Yacov Drori | You Don't Understand the Torah... Until You Get It Wrong

August 02, 2026•2 min read

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The blessing and the curse come in one breath, and awareness decides which you live in.
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In this conversation on Parashat Re'eh, Rabbi Yacov Drori opens the parasha's puzzling first verse, where we are told to "see" before we "hear," and where blessing and curse are placed before us as one. Drawing on the Mei HaShiloach, the Chozeh of Lublin, and the Baal Shem Tov, he explores the difference between seeing the outside of a person and seeing who they really are, why living on autopilot is how we drift off the path, and how a single moment of "I was wrong" can turn a curse into a blessing. Along the way he looks at charity, why poverty never fully disappears from the world, and what it means to make the depths of Torah accessible to everyone.

Chapters:
0:00 Why Re'eh matters to Rabbi Drori
1:14 The puzzle of "see" before "hear"
2:11 Seeing and hearing as two kinds of awareness
5:37 Why we close our eyes to see beyond
10:37 Fear and seeing share the same letters
13:27 What actually holds the world in blessing
17:48 Why only the curse names an action
21:18 The master who asked to be woken when he drifted
25:54 The Mei HaShiloach: blessing and curse as one
28:29 The moment "I was wrong" becomes a blessing
32:56 If God loves the poor, why create them poor?
37:11 The world left unfinished so we would pray
43:15 Making the depths of Torah open to all

About Rabbi Yacov Drori:
Yacov Drori is a spiritual teacher, engineer, and former rabbi of the House of Love and Prayer in Safed. Drawing on Jewish tradition, Hasidic thought, prayer, and years of community leadership, he explores how ancient Jewish wisdom can speak meaningfully to contemporary life. His teaching focuses on inner awareness, spiritual growth, and creating a deeper connection with ourselves, with others, and with God.

Alshech Academy is a nonprofit Torah and Kabbalah academy in Tsfat, with over a thousand classes free for everyone. Explore the exclusive ones here: https://alshechacademy.org

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On the Alshech's Yortzeit, I Received a Message... After morning prayers in the Alshech Shul, I would learn the Alshech’s Torah, just me and him. It was an intimate process that began my close connection with this great sage. Then, on Erev Pesach 2023, at 2 AM, I received a clear message: open a center of learning here, at the Alshech Shul, for the English-speaking communities around the world. I later realized that very night was the Alshech’s Yortzeit. That realization still gives me the chills! This Academy is not just a project; it is a response to a divine call. I humbly ask you to join me in answering it.