Shabbos Malkesa - Appreciate and Enjoy Shabbos

Rabbi Ari Klapper
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Transform your Shabbos from routine observance to divine encounter. Rabbi Ari Klapper explores mystical and philosophical teachings about Shabbos as the weekly manifestation of Hashem's kingship. Deep dive into Gemora analysis, Kabbalistic concepts, and practical spirituality. Learn what Shabbos is supposed to be and how to truly feel the Shechina. Graduate-level spiritual development for serious practitioners seeking authentic connection. Appreciate and Enjoy Shabbos.

  1. 1d ago

    Ep. 104 – POF 9, 10 & 11: Our Unchanging and Whole Torah

    Why can't Torah ever be changed — even by the greatest rabbi, even by a prophet, even by someone claiming new divine instruction? Rabbi Ari Klapper explains the ninth principle through a remarkable story: a Chinese woman came to a yeshiva in Queens while researching her academic thesis on the world's major religions. After interviewing priests and imams and finding something missing in both Christianity and Islam, she walked into the yeshiva — and what she found there changed her life. The point: the uniqueness of Torah isn't just its age or its wisdom. It's that Torah is Hashem speaking. Not a record of what Hashem said, but Hashem Himself, in the words. And Hashem doesn't change. Just as there is no difference or revision in Hashem Himself — no updates, no second thoughts — there can be no change in Torah. A bris isn't like a peace treaty (the "cold peace" between Israel and Egypt, where there's no fighting but no real warmth either). A bris is a complete bond, with no exit clause and no replacement clause. Klal Yisrael is bound to Torah and Torah is bound to Klal Yisrael because the Torah is the expression of that bris — and Hashem and His words are completely one. Principles 10 and 11 follow: He knows all our actions and responds to them, because He is fully present, not a distant watchmaker. Practical takeaway: when you learn a halacha that's hard or inconvenient this week, try saying: "This is Hashem's actual word. I'm doing it because He said it." Hosted by Rabbi Ari Klapper and produced by Eli Podcast Productions, this episode is part of the Real Judaism series, available on RealJudaism.org. Don't forget to subscribe and share to stay connected with our daily lessons and timeless Torah insights!

  2. Aug 13

    Ep. 103 – POF 7 & 8: The Truth of Moshe and the Torah

    What made Moshe Rabbeinu different from every other navi — even the greatest ones before and after him? Rabbi Ari Klapper explains the seventh principle: Moshe's nevuah was true and he is the Av of all prophets, even those who came before him chronologically. The answer is surprising: we only know that Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov were prophets because Moshe's Torah tells us so. His nevuah authenticates all others. But there's something even deeper: every other navi's job was to inspire, rebuke, and call people back to Torah. Only Moshe was a kli — a vessel — through which Hashem Himself spoke. Not a messenger carrying a letter; like a hammer that drives in a nail. The worker is doing the hammering. The hammer is just the tool. That's why Torah could only come through Moshe. Because Torah is not "about" Hashem — it is Hashem speaking. The words of Torah are the will of Hashem and the being of Hashem, one and the same. For something that pure to pass through a human being without distortion, that person had to be Anav Mikol Adam — the humblest person who ever lived, someone who understood: I have nothing of my own, I am only what Hashem wants through me. This connects directly to Shabbos, which is the same thing in time: pure Hashem, no interference, just the source. Practical takeaway: choose one conversation today and try to speak not to impress, but only to give — asking yourself first, "What does this person actually need to hear?" Hosted by Rabbi Ari Klapper and produced by Eli Podcast Productions, this episode is part of the Real Judaism series, available on RealJudaism.org. Don't forget to subscribe and share to stay connected with our daily lessons and timeless Torah insights!

  3. Aug 6

    Ep. 102 – POF 6: A Direct Connection

    If the gap between Hashem and us is so enormous — infinite vs. created, everything vs. nothing — how is any connection even possible? Rabbi Ari Klapper explores the sixth principle of faith: the words of the prophets are true. But first, he unpacks something extraordinary Chazal say: wherever you find Hashem's greatness, you find His humility right alongside it. That's not a contradiction — it's the same thing. Only something truly infinite can make itself small. A limited being that shrinks loses something. But Hashem's anivus, His capacity to hide Himself and give space to everything else, is itself the expression of His boundlessness. He hides so that we can exist. The tefillin story makes this tangible: the parashiyos of the tefillin have to be enclosed in black leather boxes — because the spiritual power inside them would otherwise be overwhelming. And Klal Yisrael before the Egel HaZahav could look directly at Hashem's presence; after, they couldn't even bear the reflected light on Moshe's face. Hashem makes Himself small enough that we can survive and receive from Him — and that protective concealment is what makes nevuah possible. A direct word from Hashem to a human being isn't just information transfer; it's the Infinite contracting itself into something a person can hold. Practical takeaway: when you feel far from Hashem, remember — He created the distance to protect you. Ask Him today: "Hashem, let me feel a little more of You." Hosted by Rabbi Ari Klapper and produced by Eli Podcast Productions, this episode is part of the Real Judaism series, available on RealJudaism.org. Don't forget to subscribe and share to stay connected with our daily lessons and timeless Torah insights!

  4. Jul 30

    Ep. 101 – POF 5: Pray Only to Him

    Why would praying to an angel even be a mistake — if the angel is real and actually does things in this world? Rabbi Ari Klapper tackles the fifth principle of faith: we pray only to Hashem. He explains that Hashem genuinely does run the world through messengers — malachim, stars, and natural forces are all real shlichim that carry Hashem's shefa into creation. So why not pray to them? Because they're the mailman, not the sender. You might thank the mailman, but the package came from the One Who sent it. Avodah Zarah throughout history wasn't worship of nothing — people looked at the stars and saw real spiritual koichus flowing through them. They just made the mistake of stopping at the pipeline instead of tracing it back to the Source. The episode brings it home with Avraham Avinu: he looked in the stars and saw, according to natural channels, that he wouldn't have children. He turned to Hashem and said, essentially, "You've already decided this through the stars." And Hashem said: I can override the pipeline. I put the koichus in the stars, but I'm not limited by them. That's the point. All the spiritual channels, all the malachim, all the forces of nature — they're wires running from the power plant. You can see the electrical line outside your window, but that's not where the electricity comes from. Practical takeaway: today, when something good happens — something arrives, something works out — take five seconds to trace it back: "That came from Hashem." Hosted by Rabbi Ari Klapper and produced by Eli Podcast Productions, this episode is part of the Real Judaism series, available on RealJudaism.org. Don't forget to subscribe and share to stay connected with our daily lessons and timeless Torah insights!

  5. Jul 23

    Ep. 100 – POF 4: Hashem is First and Last

    How can you even talk about "before" when there was nothing yet? Rabbi Ari Klapper takes on the fourth principle of faith — that Hashem was first and will be last — and shows why it's not just a statement of longevity but the deepest possible claim about existence. The universe had a beginning. Science itself says so. But something had to exist before the beginning — otherwise, where did the Big Bang come from? The only thing that could exist before existence is something that has no origin, no cause, no boundary at all. That's Hashem. He doesn't need something else to have created Him, because He is the one thing that was never created — He simply is, was, and always will be. The episode builds on the previous weeks: creation from nothing (Principle 1), Hashem's oneness (Principle 2), His incorporeality (Principle 3), and now His eternity — all flowing from the same source. If Hashem created everything, He was first. If He is unlimited and has no body to age or deteriorate, He is last. Shabbos — the day we stop and remember that Hashem made all of this — is our weekly touchstone to all four principles at once. You don't just rest on Shabbos. You stand in front of the One Who was here before anything else existed. Practical takeaway: this Shabbos, let one moment of your day be about simple presence — not doing, not planning — just existing in front of the One Who existed before everything. Hosted by Rabbi Ari Klapper and produced by Eli Podcast Productions, this episode is part of the Real Judaism series, available on RealJudaism.org. Don't forget to subscribe and share to stay connected with our daily lessons and timeless Torah insights!

  6. Jul 16

    Ep. 99 – POF 2 & 3: Hashem is the Only True One

    Why must Hashem be exactly One — not two, not three? Rabbi Ari Klapper shows that this isn't just theology; it follows logically from what we already know about Hashem. If there were two divine beings, each would have to leave space for the other — and anything that needs to "leave space" is limited. Hashem, by definition, is completely unlimited. Therefore He can only be One. He illustrates this with the Mir Yeshiva in Yerushalayim: thousands of students packed into almost no physical space — and the secret is that everyone looks outward, saying "that person needs space" instead of "I need space." The moment you're truly unlimited in giving, the clash disappears. Then he turns to the third principle: Hashem has no physical body. Why? Because a goof — a body — is by definition a kli, a vessel that contains and therefore limits. He runs through the progression: shot glass, cup, barrel, swimming pool, ocean — every one of them still limits, just at a different scale. Hashem can't be any of those things, because any form is a boundary and Hashem has none. Both principles — His oneness and His incorporeality — flow from the same root we encounter every Shabbos: Hashem created everything from absolute nothingness, which means nothing in existence can contain or limit Him. Practical takeaway: when you say "Shema Yisrael" tonight, pause one extra second on "Echad" and really mean it. Hosted by Rabbi Ari Klapper and produced by Eli Podcast Productions, this episode is part of the Real Judaism series, available on RealJudaism.org. Don't forget to subscribe and share to stay connected with our daily lessons and timeless Torah insights!

  7. Jul 15

    Shalom Bayis Series 2 Trailer: The Essence of a Jewish Home

    What if everything you thought you knew about marriage is only the surface? Season 2 of Shalom Bayis for Men goes deeper than practical tips. Building on the timeless teachings of Rav Chaim Friedlander zt"l, we return to the very beginning — the way Hashem created man and woman — to uncover what a marriage is actually meant to be. Why were we created as one being and then split apart? Why is a husband and wife's connection built entirely on chesed? And why did Hashem make men and women so fundamentally different? Over eight episodes, we'll explore how a home is the training ground where a person learns to truly give, why a woman's emotional world is a gift and not a flaw, and how understanding your wife's nature is the foundation of real Shalom Bayis. This is a season about the roots — the ideas that make everything else make sense. Subscribe now so you don't miss Episode 1. The journey to a deeper marriage starts here. Get the show on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/644HQbfnHosBd9vscuYxFy?si=cCPw4-r3SVel0nau3z895Q Hosted by Rabbi Ari Klapper and produced by Eli Podcast Productions, this series is part of the Real Judaism series, available on RealJudaism.org. Don't forget to subscribe and share to stay connected with our daily lessons and timeless Torah insights!

    Shalom Bayis Series 2 Trailer: The Essence of a Jewish Home

  8. Jul 9

    Ep. 98 – Principle of Faith 1: Hashem Created and Runs the World

    What does Shabbos have to do with the 13 Principles of Faith? Rabbi Ari Klapper opens the final chapter of Shabbos Malkesa with a revelation: this last section of the sefer ties Shabbos to every single one of the Rambam's Yud Gimel Ikarim. He begins with the Chofetz Chaim (the author of the Mishnah Bruah), who writes that the pasuk "Remember the Shabbos day to make it holy — for in six days Hashem created the world" teaches us the first and most foundational principle: Hashem created everything from nothing, runs everything, and is therefore the Master of everything. We keep Shabbos as a weekly declaration of that truth. And the stakes couldn't be higher. Chazal teach that someone who guards Shabbos is as if he kept the entire Torah — because Shabbos is the root of our emunah. And someone who violates Shabbos, it's as if he denied Creation itself. This isn't about rules; it's about what Shabbos actually means. Every time you stop working, every time you make Kiddush, every time you let Shabbos be Shabbos — you're testifying that the world has a Creator who is still very much in charge. Practical takeaway: on Shabbos this week, take one quiet moment to say to yourself: "Hashem created the world. He is running it right now. I am His servant." Hosted by Rabbi Ari Klapper and produced by Eli Podcast Productions, this episode is part of the Real Judaism series, available on RealJudaism.org. Don't forget to subscribe and share to stay connected with our daily lessons and timeless Torah insights!

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Transform your Shabbos from routine observance to divine encounter. Rabbi Ari Klapper explores mystical and philosophical teachings about Shabbos as the weekly manifestation of Hashem's kingship. Deep dive into Gemora analysis, Kabbalistic concepts, and practical spirituality. Learn what Shabbos is supposed to be and how to truly feel the Shechina. Graduate-level spiritual development for serious practitioners seeking authentic connection. Appreciate and Enjoy Shabbos.

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