The Talmud teaches us (Pesachim 109a):  אֵין שִׂמְחָה אֶלָּא בְּבָשָׂר וְיַיִן,  there is no joy without meat and wine.

Now, of course, there are some people who may not drink wine or eat meat, but that is not the point. Rather, in Judaism, this is an injunction to celebrate Shabbat and Holidays with tastes and flavours and scents that bring joy to the body and soul, and unity to all at the table. By making our body feel whole and satisfied, it allows our soul to bask in the sanctity of the day.

When I and so many others reflect upon early Sabbath memories, what stands out amidst the aura of love, family, the connection between generations, holy guests, sounds and song, is the smell of fresh baked challah, the warmth of chicken soup, and all of the other incredible Shabbos foods, from whatever culture you come from.

There is just so much more to say about this deep connection between food and Jewish spirituality. So I want to invite you to join my conversation with Nancy Weisbrod, about her relationship with the 4th Dibber of Shabbat and food. 

Wife, mother and grandmother, Nancy is the founding president and board member of The Village Shul Aish HaTorah Learning Center, in Toronto. She is also the Project Aseret Ambassador creating the WAVE (Wisdom of the Aseret Values Education) Workshop.

Most importantly for our conversation, she is a Kosher cooking teacher, Umami Sushi founder, Cordon Bleu graduate, and has been teaching and sharing delicious, simple and health-giving meals for over 4 decades. 

This conversation was super heartfelt, light hearted and yet full of depth and meaning. It was a true pleasure to learn from her about the intimate relationship between Judaism and food and I think you will feel the same.

As for the episode, we hope you find it meaningful! Click HERE to Listen, and don’t forget to subscribe.

Love, Noach Binyamin

Welcome to the Aseret Podcast, where we learn about character, kindness, wisdom, and virtue from living examples of inspiring people, based on the ethical and moral vision of the Ten Commandments or the Aseret HadDibrot.

the Jewish tradition, learning wisdom is not just about intellectual knowledge, but rather integrating what we know into our lives. Ben Zoma, a great Jewish sage, famously taught:  אֵיזֶהוּ עָשִׁיר, הַשָּׂמֵחַ בְּחֶלְקוֹ Who is rich? The person who is happy with his portion in life. One of the central human struggles is around being able to apply this wisdom. How many of us feel the richness and magic and blessing, a felt sense of appreciation for the life we live, and the relationships we have? 

You are not alone. The Torah takes this issue very seriously. The 10th Dibber teaches us to לֹ֥א תַחְמֹ֖ד, not to covet what is not yours to have. Instead, we are told to serve God with joy, עִבְד֣וּ אֶת הי בְּשִׂמְחָ֑ה, which according to Rav Noach Weinberg zt’l, is an obligation.  That said, how do we stay grateful, but also not complacent? 

Our guest, Noey Jacobson reflects on this Dibber and how he works to overcome the negative elements of Lo Tachmod in his life while utilizing jealousy as a fuel for self-growth and betterment.  Noey Jacobson is a musician, content creator, and entrepreneur. He is a founding member of the Maccabeats, performing with the group on six continents and producing music videos with over 100 million views. He also founded The Bardary Inc, a content marketing agency servicing clients in the entertainment, corporate, and non profit industries. Noey is currently pursuing his MBA at New York University, living in Manhattan with his wife Michali and their daughter Kira.

Most recently, he spent a year with Jewish Unpacked on a Ten Commandments video series, in collaboration with Aseret Global which you can find HERE. This series is eloquent, educational, exciting and entertaining. 

I deeply appreciated and enjoyed my conversation with Noey. He was honest and authentic and full of wisdom and thoughtfulness. His approach to life and learning is so down to earth and humane. He is someone who is truly living with the Ten Commandments and finding its place in his life, each and every day.

As for the episode, we hope you find it meaningful! Click HERE to Listen, and don’t forget to subscribe.

Welcome to the Aseret Podcast, where we learn about character, kindness, wisdom, and virtue from living examples of inspiring people, based on the ethical and moral vision of the Ten Commandments or the Aseret HadDibrot.

As Jews, we are known as the people of the Book, the Torah.

Torah has many parts and pieces that guide our lives. And yet, what is it all about? What uniftes those pieces together? One answer that shines brightly comes from Rebbe Akiva of the 1st century.  In the book of Leviticus, it says וְאָֽהַבְתָּ֥ לְרֵעֲךָ֖ כָּמ֑וֹךָ אֲנִ֖י הי Love your neighbour as yourself, I am Hashem And Rebbe Akiva calls this the  כְּלָל גָּדוֹל בַּתּוֹרָה A Great Principle of Torah

The essence of our Torah guides us to try and love Hashem and others, and these paths cannot be separated. In the 20th century, there emerged a giant of Torah and Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism, who stressed this point and carved a pathway for it. His name was Rav Yehuda Ashlag zt’l, otherwise known as the Baal HaSulam, the Master the Ladder. Today, Kabbalah in its popular forms, stems from this holy man, and his wisdom. 

The path of Ashlagain Kabbalah is the path of bringing Rebbe Akiva’s words to life in every moment of the Torah path. It involves moving from מֵרָצוֹן לְקַבֵּל לְרָצוֹן לְהַשְׁפִּיעַ, from the desire to receive, to the desire to give.

Rav Ashlag passed his Mesorah, his tradition to his son, Rav Baruch Ashlag zt’l, who passed it to Rebbe Avraham Mordechai Gottlieb shlita, who is currently passing it on to our very own guest today, Reb Adam Yitzvhak Polinovsky.

Reb Adam has been learning the inner dimensions of the Torah full-time for 3 years in Telzstone, Israel with the Rebbe.

From growing up in the suburbs, selling laptops at Best Buy, rapping in the underground, meeting Hip-Hop legends and Executive Producers, and the like, he’s thrilled to see where life has taken him and how the deep tools he’s learned along with his life experience is actualizing today through teaching, serving, and having a coaching practice.

Reb Adam reflects with us on the 9th Dibber of not bearing false witness to our neighbour; instead, how do we be a true witness, of love and giving? On the way, you will hear his fascinating story about his journey to truth and learn about this inner Torah, which transforms us from takers to givers. 

Find out more at https://aseret-the-wisdom-of-the-ten.pinecast.co