Simply Deep

Parshas Mattos: While Moshe got angry that the Jews left the daughters of Midyan alive, Rashi (Bamidbar 31:13) introduces a different problem that’s seemingly absent from the text: that the children were taking some spoils of war. This episode investigates where Rashi gets this idea and analyzes its connection to the explicit sin of sparing the women.

This shiur was given on the 13th Yahrtzeit of my mother, Shani Feder A’H.

What would have happened if Bilaam was able to curse the Jews? Did his curses somehow have power?

Parshas Korach: When the plague threatened to wipe out the Jews, Moshe instructed Aharon to muse the ketores to stop it - a secret Moshe learned from the Malach Hamaves. Rashi (Bamidbar 17:13) describes the argument between Aharon and the Malach Hamaves about stopping the mageifa. This Rashi provides a good example of a midrash creating a story that elaborates on ideas that are implicit in the pes...

Parshas Shelach: After the sin of the spies, Moshe begged Hashem to make His strength great, as He had previously said, “Hashem, who is slow to anger…” Rashi (Bamidbar 14:17-18) explains that this tefilla was based on a previous dialogue between Moshe and Hashem about whether it’s appropriate to be slow to anger only for tzadikim or even for resha’im. We analyze this dialogue to reveal insights ab...

Rashi (Bamidbar 12:4) explains how Hashem miraculously simultaneously spoke to Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam in order to rebuke Aharon and Miriam for speaking against Moshe. Because they hadn’t been Tahor from being with their spouses, they couldn’t handle the experience - they said, “Water! Water!” (Presumably they were looking for a Mikvah.) We analyze this strange Rashi and learn how Hashem taught...

The Gemara in Sanhedrin 92a-b discusses nine different approaches to understanding the Dry Bones Nevuah of Yechezkel 37, including whether it was literal or metaphorical, and who the resurrected people were.

Parshas Naso: We follow Rashi’s path (Bamidbar 5:15-17) in explaining the details of the Minchas Sotah, the sacrifice brought by the suspected adulteress. We derive relevant lessons about the allure of sexual sins and how to avoid them.

The Gemara in Shabbos 88b discusses a lengthy argument between Moshe and the Malachim whether man was fitting to receive the Torah.

The Gemara in Sanhedrin 100a tells a story of Rav Yochanan claiming that in the future, the gates of Yerushalayim will be massive pearls (30x30 Amos) that are hollowed out. When a student mocked this claim, he ended up seeing angels actually hollowing out such pearls. After Rav Yochanan criticized him for mocking Chachamim, he turned into a pile of bones.

When quoting your parent after their death, the Gemara in kiddushin 31b says that it’s kavod for you to say “I should be an atonement for their bed.” What does this mean? Rashi says that you’re asking for the punishment for their sins to come upon you. This doesn’t seem like a Jewish idea?! Also, how is this kavod?

The Gemara in Menachos 68b discusses a question Rav Tarfon asked in the Beis Midrash: why is a korban brought before the Omer passul while one brought before the shtei halechem, while not allowed, is kasher. After Yehuda bar Nechemia gave the correct answer, with a big smile, Rabbi Akiva told Yehuda that he’d be shocked if he would live out the year. And he didn’t. This Shiur is a mix of Halacha a...

Sanhedrin 89a and Melachim I:22 The Navi/Gemara describes how Hashem sent the spirit of Navos to seduce Achav to go to war (and get killed, as punishment for the death of Navos). We analyze this strange story.

Source sheet for the shiur Steps in Giving a Shiur ​Intro/Hook: sometimes vitally important, sometimes not needed at all ​The Facts: read and explain clearly ​The Questions: from students, then you add questions they missed. No answers allowed at this step. Try to ignore your answers at this stage ​Student Answers: Invite students to present answers and you listen, critique, agree, disagree, quest...

Rashi in Vayikra 10:17 deduces from the passuk that the kohanim eating a korban chatas brings atonement to the person who brings the korban. Why should this be?

Though we ordinarily think a metzora is isolated in order to break his addiction to social approval, Rashi (13:46) provides a different explanation: because he separated with his lashon hara between a man and his wife or a man and his friend, he too must be separated from people.

The Torah (Vayikra 10:12) refers to Elazar and Isamar as Aharon’s remaining sons. Rashi explains that they too were supposed to die because Aharon’s role in the egel warranted total obliteration of his sons. But Moshe’s tefilla helped to atone halfway and save these two remaining sons while Nadav and Avihu got killed. This is very difficult indeed. Didn’t they die for their own sin? It doesn’t see...

The first Rashi in Vayikra says that before speaking to Moshe, Hashem called him - in a loving manner - unlike the way he speaks to non-Jewish prophets. He then says that this “calling” didn’t apply to the gaps between the parshios. Rather the gaps served to give Moshe a chance to think about what he just heard. This episode analyzes these Rashis and derives an important lesson about how to learn...

Rashi (Shemos 39:33) says that when the Mishan was too heavy for anyone to erect, Hashem told Moshe to pretend to lift it and Hashem would help him. Why?

The Gemara in Sukkah 25a says an avel doesn’t wear tefillin because thy are called a pe’er — an adornment. Firstly, how so? And more importantly, so what? Why does this create an exemption? In three different places, Rashi gives three subtly different explanations.

Was it the river or fasting on Pesach?

What sense is there to numbers being raised to the 0 power? Or to a negative power? Or to the 1/2 power? To answer these questions, we have to define what exponents really are. See here for the shiur on The Benefits of Learning Gemara: https://open.spotify.com/episode/08Wv2qXlQp4DmslRM0JzUi?si=50alzn6oQNi2Z7T1GkMo5A

The Gemara in Megilla 13b says that Esther would go right from sleeping with Achashverosh (and washing herself off) to sleeping with Mordechai. It’s hard to believe that such a risky move would be literal, but if not, what is it teaching us?

The gemara in Megilla 13a cites a 5-way machlokes about which was her real name and which name teaches an idea about her. We analyze these five positions and see what they're all trying to explain.

The Gemara in Megilla 13b says that Haman was happy that his lottery landed on the month Moshe died. But he didn’t realize it was also the month he was born. What’s the significance of all this?