KMTT - the Torah Podcast

Exploring the Themes and Pesukim of Rosh Hashana Part 2, by Rav Moshe Taragin Take Our Pain As Our Prayer; The Ashes; Love, Not Memories; Sacred Thunderclaps; The Melody of Pride

Changing the Tone of Selichot after October 7th, by Rav Moshe Taragin This shiur was delivered before selichot Motzaei Shabbat Nitzavim-Vayelekh, in Congregation Rinat Yisrael, 2024 (Teaneck, NJ)

Elevating our Sacrifice and Commitment, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb The soldiers are committed to the mission above all else - how can we make ourselves worthy of their commitment this Rosh Hashana?

Rav Soloveitchik on Teshuva (5): The Two Dimensions of Teshuva, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb Fifth in a series of mini-shiurim on R Soloveitchik's approach to Teshuva based on his famous and incredible sefer Al HaTeshuva. Part 2 of our discussion of the second essay in the sefer. Is Teshuva an "obligation of the heart" or is there a required action?

Rav Soloveitchik on Teshuva (4): Is Teshuva a Mitzva? Must I Repent? by Rav Dovid Gottlieb Fourth in a series of mini-shiurim on R Soloveitchik's approach to Teshuva based on his famous and incredible sefer Al HaTeshuva. Part 1 of our discussion of the second essay in the sefer. If a person sins MUST he / she do teshuva or is that something that can be done of one wants? In other words, if I sin a...

Exploring the Themes and Pesukim of Rosh Hashana, by Rav Moshe Taragin Bringing Hashem to a G-dless World; The Anthem of Jewish History

Ramban on the Torah | 61 | Nitzavim-Vayelekh, by Rav Eli Weber   "You stand this day, all of you, before your God." Don't we always live our lives in God's presence? And more...

Vayelekh | Hakhel in Yavneh... And Beyond, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom What is the impact of Hakhel in our day?  The penultimate Mitzva found in the Torah is the command to assemble all of the people at the end of the Shemitta year, to hear a public reading of the Torah (התורה הזאת) - including the men, the women and the children. In a famous story recorded in Tosefta Sota, a homily of R. Elazar b. A...

The Road to Teshuva | Part 8, by Rav Moshe Taragin Avoiding "Viduy Traps": Denial, Deflection, Disingenuousness

The Road to Teshuva | Parts 6-7, by Rav Moshe Taragin Paradoxes of Teshuva: Can Teshuva Be Selective?; The Halakhic Definition of What is Considered "Forgotten" Paradoxes of Teshuva: Personal Teshuva vs. Collective Teshuva; Believing in Jews as a Route to Teshuva; Covering With Snow Rather Than Cleansing   

Ki Tavo | Why Did Bnei Yisrael Need a Second Tokhacha? by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why is the imprecation (תוכחה) in our Parasha so much more frightening and graphic than the earlier one in Vayikra 26 Parashat Ki Tavo is perhaps most well-known for the lengthy and painful imprecation which Moshe integrates into the covenant which he initiates with Bnei Yisrael in the Plains of Moav - a decidedly seco...

Ramban on the Torah | 60 | Ki Tavo, by Rav Eli Weber   What is the meaning of Vidui Bikkurim? Is there a meaning to what the goyim think of us? What is the meaning of writing the Torah on stones?

The Road to Teshuva | Part 5, by Rav Moshe Taragin Teshuva Paradoxes- "We Will be in the Same Place Next Year"- 3 Ways to Solve the Hypocrisy of Religious Recidivism

The Road to Teshuva | Part 4, by Rav Moshe Taragin Can Teshuva Aspiration be Too Ambitious; Divine Reassurances Without Reducing Standards

The Road to Teshuva | Part 3, by Rav Moshe Taragin Is Teshuva Too Foundational to be "A Mitzva"?

Ki Tetze | The Slanderer, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom What was the "motzi shem ra" attempting to accomplish? A challenging sugya in peshuto shel mikra Much of the middle of Parashat Ki Tetze is devoted to laws relating to sexual impropriety, expanding (per our approach) on the Dibber - לא תנאף. The most puzzling passage (22:13-21) addresses a case of possible slander on the part of a new husband, bes...

Ramban on the Torah | 59 | Ki Tetze, by Rav Eli Weber   What is the point of the mitzvah to build a railing? Why are there special mitzvot for war? What's the problem with prostitution?

Rav Soloveitchik on Teshuva (3): Do We Deserve to be Forgiven If We Do Teshuva? by Rav Dovid Gottlieb Third in a series of mini-shiurim on R Soloveitchik's approach to Teshuva based on his famous and incredible sefer Al HaTeshuva Is the forgiveness promised if we do teshuva a result of Hashem's Midat HaRachachamim or Midat HaDin? The Rav addresses this - and other fascinating questions - as we con...

Carrying our Broken Hearts to the End of a Cursed Year, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb How can we process the murder of the 6 hostages and what should we be thinking about as 5784 comes to a close? Swords of Iron | Day 339  

Rav Soloveitchik on Teshuva (2): Going Beyond the Sin Itself and Repenting for the "Lifestyle" of Sin, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb Second in a series of mini-shiurim on R Soloveitchik's approach to Teshuva based on his famous and incredible sefer Al HaTeshuva When is it enough to "just" repent for the sin itself and when - and why - must we sometimes repent even for the lifestyle that led to the sin?

Rav Soloveitchik on Teshuva (1): The Duality of Sin and the Duality of Repentance, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb First in a series of mini-shiurim on R Soloveitchik's approach to Teshuva based on his famous and incredible sefer Al HaTeshuva In order to understand how teshuva works we first need to understand the impact of sin - once we appreciate in what way(s) sin is damaging, then we can analyze how tes...

The Road to Teshuva | Parts 1 and 2, by Rav Moshe Taragin Is Teshuva Optional; How Did Rav Aharon Lichtenstein View the Realm of "Reshut" Why is There No Mitzva for Teshuva?; Maximizing Free Will; Teshuva for Lost Opportunities  

Shoftim | The Prohibition of "Raising" a Stele, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why is the matzeiva described as "abhorred by God"?  In the middle of the presentation of the laws of the Beit Din HaGadol (the central national court), the Torah interjects three seemingly disconnected prohibitions - planting a tree near the altar, raising a stele (מצבה) and offering a blemished animal. We address the middle...

Ramban on the Torah | 58 | Shoftim, by Rav Eli Weber   Why do people die in wars? What is the point of Egla Arufa? What does it mean to be "Tamim"?

Reeh | Ish haYashar beEinav | Revisiting a Biblical Conundrum, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom What did Moshe mean when he said "that which is right in each man's eyes" in reference to the Mikdash? Moshe Rabbenu, in describing the difference between the sacral worship in the desert and that which the people are imminently going to practice once they enter the Land, uses an odd phrase - "You shall not do...