KMTT - the Torah Podcast

Sefer Devarim | Ekev | 5785 | The Ark of War, by Rav Alex Israel Rashi suggests that there is not one Aron but two - one Ark is in the Mikdash and the second Aron is for the war-front. Why is there a necessity for a special war Aron? What does it contain? What does it symbolize? 

Devarim | Birkat HaMazon: Sources and Development (2), by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Following up from our last shiur, we investigate several observations and proposals made by the Rishonim to discover how Birkat haMazon may have evolved over time. One key question that we address is how all 3 ברכות (at least!) are דאורייתא, if, as some Rishonim suggest, they weren't said at all for a significant period. Source sheet >>

Devarim | Birkat HaMazon (1), by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom A ubiquitous prayer, one of the few commanded in the Torah, is sourced in this week's parasha. Devarim 8:10 - "When you eat and are satisfied you shall bless Hashem, your God, for the good Land which he has given you." - this is known as Birkat haMazon. In this shiur, we explore the textual sources for the three (or four, or five) Berakhot that are mandated by the Torah as part of Birkat haMazon and examine some core Talmudic passages which interpret these verses, in various fashion, to establish the core of this prayer-sequence. In part 2, we will look at the development of the text of Birkat haMazon. Souce sheet >>

Sefer Devarim | Vaetchanan | 5785 | Children, Identity, and Hope, by Rav Alex Israel What does it mean to care for your parents? Why is it so important? Rav Alex Israel '85 is an author, Tanakh teacher and international lecturer. He is a teacher at Yeshivat Eretz Hatzvi and at Midreshet Lindenbaum, and records a daily 929 podcast - The Tanakh Podcast. 

Sefer Devarim | Devarim |  5785 | Lessons of Empowerment, by Rav Alex Israel How are we to view the way that Moshe retells episodes of the past in new ways with fresh details, different from accounts earlier in the Torah?  We shall discover a common message in Moshe's opening stories in Devarim ch.1. Rav Alex Israel '85 is an author, Tanakh teacher and international lecturer. He is a teacher at Yeshivat Eretz Hatzvi and at Midreshet Lindenbaum, and records a daily 929 podcast - The Tanakh Podcast. 

Ramban on the Torah | 5785 | 36 | Matot-Masei, by Rav Eli Weber What is the meaning of living in Eretz Israel?

Sefer Bamidbar | Matot - Masei | 5785 | War of Midian, War of Vengeance, by Rav Ezra Bick What is the difference between the vengeance of Israel and the vengeance of God? What does it actually mean to avenge the Midianites? Why did the people go out to do this in the name of Moses?

Eikha Rabbati: Rachel's Tears, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom How are we to understand the Midrash about Rachel's tears saving Am Yisrael? The Midrash Rabba collection on Megilat Eikha includes some of the most moving literature in the canon. A brief introduction to Midrash Agada, followed by a briefer introduction to Midrash Eikha, is followed by a study of a famous proem ("Petichta") involving the unsuccessful intervention by the Avot and Mosheh Rabbenu to defend the people - until Rachel speaks up and tells her story... Source sheet >>

Divrei Hesped for Mori V'Rebbi HaRav Yehuda Amital on his 15th Yahrzeit, by Rav Moshe Taragin Empowering talmidim; Personalizing religion vs. submitting to religion; Life and religion are Complex; The cry of the baby or the roar of the wicked For more shiuirim by Rav Taragin on Harav Amital zt"l: https://etzion.org.il/en/search?subjects=6103&contentTypes=&authors=5753&series=&tags=&organizations=&lang=en

Ramban on the Torah | 5785 | 35 | Pinchas, by Rav Eli Weber Why do the daughters of Zelophehad say how he died? Why does Moshe appoint Yehoshua in front of all of Israel? Why are the musafim written in the end of our parasha? 

Sefer Bamidbar | Pinchas | 5785 | The Meaning of Family, by Rav Ezra Bick Forty years later, the Jewish People are counted a second time. What is the difference in the census this time? One word makes all the difference.

Bein HaMetzarim 5785, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom. In memory of my father - הרב אשר אהרן בן אברהם בנימין ז"ל -Tammuz 21 Why do chakhamim set up a parallel between the events that befell our ancestors on each of 17 beTammuz and 9 beAv?  The Mishna in Ta'anit presents a literary parallel between the events that befell our ancestors on 17 of Tammuz and those that happened on 9 beAv. We explore the lists and identify three types of events on each list - and the common features which all of the items on each list share. Using this analysis, an approach to understanding the underlying failure that led to each of these tragedies is proposed, one which does much to shed light on how Chazal want us to view these fasts and our expected response to them. This shiur was given to the staff of Machaneh Stone on 17 beTammuz.  

Sefer Bamidbar | Balak | 5785 | The Nature of Bilam's Prophecy, by Rav Ezra Bick Why do we need to know what Bilaam said to Balak? What is the significance of the entire story of Balak's failed plan to enlist Bilaam to curse Israel?

Ramban on the Torah | 5785 | 34 | Balak, by Rav Eli Weber Who is Bilam?

Balak | Mah Tovu Ohalekha Yaakov, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom What motivated Bil'am to bless as he did? Following the progression of Bilam's blessings. The lyrical, uplifting blessings with which Bil'am blessed Bnei Yisrael are among the most elegant and moving series of passages in Tanakh. What motivated Bil'am to bless as he did - was he simply a mouthpiece of Hashem, or did he, at some point, identify with the mission to bless God's people? A careful look at the text of his blessings, along with the passages that stitch those blessings together, reveals a more complex reality and a more profound answer.

Ramban on the Torah | 5785 | 33 | Chukat, by Rav Eli Weber What was the sin of Moshe and Aharon?

Sefer Bamidbar | Chukat | 5785 | Taking Initiative, by Rav Ezra Bick What's the difference between the first generation in the midbar and the second? Three short incidents in the middle of the Parasha define the change in the Jewish people after thirty years.

Ramban on the Torah | 5785 | 32 | Korach, by Rav Eli Weber Why is HaShem offended by Korach? What is Bnei Yisrael's challenge to Moshe?

Sefer Bamidbar | Korach | 5785 | The Holiness of Am Yisrael, by Rav Ezra Bick How does the flowering of Aaron's staff answer the complaint of the Jews? More importantly, is not the argument of Korach, "all Jews are holy", correct?

Korach | Korach, Datan and Aviram: When and Why?  by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom What were Datan and Aviram challenging - as opposed to Korach? The story of the rebellion(s) against Moshe is confusing; why are the rebels taking the stand against Moshe? What is their claim? When is this claim being presented? How do they die? A close analysis reveals two different stories being told. Source sheet >>  

Sefer Bamidbar | Shelach | 5785 | The Meaning of Ascent, by Rav Ezra Bick

Ramban on the Torah | 5785 | 31 | Shelach , by Rav Eli Weber Did Moshe think sending the spies was a good idea?

Shelach | Bamidbar 15: Why Now, Why Here? by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why are the mitzvot of Nesakhim, Challa, Tzitzit and more presented in the aftermath of the story of the "Meraglim"?

Erev Shabbat Behaalotekha 5785 | Thoughts over the Last 12 Hours, by Rav Moshe Taragin Thoughts about the war in Israel and parashat Behaalotekha Invoking the zechut of Jewish history and unity  They are Hashem's enemies  This time the two pesukim should end suffering

Behaalotekha | Re'uel, Yitro, Chovav, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Who was Moshe's father-in-law? In our Parasha, there is a curious conversation between Moshe and Chovav; does Chovav end up accepting Moshe's invitation to join Am Yisrael? Who is Chovav to Moshe and is he also known by other names? Was Yitro the Kohen Midian or was Reuel - and who was Tzippora's father? All of these are addressed in this shiur. Source sheet >>

Sefer Bamidbar | Behaalotekha | The Consecration Ceremony of the Leviim, by Rav Ezra Bick What is the difference between the "purification" of the Leviim and the "sanctification" of the Kohanim?

Ramban on the Torah | 5785 | 30 | Behaalotekha, by Rav Eli Weber Why did Jewish history change in Parashat Behaalotekha ? What was the great sin of Kivrot Hata'ava?

Naso | The Sotah Mystery Revisited, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom What do we anticipate will happen to the Sotah if she is guilty? The Sotah ritual has alternatively been called an ordeal, a deterrent, a mollifier, a Divine judgement and much more. Following the lead of some recent research (cited on the source sheet), a new approach to understanding Sotah is proposed - with an interesting implication for a fresh understanding of Yehuda's judgment of Tamar (Bereishit 38) Source sheet >>

Ramban on the Torah | 5785 | 29 | Naso, by Rav Eli Weber Why does Hashem make a miracle to bring peace between a couple? When was Birkat Kohanim given? Why are the korbanot of the chieftains repeated?

Sefer Bamidbar | Naso | Religious Individualism and the Machaneh, by Rav Ezra Bick Why are the Sota and the Nazir in the middle of parashat Naso?

Sefer Bamidbar | Bamidbar | A Lot of Names and A Lot of Numbers, Why? by Rav Ezra Bick Does the population census eliminate individuality in service of creating the national unity, or does it enoble and distinguish the individual? Why are the Jews counted twice in the beginning of Sefer Bemidbar?

Ramban on the Torah | 5785 | 28 | Bamidbar, by Rav Eli Weber Why does Hashem count Israel? Why does Hashem talk to Moshe from Ohel Moed? Why is Levi the smallest tribe?

Shavuot | The Claims of the Heretics, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom The public reading of Aseret HaDibrot (the Decalogue) was practiced on a daily basis in the Mikdash. This practice was banned elsewhere, due to the "Claims of the Heretics" - (תרעומת המינים). Why would there have been an interest in reading the Dibrot publicly every day - and why was it banned? Who are these "heretics" - and what was their position that made the reading an unfavorable thing?

Tehillim 132: קומה ה' למנוחתך (conclusion), by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom When was Psalm 132 composed - and why? In this conclusion of a two-part shiur, we examine the longest of the שירי המעלה - Psalm 132. This psalm, evidently devoted to the city of Yerushalayim and the Divine choice of both the place and the Davidic line, is especially appropriate as we prepare to celebrate the 58th anniversary of the reunification of Yerushalayim under Jewish sovereignty. Noting that the psalm speaks in different voices, we note numerous related texts in Tanakh that may have either been inspired by, or been the inspiration for our psalm. קומה ה' למנוחתך, אתה וארון עוזך. And, indeed, may we soon see a fulfillment of the promise ואויביו אלביש בשת, ועליו יציץ נזרו.

Ramban on the Torah | 5785 | 27 | Behar-Bechukotai, by Rav Eli Weber What's the Ramban's view on chronology in the Torah? What is the religious meaning of work? Will there be wild animals in the days of the mashiach?

Behar-Bechukotai | 5785 | Abarbanel as Philosopher, by Rav Elyakim Krumbein Reward on earth or in the afterlife?

Kaddish and the Idea of Jewish Nationalism, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom What is the meaning of Kaddish and why does it require a quorum? How does the impetus for a public declaration shed light on the idea of לאומיות ישראלית - Jewish Nationalism? This talk was given at the annual Karen and Ariel Avrech z"l Memorial Lecture at Young Israel of Century City. יהי זכרם ברוך. Source sheet >>

Tehillim 132: קומה ה' למנוחתך, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom What was the occasion that motivated the composition of Psalm 132? A special shiur as we prepare for Yom Yerushalayim. In this first part of a two-part shiur, we examine the longest of the שירי המעלה - Psalm 132. This psalm, evidently devoted to the city of Yerushalayim and the Divine choice of both the place and the Davidic line, is especially appropriate as we prepare to celebrate the 58th anniversary of the reunification of Yerushalayim under Jewish sovereignty. Noting that the psalm speaks in different voices, we note numerous related texts in Tanakh that may have either been inspired by, or been the inspiration for our psalm. קומה ה' למנוחתך, אתה וארון עוזך. And, indeed, may we soon see a fulfillment of the promise ואויביו אלביש בשת, ועליו יציץ נזרו. Source sheet >>

Ramban on the Torah | 5785 | 26 | Emor, by Rav Eli Weber Why do we bring Chametz to the Mikdash on Shavuot? When is Shavuot? What is Sefirat HaOmer?

Emor | 5785 | Abarbanel on the Holidays by Rav Elyakim Krumbein How does the Torah use disrupted patterns to create meaning? 

Unraveling the Mystery of Lag BaOmer, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why is there a celebratory air to the 33rd day of the Omer-count? By far the most mysterious of our festive days is ל"ג בעמר, where the cessation from weddings (etc.) turns the day into a joyous outburst of celebration, replete with bonfires, outings and more. What is the story behind this unexplained day? With the help of an ancient manuscript, a Geniza find, a typesetter's mistake, a letter written by a 4th century Christian Bishop, a rabbi mourning for his son and another rabbi speaking up 14 centuries after his death...we may have the mystery unraveled. This shiur is based on the research of R. Avraham Kosman of Yerushalayim. Source sheet >>

Achari Mot - Kedoshim | 5785 | Why Be Holy? by Rav Elyakim Krumbein Abarbanel solves the riddle of Parashat Kedoshim. 

Tazria Metzora | 5785 | The Concept of Tum'a by Rav Elyakim Krumbein Why is ritual purity so central in Sefer Vayikra?

Acharei Mot - Kedoshim | Maaseh Eretz Cenaan, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why is the list of forbidden intimate relations introduced with the broad statement prohibiting us from engaging in the ways of the Egyptians and the Canaanites? Source sheet >>

Ramban on the Torah | 5785 | 25 | Acharei Mot - Kedoshim, by Rav Eli Weber Everyone knows that the Ramban (like all Jews), loves Eretz Yisrael. But why so much. At the end of Acharei Mot the Ramban explains his philosophy. How is sin different in Eretz Israel than outside of it?

Ramban on the Torah | 5785 | 24 | Metzora, by Rav Eli Weber What is tzara'at and its connection to Yom HaAtzmaut? What is the meaning of the promised land? How is tzaraat a miracle?

MiTalmidav shel Aharon | Commemorating the 10th Yahrzeit of Harav Aharon zt"l at Yeshiva University, with two of his talmidim, Rabbi Michael Taubes '77 and Rabbi Mordechai Willig. Divrei peticha: Rabbi Neal Turk. An oved Hashem, of purity of heart.

Yom HaAtzmaut | Psalm 126: BeShuv Hashem et Shivat Tzion, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why are we described as "like dreamers" upon the return to ציון?  Since those miraculous days of 1948, there have been several proposals to amend the National Anthem with the recitation of Psalm 126 - בשוב ה' את שיבת ציון; famously, Menachem Begin read the entire Psalm in the Rose Garden before signing the Camp David Accords in 1979. The sense of seeing ancient prophecies fulfilled in our day and before our eyes is a powerful one, and this psalm uniquely captures that feeling of הגדיל ה' לעשות עמנו. We examine the psalm, first discussing the issue of authorship and period of the composition of Tehillim and then the method used to study Biblical poetry, specifically Tehillim. Barukh Hashem, in our day, we are experiencing the רינה of the harvesters, sadly mixed with the דמעה of the sowers. Source sheet >>

Abarbanel on the Parasha | Shemini | 5785 | Why Couldn't David Build the Mikdash? by Rav Elyakim Krumbein The haftara for Shemini is particularly dramatic. A glimpse of the commentary of Abarbanel on Neviim Rishonim.

Shemini | The Sound of Silence: Vayidom Aharon, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom How are we to understand Aharon's silence? Aharon's reaction to the death of his sons, Nadav and Avihu, is summarized in two words: וידם אהרן. Translation, meaning and implications of these two words are the fodder for much exegetic and homiletic analysis. A survey of the uses of the word דום and דמם throughout Tanakh allows us a glimpse to a possible holistic meaning that fits Aharon's reaction as well as the sun's stopping for Yehoshua and the קול דממה דקה heard by Eliyahu. Source sheet >>

Pesach | Birkat HaShir (2), by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why is "Nishmat Kol Chai" the appropriate hymn with which to finish Leil haSeder?  As we discussed in the previous shiur, the liturgical poem "Nishmat Kol Chai" is quite ancient and predates the era of the פייטנים. It is mentioned by R. Yochanan as the "Birkat haShir" which is to accompany the fourth (or fifth?) cup at the Seder. After reviewing some of the Halakhic considerations regarding its recitation - including a quick survey of the main approaches among the ראשונים regarding what is said over the fourth cup and if there is a fifth cup, we turn to the text itself and analyze it, line by line, seeing its development from a hymn about personal thanksgiving to a national-historic song of praise to an eschatological vision of universal acknowledgement of God's glory. I then suggest why this was an appropriate poem to be added to the Seder and, from there, to be instituted as the culmination of Psukei d'Zimra - what Chazal referred to as "the daily Hallel" (הלל שבכל יום). Source sheet >>