Jewish History with Rabbi Dr. Dovid Katz

Parshas Tzav (Erev Pesach) - Changing attitudes towards the Temple Sacrifices 06.04.2025 27:10 ↓

The differences between the First and Second Temple Eras

Haftarah Parshas VaYikra: "הֶעֱבַדְתַּנִי בְּחַטֹּאותֶיךָ הוֹגַעְתַּנִי בַּעֲוֹנֹתֶיךָ 03.04.2025 22:21 ↓

The Temple was built large, to accommodate 12 tribes, but it sended up servicing and being patronized by only two tribes

The current war in light of וְהִיא שֶׁעָמְדָה לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ וְלָנוּ שֶׁבְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר עוֹמְדִים עָלֵינוּ לְכַלּוֹתֵנוּ וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַצִּילֵנוּ מִיָּדָם 02.04.2025 29:40 ↓

Was Hamas's goal realistic? Maybe!

The Pesach Haggadah: רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר 31.03.2025 27:14 ↓

What kind of guests were at the seder of רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל? Why did his narrative differ from that in Bnai Berak?

Parshas VaYikra: הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת לְעֻמַּת הַקָּרְבָּן פֶּסַח 30.03.2025 26:44 ↓

Two types of Communal offerings: a.) Performed by Priest as Agent for the Community b.) Performed by the masses of the community themselves

Parshas HaChodesh: The seemingly disjuncted narrative 28.03.2025 34:12 ↓

Why is chametz prohibited (כָּרֵת!)? What does chametz have to do with the slavery in Egypt? Really

R’ Chaim Sinwani of Yemen and Israel (1897-1979) 26.03.2025 39:30 ↓

A great Talmid Chacham and Mekubal who suffered from secular Zionist persecution in the 1940s. The complicated story of Yemenite Jewry in the first half of the 20th century.

Haftarah HaChodesh: Princely corruption even in the time of the Third Temple? 24.03.2025 24:02 ↓

The Prophet admonishes the Princes to stop evicting Jews from their ancestral land and expropriating the land in order to gift their own children and employees

Parshas Pekudei- מִי הָיוּ לֵצָנֵי הַדּוֹר 24.03.2025 23:53 ↓

The cynics were those who did not contribute (either out of stinginess or laziness), who now projected thir own guilt feelings onto Moshe and the Mishkan Project.

Trump, Polk, Bibi: Some cautionary lessons from the past 24.03.2025 36:20 ↓

Sometimes, military victory leads to civil war! Success requires philosophy to be managed sagaciously

Haftarah Parshas Parah- Jewish misconduct in the lands of exile 20.03.2025 24:32 ↓

The supreme virtue of being ashamed of your misconduct. Is this happening currently?

Parshas VaYakhel- No fire outside the miskan, but yes fire inside the mishkan! 20.03.2025 28:23 ↓

Most fights break out in shul on Shabbos - לֹא תְבַעֲרוּ אֵשׁ בְּ כֹל מֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶם בְּיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת

Purim live 5785 (2025) 19.03.2025 1:08:17 ↓

Live from Baltimore

Tefilah: Why does God say to Moses : לֹא תוּכַל לִרְאֹת אֶת פָּנָי, but subsequently וְדִבֵּר הַשֵּׁם עִם מֹשֶׁה פָּנִים אֶל פָּנִים? 17.03.2025 22:27 ↓

Some thoughts on the limited, philosophical approach to prayer vs. the mystical approach to prayer

Donald Trump's fascination with America's 11th President James K. Polk (1845-1849) 17.03.2025 56:08 ↓

Intensely partisan, a slaveholder, a great liar, Polk is one of the great presidents, who doubled the territory of the USA. In the words of Trump, "He got a lot of land!" Will this affect Gaza?

17th of Adar: Anniversary of a massacre and rescue in Northern Syria of Chachmei Yisroel 16.03.2025 25:03 ↓

The opposite of today -  at that time there was civil war in Israel and peace in Syria ... or so they thought!

Two Short Purim Vorts 13.03.2025 18:30 ↓

Why did Esther try to be nice to Haman?  Also, did Haman actually prohibit circumcision?

Is Israel becoming more religious in the wake of the Gaza War? Some thoughts upon reading an article in הָאָרֶץ 11.03.2025 32:06 ↓

R Katz analyzes the religious effects of Israel's six foreign wars

Purim 2025, Pt. 2: How Esther hid her identity-Didn't the Jews say אָחוֹת יֵשׁ לָנוּ בְּבֵית הַמֶּלֶךְ? 11.03.2025 30:26 ↓

How come Haman did not make a move against the Jews for FIVE years?

Haftarah Ki Sisah: Eliyahu at Har HaCarmel 09.03.2025 27:08 ↓

Why was אֵלִיָּהוּ a brilliant failure?

Purim 2025 in the light of the October 7, 20243 Pogrom 09.03.2025 31:53 ↓

The Jews in the time of Esther ducked a planned "Oct. 7" pogrom multiplied all across the 127 provinces. Instead, it was the Jews who ended up perpetrating the pogrom against their mortal enemies

Parshas Ki Sisa (Shoshana Purim): The Eigel and Purim 09.03.2025 30:20 ↓

Could מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לַצֶּלֶם (Megilah 12a) be an oblique reference to פָּרָשַׁת עֵגֶל הַזָּהָב?

Purim 2025: What is the source in the Megilah for the opposing opinions of רשב"י and his talmidim ? 09.03.2025 26:49 ↓

Where did they get the ideas that the big sin of כְּלַל יִשְׂרָאֵל was either a.) נֶהֱנוּ מִסְּעֻדָּתוֹ שֶׁל אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ or b.) הִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לַצֶּלֶם? It is not in the text of the Megilah, is it?

Circumcision and the Marranos - from the סֵפֶר הַזִּכְרוֹנוֹת מֵאֵת רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל אַבּוּהַב מִוֶנִיצִיׇהּ 04.03.2025 33:01 ↓

"How come there is no NCSY for the Marranos?" Frum complaints from Venetian Gedolim of the 17th century

Haftarah Zachor: The Story of Saul and Agag in the light of the current war with Hamas 02.03.2025 30:06 ↓

Towards Amalek, Saul lacked moral clarity, but when it came to Nov and David, he acted with total (misguided) moral clarity!