Aleph Beta @joinalephbeta

Moshe’s final speech begins this week as we start Sefer Devarim. What was he trying to teach the Jewish people before they entered the land? And what are we meant to hear in his words today? @DavidFohrman's new book, Deuteronomy: A Parsha Companion, is the perfect companion as we begin Sefer Devarim. Order here: shop.alephbeta.org/products/deute…

@Elizabe93788148 Thank you so much! What was your favorite takeaway from the class?

After the Splitting of the Sea, the Jewish people sang. But generations later, when Jerusalem was miraculously saved in the days of Chizkiyahu, there was another song waiting to be sung. And somehow, it never was. A powerful Aleph Beta class for getting into the mindset of Tisha B’Av. alephbeta.org/content/king-c…

The Temple was destroyed thousands of years ago. But the fractures Tisha B’Av asks us to confront are still with us. alephbeta.org/tisha-bav-2026…

What if Tisha B’Av isn’t only about what was destroyed, but about what almost happened? @DavidFohrman's class explores a haunting idea: some of our darkest moments may have once stood at the edge of redemption. That “almost” changes everything. alephbeta.org/content/king-c…

God called the land good. The spies saw danger, fear, and impossibility. And suddenly, their version of “good” replaced God’s. That’s the hidden Eden story inside Parshat Devarim: The struggle to admit that what looks impossible to us may still be good in God’s eyes. alephbeta.org/content/israel…

What if the sin of the spies wasn’t that they were afraid? Maybe the problem wasn’t seeing giants or fortified cities. Maybe the problem was letting fear become the final verdict. Faith doesn’t mean denying what’s hard. It means seeing it clearly, and still walking forward. Go deeper: alephbeta.org/content/israel…

This week, Moshe begins his final words to the Jewish people. But Sefer Devarim isn’t just a farewell speech. It’s a guide for what comes next, for them, and for us. Rabbi Fohrman’s new book, Deuteronomy: A Parsha Companion, helps you read Moshe’s words with fresh eyes. Order here: shop.alephbeta.org/products/deute…

The sin of the spies wasn’t that they didn’t believe in God. They had seen the plagues, the sea, Sinai, manna. Their struggle was more human: they were afraid to trust. Emunah means staying steady in relationship, even when fear makes you want to pull away. #faith #God #Torah #ShabbatShalom

The Torah’s negotiation lesson is subtle but powerful: Gad and Reuben get the deal not by insisting, but by moving closer, listening to Moshe’s fear, and offering trust. “I hear what you’re afraid of. Here’s what I’ll do.” Sometimes that’s stronger than a 20-page contract. alephbeta.org/content/the-ar…

Emunah (faith) doesn’t just mean believing God exists. Moshe says the people lacked faith even after Egypt, Sinai, and the sea. The issue wasn’t belief. It was trust. Can I remain steadfast with God, even when I’m afraid and don’t feel in control? #faith #belief #Torah

The Torah’s definition of faith is deeper than belief. Faith begins when I know three things: You see my pain. You have the power to help. You understand what I need. And then comes the hardest part: trusting anyway, even through fear. Are you grappling with emunah / faith at the moment? Join Aleph Beta to dive deep on these topics and more. alephbeta.org

Can the Torah teach you how to negotiate? In Matot-Masei, Gad and Reuben don’t dismiss Moshe’s fears. They answer them directly: We’ll fight with our brothers. More than that, we’ll go first. Real trust begins when we stop arguing and start addressing the fear underneath. alephbeta.org/content/the-ar…

The Liberty Bell's inscription is Torah — Leviticus 25:10 "Proclaim liberty throughout the land." But in the Torah, liberty never meant "no rules." It meant slaves returning to family. Land returning to its owners. Freedom = coming home to who you really are. 250 years later, still true. 🔔🇺🇸 Learn more about Leviticus 25:10, the law of Yovel (Jubilee) in this class: alephbeta.org/content/why-do…

We've been thinking about America's 250th birthday and its many themes: freedom, democracy, independence, and more. Where do YOU see these ideas found in the Torah? Would love to hear your thoughts!

Moses is about to die. He has one last chance to speak to the people he's led for 40 years. And he spends most of it... on laws. Why? What if that's the wrong way to read it? What if the laws are the speech — and underneath them lies a profound vision not just of what to do, but how to live? That's the question Rabbi Fohrman sets out to answer in Deuteronomy: A Parsha Companion — the final book in his five-volume series. He reads Moses' farewell address the way you'd read a letter from someone you love: slowly, carefully, attentively. Listening for what's beneath the words. The result is a book that makes you feel like you're hearing Moses speak for the very first time. Grab your copy today: shop.alephbeta.org/products/deute…

@RabbiFohrman on parenting: Every Friday night he blesses his kids with Birkat Kohanim — and asks himself one question before he does: "At this stage of my child's life, what kind of love do they need?" Do they need to be built up? Smiled at? Given peace? That's the whole job, right there. Go deeper: alephbeta.org/playlist/play/…

There's a word hidden in the 17th of Tammuz that I can't stop thinking about. One of the five tragedies of this day: the Kohanim ran out of animals for the tamid offering during the Babylonian siege. The word tamid means "always" or "constant." Every single day, no matter what, the fire in the Temple burned. Wars outside the walls. Chaos in the streets. Didn't matter — the fire kept burning. Until the day it didn't. That's the tragedy of 17 Tammuz in miniature. It's not just that the Temple fell, or that Jerusalem's walls crumbled — it's that the things we believed were permanent turned out not to be. The walls we called unbreakable. The fire we called eternal. The Tablets carved by God's own hand. The Torah scroll that embodied His word. All of it — shattered, burned, extinguished, on a single day. And here's where it gets personal: we all have a tamid — something we rely on to feel like our connection to God is intact. A ritual. A community. A building. A feeling we get on Yom Kippur or Shabbat. What happens when that gets taken away? 17 Tammuz asks us not just to mourn what was lost — but to ask whether we were ever truly connecting, or just relying on the constancy of the flame to do the work for us. The fire going out isn't the end of the story. It's an invitation to find the source of the fire.

17 Tammuz isn't just about what we lost — it's about what we hide behind. The Golden Calf wasn't idol worship. It was a mask. The people couldn't face God directly, so they built a buffer. Moshe shattered the Tablets to say: symbols can't replace a real relationship with God. Neither can ours. Want to learn more? Check out our video on this topic: alephbeta.org/content/fast-o…