KMTT - the Torah Podcast

Yirmiyah, the Joyous Sounds of Weddings, and the Return to the Land, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why are the themes of marriage and the return to Yerushalayim intertwined in Yirmiyah's prophecies and in the Birkat Chatanim? We are all famliar with the phrase עוד ישמע בערי יהודה ובחוצות ירושלים...from songs, from the final ברכה under the חופה and from countless homilies. Yet, if we look at the origina...

Matot | Moabite Daughters, a Midianite Princess and Pinchas, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Balak-Pinchas-Matot. Why is the "war of vengeance" carried out against Midian, if the instigators and participants in the BaalPeor episode were Moabites?  The story of Pinchas's zealotry is famous, yet his action along with the subsequent Divine command to launch a war of נקמה against Midian is surprising, consid...

Pinchas | Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee, by Rav Eli Weber Yirmiyahu 1:1 - 2:3 The burden of prophecy. 

Balak | The remnant of Yaakov shall be among the nations, by Rav Eli Weber Mikha 5:6 - 6:8 Is being alone a curse or a blessing? 

Bein HaMetzarim | Brit Sinai and Brit Zion, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom What is the message emerging from the parallel lists of 5 calamities on each of 17 Tamuz and 9 Av in Mishnah Taanit? Source sheet >> 

Chukat | Now Yiftach the Gil'adite was a mighty man of valour, by Rav Eli Weber Shoftim 11:1-33 The leader Am Yisrael needed

Korach | 5786 | For the Lord will not forsake His people, by Rav Eli Weber I Shmuel 11: 14-15 - 12:1-22 Shmuel HaNavi's farewell speech, the Haftara for Parashat Korach, poses a timeless question: does appointing a human king strengthen or weaken a nation's relationship with God? Rav Weber argues that the deeper connection to Korach lies not just in parallel defenses of leadership, but in the shar...

Birkat Chatanim | More (or perhaps less) Than You Thought... by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom We are all familiar with ברכת חתנים, although generally in its more common referent - "Sheva Berakhot". We examine the sources and the divided practice of Bavel vs. Eretz Yisrael regarding how many Berakhot are said - and propose an explanation for the need for "Panim Chadashot" (a "new face" at the celebration)...

Shelach | The Children of Lot, The "Sin of the Spies" and Tish'a b'Av by Yitzchak Etshalom Why did Chazal anchor the tragic history of Tish'a b'Av in the events of this week's Parasha (Parashat Shelach)? Chazal famously anchor the tragedies of ט' באב in the "חטא המרגלים" - which was really the sin of those who were persuaded by the "תרים את הארץ" and wept "that night" and wanted to appoint a new l...

Beha'alotekha | Sing and rejoice, o daughter of Zion, by Rav Eli Weber How do we recover from destruction? Zekharia 2:14 - 4:7

Naso | Shimson the Nazirite... Indeed? by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom The annunciation of Shimshon's birth (Shoftim 13) carries several anomalies; indeed, his own life reflects an unusual form of Nezirut, one which is not bound by the most severe violation of Nezirut (contact with the dead) - while his parents are the ones bound to avoid drinking wine. An investigation into the various types of נזירים i...

Why is there a Mitzva to Learn Torah? by Rav Mordechai Friedman This shiur tackles a fundamental philosophical question: if the Torah already obligates us to perform its 613 commandments, why is there a separate mitzva to learn Torah? You already need to know the laws to fulfill them — so why add a dedicated mitzva of Talmud Torah ? Given before the Etzion Foundation dinner in New York, May 18th,...

Ruth in Stereo: Mikra and Midrash, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom After a brief introduction to the literature of Midrash and specifically Midrash Aggada, we analyze four passages in Megilat Ruth, first reading them in their literary context, then perusing several Midrashic comments on them. We analyze the comments with an eye towards the agenda of the Darshan - i.e. what lesson he is building from the...

Geulat haShem: Redemption of a Name in Megilat Ruth, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Who is being "redeemed" in Megilat Rut? The notion of "Geula" is prominent throughout Megilat Ruth, reaching a crescendo in the final chapter. The redemption is not just about land, but about a person's memory - as exemplified by the curious structural relationship between the 7 uses of "שם" before chapter 4 and the corr...

Bamidbar | "Say to your brothers Ammi?", by Rav Eli Weber  Hoshea 2: 1-22 The Haftara for Bamidbar, from Hosea chapter 2, is simultaneously a prophecy of devastation and of hope. Through the striking metaphor of a faithless wife who ultimately returns, and culminating in the well-known verse of eirusin (betrothal), Hosea delivers an urgent message: God's covenant with Israel — and our hold on the...

Yom Yerushalayim | Psalm 122 - "I rejoiced when they said to me" by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom What is the message of Psalm 122, strongly associated with the upcoming celebration of יום ירושלים? 59 years ago, on the momentous and miraculous occasion of the raising of the Israeli flag over Har haBayit, the first thing that the announcer on Kol Yisrael did was to read this beautiful paean to our city, ou...

Behar-Bechukotai | "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord", by Rav Eli Weber Yirmiyahu 16:19 - 17:14.  What does it mean to believe?

Lag ba'Omer | What's Behind the Celebration? by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom The celebration of Lag ba'Omer is as much of a mystery as the prevailing practices in the period that leads up to it. We examine the two popular explanations - the cessation of the death of R. Akiva's students and the "Yahrzeit" of R. Shim'on bar Yochai - and demonstrate that neither explanation is reasonable, period-documented...

Emor | "They shall enter into my sanctuary", by Rav Eli Weber Yechezkel 44: 15-31 The kedusha is in the details.

Emor | "ממחרת השבת" and the Calendar Controversy, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Who were the "Beitusin" who challenged rabbinic authority about the date of Shavuot?  This shiur, given at the annual Yemei Iyyun beTanakh hosted by SAR High School, analyzes the controversy over the date (and day of the week) of the "Omer" offering which, in kind, affects the date and day of the week of Shavuot. Source she...

Tazria-Metzora | The Unique Opportunity Afforded to the Metzora, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why is the law regarding the Yoledet presented immediately before the laws of tzara'at?  The complex, confusing and unique instructions regarding the diagnosis and healing from tzara'at make these parashot possibly the most inscrutable and deliberately overlooked sections in the Torah. We analyze the status,...

Pesach | Miriam's Vital Role in the Redemption, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Miriam is a somewhat difficult character to follow in the text; she is first presented anonymously, watching over her baby brother until he is safely brought back home to be nursed by their mother, then appears as the "prophetess, sister of Aharon" who intensifies the Song at the Sea - and then a seeming downfall at the incid...

Vayikra | 5786 | "I am first and I am last", by Rav Eli Weber Yeshayahu 43:21 - 44:23 Why do we offer korbanot?

Pekudei | 5786 | Then Shlomo assembled the elders of Yisrael, by Rav Eli Weber The Inauguration of Beit Hamikdash. 1 Melakhim 7:51 - 8:1-21

Vayakhel | Shemot 35:3 and the Karaites, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom What is development of the Karaite-Rabbanite dispute about fire on Shabbat? The opening passage of Parashat Vayakhel includes Moshe's reminder to observe Shabbat and a singular mention of the prohibition of kindling a fire on Shabbat - לא תבערו אש בכל מושבותיכם ביום השבת. This passage became the focal point of a near-millenium long...