KMTT - the Torah Podcast

Bereishit | Unravelling a Bereishit Enigma, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom The story of Kayin's descendants concludes with a return to Adam and to the "replacement" son that he had, Sheth and his son, Enosh. The story concludes with a puzzling phrase, אז הוחל לקרא בשם השם, a phrase which has been interpreted in numerous ways, including interpretations which are seemingly diametric opposites of each othe...

Six Shifts in the "History" of Torah, by Rav Moshe Taragain Shiur given Leil Hoshana Rabba 5783, at Heichal Shlomo, Jerusalem Simchat Torah is a human invention. Source sheet >>

Sukkah Zu al Shum Mah? by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom The Torah commands us to live in Sukkot in order "that your generations know that I made/allowed/enabled (?) Bnei Yisrael to dwell in Sukkot as I took them out of Egypt". As far back as the Tannaitic era, there is an array of opinions as to the referent "Sukkot". Were they clouds of glory, booths in the desert - or the name of a place? The various op...

The Gates of Ne'ila - Harav Amital's Revolutionary Idea, by Rav Moshe Taragin

ובכן תן פחדך - The Unusual Additions to the Third Berakha on Yamim Noraim, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom There are three (or four, or five) paragraphs which are added to every Tefilla on Rosh Hashana and Yom haKippurim during the third berakha -"Kedushat haShem". Each paragraph begins with the word "Uvekhen" and anticipate an epoch when the whole world will recognize God as the Master of the World and...

Special - Hashem Ori veYish'i - Psalm 27, shiur given by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom, Sept 18, 2022 There is a relatively recent custom to recite Psalm 27  ה' אורי וישעי, twice a day (either שחרית/מנחה or שחרית/ערבית) from the beginning of אלול through סוכות. This is, in and of itself, an anomaly, as there are no other practices which stretch through the penitential period of Elul through the festive se...

Nitzavim | Sos Asis - The Seventh Stage of Consolation, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why does this final Haftara in the series of שבעה דנחמתא frequently utilize the first person, reflecting an autobiographical bent? Source sheet >>

Pre-Selichot Sicha Elul 5782, by Rav Eli Weber, given to the Overseas Talmidim Motzaei Shabbat Parashat Ki Tavo 5782. With a few minutes of nigunim both prior to and following the sicha.

The Roots of Teshuva: The hidden depths of return and renewal in the thought of Rav Aharon Lichtenstein zt"l  A Mishnat HaRAL Program in memory of David Landes z"l upon his third Yahrzeit. Sunday, Sept 11, 2022 at Cong. Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck NJ. A discussion with Rosh Yeshiva Rav Mosheh Lichtenstein and Rabbi Dr. Benjamin Samuels '92, Rabbi, Cong. Shaarei Tefillah, Newton, MA. Moderated by Rabbi...

Ki Tavo | Kumi Ori - The Sixth Stage of Consolation, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom What do we imagine will attract the nations of the world to Yerushalayim at the "end of history"? Source sheet >>

Ki Tetze | Roni Akara - The Fifth Stage of Consolation, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why is the theme of consolation - and the word נחם - missing from this Haftara (the first of the series in which it is gone)? 

Shoftim | Anochi Anochi Hu Menachemkhem - The Fourth Stage of Consolation, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why does the נביא use the introductory אנכי twice - and again a few פסוקים later? What is his audience missing here? The seven Shabbatot between Tish'a b'Av and Rosh Hashana are marked by a universally practiced custom of reading consolation passages from the latter half of the book of Yeshaya. Why...

Re'eh | Aniya So'ara - The Third Stage of Consolation, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom The seven Shabbatot between Tish'a b'Av and Rosh Hashana are marked by a universally practiced custom of reading consolation passages from the latter half of the book of Yeshaya. Why were these passages selected and why in the order in which they are read? Who is the prophetic voice behind these messages and what was h...

Ekev | VaTomer Tzion Azavani Hashem: The Second Stage of Consolation, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why do we skip from Yeshaya 40 to ch. 49 for this second Haftara of consolation? The seven Shabbatot between Tish'a b'Av and Rosh Hashana are marked by a universally practiced custom of reading consolation passages from the latter half of the book of Yeshaya. Why were these passages selected and why in t...

Vaetchanan - Nachamu Nachamu Ami, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom The seven Shabbatot between Tish'a b'Av and Rosh Hashana are marked by a universally practiced custom of reading consolation passages from the latter half of the book of Yeshaya. Why were these passages selected and why in the order in which they are read? Who is the prophetic voice behind these messages and what was his goal? We explore t...

From Redemption to Consolation: Between Pesach and 9BeAv. Our Best Strategies for Bi'at Ha-Go'el. #14 Go Beyond Apple Pie Comfort, by Rav Gidon Rothstein When we think about how to deserve full redemption, do we always reach for the same answer, while ignoring other important answers?

Talking About Eicha and More with Dr. Yael Ziegler, with Kol Deracheha host, Rachel Weber Leshaw. In this special Pre-Tish'a Be-Av episode we talk to Dr. Yael Ziegler about her new book "Lamentations: Faith in a Turbulent World" and her experience writing on such a seemingly sad topic. We also discuss her new appointment as Rosh Beit Midrash of Matan, and her career path until today. Buy the book...

Shir HaShirim | Understanding the Last 10 Pesukim, by Rav Moshe Taragin Shiur given in the Tanakh Study Days 5782 of Herzog College Source sheet >>

Megillat Eikha 6 - Chapter 5, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom This final chapter of Megilat Eikhah brings the entire text to its necessary and desired conclusion and opens the doors for us to mourn... Source sheet >>

From Redemption to Consolation: Between Pesach and 9BeAv. Our Best Strategies for Bi'at Ha-Go'el. #13 Mourning Jerusalem Beyond Tisha B'Av, by Rav Gidon Rothstein The lasting ways we are supposed to mourn Jerusalem, in our ordinary lives, as ways to merit redemption and consolation.

Dena in Shekhem: A Reevaluation, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom The tragic events of Bereishit 34 , conventionally understood as a case of Shekhem's rape and abduction of Dena, is a narrative replete with internal and broader difficulties. Along with introducing and demonstrating a methodology which encourages the reader to be a "fly on the wall" in the story, we propose, based on both contextual and te...

Masei | What Did Tzelofhad's Daughters Really Want? by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom The request of Tzelofhad's daughters is generally seen as a desire to maintain their deceased father's name by having his land stay within the family. However, a closer look at the 2 main stories in Bamidbar - and their odd "split" into two separate sections - along with the relevant passage in   Yehoshua 17 , leaves us w...

Thoughts on Mori veRabbi Harav Amital zt"l upon his 12th Yahrzeit, by Rav Moshe Taragin

Megillat Eikha 5 - Chapter 4, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Chapter 4: Apparently unsuccessful in his attempt to inspire reflection and a glimmer of hope through his autobiographic sketch, the mekonen pulls out all the stops and describes, in devastating and graphic detail, the tragedy of the loss of independence, sovereignty, "favored nation" status and...life. Presenting the apposition of the formerl...

From Redemption to Consolation: Between Pesach and 9BeAv. Our Best Strategies for Bi'at Ha-Go'el. #12 The Lessons in Finding the Reason for Jerusalem's Destruction, by Rav Gidon Rothstein A plethora of reasons for Jerusalem's destruction, and their lessons for finding our way to consolation.