Afleveringen
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The Gemara provides many stories about Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa which present him as a type of miracle worker. This episode is the second of a two-part series presents a new perspective on this puzzling Torah personality.
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The Gemara provides many stories about Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa which present him as a type of miracle worker. This episode is the first of a two-part series presents a new perspective on this puzzling Torah personality.
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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The Torah tells us that Miriam spoke about the isha kushis that Moshe took. Rashi says the Gematria of kushis (736) is the same as yefas maareh - beautiful. Just like nobody doubts the blackness of a kushis, so too nobody doubted the beauty of Tzippora - and yet Moshe divorced her. This episode analyzes these and other strange Rashis on this matter and probes the significance of using Gematria to teach them.
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Ever wonder why we make rows after burial for the mourners to walk through? Listen to this episode to find out what it’s all about.
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Rashi (Bamidbar 6:23) says that the passuk writes an extra vav to teach the kohanim to give their beracha slowly and with proper intent. This episode discusses four different ways to relate to birchas kohanim and the relationship of these ways to the speed at which the kohanim enunciate their beracha.
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Rashi tells us that if we give maaser, then we’ll have a lot of money and if we withhold it, then we’ll only have a little. This episode considers how this works.
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The Torah has two mitzvos to write a Sefer Torah: one for a regular person (learned from the passuk in Devarim 31:19 commanding us to write shiras ha’azinu) and one for a king (learned from Devarim 17:18). This episode analyzes the character of each of these mitzvos.
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The Gemara in BK 38a describes Ulla’s remarks to Rav Shmuel bar Yehuda upon the loss of his daughter. His words are shocking and seem very insensitive to a grieving father. This episode analyzes this story and derives a message about giving nechama.
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In Vayikra 26:8 (bechukosai), the Torah tells us that when we are doing the Mitzvos, 5 of us will pursue 100 enemies and 100 of us will pursue 10,000 enemies. Rashi points out the mathematics of these pursuits is off: the ratio changed from 1:20 to 1:100. Rashi says that the lesson is that you cannot compare a few people doing the mitzvos to many people doing the mitzvos. This episode analyzes this Rashi and develops a framework for understanding the Brachos (and the klalos).
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The episode is an interactive discussion (even my bird and kids had alot to say) from 2016 about Rashi and Ramban on Vayikra 26:11 (Bechukosai). It covered a few topics: (1) Among the list of berachos that we'll get for keeping the mitzvos, the Torah says that Hashem won't be disgusted with us; (2) the Ramban discusses how hashgachas Hashem is at times manifest through statistical unlikelihood; (3) The Ramban says that when the Jews are fully keeping the Torah, we need not seek out doctors and medical advice but can instead rely totally on Hashem.
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Rashi (vayikra 26:1) explains the strange way the Torah ends parshas Behar. Given that it just discussed a Jew who is a servant to a nonjew, he may think that since his Rebbe (master) did avoda zara, Chillul Shabbos, and gilui arayos, so can he. The Torah is reminding him that he cannot. Q: Why would I think he could??? This episode takes up this question and reveals an important point about our keeping the mitzvos (even if we aren’t servants of nonjews).
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Rashi (Vayikra 23:11) says that the mitzva of tenufa (waving) of the Omer is to stop bad winds and dews. This episode goes to Rashi’s source in Menachos 62a and analyzes the ideas involved in this waving.
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This episode discusses a chassidisha maaseh I recently heard.
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Rashi (Vayikra 19:35) makes a very strong comparison between a corrupt judge and someone who uses corrupt weights. This episode analyzes this comparison and also discusses another difficult Rashi and Rambam about the relationship of false weights to yitzias mitzrayim.
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This episode analyzes the Gemara in Shabbos 33b that discusses the famous story about Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and his son living in a cave for 12 years and their strange encounters upon exiting the cave.
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In this shiur, which was given on the 6th Yahrtzeit of my mother Shani Feder AH, we discuss the mitzvah of ואהבת לרעך כמוך, Love your Friend as Yourself. Some questions we take up: Why is it a klal gadol batorah? How is it even possible to love others as yourself?
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This advanced episode is Rabbi Zimmer’s presentation of three formulations of the position that Pesach Sheni is its own holiday. It shows that the earlier formulations have problems which naturally force the final formulation.
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Rashi and Ramban have two different understandings to Kedoshim Tehiyu. Rashi learns it’s a warning to be separate from arayos; Ramban learns it’s a general more warning to act in the line with the spirit of the mitzvos - not to be a menuval b’reshus hatorah - a scoundrel with the permission of the Torah. This episode analyzes each of these positions, specifically addressing what differentiates these warnings from the prohibition of ba’al tosif - adding on the mitzvos.
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In Vayikra 18:4-5, the Torah seemingly repeats the command to guard and do the chukim and mishpatim. Rashi offers two explanations for this apparent repetition, both of which provide insight into different facets of our keeping the mitzvos.
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Rashi (vayikra 18:4) tells us that the pasuk says “to walk in them (the mitzvos)” to teach that a person shouldn’t say, “I learned the wisdom of the Jews - now I’ll go and learn the wisdom of other nations.” This episode (a shiur from 2017) analyzes this Rashi and discusses the significance of building one’s life around both learning Torah and doing mitzvos.
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