Gematria Refigured +

Rebbe and Bar Kappara debate the value of joking around. Nedarim 50b-51a

The first Rashi in Behaalosecha explains the juxtaposition of the gifts of the nesiim to the parsha of the menora. Aaron was sad that neither he nor his shevet were involved in the Chanukas Hamishkan. Hashem assured Aharon that his portion—lighting and fixing the Menora—is greater than their portion. This episode deals with the many difficulties that can be raised on this Rashi.

While we can't marry a male convert from Ammon or Moav, we can from Amaleik. Why?

This episode explores Hashem's punishment to Naami. We analyze a few relevant Rashis.

After the Tochacha, when we confess our sins, Hashem says He'll rememeber the bris with Yaakov, with Yitzchak, and with Avraham. Rashi (Vayikra 26:42) explains why it switches the order of the avos.

Part 2 of a 2011 discussion around devoting ourselves towards learning Torah. This part discusses some motivations, strategies, and resistances to learning Torah.

The Gemara in Menachos 44a tells a fascinating story of a talmid who was about to succumb to a top Zonah until his Tzitzis miraculously slapped him in the face. After introducing her to Tzitzis, she ended up converting. This episode analyzes this story which is meant to show the great reward of mitzvos in this world.

Part 1 of a 2011 discussion about devoting ourselves towards learning Torah and balancing it with other parts of our life (like work).

Rashi (Vayikra 19:14) says that even though one isn't allowed to curse any Jew (from Shemos 22:27), the Torah singles out a deaf person to teach that the prohibition is limited to the living. This seems like a strange way to teach this Halacha?! Besides answering this question, we discuss the nature of the issur of cursing people.

The gemara in Brachos 28b recounts that when Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai's students came to visit him when he was deathly ill, he began to cry? His surprised students asked him why...

The gemara in Brachos 28b teaches that when Rabbi Eliezer was sick, his students came and asked him for advice in attaining olam haba. He told them four things...

The Torah (Vayikra 13:51) tells us about Tzaraas mameres. Rashi/Ramban have three interpretations. We analyze these in light of the Ramban's general comments about Tzaraas (Vayikra 13:47).

The Gemara in Kiddushin 30b provides guidance for one whose desires are aroused—drag yourself to the Beis Midrash. We analyze why and how this works.

Two statements in the Gemara in Kiddushin 30b about the yetzer hara: (1) Even it's Creator calls it rah—evil; (2) it's always renewing, strengthening, and trying to kill you.

The Gemara in Kiddushin 30b likens the yetzer hara to a wound inflicted by a father and the Torah to a bandage the father provides to protect the son from damage due to the wound.

Aharon Fischbein asked why the order Tzaraas is presented in the Torah (person, clothes, house) is the opposite of the order that the Rambam (Tumaas Tzaraas 16:10) and the Midrash Vvayikra Rabba 17:4) say occurs to a sinner. Rashi (Vayikra 14:36) says that when the Torah allows a person to remove his possessions from his house before the kohen declares it tamei with Tzaraas, this is merely to protect his (lowly) earthenware vessels from tumaah. On the surface, this seems extreme. This episode addresses both of these questions. Note: After I recorded, I noticed that the midrash (cited above) supports our explanation of the order that Tzaraas occurs.

Rashi (Vayikra 10:5) references Sanhedrin 52a which cites a machlokes whether Nadav and Avihu's entire body was burnt or only their insides. The reverse machlokes applies to the adas Korach. This episode analyzes these two types of deaths.

Rashi tells us the rewards that Aharon and his sons received for their silence after Nadav and Avihu's punishment with death—Parshos of the Torah were taught through them. This episode analyzes the greatness of this silence and the appropriateness of this reward.

At times, people incorrectly depict Chazal as being petty or small-minded—and they often cite stories from the Gemara that seem to support this perspective. One such Gemara is Brachos 27b which depicts Rabban Gamliel (the Nasi) putting Rabbi Yehoshua in place for arguing with him, the other Rabbanan demoting Rabban Gamliel for this mistreatment, and the ensuing events (like Rabbi Elazar ben Azaria miraculously growing a massive beard overnight). This pair of episodes analyzes this story in light of the fact these were great men.

The Torah (Shemos 2:23) tells us that Pharaoh died and the Jews cried out to Hashem from their work. Rashi cites a Midrash that says Pharaoh didn't actually die but got Tzaraas and was trying to heal himself by washing in the blood of Jewish babies. What do we do we midrashim like this that seem to totally go against pshat? This episode provides a general methodology and applies it to this case.

This episode analyzes the part of the haggada that says we must view ourselves as if we left Egypt. How so? We derive two answers to this question from a careful reading of this paragraph. We also discuss some nice tidbits from the Rav.

At times, people incorrectly depict Chazal as being petty or small-minded—and they often cite stories from the Gemara that seem to support this perspective. One such Gemara is Brachos 27b which depicts Rabban Gamliel (the Nasi) putting Rabbi Yehoshua in place for arguing with him, the other Rabbanan demoting Rabban Gamliel for this mistreatment, and the ensuing events (like Rabbi Elazar ben Azaria miraculously growing a massive beard overnight). This pair of episodes analyzes this story in light of the fact these were great men.

This episode analyzes these parts of the haggada and their significance.

The Gemara in Gittin 52a discusses a story of the Satan causing two people to fight every Friday night. While Rabbi Meir helped them make peace, he ultimately heard the Satan's final response. This episode analyzes this story while providing some insight into peacemaking and psychotherapy.

The Ramban (Shemos 31:2) explains how Hashem miraculously “made” Betzalel—one man who had the combination of the practical wisdom to make the Mishkan and philosophical wisdom to understand its ideas. This episode explores the significance of this miracle.

Rashi (Shmos 37:1) explains why the Torah singles out Betzalel's making the Aron: because he devoted himself more fully than all others. This episode discusses the meaning of this Rashi and the lesson we can learn from it.

Rashi (Esther 1:12, based on the Gemara Megilla 12b) says that Vashti was asked to come out naked on Shabbos because she demanded that the Jewish women would work naked on Shabbos.

What lessons are we supposed to learn from reading the Megilla?

Which of the four tokefs (strengths) much you read about: Achashverosh, Mordechai, Haman, or the nes? Why not all four? This episode analyzes this machlokes.

This is the first of a three part shiur discussing the machlokes tanaim about how much of the Megilla one must read to be yotzei. This sugya is a mix of Halacha and Hashkafa/megillah.

While the Megilla (9:26) tells us why it's called Purim (because of Haman's lottery), this explanation seems unsatisfying. After all, it's based on a seemingly inconsequential element of the action-packed Purim story. This episode discusses the significance of the name Purim and derives a lesson that's applicable to politics in our day and age.

Rashi (Shemos 26:9) says that the covering of the Mishkan is reminiscent of the veil of a modest bride. Rashi (26:13) also says that the covering of the covering of the Mishkan teaches that a person should take care of beautiful things. This episode analyzes these Rashis and elucidates basic ideas about the beauty of the Mishkan.

The Torah in Shemos 24:6 describes Moshe putting half of the blood of the korbanos on the mizbeach and the other half on the people. Rashi is bothered: Who split the blood??? He answers that a malach came and split it. This episode analyzes why there's any need for a malach to do something as mundane as splitting the blood. In doing so, we discuss ideas about a covenant between Hashem and man.

Rashi (Shemos 22:25) says that just like Hashem returns your nefesh daily, so too you should return the poor person's collateral daily. This episode analyzes this strange analogy.

The first passuk in Yisro describes what Yisro heard that caused him to come to the Jews in the desert. The Rashis on this passuk add alot to the pshat in the passuk. This episode analyzes these Rashis.

While people often learn lessons from Hashem hardening Pharaoh's heart, this shiur focuses more on the lessons to be learnt from Pharaoh hardening his own heart. It also discusses the confusing issue of who hardened Pharaoh's heart after Barad.

Even though the passuk (Shmos 18:13) says Moshe judged from morning until evening, Rashi says that this isn't literal but is teaching us a lesson. Namely, someone who judges a true din, even for one moment, it's as if he is involved in Torah all day and it's as if he's a partner with Hashem in Creation (where it often says, “and it was evening, and it was morning, day x.”)

The Gemara in Sanhedrin 44a says that Yehoshua knew that the malach of Hashem wasn't a sheid because he did something that no sheid would do…

In Shmos 11:5 and 12:29, Rashi discusses why makas bechoros extended to all firstborns, even of the maidservants and the captives. This episode discusses the justice of this and deals with the question why the makkah would have extended to Jewish firstborns but for Hashem's salvation (as indicted in Rashi on Bamidbar 8:17).

The Gemara in Brachos 6a discusses various ideas about mazikin or sheidim. Among other points, it discusses their chicken footprints in ashes around your bed. This episode (a shiur given during COVID time) provides an approach to explaining this and similar gemaras about sheidim.

This episode analyzes the various elements of reward that Rashi (Shmos 12:28) says the Jews received for doing the Korban Pesach.

In Shmos 7:3, Hashem tells Moshe that He'll harden Pharaoh's heart. Why is it just to punish him if he didn't have free will? This episode discusses various answers to this question, with a specific focus on Rashi.

The details of the mitzvah of stoning certain sinners are learned from how the Torah describes what would be done to someone who breached the boundary of Har Sinai (Sanhedrin 45a). This episode analyzes why the details of this permanent mitzva would be learned from the momentary event at Har Sinai. In doing so, we discuss some fundamental ideas about capital punishment in the Torah.

This episode analyzes the Gemara in Gittin 66a that discusses how to detect if someone is a sheid (demon) or a regular person: look if his shadow has a shadow.

In Bereishis 48:22, Yaakov gave Yosef one “Shechem” over his brothers. Rashi has two pshatim in Shechem: (1) the city Shechem; (2) a portion. This episode analyzes how each of these pshatim learn this passuk.

After Yaakov died, Yosef's brothers worried that he would take revenge. Yosef appeased them by saying (Bereishis 50:19-20) two points: 1) Am I in place of God? 2) While you planned evil against me, God planned that this would be for the good, so that I can be here, in Egypt, to support our nation. On the surface, Yosef's answers don't seem compelling. This episode analyzes them according to Rashi and Rashbam.

Rashi in Bereishis 45:18 teaches that when Pharaoh told Yosef that he would give his family the good of the land of Egypt, he was unknowingly expressing a prophecy that the Jews would empty Egypt of all its wealth. This episode discusses the meaning and significance of this hidden prophecy.

Rashi (Bereishis 43:30) tells us that Binyamin's ten sons were all named for Yosef and the tzaros that happened to him. This episode analyzes these names to derive lessons about Binyamin's relationship with Yosef.

Rashi (Bereishis 37:2) quotes a Midrash that lists more than twenty similarities between the lives of Yaakov and Yosef. This episode analyzes the significance of these similarities and develops two perspectives for viewing the unfolding of our nation.

This episode analyzes Rashi's (Bereishis 38:14) claim that Tamar chose to meet Yehuda at Avraham's door.

This episode discusses three benefits of learning gemara.