Classes and talks by Rabbi Motti Wilhelm, Chabad Rabbi in Southwest Portland.
Timeless Torah ideas made practical and inspiring for real life today—through stories, insights, and down-to-earth guidance from Jewish tradition.
They Can’t Take Away Your Cry — Which Can Pierce the Sky
Through pandemics, wars, personal loss, and uncertainty, one truth endures: our cry can pierce the sky. This episode — delivered at the Bas Mitzvah of Tzippy Wilhelm — reflects on a Rosh Hashanah birth, the Shofar’s timeless message, and the power of a unique voice. They can’t take away your unique cry, and that cry can break through to the heavens.
8 Sept 2025
Ki Teitzei – From the Source: A Jewish Approach to War
In this class, we explore the Torah’s perspective on warfare: the call for peace before battle, the preparation of soldiers, the laws of siege, the treatment of captives, and the charge to preserve holiness within the camp itself.
29 Aug 2025
Shoftim – The Centrality of Justice in Jewish Life
In this class, we explore the importance of the legal system in Jewish thought: the role of the Sanhedrin, the Torah’s call for judiciousness in every area of life, and how the parsha of Shoftim speaks to today’s major halachic debates.
4 Aug 2025
Pleasant, Not a People Pleaser: Humility, Truth, and Holiness in a Distracting World Pirkei Avot Chapter 3, Mishnayot 10–18
In this episode, we explore the delicate balance between being affable and authentic. How do we remain humble and kind without compromising truth? How can we guard our time and energy from what drains us while staying connected to our deepest sense of purpose and holiness?
From people-pleasing to people-respecting, from distraction to discipline, these Mishnayot guide us in building a life of integrity and spiritual clarity—rooted in Torah, humility, and inner strength.
Join us as we unpack timeless wisdom for navigating the tensions of modern life with grounded joy and intention.
25 Jul 2025
Torah as Lifeline and the Prerequisites to Wisdom (Pirkei Avot 3:8–9)
Why is forgetting Torah seen as so severe? What makes intelligence spiritually risky?
In this episode, we explore Torah as our spiritual lifeline, the transformative power of repetition, the origin of the yarmulke, and the true foundation of wisdom: a fear of losing one’s connection with Hashem and the resolve to turn learning into action.
18 Jul 2025
Jewish Leadership and Commitment: Lessons from Parshat Pinchas
In this class on Parshat Pinchas, we explore the values Moshe seeks in the next Jewish leader highlighting servant leadership, earned authority, and a deep sense of responsibility. We also reflect on the power of consistency in Jewish life and the enduring qualities that define true leadership.
In this class, we explore the profound teachings of Pirkei Avot 3:7 on ownership and free will—what Hashem has given us, and what we give back to Him. We also examine the two dimensions of our relationship with Hashem: one expressed through the natural world, and the other accessed through Torah—boundless, infinite, and beyond.
11 Jul 2025
Bilaam: A Gift Can Be a Blessing or a Curse
In this class, we explore the story of the prophet Bilaam — a man with great spiritual power, who stood at a crossroads: would he use his gift to bless or to curse?
Through his first blessing to the Jewish people, we reflect on:
The two identities of the Jew — the struggler and the master
Why our being can never be cursed, only our behavior
The unique calling and solitude of the Jewish nation
How Hashem protects us from external threats — while calling on us to guard ourselves from within
9 Jul 2025
Vulnerability, Servitude, and the Power of Torah Study (Pirkei Avot 3:4–6)
In this class, we explore three timeless teachings from Pirkei Avot that help us live with purpose and spiritual clarity:
Vulnerability & Focus: Recognizing our moments of emotional or spiritual vulnerability — and choosing to fill that space with Torah and higher thought.
Servitude & Service: Understanding that every life involves service — and we can choose whether to serve governments, financial needs, or our higher calling.
The Essence of Torah Study: Exploring why both independent and group learning are essential to realizing our mission as a people.
4 Jul 2025
Chukat: The Mystery and History of the Parah Adumah
In this class, we delve into one of the Torah’s most enigmatic commandments — the Parah Adumah, or Red Heifer. Why does contact with death create ritual defilement? And why is the purification process itself so paradoxical? Join us as we explore the deeper meaning behind ritual purity, the spiritual mystery of the Red Heifer, and the historical context and future hope tied to this ancient and powerful mitzvah
3 Jul 2025
Pirkei Avot: Living and Dying for Torah Companionship | The Legacy of Rabbi Chananya ben Teradyon
In his teaching, Rabbi Chananya ben Teradyon implores us to see every encounter as an opportunity to “gain a diamond”—a spark of Torah from another soul—and to be humble enough to learn and discuss with anyone, at any time. He does not merely teach this ideal—he gives his life for it.
One of the Ten Martyrs executed by the Romans for teaching Torah publicly, Rabbi Chananya’s story invites us to reflect on our values, our encounters, and our commitment to living a life infused with purpose.
1 Jul 2025
Korach, the Spies, and the Tension of Being Jewish
This week’s Torah portion dives into the rebellion of Korach — but beneath the drama lies a timeless tension: How do we live as a people with our feet on the ground and our heads in the clouds?
In this episode, we explore the spiritual struggle at the heart of Jewish life — between action and contemplation, between building a better world and staying connected to something higher. From the failure of the Spies to the challenge of Korach, the Torah invites us to live in that tension with purpose.
30 Jun 2025
Good Rabbi Vs. Great Rabbi
A talk to 11th grade of the central Chabad Girls High School, Bais Rivkah in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn.
In my talk titled Good Shliach v. Great Shliach I asked them to become GREAT Jewish leaders by doing the following:
1. Live inspired
2.Make Those around you feel they matter
3. Know that the Divine believes in you
30 Jun 2025
Unclipped Wings: What It Means to Be a Free Jew
A bird is only free when it can soar. A Jew is only free when they can act Jewishly.
Using the imagery of a bird with clipped wings, and stories of Jewish hostages being held in Gaza, we learn that the soul of the Jew innately needs its Jewish connection.
From an evening of inspiration, a Farbrengen at the Jewish Community Center – Chabad of Placer County.
30 Jun 2025
Embracing Our Role: Inspiring Stories and Reflections on the Rebbe’s Leadership
With a sense of urgency, the Rebbe called upon every Jew to embrace their role as an ambassador of good, a global changemaker, and a beacon of light in the world.
Let the stories of an Alaskan girl, a South African prisoner, a Holocaust survivor, and a couple being sent to Oregon inspire you to embrace your role.
This keynote address was delivered at Chabad of the East Valley, AZ, in honor of the thirtieth yahrzeit of The Rebbe.
30 Jun 2025
The Last Mile Delivery Generation
Last Mile Delivery is not just a logistical challenge; the Kabbalists talk about how the entire cosmos is waiting for us to draw the light in its "last mile."
Be inspired and entertained as humor and storytelling help us frame our place in history.
This keynote address was delivered at Chabad of Bentonville, AR, on the eve of the Rebbe's twenty-ninth yahrzeit.
This Keynote address was delivered in Chabad of Benonville, AR on the eve of The Rebbe's twenty ninth yartziet.
27 Jun 2025
Victimhood to Victory
🦁 Rise Like a Lion
Lecture by Rabbi Motti Wilhelm
What does it mean to rise like a lion—not just for Israel, but as a Jew in the world?
Join us for a powerful journey through:
🕍 A late-night prayer at the Kosel before fighter jets take flight
👑 A bold kosher stand at Queen Elizabeth’s royal dinner
📜 A Torah scroll, a U.S. president, and the words: “I always wanted one of these.”
Courage. Clarity. Jewish pride.
This isn’t just history—it’s our mission.
26 Jun 2025
Why Pray for the Government? | Rabbi Yossi Sgan Hakohanim (Pirkei Avot 3:2)
In this episode, we delve into Pirkei Avot Chapter 3, Mishnah 2, through the lens of *Rabbi Yossi Sgan Hakohanim, the Deputy High Priest of the Second Temple era. His powerful instruction to *pray for the welfare of the government invites us to consider the delicate balance between spiritual aspiration and societal responsibility.
We explore:
*Yirmiyahu the Prophet’s message* to the Jewish people in exile during the destruction of the First Beit HaMikdash
* The enduring story of *Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai* and his final teaching to his students
* How sustainable societies require both heavenly ideals and grounded structures
*Ultimately, we come to recognize the strength it takes to truly see others for who they are—not just for the roles they play in our lives—and to pray for the awareness and humility to live with that clarity.*
This is a timeless lesson about leadership, integrity, and the inner work required to hold both personal ideals and communal realities.
📌 Keywords/Tags:
Pirkei Avot, Rabbi Yossi Sgan Hakohanim, Jewish Ethics, Torah Podcast, Jewish Learning, Government in Judaism, Yirmiyahu, Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai, Prayer and Leadership, Mishnah Study.
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