KMTT - the Torah Podcast

Ramban on the Torah | 5785 | 06 | Vayetze, by Rav Eli Weber Did Yaakov hate Leah? Why does Yaakov get angry at Rachel? Why does Yaakov get angry at Lavan?

Vayetze | Yaakov's Years in Haran, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Parashat Vayetze, from beginning to end, details Yaakov's years "on the run", all of which are in Haran. How long was he there? Yaakov tells us - "I was in your house for 20 years..."; however, limiting Yaakov's years there to 20 raises numerous challenges, both within the text and with "realia". In this shiur, we propose a different chro...

Ramban on the Torah | 5785 | 05 | Toldot, by Rav Eli Weber Why did Hashem swear to each of the Avot? Did the Avot keep the Torah before it was given? Why was Yaakov ashamed of what he did?

Toldot | "Do You Have Only One Blessing, Father?" by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom The central story of Parashat Toldot is Yaakov's successful deception of his father, Yitzchak, to "steal" the blessing intended for Esav. When Esav learns of the ruse, his plaint to his father is "do you have but one blessing, my father"? Indeed, why does Yitzchak have only one blessing for his sons? And why is a blessing,...

Ramban on the Torah | 5785 | 04 | Chayei Sara, by Rav Eli Weber What was the miscommunication between Avraham and Efron? What is the meaning of a burial plot?  What fulfills a person?

Ramban on the Torah | 5785 | 03 | Vayera, by Rav Eli Weber Why was Sedom punished? What does this have to do with Pilegesh BaGiv'a? What is the point of the Akeda?

Vayera | What Really (Almost) Happened in Sedom, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom How could Lot conceivably offer his daughters to the men of Sedom? We are accustomed to reading the story of Sedom and imagining an angry gang of the men of the town surrounding Lot's house and demanding that he send out the two visitors for purposes of a gang-rape. We reexamine that assumption and note that our reading is i...

Rav Asher Weiss on War (4): The "Spier and the Shield" of Torah Study, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb The 3rd and final installment of R. Asher's 1st public address, delivered "the day after", on 10/8, highlighting the need for "offense and defense" both in war and in Torah study. "

Rav Asher Weiss on War (3), by Rav Dovid Gottlieb What is the role of Torah study during the war? Does people learning "on the home front" help the soldiers? [Needless to say, this is part of a very sensitive topic currently being debated]

Lekh Lekha | The Ethics of Rejoicing Over the Death of our Enemies, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom The current war that we are fighting has brought many moments of despair and sadness, but there have also been moments of triumph, including the notifications of the "neutralization" of some of our worst, bloodthirsty, barbaric enemies. Looking past the understandably human reaction to celebrate the vengea...

Ramban on the Torah | 5785 | 02 | Lekh Lekha, by Rav Eli Weber  

Iggeret HaRamban | 2 | Anger is a "Gateway to Sin" - Stay Away! by Rav Dovid Gottlieb A new series of shiurim on Iggeret HaRamban. The Ramban wrote a letter to his son which is a classic of machshava and mussar. The letter is basically an ethical will about what's important in life and how to be a good. Everyone knows that anger is bad and that we're better off if we can control our temper:  * wha...

Torah Study vs Army Service: What Do the Sources Say? by Rav Dovid Gottlieb In light of Rav Gottlieb's recent shiurim on Rav Asher Weiss and his teshuvot regarding army service, and the debate that ensued, we felt it more than appropriate to release a shiur given by Rav Gottlieb to his shana bet talmidim in Har Etzion, to better understand his personal view on the subject. 

Iggeret HaRamban | 1 | The Importance of Midot and Modeling Proper Behavior, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb A new series of shiurim on Iggeret HaRamban. The Ramban wrote a letter to his son which is a classic of machshava and mussar. The letter is basically an ethical will about what's important in life and how to be a good person. As such, it is just as relevant to each of us as it was to his son.

Rav Asher Weiss on War (2): The Day After - Now What?? by Rav Dovid Gottlieb In his recently published "Minchas Asher - Emunah U-Bitachon" R. Asher has a section dedicated to discussing the religious challenges of of the war. On October 8th, 2023, Isru Chag, the day after the horrific attacks, R. Asher gave his 1st public address, during which he attempts to process the shock and horror of what ha...

Rav Asher Weiss on War: "Shema" is a Segula for the Soldiers, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb In his recently published "Minchas Asher - Emunah U-Bitachon" R. Asher has a section dedicated to discussing the religious challenges of of the war.

Ramban on the Torah | 5785 | 01 | Noach, by Rav Eli Weber Did Hashem give up on humanity? Was Noach a tzadik? What does it mean that Hashem remembers?

Noach | Days of Wine and Curses: A Fresh Look at The Curse of Canaan, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom What was Cham's sin in the tent?  The immediate postdiluvian scene (Bereishit 9:18-29) is troubling on several accounts. Why is Cham introduced (twice!) as "father of Canaan"? What did he do that was so egregious that he earned his father's eternal curse? Why was that curse placed on Canaan, Cham's young...

Teshuva and the Fatal Flaw of Religious Mediocrity, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb What does it take to be "written" in the Book of Life?  Is it enough NOT to be wicked or is something more impressive and ambitious expected of us?

Rav Soloveitchik on Teshuva (6): Erasing our Past or Elevating It? by Rav Dovid Gottlieb Sixth in a series of mini-shiurim on R Soloveitchik's approach to Teshuva based on his famous and incredible sefer Al HaTeshuva.  How should we relate to our sinful past? Does teshuva require me to "amputate" my past experiences and memories?  (This is my favorite piece in the whole sefer - it changed my life...

Kohelet 3 | To Everything a Season, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom What is the wisdom hiding behind the famous "Song of the Seasons" in Kohelet 3? The third chapter of Kohelet begins with a famous poem, where the author presents 28 "seasons", some positive and some drastic, noting that there is a time for each of them. The choice of these 28 "times" has long challenged commentators; even more difficult...

Yom Kippur 5785 | Looking Back At Past Redemptions, by Rav Moshe Taragin To better navigate the current historical moment

The Role of the Tzibbur in Avodat HaKohen HaGadol, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom What is the role of the community in the Avoda of Yom haKippurim? Vayikra 16, which is read in its entirety as the Kriat haTorah of Yom haKippurim, details the Avoda of the Kohen Gadol. At first read, it appears to be a ritual that the Kohen Gadol must perform any time that he chooses to enter the "Dvir" (Kodesh Kodoshim)...

Sichat Mussar for Yom Kippur | 5785, by Rav Moshe Taragin  Dissecting the Pathology of Sin; Seeing Through Fantasy and Photoshops; 3 Tips For Immersive Yom Kippur: Watch Your Tongue, Ignore Your Watch and Avoid "Sunday Thoughts"

The Road to Teshuva | Part 9, by Rav Moshe Taragin Personal and Collective Viduy; Macro and Micro Teshuva; Creating Shock and Sorrow