The days of Tishrei
A strong current in Rabbi Alexander Coleman's library runs through the festivals of Tishrei — the densest stretch of the Jewish year. Titles like "Yom Kippur: Tiny Steps to Greatness," "Yom Kippur: Closing the Divide," "Succos: Meaning and Mystique of the Esrog," and "Hoshana Raba" walk a listener through the season's high points. Learning this material in the weeks before the Yamim Noraim lets a person arrive at each day already oriented toward its themes rather than meeting them cold.
Coleman's festival shiurim tend to reach for meaning beneath the practice. "Meaning and Mystique of the Esrog" suggests the approach — not just what to do with the esrog but what it signifies, the ideas the mitzvah carries. Treating the festivals this way transforms observance from routine into something a listener understands from the inside. For families preparing for Yom Tov, that added depth changes how the days are experienced.
Growth in small steps
The self-improvement thread in the collection is captured well by "Yom Kippur: Tiny Steps to Greatness." The premise — that greatness is reached gradually, through small and sustainable moves rather than dramatic leaps — is a recurring emphasis. It is an encouraging and realistic vision of growth, meeting listeners where they are and asking for the next manageable step instead of an overwhelming transformation all at once.
Pairing this outlook with the festivals is fitting, since the Yamim Noraim are precisely when a Jew takes stock and resolves to improve. Coleman channels that impulse toward something achievable, so the inspiration of the season translates into change that actually lasts. Rather than a burst of resolve that fades by Cheshvan, the aim is steady, incremental progress — the kind a person can still be building on months later.
Torah, seforim, and the cycle of the year
Beyond Tishrei, the library follows the Torah and the wider calendar, with parsha shiurim like "Parshas Bereishis: By the Rivers of Babylon" that connect the weekly reading to broader themes of exile and return. Coleman's grounding in seforim gives these shiurim texture, drawing on the literature of Torah thought to open up a verse or an idea. The collection moves with the year, offering material suited to each season as it comes.
Taken together, the festival depth, the emphasis on gradual growth, and the parsha and seforim-based Torah make for a library organized around the rhythms of Jewish life. A listener can enter through a Yom Tov they are preparing for, absorb a message about taking the next small step, and stay for the ongoing cycle of the parsha. It is Torah keyed to the times a person is most ready to receive it.
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At a glance
Key takeaways
- Rabbi Alexander Coleman's shiurim closely follow the festivals of Tishrei — Yom Kippur, Succos, and Hoshana Raba.
- "Meaning and Mystique of the Esrog" typifies his search for the meaning beneath each mitzvah.
- "Tiny Steps to Greatness" reflects a realistic view of growth through small, sustainable moves.
- Parsha and seforim-based shiurim keep the library moving with the yearly cycle.
- Search FilteredTube for kosher, approved Torah video — the catalog grows every day.