Jewish History with Rabbi Dr. Dovid Katz

Is the course of Propaedeutics for the purpose of intellectual comprehension? Or is it to elicit the proper emotional response?

Did Manoah and is wife encounter an angel, or was it a (prophetic) dream? If a dream, who had the dream, Manoah or his wife?

A tricky person can manipulate the Sotah rules...

Keep an eye on the following two relationships: a.) Syria-China b.) Syria-Hezbollah

Two trends in Jewish Memory - The Reception-History of the giving of the Torah in Jewish Mesorah.

Was David worried that the halachic question of מוֹאָבִי וְלֹא מוֹאָבִית would be raised against him in future generations, who might choose to pasken גַּם מוֹאָבִי וְגַם מוֹאָבִית לֹא יָבוֹאוּ בִּקְהַל הַשֵּׁם and retroactively disqualify his entire dynasty?

The רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם sends a message from the Active Intellect to the rational faculty (hopefully to filter out error) and from thereto the imaginative faculty. But what does this mean?

Was this a reaction to the concentrated Christian theological attack on Judaism and its nomianism that reached its peak in the 13th century?

The Left-Wingers vs. the (non extreme) Right Wingers among the "מְפָרְשֵׁי הַ"מוֹרֵה נְבוֹכִים

The Rabbi preaches about Zionism but the (anti-Zionist) בַּעֲלֵי בַּתִּים hear what they want to hear

Who were the member of Moshe's secretariat? Who kept the records of the Jewish People's vital statistics?

How could the women of Israel SING the praises of Saul and David as they passed by in triumph, what about אִסּוּר קוֹל בְּאִשָּׁה עֶרְוָה?

A brilliant explication of the Tannaic dispute re: whether or not Moses did the right thing when he "hid his face" rather than look at God.

What is the meaning of the statement of חֲזַ"ל that the בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ pre-existed the physical-universe?

They are punished but do not repent. By the end of the תּוֹכֵחָה the punishments have been ratcheted-up 2400 times (7x7x7x7)!

A tale from the era of problematic הֶכְשֵׁרִים from leading רַבָּנִים וְתַלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים

Throughout Jewish History, גְּדוֹלֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל followed the policy of R Yehudah, not R Shimon, though the Jewish People in its folk-wisdom came to celebrate the frank expressions of R Shimon bar Yochai. They admired the one who "called a spade a spade" even though in practice they imitated R Yehudah

Throwing clothes onto a coffin was an (incorrect but emotionally understandable) practice in Talmudic days expressing an excess of grief. With Rashbi (described as ascending to Heaven in a Pillar of Fire), the tossing of clothes morphed into burning them to celebrate his unique petirah.

The difference between Protestant notions of toleration in Early-Modern Europe vs. Catholic ones. Hypocrisy was not a problem!

Perhaps the special regulations in the haftorah (which caused so much controversy in the Talmud) are a reward for those kohanim who stayed loyal to the Torah at a time when others (kohanim and regular Jews) went off the derech

The interesting distinction between one who voluntarily converts vs. one who is forced to convert

"Break the News to the Kohanim Gently. They are going to have even more marriage restrictions than those of regular Jews"

Shabbos as a powerful enforcer through mimesis of the Jewish Family unit, with the parents playing roles reflecting their exalted status in the family-unit

The modern State of Israel already includes territory that is שְׁאֵרִית אֱדוֹם

Do you have to give honor and respect to a bad king? an antisemitic king?