Michael Franco

Parashat Vayyese Speech: The Right Question

In this podcast, we explain what it was that truly made Yaaqob an outstanding individual: he was not afraid to ask the difficult questions.

Parashat Vayyese Class: Confronting Yourself in Others

In this week's class, we show that Yaaqob's experience with Laban was truly an encounter with a part of his own psyche. We show a tremendous amount of intertexts between our Parasha and many other areas in tanak"h, including last week's parasha, Sefer Shemot, and Sefer Dibre Hayyamim, gleaning significant lessons.

Parashat Toledot Speech: No Such Thing as Failure

In this podcast, we show, through the life of Yaaqob, that there truly is no such thing as failure.

Parashat Toledot Class: Moral Ambiguity: Do the Ends Justify the Means?

In this class, we delve into the story of Jacob and Esav, paying close attention to the text's description of these morally ambiguous episodes. We go on to contemplate a very important ethical question: do the ends justify the means?

Parashat Hayye Sarah Speech: Grit and Greatness

In this podcast, we study the book Grit by Angela Duckworth and derive its fundamental lessons. We demonstrate that Abraham Abinu had all the qualities of "grit" that are necessary for success.

Parashat Vayyera/Hayye Sarah Class: How Odd of God to Choose the Jews

In this class, we read through the text of Parashat Vayyera, with particular attention to the famous quote: "How odd of God to choose the Jews. Not so odd -- the Jews chose God." We transition into Parashat Hayye Sarah and discuss the undying legacy of Abraham.

Parashat Vayyera: Going Through Hell

In this week's podcast, we read through the text of Aqedat Yishaq -- The Binding of Isaac. We use the text as a guide to understanding how it was that Abraham was able to overcome his most difficult challenge, relating the lessons learned to overcoming the challenges we each face in our own lives.

Lekh Lekha Speech: The Growth Mindset and Daily Motivation

In this podcast, we discuss some of the motivational ideas behind the character of Abraham.

Parashat Lekh Lekha: Tradition, Progress, and the Legacy of Abraham

In this podcast, we begin the saga of Abraham Abinu and we attempt to sew together the various stories with one common theme: legacy.

Parashat Noah: Creation, Uncreation, and God in Search of Man

In this week's podcast, we review some of the connections between Creation and the "Uncreation" that was the Great Flood. We derive a powerful message from this connection that rings especially true in contemporary discourse.