Sefer Bereishit, taken apart carefully
A major project in Rabbi Leiby Burnham's library is his in-depth walk through Sefer Bereishit. Rather than skimming the familiar stories, he opens the big questions the text raises: "Why Did Hashem Need 6 Days?", "The Root of Sin," and, in Parashat Noach, the old argument of nature versus nurture. Each part builds on the last, so a listener is not getting isolated thoughts but a developing reading of the first book of the Torah.
The appeal of the series is that it treats Bereishit as a set of real problems worth working through, not a collection of settled morals. He lays out the difficulty, brings the sources to bear, and lets the discussion breathe. For someone who has heard the stories many times, the in-depth format is a way to go back to the beginning and find that there is far more still to understand.
Preparing for the Yamim Noraim
Rabbi Burnham's High Holiday classes are aimed squarely at getting a person ready for the season. "Supercharge Your High Holidays," in its parts, treats Rosh Hashanah and the days around it as something to enter deliberately rather than let wash over you. "Yom Kippur: The Most Intimate Day" reframes the fast not as a burden but as the closest moment of the year, which changes how a listener walks into shul.
These shiurim work because they combine feeling with a plan. He speaks to the emotional weight of the Days of Awe while also giving concrete ways to use them - what to focus on, what to let go of, and how to keep the intensity from evaporating the moment the holiday ends. Families often turn to this material in the weeks of Elul, when the year is about to turn.
Navi, halacha and the home
Beyond Bereishit and the holidays, Rabbi Burnham teaches across Navi, the Prophets, bringing the historical books into view for learners who rarely study them closely. His halacha classes keep the practical law within reach, and his parenting shiurim apply Torah to the daily work of raising children - a subject where his warm, plainspoken style is especially welcome.
What connects these areas is a teacher who wants the text to matter at home. He tends to draw a line from the source to something a family can actually do or discuss, which is why his classes travel well from the study hall to the dinner table. The range also means a household can follow him through the year without running out of new ground.
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 Leiby Burnham, 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 Leiby Burnham teaches an in-depth Sefer Bereishit series that works through the big questions part by part.
- His "Supercharge Your High Holidays" and "Yom Kippur: The Most Intimate Day" classes help families enter the Yamim Noraim with a plan.
- He also teaches Navi, halacha, and parenting, connecting the source to something usable at home.
- His style pairs emotional depth with concrete guidance, which is why the material is used during Elul each year.
- Search FilteredTube for kosher, approved Torah video — the catalog grows every day.