Parashah learning with moral force.
Rabbi Lavian is a Torah study show built around close readings of parashah. Its lessons move from textual details and Gemara calculations into practical concerns like speech, Shabbat, kashrut, emunah, simchah, and responsibility between people.
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Rabbi Lavian is a parashah-centered Torah study show with the structure and feel of an ongoing shiur. It is not conversational podcasting. The episodes work through verses, rabbinic sources, Hebrew terms, and moral questions with a classroom rhythm, often returning to the same point until the lesson is firmly in view. Shemini becomes a study of kashrut, the signs of animals and fish, and the meaning of being lifted from Eretz Mitzrayim. Tazria and Metzora become a sustained meditation on purity, impurity, the role of the Kohen, and the spiritual force of human speech. Vayakhel and Pekudei bring Shabbat to the foreground, especially the thirty-nine restrictions and the Torah’s unusual phrasing around work. Pesach opens into emunah, simchah, matzah, maror, the four cups of wine, tefilin, and different calculations connected to Egypt. The show likes textual bridges. One parashah is read as a chain leading into the next, with Shemini’s separation between tameh and tahor setting up Tazria’s concern with birth and purity. It also likes precise questions. Why does the Torah say a thing this way? Why is one order chosen over another? Why can a young Kohen determine a status even when a scholar understands the visual signs? Those questions are not treated as abstract puzzles. They become guidance for life. The teaching repeatedly stresses that actions and words affect the self, the surrounding community, and the wider spiritual world. Harm between people is treated with particular seriousness, especially when repentance requires repair beyond private forgiveness. The tone is devout, traditional, and dense with Torah vocabulary. It is best for listeners who already welcome shiur-style learning or want immersion in parashah, Gemara, Chazal, kashrut, Shabbat, and musar. The show’s distinctive appeal is its mix of close textual reading and direct ethical pressure. A small grammatical form, a halachic detail, or a repeated phrase can become a lesson about speech, faith, restraint, and responsibility.
Made for: For listeners seeking traditional Torah shiurim with close textual attention, Hebrew vocabulary, and practical musar. It especially suits people interested in parashah study, kashrut, Shabbat, speech ethics, emunah, and repentance.
What sets it apart: The show ties detailed parashah readings to concrete spiritual responsibilities, especially the effects of speech and conduct between people. Its teaching style is dense, devotional, and built around source-by-source reasoning rather than casual discussion.
To donate and/or sponsor a shiur l’ilui nishmat a loved one, for parnassah, shidduchim, or refuah sheleima, contact Rabbi Lavian at 929-509-5738.Born and raised in Iran, Rabbi Lavian has since devoted his life to learning and spreading Torah to New York’s bustling Jewish communities. Since completing his studies in the Rabbinical College of America, under the tutelage of Rabbi Wilshansky Shlit”a, Rabbi Lavian has dedicated his time and efforts to promote the growth of Torah study.He received Semicha in Rabbanut from Hagaon Rav Pinchas Hiurshprung זצ״ל, from Canada, and Hagaon Rav Yisrael Pikarsky זצ״ל. Rabbi Lavian also received his Sepharadic Semicha from Harav Eliyahu Ben Haim Shlit”a.For…
Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A Yitro review that links Matantora, Amalek, redemption, and righteous women in one thread.
This review presents Parashat Yitro through two recurring themes: Matantora and Amalek. It keeps returning to Sinai as the place of warmth and commitment, set against a force that cools zeal and weakens attachment to Torah.
Daily halacha, case by case.
Parsha questions carried into serious Torah argument.
Rabbi Lavian's sermon on Parashat Yitro explores the spiritual battle against Amalek, contrasting it with Pharaoh's physical war.
Rabbi Lavian delivers a sermon on Parashat VaEra, focusing on the Torah phrase 'Asher garuba'.
This episode explores the connection between the Torah portions Shemini and Tazria, discussing laws about kosher animals and purity, with references to Rav Ovadia Yosef's teachings.
This episode discusses the role of the Kohen in determining spiritual purity, emphasizing that sins between people require personal repentance rather than divine forgiveness.
This episode discusses strengthening faith in Hashem through the festival of Pesach, its rituals like eating matzah and Maror, and the importance of joy and prayer in Jewish tradition.
This episode explores the profound spiritual power of words in Jewish tradition, drawing from Gemara teachings about how lies affect the speaker, listener, and community, and connecting this to broader themes of personal, social, and divine impact.
This episode discusses Parashat Shemini, focusing on the Torah's dietary laws (kashrut), including the signs for permissible animals and the significance of God's deliverance from Egypt in this context.
This episode discusses the weekly Torah portion focusing on the death of Aharon's children and the theme of accepting life's difficulties.
This episode explores different biblical calculations for the time the Israelites spent in Egypt, referencing Torah passages and numbers like 400, 430, and 232.
This episode discusses the interpretation of Shabbat laws in Parashat Vayekhel and Pekudey, focusing on the thirty-nine prohibited activities and the linguistic analysis of the term 'Te'aseh' in the Torah.
This episode discusses the significance of Tanit Ester, a fast commemorating Queen Esther's three-day fast before Purim, exploring its connection to prophecy and Jewish law.
This episode explores a Kabbalistic interpretation of why the Torah only explicitly mentions four of the eleven samim (spices or elements), drawing from Rabbi Isaac Safrin's teachings and connecting them to Sefirot and Gospel verses.