Rabbi Moshe Kesselman Weekly Shiurim

Likkutei Sichos Volume 38 Pg 127

Billam said: Amighty GD doesn't see any Sins among the Jewish people. The Baal Haturim explains that this is because the letters Ches and Tes do not appear in the names of the Shvatim מקורות: פרשת בלק פרק כ״ב פסוקים כ״ב - כ״ז מדרש רבה במדבר פרשת בלק פרשה כ׳ פיסקא י״ד פרשת בלק פרק כ״ג פסוק כ״א פירוש בעל הטורים על הפסוק ד״ה לא הביט און ביעקב תלמוד בבלי יומא דף ע״ג ע״ב עיין פירוש בעל הטורים בראשית פר...

A fascinating Midrash about a woman who was encouraged by R' Meir to spit in his face מקורות: מדרש רבה ויקרא פרשה ט׳ פיסקא ט׳ ר׳ מאיר הוה יתיב עיין פירוש עץ יוסף ד״ה לא דיו למאיר כו׳ ספר גלגולי נשמות אות ל״ו פרשת קרח פרק ט״ז פסוקים א׳ - ד׳ פירש״י פסוק ג׳ ד״ה כלם קדשים וד״ה ומדוע תתנשאו פירש״י פסוק ד׳ ד״ה ויפל על פניו מדרש רבה במדבר פרשת קרח פרשה י״ח פיסקא וא״ו עיין עץ יוסף ד״ה מיד נזדעזע משה מאמר...

The Midrash shares a fascinating tale about the daughter of a giant eating a pomegranate. The way she treats the peel and the consequences for the spies shares great depth on the deeper meaning of the whole Parsha.

Parsha Shiur B'haaloscha 5786

The Parsha contains the Mitzvah of Birchas Kohanim. The Midrash insists that the Jews needed a special Schuss to merit this Mitzva.מקורותפרשת נשא במדבר פרק ו׳ פסוקים כ׳׳ב - כ׳׳זפירוש בעל הטורים על פסוק כ׳׳ג כה תברכומדרש רבה בראשית פרשה מ׳׳ג פיסקא ח׳מדרש רבה במדבר פרשה י׳׳א פיסקא ב׳בראשית פרשת לך לך פרק ט׳׳ו פסוק ה׳ עיין פירש׳׳י ד׳׳ה ויוצאבראשית פרשת וירא פרק כ׳׳ב פסוק ה׳ עיין פירש׳׳י ד׳׳ה עד כה שמ...

Parsha Shiur Bamidbar 5786

Parsha Shiur Behar Bechukotai 5786 Parsha Shiur Behar Bechukotai 5786 The Baal Haturim explains the connection between the end of last weeks Parsha Parshas Emot and the beginning of this weeks Parsha Parshas Behar. The end of Emor tells of a Ma who blasphemes and curses the name of Hashem. Behar begins with Hashem’s instructions to Moshe Rabbeinu on Har Sinai regarding the Mitzvah of Shmitta. This...

Parsha Shiur Emor 2026 Parsha Shiur Emor 2026 Toward the end of Parshas Emor, the Torah describes a fight between 2 individuals. One of them blasphemes and curses the name of Amighty GD. The Jews did not know what his consequence was supposed to be. He was placed in captivity until instructions would be received by Hashem. Eventually he received capitol punishmnent. This Shiur explores the identit...

No one other than the Kohen Gadol was allowed to enter the Kodesh Hakodoshim and even he could only do so on Yom Kippur. The Torah is unequivocal - Failure to observe this law results in immediate death. The Baal Haturim finds a connection between this Mitzva and the relationship between King Achav and Eliyohu Hanavi. Achav was a fascinating character. The Mishnah lists him as one of the kings who...

The Metzora has to tear his garments, grow his hair and mustache and announce to everyone that he is impure. He is exiled out of the camp and he must sit alone. The process is designed to break his ego. We hope he will learn to stop speaking ill of others. But in his heart, the Metzora may wonder: ‘did I really do something so terrible?… After all, did I not tell the truth?… Why shoot the messenge...

Aaron carried 2 stones on his shoulders, the stones carried the names of the 12 Shevatim. The stones served as 'memory before Hashem.' Rashi writes that through seeing the stones Hashem would see the names of the tribes and remember their righteousness. מקורות: שמות פרשת תצוה פרק כ״ח פסוקים ו׳ - י״ב פירש״י פסוק י״ב ד״ה לזכרון פירוש בעל הטורים פסוק י״ב שמותם ב׳ במסורה מדרש רבה שמות פרשה ל״ז פיסקא ב...

This Shiur analyzes the Midrash which explains the Torah's placement of the Mitzvah of building a Mishkan. Hashem gave the Mitzva directly after the Giving of the Torah. מקורות: תלמוד בבלי מסכת בבא מציעא דף נ״ט ע״א סוף העמוד: תנן התם… וע״ב תנור של עכנאי עד נצחוני בני תוס׳ ד״ה קחייך ואמר נצחוני בני חומש שמות פרשת תרומה פרק כ״ה פסוקים א׳- ד׳ מדרש רבה שמות פרשה ל״ג פיסקא א׳ ויקחו לי תרומה משל למלך…....

Parsha Shiur Mishpotim 5786

An in depth explanation of Yisro's discovery.

Moshe took the bones of Yosef out of Mitzraim. Since, Yosef had made the Jews swear that when they leave they would take him out together with them. This Shiur explores 3 explanations on the double expression השבע השביע. One by Rashi, one by the Midrash and one by the Baal Haturim. מקורות: חומש שמות פרשת בשלח פרק י״ג פסוקים י״ז - י״ט פירש״י פסוק י״ט ד״ה השבע השביע מדרש רבה שמות פרשה כ׳ פיסקא י״ט פ...

The Jews that don’t want to leave Egypt perished during the plague of darkness. This would leave us assuming that the Jews that left Egypt actually wanted to leave. Yet, the Baal Harurimninsists that the the Jews that left Egypt were forced out against their will. He learns this from the same expression used here by the Torah קומו צאו (Get Up and Get Out) as used by the story of Lot being forced o...

Parsha Shiur Vayechi 5786

Audio recording from the Farbrengen for Yud Tes and Chof Kislev. Recorded LA 5786 Moshe Ganz Hall.

For decades, Yaakov had feared and dreaded the moment he would encounter his brother and great nemesis Esav. Yet, despite the decades of animosity, their meeting seems nothing but peaceful. They embrace, they kiss, they weep and then they speak. At some point Esav asks Yaakov about the: ‘All this camp which i met.’ Yaakov explained that its intention was ‘to find favor in the eyes of my master.’ T...

Rochel gave her sister Leah the ‘Simanim’ in order not to embarrass her. But by doing so she betrayed Yaakov. How could Rochel violate Yaakov’s trust like that? Why do we not find Yaakov ever confronting Rochel about this? The Midrash relates that Dovid Hamelech defended himself from the constant taunts of the Jews. The accused him of being unworthy because he was a descendant of Ruth the Moabite....

In the entire Torah, there here are few stories as difficult to understand and to justify as the story of Parshas Toldos. Yaakov Avinu stood before his father Yitzchok and declared: ‘I am Esav - Your First Born Son.’ Yitzchak was clearly suspicious and inquired 3 times after Yaakov’s identity. In the end, the Torah attests, that he (Yitzchak) did not recognize his son. For he was dressed dressed i...

67 Pesukim in the Torah are dedicated to telling the story of the first Jewish Shidduch / the marriage of Yitzchok and Rivkah. The Torah describes the entire story of how the marriage  came about in great detail. Yitzchok brought Rivkah into his tent where she embodied the miracles of Sarah - Yitzchok’s mother. He took her as a wife and he loved her and Yitzchok was comforted after loosing his mot...

Parsha Shiur Parshas Vayeira 5786 Lot ended up in a cave with his 2 daughters. They believed they were the last human beings alive on planet earth. The 2 daughters conspire to have children with Lot. They give him wine, cohabit with him and have 2 sons. Moab and Amon. The Torah says Lot was unaware of his daughter’s activities. There is a little dot in the Torah on top of the word ‘U’vekuma.’ The...

Avrohom is victorious i his war against the 4 Kings. He refuses the money because he has complete confidence in Hashem’s Bracha that he will be wealthy. However, when it comes to children Avrohom expresses tremendous pessimism. He refers to himself as a childless and destroyed man. Hashem tells him to go outside and count the starts. Rashi explains that he was meant to leave his astrological perce...