KMTT - the Torah Podcast

War and Religion #2: When Evil Cultures Hold Back Humanity, by Rav Moshe Taragin Looking at Tanakh figures as warriors

War and Religion #1: War and the Cleansing of Cultural Evil, by Rav Moshe Taragin

Vayishlach | An Embrace, A Kiss and Those Mysterious Masoretic Dots, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Yaakov's long-awaited and long-feared reunion with his brother, Esav, proves to be joyous, welcoming and ultimately, Yaakov's trepidation was proved to be baseless. When the two formerly competitive siblings finally see each other after decades of separation, Esav "falls on his neck, kisses him and they weep." The word וישקהו ("he kisses him") is directed by the Masorah to be dotted and every Sefer Torah has a dot over each of those six letters. We explore the phenomenon of "dotted words", surveying the literature and the various explanations for the seemingly random dotted words. We then look at the particular use of the dots in this instance and suggest a far-reaching implication that the dots may carry, one which gives us a fresh and more charitable perspective on Esav's feelings towards his brother during these long years of separation. Source sheet >>

Ramban On The Torah | 22 | Vayishlach, by Rav Eli Weber

Swords of Iron | The Overlap between Halakha, Machshava and Emuna, by Rabbi Daniel Z. Feldman, Rosh Yeshiva, RIETS Shiur given to the Overseas Talmidim, Nov 27, 2023

Swords of Iron | On Pidyon Shvuyim, by Rav Moshe Taragin Religious perspectives upon releasing hostages from Azza; feeling gratitude even under imperfect conditions.

Swords of Iron | Happiness and Horror: Reflections on the Hostage Deal, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb On the belief in the value of every individual. We pray for the safe return of all the hostages.

Female Wartime Leadership: Devora HaNevia and Her Message Why was a woman chosen to lead Bnei Yisrael at a time of war? Devora Hanevia (and the other women in the story) bring a message that is very relevant to us right now. To uncover this message, though, we need to read the story carefully and pay attention to the geography of Eretz Yisrael. Shiur given to GPATS students at Stern College, Nov 16, 2023, during Swords of Iron. May we hear besorot tovot.

Swords of Iron | Maintaining Unity after the War, by Rav Alan Haber '86 Discussion on the challenge of maintaining our blessed newly-found unity after the war is over. Given at the Synagogue of the Suburban Torah Center in Livingston, NJ, Nov 14, 2023

Nichum Aveilim: What - and What Not - to Do at a Shiva Visit, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb An halakhic shiur given on Nov 22, 2023 at Kehillat HaEla (Ramat Beit Shemesh). In addition to the dedications mentioned by Rav Gottlieb, we add Alon Shevut's latest tragedy, may this be for an iluy neshama for Eitan Dov Rosensweig, ben Uzi veChagit, HY"D.

Vayetze | Who Knew What and When - Revisited, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Was Rachel aware that she was Yaakov's promised bride? Continuing our inquiry from last year's shiur, we explore the description of Lavan's "deception" of Yaakov regarding his marriage to (Rahel) Leah then Rahel and explore what each of the players in this dramatic sequence may have known or believed about the dramatic and meta-historically significant wedding night. We contrast the straightforward read of the text with the Midrashic approach and explain the role that each plays in our study of this scene and of the complex relationship between Yaakov and Lavan. Source sheet >>

Ramban On The Torah | 21 | Vayetze, by Rav Eli Weber

Lessons Learned from 6 Weeks at War, by Rav Dovid Gottlie "I am in love with the Jewish people." A sicha given Motzaei Shabbat Parashat Toldot 5784, Nov 18, 2023, at Beit Midrash Torani Leumi Melavah Malka in Beit Shemesh

Aging and the Aging Parent (3): Kibbud Av vaEim Dilemmas (2), by Rav Dovid Gottlieb An halakhic shiur given on Nov 12, 2023 at Kehillat HaEla (Ramat Beit Shemesh). Taking care of a parent and what halakhot are entailed in that role reversal situation. Part 2. What are the child's financial responsibilities. Are there things a child may not physically do for their aging parents. Source sheet >>

Aging and the Aging Parent (2): Kibbud Av vaEim Dilemmas (1), by Rav Dovid Gottlieb An halakhic shiur given on Oct 26, 2023 at Kehillat HaEla (Ramat Beit Shemesh). Taking care of a parent and what halakhot are entailed in that role reversal situation. Part 1. To what extent are we allowed to delegate those responsibilities? Source sheet >>

Aging and the Aging Parent (1): The Challenges and Blessings of Old Age, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb An hashkafic shiur given on Oct 26, 2023 at Kehillat HaEla (Ramat Beit Shemesh). People get older. It beats the alternative. Source sheet >>

Toldot | The Riddle of Esav's Wives, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom In Parashat Toldot, we are told about Esav's first two wives - Yehudit and Basemat, both Hittites. We learn that his parents are embittered by these wives - but not why. At the end of the story, after Yaakov flees, Esav, realizing that his father doesn't approve of his wives, takes a third wife, a daughter of Yishmael. Two oddities provoke our curiosity here - why didn't Yitzchak and Rivka like Esav's wives - and how would adding a third wife to his already troubling marriages make his parents feel any better? The problems become exacerbated when we see the genealogical listing of Esav (Bereishit 36) which identifies three wives - with different, or switched names. We explore the issue of polygamy, both in Bereishit and from the later perspective of the end of the prophetic era (Malakhi) and, after sharing several approaches taken by the Rishonim to solve the puzzle of their names, suggest, based on Ramban's explanation, an approach that solves both the mystery of the changed names as well as the source of Rivka and Yitzchak's bitter feelings towards Esav's first wives. This shiur was given in memory of ליבא ביילע בת משה ז"ל Source sheet >>

Ramban On The Torah | 20 | Toldot, by Rav Eli Weber Was Yitzchak rich or poor? Did the ancestors keep all the Torah? And did Yitzchak really want to give the blessing to Esav?

Ramban On The Torah | 19 | Chayei Sara, by Rav Eli Weber

Chayei Sara | The Abrahamic Dialogues, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom What are we to make of the last words we hear from Avraham - his oath administered to his slave? After sharing several methodologic observations about the way that we ought to read Tanakh narratives, we explore every dialogue in which Avraham took part - whether with Hashem, with family members, with kings, with the landed gentry of his adopted hometown - or even his slave. We note a curious pattern emerge and a development in Avraham's character in stature which realizes its climax in his final dialogue - with his loyal slave. This shiur was given in memory of Mrs. Lois Bergman z"l, Rav Etshalom's mother-in-law, who passed away this week. יהא זכרה ברוך Source sheet >>

On Kiddush Hashem | Are people killed defending, or in attacks against Jews, considered Kedoshim, by Rabbi Michael Taubes '77, Rosh Yeshiva at The Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy/Yeshiva University High School for Boys in New York, and also the spiritual leader of Congregation Zichron Mordechai in Teaneck, New Jersey, delivering regular Shiurim and lectures both there and at the Beis Medrash of Bergen County, housed in Teaneck's Congregation Bnai Yeshurun. This shiur was given on Motzaei Shabbat Vayera, Nov 4, 2023, at Congregation Zichron Mordechai. Source sheet >>

Pidyon Shevuyim: the Great Mitzva to Free Hostages, by Rabbi Michael Taubes '77, Rosh Yeshiva at The Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy/Yeshiva University High School for Boys in New York, and also the spiritual leader of Congregation Zichron Mordechai in Teaneck, New Jersey, delivering regular Shiurim and lectures both there and at the Beis Medrash of Bergen County, housed in Teaneck's Congregation Bnai Yeshurun. This shiur was given on Motzaei Shabbat Lekh Lekha, October 28th, 2023, at Congregation Zichron Mordechai. Source sheet >>

Vayera | Who Were Those Three "Men"? by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Who were the three visitors to Avraham? Parashat Vayera opens with a familiar scene - Avraham's hospitality lavishly presented to three strangers, whom the text refers to as אנשים - "men". Yet, these three seem to know things that mortals shouldn't know and, at several points during the conversations which ensue, God's own voice is heard and He is entreated. Rashi has long provided the conventional understanding of this narrative, wherein the "men" are angels, acting like humans but endowed with special knowledge. Although Rashi is near the beginning of the exegetical chain here, there are numerous alternative ways to read the Parasha among the Rishonim. We study Rashbam's approach which apparently takes Rashi a step or two further - and then Rambam's understanding which almost completely reverses both Rashi and Rashbam. We conclude with a survey of the commentary of R. Yosef Bekhor Shor of Orleans, student of Rabbenu Tam. who stakes out a unique approach and alludes to the polemical motivation behind his ground-breaking commentary. Source sheet >>

Ramban On The Torah | 18 | Vayera, by Rav Eli Weber

Lekh Lekha | The Land that I Will Show You, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom How was Avraham supposed to understand the directive to go to the "land that I will show you"? When God commanded Avraham to leave his family and all that he knew, He directed him to go to "The Land that I will show you"; but how was Avraham to know where to go? How was he going to be "shown" the Land? Deciphering this enigmatic command may hold the key to understanding much of Avraham's movements throughout his narrative cycle, culminating with the journey to Moriah. Source sheet >>

"Korim Li Am Yisrael": The Unprecedented Achdus Sweeping the Jewish World, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb Delivered as part of a "Night of Chizuk" in Beit Shemesh Many thanks to R Rosner for hosting (Nofei HaShemesh) and to R Goldberg and R Gibber for joining us from Boca Raton. Thanks as well to Kehilat Eretz Chemdah in Yerushalayim for their incredible help in organizing the event. שנשמע בשורות טובות

Chizzuk for our Current Situation, "We are in a new world." Sicha with our Overseas Talmidim, October 15th, 2023 by Rabbi Leo Dee, whose wife and two daughters HY"D were murdered by Palestinian terrorists in April.

Ramban On The Torah | 17 | Lekh Lekha, by Rav Eli Weber

During these challenging and uncertain times, a short inspirational lesson followed by the recitation of tehillim. We thank the OU for including our Rosh Yeshiva, Harav Mosheh Lichtenstein, in their Daily Tehillim and Chizuk Call; to join the daily call, click here >>

Noach's Altar, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why was Hashem's reaction to Noach's offerings so...tepid? In the immediate aftermath of the flood, three consecutive events are recorded. Noah builds an altar and offers mammals and birds to God at which God seems to be pleased and internally commits to never again destroying the earth. God then presents an essential legal/moral code to Noah and then God confirms his commitment to never again destroy the world, by indicating the sign of that pact -the rainbow. This sequence is unsettling, as we would expect the "sign of the covenant" to be presented immediately after God's "internal" conversation. Yet the legal code interrupts these two. Furthermore, God's response to the offerings is less than enthusiastic - His observation is that "Man's nature is wicked from his youth" - hardly a ringing endorsement of mankind. What are we to make of this Divine reaction and how are we to understand the sequence of God's presentations to Noah and his sons? We suggest an uncommon understanding of the phrase ריח ניחוח as they key to unlocking this three-stage interaction. This shiur was given in honor of our brave חיילים וחיילות who guard our borders and our cities - ה' ישמרם מכל נגע וינחיל לעמו נצחון ויכלו אנשי זדון מן הארץ Source sheet >>

Ramban On The Torah | 16 | Noach, by Rav Eli Weber

Divrei Chizuk, by Dr. Jacob Freedman, Psychiatrist and Trauma Specialist Special address to our Bnei Chul talmidim, during "Milchemet Charvot Barzel"

Trees and Consequences: עץ החיים ועץ הדעת, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom The description of "the tree that is in the midst of the garden" is mysterious - to which tree does it refer? The text seems to conflate the two singular trees - the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge. What are we to make of this confusion? Indeed - what is each of these trees about? Why is Hashem "suddenly" concerned about Adam eating from the Tree of Life only after he eats from the Tree of Knowledge? And what does any of this have to do with the timing of the birth of Kayin and Hevel? Rashi and R. Yosef Bekhor Shor disagree about whether they were born before the episode in the garden and subsequent expulsion - or before. We explore how all of these issues interrelate and propose a new understanding of the nature of the Trees - and how their purposes and characteristics intersect. This shiur was given in memory of the brutalized victims of the terrorist pogrom perpetuated against he citizens of the south on Shemini Atzeret. ה' יקום דמם. Source sheet >>

Ramban On The Torah | 15 | Bereishit, by Rav Eli Weber

The Evolution of Forgiveness, by Rabbi David Fohrman Shiur given at the Leil Hoshana Rabba event at Heichal Shlomo, Jerusalem, 5784

Chumra: Too Much of a Good Thing? by Rav Assaf Bednarsh Shiur given at the Leil Hoshana Rabba event at Heichal Shlomo, 5784

Rav Amital's Response to the Yom Kippur War: Reflections 50 Years Later, by Rav Moshe Taragin Shiur given at the Leil Hoshana Rabba event at Heichal Shlomo, 5784

Why is Sukkot the Holiday of Achdut? by Rav Dovid Gottlieb

Sukkot and the Secret of Happiness, by Rav Alex Israel What is particularly joyous about this festival?

Yom Kippur | Making Excuses or Taking Responsibility, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb Which kind of person are you?

Ramban On The Torah | 14 | Ha'azinu, by Rav Eli Weber

Ha'azinu and the Levi'im, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why is Haazinu the only Parashah which has "hard-wired" Aliyot (הזיו לך)? "Now, write for yourselves this poem and teach it to Bnei Yisrael, place it in their mouths..." According to Rambam, the essential command for every Jew to write a Sefer Torah is anchored in the obligation to write Moshe's prophetic poem "Haazinu" (Dev. 32:1-43). Not only was this poem to be taught to all the people, but it served as the Levitical song to accompany the Musaf offering every Shabbat, broken down into six sections (identified by the acronym - הזיו לך) and completed every six weeks. We examine the significance of this poem, its particular relevance to the season of Teshuva and the significance of this six-part division, as well as the aptness of it serving as the unique Song of Shabbat in the Mikdash.

Ramban On The Torah | 13 | Rosh Hashana, by Rav Eli Weber

Rosh Hashana | Akedat Yitzchak (4), by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why didn't Avraham protest God's command? In this four-part series, we examine one of the most mysterious and troubling stories in all of Tanakh - the story of Akeidat Yitzchak (Bereishit 22:1-19). We discuss the selection of this narrative as the קריאת התורה for (2nd day) Rosh Hashana (#1), the larger narrative contexts within which this story operates (#2), some classical approaches to unraveling the mystery of this "test" (#3) and some suggestions for a new approach to understanding this startling story (#4). Source sheet >>

Ramban On The Torah | 12 | Nitzavim-Vayelekh, by Rav Eli Weber Why does HKDBH sometimes seem so angry with us? And other times, so encouraging? It's because He knows us.

Rosh Hashana | Akedat Yitzchak (3), by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom How do the Midrashim interpret the word נסה in 22:1 - is it a "test" or something else? In this four-part series, we examine one of the most mysterious and troubling stories in all of Tanakh - the story of Akeidat Yitzchak (Bereishit 22:1-19). We discuss the selection of this narrative as the קריאת התורה for (2nd day) Rosh Hashana (#1), the larger narrative contexts within which this story operates (#2), some classical approaches to unraveling the mystery of this "test" (#3) and some suggestions for a new approach to understanding this startling story (#4). Source sheet >>

Ramban On The Torah | 11 | Ki Tavo, by Rav Eli Weber

Akedat Yitzchak (2), by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom How ought the Akedah be viewed from the larger perspective of the Avraham story? In this four-part series, we examine one of the most mysterious and troubling stories in all of Tanakh - the story of Akeidat Yitzchak (Bereishit 22:1-19). We discuss the selection of this narrative as the קריאת התורה for (2nd day) Rosh Hashana (#1), the larger narrative contexts within which this story operates (#2), some classical approaches to unraveling the mystery of this "test" (#3) and some suggestions for a new approach to understanding this startling story (#4) Source sheet >>

Akedat Yitzchak (1), by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom How did Akedat Yitzchak become selected as the preferred Keriat haTorah for 2nd day Rosh Hashana? Source sheet >>

Ramban On The Torah | 10 | Ki Tetze, by Rav Eli Weber