Torah From Boca

💀 What Zombie shows reveals about compassion fatigue, psychic numbing, and how Torah teaches us to remember. #Shoftim #parashahoftheweek
What does #thewalkingdead teach us about compassion in a world that grows numb? Think of Sheriff Rick Grimes. In the first episode, he honors the fallen stranger ("we will always remember him") before his empathy fades. Likewise, our hearts risk hardening in the face of relentless tragedy. This sermon explores how constant exposure to mass shootings and global horrors leads to compassion fatigue—as described in NPR’s  “Another Mass Shooting? ‘Compassion Fatigue’ Is a Natural Reaction” and psychic numbing, which was unpacked by the APA in their article “COVID-19 & Psychic Numbing.”
Together, they demonstrate how numbers can often overshadow human stories. Torah offers a different way forward. Through Ramban’s vision of “circumcising the heart,” the haunting ritual of the Eglah Arufah, Seforno’s call to spare the trees, and Ibn Ezra’s demand for a culture that cherishes life, Judaism insists that every individual soul matters—even amid war. This week, we speak the names of Harper Lillian Moyski (10) and Fletcher Merkel (8)—two children whose lives cannot be reduced to statistics. In Elul, may we resist numbness, remember the names, and soften our hearts—so compassion remains our sacred response.
📖 Texts: Deuteronomy 21 (Eglah Arufah), Ramban, Seforno, Ibn Ezra, Mishnah Sanhedrin Articles
📰: Another Mass Shooting? ‘Compassion Fatigue’ Is a Natural Reaction” - https://www.npr.org/sections/health-s...
Paul Slovic observes the ‘psychic numbing’ of COVID-19 - https://www.apa.org/members/content/c...
🕯️ Remembering: Harper Lillian Moyski (10) & Fletcher Merkel (8)
➡️ Watch to discover how Torah challenges us to resist numbness, remember names, and soften our hearts in a world that too often forgets.
https://youtu.be/ES6VfgI4FGk?si=xwBOmw6JgxtkjLJ3

Jim Morrison once sang, “When you’re strange, no one remembers your name.” This week in Parashat Eikev, I reflect on how the Torah commands us to do the opposite: to remember and to love the stranger, because we ourselves were strangers in Egypt. I share why this mitzvah is the most repeated in the Torah, how it speaks to today’s epidemic of loneliness, and what it means to build a Jewish community where no one is left unseen or forgotten.
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This week, Torah, holiday, and my own life all aligned. Parashat Va’etchanan commands us to love God with all our heart, soul, and might. The Jewish calendar gave us Tu B’Av, our festival of love, and on top of that, it’s our 19th wedding anniversary.
In this episode, I revisit my original “Love Is a Verb” sermon from years ago, adding new insights from Jewish tradition, Steven Covey, Rabbi Shai Held, and the changes I’ve seen in relationships today, including the so-called Gen Z “Sex Depression” courtesy of Dr. Jean Twenge's research in her book Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents―and What They Mean for America's Future. 
We’ll talk about how real love, whether for a spouse, a friend, a community, or God, isn’t just a feeling you wait to happen — it’s something you practice every single day through giving, serving, forgiving, and showing up.

“Silence is complicity” is a phrase I’ve heard a lot lately — especially when it comes to Israel, Gaza, and our own Jewish community. But what if the real danger isn’t silence, but how we speak?
This week we open a new book of Torah, Deuteronomy, or Devarim. In the very first words of the book, Moshe offers a model: he delivers hard truths, but he does it in a way that protects dignity and keeps the community together.
In this episode, I talk about the mitzvah of tochecha/rebuke and what it means to criticize with both courage and compassion. We’ll wrestle with the tension between universal and particular values, the dangers of public shaming, and why love must come before judgment. This is about learning to speak so that even when we disagree, we stay family.

War and Peace: What Aaron’s Staff Can Teach Us After the Twelve-Day War
In this episode of Torah from Boca, I reflect on the recent Twelve-Day War between Israel, the United States, and Iran—a conflict that many are already calling a modern miracle. But what does it mean to witness a miracle in real time? And how do we respond to it, not just with gratitude, but with responsibility?
Rather than focusing on the dramatic punishment of Korach in this week’s parashah, I explore the quieter, more enduring miracle of Aaron’s staff—how it sprouted, blossomed, and bore almonds overnight. What powerful lessons can we learn from this small miracle amidst the turmoil of conflict? 
What tools do we need—not just to win battles, but to build peace? Join me as I explore what Aaron’s staff can teach us about leadership, healing, and the harder, holier work that comes after the fighting ends.
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The Strength to Step Back: What My Shtender Taught Me About Leadership
Parashat Shelach Lecha 2025/5785
In this episode of Torah from Boca, I share the story behind my humble wooden shtender—purchased in a basement shop in Jerusalem—and the verse I had engraved on it: “Moses was very humble, more than any man on earth.” That verse has shaped how I strive to lead.
Drawing on Parashat Shelach Lecha, we explore how true leadership is not always about being the loudest voice in the room. It's about knowing when to speak—and when to make space for others to rise. From Moses to Hillel, from Caleb and Joshua to the leaders of today, we look at the sacred dance of humility and courage.
Because sometimes, leadership isn’t about stepping up—it’s about stepping back.
 

Torah from Boca – Episode Title: How a Two-Week Trip to Volunteer In Israel After October 7 Changed My Life with Yocheved Ruttenberg
In this powerful episode of Torah from Boca, Rabbi David Baum speaks with Yocheved, founder and CEO of the Sword of Iron Israel Volunteer Corp—the fastest-growing grassroots volunteer movement to emerge in the wake of October 7.
What began as a two-week mission—armed with 23 duffel bags of donated supplies—became a life-altering journey of Aliyah and purpose. Yocheved shares how she left behind a sales career in Dallas, Texas, and committed herself entirely to the people of Israel. Since then, her organization has mobilized over 40,000 volunteers globally, bridging communities and sparking a worldwide wave of action and unity.
Listen in as we explore the sacred responsibility of showing up, the courage to start something new, and how Torah values come to life through acts of hesed, leadership, and resilience.
Click Here For Video Version
Click Here to Support Sword of Iron or learn more
Click Here To Read About Yocheved's Incredible Story
 

🎙️ Torah From Boca — Episode Title: Fear Builds Encampments. Love Builds Community; Our Choice Encampment or Community?
I originally planned to give this teaching in light of what’s happening here in the United States—the immigration raids, ICE deportations of undocumented individuals, and the protests that have erupted in response, some of which turned chaotic and violent. I wanted to bring Torah into that conversation, to explore how we, as Jewish-Americans, think about “outsiders,” borders, and the kind of society we want to build as a minority ourselves. 
But then, everything shifted. Israel struck Iran. Suddenly, our attention turned to questions of national security, survival, and strength.
In this episode, I share a teaching that pivots from these headlines to a deeper Torah conversation: What’s the difference between an encampment and a congregation? Between a people bound by fear and one bound by destiny? Drawing on Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik’s powerful insight and this week’s parashah, I reflect on the kind of communities we’re building—both here and in Israel—and what our sacred tradition asks of us when the world feels unstable.
This episode is about more than headlines. It’s about what it means to be a sacred people in an uncertain world.
Click Here to Download the Text Sheet With Sources
Click Here For the Video Version On YouTube
 

Welcome to this week's Torah from Boca from Tel Aviv! 
In this special episode, I’m recording from Eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel. I had the privilege of joining a fellowship with rabbinical students from across denominations—Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, and non-denominational—as part of an immersive experience that brings future Jewish leaders into dialogue with Israeli society, its challenges, and its soul.
While in Tel Aviv, I sat down with my friend and colleague, Rabbi Leor Sinai—a fellow dreamer, educator, and passionate Zionist—for a deep and wide-ranging conversation. We spoke about what Zionism means today, especially in the wake of October 7; the power of Jewish peoplehood; the spiritual return we're witnessing in our communities; and what it means to love our people fiercely—even when we disagree.
We also talk Torah, of course—this week’s parashah, Bamidbar, and how every Jew is like a letter in the scroll of our people—indispensable and holy.
So whether you're in Boca, Jerusalem, or somewhere in between, join us as we unpack this moment in Jewish history—raw, real, and filled with purpose.
You can read more about my mission with the Sinai Temple Israel Fellows here 
Click Here For the Video on Rabbi Leor Sinai's YouTube Channel 

Ever faced an invitation you didn't know if you should accept? This week on Torah from Boca, I reveal a decision I've never shared publicly—turning down a meeting with Vice President Mike Pence during the first Trump administration. I had a good reason: it was my son's siddur ceremony (when he received his first prayer book) at his school.
But what if that meeting hadn't conflicted with my son's special day? Honestly, this podcast isn't really about that meeting, but it's about all the meetings we may have with people with whom we disagree with, or that our friends disagree with.
It is about a question I explore the Torah's teachings on how we should treat those we strongly disagree with, discussing whether rabbis—and all of us—should engage privately with controversial and even dangerous individuals. Join me in wrestling with one of Judaism’s toughest ethical questions: Can we truly love our neighbor—even when it's hard?
A special thank you to my friend and colleague Rabbi Efrem Goldberg, who inspired this sermon from his meeting with Itimar Ben Gvir, which can be read in its entirety here - https://rabbiefremgoldberg.org/ben-gvir
Click here to read the text version here