The parsha as a guide to how we treat people
Rabbi Yisroel Apelbaum's collection of roughly one hundred shiurim keeps returning to a single question: what does this week's parsha teach us about the way we treat one another? His titles say it plainly. On Parashas Tetzaveh he speaks about ben adam l'chaveiro; on Parashas Ki Sisa he argues that "the key to successful relationships is giving in." The Torah reading becomes a weekly opportunity to work on character rather than only to review the storyline.
That approach reaches even the more technical parshiyos of the Mishkan. In Vayakhel he speaks on "True Love" and on "The Mirrors of Hope" — leaning on the copper mirrors the women brought for the Mishkan, a detail Chazal tie to devotion and hope during the years in Mitzrayim. From the priestly garments of Tetzaveh he draws a lesson about wearing respectful clothing and, through it, honoring tefilla and the beis knesses.
Small, practical lessons in middos
The strength of these shiurim is how ordinary the takeaways are. "Giving in" for the sake of peace, guarding one's speech, treating a spouse and neighbor with respect — these are not lofty abstractions but the daily texture of a Jewish home. Rabbi Apelbaum's listed subjects include self-improvement and lashon hara, and his parsha ideas tend to land on something a person can actually try that week rather than admire from a distance.
Because each shiur hangs on a specific pasuk or episode, the mussar never floats free of Torah. A point about relationships is anchored in Ki Sisa; a point about respect is anchored in the bigdei kehuna. That grounding matters: it means the character lesson carries the authority of the text, and a listener who wants to check the source has somewhere concrete to look. It also makes the ideas easy to repeat at a Shabbos table.
A steady resource for the Shabbos table
Following the parsha week by week is one of the simplest ways for a family to keep a rhythm of learning, and this collection is built for exactly that. One of the Ki Sisa shiurim is titled "Make Your Shabbat an Unforgettable Experience" — a fitting summary of the whole project, which treats Shabbos and the parsha not as obligations to discharge but as a weekly chance to grow closer as a family and as people.
For parents, the practical, relationship-centered framing is a gift. A single idea about vatranus — yielding for peace — or about careful speech can seed a real conversation with children, and it connects directly to the sedra everyone is already reading. Listened to over the year, the shiurim add up to a quiet, consistent education in bein adam l'chaveiro, tied at every step to the words of the Torah itself.
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 Yisroel Apelbaum, 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
- About one hundred parsha shiurim, most built around bein adam l'chaveiro and character growth.
- Ki Sisa: "the key to successful relationships is giving in" — practical middos drawn straight from the sedra.
- Vayakhel's "Mirrors of Hope" leans on the copper mirrors the women brought to the Mishkan.
- Every lesson is anchored in a specific pasuk, so the mussar stays tied to the Torah's own words.
- Search FilteredTube for kosher, approved Torah video — the catalog grows every day.