West Deal Torah Center

Rabbi Ike Hanon hosts classes every day at 6:10 AM at West Deal Shul. The class opens with Rabbi Yochanan's principle that forbidden and permitted foods do not combine to form the required olive-sized measure (kazayit) needed to establish a halachic violation. The Gemara then identifies three exceptions to this rule: the prohibitions of a Nazir, where the Torah's use of the word mishrat in...

Rabbi Ike Hanon hosts classes every day at 6:10 AM at West Deal Shul. The class continues on Pesachim 43b, analyzing how the Gemara distributes two instances of the word 'kol' across different pesukim to derive separate laws: one including ta'arovet chametz as a Torah prohibition and another including women in the obligation. The Gemara challenges Rabbi Eliezer by asking why the kol as...

Rabbi Ike Hanon hosts classes Monday through Friday at 6:10 AM at West Deal Shul. This class continues the Gemara in Pesachim 43a-43b, focusing on a dispute between Rav Nachman and Rav Yehuda over whether the Mishna's author is Rabbi Eliezer or Rabbi Meir. Each Amora constructs a kal v'chomer to support their position, and the tie is ultimately broken by a Beraita which demonstrates that R...

Rabbi Joseph Dana hosts classes Monday through Friday at 6:50 AM at West Deal Shul. This class continues the discussion in Tractate Berachot regarding the laws of a person who arrives late to davening and must navigate saying the Amidah alongside the congregation's Chazarat HaShaatz. Rabbi Dana examines the Shulchan Aruch's ruling on when one should or should not begin a private Amidah, fo...

Rabbi Moses Hidary hosts classes every Monday night at 8:15 PM at West Deal Shul. This class continues the study of Shaar HaBitachon, focusing on how a person should cultivate trust in Hashem across different life circumstances. Rabbi Hidary begins by exploring the spiritual benefits of solitude, encouraging practices like unplugged walks, quiet reflection, and the 'sit alone challenge' as...

Rabbi Ike Hanon hosts classes every day at 6:10 AM at West Deal Shul. The class focuses on Pesachim 43a, examining who authored the Mishnah that lists chametz nukshah (partially fermented dough) and chametz in a mixture as Torah-level prohibitions carrying lashes rather than karet. Rav Yehuda in the name of Rav identifies the author as Rabbi Meir, deriving through a kal vachomer that since nukshah...

Rabbi David Semah hosts classes every day at 6:45 AM at West Deal Shul. In this class on Parashat Korach, Rabbi David Semah draws a powerful life lesson from Moshe Rabbeinu's response to Korach's rebellion: rather than engaging in conflict immediately, Moshe urges everyone to wait until the next morning, teaching that a person in the heat of anger is like someone who is drunk — incapable o...

Rabbi Moshe Tobal hosts classes every day at 6:30 AM at West Deal Shul. Rabbi Moshe Tobal opens with a story about the genius of Rav Yehoshua Leib Diskin, using a Jerusalem dispute involving a British High Commissioner as a metaphor for the Korach rebellion against Moshe Rabbeinu. He raises the famous question of how the Rambam can say that doubting Moshe's nevuah proves one's ancestors we...

Rabbi Joseph Dana hosts classes every Friday at 7:30 AM at West Deal Shul. In this class on Parashat Korach, Rabbi Dana examines the rebellion against Moshe Rabbeinu, focusing on the three distinct groups involved: Korach, Datan and Aviram, and the 250 tribal leaders. A central question drives the class — why were the rebels punished through two unusual means, the earth swallowing some and a fire...

Rabbi Ike Hanon hosts classes Monday through Friday at 6:10 AM at West Deal Shul. The class begins on Pesachim 42b-43a by examining what the Mishnah means by 'women's cosmetics' containing chametz, identifying hair removal pastes made from fine flour as the relevant product. The Gemara then discusses three methods of hair removal used by women of different social classes, and explores...

Rabbi Ike Hanon hosts classes Monday through Friday at 6:10 AM at West Deal Shul. The class continues through the Mishnah on Pesachim 42b, defining several items that constitute Hametz and are therefore prohibited to own on Pesach. Rabbi Hanon explains Zitom HaMitzri, a medicinal drink made of barley or wheat, saffron, and salt, which served as both a laxative and a constipation remedy. The class...

Rabbi Ike Hanon hosts classes every weekday at 6:10 AM at West Deal Shul. The class covers Pesachim 42b, focusing on several items that are forbidden on Pesach due to containing barley. The Gemara explains that Median beer and Edomian vinegar are problematic because barley was added to them, distinguishing them from date beer and plain grape vinegar. A poignant digression explores how Judean wine...

Rabbi Moses Hidary hosts classes every Monday night at 8:15 PM at West Deal Shul. In this class, Rabbi Hidary continues through Chovot HaLevavot's Shaar HaBitachon, Chapter 4, moving from bitachon as it relates to parnasah into how bitachon applies to our relationships and circumstances with others. The Chovot HaLevavot outlines that every person finds themselves in one of two situations — eit...

Rabbi Ike Hanon hosts classes Monday through Friday at 6:10 AM at West Deal Shul. Rabbi Hanon begins the new perek of Pesachim, Elu Ovrin, which discusses items that cause a person to violate the prohibition of owning or benefiting from chametz on Pesach. The Mishnah lists several categories including outright chametz such as Kutah HaBavli, Shechar HaMadi, and Chometz HaEdomi, as well as chametz n...

Rabbi Ike Hanon hosts classes every day at 6:10 AM at West Deal Shul. The class covers Pesachim 41b-42a, beginning with a beraita distinguishing two separate prohibitions regarding the Korban Pesach: eating a fully roasted offering during the day, and eating a partially roasted one at night. The Gemara raises the question of how eating roasted during the day constitutes a lav, since the Torah only...

Rabbi Ike Hanon hosts classes Monday through Friday at 6:10 AM at West Deal Shul. The class continues the discussion in Pesachim 41b about the laws of Korban Pesach, focusing on how the time of day affects liability for eating a disqualified offering. A Berayta establishes that eating partially roasted (na) Korban Pesach during the day carries no punishment, while doing so at night does, and a pro...

Rabbi Moshe Tobal hosts classes every day at 6:30 AM at West Deal Shul. In this class on Parashat Shelach, Rabbi Moshe Tobal explores the deeper motivation behind the Meraglim's distorted report — their fear of losing leadership once the Jewish people entered Eretz Yisrael. Drawing on the Chafetz Chaim in Shemirat HaLashon, he explains how the spies cunningly argued that because the Jewish peo...

Rabbi David Semah hosts classes every day at 6:45 AM at West Deal Shul. In this class on Parashat Shelach, Rabbi Semah explores the psychological dynamic of the Yetzer Hara through the story of the meraglim, the spies sent to scout the Land of Israel. He highlights a striking reversal: when God commanded the people to enter the land, the Yetzer Hara made it feel impossible, causing them to refuse;...

Mr. Sammy Saka hosts classes on Zoom Tuesday and Thursday at 12:30PM. Contact Jacob Betesh to be added to the chat. In this class on Pirkei Avot 2:6, Mr. Sammy Saka walks through Hillel's teachings on the character traits that prevent a person from reaching their spiritual and intellectual potential, distinguishing between someone who lacks the capacity to learn and someone who simply hasn&#39...

Rabbi Ike Hanon hosts classes every day at 6:10 AM at West Deal Shul. The class begins on Pesachim 41a-41b with a discussion of cooking the Korban Pesach in the hot springs of Tiberias, which is not considered halachic cooking. Rava rules that eating the Korban Pesach partially roasted or cooked carries two or even three sets of lashes, incorporating punishment for violating both the specific proh...

Rabbi Joseph Dana hosts classes every day at 6:50 AM at West Deal Shul. This class continues the Gemara's discussion in Berachot 22a regarding a Baal Keri — one who has had marital relations — and his obligations around Kriat Shema, Birkat HaMazon, and other prayers. The central question is whether hirhur, meaning thinking or contemplating words of Torah, carries the same legal weight as actua...

Rabbi Ike Hanon hosts classes every day at 6:10 AM at West Deal Shul. This class covers Pesachim 41a, focusing on the prohibition against cooking the Korban Pesach and the various ways one can violate or not violate that law. The Gemara explores cases of cooking after roasting and roasting after cooking, presenting two approaches — one rooted in Rebi Yoseh's principle that cooking erases a pri...

Mr. Sammy Saka hosts classes on Zoom Tuesday and Thursday at 12:30PM. Contact Jacob Betesh to be added to the chat. In this class on Pirkei Avot 2:5, Mr. Sammy Saka breaks down five teachings of Hillel, centering the lesson around the power and importance of community. He draws on the story of Purim to illustrate how Jewish unity — or the lack thereof — directly impacts the fate of the people, con...

Rabbi Ike Hanon hosts classes every day at 6:30 AM at West Deal Shul. The class covers the Mishnah on Pesachim 40b, which discusses three halachot: the prohibition of adding flour to haroset or mustard on Pesach, the requirement to roast the Korban Pesach rather than cook it, and the need to discard a baker's hand-washing water during Pesach. The Gemara focuses first on Rav Kahana's distin...

Rabbi Moses Hidary hosts classes Monday nights at West Deal Shul. This class continues the study of Shaar HaBitachon, Perek Dalet in Chovot HaLevavot, focusing on how to maintain the proper mindset during financial hardship. Rabbi Hidary explains that Rabbenu Bachya offers a two-step approach: first normalizing the anxiety one feels when income is delayed or scarce, and then providing concrete ref...