Torah with Jonathan

13 Iyar 5786 AM | 1 AVE. Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us by Your Spirit and invited the nations to share in the richness of Your Word. We thank You for the people and state of Israel, including the Messiah, our First Fruits, through whom the harvest of life has begun. Today is the twenty-sixth day of the Omer according to the minority Sadducean and Essene counts, which is 3 weeks and 5 days. May the Spirit of Truth prepare my heart for the revelation of the 50th day. The reading is Leviticus 23:23-23:32. This is the  link  to the Daily Chumash with Rashi at Chabad. The Daily Wisdom from the Lubavitcher Rebbe is titled " Spiritual Heights of the Sabbath ." 3:28 PM EDT.  Jonathan Writes: I am deep in my first weekly "Monk Fast" of 2026. I decided late last week that Thursdays would be my best day for fasting. I had no idea that the reading today would focus on the single required fast day in the written Torah. The video for t...

12 Iyar 5786 AM | 1 AVE. Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us by Your Spirit and invited the nations to share in the richness of Your Word. We thank You for the people and state of Israel, including the Messiah, our First Fruits, through whom the harvest of life has begun. Today is the twenty-fifth day of the Omer according to the minority Sadducean and Essene counts, which is 3 weeks and 4 days. May the Spirit of Truth prepare my heart for the revelation of the 50th day. Jonathan Writes: The reading is Leviticus 23:1-23:22. This is the  link  to the Daily Chumash with Rashi at Chabad. The Daily Wisdom from the Lubavitcher Rebbe is titled " Maintaining Proper Focus ." Today's video is  Trump Warns: Time Is Ticking for Tehran . Shalom.

11 Iyar 5786 AM | 1 AVE. Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us by Your Spirit and invited the nations to share in the richness of Your Word. We thank You for the people and state of Israel, including the Messiah, our First Fruits, through whom the harvest of life has begun. Today is the twenty-fourth day of the Omer according to the minority Sadducean and Essene counts, which is 3 weeks and 3 days. May the Spirit of Truth prepare my heart for the revelation of the 50th day. Jonathan Writes: The reading is Leviticus 22:17-22:33. This is the  link  to the Daily Chumash with Rashi at Chabad. The Daily Wisdom from the Lubavitcher Rebbe is titled " Nurturing Emotions to Maturity ." From the Bible Hub Study Bible for Leviticus 22:20 we read: "In the context of Leviticus, the Israelites were given specific instructions on how to approach God with offerings. The requirement for offerings without defect underscores the holiness and perfection...

10 Iyar 5786 AM | 1 AVE. Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us by Your Spirit and invited the nations to share in the richness of Your Word. We thank You for the people and state of Israel, including the Messiah, our First Fruits, through whom the harvest of life has begun. Today is the twenty-third day of the Omer according to the minority Sadducean and Essene counts, which is 3 weeks and 2 days. May the Spirit of Truth prepare my heart for the revelation of the 50th day. Jonathan Writes: The reading is Leviticus 21:16-22:16. This is the  link  to the Daily Chumash with Rashi at Chabad. The Daily Wisdom from the Lubavitcher Rebbe is titled " The Gentle Way to Educate ." The video today is Day 128: Priestly Foods (1) . Would terumah today be whole-foods and plant-based? Shalom.

9 Iyar 5786 AM | 1 AVE. Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us by Your Spirit and invited the nations to share in the richness of Your Word. We thank You for the people and state of Israel, including the Messiah, our First Fruits, through whom the harvest of life has begun. Today is the twenty-second day of the Omer according to the minority Sadducean and Essene counts, which is 3 weeks and 1 day. May the Spirit of Truth prepare my heart for the revelation of the 50th day. 6:51 AM EDT in Albany.  Jonathan Writes: I just started reading Chapter 2 in  Creating Peace by Being Peace: The Essene Sevenfold Path  by Rabbi Gabriel Cousens, MD. It's hitting me like lightning from Mount Sinai. I guess I know what I will be reading and charting with my flex time later this morning. Added to this, I am still trying to reduce my "Watch of the Yeshiva" YouTube playlist to a manageable list of next steps. Let me try sketching it out here: Who Are God...

8 Iyar 5786 AM | 1 AVE. Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us by Your Spirit and invited the nations to share in the richness of Your Word. We thank You for the people and state of Israel, including the Messiah, our First Fruits, through whom the harvest of life has begun. Today is the twenty-first day of the Omer according to the minority Sadducean and Essene counts, which is 3 weeks and zero days. May the Spirit of Truth prepare my heart for the revelation of the 50th day. 10:37 AM EDT in Albany.  Jonathan Writes: Late start this morning. I stayed up late reading the introductory material and Chapter 1 in Creating Peace by Being Peace: The Essene Sevenfold Path by Gabriel Cousens. Then I woke around 2:00 AM and spent a couple of hours listening and responding to Professor Kenneth Hanson on the role of speech in Jewish mysticism  here . After that, it took me some time to catch up on my sleep. I must confess that I am experiencing a rathe...

7 Iyar 5786 AM | 1 AVE. Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us by Your Spirit and invited the nations to share in the richness of Your Word. We thank You for the people and state of Israel, including the Messiah, our First Fruits, through whom the harvest of life has begun. Today is the twentieth day of the Omer according to the minority Sadducean and Essene counts, which is 2 weeks and 6 days. May the Spirit of Truth prepare my heart for the revelation of the 50th day. 7:05 AM EDT in Albany.  Jonathan Writes: I am only halfway through  Spirituality, Diet & the Essenes: My Deepest Interview with Dr. Gabriel Cousens , but I can already see that Rabbi Gabriel is a kindred  Aquarian eccentric it will take some time for me to get to know. I've avoided news leakage over the past 24 hours. That's it for my background opening. It's 7:15 AM. My next step this morning is a scan of  JNS . Responding briefly to the headlines, I am please...

6 Iyar 5786 AM | 1 AVE. Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us by Your Spirit and invited the nations to share in the richness of Your Word. We thank You for the people and state of Israel, including the Messiah, our First Fruits, through whom the harvest of life has begun. Today is the nineteenth day of the Omer according to the minority Sadducean and Essene counts, which is 2 weeks and 5 days. May the Spirit of Truth prepare my heart for the revelation of the 50th day. 6:17 AM EDT in Albany.  Jonathan Writes: The morning sky over the city is delightfully clear today. Hashem is blessing me with some good energy and structure in synchronization with my reduction in daily calories, so I will take this opportunity to reflect on my "Torah with Jonathan" process. It is day 74 since I started this blog (929 days since the start of Israel's multifront war with Iran and its proxies, according to Jonathan Schanzer at FDD). If I am very discipl...

5 Iyar 5786 AM | 1 AVE. Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us by Your Spirit and invited the nations to share in the richness of Your Word. We thank You for the people and state of Israel, including the Messiah, our First Fruits, through whom the harvest of life has begun. Today is the eighteenth day of the Omer according to the minority Sadducean and Essene counts, which is 2 weeks and 4 days. May the Spirit of Truth prepare my heart for the revelation of the 50th day. 7:08 AM EDT in Albany.  Jonathan Writes: The reading for this morning is Leviticus 18:22-19:14. This is the  link  to the Daily Chumash with Rashi at Chabad. The Daily Wisdom from the Lubavitcher Rebbe is titled " What It Means to Be Holy ."  I am especially appreciating Leviticus 19:10 this morning, in its Chabad translation: "You must not glean the young grapes of your vineyard. Nor may you collect the fallen individual grapes of your vineyard. You must leave th...

4 Iyar 5786 AM | 1 AVE. Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us by Your Spirit and invited the nations to share in the richness of Your Word. We thank You for the people and state of Israel, including the Messiah, our First Fruits, through whom the harvest of life has begun. Today is the seventeenth day of the Omer according to the minority Sadducean and Essene counts, which is 2 weeks and 3 days. May the Spirit of Truth prepare my heart for the revelation of the 50th day. 4:31 PM EDT in Albany.  Jonathan Writes: The reading for this morning is Leviticus 17:8-18:21. This is the  link  to the Daily Chumash with Rashi at Chabad. The Daily Wisdom from the Lubavitcher Rebbe is titled " The Child's Environment ."  Gemini offers this reflection: "Your reading today concludes with one of the most haunting prohibitions in the Torah: 'Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech' (Lev. 18:21). On this Yom HaZikaron, wh...

3 Iyar 5786 AM | 1 AVE. Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us by Your Spirit and invited the nations to share in the richness of Your Word. We thank You for the people and state of Israel, including the Messiah, our First Fruits, through whom the harvest of life has begun. Today is the sixteenth day of the Omer according to the minority Sadducean and Essene counts, which is 2 weeks and 2 days. May the Spirit of Truth prepare my heart for the revelation of the 50th day. 6:40 AM EDT in Albany.  Jonathan Writes: The reading for this morning is Leviticus 16:25-17:7. This is the  link  to the Daily Chumash with Rashi at Chabad. The Daily Wisdom from the Lubavitcher Rebbe is titled " The Power of Sacrifice ."  The video today is  The State of the Jewish Vegan Movement with Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz | Shamayim . The Rebbe is frank: "Offering up animal sacrifices to G‑d seems to go against the Torah’s respect for animal life.... Unlike...

2 Iyar 5786 AM | 1 AVE. Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us by Your Spirit and invited the nations to share in the richness of Your Word. We thank You for the people and state of Israel, including the Messiah, our First Fruits, through whom the harvest of life has begun. Today is the fifteenth day of the Omer according to the minority Sadducean and Essene counts, which is 2 weeks and 1 day. May the Spirit of Truth prepare my heart for the revelation of the 50th day. 6:41 AM EDT in Albany.  Jonathan Writes: The reading for this morning is Leviticus 16:1-16:24. This is the  link  to the Daily Chumash with Rashi at Chabad. The Daily Wisdom from the Lubavitcher Rebbe is titled " The High Priest's Wife ."  The video today is  Dr. Michael S. Heiser on Yom Kippur & the Goat for Azazel | Leviticus 16 . Cf.  AZAZEL | JewishEncyclopedia.com .

1 Iyar 5786 AM | 1 AVE. Shabbat. Rosh Chodesh. Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us by Your Spirit and invited the nations to share in the richness of Your Word. We thank You for the people and state of Israel, including the Messiah, our First Fruits, through whom the harvest of life has begun. Today is the fourteenth day of the Omer according to the minority Sadducean count, which is 2 weeks and 0 days. May the Spirit of Truth prepare my heart for the revelation of the 50th day. 6:16 AM EDT in Albany.  Jonathan Writes: The reading for this morning is Leviticus 15:16-15:33. This is the  link  to the Daily Chumash with Rashi at Chabad. The Daily Wisdom from the Lubavitcher Rebbe is titled " There Is Always Hope ."  Today's video is  What's Meaningful About Niddah? | Why do Jewish Husbands and Wives Separate? Jonathan Prompts Gemini: Today's Torah reading is Leviticus 15:16-33. I'd like you to summarize how two modern Jewish...

30 Nisan 5786 AM | 1 AVE. Threshold of Iyar. Astronomical New Moon 7:51 AM EDT. Molad 5:18 AM Jerusalem Time. Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us by Your Spirit and invited the nations to share in the richness of Your Word. We thank You for the people and state of Israel, including the Messiah, our First Fruits, through whom the harvest of life has begun. Today is the thirteenth day of the Omer according to the minority Sadducean count, which is 1 week and 6 days. May the Spirit of Truth prepare my heart for the revelation of the 50th day. 6:25 AM EDT in Albany.  Jonathan writes: The reading for this morning is Leviticus 14:33-15:15. This is the  link  to the Daily Chumash with Rashi at Chabad. The Daily Wisdom from the Lubavitcher Rebbe is titled " Even Righteous People Can Repent ."  I am pleased with the announcement of a Trump-brokered 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon and take note of the reactions by Yair Golan ...

29 Nisan 5786 AM | 1 AVE. Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us by Your Spirit and invited the nations to share in the richness of Your Word. We thank You for the people and state of Israel, including the Messiah, our First Fruits, through whom the harvest of life has begun. Today is the twelfth day of the Omer according to the minority Sadducean count, which is 1 week and 5 days. May the Spirit of Truth prepare my heart for the revelation of the 50th day. 6:29 AM EDT in Albany.  Jonathan writes: The reading for this morning is Leviticus 14:21-14:32. This is the  link  to the Daily Chumash with Rashi at Chabad. The Daily Wisdom from the Lubavitcher Rebbe is titled " Achieving Spiritual Balance ."  Gemini's Fair/Unfair Question: The Torah reading today emphasizes that the metzora of limited means brings one lamb and two birds, rather than three lambs. God "scales" the requirement so the person can afford their own return to t...

28 Nisan 5786 AM | 1 AVE. Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us by Your Spirit and invited the nations to share in the richness of Your Word. We thank You for the people and state of Israel, including the Messiah, our First Fruits, through whom the harvest of life has begun. Today is the eleventh day of the Omer according to the minority Sadducean count, which is 1 week and 4 days. May the Spirit of Truth prepare my heart for the revelation of the 50th day. 7:28 AM EDT in Albany.  Jonathan writes: The reading for this morning is Leviticus 13:55-14:20. This is the  link  to the Daily Chumash with Rashi at Chabad. The Daily Wisdom from the Lubavitcher Rebbe is titled " Looking at Others Positively ."  Today's video is  Parashat Tazria-Metzorah: The Mysterious Cure for Leprosy .

27 Nisan 5786 AM | 1 AVE. Yom HaShoah. Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us by Your Spirit and invited the nations to share in the richness of Your Word. We thank You for the people and state of Israel, including the Messiah, our First Fruits, through whom the harvest of life has begun. Today is the tenth day of the Omer according to the minority Sadducean count, which is 1 week and 3 days. May the Spirit of Truth prepare my heart for the revelation of the 50th day. 6:34 AM EDT in Albany.  Jonathan writes: The reading for this morning is Leviticus 13:40-13:54. This is the  link  to the Daily Chumash with Rashi at Chabad. The Daily Wisdom from the Lubavitcher Rebbe is titled " Purging Negativity ."  President Herzog's address begins at 5 min 31 sec:  Israel holds Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony .

26 Nisan 5786 AM | 1 AVE.  Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us by Your Spirit and invited the nations to share in the richness of Your Word. We thank You for the people and state of Israel, including the Messiah, our First Fruits, through whom the harvest of life has begun. Today is the ninth day of the Omer according to the minority Sadducean count, which is 1 week and 2 days. May the Spirit of Truth prepare my heart for the revelation of the 50th day. 6:44 AM EDT in Albany.  Jonathan writes: The reading for this morning is Leviticus 13:24-13:39. This is the  link  to the Daily Chumash with Rashi at Chabad. The Daily Wisdom from the Lubavitcher Rebbe is titled " Pride and Arrogance ."  The teaching of the Lubavitcher Rebbe makes me think of the cancerous lesion I recently had removed from my nose, and how it appeared not too long after I was discharged from the psychiatric hospital back in early 2020. It's hard for me to s...

25 Nisan 5786 AM | 1 AVE.  Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us by Your Spirit and invited the nations to share in the richness of Your Word. We thank You for the people and state of Israel, including the Messiah, our First Fruits, through whom the harvest of life has begun. Today is the eighth day of the Omer according to the minority Sadducean count, which is 1 week and 1 day. May the Spirit of Truth prepare my heart for the revelation of the 50th day. 6:27 AM EDT in Albany.  Jonathan writes: The reading for this morning is Leviticus 12:1-13:23. This is the link to the Daily Chumash with Rashi at Chabad. The Daily Wisdom from the Lubavitcher Rebbe is titled " Healing Subconscious Flaws ."  And here is a brilliant Torah class on this reading by Rabbi Kaplan:  Widespread Tzaraat: Can Miraculous Dermal Lesions and Great White Eruptions be the New Normal ? This reading gives me much to think about in relation to my recent skin can...

24 Nisan 5786 AM | 1 AVE.  Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us by Your Spirit and invited the nations to share in the richness of Your Word. We thank You for the people and state of Israel, including the Messiah, our First Fruits, through whom the harvest of life has begun. Today is the seventh day of the Omer according to the minority Sadducean count, which is 0 weeks and 7 days. May the Spirit of Truth prepare my heart for the revelation of the 50th day. 6:50 AM EDT in Albany.  Jonathan writes: As I sit down at my desktop this morning, I am eating my first crop of raw lentil sprouts. I've been getting caught up since 4:15 AM on the news, mostly related to the Islamabad talks, which is unusual for me on a Sabbath lately, but not off limits if that is what the moment seems to demand.  This is probably the biggest test of J.D. Vance's political career. The Iranian team's emphasis on a ceasefire in Lebanon and the unfreezing of assets ...

  23 Nisan 5786 AM | 1 AVE.  Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us by Your Spirit and invited the nations to share in the richness of Your Word. We thank You for the people and state of Israel, including the Messiah, our First Fruits, through whom the harvest of life has begun. Today is the sixth day of the Omer according to the minority Sadducean count, which is 0 weeks and 6 days. May the Spirit of Truth prepare my heart for the revelation of the 50th day. 6:19 AM EDT in Albany.  Jonathan writes: Yesterday I ordered two sprouting jars and seed to make barley and oat sprouts on the kitchen counter for my breakfasts during the Omer Count. Earlier this week, I started sprouting lentils and sesame. The sesame should be ready to use tonight. I am not sure if I am succumbing to an overhyped fad sprouting phase or getting closer to the transformational terraforming core of Israel's vegan revolution. Maybe the Aquarian Messiah's breakfast in...

22 Nisan 5786 AM | 1 AVE. Eighth Day of Unleavened Bread.  Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us by Your Spirit and invited the nations to share in the richness of Your Word. We thank You for the people and state of Israel, including the Messiah, our First Fruits, through whom the harvest of life has begun. Today is the fifth day of the Omer according to the minority Sadducean count, which is 0 weeks and 5 days. May the Spirit of Truth prepare my heart for the revelation of the 50th day. 9:35 AM EDT in Albany.  Jonathan writes: Today is the Moshiach's Meal as instituted by the Baal Shem Tov. This could be the most important vegan seder in the entire Jewish calendar! I don't have any grape juice or matzah this year - that will have to wait until next year - but I do plan to listen to  The Mystical Moshiach Meal on the Last Day of Pesach  from 5-6 PM while I am preparing and eating my evening salad. The astrology for this evening's...

21 Nisan 5786 AM | 1 AVE. Seventh Day of Unleavened Bread.  Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us by Your Spirit and invited the nations to share in the richness of Your Word. We thank You for the people and state of Israel, including the Messiah, our First Fruits, through whom the harvest of life has begun. Today is the fourth day of the Omer according to the minority Sadducean count, which is 0 weeks and 4 days. May the Spirit of Truth prepare my heart for the revelation of the 50th day. 6:43 AM EDT in Albany.  Jonathan writes: My apologies to the Jewish community in Israel and Diaspora. I don't know if it's a sign that I am mercurial or constantly learning, but on the one hand I need to write to learn, and on the other hand, when I re-read myself a week or sometimes even just a day later, I often feel that a different choice of words would be more appropriate. Added to this, my collaboration with AI is still in its early stages. I am far...