Simply Deep

At the beginning of Va’yetzei, HaShem promised Yaakov to take care of him etc. Yaakov then vows that if HaShem takes care of him, then he’ll set up a place of worship to HaShem and give maaser. Given that HaShem just promised this, what is the function of the neder? This episode addresses this question.

In Breishis 37:14, Rashi says that Shechem is a place which is prepared for bad (puranus) because of the three bad events which occurred there. In this episode, we present an explanation for Rashi’s seemingly strange claim.

When encountering miracle stories in the Gemara, we can’t help but wonder whether or not these are meant to be taken literally. Based upon the ideas developed in the episode “Chanukah: The End of all Miracles,” this episode develops a methodology for answering this question, and provide examples for employing this methodology.

The Gemara in Yomah 29a says that the Chanukah miracle marks the End of all Miracles. To understand this claim and to gain insight into why there are no miracles today, this episode delves into the Torah’s unique perspective of miracles and how we should relate to them.

People often struggle with balancing their commitment to Torah on the one hand and their commitment to modern science (which embraces evolution) on the other hand. This episode provides a methodology (which is rooted in Torah sources) for approaching and resolving potential conflicts between these two sources of knowledge.

Many people have problem with the midrash which teaches that Rivka was 3 years old when she married Yitzchak. Are we supposed to take this literally? If not, what is the midrash trying to teach us? This episode will decode this enigmatic midrash while simultaneously presenting an approach towards understanding midrashim in general.

This episode is the fourth of the original four part series of shiurim developing a theory for explaining Chazal's usage of gematria. It discusses the usage of a reverse gematria which suggests that Avraham's 318 men are Eliezer alone. 

This episode is the third of the original four part series of shiurim developing a theory for explaining Chazal's usage of gematria. It discusses the usage of gematria regarding Yaakov's claim to Eisav that Im Lavan Garti v'taryag mitzvos shamarti, I lived with Lavan and guarded the 613 mitzvos. 

This episode is the second of the original four part series of shiurim developing a theory for explaining Chazal's usage of gematria. It discusses the usage of gematria regarding the 613 Mitzvos and the 30 days of Nazir. Interestingly enough, it also connects gematria with fine tuning.

The book Gematria Refigured is based upon ideas developed in a series of shiurim given in 2017. This episode presents the first gematria which was the foundation for the book's theory of explaining gematrias. It deals with Hashem's blessing Avraham "bakol, with everything." 

What's the Torah's perspective on Mazal? Is it the same at the mystical concept of luck? By analyzing various gemaras and Rishonim, this episode elucidates this concept and identifies its role in our lives.