Parshat Mishpatim with Rav Dovid Gottlieb

#1 - Classical Commentators - The Mysterious and Mystical End of Parshas Mishpatim #2 - Modern Commentators - Balancing Tradition and Innovation - A Beautiful Thought from R. Moshe Feinstein #3 - Midrash - What's So Special About Mishpatim? 3 Insights of the Midrash #4 - Sparks of Mussar - Appreciating Hashem's As a Loving Father - A Lesson Learned from the Jewish Slave #5 - Halacha from the Parsha - Litigating in Secular Court: Why is It Assur and When is It Muttar? #6 - Sparks of Chasidus - Nezikin and the "Damage" We Do to Ourselves: An Incredible Teaching from the Nesivos Shalom

Mishpatim | Moshe's Encounters Read As Prologue, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom

Moshe's three encounters after his adoption into the palace are rife with internal difficulties; riding above all of that is the general question of what the text is trying to teach us by including these three incidents. A detailed and careful read of the text reveals numerous difficulties which perhaps point to a larger overall solution - which is proposed in this shiur.

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Parshat Yitro with Rav Dovid Gottlieb

#1 - Classical Commentators - The Danger of Getting Too Close to the Mountain #2 - Contemporary Commentators - "Curious Yisro" and the Quest for Truth #3 - Midrash - The Midrashic Account of Matan Torah - 3 Powerful Messages #4 - Sparks of Mussar - Yisro - Learning the Lesson of Sustained Religious Growth #5 - Halacha from the Parsha - The Essence of Kiddush #6 - Sparks of Chassidus - The Interplay Between Torah and Achdus: A Remarkable Insight from Rav Meir Shapiro

Yitro | What Inspired Yitro? by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom

The opening passage of פרשת יתרו is full of riddles - why are we given detailed information about Moshe's sons, including the introduction of Eliezer with the reason given for his name? What caused Yitro's reevaluation of his theology, such that he was ready to declare that "I now know that Hashem is greater than all the gods"? Why do חז"ל discuss and dispute "what he heard that caused him to come" when the simplest explanation is that he came to reunite Moshe with his wife and sons? We discuss all of this, including an analysis of the dispute regarding the canonization of the book of Esther.

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Tefillah: Appreciating and Improving Our Davening Part 2, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb, given to the weekly women's group in Kehilat Ha'Ela

Beshalach | From Marah to Masah, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom

The brief interlude at Marah, immediately following Shirat haYam, includes two challenging phrases - שם שם לו חק ומשפט and ושם נסהו. After surveying the classic commentaries - including the famous passage in the Mekhilta - explaining these phrases, we look further at the travels in the desert and propose a different perspective on the "test" that took place at Marah - and that impacted on the remainder of the desert journey.

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Tefillah: Appreciating and Improving Our Davening Part 1, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb, given to the weekly women's group in Kehilat Ha'Ela

Parshat Beshalach with Rav Dovid Gottlieb

#1 - Classical Commentators - The Manna (מן): Blessing or Challenge? #2 - Contemporary Commentators - Rav Kook's Approach to Kedushas Yisrael #3 - Midrash - The Special Role of Children in "Az Yashir": An Incredible Midrash #4 - Sparks of Chassidus - Why Did the Jewish People Daven at the Yam Suf? A Profound (and Surprising) Insight from the Lubavitcher Rebbe #5 - Halacha from the Parsha - The Who, What and Why and Lechem Mishneh #6 - Sparks of Musar - Appreciating the Importance of Showing Appreciation: An Incredible Insight from the Steipler

Parshat Bo with Rav Dovid Gottlieb

#1 - Classical Commentators - The Nature of Miracles and the Miracle of Nature #2 - Modern Commentators - The Source of the Jewish People's Wealth: The Incredible Interpretation of the Vilna Gaon #3 - Midrash - Moshe & Ahron: A Paragon of Mutual Respect and Brotherly Love #4 - Sparks of Chassidus - The Jewish Approach to Physicality: A Beautiful Teaching from the Tolna Rebbe #5 - Halacha from the Parsha - Should You Wear Tefillin All Day? #6 - Sparks of Musar - Why Did We Have to Leave Egypt in Such a Rush? An Important Insight from the Alter of Kelm

Bo | "What Is This Service...To You?" Reevaluating the "Wicked Son's" Question, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom

The famous interaction between a son and his father (Shemot 12:25-26) is interpreted in the Midrash Halakhah (and, subsequently, in the Hagadah) as a hostile one, with the son's "question" viewed as a confrontational remark - even though the Rishonim who comment on the passage in context read it sympathetically, ignoring the supposed adversarial implication of the word לכם. We propose a broader look at the entire passage, from 12:1-27, suggesting a different parsing of the son's question and an interrogative reading of the key word לכם.

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