A structured series on Berachos
A defining feature of Rabbi Mordechai Hershfeld's recorded teaching is a long, methodical series on Berachos — the blessings a Jew recites through an ordinary day. Rather than a scattered set of talks, the series is built in order, opening with several parts of hakdamah (introduction) before working into the material itself. Titles numbered from the start, such as "Berachos #001 — Hakdamah," signal a teacher who wants listeners to build knowledge step by step.
This structure rewards the committed listener. Because the series is sequential, a person can start at the beginning and follow the logic as it develops, much as one would learn a masechta with a rebbi. It also keeps the material approachable: the early hakdamah shiurim lay a foundation before the details arrive, so a newcomer to the subject is not dropped into the middle of a discussion.
Hakaras hatov as a theme
Running through the Berachos series is a clear theme — hakaras hatov, the recognition of good. Shiurim such as "Al Kol Neshima" (for every breath) and "Hakaras Hatov of Leah" turn the technical subject of blessings into something more personal: the daily discipline of noticing what one has and acknowledging its Source. In his hands a berachah is not a formula but a trained habit of gratitude.
This gives the series a mussar dimension alongside its halachic content. A listener comes away not only with information about blessings but with a sharpened sense of why they matter — that saying a berachah is a small act of paying attention, repeated dozens of times a day, that shapes how a person sees the world. He draws on classic sources, including the thought of Rav Hutner, to develop the point.
Hespedim and honoring the departed
Alongside his shiurim, Rabbi Hershfeld has delivered hespedim — eulogies that honor a person who has passed while offering the living something to carry forward. His hesped for Rabbi Shimon Zeffren is one example of a talk that does the traditional work of a eulogy: recalling a life honestly and drawing from it a lesson for those who remain.
A hesped is one of the more demanding forms of Torah speaking, asking a speaker to balance grief, truth, and chizuk in the same breath. That these recordings sit beside his structured Berachos series shows a teacher comfortable in both registers — the patient, sequential lesson and the charged, one-time moment. For a listener, the range is part of the appeal.
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 Mordechai Hershfeld, 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 Mordechai Hershfeld teaches an extended, sequential series on the halachos of Berachos.
- The series is built in order, opening with several hakdamah (introduction) shiurim before the details.
- Hakaras hatov — recognizing good and its Source — is a central theme of his Berachos classes.
- He has also delivered hespedim, including a eulogy for Rabbi Shimon Zeffren.
- Search FilteredTube for kosher, approved Torah video — the catalog grows every day.