The "True Jew" series
A defining project in Rabbi Ari Bensoussan's teaching is his multi-part "True Jew" series. Across its installments — "Unraveling the Mysteries of Being a True Jew," "The Reason a Woman Was Created," "100 Days of Teshuvah," and "Challenges: A Mountain or a Hair?" — he pursues one large question: what does it actually mean to be a true Jew, beyond labels and habit? Each part takes up a different angle on Jewish identity and purpose.
The series format lets him build. Rather than a single talk that gestures at a big theme, "True Jew" develops the idea over sessions, returning to it from the vantage of teshuvah, of relationships, of the trials a person faces. For a listener, following the series is a chance to sit with a substantial question long enough for it to sharpen — the kind of sustained reflection a one-off shiur rarely allows.
Potential, challenges, and growth
Running alongside the series is a message of potential. A shiur like "Unleash Your Potential" states it plainly: the conviction that a person is capable of far more than they assume, and that Torah is the tool for reaching it. He speaks to the gap between who someone is and who they could become, and treats closing that gap as the work of a life.
His approach to challenges reflects the same outlook. "Challenges: A Mountain or a Hair?" reframes difficulty itself — asking whether an obstacle is truly as large as it feels, or whether perspective and emunah can cut it down to size. This is motivational teaching with a Torah spine: encouraging, but grounded in sources rather than slogans.
Gemara, festivals, and middos
His catalog also includes Gemara, the festivals, and middos. His Gemara teaching connects the analytic world of the Talmud to the lived concerns of his other shiurim, while his holiday classes draw out the meaning of the Jewish year. Middos — character development — runs through much of his work, since becoming a "true Jew" is, in his framing, largely a matter of who a person becomes.
The warmth and directness that mark his signature series carry across these subjects. Whether he is teaching a sugya, a Yom Tov, or a trait to work on, the aim points back to the same place: helping a listener live as a fuller, more authentic Jew. For families, his encouraging, identity-centered teaching is an accessible way into serious growth.
Finding kosher Torah video for your family
FilteredTube is a kosher video service built for Jewish families — every single video is approved against one written standard before it can appear, with no open feed, no comments, and no surprises. It is a calm, safe place to look for the Torah and Jewish music you love.
If your family enjoys teachers like Rabbi Ari Bensoussan, search FilteredTube for the speakers and topics that matter most to you. With a daf yomi shelf, a weekly parsha shelf, topic shelves, audio-only listening for the car, and a kids mode with a PIN, kosher Jewish video is easy to reach — and the approved catalog keeps growing every day.
At a glance
Key takeaways
- Rabbi Ari Bensoussan's signature is his multi-part "True Jew" series on Jewish identity and purpose.
- The series develops one big question across installments, from teshuvah to facing challenges.
- A recurring message is potential — that a person can reach far more than they assume.
- He also teaches Gemara, the festivals, and middos, all pointed toward personal growth.
- Search FilteredTube for kosher, approved Torah video — the catalog grows every day.