Julian Ungar-Sargon

Rabbi Yitzchak Gettinger shares insights and analyis of the Netziv's commentary on Parshas Toldos. These sessions are held on Zoom every week in memory of our mother in-law whose dedication to the Netziv (her great great grandfather), was legendary. It is estimated she studied the Ha'amek Davar some 78 times throughout her life, devoting every Tuesday to its study. May her memory be a bl...

Miriam Gettinger shares insights and analyis of the Netziv's commentary on Parshas Vayera. These sessions are held on Zoom every week in memory of our mother in-law whose dedication to the Netziv (her great great grandfather), was legendary. It is estimated she studied the Ha'amek Davar some 78 times throughout her life, devoting every Tuesday to its study. May her memory be a blessing t...

Dr. Julian Ungar-Sargon shares Netziv commentaries on the parsha. These sessions are held on Zoom every week in memory of our mother in-law whose dedication to the Netziv (her great great grandfather), was legendary. It is estimated she studied the Ha'amek Davar some 78 times throughout her life, devoting every Tuesday to its study. May her memory be a blessing to her family and klal Yisroel.

Miriam Gettinger shares insights and analyis of the Netziv's commentary on Parshas Noach. These sessions are held on Zoom every week in memory of our mother in-law whose dedication to the Netziv (her great great grandfather), was legendary. It is estimated she studied the Ha'amek Davar some 78 times throughout her life, devoting every Tuesday to its study. May her memory be a blessing to...

We explore the Maor Vashemesh's original thesis splitting of mitzvot aseh vs lo saaseh in terms of the emotional attachment associated with negative commandments...How could the negative connect us in any way to the Divine?

Podcast: Maor Vashemesh defines deveykut as access to Mochin Ila'in which is only possible through the attachment of Tefilah. The "residue" that follows when back in the real world ("shearis Mochin") gives him the ability to put into action the product of the inspiration. Punning on the word "beasamecha" as things that are "samui" hidden from view...the...

Batya Ungar-Sargon shares Netziv commentaries on the parsha. These sessions are held on Zoom every week in memory of our mother in-law whose dedication to the Netziv (her great great grandfather), was legendary. It is estimated she studied the Ha'amek Davar some 78 times throughout her life, devoting every Tuesday to its study. May her memory be a blessing to her family and klal Yisroel.

Commenting on Deut 21:15 "If a man has two wives, and he loves one but not the other, and both bear him sons but the firstborn is the son of the wife he does not love..." The Degel sees "the man" as the Divine and the two wives as two types of soul. How to negotiate the different spaces of worldliness and worship?

We explore the Ma'amar of Elul (Likutei Torah Parshas Re'eh and Likutei Sichos 1966)  and the dramatic parable of the King in the Field by contrasting it with the King Parable of Kohelet Rabba 9:8 and TB Shabbat 153.

Batya Ungar-Sargon shares Netziv commentaries on the parsha. These sessions are held on Zoom every week in memory of our mother in-law whose dedication to the Netziv (her great great grandfather), was legendary. It is estimated she studied the Ha'amek Davar some 78 times throughout her life, devoting every Tuesday to its study. May her memory be a blessing to her family and klal Yisroel.

The Tshuous Chen reads the war as an inner battle against two types of attacks: those projected onto the "enemy" from ones own sins and others from true wicked enemies.

The Degel uses Kabbalistic references to describe the actors in the mitzvah, the nest, the chicks/eggs and the mother bird. Each represents the hidden divine and the potential for rescuing the soul trapped in the grips of materialism or even worse addiction.

Batya Ungar-Sargon shares Netziv commentaries on the parsha. These sessions are held on Zoom every week in memory of our mother in-law whose dedication to the Netziv (her great great grandfather), was legendary. It is estimated she studied the Ha'amek Davar some 78 times throughout her life, devoting every Tuesday to its study. May her memory be a blessing to her family and klal Yisroel.

We explore the seeming redundancy of the Levitical Priests as well as Secular Law Judges in deciding law that is opaque and the Ma'or Vashemesh's privileging of prophetic spirit over rational legalistic approach.

Batya Ungar-Sargon shares Netziv commentaries on the parsha. These sessions are held on Zoom every week in memory of our mother in-law whose dedication to the Netziv (her great great grandfather), was legendary. It is estimated she studied the Ha'amek Davar some 78 times throughout her life, devoting every Tuesday to its study. May her memory be a blessing to her family and klal Yisroel.

In our avodas Hashem the Degel (Parshas Ekev) demands "Haamanah" as opposed to "emunah" even more so he claims that Haamanah is the very foundation of Torah and Miztvot. We explore this radical notion that raises the stakes of normative orthodoxy.

Batya Ungar-Sargon shares Netziv commentaries on the parsha. These sessions are held on Zoom every week in memory of our mother in-law whose dedication to the Netziv (her great great grandfather), was legendary. It is estimated she studied the Ha'amek Davar some 78 times throughout her life, devoting every Tuesday to its study. May her memory be a blessing to her family and klal Yisroel.

We explore the notion of מוֹצָ֥א פִֽי־יְהֹוָ֖ה comparing the medieval discomfort with anthropomorphism to the mystical-hassidic interpretations and how suffering triggers the divine response.

Deuteronomy 7:15 with a dramatic radical internalization of the letter mysticism of Sefer yetzira that raises the stakes of spirituality and man's mission in this world.

The Degel struggles with the first command in the Decalogue as do other commentators, but brings his enormous skill in internalizing the mystical tones from his grandfather the Besht.

Batya Ungar-Sargon shares Netziv commentaries on the parsha. These sessions are held on Zoom every week in memory of our mother in-law whose dedication to the Netziv (her great great grandfather), was legendary. It is estimated she studied the Ha'amek Davar some 78 times throughout her life, devoting every Tuesday to its study. May her memory be a blessing to her family and klal Yisroel.

The Degel teaches us that the "king" down here on earth is the very broken heart, the heart of yerushalayim, and its shleimut is only in its brokeness.

In our podcast we compare the Turkey Prince fable of Rebbe Nachman with the Kafka short story of the Hunger Artist to highlight differences between the superficial demands of a Torah life with Toras Chesed or Torah Lishmah. Texts

Batya Ungar-Sargon shares Netziv commentaries on the parsha. These sessions are held on Zoom every week in memory of our mother in-law whose dedication to the Netziv (her great great grandfather), was legendary. It is estimated she studied the Ha'amek Davar some 78 times throughout her life, devoting every Tuesday to its study. May her memory be a blessing to her family and klal Yisroel.

In delineating the status of Moshe Rebeinu's prophecy in the book of Devorim we encounter 2 separate opinions, in one comparing his unique ability compared with other prophets and in another his expounding Torah as will others in future generations. The mystical approach (the Degel) undermines both rational approaches. Texts