Simply Deep

The Gemara in Sanhedrin 44a says that Yehoshua knew that the malach of Hashem wasn’t a sheid because he did something that no sheid would do…

In Shmos 11:5 and 12:29, Rashi discusses why makas bechoros extended to all firstborns, even of the maidservants and the captives. This episode discusses the justice of this and deals with the question why the makkah would have extended to Jewish firstborns but for Hashem’s salvation (as indicted in Rashi on Bamidbar 8:17).

The Gemara in Brachos 6a discusses various ideas about mazikin or sheidim. Among other points, it discusses their chicken footprints in ashes around your bed. This episode (a shiur given during COVID time) provides an approach to explaining this and similar gemaras about sheidim.

This episode analyzes the various elements of reward that Rashi (Shmos 12:28) says the Jews received for doing the Korban Pesach.

In Shmos 7:3, Hashem tells Moshe that He’ll harden Pharaoh’s heart. Why is it just to punish him if he didn’t have free will? This episode discusses various answers to this question, with a specific focus on Rashi.

The details of the mitzvah of stoning certain sinners are learned from how the Torah describes what would be done to someone who breached the boundary of Har Sinai (Sanhedrin 45a). This episode analyzes why the details of this permanent mitzva would be learned from the momentary event at Har Sinai. In doing so, we discuss some fundamental ideas about capital punishment in the Torah.

This episode analyzes the Gemara in Gittin 66a that discusses how to detect if someone is a sheid (demon) or a regular person: look if his shadow has a shadow.

In Bereishis 48:22, Yaakov gave Yosef one “Shechem” over his brothers. Rashi has two pshatim in Shechem: (1) the city Shechem; (2) a portion. This episode analyzes how each of these pshatim learn this passuk.

After Yaakov died, Yosef’s brothers worried that he would take revenge. Yosef appeased them by saying (Bereishis 50:19-20) two points: 1) Am I in place of God? 2) While you planned evil against me, God planned that this would be for the good, so that I can be here, in Egypt, to support our nation. On the surface, Yosef’s answers don’t seem compelling. This episode analyzes them according to Rashi...

Rashi in Bereishis 45:18 teaches that when Pharaoh told Yosef that he would give his family the good of the land of Egypt, he was unknowingly expressing a prophecy that the Jews would empty Egypt of all its wealth. This episode discusses the meaning and significance of this hidden prophecy.

Rashi (Bereishis 43:30) tells us that Binyamin’s ten sons were all named for Yosef and the tzaros that happened to him. This episode analyzes these names to derive lessons about Binyamin’s relationship with Yosef.

Rashi (Bereishis 37:2) quotes a Midrash that lists more than twenty similarities between the lives of Yaakov and Yosef. This episode analyzes the significance of these similarities and develops two perspectives for viewing the unfolding of our nation.

This episode analyzes Rashi’s (Bereishis 38:14) claim that Tamar chose to meet Yehuda at Avraham’s door.

This episode discusses three benefits of learning gemara.

Rashi (Bereishis 32:23) says that Yaakov hid Dinah in a box to prevent Eisav from taking her. He was therefore punished with Dinah being raped by Shechem. This episode discusses the following questions and more: 1) Would it really have been a good idea to use Dinah to bring Eisav to Torah? 2) Why was this appropriate punishment for Yaakov? 3) Where’s the justice to Dinah?

After hearing the episode on the seven-headed serpent, someone asked me how one should deal with their own mazikim. This episode discusses some practical takeaways from this story.

This episode discusses the Gemara in Kiddushin 29b about the “mazik” that appeared like a seven-headed serpent in the Beis Midrash of Abayei.

Hashem told Lavan in a dream to be careful not to speak to Yaakov from good to bad (Bereishis 31:24). While it’s not clear exactly what this means, Lavan followed up by engaging Yaakov in an extended conversation - an apparent violation of Hashem’s warning. This episode analyzes the import of Lavan’s dream and the dialogue that followed.

After providing Leah’s reason for the name of her third son, Levi, the Torah says (Bereishis 29:34) says, “Therefore, he called him Levi.” Rashi says that the passuk used the masculine because the one who named Levi was the malach, Gavriel. This episode analyzes this strange claim and provides an important framework for understanding other events of this parsha.

After Yaakov expressed concern that Yitzchak would feel him and notice he wasn’t Eisav, why didn’t Rivka immediately tell Yaakov her plan of putting hairy skins on his arms and neck? And what did she tell him?

Rashi (Breishis 25:26) tells us that Yaakov was grabbing Eisav’s heel while emerging from the womb because he was trying to take the bechora that rightfully belonged to him. This episode analyzes this strange midrash and other pesukim/Rashi’s that discuss the meaning(s) of the name “Yaakov.”

The Torah repeats the story of Eliezer selecting Rivka. Rashi (Bereishis 24:42) says that we learn from this that the conversations of the servants of the Avos are better before Hashem than the Torah of their sons (because many details of mitzvos are only alluded to in the Torah). The same Rashi also tells us that the ground “shrunk” for Eliezer to allow him to arrive on the same day that he depar...

Rashi (Bereishis 24:23) says that Eliezer gave Rivka the jewelry before he found out what family she was from because he had Bitachon about the success of his mission. This episode considers the wisdom of this Bitachon and the role of Bitachon in general.

Rashi on Bereishis 22:5 says that before going to the Akeida, Avraham told his servants that “we will return” because he had a nevuah that both he and Yitzchok would return. But this seems to undermine the whole test of the Akeida?

What differentiates Sinai and makes it more convincing and non subject to doubts than the miracles in Egypt? This episode answers this question using: Rambam Yesodei Hatorah 8:1-2, last Ramban in Bo (Shmos 13:16), Rashi in Devarim 4:35 and develops some ideas about the relationship between the miracles in Egypt and the Revelation at Sinai.