Collected Archive of Shoemaker Reports
The Shoemaker Report is Rav Hoshea’s weekly Torah publication. Its focus is on internalizing and living Torah from the heart, not only from the head. The divrei Torah often take the parashah of the week as their point of entry and address central questions of inner avodah — including teshuvah, prayer (tefillah), emunah, bitachon, and related areas of spiritual and personal refinement.
The writing assumes seriousness from the reader and speaks from within Torah life, with meaning emerging organically from honest analysis of our holy Torah and the words of Chazal, rather than from short-lived inspiration or simplified conclusions.
Why does Hashem lift us only to send us down again? Rebbe Nachman teaches that ascent is just the breath before a descent. Through Parashat Toledot, we see how even our descents—whether struggles or missions—become pathways to deeper light, strength, and true tikkun.
When the moon asked, “Can two kings share one crown?”, Hashem answered, “Go and diminish yourself.” Her cry birthed longing and time itself. Through silence and humility, the soul learns to reflect rather than radiate—healing the ancient wound between giver and receiver.
The destruction of the Beit ha‑Mikdash left us blind, but the ashes call us to action. At chatzot we join the Shechinah, turning sorrow into splendor and becoming partners in rebuilding Hashem’s House and bringing the light of geulah into our lives.
Discover the deep meaning behind the Omer offering of refined barley. Unlike the Sotah's coarse barley, the Omer symbolizes transformative teshuvah through silence, patience, and inner refinement—revealing how true repentance begins with humility and culminates in divine elevation.
Parashat Tazria opens with the puzzling phrase “when a woman emits seed,” prompting Chazal to explore who initiates spiritual connection—us or Hashem. Through Midrash, Kabbalah, and poetic imagery, we uncover a profound model of divine intimacy where human initiative brings forth truth, and heavenly response brings justice.
Why does the Torah forbid building the Mishkan on Shabbat? Explore the deep connection between divine rest and spiritual self-nullification to the Light of the Ein Sof. Uncover the mystical significance of Shabbat and its role in transcending physical creation. Read more to unlock these profound insights.
The Torah teaches that someone who injures another is responsible for medical expenses (Shemot 21:19). This passage also introduces the phrase "v'rapo y'rapei," which leads to a deeper exploration of the role of doctors and the spiritual implications of healing. What secret do these words come to reveal?
What the War of Gog and Magog is Really All About: "Moshe ben Amram! Why do you keep letting up and giving the Egyptians one respite after another? That just hardens their hearts and emboldens them even more. Don't you understand that? Just finish them off already! Enough is enough.
A Deeper Look into the Weeks of Shovavim Shimon ha-Tzaddik, one of the last surviving members of the Anshei Knesset ha-Gedolah – 120 elders of B'nei Yisrael, including a number of prophets, which instituted many of our customary practices in Judaism, such as the wording of the Shemoneh Esreh –
A Deeper Reason Why Ya'akov Adopted Yosef's Two Sons: If we're not careful, the Torah can appear to us as a collection of unrelated events with no connectivity between them – this happened, and then this happened, and then this happened, and so on. Further compounding the problem is that
The Day the Viceroy Became Yosef – Insights from the Midrash: For twenty-two long years, Ya'akov Avinu sat on the ground, covered in sackcloth and ashes, inconsolably grieving the death of Yosef. And throughout all those years, no one said a word. Why not? The brothers had bound themselves by
How Come Esav Didn't Do Teshuvah? Ya'akov Avinu had finally extricated himself from Lavan's control. He had crossed the Yarden, entered Eretz Cana'an and was preparing to meet his brother Esav. He sent messengers ahead of himself, whom Rashi tells us, based on Bereshit Rabbah 75:4, were מַלְאָכִים מַמָּשׁ (literally
