Judaism From Within

Rav Hirsch, Horeb, Mitzvah 78 – Rabbinic Authority
As we explore in this episode, Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch understood ancient legal authority not as personal influence, but as the outgrowth of a divinely mandated structure  a system rooted in Sinai that gives form to our mission in life. Drawing on his analysis, we reflect on the nature of our own rabbinic influences.
I examine its relevance to the idea of a personal rabbi not merely someone wise or kind, but someone embedded in a structure, someone who submits to a higher halachic authority. As Rav Hirsch points out, the Sanhedrin held legitimate power only when seated in the Chamber of Hewn Stone, and the Kohen could serve only while wearing his sacred garments. True Torah leadership is not about charisma, but continuity. Without submission to something beyond the self, we risk mistaking personality for Torah.

Horeb – Mitzvah #77 - Intermarriage -  Why Judaism Isn’t Racist, and What Makes a Marriage Sacred
In this episode, we tackle a common misconception: that Judaism's opposition to intermarriage is rooted in ethnic exclusivity. Drawing from the insights of Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch’s Horeb, we explore how Judaism views identity through ethical and moral responsibility. We contrast the universalism of the Church with salvation through the institution, with Judaism's ethical universalism, which upholds that anyone can find favor through just and moral living. We also examine how love in Judaism is not an end in itself, but a foundation that matures into shared mission, where man and woman unite not just emotionally, but toward a higher purpose.

Horeb – Mitzvah #76: Your Moral Environment - Snared by Influence (and what is חֵרֶם)

Mitzvah #75 – תלמוד תורה
Learning as Calling in Rav Hirsch's Horeb
Exploring Rav Hirsch’s vision of study as transformation and mission.

Mitzvah #74 – מפני שיבה תקוםAge, Wisdom & Virtue: AI and the Illusion of Insight
How do we honor the ripened wisdom of age in an age of instant answers? This episode explores the mitzvah of “מפני שיבה תקום” through the lens of Rav Hirsch and the digital age—contrasting earned maturity with artificial knowledge. As AI offers the illusion of depth without the work of becoming, we reflect on what it means to truly grow into virtue, not just simulate it.

Rav Hirsch Mitzvah #28 Pesach - Haggadah Imbue The Spirit & Flood Their Minds

Mitzvah #73 - כבוד אב ואם - Honor Thy Father and Mother: A Bridge to TranscendenceIn Gratitude to My Own Parents, Who Showed Me the Path
 
Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch on the rational of Jewish law
 

Rav Samson Raphael HirschMitzvah as Love: The Jewish Religious Consciousness in Action
Mitzvah is more than obligation—it is love made real. In this episode, we explore how Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch sees mitzvah as the embodied expression of divine love, shaping not just our actions but our very consciousness. What does it mean to approach God through mitzvot? And how does this uniquely Jewish religious consciousness redefine love itself? 

Mitzvah #71 -  Following The Many - The Heuristics of Experience, Law and Faith 

in this weeks discussion, we offer a powerful tool in ones approach the torah and a general Jewish world view by shifting your approach of the Oral Law (his Copernican revolution. At the same time, we bring out a profound moral principle from the first law in this weeks parasha