KMTT - the Torah Podcast

Ramban on the Torah | 57 | Reeh, by Rav Eli Weber What is the role of the navi?

Explaining the Wisdom of Harav Yehuda Amital zt"l (Part 34), by Rav Moshe Taragin In light of the recent publication of the sefer לעולם יהא אדם, מתורותיו של הרב יהודה עמיטל, Rav Taragin discusses with his talmidim many of the issues brought up in his rebbe's sichot: Should a Person Develop Personal Torah Chiddushim? The Price of Shifting Torah Authority from Community Rabonim to Roshei Yeshiva

Ramban on the Torah | 56 | Ekev, by Rav Eli Weber How could Moshe Rabbeinu willingly shatter luchot written by the hand of HaKadosh Barukh Hu?! This and more... about our intimate relationship with God.

Ramban on the Torah | 55 | Vaetchanan, by Rav Eli Weber Which is the "real" text of the aseret hadibrot? Treating a derabanan mitzva as deoraita - is that bal tosif? And more...

Ekev | How Do You Spell "Mezuzot"? by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom How many ways can "Mezuzot" be legitimately spelled? The Orthography of the Torah Rashi, in his comment on Devarim 6:9, infers from the written form of "Mezuzot" - מזוזת - that we need only write the words of שמע...ואהבת (and the rest) on one doorpost, since the written version alludes to "Mezuzat". However, our Sifrei Torah all have that...

Explaining the Wisdom of Harav Yehuda Amital zt"l (Parts 32-33), by Rav Moshe Taragin In light of the recent publication of the sefer לעולם יהא אדם, מתורותיו של הרב יהודה עמיטל, Rav Taragin discusses with his talmidim many of the issues brought up in his rebbe's sichot: #32: Rabbis Should Be Humans Not Angels; Too Much Kavod?; Rav Amital's Honest and Brilliant Confession; Gaining the Respect of th...

Vaetchanan | The Second "Version" of the Decalogue, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom The dibrot are repeated in Devarim, but with some significant (and some subtle) variations. The Decalogue is repeated in Devarim, but with some significant (and some subtle) variations. An approach to understanding all of these variations - large and small - is proposed, in light of the significantly different station of...

KMTT - Explaining the Wisdom of Harav Yehuda Amital zt"l (Parts 30-31), by Rav Moshe Taragin In light of the recent publication of the sefer לעולם יהא אדם, מתורותיו של הרב יהודה עמיטל, Rav Taragin discusses with his talmidim many of the issues brought up in his rebbe's sichot: Torah Wisdom of HaRav Amital #30: Two Ways To Understand the "Eternity of Torah"; Torah Isn't Meant to Be Heavy; Focus on...

Tisha BeAv | Why Were the Keruvim Hugging at the Time of the Churban? by Rav Dovid Gottlieb The Romans couldn't understand why they found the keruvim in a loving embrace when they destroyed the Beit HaMikdash. As a result they ridiculed us for this seemingly base display of affection.  How do WE understand this phenomenon?  What should we know that they were missing? A number of new approaches to...

Eicha | "Cheit Chat'a Yerushalayim" by Rav Dovid Gottlieb On the power and potential of our actions Chazal seem to emphasize that we - the Jewish people - are uniquely responsible for our actions and their impact on the events of history - how do we understand this and why is it fair?

Ramban on the Torah | 54 | Devarim, by Rav Eli Weber Why are some mitzvot only written down in Sefer Devarim? What do the Meraglim have to do with Moshe not entering Eretz Israel? Why does Hashem make the goyim fear Am Israel?

 Amos | The Opening Oracles Against the Nations, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Many of our literary prophets issued rebukes, warnings and dire threats against the nations surrounding Israel and Amos's opening chapters are often cited as the paradigm for this genre of prophetic oratory. Yet, a closer look at these prophecies and their setting reveals that Amos, who indeed coined a significant number of...

9 BeAv | Text Study of Psalm 137 - על נהרות בבלת, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom When and why was על נהרות בבל composed? Psalm 137, the dirge of the Levi'im "at the waters of Babylon" is an intricate and multi-layered psalm that evokes a surprisingly hopeful and defiant message. (This session was held in Ramat Beit Shemesh; thank you to the Reichs for their hospitality.)

The "Sin of the Spies" and Tish'a BeAv, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom By analyzing the accounts in both Shelach and Devarim, we will assess the connection between these two events? Chazal, in a famous Aggada (at the end of Masekhet Ta'anit) generate a calendar in order to "time" the arrival of the scouts at the camp on the afternoon of the 8th of Av so that the weeping "that night" coincides with Tish'...

KMTT - Explaining the Wisdom of Harav Yehuda Amital zt"l (Part 29), by Rav Moshe Taragin In light of the recent publication of the sefer לעולם יהא אדם, מתורותיו של הרב יהודה עמיטל, Rav Taragin discusses with his talmidim many of the issues brought up in his rebbe's sichot: Torah Wisdom of HaRav Amital #29: Building Religion Upon a Human 'Frame"; Accepting Human weakness and Emotional Fluctuations;...

Explaining the Wisdom of Harav Yehuda Amital zt"l (Part 28), by Rav Moshe Taragin In light of the recent publication of the sefer לעולם יהא אדם, מתורותיו של הרב יהודה עמיטל, Rav Taragin discusses with his talmidim many of the issues brought up in his rebbe's sichot: Torah Wisdom of HaRav Amital #28: Individualism Can Lead to Lack of Collectivism and Societal Responsibility; Individual Passion Can...

Explaining the Wisdom of Harav Yehuda Amital zt"l (Parts 26-27), by Rav Moshe Taragin In light of the recent publication of the sefer לעולם יהא אדם, מתורותיו של הרב יהודה עמיטל, Rav Taragin discusses with his talmidim many of the issues brought up in his rebbe's sichot: Torah Wisdom of HaRav Amital #26: Should Religion Make You Tense Or Relaxed?; Why Is A Sense of Humor Helpful for Avodas Hashem;...

Matot-Masei | The Detailed Tax on the Spoils of Midian, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why were the spoils of the war with Midian divided in such an unusual manner?  In Bamidbar 31, the Torah presents, in exact (and seemingly superfluous) detail, the spoils of the war against Midian, along with an exact accounting of the Divinely mandated levy placed upon the nation (2%) and the warriors (.2%) for their...

Ramban on the Torah | 53 | Matot-Masei, by Rav Eli Weber What is the place of Nedarim in Jewish life? What were Shevet Gad and Shevet Reuven asking for? What is the meaning of Yishuv Eretz Israel?

Explaining the Wisdom of Harav Yehuda Amital zt"l (Part 25), by Rav Moshe Taragin In light of the recent publication of the sefer לעולם יהא אדם, מתורותיו של הרב יהודה עמיטל, Rav Taragin discusses with his talmidim many of the issues brought up in his rebbe's sichot: The Five Pillars of How We Treat Non-Jews; Kiddush Hashem and Calibrating National Policies Based on the Response of Non-Jews; Redemp...

Explaining the Wisdom of Harav Yehuda Amital zt"l (Parts 23-24), by Rav Moshe Taragin In light of the recent publication of the sefer לעולם יהא אדם, מתורותיו של הרב יהודה עמיטל, Rav Taragin discusses with his talmidim many of the issues brought up in his rebbe's sichot: Applying Rav Kook to A Changed Modern World: Land Isn't the Only Value; Jewish Nationalism Can Intensify Particularism; The"Uglin...

Is Torah Compatible With Material Indulgence? (Avot 6:4), by Rav Dovid Gottlieb Sharing the Torah of Rav Asher Weiss Do you have to be poor to become a talmid chakham?

Ramban on the Torah | 52 | Pinchas, by Rav Eli Weber How were the nachalot decided? What was Zelophchad's sin? Why does Moshe not die at the end of the parasha?

Pinchas | "And Their Libations", by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why are the libations and grain offerings (נסכים ומנחות) repeated with each korban in our parasha? Parashat Pinchas is known for its presentation of the "Mikdash-Calendar", i.e. the listing of Korbanot to be brought daily, every Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh and on Moadim in the Mikdash. However, in spite of the already presented laws of the grain+...

Explaining the Wisdom of Harav Yehuda Amital zt"l (Parts 21-22), by Rav Moshe Taragin In light of the recent publication of the sefer לעולם יהא אדם, מתורותיו של הרב יהודה עמיטל, Rav Taragin discusses with his talmidim many of the issues brought up in his rebbe's sichot: Rav Amital's Holocaust Infused "Grounded" Zionism; A Country for the Jews; Response to the Partition Plan The Value of Imperfect...