Library of Weekly Reports

Divrei Torah Rooted in Breslov Chassidut

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 teshuvahprayer (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.

Jewish man and missionary at the kotel, missionary looking dejected because he didn't win his argument

Does Our Torah Predict Their Messiah?

Missionaries often cite Devarim 18:15 as proof that Moshe predicted their messiah as a unique future “prophet like me.” But is that really what the Torah says? When the pasuk is restored to its proper context and examined through the explanations of the Sifrei, Rashi, the Gur Aryeh, and the Rambam, the missionary reading begins to collapse. Rather than predicting a new religious figure who would replace the Torah of Moshe, the passage describes the continuing institution of prophecy within Yisrael — rooted in that Torah and bound by it.

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Preserving Free Will at Matan Torah

Likutei Moharan 190 and Moshe's Extra Day: In Parashat Yitro, we read the account of Matan Torah, the Giving of the Torah. In Parashat Va'etchanan which relates what took place forty years later, Moshe Rabbeinu adds some details that weren't mentioned in the original account in Shemot. Breaking into the

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Moshe's Incredible Sense of Responsibility

In last week’s article, we reviewed the six main attributes of the parah adumah (disgraced, unblemished soul, occupied fully with Torah, a tzaddik who exhibits true shiflut, yet despised by the nation) and challenged the reader to see the connection between those attributes and the suffering servant of Yeshayah 52:13-53:12.

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To Increase the Honor of Hashem

It is written in the Gemara (Eruvin 13b): כׇּל הַמְחַזֵּר עַל הַגְּדוּלָּה גְּדוּלָּה בּוֹרַחַת מִמֶּנּוּ וְכׇל הַבּוֹרֵחַ מִן הַגְּדוּלָּה גְּדוּלָּה מְחַזֶּרֶת אַחֲרָיו (Anyone who pursues gedulah, gedulah will flee from him, and anyone who flees from gedulah, gedulah will pursue him). What exactly is gedulah? It is honor [כבוד, kavod],

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Who is Mashiach?

We are all well acquainted with Rambam’s 7th article of Jewish faith, poetically rendered in our siddurim as: אֲנִי מַאֲמִין בֶּאֱמוּנָה שְׁלֵמָה שֶׁנְּבוּאַת משֶׁה רַבֵּֽנוּ עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם הָיְתָה אֲמִתִּית וְשֶׁהוּא הָיָה אָב לַנְּבִיאִים לַקּוֹדְמִים לְפָנָיו וְלַבָּאִים אַחֲרָיו (I believe with complete faith [emunah] that the prophecy of Moshe Rabbeinu [our

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To Repair the Sin of the Golden Calf

Last week in our article Don’t Worry, You Won’t Die we examined Chavah’s grave error in eating from the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The Torah describes her acceptance of the advice of the Nachash [Primordial Serpent] as a form of seduction, as it

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