KMTT - the Torah Podcast

Ki Tisa | After the Fall: Recovenanting, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why are the Luchot consistently referenced as "Luchot Even"?  In the aftermath of the חטא העגל - the sin of the golden calf - God commits to a (new?) covenant, one which inheres compassion and forgiveness, predicated on contrition and repentance. This recovenanting requires several steps - Moshe has to carve two tablets of stone lik...

Teruma | And I will dwell among the children of Israel, by Rav Eli Weber Melakhim I 5: 26-32 - 6: 1-13 Between the Mishkan and the Mikdash.

Shabbat Zakhor | And Shaul smote Amalek, by Rav Eli Weber Zakhor | Shmuel I 15:2-34 What caused Shaul's downfall?

Megillat Esther | Esther's Brilliant Plan, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why do we need to hear so many details of the Persian court in Esther 1 and 2 - when the plot only begins in chapter 3?  The first two chapters of Esther seem superfluous to the critical part of the plot - the decree to kill Mordekhai's nation and the successful stratagem that defeated it. Why does the reader need to hear about th...

Mishpatim | "That everyone should set free their slaves", by Rav Eli Weber Yirmiyahu 34:8 - 34:22 To be an eved only of Hashem.

Mishpatim | The Beloved Wife of the "Nirtza", by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Parashat Mishpatim opens up with legislation regarding the "Hebrew slave", who is really more of an indentured servant. In this passage, the master may "assign" a woman to the servant, but when his six-year term of servitude is complete, he leaves her when he goes free. If he chooses to stay due to his love for his master - and...

Yitro | Kadosh Kadosh Kadosh, by Rav Eli Weber Yeshayahu 6:1 - 7:6 Is God immanent or transcendental? 

Yitro | Reliving Sinai, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom In his farewell speech, Moshe continually refers to the day of Matan Torah as יום הקהל, and even recalls Hashem's command הקהל לי את העם - to gather all of the people. This historic experience and the obligation to always remember it and to transmit it to the next generation seems to be the impetus for the Mitzva of Hakhel - to gather everyone for a...

Beshalach | And Devorah sang, by Rav Eli Weber Shoftim 4:4 - 5:31. Why did Yael kill Sisera?

Beshalach | Miriam's Role in the Song at the Sea, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom The introductory line to the Song at the Sea (Shemot 15:1) is enigmatic on several counts. First of all, why is Moshe listed separately - and the verb ישיר is in the singular - if all of the people sang? Furthermore, how would they all know what to say/sing? We review the various Tannaitic opinions addressing these question...

Bo | But fear not thou O my servant Yaakov, by Rav Eli Weber Yirmiyahu 46:13 - 46:28 . Gratitude in the face of tragedy.

Va'era | And all the inhabitants of Miżrayim shall know that I am God, by Rav Eli Weber Yechezkel 28:25 - 29:21 Why do we need 10 makkot?

Vaera | The Makkot Curriculum, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom A paideia for Pharaoh. How many Makkot were there? We inevitably approach our study of Parashat Va'era with an assumption of 10 Makkot (plagues) with which Hashem smote and 'judged" the Egyptians. However, that number does not appear in the Torah's record of the events and other presentations of the Exodus story in Tanakh highlight only some...

Shemot | And In that Day a Great Shofar Shall be Sounded, by Rav Eli Weber Yeshayahu 27:6-28:13. On geula and materialism. 

Shemot | What were the ערי המסכנות? And Why Does It Matter?  by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom What is the meaning and significance of the ערי המסכנות which בני ישראל were forced to build?  The first labor forced upon the Hebrews in Egypt was a labor tax, forcing them to build ערי מסכנות. We explore the possible meanings of this unusual phrase, set it in apposition to the later back-breaking work to which...

Thoughts for Asara B'Tevet 5786, by Rav Moshe Taragin Was the Translation of Torah Tragic? Was the Holocaust a Historical Shift? When the Narrative Changes. Preserving Halakha and Masorah. The Dangers of Hyper-Preservationism in Charedi Culture

Vayechi | David's Last Words: Moral Complexity and Leadership, by Rav Eli Weber Understanding moral complexity reveals the Haftara's deepest wisdom about leadership and ethics. I Melakhim 2:1 - 2:12 This shiur examines the Haftara for Parshat Vayechi, which parallels King David's final charge to his son Shlomo with Yaakov's blessings to his children. The Haftara divides into two contrasting sectio...

Vayechi | Yaakov's Deathbed Charge, Rav Yitzchak Etshalom What is the rationale behind the sequence of Yaakov's deathbed blessings?  In the final scene of Yaakov's storied life, he lies in his bed surrounded by all twelve of his sons - for the first time, named שבטי ישראל - the "tribes of Israel". He then imparts (blessings?) (prophecies?) (assignments?) to each of them in an unusual sequence and...

Vayigash | 5786 | And I Will Make Them One Nation, by Rav Eli Weber Yechezkel 37: 15-28 How do we create unity?

Vayigash | "And Yosef Could No Longer Restrain Himself", by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why does the text add the phrase לכל הנצבים עליו when defining Yosef's inability to restrain his outburst?  When Yosef is finally ready to reveal his identity to his brothers, the text uses a rare word - להתאפק - and tells us that ולא יכל יוסף להתאפק לכל הנצבים עליו. This latter phrase is enigmatic and the Rishonim t...

Mitzvat Chanuka | A Fresh Look at the "Beraitot" of Chanuka, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why is "Sugyat Chanuka" the only place in the Bavli where a Mitzva is presented with a tiered system of fulfillment?  (BT Shabbat 21b) Most students are familiar with the Beraitot defining the Mitzvah of Ner Chanuka, found near the beginning of the 2nd chapter of Masekhet Shabbat - including the tri-level perform...

Vayeshev | 5786 | For Three Transgressions of Yisrael, by Rav Eli Weber Amos 2:6 - 3:8 How does God communicate with us?

Vayeshev | The Apocrypha and the Midrash, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Is there anything legitimately "Jewish" about apocryphal Midrashim?  We are accustomed to thinking of the Apocrypha (the "hidden" or "buried" writings of the 3rd century BCE through the first century CE) as external to our Rabbinic tradition and to reflecting purely sectarian approaches and interpretations. Yet - we sometimes find...

Two Giants, One Vision: The Legacy of Rav Aharon Lichtenstein and Rav Yehuda Amital, by Rabbi Michael Rosensweig Our overseas talmidim were zocheh to Rabbi Rosensweig, '73,  telling them about his time at Gush with stories of Rav Lichtenstein zt"l and Rav Amital zt"l. The shiur examines how Yeshivat Har Etzion benefited from two contrasting gedolim: Rav Amital's passionate decisiveness and transfo...

Vayishlach | 5786 | Thus says the Lord God Concerning Edom, by Rav Eli Weber What was Esav's plan? Who is Edom?